Story Title: The Five Regions
Chapter: 3/20ish
Chapter Word Count: 8,812 words (was 5,996)
Chapter Summary: Taking chances lead to change…
A/N: The chapter has been edited as of 2/26/15. And I'm definitely getting into the swing of this as proven by how much of a word count difference there is. Again, the reviews I had received for this chapter were helpful and still appreciated. Where I decided to take this story may mean some more significant changes in some of the later chapters I have already posted, we'll just have to wait and see.

Chapter 3: Leaps and Bonds

One month later

Time passed quickly for Wataru within the facility and he realized by the end of the first week that he had never been more at ease with his life than what he was now. There were plenty of reasons for him to feel that way, but much of it came down to being surrounded by people who were only just learning to control their powers and it was completely acceptable for them not to know what to do most of the time. It was opposite from how he had grown up where it was just about intolerable to not have complete control at all times because it was dangerous otherwise. There was also a level of acceptance he hadn't experienced anywhere else he had travelled in his life and would be unlikely to find again. His peace of mind was only proven further in that his abilities had never been more complacent and easy to control.

Furthermore, he now had the constant and comforting presence of Yuichi Kazuki. On his first day at the facility when he had met and parted with the older trainee, he hadn't expected to be sought out like he was by Yuichi. Following the sparring match they had engaged in – an activity that had become a regular occurrence between them now – Yuichi had spent the remainder of the day with Wataru, only needing to talk briefly with the instructor to remain while evaluations and placements of new recruits were completed. They had finished off the day just talking with each other about whatever came to mind, though Wataru was careful to curb any topic that came too close to his past and the many lies that made up who he to everybody around him. It wasn't that he was worried that he would slip up – his false history almost felt more familiar to him than his actual life – but he just didn't like the thought of lying to Yuichi. For someone whose survival had come to rely on deception, it was a strange sensation to feel incapable of doing so because he liked the person. He didn't have trouble bending the truth to Kawamura – though his friend was familiar enough with him by now that he knew when Wataru was being dishonest – and even Yuichi's friend Han, who was gradually becoming another regular in the Enlightened's daily routine, didn't cause Wataru's stomach to churn at the thought and act of lying.

He wondered if his hesitation was connected to the sense of calm that just being in the same room as Yuichi brought him, that his heart and Core were picking up on something that his brain wasn't comprehending.

It wouldn't be the first time his feelings and actions were guided by his Core, as his current life gave proof of.

These feelings, however, were kept carefully concealed on Wataru's part. It was difficult to accurately read what Yuichi thought and felt without using any of his abilities – something Wataru was unwilling to rely on – and so there was no way of really knowing if the Empowered teen felt the strength of the emotions between them as well. The prince also figured out very quickly that Han had exceptional Empowered Sensitivity – quite possibly the keenest Wataru had ever known – and to alter the growing connection between Yuichi and himself might expose too much.

His reticence did little to inhibit his interactions, though, and his friendship with the two thrived, well as much as it could with such a guarded person as Wataru was. Unfortunately, his relationship with Kawamura was suffering because of him actually getting close to others than the Gifted. His friend was fiercely opposed to Wataru getting too close to anybody at the facility – he was too accustomed to Wataru keeping everybody outside of arm's length – and it was made worse by it being the brother of Shohei Kazuki who Wataru was allowing into his life and therefore held greater risk of exposing the hiding prince.

Wataru tried to dissuade Kawamura from putting so much effort into protecting him, but his friend would dismiss him each time with the same rebuttal: "When you give me a real reason to stop looking after you, I will."

The younger teen had yet to give a satisfactory response.

After all, how could he tell his best friend that all their hard work would be for nothing because Wataru was meant to be found out?

Wataru was making his way back to his room after his last course for the day when he felt the approach of who he recognized at once to be Yuichi and Han. It was unusual for them to be in this part of the dormitories with their rooms being in a completely different building, but the younger teen dismissed the thought; it wouldn't be the first time they had sought him out if they hadn't seen him in a few days. He slowed his pace and allowed the two to close the distance between them without giving away that he had known they were coming without them having announced their presence to him. It wasn't too long before he was pulled into a playful embrace by Han – a usual greeting the older trainee had found just to irritate the reticent teen.

Han's manner and attitude had come as something of a surprise to Wataru when he first met the Empowered: the teen was completely unlike any other person he had ever met in his life. What was even more shocking was how he and Yuichi managed to get along as well as they did. As restrained as Yuichi was with the people around him that weren't friends, Han seemed to be as much in the opposite direction and was always engaged in conversation with whoever he decided was amusing enough at that particular moment. Then there was how much enjoyment Han appeared to glean from just getting on people's nerves. And yet for some reason he was actually quite popular within the facility and very few trainees held a negative opinion of him.

Wataru tolerated him on his good days, knowing that the teen was good friends with Yuichi.

"Let me go, please," Wataru said almost immediately. Han moved away enough to look at him. It had been a long and exhausting day for the Enlightened and he didn't have the same patience he usually allotted to Han and his antics.

"Something's wrong. You usually give me at least five seconds before you get all stingy with touching. Yuichi, find out what's wrong," he demanded of his friend, who was behind him with his face in hand to display his exasperation.

"One of these days you're going to do this and end up missing a limb and I won't do anything to help you," Yuichi had given this warning the first time Han had jokingly embraced Wataru and had gotten a strong blow to his jaw, nearly breaking it, for his action. Instead of taking the warning for what it was, he took it as a challenge to not allow another unexpected strike. He was, after all, a Guardian in training and allowing a rookie to knock him out was unacceptable.

"If he really meant to hurt me, he wouldn't have patched me up after hitting me," Han insisted as he always did when anyone dissuaded him from messing with Wataru in the manner he did.

When he had punched the Empowered teen out of reflex rather than any intent to hurt him, Wataru had felt so bad that he had tapped into his Healing abilities and had mended the damage before he remembered that Gifted and Empowered weren't supposed to be capable of healing like he did. Sure Empowered could accelerate the healing process in their own bodies and some Gifted could affect and increase restorative aspects of plants and herbs, but neither could hold their hand to swollen skin and remove the damage in seconds as Wataru had done. His action had been taken without thinking about the consequences – his urge to not see people around him hurt too great to ignore – and afterward he had panicked and had tried to come up with some sort of explanation. It hadn't been needed though as Han had gotten so caught up in being hit in the first place that he apparently dismissed and forgot the whole healing thing. Yuichi had allowed the subject to slide as well – having likely realized how much it bothered Wataru to have exposed the ability in the first place – but it was obvious he was itching to question what had happened.

"The day is coming where Yuichi will be made an honest man," Wataru threatened as his frustration continued to grow as Han's arm remained around his shoulders. His Post-Cognition was boiling through to the surface beneath his wavering control and he was sure he'd start seeing Han's life at any second. He was using all his concentration to suppress the power, but his tired mind was making it near impossible.

Yuichi looked at Wataru: something really was off with the younger teen. Wataru was generally a passive individual who didn't usually outright threaten anybody like he was right now, at least not seriously. He would voice his irritation but that would be it until Han backed off. But today there seemed to be no middle ground between tolerating Han and not being able to stand him and Yuichi wondered if something had happened through the day to set Wataru off or if he was just more tired than he normally was.

He'd had the random urge to see Wataru today – something that happened often in a variety of intensity – and he was suddenly grateful that he'd answered the desire. Unfortunately, if he wanted to actually get an honest answer from Wataru about his state then the first thing he'd have to do would be to get rid of Han and that was sometimes a very difficult thing to do. It couldn't be helped though: Wataru only really opened up when it was just the two of them.

"Han, let him go," Yuichi instructed in a tone Han would respond to immediately, which he did and Yuichi watched Wataru visibly relax minutely.

"You two are turning into boring old coots. No fun at all," Han complained.

"I could always call Kawamura to join the group," Wataru threatened, his mood lightening immediately now that the pressure of his abilities was subsiding without the physical contact.

Han paled considerably. If Kawamura didn't like Yuichi, he seemed to downright hate Han because of how he pushed Wataru's boundaries. The first time the teen had seen Han make physical contact with Wataru, the punch the Enlightened had delivered was nothing compared to the rune Kawamura placed on him that bound his five natural senses for the rest of the day.

"No thanks, I like to keep my meetings with him as non-existent as possible," Han replied quickly as he back away from Wataru another step as though merely being near him would bring Kawamura running.

"Good plan. His temper's shorter than mine, as I'm sure you've noticed by now."

Time to run interference, Yuichi decided as he grabbed the cloak Wataru was never seen without – making sure to grab low enough that it wouldn't fall out of place around his head – and used the grip to pull the smaller teen in the direction of his room. Wataru followed the motion easily enough and Yuichi was grateful that such a forward action on his part had been accepted. "Han, you've done enough for one day. I'll catch you later when you've become more tolerable."

Han glared for only a second at how blunt Yuichi had been before he grinned. Every time he pressed Wataru's comfort zone, Yuichi became more protective of the dark-haired boy and the bond between them became more defined. Sure, he may one day lose a limb for his actions, but he could live with that for helping his friend and the one intended to be protected by him.

Wataru looked back to Han and caught a glimpse of the victorious smirk on the teen's face before they turned the corner. Han was up to something – had been for weeks – but Wataru couldn't put his finger on what it could possibly be. Even though Han appeared to many people to be only a few steps above a jester, Wataru had seen how the Empowered used these interactions where he would basically manipulate others' emotions to hone his abilities. Han was smart and liked to distract others from that fact so they wouldn't imagine what he was capable of.

"I can't recall you losing your patience that quickly with him," Yuichi said, as usual cutting straight to the point now that it was only the two of them.

"I just didn't feel like dealing with him today. It's been a long day in training," he'd been dangerously close to his control breaking on his Post-Cognition and it would have knocked him out to experience anybody else's life at this moment in his development.

"You would have been alright. I haven't known you long, but you always do exactly what you want to."

Yuichi was disturbingly astute in his understanding of Wataru's moods, as he had seemed to be right from the moment they had met. He seemed to know that Wataru was extremely self-conscious of his control, growing up always on the brink of losing it as he had.

"Everybody loses control at some point, no matter how much training they've had, especially when there's something unfamiliar in the mix."

I must be tired to be saying this so easily, Wataru noted absently.

Yuichi took a moment to consider what Wataru could mean by "unfamiliar". It was a strange term for the subject matter. The lives of new trainees were ruled by habit and order to help their progress. When he couldn't figure it out, he simply pressed, "Unfamiliar?"

Wataru's black eyes made contact with grey ones in a manner they often didn't: sizing Yuichi up for an answer. Figuring there was no harm in explaining further, he considered how best to put his struggle into words. "Everything that happens here is unfamiliar. The people, the dormitories, mess hall, ways of handling powers, all the way down to the clothes is completely different than what I have known." There was a heavy silence and Yuichi moved his hand from where he still gripped the cloak to brush along the skin of Wataru's arm that wasn't covered by the short-sleeved shirt he wore. The touch was brief, as were all the ones Yuichi gave Wataru, but it spoke more than any verbal encouragement. "The only thing that grounds me is you. Not even Kawamura can focus me like you can."

Wataru had made similar admissions after only a few days of spending time with the older teen. He had been clearly surprised afterward, but he hadn't tried to retract or change what he had said, merely seemed to accept that it had been revealed and that he needed to accept that he would say things without thinking when Yuichi was involved. Yuichi, likewise, seemed to take it upon himself to try and get him to say such revealing things more often. It only encouraged the Empowered when it seemed like every time he managed to coax these kinds of statements from the dark-haired boy, it would come easier.

Such admissions of comfort were something he would never tire of hearing: he was a Guardian after all and his kind thrived on being depended upon. He felt such joy to know that Wataru depended on him as he wanted him to.

He also knew that it helped Wataru to hear that he felt something similar in return. "Wataru, you know how much it means to me to hear you say that. I know that it takes a lot for you to admit such a thing to anybody."

He was going to leave it at that, as Wataru's expression seemed to relax further and he knew he had helped his friend. Then his attention was pulled to where his hand was hovering over Wataru's arm close enough that he could feel the heat from the smaller teen's body and he realized – not for the first time – how much he didn't want to have to pull away from Wataru when he was upset. He wanted to be able to touch this alluring beauty freely and have his touch be forever welcome.

It had only been a month since they had met and yet Yuichi felt closer to Wataru than anybody else he had ever met in his life and he never wanted to lose him.

Well, he knew Wataru felt something similar by his admissions and so all he had to do was return the sentiment. "I feel like I should tell you something just as real to me." As Yuichi spoke, he allowed the brushing contact he had given Wataru's arm to return and become a more secure grasp. He was further encouraged by Wataru continuing to accept the touch.

"What is it?" Wataru's voice was small and the tone was unlike anything he'd ever heard before from the dark-haired boy.

Just as Yuichi was about to speak, a voice called Wataru's name and they both jumped and turned to see Kawamura jogging up toward them.

Yuichi nearly growled in frustration at the Gifted teen's interruption. Did Kawamura have some sort of homing rune on Wataru that told him when he needed to interrupt to be the most damaging to their relationship? It seemed to always happen like this.

As Kawamura approached, his eyes fell on Yuichi's hand which remained on Wataru's arm and he glared up at the older trainee. He didn't press it any further than that though as he turned to Wataru. "Word on the grounds is we've got royal guard coming for evaluations of new Defenders. They'll be here within the next few weeks."

Yuichi and Wataru both tensed at the news for completely different reasons that led to the same possibility: they might be separated.

Yuichi would be among the students evaluated and if he was accepted he would be done at the facility.

Wataru was very likely to be discovered if the Defenders that came knew his true identity as they would sense his presence the moment they entered the facility.

While Wataru's reaction was exactly what Kawamura expected, he was surprised by Yuichi's matching response.

"Have you heard if my brother is coming?" Yuichi asked.

"He should be since he has to approve all applications. Why?" Kawamura responded, briefly distracted by his confusion so that he didn't remember he didn't like to talk to Yuichi. Since Kawamura wasn't interested in the least to be a Guardian or Defender, he had no reason to know how the process went, or that Yuichi had been dodging progression for the past few months before Wataru had come into his life. He hadn't wanted the responsibility yet.

And now there was Wataru…

"Until recently, the evaluation and approval have been different stages of training. Now it's done at the same time to speed up the process. My brother won't allow me not to be evaluated. My training is too far along and my performance is too good."

"I see. You don't want to join the ranks yet?"

"There's something else I need to take care of here before I dedicate my life to the King." Yuichi subconsciously squeezed Wataru's arm.

Kawamura noticed the motion as well as how Wataru seemed not to care that Yuichi was still touching him and that more than anything abated his protective instinct. Thinking over what Yuichi had said, a response came to mind that he had to deeply consider before it came out since it could possibly expose more than Wataru would be happy with. Then again, it seemed like his friend was already too far into whatever it was between the two of them and it was only a matter of time before he would tell Yuichi the truth about who he was.

Decision made Kawamura spoke quietly, "The Defenders aren't only about dedication to the King." Yuichi's eyes narrowed in confusion at the statement and the hall became silent.

Wataru's mind was racing wildly. If Shohei comes here, I'll be exposed for sure. Enough people are familiar with me being around that leaving is out of the question. They would be talking about it and Shohei would catch my name and he'd be right on my trail. Feeling the grip on his arm tighten brought Wataru's mind back to some measure of focus. Enough so that he could think about what Kawamura had said: his friend had inadvertently opened up an opportunity for Wataru to give Yuichi a reason to stay with him. Defenders held as much responsibility to the children of Noal Nobunaga as for the man himself. And Yuichi had been different to Wataru right from the start, from getting him to reveal things about himself and his feelings to touch being a manner of comfort rather than an attack on his control over his barely restrained Core. Even now, as Yuichi's hand on his arm had continued for many moments, he didn't feel the usual struggle against his Post-Cognition. It was there ready to be used, but that's all it was: there.

He thought over what his father had told him when he had been deemed old enough to hear about his mother and what his parents had meant to each other. Before Kalen had met his wife, Rei, he had been a very different person. He hadn't cared about what happened to other people and had even less care for what he did to himself. He had abused his abilities to the point of the brink of death, using his Telekinesis beyond the limits of his Core to where it would damage his mind and his body wasn't able to sustain him. But the Cores of the Enlightened were powerful things and he would recover every time.

It was in the middle of one of these destructive cycles where Rei had come across Kalen. She had seen the pain that was at the center of his actions and she had reached out to him with her Healing touch and he had responded to what she offered. They had Bonded within a few months of meeting each other and had become the inseparable force of care and strength which had changed the people of the Mineral Valley. After Rei's death while giving birth to Wataru, he had lost some of his balance and only survived because he had a part of the woman he had loved so completely within each of his children. If not for them, he would have been lost alongside her.

Bonded pairs weren't meant to survive without each other.

When Wataru had been told about his parent's history before coming to the Mineral Valley, he had thought that they had had something unique that could only be shared between two Enlightened. It had certainly sounded that way when his father had told him what it was like. Sure, the Gifted and Enlightened had been given ways to Bond but it wasn't the same as what Kalen and Rei had shared. What they had was beyond what anybody else seemed capable of attaining.

And yet here he was, experiencing something profound with Yuichi Kazuki. The things he was feeling while with Yuichi reminded him of what Kalen had told him of what he had felt after meeting the woman he Bonded with.

And if he was feeling something between them, maybe the reason Yuichi kept after his company was because he felt the same thing.

Maybe it's time I took the chance with Yuichi. What if what we have is just like Father and Mother? What if we Bond…

"Thank you for the heads up, Kawamura. It was certainly something we needed to know as soon as possible." The tone was official and as close to royal habits Wataru got these days.

Kawamura saw the dismissal for what it was and he nodded his understanding. He turned to walk away with a heavy sigh. Something had been about to happen between the two when he'd approached and he had a feeling he'd just ensured that it would occur. Before his news of Shohei possibly showing up, they might have worked their way out of it or at least let things progress a little slower, but now they wouldn't back down.

"Damn it. So much for my almighty protection over the absent prince," he muttered, though he found he couldn't really be too upset. Wataru was his friend and he definitely deserved some happiness for a change. Kawamura just wasn't sure where this left him.

Wataru closed the door to his room behind him and leaned against it as Yuichi stood just in front of him watching him carefully. The air between them had gotten even more charged between them as they had walked toward Wataru's room and it was to the point where neither one could ignore it any longer. And now with the threat of separation lingering in the back of both of their minds it was pretty much guaranteed something between them would change.

"You were going to tell me something," Wataru pressed the conversation to begin.

Yuichi remained silent for a few more moments, taking notice of his immediate urge to be closer to the younger teen and deciding that was as good of a place as any to start this conversation. "I don't want to be apart from you, Wataru," Yuichi this had happened before Kawamura had spoken to them, he might have managed a more tactful approach but he just couldn't bring himself to do that now. He had thought that they would have more time to figure out what exactly they would mean to each other but with Shohei making an appearance their hands had been somewhat forced. It didn't mean that Yuichi's feelings and desires were any less genuine – they were probably more so because of his fear of loss – it just meant that they really couldn't beat around the subject like they would have otherwise. Hoping that he had understood Wataru as well as he thought he did and he was not about to have his heart destroyed in revealing what he wanted, he spoke his desire, "I want to Bond with you so you can't be taken away from me. Please tell me you want the same thing." Unable to deny the urge to approach Wataru, Yuichi closed the small distance between them and grasped the smaller hand in his own. He sounded desperate to his own ears and only hoped that Wataru didn't notice is as the weakness he had been trained to see it as. Revealing his feelings like he was now wasn't the action of a Guardian and yet he couldn't find it in him to care enough to stop.

Wataru noted the contact and the lack of pressure on his powers that meant more than words ever could. Yuichi was meant to touch him and he was meant to care for Yuichi.

Yet there was one thing between them that could make it impossible for them to successfully Bond: Wataru's true identity. It wasn't that he was Enlightened and Yuichi was Empowered since it had been proven long ago that the Core's nature didn't make any difference in being able to create a Bond. It was that revealing that he was the absent prince held the risk of breaking the trust between them for his betrayal. The foundation of all Bonds was trust and without it, the connection wouldn't take form and would shatter. If the connection was broken, it couldn't be reformed again.

However, despite the risk, Wataru couldn't ignore the need to try.

"I want the same thing." Before he could say anything else, Yuichi closed the remaining distance between them and touched his lips to Wataru's in a gentle kiss that neither one of them wanted to deepen just yet. It didn't matter though as that contact alone was enough to cause a surge of emotion between the two teens strong enough for their Cores to surge in response. Yuichi body thrummed with the internal glow of the Empowered, his body shaking briefly at the rush of power as Wataru's heartbeat and skin pulsed in a visible glow of the Enlightened Core within him. After the initial surge, their bodies adjusted to the released power and they pulled away from each other as their equilibrium was regained. They didn't part much though, only moving far enough away from each other so that they could lock gazes.

Wataru struggled to bring his mind back into focus as he tried to remember what was so important that he had to tell Yuichi before he allowed something as wonderful as that brief kiss to happen again. When he did remember the whole Enlightened thing, he nearly started insulting himself for such a lapse. "I need to tell you something so don't do that again," Wataru said in a quiet but accusing tone. Now that he was again aware of his Core, he could feel it responding to his emotions as it reached out for Yuichi, ready to make the connections they were talking about. "It can't wait and it may affect our ability to Bond." Yuichi's eyes narrowed but his proximity didn't change.

There was only really one thing that could affect the Bonding process, Yuichi had to ask, "You think you could have betrayed my trust in you that much already?"

"I hope not."

Yuichi's first thought was that he couldn't imagine what it could possibly be that Wataru could tell him that would break his trust, but then he remembered their first meeting and how he couldn't shake the impression that there was more to the younger teen than he was showing the world. That feeling had remained and even got stronger the longer they had spent in each other's company.

Then there were the inconsistencies in what Wataru had claimed and what he was capable of: Yuichi had seen a lot of Gifted and witnessed how their Cores expelled power and Wataru's power didn't match up with any other he had seen. The healing he had shown after punching Han had been the greatest example to this point and now that pulse mere moments ago only added to Yuichi's doubt that Wataru's Core was what he claimed it to be.

This left a very profound possibility that would explain why Wataru was so worried about Shohei showing up…

Needing to feel some sort of relief from his rising nerves, Wataru moved Yuichi's hand to rest against his cheek and just took in the sensation of being touched without having to reign in his abilities. The only ones he'd never have to worry about making contact with had been his family and they weren't exactly ones who had much interest in showing affection when there were Regions to watch over.

"I'm more than I've said," he began once he was able to make his voice cooperate with him. Now that he started, he knew he couldn't stop until he had told Yuichi everything or else he would back out. I can do this. "I've been in hiding for the past two years." He closed his eyes and allowed himself to recall old habits of introducing himself and his tone evened out from habit never really lost, "I am called Aran and I am the youngest prince of the Nobunaga family." And there it is. Once the words were out, he opened his eyes to face Yuichi's response though his nerves returned full force once he wasn't saying something he had repeated countless times.

Regardless of his suspicion of what Wataru would reveal Yuichi was still struck speechless at hearing that he had been right. Then again, hearing for sure that Wataru was one of the Enlightened did explain what he had seen in him on that first meeting in the smaller teen's posture and manner which he couldn't identify before now: royal upbringing.

He considered pulling away – not as a denial of Wataru but to be able to better look at the smaller teen while they worked everything out - but his instincts made him feel like that wasn't what he should do. The anxiety Wataru was feeling was almost palpable regardless of how much effort he was obviously putting into remaining calm and his grip on Yuichi's hand seemed to be the only thing keeping him from bolting from the room.

As the silence went on for many moments, Wataru's nerves increased and he felt the urge to explain further if only so that he didn't just have to wait for Yuichi to give him the answer that he feared hearing. The Empowered teen's expression was guarded and Wataru had too much going through his mind to figure out what Yuichi's response was.

Giving in to the urge to fill the silence, Wataru spoke up though he wasn't really sure what he would say and just let his mouth run rampant. "As an Enlightened, I have two names to go by for protection: the name everybody knows and the one that is really me. My real name is Wataru Fujii. Aran Nobunaga is my Shield."

"Shield?" Yuichi prompted as it was an unfamiliar term for a power and he wanted to keep Wataru talking in the hope that he would calm down a little if he was left to ramble about things he didn't have to think about.

"An image of perception influenced by the name we give. For us a name is more than just a word we answer to, it is a representation of our power and the weakness of an Enlightened. If an enemy knows our real name, they hold the risk of overcoming and binding the Core. To protect ourselves, we create an entire identity with its own features and mannerisms."

"So you go around using the name that weakens you?" Yuichi's protective instinct flared to the surface at that knowledge and all the emotion was directed toward the safety of Wataru. Was he trying to get himself killed?

Kawamura's behavior toward him was making a steadily increasing amount of sense as more of the truth was revealed.

"Better than using the one everyone knows. I only have the two and it takes a lot of traceable power to create a new Shield. The point was to disappear, not be found by trying to hide."

Silence returned to the room and Yuichi reflected on what he knew of the person in front of him. When Prince Aran – Wataru – had vanished two years ago, was barely fourteen years old. It was hard to believe that he could have that great of an understanding of what he did. "You really knew what you were doing when you left your family?"

The response wasn't initially verbal: Wataru's jet black eyes flashed green and Yuichi could feel a sudden pressure in the room, which he identified immediately as the smaller teen's power. He'd never been exposed to anything so potent before and the knowledge that the source of such power was Wataru was both intimidating and humbling. The pressure lifted quickly though as Wataru was able to suppress his reaction to the accusation, leaving Yuichi to wonder at why such severe response had been displayed at his question.

"I have some of the best eyes in the world. They see everything I need them to see and not even time can block my Vision." There was strength to Wataru's voice that Yuichi simply couldn't even consider doubting the words as truth. There was also a tone of respect for the power that told him Wataru wasn't bragging in the least, just stating a fact. Seemingly aware of Yuichi's acceptance, Wataru's eyes returned to their natural dark color. Yuichi figured that meant it was safe to question further.

"So you knew what you were doing, but what exactly was it? Nobody knows what happened to you, not even Shohei."

Wataru sighed and finally broke the contact between them as he moved away from the door and past Yuichi to sit on the edge of his bed. "There was a series of events that were going to lead to the failure of peace between Gifted and Empowered. War would have broken out again and the Regions would have fallen apart within months."

"You knew the source of the events?" Wataru nodded confidently.

"It was the announcement of me and my brothers taking over control of the four border Regions while my father retained command of the Diamond Region." Yuichi had never heard of such an announcement. King Noal ruled all five Regions unequivocally, relying on representatives of each Region to compile information and reports for him but didn't make decisions while his sons carried out his orders. "My disappearance stopped that from happening and my father retained his position. The people weren't ready for a shift in the chain of command at that time, especially to a bunch of teenagers. It wouldn't matter now, but at the time it would have destroyed everything."

"What about you?" Wataru looked confused. "If the people can handle it now, why haven't you gone home?" At the clarification, Wataru looked sheepish. There was a good minute of silence before Wataru answered.

"Two reasons: first of all, I enjoy being free. Royal life doesn't suit me very well – too regal and organized." Yuichi couldn't suppress the smirk at that admission. Even though there were certainly small things in Wataru's actions that were obviously – now that he knew – products of being raised as royalty, the smaller teen had a certain unrefined air about him. He must have felt so oppressed in that livelihood. "Second, I'm just worried about going home and facing my family. I didn't tell them what I knew and that I was going to leave. My father didn't know I had developed such strong Vision and so I couldn't tell him without getting in trouble and then he would have reacted emotionally by continuing with the announcement. The only way my disappearance would change things was if it was complete and honest. I had to cut myself off from the Link with my family and Influenced everybody around me so that they would dismiss my absence from their minds for a few days so I could get out of the Region." Yuichi was about to ask for clarification when Wataru explained without prompt, seeming to be unable to stop talking now that he'd gotten going. "Nobody could say when they actually realized I hadn't been around. Whenever the thought entered their mind, it would be overcome with the certainty that they had seen me in passing not too long ago."

There it was: the realization to Yuichi as to how powerful this person really was. There was no such thing for a Gifted or Empowered as altering or influencing memories. It simply wasn't possible with the nature of their abilities. Yet here Wataru was explaining his act of doing just that on a somewhat large scale when he was fourteen years old. Yuichi had just barely started practicing meditation exercises when he was that age. Wataru had hid from just about everybody in the Five Regions while they searched for him for two years. He'd spent a month in a facility which exposed him in unavoidable ways as limits were purposefully threatened to challenge developing control of all trainees.

And he'd told Yuichi because he wanted to be able to Bond with him.

Yuichi loved him all the more for the chance he'd just taken.

Wataru's eyes were lowered to the floor as another silence overtook the room. Yuichi was still there so something had to be going right for him, but it was hard to keep positive about what was happening between them. After all, nothing good seemed to happen to him whenever Aran was brought into the picture. Why should that change simply because he wanted it to work out?

A shadow loomed over him and a warm hand cupped his cheek and lifted his head so that he was looking into emotion filled grey eyes. Yuichi kneeled down in front of Wataru and black eyes followed him carefully. Wataru was obviously still defensive about what was going to happen and Yuichi decided to relieve the younger teen's anxiety as soon as possible.

"You've done so much for everybody. You sacrificed a life of safety and comfort for the sake of all the people in the Regions. You are a special person, Wataru Fujii." Wataru's eyes filled with an array of emotions. Yuichi could tell he was trying to keep from getting too hopeful though. "Even now, you risked being able to Bond in telling me the truth and you didn't have to." Yuichi's hand moved from his cheek to card through his hair and rested on the nape of his neck and Wataru's eyes fluttered at the comforting sensation. "I think it's time someone thought about you for a change and I'm more than willing to be that person. I love you and I want to Bond with you."

Wataru exhaled in relief and his lips were overcome by Yuichi's once again. He relaxed instantly into the feel of Yuichi's acceptance of who he was as his hands hesitantly reached out to increase his contact with Yuichi by resting on the chest in front of him. Yuichi other hand moved around his back and pulled him closer against him. The increase in physical contact made Wataru's body heat spike but he still felt no pressure on his powers and he couldn't help but let out a small moan of relief.

This could really work.

Yuichi pulled away slowly but stayed close enough that he could still feel Wataru's breath on his moist lips. Wataru's eyes stayed closed as he attempted to gather his rampaging thoughts into something resembling order, a task made somewhat difficult by Yuichi's continued close proximity. If he was going to stay so close, he just wanted the other teen to kiss him again.

"Are you okay?" Yuichi asked after a pause when Wataru still wouldn't open his eyes. Wataru let out a soft laugh at Yuichi's concerned question.

"I'm fine, you just aren't very encouraging of collected thinking for me." Yuichi felt a rush of pride strike at that comment. He couldn't keep the urge from continuing to agitate Wataru from occurring and he leaned forward again and pressed another chaste kiss to Wataru's lips. Just as the other teen responded, he pulled back and smirked at the frustrated growl Wataru let out as black eyes finally opened to glare at him. "That wasn't funny."

"It was on my end."

"You do realize that we can't actually Bond if I don't have myself under control, right?"

Deciding that he had plenty of time to mess with Wataru once they were Bonded, he threw something out for the Enlightened to focus on other than his close contact, which he wasn't quite willing to give up yet. "So how does this work for an Enlightened? Gifted and Empowered have something tangible, like a piece of jewelry, that has a great amount of their power imbedded in it that they give to each other and it interacts with their Core and creates the Bond between them."

"It's the same principle, but without the objects. I will expose the core of our powers and they will reach out to each other and the contact will fuse them together. The interaction is much more potent and we will be a lot closer than other Bonded pairs in a much shorter amount of time."

Yuichi couldn't have been happier to hear that. His Bond with Wataru would be better than any other Bond. He would have something with the dark haired teen that nobody else would have. On the other hand, the mention of their Cores was intimidating. Cores were the source of all abilities for any kind of power and manipulating them on the level Wataru was talking about was something few Empowered were just beginning to experiment with. It was dangerous work since one wrong move would kill them.

Then again, Wataru was an Enlightened and it was his parents who had taught everyone in the Mineral Valley all about what Cores were and what it meant to Bond in the first place so it might not be as new of a concept for him. His explanation had been rather pointed and seemingly informed.

"Then let's begin. What do I need to do?"

"I don't know. Just bear with me." Wataru had never exposed another person's Core before and he was only slightly familiar with the concept, despite it being a relatively basic skill for his kind. He thought back to the brief explanation he had been given when his father told him of how he and his mother had Bonded so long ago. The way it was described, it was pretty straightforward and easy as long as he stayed in control. Sure there was the complication that he had never tried to interact with the Core of an Enlightened or Gifted but it shouldn't be much different than what he had done with his own Core as long as he stayed calm. He just had to trust that his powers wouldn't do anything to hurt Yuichi and he focused on the task at hand.

Work your way through the barriers of the mind and body. Just be careful in how you do it or the Core will strike out defensively and you will be hurt. However, if you are close to the person, the barriers should part for you without resistance. Once the Core is exposed just let your instincts guide you. We are meant to be a part of each other and our kind just happened to be able to be able to make it happen easily.

That was what Kalen had told him about manipulating someone's Core for the purpose of Bonding.

Deciding there was nothing but to move forward, Wataru managed to clear his mind of anything else except Yuichi and focused on the first task: a physical connection to work from. His hands trailed up Yuichi's chest and neck, searching for what felt right. When his hands settled on Yuichi's cheeks, he felt something click in his mind and he left his hands in place. He was close to something, but it still wasn't right. His eyes focused on the teen in front of him and the intense gaze staring back at him. He was able to focus a lot better now that the intense emotions brought on by their confessions to each other had somewhat passed. Now he was able to reign in his powers and what he would need to do to draw out Yuichi's Core.

It was more out of simply needing more physical contact that Wataru's head touched Yuichi's and he gasped at the flare in his sense of the Empowered that told him he had found what he needed to move forward with this process. He focused on the feel of the source of Yuichi's powers as it pulsed in time with his heartbeat, settled in the depths of Yuichi's mind.

So the whole being close to them was a little more literal than he'd thought…

Yuichi's eyes narrowed slightly as he felt a strange sensation spread throughout his body. His powers were flaring to the surface without him calling on them and he could swear they were affecting the air around the two of them, despite that it was impossible for them to do so. Had Wataru drawn out his Core? Was this what it was like when someone interacted with Cores? As if in response, his body temperature spiked and his sight blurred as all the types of Vision he was capable of seemed to try and take priority all at the same time.

Wataru noticed the change in Yuichi's demeanor and felt him try and regain control of his powers and his fingers tightened against Yuichi temple to get his attention away from the task. "It'll pass in a minute. Your Core is just responding to freedom. I'm going to draw mine out now so try and stay focused on something physical or your Vision will make you go blind."

Yuichi nodded his understanding and quickly picked Wataru's hands gripping his face as his focal point since it would probably defeat the purpose if he chose something to look at. He felt the varying strength in Wataru's pressure on his grip as his attention shifted inward to pull forward his own Core. The nearly immediate response told Yuichi that Wataru was much more familiar with manipulating his own Core like this and made a mental note to ask him about that later. The air around the two teens seemed to come alive with activity as the source of Enlightened abilities was exposed to the room and it released a burst of energy as if it was breathing a sigh of relief. Yuichi found himself wondering what the Cores looked like and he wanted to satisfy his curiosity, but he could still feel how his own abilities were flaring in activity, the amount of power he was exuding seeming to increase now that the Enlightened Core was also released for it to interact with.

Wataru, for his part in directing this interaction, allowed his control over the Core to remain lax as he turned his attention back to Yuichi.

Cores are meant to reach out and touch each other. That's why we can Bond whether we're Gifted, Empowered, or Enlightened. We're just the only ones of us right now that can draw the Cores out. Once the Cores are exposed, all you need to do is guide them together and they'll do all the work for you. Then just put everything back where you pulled it out from.

His father's explanation echoed in his mind as he altered his focus to maneuver the Cores toward each other. It didn't take much prompting before Wataru felt his power reach out and make contact with Yuichi's. Yuichi drew in a deep breath at the same time and Wataru knew he felt what the Enlightened was experiencing in the contact being made. There was nothing wrong with what they had chosen to do. We feel the same…

The Bond didn't need too much time and within seconds, Wataru felt his Core settle down – as if it was content with what had just happened – and he pulled it back into where it belonged deep within his heart. He then turned his attention to the Empowered Core and worked to replace it within the depths of Yuichi's mind. Once the task was complete and things were back as they were supposed to be, Wataru suddenly felt the strain of what he'd done and slumped against Yuichi heavily. He was immediately embraced carefully and Yuichi steadied him, his grey eyes filling with concern at his sudden inability to stay upright.

"Wataru?" Yuichi's tone matched his gaze as he called out to him. Working to pull himself together enough to sit upright without help, Wataru responded without hesitation.

"I'm fine, that was just a lot of work. I mean, damn, that was hard."

Yuichi rose up enough to sit beside Wataru on the bed as he shook his head at the response. Wataru's time as a Nomad and the vocabulary that went along with it always came through when he was tired or stressed. He was about to respond when he realized that he was aware of Wataru's exhaustion by more than how much weight the smaller teen was putting on him in order to stay upright. He could feel how deeply Wataru was worked in order to Bond them as he had done.

They were Bonded.

"I love you, Wataru," the words escaped him before he could put another thought together, not that he would have stopped himself from saying it again. Wataru looked up at him and, despite his exhaustion, his entire face lit up in a smile unlike Yuichi had ever seen before on anybody. If he thought Wataru was good-looking before, the teen was downright beautiful at the moment. He would do anything to see that expression again.

"I love you, too, Yuichi," Wataru responded and he leaned forward and their lips met once again as if punctuating the newly formed Bond between them.

A/N: One of the changes I really wanted to put in was a little back story to connect what is going on with Wataru and Yuichi with Wataru's parents. It felt like there needed to be more behind them going through with Bonding and some symmetry between what they feel and what Kalen told Wataru about being Bonded to his Mom felt like it would be a powerful thing.

Thank you always to anybody to commented, faved, followed, or even read the story. I love to hear from anybody and feel free to let me know what you think of changes if this is your second time through the fic.

See you next time!

Kira Dattei