Yugi Mutou is seven when his soul mark appears.
The first thing he notices is how big it is. It travels down his left arm, not unlike a serpent, and stops at his wrist. It shines gold even when there is no light. His mother is ecstatic.
"Your grandma told me once," she whispers to him one night. "that when a person has such a large mark in such a visible place, it means the bond between them and their soulmate will be strong and unbreakable." Her smile is soft and her eyes crinkle at the corners. Yugi knows she's happy for him, but her words ring a bell within him.
"Is that why Dad left?" He asks curiously. "Were your marks small?" When she's kissed him goodnight and left, he'll replay how her eyes widened and her form retreated just a bit, even in his dreams.
...
Atemu is eight when his soul mark appears.
The first thing he notices is how shiny it is. It sparkles gold in the sunlight and the moonlight. He admires the way it twists around his left arm.
"When you get yours," his father has told him since birth, "we will find the girl who matches. Then you will get married and make children. Just like me and your mama." He repeats this at the dinner table about a week before Atemu is expected to receive his. His mother makes no comment and continues eating in silence.
They begin searching for a girl with the matching soul mark the day after Atemu's appears. They find no one.
...
Yugi displays his soul mark without shame. The day after it appears, he walks to school with his head held high and a broad smile. His classmates surround him and admire it; his friends ask if they can touch it. Yugi allows them happily. He traces the mark absently when he knows he should be paying attention to the teacher. It's beautiful and he loves the specks of gold that remind him of stars that are scattered next to the lines.
"Dude," Joey awes at his arm during their break, "That is so cool!"
"It looks like noodles with tomato sauce splashed around it." Tristan comments.
Tea traces the mark and gushes. "It's so pretty!"
Yugi doesn't like being the center of attention, but he enjoys it this day because he's overcome with joy and giddiness that he can't explain.
...
Atemu covers his mark when he leaves the house because his father tells him to.
His father is a powerful man with contacts in high places. He worries that someone will see his son as an opportunity to worm their way into the ranks of the higher class. A peasant girl could forge the same mark onto her arm and claim to be Atemu's soulmate.
His son's mark is gold; he firmly believes this means his future daughter-in-law will come from a high-class family with wealth.
"It's very nice," Atemu says one day, following the curves of the mark with his finger. "Why must I hide it?"
"A soul mark is private." His father says gruffly. "No one else is allowed to see it except your family and soulmate. Your mother and I hid it, as did our mothers and fathers. That is our tradition here. And it helps to make sure no one pretends to be your soulmate."
"That helps you, doesn't it Father?"
"Yes."
Atemu nods and does not question it further. He notices his father's conversations with associates have revolved more around whether or not their daughters have received their marks. The ones who have say their mark is not on their arm. Atemu will be satisfied as long as the girl is nice.
