Thirteen
Duo wondered if something could be described as lazy and vibrant at the same time, as that was the only way he could think of to describe this particular moment in time. Summer heat enveloped him in an invited blanket, a gentle breeze playing with his chestnut strands and tickling his skin. The country side's rolling hills were covered with bright green grass, a shade matched by the dense foilage of the surrounding trees. He could feel the grass blades on his bare arms, laid out as he was on his stomach, head resting on his propped up palms. His sight was at the moment occupied by one Milliardo Peacecraft, sitting at the bench not six yards away, engrossed in yet another of his many books. The blue of the sky formed a backdrop to the platinum of his flowing hair and the clear ice of his eyes. Nearby branches, swafted in green, framed his chiselled features, and Duo found himself surprised that Sakura petals weren't falling at the older boy's feet.
"Duo," a soft voice called from his immediate vicinity, "it's your turn."
Duo turned his head to face his friend Relena, who was staring at him over the game they were playing. He eyed the black and white stones played out in front of him, picking up a game piece to make his next move when his hand stopped to hover in front of the game board.
"Hey," he said, laying the black stone down, "that's not how the board was before."
Relena couldn't hide the small, knowing smile that appeared on her face. "Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
"But can you really be completely sure?"
"Well..." Duo pushed himself off the ground, sitting cross legged on the grass.
"This," and here he grasped one of the stones already positioned on the board, "I'm pretty sure was here."
Relena pretended to study the spot Duo had moved the stone, then looked at Duo with laughing eyes. "But then you would already have won."
Duo blinked wide eyes at the board. "Oh yeah."
"The piece was really...here."
Duo watched as Relena moved the piece to a third location. "Yeah, that's right! You moved my piece!"
Relena giggled, glancing over at Milliardo. "You should pay more attention."
Duo flushed slightly, then found himself gaping as Relena called out to her older brother.
"Milliardo! Duo wants to play a game with you!"
Duo watched as Milliardo gently closed the thick, leather book, placing it on the bench. He inwardly fumed and rejoiced at the same time, not surprised at Relena's conniving. The girl had a way of making people do whatever she wanted them to. Outwardly, he flashed a smile at Milliardo once he had made his way over.
"Hello, Duo." Milliardo bowed slightly in an attempt to get eye level with his sister's friend, smiling when he caught a hold of Duo's violet gaze.
"Milliardo, hey."
"Well," Relena interrupted, breaking their eye contact, "I'm going to go make some tea before Quatre comes over. You'll be joining us later, Duo?"
Duo nodded happily as Relena smiled and left, then looked back over to where Zechs had seated himself on the grass.
"Relena tells me you've gotten pretty good at the game."
Duo grinned. "Better than ever. I can probably even beat you now."
Milliardo laughed. "We'll see. So I've heard you've gone to see the elders recently."
Duo nodded as he placed the first stone on the board. "They called for me."
"What did they say?"
Duo fingered a cross the Milliardo just now noticed hanging around his neck. "They told me it was time to summon a partner."
"Already? But you're so young."
Duo shrugged casually.
"The youngest ever, if I'm correct." Milliardo bought his hand up, lifting an elegant finger to Duo's jaw. He lightly traced down the young boy's neck until his finger was resting on the cross. "Did they give you this?"
Duo nodded, always smiling. "They said I needed all the help I could get."
Milliardo traced the archaic symbols and runes on the cross, feeling Duo's warmth leak through the metal, when they heard the snapping of a twig a few yards away. Milliardo snapped his hand back, looking up to find Quatre on the cobblestone sidewalk a few yards away.
"Quatre."
"Good afternoon, Milliardo, Duo."
Duo waved happily at his old friend. "Hey Quat. Here for some tea?"
Quatre nodded. "Mmm. Will you be joining us?"
"You'll have to wait until I finish this game," Duo grinned, about to say something when Milliardo interrupted.
"You can go on in, Quatre. Relena's waiting."
Quatre hesitated slightly, then nodded and turned away from the two. He couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that he was being casually dismissed, but was determined not to let it bother him. Always the empath, he couldn't help the mild hurt he felt when he had sensed the warm rapport between the other two. He didn't know why, though, he would feel this way.
Quatre found himself in front of the small, brown cottage Milliardo and Relena called home. Letting himself in, he made his way to the sitting area where he knew Relena would be. Just as he thought, Relena was sitting on her knees in front of the low center table. She looked up from where she was boiling water on a hot plate to greet Quatre.
"Konnichiwa, Quatre."
"Good afternoon." Quatre seated himself opposite of Relena, finding his gaze drawn to the window. His eyes studied Milliardo, who in turn was intent on the violet eyed boy in front of him. He moved his gaze towards Duo, who was laughing as the boy was want to do. He practically radiated life. Inside, Quatre frowned. No wonder Milliardo was so drawn to him. But then, people had always been drawn to Duo Maxwell.
"Chamomile or thyme?"
Quatre looked back at Relena's smiling face, always the host and diplomat. He suddenly felt ashamed that he hadn't bothered starting a conversation with her since he got there. She was, after all, his closest friend. Her and Duo.
"Chamomile, please." Duo was his closest friend. He really had no reason to feel the way he did towards the boy. Duo was, in fact, his first friend.
Five
It was a week before the Festival of the Wind, and the children were gathered at the ancient ruins to hang up the custmary decorations. Trails of ribbons and fabric wound across marble caves and columns, blowing proudly with the season's currents. Quatre laid his hand on the main cave, twisting and stretching up at least a few stories. He marvelled at how small his hand was, especialy compared to the towering monolith. Even some one his age knew the importance of the structure; inside was the source of power for the Guardian world.
Quatre lifted his hand from the cool stone, turning slowly. The other children had started a game of tag after the decorations were finished, but no one had bothered to include him in the game. Chronically shy himself, he had reservations about just barging in on their play. Frowning, the small boy layed down on a smooth, large rock, content to merely watch the others. Suddenly, an impossibly large pair of purple blue eyes filled his vision.
"Wha-" Quatre nearly fell off the rock as the pair of eyes leaned over, forcing him to back up.
"Why aren't you playing with us?" The voice asked, bouncing, as the eyes smiled. Then the boy backed up, and Quatre got a full view of the boy talking to him. Wide, cobalt blue eyes blinked at him from a heart shaped face, chestnut brown hair flowing back in a braid. The mouth set in a wide grin was frowning disapprovingly. Quatre knew him as Duo Maxwell, easily the most well-liked boy in their age group. Even now, his departure from the game had caused every one else to stop playing, and the other children were all staring at him intently.
"Don't you want to play with us?"
Quatre started a bit, then smiled. "Yes. Yes I do."
Duo made his way through the forest, Quatre trying to keep up. But the small braided boy was forever fading into the mass of green and purple the formed the trees and flowers here.
"Duo, where are we going?"
"To my friend Relena's house. She couldn't come today because she was sick, but you'll like her. She's really nice."
Quatre knew who Relena was, she was constantly with Duo. "Will she mind us coming over when she's sick?"
"Oh, no, she's like a sister to me." There was a pause as Duo all but disappeared into the rustling of leaves, but his voice came through again, a little farther away this time. "I was abandoned by my parents, and Relena's neighbors took me in. We've known each other for two whole years now."
Then, suddenly, Quatre was out of the forest, and Duo was nowhere to be seen. He looked around the clearing, seeing a brown cottage to the side, and decided to make his way there. He moved past the gate, and was making his way towards the front door when he tripped on a loose stone in the walkway and found himself face down on the ground.
"Are you okay?"
"Umm...I think so." Quatre looked up at the source of the voice, finding a boy with ice blue eyes staring down at him. He had shoulder length platinum blonde hair that was tied back in a low ponytail, and looked to be about two years older than Quatre. Quatre flinched back slightly as the strange boy reached out to him, not knowing who exactly he was.
"My name is Milliardo. I'm Relena's brother."
"Oh." Quatre allowed himself to be pulled up to a sitting position, then sat there staring at the boy.
"Are you one of her friends?"
Quatre nodded.
"Good. Why don't we go see her then?"
Quatre let the older boy pull him up, and grasped his hand as they made their way inside. They hadn't walked two feet into the house when a bundle of chestnut hair flung itself at them.
"Milliardo!" Duo grabbed the tall boy, hugging him around the waist.
"Hi, Duo," Milliardo laughed slightly, petting the thick braid.
Duo straightened up to turn to Quatre. "I haven't seen Milliardo in the longest time, since he's always so busy. He and Relena a neutralizers."
"Neutralizers?" Quatre blinked at the jump in topic, as Duo went into a recital of the classroom lesson.
"In the guardian world there are guardians and neutralizers. Neutralizers have the ability to disarm the power of the guardians, neutralizing it, so that it isn't a threat."
Quatre blushed. "I know what a neutralizer is."
"Every one knows what a neutralizer is, Duo."
Duo smiled and started to jump out of the room. "Come one, Relena has milk and cookies."
Relena smiled at Quatre, and the three of them followed after the energetic boy.
"This place is beautiful."
The children were in the attic of the house, which had been converted into a library. Mahongany bookshelves lined the walls, stopping just short of where the ceiling started to slope upwards. There were circular windows to either side, letting the sunlight filter in lazily. Particles of dust were suspended in the sun rays, and Quatre passed his hand through the stream, interrupting the strange flow.
"Thank you, Quatre." Relena smiled at the boy. "We've had this house for generations."
"Wan moor yookies?" Duo mumbled to Quatre, his cheeks full of baked goods.
"I'm sorry?"
Duo swallowed, holding out a small, chubby hand. "Want more cookies?"
"No, thank you."
"Do you want to come over tomorrow?"
Quatre looked awkwardly over at Relena, who smiled and nodded. "Ummm...ok."
"Sugoi! You can be our new best friend."
Just then Milliardo came upstairs with a glass of milk, holding it out to Duo. "I thought you might want this."
Duo grasped the tall glass with both hands, beaming. "Quatre's coming over tomorrow, too!"
"Oh, is he?" Milliardo looked over at Quatre, who was staring at the rows upon rows of leather bound books on the wall. "You know, some of those are quite old."
Huge cyan eyes blinked up at him. "Really?"
Milliardo nodded. "Everything a neutralizer should know is in these books. They probably contain all the information there is to know about this world, and a few others."
Quatre stared in awe at the books, running his hand over the worn bindings reverently. "Oh..."
Thirteen
Duo sat against the wall of Relena's attic, a large book clutched in his lap. He scanned the lines of the text, reading the sprawling handwriting over and over again. Despite his casual attitude with Milliardo earlier, he was nervous about summoning a partner. He knew he was the youngest guardian to ever do so, and the fact that the elders thought he was ready spokes volumes that he didn't understand. He knew they thought he was powerful, more so than any other guardian, but...as far as he was concerned, that power had yet to manifest itself. His fingers skimmed over archaic symbols, rereading the things he already knew. Just in case.
Within our universe exists several worlds. Of these, we are concerned only with two: the guardian, and the earthian. As children of the guardian world, we are sworn to protect the organisms of Earth, and maintain equilibrium between the two dimensions.
When a guardian is ready, he must summon a partner. He must call forth a soul from another world, and give it a body. Only together will they be allowed to journey to Earth, and take their rightful places as protectors...
He was ready...he had to be. Every one had faith in him.
Duo stood in front on the room, a dark rotunda made of black and blue stone. Clad in back robes, he held his hands above his head as a sign of supplication to his ancient gods, and started the evocation.
con li pon en di ciens*
He could almost feel the lines etching themselves on the floor, stone strands that interweaved with one another to form and intricate circle. Lines swerved out to meet in the middle, leaving a small triangular clearing at the very epicenter.
li ci amo
The lines started to glow softly, emitting the barest of a blue-violet light. Duo closed his eyes, but he could feel it as rays of the light made there way out of the design, tangling together in the air.
ven go a me
The lights merged around the triangle, blocking the sight from Duo's eyes and mind. He was acutely aware, however, as a body begin to form within the triangle, the molding of body parts tingling with his own.
cel mia
And there there were a distinct pounding in his chest, and the fantastic feeling of a soul being torn across time and space. Duo fell to the floor, gasping, as the lights dimmed and the figure emerged. And then Duo raised his head, to look at his new partner for the first time.