Lucy's eyes traced over the little black drawing, carefully noticing the details. It was small and sloppy, but created with care; the artist had traced over it twice to emphasise the lines, to make them darker. She leaned in closer, staring at the drawing with hard eyes.

"Geez, Lucy—you don't need to stare so hard."

The words snapped Lucy out of her little daze; her eyes flickered away from the little drawing, back up to her friends. "Oh," Lucy murmured, voice quieter than usual. "Sorry."

Lucy glanced back down at the drawing in Levy's palm, trying to contain the sheer jealousy that was building in her chest. Levy had drawn one single, detailed drawing for her soulmate and had received a response a mere three hours later; Lucy had coated her entire body in ink and hadn't received a single response. Of course, she was happy for Levy—but she couldn't help but wish she'd gotten a drawing instead.

"So, how did it happen?" Erza asked, holding Levy's hand so she could inspect the little piece of art.

"Well," Levy shrugged, cheeks going pink as she discussed it. "I drew this little book on the back of my hand when I got home—and a couple hours later, he drew one back."

Lucy turned Levy's hand over to see her drawing. It was detailed and neat, a perfectly proportioned miniature recreation of her favorite book on the back of her hand. It was a stark comparison to the sloppy little stickman her soulmate had placed on the inside of her palm.

"This is so exciting!" Juvia squeaked out with a grin. "I can't wait until my soulmate gives me a drawing."

Erza shook her head. "Don't get too excited, Juvia," She murmured. "You heard what Mrs. Muller said yesterday—it's rare to get a response so quickly. Some people wait years."

Juvia frowned, crossing her arms. "I still don't get it—why would you have to wait years?"

"Because," The redhead explained. She'd been the only one of the girls to continue paying attention to the lesson after they'd explained the premise of having a soulmate; the others had been too excited about the idea of their soulmate to listen. "It can be too much for some people. Too emotional, or something. And since we learned about it so young…chances are we won't get a response for a while."

Juvia's excited grin had melted away. "Well, I think that's dumb."

Lucy turned back to Levy. "What was it like?" She paused for a second. "Getting the drawing, I mean."

"Well…" Levy began, but paused soon after.

She peered up, glancing around the classroom. Around them, classmates were sitting in their desks, awaiting the morning bell for class to begin. Noticing how many people were around them, Levy pulled the girls into the far corner, away from the chattering crowds.

It's funny how quickly Levy's stance on the subject of soulmates had changed. During the lesson about soulmates, the teachers had warned the children that it wasn't a subject many people were interested in speaking about; it was far too personal, too private to share. It was common etiquette to not ever bring up someone's soulmate or the drawings on their skin—that's just the way it was.

The girls had mentioned how silly that seemed. Everyone had a soulmate—so why be shy about it? Why not be able to discuss it openly, and be proud of the subject? Levy in particular couldn't wrap her head around why it was a shunned topic—it just didn't make sense for her.

But here she was, leading the girls away into the quiet far corner of the classroom, unable to openly speak about the incident she had with her soulmate knowing others might hear her. Because this single, tiny communication she'd had with her soulmate was so incredibly intimate that she couldn't bear the idea of anyone else knowing. It was something so horribly private that it was hard for her to even tell the girls, her best friends for life.

Speaking about it was the emotional equivalent of stripping naked in front of everyone. You were breakable, delicate, fragile. Giving someone else a look into something this intimate…it felt wrong. It felt like something between you and your soulmate, and that was it. A secret for only you two to know.

But Levy was young and these were her best friends, and she had to tell them about it.

Once they were sufficiently far enough away, Levy let out a shaky whisper.

"It was like…magic."

Lucy frowned. "Magic?"

"Like…I was laying in bed, ready to go to sleep. And then all of a sudden…I could feel him. Beside me. And his hand was holding my hand—and I could feel the pen on my skin. And when I turned on my lamp, I could see the ink on my palm, drawing." She paused, her eyes flashing to the floor; she seemed to be struggling to find the right words. "And he wasn't there, but he was. It felt…special. And I don't know why, but I think he knew it was, too. We were together, for a split second."

The girls were all quiet for a long few moments, drinking in the words Levy had just said. Until then, the idea of a soulmate hadn't seemed quite so…serious. The teachers had explained that it was the most serious thing they'd ever deal with, that it would change them in incredible ways, but they hadn't really understood it. How could they, until they experienced it for themselves? But hearing Levy talk about it, hearing her voice shake when she mentioned him, seeing that strange new maturity in her eyes…it began to dawn on them.

This wasn't some schoolyard crush. This wasn't something easy, something fleeting. These drawings…they connected them to the people that they were meant to be with. Their soulmates.

Lucy swallowed, fear rushing through her veins. She didn't know why—but it seemed scary, now. Being able to draw something and communicate with your soulmate. It was this fear that the teachers were telling them about—it was why some people chose not to respond until they were ready. For some, it was too real, too serious, too intimate. For some, it would take time.

Lucy's little hand balled up into a fist.

She felt the fear, but she could overcome it. Because the urge to get a drawing back, to feel the things Levy had felt…it was stronger.

The bell rang and the girls returned to their seats. Class began, but Lucy didn't care enough to pay attention. Instead, she pulled out her pack of colored pens and began to draw, filling in every single gap on her arms that she'd failed to draw in the previous night.

She smiled as she drew, knowing that she was one step closer to finding her soulmate.

A/N: Short, tiny chapter. I know. I didn't want it to be but I was just feeling a bit uninspired and couldn't make sense of anything I wanted to write-so I decided to get this bit out so I can move on and hopefully be more inspired with the next few! I'm working on the next chapter right away so shouldn't be long, hopefully it will be up today as well. I'll try to be more consistent with my writing!