Lotus || Asahi Azumane

prolouge

P r o l o u g e

✿ the beginning ✿

Asahi glanced down as he picked up the volleyball, eyes widening as he saw the mix of nonsensical numbers and letters written on his arm. He excused himself to the bathroom, quickly slipping his phone in his pocket and leaving the gym. He tried googling many things, but nothing matched up to the jumble on his arm. Asahi sighed and walked to the mirror, trying to rinse the words off his arm. Slowly but surely the, he presumed, sharpie began to rub off. It was faded, but wouldn't fully leave, so he sighed deeply again. What in the world was his soulmate trying to do?

Daichi strode in, towel around his neck, "Hey, you've been in here what... are you doing?"

Asahi glanced up from his arm, "Uhm, this is the first time my soulmate has written anything, I just don't know what this is..."

Daichi walked over and peered at his friends arm, he smiled. "Oh! They're a swimmer!"

Asahi raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"A swimmer! Swimmers write what their events are and what lanes and heats they are before a meet starts. They probably have a meet today," Daichi responded, before grinning, "See?"

Asahi glanced back down at his arm as the previously faded lines became a solid black again, below it little words being written,  don't do that again, i need this.

Daichi laughed at Asahi, "They clearly dont put up with any bullshit."

Asahi glanced at Daichi, before glancing back at his arm. He would've replied, but he didn't have a marker, and he didn't want to bother them, so he just decided to leave it alone, "Let's just go back to practice."

✿ ✿ ✿

Ezume glared at the pointed petal flower drawing on her palm. It had showed up in the middle of practice, distracting her everytime she pulled her arms for a stroke. She doesn't know who her soulmate was, but they were severely pissing her off. She pulled her cap and goggles off, setting them on the pool ledge, grabbing her water bottle and violently taking a drink from the light pink container. Ezume set it aside, hoisting her body out of the pool, grabbing the cap and goggles as she stood.

Yukia walked over and smiled, nudging her, "Are you going to look for a flower?" She asked, gesturing to the guys getting out of the pool too. Ezume laughed harshly, lightly slapping her friend with the cap, "No way, I'd rather not know than have one of them as a soulmate. They're loud, obnoxious, and the human embodiment of an ego."

Yukia snirked, "But they're hot."

Ezume smiled, "Sure, they're attractive physically but their personalities are shit."

Roku walked up, clapping both girls on the shoulder, "Checking us out?"

Ezume smiled and shrugged his hand off, "Your stroke was sloppy today Roku, try fixing that instead of your hair every morning."

Roku laughed good naturedly before hugging her, "Never change Ezume, never change."

Ezume reciprocated the hug, "Don't plan to Ro. But seriously your butterfly sucked ass today."

Roku backed up and pouted, "But my shoulder hurts today."

"Then tell coach and go to the nurse instead of complaining to me," Ezume commented before walking in the direction of the locker room. Roku pouted, breaking away to go to the other locker room, leaving the two girls to walk alone. "We've known him for 4 years and he never gets less annoying."

Ezume nodded as she peeled the skin tight blue suit off, "Try being his neighbor. He throws little rocks at my window when I don't answer his texts."

Yukia rolled her eyes, slipping on her under garments, "He's like a puppy, always wanting attention."

Ezume nodded, slipping a sweater over her head, before grabbing socks and her shoes, "He needs to find his soulmate already and leave me alone."

Yukia agreed, slipping her shoes on, "What about yours?"

Ezume simply held up her palm, trying to balance on one leg as she tried pulling on her shoe. Yukia muttered an, "ah," before picking up her school bag, and swim bag, waiting by the door. Ezume grabbed her stuff as well, towel drapped along her shoulders as they left the room. Roku as usual was not there, but they knew that his upperclassmen would make sure he didn't accidentally, or purposefully, drown himself. Ezume just silently walked as Yukia chatted to her, both stopping short when a tall person blocked their way.

"Excuse me..." Yukia muttered to them. They were tall, had long hair that was pulled into a low bun, and they would have mistaken them for an adult had it not been for their Karasuno uniform. Ezume raised an eyebrow, "Can we help you, or are you just going to stand there?"

Yukia nudged her, muttering to be nice, before looking up at the individual. They looked down, extending a hand, the palm drawn on with a black marker in the shape of a pointed sakura flower. "I am Asahi Azumane, and im-- im here to try and find my soulmate."

Yukia glanced at his palm and backed away, giving Azumane and Ezume some room. Ezume looked at his palm, then her own, and intrnally groaned, seriously, now?

She held her palm up beside her face, "You've found her."

Asahi smiled, bringing his hand around to the back of his head, scratching his nape nervously, "Ah... i see. Nice to meet you."

Ezume looked at them, they were undeniably attractive, and Ezume had always liked longer hair, but so far they'd only interrupted her swimming practice, but even worse, they erased her meet info on her arm. She sighed before introducing herself,  "My name is Ezume Take, and that is Yukia... where did she go?"

Ezume glanced around, seeing Yukia no where in her line of vision.  That bitch, Ezume thought to herself. Asahi glanced around to look for his soulmates friend, seeing no blonde head in sight, "i think she left..."

"Yeah, no shit Azumane. Give me a second please," Ezume responded, grabbing her phone and dialing her friends number. It rung twice before it picked up, "hello?"

"You mother fu-- where are you?" Ezume hissed down rhe phone. She heard a giggle and Yukia's sly reply, "Oh, just giving you and manbun some space."

"And you did this for what?"

Yukia just giggled before saying "Bye!" In a singsong voice and hanging up. Ezume groaned in disdain before turning back to the awkward giant. "Sorry about that."

Asahi wasn't sure how to approach his soulmate. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it when no thoughts flowed out. Ezume gave a small smile, "uhh... i think we got off on an awkward start, let's try it again. Hi, my names Ezume Take, I go by she/her. Who are you?"