(Kana)

I watched the waved roll by smoothly as if nothing was wrong but that wasn't the case. Everything was not right it was wrong.

I turned my attention back to the girls where Pepper walked beside them telling them all the useless facts he could muster about the place. I sighed and shook my head. I stood up and walked over and shoved my hand in my pockets and then reached up to touch my hair. Pepper had made the mess I made look better but now it wasn't just a few tuffs of hair. It was now a big chunk of blonde hair, like a really big chunk.

I looked up again and saw Marcy running my way with Max in tow. I tried to muster up a smile but the movement felt foreign to my face so I just tried not to frown and hoped for the best.

"Pirate, look, look!" Marcy cheered and I crouched down and looked at Marcy's balled up hands. I blinked confused and was about to ask what it was that she was trying to show me when suddenly she opened up her hands and out came a small dead rat. I gulped. Oh boy.

"Um...Marcy, why, why do you..." I looked over her small shoulder to see Pepper sending me signals with his hands I didn't get. I raised a brow. He rolled his eyes dramatically and then gestured for me to smile. Oh! He wants me to just nod and shit. I can do that. I just need to avoid the words gross and fuck.

"Wow Marcy, that's fucking gross but cool. Nice find!" Nailed it. Marcy smiled and then Max grimaced.

"It has blood all over it." She whimpered then shrieked running back to Pepper when Marcy playfully shoved the rat in her direction. Pepper smacked his forehead. I guess I didn't do a good job?

"Um..Marcy, I think you should put the rat down." Marcy looked at her hands confused.

"It's called a rat? It doesn't look like a 'rat', it looks dead." Dear gods, I forgot they're from a lab.

"Well, it's both dead and a rat. It's a dead rat." Marcy's eyes widened with shock and wonder.

"Cool," She breathed before putting the rat back down on the floor and I chased after her as she tried to regroup with everyone.

"Um, you might want to er, wash your hands first," I said as I pointed to a nearby bathroom that was open to the public, not the cleanest places but at least I don't have to buy anything to use it. Marcy shrugged and walked with me, Pepper caught my eye and I nodded to the bathroom. He nodded right back and headed towards a small cafe across the street.

On our way to the bathroom Marcy and I passed by these two girls, both were pretty I guess but they wore way too much makeup. I et they would look better without all that junk but it's what they wanted to do, and I've learned to respect that. They spoke loudly and swore a few times but when they saw Marcy with me they put the swearing on hold till they were sure she was out of earshot, in the meantime, they just gossiped.

"And I say Emma's crazy! There is no way he's her soulmate. I mean what even is a soulmate?" One girl snapped loudly and I shook my head. They really shouldn't gossip about people like that. I lead Marcy to the door quickly so we could leave the gossiping crows behind us and once we entered we thankfully couldn't hear their gossiping anymore.

I stood on the side in silence and waited for Marcy to start washing her hands but when she looked at me in confusion and slapped my forehead. Of course idiot, she a lab baby, she obviously had these things done for her. She doesn't know how things work when you're in control.

I walked over my feet avoiding any sort of stain on the floor and stood next to Marcy.

"Watch me," I commanded in a gentle voice and silently I pumped the small soap dispenser and once I had a suitable amount of foamy flowery soap on my palm I turned on the sink with my elbow and awkwardly tried to wash my hand with...well my hand. I mean what else am I gonna use, the fucking stub? Well...actually I tried that before but it just hurts since the stub is super sensitive to literally anything. Marcy raised a brow but copied my motions but here's the thing, she only did it with one hand using the same hand I did. I held back a laugh.

Gods above kids sure are cute, I shook my head.

"N-no, Marcy. You don't use one hand when you wash your HANDS." I chuckled emphasis on the 's' in 'hands'. Marcy looked lost now.

"But you did it like this?" I sighed.

"Because I only have one hand to wash, you have two." I gestured to her other dirty hand and Marcy let out a small 'oh'. She then did the same things he did with her first hand to this one. I sighed. Good enough. I grabbed her a few paper towels and instructed her on how she was supposed to do it with both hands. She looked at me questioning.

"How do you know how to do this right, you only have on hand." I shifted from foot to foot and moved the collar of my shirt a bit farther away from me a couple of times trying to fan myself.

"Um well...you see I used to have two like you but then...an accident happened and now I only have one." Marcy nodded completely accepting this as if I told her 'Oh yeah did I ever tell you that the paper towels help dry your hands quicker?'. Kids are so chill with these things I swear.

There was a small moment of silence but before I could even think about drifting off for a sec Marcy ask me a question that I'm sure not a lot of kids ask.

"What's a soulmate?" I blinked.

"What's a huh?" Marcy rolled her eyes.

"Not a 'huh', a soulmate. You know, like the one that girl was talking about. Something about what a soulmate was. What is it?" I gulped. Crap. If anything I am the least qualified person to be asked this. A soulmate? Geez, this is more of a question Ash or Lexie is better fit for answering. Not me. The only relationship I've ever been in was a total bust. I couldn't even tell the guy the truth about me, I had to lie about pretty much everything. So many secrets that I could never tell because of who I was and where I cam from.

Then I thought about it. A soulmate...

"Well um, a soulmate is what you...er...it's sort of like this person you fall in love with," I quickly reworded what I had just said. "Oh but you don't HAVE to fall in love, it's your choice! But...the way I see it," I looked over at something to distract myself from Marcy's watchful curious eyes. I suddenly caught my reflection in the mirror, the blonde streaks of my hair and the brown ones just made me let whatever was on my mind go. "The way I see a soulmate is a person who...is just amazing to you. Someone who, although they're clearly flawed is just perfect in your eyes. A person who no matter what they do wrong you can always see past it. You two will never be perfect of course, maybe you'll fight, or tease, or even hate each other at times but,

"But it'll just click. You two will have this feeling, this connection that just happened. You don't knwo where it came from but you know, deep down that, it's a calling. You're drawn to this person. Their perfect imperfections. They way they lift you up. They...they take you places that you've already seen but it's just better with them. They believe in you and trust you like no one has ever done before or maybe they were the first to trust you and believe in you. They know you for you and knows you better than anyone else does. Because they chose to get to know you. They...inspire you to do the impossible and even if you fail they are always by your side. Always. They might leave you at times or you might leave them but when either one of you comes back you never leave each other because you're both scared of losing them. So you stick with each other and promise not to leave. Never again." I looked back at Marcy and then awkwardly cough in my hand since she was just watching me not saying anything.

"W-well that's how I see it at least, others might see it...OOF, differently?" I looked down as Marcy hugged me. She removed her face from my stomach and smiled an impish smirk I've only ever seen on Momma, her's wasn't an exact copy of Momma's smile but it still sent shivers down my spine.

"You've met them haven't you?" I blinked.

"Huh?" Marcy giggled.

"Your Soulmate! You've met them haven't you?" I scoffed. This kid is a riot.

"No, I haven't Marcy. Sorry to um, let you down." Marcy shook her head letting go of me beaming.

"You didn't, you've just given me clues to finding who you're talking about." I nodded.

"Yeah see I knew you would-wait what?!" Marcy ran out the door as quick as a hummingbird and I chased after her. "Wait, Marcy, I haven't OOF-" Okay how many times am I gonna crash into people or vise versa? I looked at the person in front of me and quickly apologized and left the bathroom looking frantically around for Marcy. I spotted her small form running towards the others and I quickly ran to her.

Please don't get ran over, please don't get ran over. I prayed.

Thankfully the gods heard my prayers and Marcy crossed the street unharmed. I let out a breath of relief then looked both ways twice before crossing myself. Better safe than sorry.

Once I made it across the street Pepper raised a brow at me.

"W-Well that certainly took a while," I frowned.

"Yeah well, I'd like to see you teach a kid how to wash their handS with just a hand." I snapped back placing my hand on my hip. Pepper nodded then shrugged.

"Fair enough." He turned back to the other girls and an awkward silence followed. Like not just a small little awkward silence. Like a looooooooong awkward silence. No said anything we all kind of just stood there shifting from foot to foot. I sighed and looked off to see the stores. They were all pretty on the outside and on the inside too I'm sure. I wonder if Ash or the others would like to see it someday? If they even talk to me again that is.

I shook my head and focused on the mission at hand and not the 'what if's. I had to be in mission mode. I can't fail again. Never again.