Upon a Crimson
The streets of Tokyo are alive in a buzzed rush. Bright lights, the setting sun, the masses of bodies flowing to the north to the west to the south to the east or perhaps towards nowhere at all. Even after spending three months living here on the exchange program Alone can hardly take it in. The loud noises of a million voices, the fast and flashy ads that run high above, the hundreds of businesses calling you with their names.
"Excuse me," Alone whispers for the fifth time since leaving the bar. To be honest he still couldn't understand the other college students desire to drink this early in the evening. Sure this semester's portfolio was submitted this morning and the last few weeks of summer will be theirs for rest and play –but seven in the evening at the end of August?
All I want to do is sleep, Alone thinks to himself. The coffee buzz must by wearing off. But it is his fault, his stupid perfectionist fault. Suddenly deciding to redo three of his major art pieces a week before the course turn in? How stupidly foolish of him. And all because of a couple of stupid dreams that he's been having since coming to Japan in June. Well, he thinks to himself, only one more semester to go –then it's back to Italy for me and a last semester to finish off my degree.
The wind blows a particularly long chill. That's unusual. Summer in Japan was more known for its humid typhoons then cool breezes.
Coming to the end of the side walk Alone waits as cars rush up and down, turning all around, for his turn to cross. It is barely a moment before he joined with a group of other strangers in the same predicament as he.
"Oh!" Another breeze comes along, this one like ice, but with it comes a stream of fliers. Quiet dangerous, he thinks pulling it off his face, doesn't anyone realize if one of these gets stuck in a car's windshield it can get someone killed? Sighing Alone crumples the advertisement for something called the Galaxian Wars. At least I'll put in the trash where it can't hurt anyone else.
The light turn white. Alone and the mass cross the street to disperse into the never ending flow of individuals. Taking a lefts to the entrance of the subway Alone drops the balled poster into a recycle bin and continues down the white steps leaving the busy streets and setting sun behind. Going against the rushing tide Alone unfortunately bumps into several individuals. For a moment the inner part of his lower left arm jolts lightly, rubbing it Alone continues on. Probably just a bug bite, he thinks.
Unknown to him as Alone walks towards the white another boy just his age walks towards the sunset climbing back up to the busy streets above. This boy too feels a strange jolt along his inner arm, only this time it is the right. Ignoring it for the fact that he's late the boy is not a calm among the masses but a horse at sea.
Like fate he too will feel a chill wind twice along the route to his destination, the second one bringing the same poster for Galaxian Wars. Unlike Alone though, Tenma, a native Japanese citizen, will remember something faint about this strange wind. Unfortunately for him the strange dreams that have been plaguing him had him accidently sleep in –making him late for work as a bartender at a small but fun bar. It is the end of the semester and with so many college students coming to drink the last of their stress away he got an earful of it from his boss.
As he rushes down the street to his current place of employment, Assents, he never notices the darkening of his fate running much faster than that of the sky above.
No. Neither, Alone or Tenma, will notice the scrolled ink written in ancient Greek upon their skin in the shape of their soul-mark. Nor will they see the cosmos change it from letters long forgotten by time for the Italian and Japanese characters they recognize so well.
But, as the dawn of a new day arises Alone will read the words with tears in his eyes as he remembers what it is he has forgotten and drown his misery and guilt in paint while Tenma will whisper the words softly with a feverish desire to reclaim what he has lost.
"Upon a crimson,
"Promise long lost,
"Wings embrace me."
These words that have haunted them a lifetime ago –have returned to haunt the God Slayer and Living Sacrifice once more.
Upon a Crimson
AN: So…! What did you think? This is a Soulmate AU where you can tell who your soulmate is with matching soul-marks –in this case it is haikus! I hope you enjoyed Tenma x Alone are one of my top two favorites! The other is Shun x Hyoga!
I know it isn't long and that it is heavily on metaphors –but I am far too busy with school and I needed to have something to update as the one-shot for this month and I just wasn't feeling like writing anything for Voltron… I kept getting writers block!
Have a good day and long live this pairing! Even if in the 80s with the New Holy War!
P.S. I know that Tenma is supposed to be reincarnated as Seiya, and technically Alone as Shun depending upon how you see the canon of the various manga and anime series and the versions you refer to [Lost Canvas or the version by the original author].