AN: Repost. OOPS! Thank you, Andi, for pointing out that slight miscalculation. I had completely forgotten I had written that. It's fixed.
To those just joining us, this is the third installment to the "Incomplete" universe. "Here Without You" is what happened to the Shittenou during "Incomplete." This is their story. I recommend reading "Incomplete" prior to this one so you understand what is going on.
And a quick note to Andi or Einahpets, what forum?? I wanna see.
Anyway, enjoy!
Jecir
Here Without You
Chapter Two
By: Jecir
"Are you all right?"
Tamaki starred at the ceiling, his face cast in the blue glow of his computer. "Endymion," he breathed.
The innocent face of a boy with midnight blue eyes and even darker hair flashed through his mind.
Tamaki felt his heart ache with longing.
"What happened?"
"You fell out of a tree," the mysterious boy answered him.
Pollex pressed a hand against the back of his head. He could feel a lump forming. Embarrassment flushed his cheeks as he sat back on his heals. It was uncouth for the Prince of the Northern region to fall out of a tree just because he was startled. And by a boy no younger than himself, no less. He raised his head, a glare in place, only to freeze.
Deep blue eyes looked down at him with concern. Black hair danced in the cool morning breeze. A small hand was reaching down to him.
Pollex could not move nor breathe. He felt paralyzed. What was wrong with him?
"Prince Pollex!" It was the Headmaster. He came running from the main gates of the school followed by several students and teachers and Castor. The older educator came to a quick halt. "Are you all right, young sire?"
Pollex ignored him. He could not tear his eyes away.
Castor crossed her arms, her eyes—the same color as his—looking on condescendingly, and said snidely, "Clumsy as always, little brother."
The mysterious boy straightened. "No, it was my fault. I surprised him and he fell. I do apologize." He bowed.
"Prince Endymion!" the Headmaster sputtered. At once, the entire group hit their knees and bowed their heads to the ground. "We are honored by your visit."
"Endymion…" Pollex whispered through trembling lips. He quickly bowed his head and pressed a fist to his beating heart. What did the Heir to the Golden Throne desire of him? He would do it in an instant. His heart leapt at the thought. Oh, if only the Prince were there for him. But why would he, the lazy, weaker son of the King, be of any use to the Golden Prince? Pollex felt his heart sink at the thought. His sister was the better of them. Smarter, stronger, more skilled in every area. Surely she would be of better service to the Golden Prince. Yet, even as he thought that, Pollex knew he would die if he were taken from the child king now. Not after meeting him here, like this. It felt…right.
"Please, my lord," the Headmaster said as he and the rest stood. "What do we owe the honor?"
Endymion looked back at his two companions, a cold looking youth with shoulder-length white hair and a Priest with icy locks and kind eyes. The Priest nodded to Endymion. Turning back to the group, he said, "I am here in search of my Shittenou."
Shittenou! The word cut through Pollex's heart. Then the rumors were true. The Era of Darkness was over. The Golden Crystal has chosen a new master, and four new Guardians of Legend have been chosen. Pollex chanced a glance at his sister. She was smirking. Casting his eyes to the ground, Pollex steeled himself. Endymion was here for his sister. He would not say anything.
Pollex refused to acknowledge the tears forming in his eyes.
Endymion took the Golden Crystal from the Priest and raised it high. "I have followed the Golden Crystal of Terra to this school and have found the Guardian blessed by the North."
Castor's smirk grew as she pushed back her shoulders and took a step forward, ready to receive the greatest honor ever to be bestowed upon a Terrain. Jealousy raged in Pollex's heart, but he would not dare contradict the will of his Prince.
The Golden Crystal flared to life, bathing the clearing in its light. A second pale white light joined it; coming from the symbol blazing on the forehead of the white rider.
All in the clearing knelt under the light, overwhelmed by its power…save for the Northern Prince.
Pollex spread his arms, his head falling back as he drank in the power. It filled his body with warmth and comfort. His heart responded in kind. A crystal blue light surrounded him; a great heat burned on his forehead. In his heart, he heard a name echo throughout his being, but he dared not acknowledge it.
"I found you."
Pollex opened his eyes, startled by the voice—so powerful, so full of authority,…so kind.
Endymion stood before him, a bright smile on his face. "Genbu."
Pollex stared in wonder, unable to comprehend. Him? But why? He looked at the Prince and to the white rider, confusion written on his face. Surely there had been some mistake. Yet, in his heart, he knew…The white rider nodded, as if to confirm. But it was Endymion's hands on his shoulders that drove the truth home.
He was the one. He was chosen. The Prince wanted him.
Powers born from times past raced through his veins, filling his heart to overflowing, completing his soul…a soul that had not known it was incomplete until now. He was no longer Pollex, younger twin brother to Castor, weakest son of the North, a Prince with nothing to his name save birthright. He was Genbu. And he was wanted.
Genbu fell to his knees, his hand pressed firmly against his heart, and from his lips flowed a vow that meant so much more than the merger words could convey. "I swear to serve you, Prince Endymion, heir to the Golden Throne, chosen of the Golden Crystal, for eternity of eternities. In magic…" His magic flowed from his body into the Golden Crystal. "And in blood." With a flick of his wrist, a crystal shard appeared. Without removing his gaze from his liege, Genbu cut open his hand.
The crowd gasped at the violent display, but they did not understand the importance of his vows.
With steadfast resolve, Genbu raised his hand. The blood dripped from his hand onto the Golden Crystal.
"I am yours until death and beyond. Your will I shall see done. I will be your shield. I will sacrifice my very being to protect you. Never shall I leave your side. This I swear."
The Golden Crystal flared, binding him to his vows, never to release him.
Endymion clasped his bleeding hand. "I accept your vows and claim you as my Shittenou. You kneel before me as Pollex, Prince of the North. Arise now as Tanzanite, Shittenou of the North, future General of the Terrain armies, and my person guard."
Tanzanite left to his feet, and without thinking, embraced his new lord as the crowd erupted into cheers.
Through all the joy and laughter, Pollex could feel his sister's glare on his back.
"Tamaki?"
Tamaki snapped his eyes open. He was back in his room. And his father was at his door. "Yes?"
"How are you feeling?"
He was referring to earlier. Fainting was not a common thing for him. But under the circumstances, Tamaki was grateful for it. Smiling a genuine smile, Tamaki answered with, "Better than ever."
His father nodded. "Good. Well, I'm off to bed. Good night, son."
"Night." Tamaki waited for his father to close the door. "And good bye."
Minutes later, he stood in front of a full length mirror, his book bag filled with all the essentials. The note on his keyboard explained where he was going, but it did not say why. His father did not need to know why; just that he would be back when he was done. Tamaki took a deep breath. It had been a long time since he last did this; a lifetime, in fact. His brow creased with pain at the memory.
Endymion laying unconscious in the arms of Mercury; her pale face watching him through the mirror; her beautiful eyes filling with tears as she silently pleaded with him to come through the mirror too. But he couldn't. He had to hold his post.
Then Zoicite struck.
Tamaki shook his head. That was one loose end he would have to tie up before he found Endymion. He would not let his Prince get hurt by her ever again. Eyes firm with resolve; he pressed his hand against the mirror and concentrated. The glass began to ripple like water. A smile crossed his face. He stepped through the glass into oblivion.
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"Watch this, Endymion!"
"Watch," Seiya whispered. He leapt from the tree branch into the air, his powers humming around him. He flew through the air. The wind whipped around him, kicking leaves into the air. With a laugh, Seiya caught the leaves with his mind and sent them into a swirl about him. He relished in the sensation of magic once more flowing through him.
"Endymion!" he called with an excited laugh. "Watch!"
The Golden Prince leaned against a tree. "I'm watching!" he called.
Nephrite took his stance and grinned. This was going to be good.
He felt the air hum with magic. They would strike soon.
The attack came from behind. He heard the movement of a lithe body before he felt the magic build. Turning sharply, hands coming forward, he caught the column of fire in a telekinetic net and arced it over his head before releasing it into the rain of crystal shards coming from the right. Keeping his momentum, he completed his turn and threw a powerful psychic wave at his first assailant. Both the fire mage and the crystal castor fell with startled cries.
Then the white tiger struck. From the tree, he came, his sword in hand. Nephrite immediately called his staff to his hands and met the attack head on. Yet, the tiger was both fast and ferocious. It took all of his concentration to keep up. In five strikes, however, the tiger disarmed him and had him on his back with the blade pressed firmly into his neck. "Stop showing off," the tiger said as he pulled back his blade. "Strong magic is irrelevant if your footwork is worthless."
Seiya frowned at the memory. Kunzite was always so severe when they trained. Twisting in midair, he looked out over the world. He still could not believe what he quite literally saw.
When he awoke from his memories, everything had changed. The world was no longer a black void filled with sounds and smells. Suddenly, lights filled his mind. Auras of every kind became his world. Dull auras representing inanimate objects; bright auras signifying life; they surrounded everything.
And the stars…
He had run out onto the balcony without thought. Throwing open the bay doors, he was embraced by thousands of sparkling diamonds. They called to him, "Welcome brother! We have been waiting for you!"
Even now, as he played in the day, he could hear them, watching him and laughing with him. Oh, how he had missed them.
"Master Seiya?"
Seiya lost his concentration. The leaves dropped to the ground, and so did he. He threw his hands out, but he hit the ground before he could focus his magic into a cushion.
Jenkins hurried to his side. "Are you all right, master?"
Seiya stood, rubbing his arm, confused. "That was supposed to work," he muttered. He must be rustier than he thought. Shaking his head, he ran both hands through his long, tangled locks—what a mess he must look—and asked, "What is it, Jenkins?"
"Forgive me for interrupting you, sir," the butler said with a bow, "But it is currently 9:30."
"Is it?"
It is, the Sun answered.
Thank you, Seiya shot back.
"Yes, sir," Jenkins said. "Your ceremony begins in one hour. You must get ready."
Seiya frowned. He had forgotten about that. In the midst of his joyous new world—one free of decorum and expectations set upon the genius son of one of the wealthiest men in the west—his old life calls him back. Thus, with a heavy sigh, he turned himself over to the insistent hands of his man servant.
As he was stuffed into an expensive suit, Seiya entertained himself by examining the auras of his servants. Jenkins's aura was a faded royal blue that undulated with agitation. One of the maids' aura was exceptionally bright, particularly around her stomach. That must be Maria. She was pregnant with her first child. He passed along his congratulations as he handed him the day's mail. The chauffeur had a rusty red aura that moved at a slow, rhythmic pace, symbolizing the man's laid back nature. He was perhaps the only western driver not in a hurry.
"It must be exciting for you, sir," his chauffeur was saying over the intercom. "A graduation ceremony just for you."
Indeed. A ceremony just for him. Seiya did not much like these things.
"…celebrating our prince's sixth birthday!"
The crowd cheered for him. Cye stood straight and tall and tried to imagine what his subjects looked like. It was hard seeing as he was born blind. He decided to commit every sound and smell and taste to memory instead. He had asked his mother what it was like to see; he so desperately wanted to know.
"I cannot say," she confessed. She smiled—at least, she sounded like she was smiling—and placed a warm hand on his head. "Do not concern yourself with it, my son. Know that your subjects have come to celebrate your birth and let that be enough."
Thus, he sat with his mother and father and listened to the celebration around him.
A horn sounded throughout the Great Hall.
"Announcing his royal highness, Prince Clovis, high consul to his majesty."
Cye fidgeted nervously in his seat. He did not like his uncle. The man smelled funny and had a dark tone in his voice.
"Brother," Prince Clovis greeted. Cye heard his father step forward to meet his brother.
"Clovis," his father greeted.
"I am here to present my gift to the Prince."
The crowd rustled with excitement. Cye heard five different footsteps approaching—four heavy, one light. The five stopped. Clovis clapped his hands. There was a rustle of cloth, and then the crowd gasped.
"What is the meaning of this?" his father demanded.
Cye sat up. "What is it?"
Clovis lowered his voice. "We have succeeded, brother!"
"I ordered you to shut down the project!" His father was angry.
"But, brother, think of it! With this break through, our people will reach new heights! We will be immortal." He dropped his voice to a level that left Cye shaking with fear. "Imagine, if you let me run just a few experiments on your son, I can create a perfect clone. Then, our surgeons can replace his eyes! He will no longer be blind."
Flesh met flesh, and the chamber went silent.
"You dare insult your Prince?" his father growled.
Cye heard his uncle back away quickly.
His father was breathing heavily. "You will destroy that abomination. You will close the cloning project indefinitely. Am I understood?"
There was a long, uncomfortable silence before his uncle answered. "Crystal clear, my liege."
Cye did not like the tone his uncle used.
"…has shown himself to be, by far, the greatest mind of our time. It has been my honor to teach Seiya Unami…"
Seiya sat on the stage before his classmates, professors, and as many reporters as could be fit into the auditorium, half heartedly listening to the speech. This ceremony was bringing to mind a part of his past that he wished he had not remembered.
"Without further ado, I present to you, the pride and joy of this university, Seiya Unami!"
Seiya stood to the applauding of all and approached the podium.
In his mind, he heard himself from a lifetime ago wonder, "Am I abnormal?"
The question echoed out over the auditorium.
"Why would you ask that?" his mother chided.
He lowered his head, his hands knotting in his blanket. "Uncle Clovis wanted to replace my eyes. Is it bad that I'm blind?"
His mother's warmth filled his body as she placed her hand on his head. "No, my dear. You were born this way for a reason. One day you will discover why."
The audience waited anxiously for him to continue. His mother had said that to him only hours before his uncle staged a coup. His father was murdered. He did not know what happened to his mother. All he remembered was a servant pulling him from his bed, being carried and jostled for a long time, and cold air. A lot of cold air. Shaking his head, Seiya placed a perfect smile on his face and forced his mind into the present.
"Am I abnormal?" he said again, as if he had done it on purpose. "I have often run into people who thought that about me. I was born blind, yet I was born a genius. Is that truly abnormal? I say that it is not. Being born blind has taught me one important lesson: no handicap can hold you back if you put your mind to it. Here I stand, a college graduate with a double doctorate in Astrophysics and Calculus, when any other human my age is looking forward to completing their freshman year."
There was a ripple of laughter. Seiya's fake smile melted into a genuine one, and he dove head first into the speech that had been prepared for him prior to this ceremony. Later, when the celebration was over, Seiya sat in the back of the limousine, waiting to leave and thinking on the future.
"So, Master Seiya, what's next?"
"Hm?"
His chauffeur's rust red aura twisted to face him. "You're done with school. Are you going to be joining your father's business or what?"
Two days ago, he would have given a resigned answered, knowing that his place was at his father's side. But that was before he discovered his true self. Now, Seiya simply relaxed into the leather seat and said, "No. I have other plans."
"Very good, sir." The limousine shifted into gear and lurched forward.
Seiya closed his eyes. Yes, he had plans.
In his hand, he held an envelope postmarked Tokyo University.
Big plans.