Introduction. Okay, so in this story I am doing two things I probably shouldn't; a new take on the soulmate genre, and taking a shot at the way media controls the crowd. So this one-shot is a free instalment of my Wildfire Anne stories (Masqurade battle, Spring festival and Compatible partners). Yuuri Katsuki from Yuri! on ice is Anne's soulmate because when I first watched the series I thought Yuuri was the kind of person Anne hates the most, but by the end... they had somehow ended up as "You are everything I am and everything I am not" kind of soulmates.

Please enjoy :)

Soulmate gathering

If anyone asked Portgas D. Anne to name three things she hated about the world, she would probably not be able to answer. Not because she was a happy person who saw flying unicorns and farted rainbows, oh no, quite the contrary. Anne probably would have an easier time naming three things she liked about the world, even though that too was difficult as she had just stepped off a train and was met by the stupidest demand ever.

"No," she said, with extra heavy emphasis.

Katsuki Yuuri, competitive figure skater and Anne's soulmate (unfortunately), glared back, looking just as disturbed as Anne.

"If I have to sit through an idiotic Soulmate gathering, so will you," he growled.

It was nothing short of amazing really. Everyone who knew anything about Yuuri would say he was a shy and withdrawn person who rather fled than fought. He certainly had them going. Katsuki Yuuri was just as prideful and stubborn as Anne, he even had a splash of arrogance to him, it's just that his anxiety took the form of nervous breakdowns while Anne's showed as anger. Fact remained that Yuuri and Anne were soulmates, matching marks and all, and now Yuuri's best friend had apparently made him promise to come to one of those Find-Your-Soulmate gatherings that happened around the world.

"I am not attending a gathering. Period," Anne hissed and started walking.

Yuuri followed her movements, falling into step beside the short girl with ease.

"Phichit has spent the past week convincing, threatening, bullying and begging me on his bare knees. I can't tell him I have a soulmate, unless you want have your life invaded by all those moon-eyed dreamers demanding to know exactly what it feels like to have one."

Anne hunched and grumbled. The world they lived in was a complete mess and the reason why was so stupid Anne and Yuuri both were embarrassed to be humans. But what Anne knew about Yuuri's best friend was that the kid was sweet, as hard a worker as anyone who wanted to be an elite athlete, and that he didn't force his company on others. The last part was why Yuuri had taken such a liking to the younger.

"So you agreed to go because a plain 'no' didn't suffice and your only reason for not going would have sent your friend to the moon?"

"And demanded we both come to the gathering to tell everyone about it," Yuuri finished. "He just read that new best-seller, by the way."

"The porn one?" Anne guessed. She had stayed very clear of that book and as far away as possible from everyone who read it after she saw an interview with the author on TV. "So what happened to the laidback roommate you told me about, anyway? Why does he even want you to come to this thing? Hoping you'll turn into his soulmate?"

Yuuri held up a hand and plucked down a finger for each reason. "Because he really don't want to go alone, because what if he actually finds the one he's been intended for since before his birth, because his expectations are so high and all the books says they pale in comparison to a real-life bond."

"Oh Lord, he's lost, and it's not even his fault," Anne groaned, before smiling sweetly. "But I'm not going to a gathering. You two have fun."

Yuuri was privately wondering if there was a curse Anne hadn't yet used on him. They were currently at the Soulmate gathering, having made it here with Anne back-bound and flung over Yuuri's shoulder. Before them stood Phichit, looking nervously at Anne who vehemently tried to kill Yuuri with her glare.

"She's an old friend from grade school, arrived yesterday for a dance competition that starts tomorrow. I thought she needed a break in the training."

"Oh I need a break, all right," Anne hissed. "Or several, all of your bones would be good. Twice."

Yuuri looked on worriedly as Phichit started to pale.

"I… didn't know Yuuri had…" the Thai started.

"A friend like me?" Anne finished, her mouth pulled into the sweetest smile that promised a very painful death.

Poor Phichit actually jumped back. It was a valiant attempt, but there was no speaking to Anne when she was in a mood.

"Ignore her, Phichit-kun. Her bark is worse than her bite," Yuuri said and caught the punch Anne threw at him. "Is there an order to the seats or do we just sit down?"

"We… we just sit down," the startled Thai squeaked.

Anne let out one last growl and then submitted to her fate.

The theatre was brightly lit, with the curtain currently drawn for the stage and rows of dark green padded chairs nailed to the floor in front of it. From the showcase outside Yuuri thought this place was used for a wide variety of entertainment such as small concerts and local movie shows. Phichit lead the two Japanese to the middle of one of the rows.

"That was humiliating," Anne muttered to Yuuri once they were seated. "What would Maco have thought if she hadn't known who you were?"

"I would have called her ahead of time, told her I was coming to kidnap you and why."

"You enjoyed it!" the girl accused hotly.

Yuuri just gave her a tired look and Anne let out a deep sigh, right before Yuuri felt a new intention from her and stood.

"Yuuri?" Phichit asked nervously.

Anne slipped into Yuuri's seat beside the Thai and Yuuri took Anne's first chair.

"Hey, my name is Portgas D. Anne. Yuuri told me you're his roommate."

"Y-yes. I'm Phichit Chulanont from Thailand. But…"

"Yuuri never told you about me," Anne filled in where Phichit hesitated.

"I don't think so."

Yuuri leaned over Anne. "She's the one I have the funny ringtone for."

The Thai's dark eyes opened wide. "The one that only calls after practice?"

"That would be me," Anne admitted easily. "But Yuuri only calls me in the middle of the night."

Yuuri stayed quiet as Anne redeemed her first impression. She wasn't a bad person just because she had a bad temper after all.

Right then a woman came through the curtain at the edge of the stage, smartly dressed in green and white, and she gave Yuuri all the wrong vibes.

Beside him Anne cut her sentence short to look around. "What happened?"

The woman on the stage was counting the audience, and Yuuri could feel Anne's temper start to simmer.

"I thought it was free to attend," she hissed.

"It is free," Phichit cut in. "That's why I really wanted to come; college students can't afford to waste money, not even on something as important as this."

Anne thankfully held her tongue, but Yuuri privately agreed with her that this was certainly not a gathering without profit for someone.

"Hey, Yuuri. Are you okay?" Phichit asked worriedly.

"No, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

The woman disappeared behind the stage and the hum of conversation in the room continued as if nothing had happened.

"When are they starting?" Anne asked as she looked around herself. The room was filling up, and to her great dismay more than half of them were giddy teenagers.

"In ten minutes or so," Phichit informed them. "But hey, Anne. Where is your mark? Can I see it?"

"On my back, between the shoulder blades, I think," the girl answered absentmindedly as she counted the people who at least looked like they had grown out of their teenage years.

"You think?!"

Anne turned back to Phichit, surprised at his outburst and the angry face he made. "What?"

"Anne, soulmates are important! Everybody has to know where their soul mark is located or your chances of finding your intended are zero!"

It was one impressively passionate little speech, and it left Anne utterly unimpressed. "For the record; I have spent most of my life trying to just survive it. Who the hell has time for soulmates when you don't know when you'll get to eat next?"

On her other side, Yuuri had buried his face in his hands. He didn't know Anne's life story aside from the titbits and hints she shared and from what Anne's little brother had told him. What he did know, he wished he didn't. From their bonding experience, which was actually a verbal fight that had turned into a brawl, Yuuri had learnt Anne had as extreme anxiety and suffered a lot of the same insecurities as him.

That's the only time Yuuri ever saw Anne cry.

With a grand gesture and winning smile, a man suddenly stepped through the curtain and broke the tense atmosphere between Anne and Phichit.

"Hello, everybody. Nice to see so many took time out of their everyday life to join this soulmate gathering."

Beside Anne, Phichit sat up straight, and so did everyone else aside from Yuuri and Anne who sunk deeper into their seats.

"My name is Soran," the man introduced himself with a little bow. "I'm here with you today to offer personal guidance after the session. Before we start; our medium will do a reading for free, and those of you who wish can come onto the stage. Those of you who would rather have your reading in private, it will sadly cost a little, we all have to pay taxes. But I'm sure you're all eager to start, so without further ado, our very own medium; Ahsan Jaya!"

The curtain lifted under a rouse of excited applause. Yuuri caught one look at the medium before he buried his face deep in his hands. He could feel Anne's absolute embarrassment echo his own. The medium was a Hindi woman dressed in layers of varying blue robes dotted with stars and other celestial symbols. Her black hair was carefully tied up with braids and ribbons that complemented her wizened face and the red dot between her eyebrows. The air of mystique she emitted was palpable. All to play on the gullibility of the young and innocent.

Beside Anne, Phichit was shaking with excitement. "It's her!" he gasped in a choked whisper. "Ahsan Jaya! She has a 97 percent accuracy on the charts! So many have found their soulmate through her!"

Anne and Yuuri exchanged a look. Both of them doubted very much that was true, but Anne had a certain glint in her eye. Yuuri, while not generally one to cause a fuss, did have the same drive as anyone else to prove a point and liked to be right.

The medium curtsied elegantly for the crowd and two stage workers walked in with a small, round table and a stool. Jaya accepted a red velvet cloth from Soran and spread it over the table before she sat by it. From the folds of her robes she brought out a glass orb and something that looked like a circle medallion that she folded out into something that looked distinctly like a sundial.

"With the guidance of the galaxy, I will find the other half of your souls."

The collective gasp drowned out Anne's groan. Yuuri just closed his eyes and hoped to be somewhere else when he opened them.

"Our medium is ready," Soran spoke clearly. "Is there anyone in the audience who dares to go first in this session."

A few hands rose, but a girl behind Anne shot out of her seat with a gasp and lifted her hand high in the air.

"The young lady over there, please come onto the stage."

The girl was so excited she trembled as she tried to walk at a dignified pace even though her eyes were wide as plates.

"What is your name, little star," asked Ahsan.

"M-Marie Stoll," the girl stammered.

"And when were you born?"

"May. 22 of May in 1998."

The medium's hand moved to the sundial and spun some of the circles around. "Hm, your soulmate is younger than you with tree years."

"Oh…" the girl said hesitatingly, but the medium was concentrating on the glass orb.

"Please tell me a little about yourself," Jaya spoke softly. "What is your greatest passion and greatest weakness."

The girl talked nervously, unsure of herself, and from where she sat Anne wondered if the medium was actually listening or simply gauging the girl's character.

"You are a very sweet girl, but your insecurities get in your way," Jaya said when Marie's voice died down. "A soulmate is the one who makes you whole. He will soothe your insecurities as you will boost his confidence." She was silent as a light flashed in the glass orb on the table, reflecting in Jaya's dark eyes. "Your soulmate compliments you so well. A white boy who… bleaches his hair, I think. It is very pale, but his eyes are a deep brown. A very loving and romantic man."

Marie looked close to tears in her happiness. "D-do you know… where?"

"I am afraid not, little star," Ahsan said with deep grief. "All I can say is that you may need to travel a little to find him, but you will know the moment you lock gaze with him."

Anne was dying to call on that bluff. It had taken her and Yuuri more than a year to realize they were soulmates and they had looked into each other's eyes a hundred times before that. She could feel Yuuri's distrust growing too.

Marie looked a little crestfallen, but thanked Ahsan anyway.

"Before you leave," Soran cut in. "Would you like to nominate the next to get a reading?"

"Um…" Marie looked over the crowd uncertainly, her gaze clearly looking towards the friends she had arrived with. "My sister… is that ok?"

"Of course, please come forward," Soran called.

Another girl behind Anne jumped up, and she hugged Marie when they crossed each other.

For the next half hour Ahsan did eleven readings, and Anne had figured out the way she worked. The sundial was like a calculator that used the date of birth to pinpoint the soulmate's age, which Anne trusted about as much as she would a rabid lion. Then she used the time her clients talked to gauge them and that way come up with something complementing.

"Why do you keep groaning?"

"Huh?" Anne looked to Phichit.

"You keep groaning as if you're in pain," the younger boy elaborated.

"Oh. No, I just don't like this setting."

"Why not? Those people are trying everything they can to help us find The One, the other half of our souls."

"Not really," Yuuri mumbled from Anne's other side. "I'd say those people are doing their best to make sure nobody finds their actual soulmate."

"What? Yuuri, how can you say that?"

Anne sighed and sunk deeper into her seat with closed eyes. "A soulmate is everything you are and everything you are not. They are basically you in a different body, not a better half."

Phichit frowned darkly. "You've read that Whole Mine Soul crap," he accused with a growl.

The girl shrugged, unfazed. "The author does have the advantage of actually having found and bonded with his soulmate. So excuse me for believing the word of someone with first-hand experience."

Phichit huffed and refused to argue further. Whole Mine Soul was not a book worth reading since it walked all over the romance of having a soulmate and instead painted a wholly underwhelming bond that only crackled when it was tied. Then the two parts just went on with their lives as if the bonding wasn't the most important experience in the universe. Phichit took immense pleasure watching YouTube videos of people burning that book to ashes.

On stage, the twelfth client didn't want to nominate anyone for a reading, mumbling something about it not feeling right. That's when Anne locked her gaze with Yuuri who, to Phichit's great astonishment, stood and walked into the aisle. He stopped there, but Soran was smiling encouragingly and waved him forward.

"After this young man's reading, there will be a thirty minute pause for you to mingle and sign up for private readings. I can be found in the corridor just outside."

Anne smirked a little as she saw her soulmate hesitate. Now that he wasn't right beside her anymore she couldn't read his emotions, but she knew him well enough either way. His terrible stage fright and love for attention was constantly at war, and often times he did things and didn't realize it until he was the centre of attention.

Exactly like Anne.

"What is your name," Ahsan asked.

"Yuuri Katsuki. From Japan."

"Oh, how very ambitious of you, little star," Ahsan said with a knowing glint in her eyes that caused Anne to snort. The medium was right but had still missed the mark. Quite the feat.

Phichit glanced over at Anne, who didn't seem at all surprised by Yuuri's uncharacteristic action. Phichit himself had tried to get nominated since the second reading, and Yuuri had been so against coming before. Still, he was really happy his friend was getting an official reading.

Yuuri had always avoided the subject of soulmates. There had been this one guy from the hockey team who used the same rink as them in Detroit, who had been convinced he and Yuuri were soulmates. Phichit had been doubtful, and Yuuri had been annoyed enough to boldly tell the guy he was "desperate, wrong and an idiot all in one pathetic package", Yuuri's words. They had not seen him since and Yuuri showed no regret.

"When were you born?" the medium asked next.

"29 of November 1993."

The medium turned to the sundial. "Oh? It seems your soulmate is older than you by five years, but is a winter child, like yourself."

Yuuri looked surprised, and beside Phichit Anne was rubbing her face and muttering something that sounded like curses. The Thai couldn't help but stare at her.

"Please tell me about yourself," Ahsan asked.

For a minute, Yuuri was silent and staring to where Phichit and Anne sat.

"I have certain issues. I'm horribly selfish and still feel humbled by everyone else. I'm competitive, and scared of the competition."

"How very interesting," said Ahsan as she stared into her crystal ball. "What sport are you competing in?"

Strangely enough, Yuuri cast another look at Phichit and Anne, as if asking them what to answer, before he said; "Dance, solo."

Phichit looked to his side, expecting to exchange a glance with Anne, only to see her smirk widely, pleased.

The Thai leaned into her. "Why would Yuuri lie?"

"He didn't. You both do compete in dancing, circumstances are just details."

On stage, Yuuri said nothing more, and Ahsan stared long and hard into the faintly glowing crystal.

"You might want to consider pair dancing," the medium spoke. "Your soulmate looks like she has a dancing partner… oh!"

Everyone leaned forward when the medium leaned away from the crystal with a bright blush across her dark face and a hand over her mouth.

She fanned herself and cleared her throat. "Your soulmate is into pole-dancing, I mistook the pole for a person, my apologies."

It was the first time that day she had been that detailed about a soulmate's profession, and Anne had to bite her finger to keep from laughing.

"I see she has long and flowing pale hair and… eyes of green. I am quite certain you two will have a very intimate relationship. But she will need your insecurity to pull back her overwhelming confidence, as you will need her confidence to defeat your anxiety. Though I am certain, you will inspire each other greatly."

Yuuri stared at the medium for a while with an expression as if he wanted to say something. In the end he decided against it and bowed slightly in thanks.

"Now you have thirty minutes to stretch your legs," Soran reminded everyone as Yuuri walked back to Phichit and Anne. The Thai was about to joke that it was a pity Viktor Nikiforov; the love and inspiration of Yuuri's life, wasn't his soulmate, only to stare as Yuuri and Anne smirked at each other.

"My soulmate is a 25 year old pole-dancing woman, with pale hair and green eyes," Yuuri said with the oddest tone of voice Phichit had ever heard.

Anne chocked a laugh. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find her. Just google 25 year old pole dancer. The person she was talking about is certain to have uploaded tons of videos of herself."

"That's a great idea!" Phichit exclaimed excitedly and whipped out his phone.

"No need," Yuuri said and snatched Phichit's dear phone.

"But Yuuri! Your soulmate! I want to help you find her!"

"I'd rather leave this money-sucking circus as soon as possible," Anne sighed.

"Money…? This gathering is free," Phichit said, confused.

Yuuri nodded towards the corridor. "But the knickknack they sell at those stands aren't."

Phichit followed his friend's gaze, and sure enough, in the hall outside the theatre was a line of stalls selling all kinds of things related to finding your soulmate.

It was Anne who pulled at the Thai's shoulder when he started forward.

"Don't. Those things don't work. Trust me. It's all just to pick your money off of you."

"How can you know that? You said yourself you never cared about finding your soulmate!"

"But I happen to know who mine is," Yuuri mumbled discreetly and took Phichit's other shoulder. He and Anne started pushing the stunned skater towards the exit.

"Yu-Yu…" They made it outside just as Phichit returned to his senses with a loud yell of "YUURI!"

The Japanese man felt Anne grow angry. He wasn't too happy about the turn of events either, and he was done with that gathering. So he just wrapped an arm around Anne's shoulders and the two walked away from the sputtering Phichit.

"For whatever it's worth, I'm sorry about today."

"Oh, don't be," Anne sighed and wrapped her arm around her soulmate's middle in return. "It wasn't all pain. Although I'd love to come out and show that so-called medium just how full of shit she is.

Yuuri was silent as he contemplated that. "Damn, we should have done that!"

None of the two noticed Phichit behind them, stunned but with gears turning as he stared at the picture the two made. Yuuri wasn't fond of touching, but he looked comfortable now. Happy even. The look on Anne's face had changed too now that she was under Yuuri's arm.

It couldn't be, the medium had seen a completely different person, but… looking at them, remembering how they interacted and how Anne had broken off mid-sentence to ask Yuuri what happened when the Japanese hadn't even made a sound.

"Those two are… soulmates?"