Mizuki Sayeko had never been fond of the whole 'soulmates' concept, not when her past warned her of the side-effects of falling too deep into the lucid, hypnotising trap. With piercing gazes, a stone-cold heart, would her soulmates ever get through...
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EVENTUALLY, THE TRAINING CAMP came to an end, and the anticipated BBQ had arrived. Daichi and Mizuki could barely hold back their team, all of them drooling over the newly grilled food. She sat back, listening tentatively to Coach Nekomata's speech.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat. "Well done on the week-long training camp, everyone. Nothing puts a smile on your face more than filling your stomach with good food." Nekomata looked at all the famished boys, mouthes watering as the smell of grilled meat wafted into their noses. He smiled warmly. "Eat all the meat you can."
"Thanks for the food!"
The boys all dove forward, grabbing as much meat and vegetables as they could get their hands on. Mizuki stood to the side, leaning against the wall of the gym with her wounded hand cradled to her chest. She hid her laughter as she watched the volleyball players act like this was their first meal after a century of nothing.
A sense of tranquillity washed over her. Watching her soulmates talk and act carefree soothed her soul— Akaashi saving Kageyama from potentially passing out, Bokuto swiping food off of the barbeque Kuroo was standing beside, the older boy yanking him back and yelling at him for stealing his meat, Kenma sitting on the side steps with his DS in his hands, attention focused solely on the game he was playing.
Laughter slipped past her lips; silent, but still there.
With hunger no longer coiling around her stomach, Mizuki pushed herself off the wall and moved past the others, making her way out of the barbecue area. Tilting her head back, Mizuki caught sight of the brilliance of the everlasting sky. A deep exhale of carbon dioxide had her shoulder sagging, tension alleviating. She wondered if anyone noticed how pretty the sky was today, how the blue was luminous and silky all at once. She wondered if they saw the serenity of the clouds sailing by, moving towards anyplace the wind wished to take them. She wondered if they let their eyes rest upon their white tops and followed the infinite greys that blend harmoniously with one another. She wondered if they, as she did, imagined her ties to the earth severing, gravity dissipating with a snap of her fingers. Would they spread their arms and step into the firmament's awaiting embrace? Or would they cling to the ground, grasping for the lives?
Mizuki knew she would have no problem letting go. If people shared her thoughts, she hoped they felt —at least— a little of what she felt: a calm, myriad sense of awe as warm as sunny rays; a tingle in their fingers and heightened senses; the heady aroma of blooms and the subtle movements of leaves; the way light reflected from both foliage and feathers. When she tuned into those subtle and many pleasures, those everyday wonders, nature provided a joy...and at that moment she was as ataraxic as any king or queen had ever been.
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"Where is Sayeko-san?" asked Kaori, handing a plate of rice balls to her soulmate while looking around the garden. "She was just over there."
