Predictor of the Future - Chapter 1
Title: Predictor of the Future
Writer: Tacuma
Pairing: Perfect Pair
Chapter: 1/26 (probably)
Genre: AU, romance, friendship, angst
Word count: 1715 words
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis
WARNING: This is my NaNoWriMo story for 2011. Which means I wrote 50k in a hurry and this is not beta-ed, just edited by me. There will be grammar and spelling mistakes. No need to point them out, I'm too lazy to change them anyway.
Chapter 1
'Why are you here and what do you want?' asked King Atobe bored. He was sitting on his red and gold colored chair that he called his throne, but it was actually just a chair. He was looking utterly bored at the man that had just entered the room.
'I have debts,' said the man. 'I am here to pay them off.'
'Do I look like I have time for such small things?' asked the King. He did look like he had more than enough time for it, but nobody said anything about it. 'Go to one of the accountants and pay them.'
'I have been there,' answered the man. 'But he sent me here, since he didn't know what to do. He said you would know what to do, Your Majesty.'
'That means you have something else than money to offer me,' said King Atobe suddenly interested. 'Tell me, what is it that you have for me?'
'My son.'
The King was surprised. He looked at the little boy standing next to the man. He looked like he was about three years old. He was trying to hide behind his old man, but the father pushed him forward instead.
'Is that him?' asked the King. 'Doesn't look like he is anything special. He is too young to work as a servant and I wouldn't know what else I could use a kid for. Why do you think you can pay off your debts with him?'
'My son will be very useful for you, I promise you,' answered the man. 'He has a special ability. He is a Seer, Your Majesty, he can see the future! Not just that, he can look back in history as well. He can tell you what happened yesterday, a year ago and even what happened before he was born. You could use it in all kinds of situations.'
'I see, well that would change this situation,' said the King as he stood up from his throne. He approached the little boy and looked at him. 'What is your name, young man? And how old are you?'
'My name is Fuji Syuusuke, Your Majesty,' said the boy. 'I'm five years old.'
'Five?!' asked the King. 'You're rather small for your age, you know that? But well, Fuji Syuusuke, if you can see the future, tell me what I will have for dinner tonight!'
'Duck,' Your Majesty. 'With cranberry sauce. Also caviar. I don't know the other dishes, but you will have pudding as a dessert. Coconut pudding to be precise.'
The King called for the cook and asked him what would be served for dinner. The cook named the same dishes as the boy had done, only he named a few more, the ones that Fuji hadn't recognized.
'That is amazing,' whispered the King.
'I know,' answered the cook. 'Coconut is hard to obtain, so I'm very glad I can make this very special dessert for you tonight.'
'I wasn't talking about the food, idiot!' said Atobe. 'Go back and finish your cooking already. I was talking to the boy. Tell me Fuji-kun, how did my father die? Did he die of natural causes or was he murdered? I think he was poisoned, but I couldn't prove it. But you know, don't you? Tell me, who did it?'
'Your Majesty, that is not something you can ask a five year old boy!' said a man who had been standing next to the throne the entire time.
'I finally have the chance to find out about what happened to my beloved father. He was a great king, but he died at a very young age. It was more than a little suspicious! But now I will know the truth, Tezuka.'
'It will corrupt his mind!' said Tezuka Kuniharu. 'He is…'
Before he could finish his sentence Fuji Syuusuke had stepped forward and spoke: 'He is not killed. He died a natural death. He had been ill for a while, but he did not want anybody to know, because everyone would worry needlessly.'
The King looked at the little boy. Fuji had his eyes opened. They were the brightest blue Atobe had ever seen. He blinked to see if he wasn't imagining things, but by then those eyes were closed again.
'I think my son has seen a lot already,' said Fuji's father. 'From the day he was born he has been able to see the future and the past. He sometimes warned me, his mother or his siblings not to go out, because something could happen.'
'Then he would be able to see what will happen to me,' spoke the King. 'When will I die, little boy?'
'I can't say,' said Fuji. 'It will depend on the choices you make in your life, Your Majesty. I can see a few hundred different futures for you. In some you die at a young age, in some you die at very old age.'
'There are certain rules when it comes to his ability,' said Fuji's father. 'He can tell you what choice to make or what the outcome would be if you make a certain choice, but questions about things so far in the future are impossible to answer. If you turn left instead of right the future will be different already. Of course it is different with the history, because it has already happened, but there are also rules for that. Syuusuke could answer your question about your father, because of you. When asking something about someone's history that person has to be close by or someone very close to him or her has to be close by. It's the same when you ask something about the present, but what is happening on the other side of the country. You could ask about the well-being of a close friend of a family member, but not about strangers.'
'You make it complicated,' sighed the King who sat back on his throne again. 'Why do there always have to be rules?!'
'I'm sorry Your Majesty. I hope you can still accept my son as a payment off my debts.'
'Are you sure you want to leave your own flesh and blood here?' asked Tezuka Kuniharu who was looking at the other man with piercing eyes. He was obviously against it.
'What are you talking about, Tezuka?' asked Atobe. 'You are my councilor, my advisor, not his. You're supposed to advise me about what would be good for me! And I think having that boy here at the castle will be very good for me. I will be invincible! Your son will stay here, Fuji-san. You have repaid your debt. If you ever need anything you are welcome to come and ask. You gave me something worth more than all the money in the world, just let me know when I can do something for you in return.'
'Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you,' said the man. 'I might one day need your help again, but for now I'm very happy with this arrangement. I'm glad we both benefit from this.'
'So am I, Fuji-san, so am I,' smiled King Atobe too friendly.
'Be a good boy and don't cause any trouble for the King or anybody else, Syuusuke,' said the father.
'You're leaving?' asked the little boy as he looked up as his daddy.
'Yes I'm going now, make sure you're a good help for King Atobe, alright?' With that said he turned around and walked away, leaving the blue-eyed boy alone. The kid looked how his father walked away and how the doors closed behind him. He was all alone in a place he didn't know. A little frightened he turned back to the King.
'Give him a room in the right wing of the castle. There must be one free in on the floor for the servants. Bring him there, give him some clothes and make sure he knows how to get back here. I might need him soon.'
'Yes, Your Majesty,' said one of the servants and he walked to the little Seer.
'Your Majesty, he is just a little kid,' said Tezuka. 'You take him away from his family and just put him in a room here? At least let him go to school and let him play with kids of his own age. All kids need that.'
'Your kid doesn't seem to need that,' smirked the King.
'Even my son needs that. Every boy will become a better man if they learn how to interact with others at a young age. He can even practice his ability, so he could become more useful for you.'
'Alright, I guess you know more about these things than I do. He can go to the school, but he will get a room in the castle. I want him to be able to answer my questions instantly, even in the middle of the night. And because Tezuka thinks he is old and wise, his kid can show Fuji-kun around. As class representative he should be able to make our new employee feel welcome, right?'
'Yes, Your Majesty,' answered Tezuka. He bowed slightly. 'I'll make sure it will happen. Fuji-kun, please follow me.'
Tezuka Kuniharu was a strict man who raised his own son to be tough and strong, but when he noticed the fear in those blue orbs he felt like hugging the boy.
'You will make a lot of friends here,' he said, trying to comfort Fuji a little. 'My son is a few years older than you are and he will show you everything you need to know. You can always ask him about things you don't know. And when he is not around there are plenty of other people who will gladly help you.'
When this boy would open his eyes everybody would help him without hesitating. They were mesmerizing. They worked like magic.
'When can I see Okaa-san, nee-san and Yuuta again?' asked Fuji.
'I don't know,' answered the councilor. 'But I'm sure you will get to see them again.' Tezuka wasn't sure if the kid would ever see his family again, but he couldn't tell him that. But the most surprising was the fact that Fuji didn't ask if he would ever see his father again.