Soulmates - AsaNoya

1. A road to adulthood

Asahi Azumane

On your 18th birthday the name of your soulmate appears on one of your wrists.

It's a strange concept and there's a lot more to it. It's just suddenly there, in a blink of the eye. Black ink carved into your skin like it's a part of your body. But there are still so many questions behind it. It's said that the person who holds the name on your wrist is your perfect match, be it platonic or romantic. Nobody knows when this phenomenon started, not in any manuscripts or old worn out books does it say when it began to appear. What about the times before people could read? Before they had names?

Some people are born without wrists, being malformed, maybe they had to amputate them and the carving would appear somewhere else on their body. Some say it's destiny. Others say it's a curse. There hasn't been one case in the entire known history that a person didn't receive a name or a mark. Some even got two or three names scattered on both wrists.

Whoever said it was the perfect match is still unknown, but now it's a known fact over the entire world. Another problem is that some people have the same name, be it the maiden name, given name or both. An argument against it is that destiny would find its way and you'll meet the right person at the right time. What about different languages? If your soulmate is japanese would the name be written in the japanese alphabet or western, russian? Apparently whatever language you speak it is written in but how does that even work? Some wake up with the tattoo on their 18th birthday since they're born in the night, others get it during the day, depending on what hour you were born.

Guess you need to have some guts to question the universe.

When your soulmate leaves this world, the tattoo fades and you can barely see it. The spot would ache and itch. Some people get a faded tattoo immediately on their 18th birthday, it's the most cruel feeling you could ever experience.

To get the tattoo, it's something a person looks forward to during their entire childhood, teenage life up until adulthood. But the hardest part starts only then, you have to wait until you meet them, you want to know everyone's name. Some even met their soulmate when they were children and forgot about them. It's one big, complicated, overrated mess. Why should a stupid name on your wrist tell you who to love? Who's perfect for you? Isn't it the effort you put into a relationship enough to make it work? To make it perfect?

What's a soulmate anyway?

A well know legend says that we all once were one entity. One being of existence, of life, energy, one soul. We were happy. Complete. So complete that the gods, fearing our wholeness would quell our need for worship, cleaved us in two. Sometimes in more than two pieces. Leaving our split souls to wander the Earth in misery. Forever longing. Longing for the other half of our soul. It is said that when one half finds its other, there's an unspoken understanding. A unity. And each would know no greater joy, than this.

Yet Asahi found it overrated, he found the entire concept stupid and he doesn't care who his soulmate is. Even if he met them he'd keep it strictly platonic. He would decide for himself who would be perfect for him. But maybe that's just because he's afraid of the name that would burn a mark onto his skin for the rest of his life.

"Asahi!" The tall, brown haired boy jumped slightly as his friend slammed his hands down on the desk, making him look up, "You've been spacing out quite a lot recently, haven't you?" Suga gave him an empathetic smile, "I guess." Asahi murmured and looked down at the bento that was clenched in his hands, knuckles turning white. Suga leaned against the desk behind him, facing Asahi with a pout, "What's wrong?" He asked a little more hushed. Asahi squirmed in his seat. He appreciated his friends coming to check up on him during lunch but he really just wanted to be left alone.