Chapter Text
The first time Kei could remember ever receiving a soulmate mark was at the tender age of 5. He’d been getting ready to eat dinner, chatting cheerfully about volleyball to his big brother Akiteru, when his mother had gasped, dropping the plate she’d been holding to run over to him.
“Kei! Oh my goodness, what happened to you?” Kei had merely tilted his head, confused as to why his mother was so frantic as she pressed her hands to his cheeks.
As it had turned out, he’d had a large, mottled bruise forming on his forehead. The rather angry looking mark hadn’t hurt Kei, nor had the skin under it been tender as bruises normally tended be. His mild puzzlement, as Kei was sure he hadn’t hit himself on anything, had worried his mother and brother immensely. And as the bruise steadily grew more purple, their concern had skyrocketed, with Kei’s mother anxiously awaiting the doctor’s appointment she’d scheduled.
Much to their shock, it had suddenly disappeared during dinner the next evening. The sudden patch of clear, unmarked skin had startled them all, especially Kei, as he’d started to grow worried that he was seriously sick. Only after the purple, golf ball sized bruise had suddenly disappeared had Kei’s mother come to the sudden realization that the mark must have come from his soulmate.
“Oh my goodness, why didn’t I think of this sooner? You’re five now, so your soulmate bond must be forming!” Much to Kei’s bemusement, she had thrown her arms around him happily while Akiteru had ruffled his hair affectionately. Afterwards though, the older woman had clucked her tongue softly as she’d checked over Kei once again, making sure the bruise had actually fully faded.
“Your poor soulmate must have hit his head or something- perhaps he’s clumsy.” She’d offered with a small smile. Kei’s father had been incredibly clumsy apparently, and she’d found herself covered in random bruises throughout her childhood.
Due to the way soulmate marking worked, it wasn’t uncommon to find random bruises and small cuts littering one’s body. If something happened to mark one soulmate’s skin, the same mark would appear on their respective other’s skin for 24 hours, before vanishing without a trace. An invisible, unbreakable string of fate intertwined two soulmates together, though the bond would only be complete once the two had become emotionally intimate with each other.
Of course, it didn’t mean that all soulmates were destined to be together- there were many soulmates whose relationships with each other were platonic rather than romantic. But as a completed soulmate bond allowed for the pair to feel each other’s emotions, many did find themselves falling in love and becoming lifelong partners.
5 year old Kei had been horrified to find out his soulmate had gotten such a nasty bruise, and had cried profusely for them. Only when Akiteru had reassured Kei that his soulmate was probably just fine (as well as promising to play some volleyball with him) had the blond child stopped crying, much to his mother and brother’s amusement.
As the years had gone by, Kei had noticed more and more marks appearing on his skin: most often bruises, which Kei soon got used to being covered in. It appeared that his soulmate was more than a little clumsy, given the number of bruises that appeared on his arms and legs over the years. (A few appeared on his back as well, which only further convinced him that his soulmate had to be a walking disaster.)
“Perhaps he plays volleyball, like you.” Akiteru had offered once, when Kei had complained about the large number of bruises that seemed to appear daily on his face and arms. The older teen had already gone through his journey in finding his soulmate, and had found her to be a girl at his high school. Thankfully, she’d been much less clumsy than Kei’s soulmate was proving to be, as Akiteru had never had many random injuries show up. Instead, his arms had been covered in hearts and small doodles from his soulmate, which had ultimately helped him narrow her down to a girl in the next class.
Once having found her, Akiteru had apologized profusely to the girl in question, as he’d had his own fair share of bruises due to rough volleyball practices and matches. Thankfully though, she’d been completely understanding as she also had a younger brother who was volleyball obsessed, and she’d even been mildly impressed by all of his injuries, making Akiteru blush brightly.
The two’s relationship had flourished, and Kei had been pleased to have an “onee-san” to interact with, as he’d had a rather lonely childhood. He’d had never had many friends, as his rather aloof personality had intimidated many of the children in the neighborhood away. But Tanaka Saeko had immediately taken a liking to the tall, awkward child, and had (to Akiteru’s relief) accepted him at face value. She was kind and treated Kei well, though her personality proved rather rambunctious at times. But despite her occasionally chaotic habits, Saeko became a welcome presence in the Tsukishima home, especially after she’d brought a brand new volleyball playmate for Kei, in the form of her younger brother, Tanaka Ryuunosuke.
Ryu (as he’d insisted on being called) was a year older than Kei, and had a personality that rivaled, or even surpassed, his older sister’s wild side. His personality had proven to be too much for the shy, awkward child, but as time passed, they’d slowly bonded over their shared enthusiasm for volleyball. Eventually, Ryuu had asked Kei to join the junior volleyball team he was on, telling him eagerly that “he was just the middle blocker the team needed”, and their (rather strange) friendship became official.
Once Akiteru and Saeko had graduated high school and moved on to college, Kei left the junior team he’d been a part of with Ryuu in favor of joining the one at his middle school, where he was quickly put in as a starting middle blocker due to his height. Ryuu, being a year older, had already left the team the year before to join his own middle school’s team, leaving Kei alone once again.
The two still kept in touch, seeing as they were likely going to be brother in laws eventually, but for the most part, Kei was alone once again.
It was this loneliness, along with the growing concern over his perpetually clumsy soulmate that finally gave Kei the courage to attempt contacting his soulmate. He’d never tried in the years past, unsure of how to even start a message to a stranger he’d never met- Kei had never managed to even make friends with other children he’d met face to face. But a large bruise that appeared on his chest late one evening, during the summer of his first year of middle school, finally prompted Kei to take a thin marker and scribble a short note on his arm.
Are you alright? Kei had carefully written out the short message on the pale underside of his arm using a washable blue marker, before biting his lip worriedly as he waited for a response. It was rather late in the evening, as Kei had decided to wait until he was in the safety (and privacy) of his own room when he knew he wouldn’t be bothered to try and contact his soulmate. If his mother (or god forbid Akiteru) were to find out he was finally trying to contact them, he knew they would make a big fuss, which Kei desperately wanted to avoid.
The minutes slowly passed without a response, and Kei found himself picking at a seam on his dinosaur pajama pants in his nervousness.
Was his soulmate asleep? Did they not speak Japanese? Or did they simply not want to respond? Had someone already figured out it was him, and had they decided that he wasn’t worth getting to know?
The thoughts whirled through Kei’s kind as the clock slowly ticked on.
Just when he’d decided to get up and wash the marker off his arm, as 15 minutes had passed with no response, deciding that his soulmate didn’t want to get in contact, when color slowly bloomed on his arm, forming neat, though small Japanese characters.
I am. Thank you for asking. A sudden warmth bloomed in Kei’s heart as he read the message. His soulmate had responded! He was communicating with the one person he was destined to have a relationship with- the mere thought made a small smile appear on his face as he quickly wrote back.
I’m glad. So you’re Japanese? Kei held his breath for a minute, waiting eagerly, before words slowly appeared again on his arm.
Yes. Kei frowned, slightly disappointed by the rather short response. He bit his lip as he pondered over what to write back, when a new message appeared underneath.
How old are you? Kei had blinked in surprise, before writing an answer back.
12.
Me too. The message appeared much more quickly this time. Kei beamed when he saw it- a friend! His soulmate was his age, which relieved Kei. It wasn’t uncommon for soulmate pairs to be a few years apart in age, the max recorded difference having been 6 years, but it made it easier (and made him happier) for Kei to talk to a peer.
What’s your name? Kei had written. But there was a pause this time, that went on just long enough for Kei to start biting his lip in worry, until his soulmate responded.
Do I have to say? Kei instantly felt bad- it was clear he’d pushed a little too much for their first interaction.
No. Sorry. You don’t have to tell me. Kei had scribbled a response quickly, hoping he hadn’t offended his soulmate.
It’s okay. But… you can call me Hoshi. Kei had blinked in surprise, before writing back.
Call me Tsukki then.
Tsukki. Okay. Nice to meet you, Tsukki.
Nice to meet you too, Hoshi. There was a moment of silence, during which Kei bit his lip as he tried to figure out how to end the conversation. It was getting late, and he knew that if his light was on for much longer, his mother would poke her head into his room and undoubtedly find out just exactly what he was doing.
Kei wasn’t… embarrassed , per say, about contacting his soulmate, but a voice inside his head told him that he didn’t want people finding out- that this connection with his soulmate was for him, and him alone.
Thankfully, it seemed that his soulmate was of a similar mind, as green characters bloomed on his arm.
It’s getting late, and I’m not exactly supposed to be awake. Can we talk again tomorrow? A small smile made its way to Kei’s face as he responded.
Sure. It’s late for me too.
Then goodnight. It was nice to meet you. :) Kei felt his smile grow slightly at the sight of the small smiley face.
Goodnight, Hoshi. Sleep tight.
It seemed he wasn’t going to be so lonely anymore.