𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗧𝗘𝗫𝗧 ; ʜᴀɴᴀɴᴇɴᴇ ✓

𝙞'𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚

— filler

- - -

Soft lights glowed and brightened the neighborhood — they lit up, but not as quite as radiant as the blinding sun, no, it was just perfect to ensure that the visitors would be able to see clearly, all the while keeping the aesthetic of the town's serenity. The street lamps were turned off, so that the fairy lights would stand out and serve its purpose.

Pretty, is the word Yashiro used to describe it.

Although she couldn't see what were the colors the lights possessed, Yashiro still saw how beautiful the fairy lights are. It's the same. (Yashiro couldn't deny that she wanted to see what the town would've looked like with its color).

Admiring its beauty, Yashiro absentmindedly followed the trail of fairy lights up above, oblivious of the fact that her hand had slipped away from her mom's. She trudged on, all the while eating the candy apple that her dad brought her from one of the stores that occupied the area.

There was this one light that flickered on and off repetitively, though. And it bothered Yashiro so much that she just stared at it for a good minute as if that will magically fix the fairy light.

She felt someone bump her from the back. Yashiro gasped and fumbled with her candy apple — she had almost dropped it, and it was her only one.

Yashiro whipped around and was eye-to-eye level with a boy. He seemed like he was in the same age as her, if not younger with his baby features and careless smile. Maybe he was around 5? Maybe 7? Yashiro didn't know, and she didn't really care. All that mattered was he was the one who almost committed a crime: which was to make Yashiro drop her treat.

Yashiro noticed that the boy had choppy, dark hair; unusual, she had never seen that kind of hairstyle in her neighborhood. The boy held wide orbs with constricted pupils. Fangs, he has fangs! Yashiro narrowed her eyes on the boy's grin.

"Sorry," he said, but it was like he didn't mean it, like he was forced to. Of course, a young boy like him should own proper manners, whether he liked it or not.

"Okay," Yashiro said. She didn't like the knowing glint in his eyes — what did he know? Yashiro was sort of disappointed that she met his eyes and she still didn't see colors. Then she remembered that her parents told her that she was still very young and her soulmate is definitely out there.

The boy then turned around and left Yashiro, skipping over to a boy strangely — and alarmingly — similar to him. The other boy whirled around when fang-boy tapped on his shoulder. Yashiro watched as he slowly turned, and was curious of the sudden increase of her heart rate.

She knew, even from a horrible view, that they were twins, and the other boy was obviously looking for him, judging by the way he was frantically checking corners.

Yashiro caught a glimpse of his eyes, and she didn't know why she wanted nothing more than to make those eyes look at her since they were focused on his look-a-like.

Fang-boy pointed at Yashiro, all of a sudden, alarming her. The boy tilted his head, but their little interaction was cut off when Yashiro was suddenly pulled into a warm body.

"Nene! You suddenly ran away!" Her mother cried, hugging her small body. "I was so worried! Don't ever do that again, please."

But Yashiro wasn't listening, she was thinking about why she saw a glimpse of a light. It was different from what she is used to see. It was bright, loving, and warm, kind of like the sun and the moon's color, like her parents said.

Pretty, is the word Yashiro used to describe it.

Was that color?

She hoped it is.

Too bad it was gone.

Yashiro didn't bother to fight back when her mom picked her up and carried her away. She watched as the two boys interacted with each other.

After her mom's panic died down (which took quite a while), Yashiro stared at her mother straight in the eye and asked, "mom, what was it like for you when you met your soulmate?"

Her mom seemed surprised at the question — of course, she didn't really expect it right after the small incident. The corner of her lips tugged up when she watched as her husband frantically buy food. "Honestly? I don't remember." When she saw her daughter's disappointed face, she laughed. "I know in movies they said it's an unforgettable experience, but I feel like I have known your father my entire life."

Yashiro hummed. It was true her parents were childhood best friends, but she was still a bit sad that she didn't receive the answer she was looking for.

Her mother, always one for sensing a change in mood, booped Yashiro's nose and chuckled. "It's pretty obvious, isn't it? You start to see the colors around you."

Yashiro pouted. "I want to see the colors." I want to see that again.

"You'll meet them soon, sweetheart." She smiled. "Though, I'm surprised that you didn't meet your soulmate around this year. I heard that usually you meet your soulmate at the age of 5. Percentages were quite high for some reason."

Yashiro's face fell.

Her mom saw her daughter's crestfallen face and panicked. "But don't worry! That's not really everyone's case!" Her smile grew. "I admit, I have been part of the lucky ones that met their soulmates early, I can almost say I forgot what it was like when the world was black and white. But once you meet him, you'll feel the exact same way!"

Yashiro tilted her head in confusion. "But I didn't meet my soulmate my whole, entire life."

She shook her head. "Maybe it'll take a few days, weeks, years even, but once you two meet, you'll get what I mean. Everything will be so worth it, you know?"

And finally, after 10 years, Yashiro understood what her mother meant.