Riko had always wondered what it meant to see in color.
Oh, descriptions were aplenty - of artists and poets and musicians waxing and waning about love, and soulmates and all that jazz, and of the emptiness of a colorless life and the fulfillment of having them right next to you. They spoke of a life changing experience and of an old world renewed by the brilliance of dazzling, sparkling color.
Riko had read her fair share (okay, maybe it was more of an enormous share, but really, who was counting) of these works back in her preteen days, and they'd left an impression on her, or more accurately, a hole in her heart, as if she was lacking something so integral to her life. She'd asked Yoshiko about it once.
"Seeing in color?" Yoshiko threw her question back at her with a raised eyebrow, "Lily, have you been reading those god-awful dime novels about color again? I've told you those things are unrealistic - seriously, you've got to stop -"
"And how would you know, Yocchan?" she retorted, making the other girl flinch ever so slightly, "Everyone I've met - from my parents, to my friends, who can see in color," and here Riko's mind summoned an image of a pair of best friends - soulmates - back in Uchiura who'd been joined at the hip since they could even stand, "they all seem so happy, so, so-"
"Lily," Yoshiko sighed from across her, laying a hand gently on her shoulder, "that's because they've met their soulmates, not because they can see in color. There are plenty of people who go their whole lives without finding their soulmate. Are you saying they've led any less of a fulfilling, meaningful life?"
"It's not that," Riko bit her lip, "it's just…"
"You don't need to find your soulmate to be happy, Lily," Yoshiko assured her, "...and to be honest with you, I've always found the concept ridiculous. Someone - a single person - in the world you're just supposed to be perfectly compatible with? What about all those stories where soulmates end up hating each other?" Her eccentric friend struck a pose, "The Great and Powerful Yohane-sama, of course, has no need for such a silly thing."
Yoshiko's theatrics, as they always did, cheered her up slightly. "...Maybe you're right, Yocchan."
"Of course I'm always right," she assured, in her most magnanimous voice, "it is just one of the perks of being a fallen angel."
Riko heard footsteps coming from behind her, accompanied by a soft giggle and a voice Riko could only describe as melodious, "I see you haven't changed at all, Yoshiko."
Yoshiko squawked in protest, but Riko drowned her out as she turned to face the newcomer, and-
A cute, round face with round eyes that sparkled with joy, a brilliant smile accompanied by the most adorable dimples -
"I don't believe we've met - I'm Hanamaru." She positively beamed at Riko, "And you are?"
And as Riko struggled to assemble a meaningful reply, she considered the idea - for the first time, possibly, in her life - that she didn't need to find her soulmate to be happy.
Yoshiko's phone buzzed against the wooden table, and the dark-haired girl was quick to swipe it off the table, tapping rapidly on the glass screen.
"Zuramaru seems excited, for some reason…" the other girl remarked offhandedly with her eyes locked onto her phone. Riko smiled slightly, picking at her own food; her eyes drifted down to the platinum bracelet on her right wrist Hanamaru had given her on their second anniversary, the bright half-heart of topaz shining in the light.
"I wonder what it is. Her scarf finally came in the mail, maybe?"
Yoshiko didn't reply.
"Yocchan?" Riko looked to her right, and there Yoshiko was, looking at her, eyes slightly widened and darting between herself and the phone. "Yocchan, what's wrong?"
"Uh, um." the other girl audibly swallowed as she hastily shoved her phone back into her handbag, "Don't - don't worry about it, Lily."
Okay, she was definitely acting strange. "What happened, Yoshiko?"
The other girl flinched, not even offering a 'Yocchan' or a 'Yohane' retort. Something was definitely wrong; Riko tried again. "Is this about Hanamaru?"
"Yes…" she got a feeble reply, and it was impossible not to notice that Yoshiko's eyes flitting around everywhere but her.
"Is she alright?" Her heart sank as she considered the possibility.
"She's fine. Better than fine, in fact. Uh-" there was a pregnant pause, as if Yoshiko was trying to carefully select her words, "I-I don't think it's my place to say. Rest assured, she's doing okay. You have my word, as a fallen angel."
"But you can't tell me?" she challenged.
"I shouldn't be the one to tell you," Yoshiko stated bluntly. Riko's mind swirled with possibilities - what couldn't the other girl reveal? It wasn't anything bad, but it had to be - because Yoshiko's eyes were belied a mixture of pity and pain.
"E-Enough of that, how was your weekend trip with Hanamaru?"
Changing the topic, was she? "It was good," Riko answered absentmindedly, but her thoughts were still racing at a mile a minute. Just what-
"Yeah, she told me you two had a lot of fun. I didn't know you knew how to sail a yacht; where'd you learn to do that?"
"Eh, I learnt it from an old friend, back in high school. I wonder how she's doing now," Riko snickered at the thought of You and Chika back in Uchiura-
Wait.
You and Chika.
"Right, you used to live near the ocean, right?"
Hanamaru. Was that why Yoshiko was so-
"Yeah, I moved there after my first year in high school," Riko bit her lip, nails scratching against the wooden table. "Hanamaru can see in color now, can't she?"
Yoshiko choked on her drink.
"...Yeah, she can," the reply was soft, gentle, and comforting, yet the words themselves opened up a chasm in her stomach.
So many questions. So many questions. Why did Hanamaru tell Yoshiko first, and not her? Was she scared that this was exactly how she'd take it? But then, why even tell Yoshiko? Unless, unless, no of course that was it, Hanamaru had found her soulmate after all and of course it would make sense if-
Riko felt Yoshiko's small fingers intertwine with hers from beside her. "Lily," Yoshiko's dark, piercing eyes fixed on hers, "Hanamaru loves you. Hanamaru still loves you."
Her fingers instinctively tightened around Yoshiko's. "Wh-who is it?" She swallowed, and swallowed again, and again because she was not about to fall apart in the middle of a crowded diner.
"It doesn't matter."
"Please. Please, I just want to know - " Riko begged, because of course she did, but -
"It's some florist; Zuramaru went to buy some flowers for you, and - look, Lily, listen to me," at some point her eyes had, despite her best efforts, started watering, and she didn't really want to look Yoshiko in the eyes but she did so anyway, "Please tell me you don't think that Hanamaru would consider leaving you, even for a second. You know what she told me?" Yoshiko mumbled, "She told me that she was glad she found her soulmate there, because then she could pick out the prettiest flowers for you."
Riko sniffled. That did sound like Hanamaru.
"She cares so much about you, Lily," Yoshiko began to trace small circles on the back of Riko's hand, "It's unfair. I think it's unfair. That's how soulmates are supposed to be, right? But you two, you just met and clicked, and…"
"I know, Yocchan. I know," Riko knew, rationally, that Hanamaru wouldn't leave her, and that really all it meant was that Hanamaru would now be able to appreciate her new scarf even more, but her rational thoughts did little to stop her chest from tightening up or the tears threatening to spill out. "I know."
Riko had never, in all her years of staying at her - their - apartment, dreaded entering the elevator so much. Yoshiko had sent her off just a few minutes before with some reassuring words along with an uncomfortably warm hug, but Riko found herself missing some of that warmth right now.
The elevator doors reopened, as they always did, on the eleventh floor, but Riko barely registered it; her feet took her to the door and her hand twisted open the doorknob before she was anywhere close to being prepared for the conversation she was sure was about to follow.
"Riko!" A familiar, cheerful voice cried out as Riko bent down to remove her flats. "You're back!"
Hanamaru was as pretty as ever, Riko thought, even when she was laying across the sofa in an oversized cotton jumper, some old sweatpants, and an interior design magazine in her hands.
Her girlfriend set the book aside, letting out a faint sigh, her soft eyes trained on Riko's all the while. She took one, two, three, and then four great strides, closing the distance between them as she practically leapt into Riko's arms. Riko felt Hanamaru giggle softly beside her.
"You're really pretty, zura," the shorter girl pressed a kiss to her right cheek.
Riko said nothing, but her arms instinctively tightened down on Hanamaru, almost as if she was scared of letting the other girl leave her arms. And maybe she was.
Her girlfriend, of course, knew her too well, and took her silence for what it was. "Yoshiko told me she told you. About my…" Riko nodded.
"Soulmate."
"Yes. That." Neither of them spoke for a while, Riko simply holding Hanamaru close and feeling their rapid heartbeats.
"Do you…" the shorter girl pulled back, concerned eyes - but still sparkling, as they always did - trained again on hers, "... want to talk about it now?" Riko found it difficult to look into those eyes as she nodded.
"I'll make some tea," she broke off, wanting some time to collect her thoughts, but Hanamaru pushed her towards the couch.
"Leave it to me," the other girl insisted, "You've had a long day at work, zura."
RIko flopped down onto the couch and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. So Hanamaru was still in the apartment. And she wasn't any different. And their relationship hadn't been ruined. And she was still wonderfully kind, and really, nothing had changed.
Except for the vase of dark flowers now sitting in the centre of their coffee table.
"Do you like them?" Hanamaru extended a steaming mug out to Riko, who took it with a grateful nod, "They're, uh… this is going to sound silly, zura, but they're the same color as your hair."
Riko took a strand of her hair and held it up. It did look to be an identical shade, but then again, it would have to Yoshiko's hair as well. She'd just have to take Hanamaru's word on it.
"So, um…" Hanamaru shifted as she tried to find a comfortable position on the sofa opposite Riko, "Her name's Kurosawa Dia," Riko repeated the name in her head - Kurosawa Dia, Kurosawa Dia - and she was ashamed at the animosity she suddenly felt over this complete stranger - "She works at AZALEA, that new flower shop a couple blocks down. I met her this morning."
"H-How was it?" Riko asked, "Seeing in color, I mean."
"It was strange, zura!" Her girlfriend exclaimed, "Like, really strange. I was picking out flowers, and then I hear someone ask me if I needed any help, and I turn around and look Dia in the eye and suddenly everything explodes into…into… color."
Hanamaru wore a childish grin on her face as she continued, "Dia was shocked as well, you could tell. We both kind of just stopped and stared at each other for a while. She introduced herself first, and asked if I wanted to talk for a while. Oh, but, she was pretty attentive, zura - she noticed this," she held up her left hand, the matching platinum bracelet with its mirrored half-heart topaz charm, "and asked who the lucky girl was."
"We went to a cafe for an hour or two, and I talked mostly about you, actually. I didn't realise it, at all; it was only after she pointed out that she now knew more about this 'Riko' than she actually did about me," Hanamaru smiled, "In the end, she ended up giving me these flowers on the house, and we said our goodbyes."
"You didn't even exchange contact information?" Riko asked, shocked. She'd always considered, in those infrequent daydreams of hers, how meeting her soulmate would be like, and while Riko wouldn't leave Hanamaru for anyone, she was sure she'd at least bother to keep in touch. After all, this was your soulm-
"Nope!" Hanamaru set her now empty mug down, "I mean, not that she's really hard to reach, since she lives above her shop, but we both weren't interested. It sounds strange, I know, but we're both practical people, and she was adamant when she wished me good luck with my - our - relationship. I guess it makes sense that we'd be similar, zura…"
"But enough about me," Hanamaru leaned over and poked Riko in the cheek, eliciting a yelp, "What's this nonsense Yoshiko's been telling me about you freaking out? Don't tell me you actually thought I'd leave you."
"I don't know," Riko admitted, setting her own mug aside so Hanamaru could cuddle against her, "I guess I always felt that neither of us would meet our soulmates, you know? Like, it sounds really dumb, but just about all the people I've met who are soulmates have happily ended up together, and maybe I just wanted to show someone - myself, even - that I didn't need that to be happy."
"But you already did show someone," Hanamaru snuggled into Riko's chest, "You made me happy, zura."
Riko grinned and leaned in for a kiss, which the shorter girl gladly reciprocated, her hands coming up to pull Riko closer as their lips met. Hanamaru pulled away first.
"Hey, Riko," a teasing grin appeared on her face, "when I went to buy these bracelets, I handed the man at the counter a picture of you and asked for something the color of your eyes. Well, I should go ask for a refund, because they certainly don't do your eyes justice."
Riko blushed furiously, "Kunikida Hanamaru, you are insufferable."
"You love it," Hanamaru laughed, and Riko couldn't help but join her. Why had she worried about something as silly as a soulmate, again?
"I love you." She dove in for another kiss, running her fingers through Hanamaru's soft locks; she absentmindedly wondered what color they were.
"I love you too, zura."
Riko had always wondered what it meant to see in color. But Hanamaru's grinning face, and those earnest, familiar words that always managed to stir some warmth into Riko's heart, made her wonder just a little bit less.
"Oh, but - " Hanamaru slid over her, reaching for the magazine she was reading earlier, "we've really got to replace this couch, Riko. Seriously, it's a terrible shade of purple, zura."
Yes, RikoMaru. This ship exists. Now it does, anyway!
This will likely be the start of a very ambitious series where I attempt to write 1 story for each ship - all 36 of them. It's a tall order, but I'm glad I was able to pump one out, at least.