A Scar and Kind Words Chapter 1: Realization:
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3.
Made on: 16 Dec, 2019
Word Count: 1,857 (4,561 overall)
Relationship(s): Yuuki Tougou & Akane Kasai & Shino Kominami,
Characters of Focus: Yuuki Tougou, Akane Kasai, Shino Koinami, Ghost OC,
Metadata: Soulmate-Identifying Marks (AKA: Soulmate AU), Ghosts (of course), Mystery, Canonical Character Death,
Setting Canon and post-canon,
Warnings: Major Spoilers in Chapter 3 for the ending of the game, There's hint of spoilers for the last chapter throughtout but not anything that gives it away (minus chapter 3)
Beginning Authors Note: Please note that this was originally written in 2019, and is one of the first things I've written in a very, very long time. Regardless of some of it's clunkyness I'm still quite attached this this fic haha!
(I also don't know what's up with the poem at the start of each chapter? I guess I thought it was a neat was of introducing things?)
“while the other dusts off the morning star. They gave her such a look: Child, what have you been up to while we were trying to keep body and soul together?” - Red String, Minnie Bruce Pratt.
One kindergarten Akane went to had a kid that was fascinated by the scar on her left wrist, asking over and over again “how did they die? How old were they?”
The teacher always shushed him when Akane was on the verge of tears. Fortunately her family moved towns again in the same month.
The next kindergarten was kinder and had her favorite teacher telling her it was ‘ok to be upset that she didn't see them or know them.’ and ‘it was ok to reach out to others when upset or in trouble.’
Now years later, in this highschool, Akane started to wear a yellow sweater that was comfy, cute, and covered up the marks on her wrists. She liked that at this school the scar on her right and the kind words on her left where hers and only hers, although she'll have to show them once it's warmer.
Having two soulmates isn't uncommon, actually the average amount of soulmates per person in Japan is five. While the Western media might show that most soulmates were meant to be together romantically, they're more like friends that you can trust for your whole life.
Akane isn't really interested in romance anyways, she's more interested in the latest rumor from the forums.
“JellyfishLover 2017-04-4
Watch out for cars
A couple days ago I saw this lady with a dog on the other side of the street, I could feel her watching me and when I looked back at her, she disappeared!
Later I got a call that one of my soulmates got hit by a car, it was stopping when they hit so all she has is a broken arm, and she said the same lady pushed her into the street. I think that lady is targeting soulmates, but how? Please be safe around cars if your soulmates has seen that lady!”
“Hmm, it seems like this might be another ghost case.” Shino remarks, still staring at the worn laptop while Yuuki and Akane looked over her shoulder. The club room being to small to fit more then one chair in front of the laptop.
“Ah! I hope I'm not targeted this time!” Akane said, “My poor soulmate!”
“Are you saying you want us to be targeted?” Yuuki asked incredulously.
“What? No! I never said anything about that!” Akane puffed up her cheeks.
“We should probably get started on this case if we don't want anyone to be targeted,” Shino said, turning away from the screen and towards the other newspaper club members, “I can look up clues in the school reference room, but we need someone to research in the library and ask around the school…”
“Oh! I can go to the library!” Akane gleefully announced, hands up on her cheeks, “I still need to return that book from the last rumor!”
“Didn't you check that out a week ago?” Yuuki sighed.
“Maybe.”
“I guess I'll have to ‘interview’ people then huh?”
“Looks like it.” Shino added.
“Well, I'll see you around.” Yuuki said, starting to head to the door.
“Text us if you find anything.” Shino called out after him while packing up her bag, “you too Akane.”
Akane smiled, “Ok! I'll lock this place up then.”
“See you soon.” Shino smiled back and leaves.
“Bye Shino!” Akane then looked around and checked her pockets.
“Hmmm, now where did I put that key…”
Tucked away in a slightly dusty corner of the library, Akane brushes her fingers lightly over another book and moves on to the next.
Vikings myths? nope. weird stories? not really what she's looking for. news clipping of unfortunate events (1999-2015)? maybe…
‘I don't think I'll find anything better,’ Akane thought taking the book from the end of the shelf, 'why does the school's library even have these types of books?’
After flipping through a lot of 'local building burned down’ and ‘closing business’ nonsense Akane finally found some pages that could possibly be connected to this rumor.
One was about a lady who was walking her dog when she suddenly jumped into the way of a car.
Another was on a woman who pushed her soulmate into the way of a car.
And the rest was stories that were shadowed by something else, but still had the theme of soulmates and cars.
Or maybe they were completely unrelated.
Well, it's not like Akane could do anything else, it was time to go home.
Shino checked her phone one last time before setting it down and flipping through the book Akane brought her last night. Only pausing for a moment to wonder about the state of the club room. ‘It's so crowded’ she thinks, leaning into her chair, 'I should really tidy up this place sometime.’
SLAM.
Click.
“Be careful with the door Akane.”
“Shino! I saw that lady coming here!” Akane wailed, collapsing into the nearest chair, “My poor soulmate!”
“You texted me about it already, remember,” Shino looks up to Akane, placing the book onto the table, “and there's not a whole lot we could have done about it then, but look, these news stories—”
SLAM.
Click.
“Akane! Shino! I saw that lady!” Yuuki said, rushing into the room and bumping into a chair.
“Oh?” Shino asked.
“Yeah! She pushed me in front of a car! it stopped before it even touched me but still-!”
“Why didn't you text us?” Shino look for Akane to Yuuki and back again.
“I, uh,” Yuuki put a hand to his neck, “my phone is back at home, I forgot it today.”
“Hmm, anyways I saw her as well so…” Akane leaned forward, gesturing while wiggling her fingers, “the forums are in affect, or something.”
“Or something?” Yuuki teases, sitting down in the folding chair across from Akane.
Shino glanced back and forth between Yuuki and Akane. “You didn't tell me you were soulmates.” She said sadly.
“We're not!” Yuuki denied, waving his hands.
“What are you talking about?” Akane looked at shino.
“Well, it's very unlikely that the ghost would target two different people in the same morning so…” Shino trailed off, “wait, do either one of you know any of your soulmates?”
“Oh, I know one, he's an old friend, but I have two more I don't know of.” Yuuki said.
“I only have one, but I don't know them.” Akane lightly despaired, “What about you Shino?”
“I have three soulmates, but I only know one,” shino lightly proclaimed, pulling down her collar to reveal a faded feather on her neck, “her name is Pankina.”
“Oh!” Akane softly voiced, “that's a cute mark Shino!”
“Yeah.” Shino smiled sadly.
The newspaper club room was quiet for a moment.
Akane had only met one person that had shown her a faded mark and that was her favorite kindergarten teacher. she remembers her explaining that when a mark fades it usually means that those people don't get along or don't talk anymore; a soulmate that was, but now isn't, yours.
“Here's my marks.” Akane said, shoving up her sleeves to reveal red words written on her right wrist and a scared over mark on her left.
“Those are really nice Akane,” Shino remarks, staring sadly at the scar, “what do you think Yuuki?” Silence, “Yuuki are you ok?”
Yuuki looked as if her wrists revealed the secret to the forums.
“Yuuki?” Akane asked, “what's going on in your head?”
“That's, uh,” Yuuki announced, paused, and started again, “that’s my mark.”
“WHAT?!” Akane exclaimed while Shino announced a gleeful 'i knew it!’
“Here look!” Yuuki gushed, shoving up his right sleeve and showed off his golden brown letters.
Akane never thought that meeting a soulmate felt like this, of course she had heard that it felt like a puzzle piece finally fitting, but she didn't expect the burn in her chest or the feeling of tears behind her eyes.
On Yuuki's right wrist ‘be safe, I'll meet up with you soon’ was written in her handwriting, Akane felt a swell of mixed up feelings as she read the words again.
“Oh my God!” Akane cried out happily, grasping Yuuki's hand, “Oh my God!”
“I can't believe it!” Yuuki laughed, tracing his ‘I really want to help you, from the bottom of my heart’ on her skin, “You really are my soulmate!”
“Congratulations!” Shino said smiling, glancing at Akane's scared wrist one more time before forcing herself back to the matter at hand, “Now, about that book you gave me Akane.”
The only information the news clipping gave them is that a woman pushed his soulmate, Ren Hana, into a road, where she met her demise, because she was trying to protect her from a mugger or something, it wasn't very clear.
“I think this is around the place where they said Hana died.” Yuuki announced looking at the road sign.
“Are you sure?” Akane asked, looking at the other side of the street.
“Yep, it has the same name as the street on the-” Akane smacked a hand over Yuukis mouth, “Wha-”
“Shhhh!” Akane hissed, using her other hand to gesture at the other side of the street.
On the other side of a street by the lamppost, a woman with a dog was looking at them.
Unlike before Akane could really see that she looked like; she had long muddy dark hair that stuck to her face, effectively hiding most of it from Akane's view. What the lady was wearing could have passed off as a cute jacket and skirt, but it was so pasted with red and brown sludge that the original colors were almost unrecognizable.
Once Akane directly met her eyes the lady disappeared.
“Uh,” Yuuki blinked uncertainty, “what do we do now?”
Akane thought for a split second.
“I have a great idea!”
Akane lined up her flowers on the ground by the lamppost.
“I still don't see why I had to buy all theses flowers.” Yuuki mumbled, placing the flowers he carried with Akane's.
Akane smiled at him, “I left my money at home, plus your my soulmate! You have to get me stuff!”
“I don't think that's how it works at all.”
“Really?”
“And anyways,” Yuuki gesture to the flowers lying on the grass, “I don't think we should be talking about that here.”
“Oh right.” Akane covered her mouth.
A warm wind blew through the street, brushing though Akane's hair and knocking over the flowers on the top of the pile. Akane suddenly notices the change of hues the sun is beaming down, making Yuuki's hair a golden red and the shadows a bit darker than they were before.
Akane breaths in. A blue car hurried past behind Yuuki. Akane breaths out.
“I guess we got nothing to do but look for her again tomorrow,” Akane remarks, “thanks Yuuki.”
Yuuki rubs the back of his neck bashfully, “No problem, just remember to bring money next time.”
“Ok,” Akane smiles, not correcting him, “don't forget your phone again!”
“Hey!”
Akane laughs and waves while turning away from him.
Yuuki smiles at her retreating form and turns to go back home.
Neither of them fixed the flowers that were scattered about.
End Author Notes: I know it's a bit odd for yuuki to be red when he's so clearly represented by green in the games, that's because I associate him with red because of his hair/eyes!
Ah ha ha, I started this fic back in February and I've finnaly gotten around to posting it!
I'm sorry if the formatting is a bit weird...
If you have any questions, criticism, or just want to talk about the games please feel free to leave a comment (Via AO3 or DW) or contact me!
I hope you enjoy!!
Updated 3/29/23:
- Changed username joke to still work
- Slight capitalization fixes
- What was supposed to be a red hearing ended up looking like a continuity error, this has been fixed.
RETURN TO MF&7R ARCHIVE, FIC ON AO3.