For a while, Sayo had no clue who her soulmate was. She knew where she had met them, but that was it. She had looked at them at some point and her world had exploded into color. And yet, she couldn't figure out who had made it so.
Sayo knew how it worked. The closer you physically were to your soulmate the brighter the world would get. However, Sayo never got her vision to get very bright. Until, one day.
As she was leaving the CiRCLE, she found who they were. It was simply her passing by them. Her vision became extremely bright. Too bright for her.
"You…"
Sayo looked at who this person was. She was shocked to find it was a girl. Not what she had been expecting. But, that really wasn't on her mind for too long.
"What is your name?" Sayo did her best to act like nothing was wrong, despite how much she wanted to run away. She felt sick from the brightness.
"Minato Yukina. And you?"
"H-Hikawa Sayo." Sayo stammered, "I… I have to go."
She ran away at that. She ran straight into the bathroom and found herself throwing up. The brightness dimmed. She felt relief.
Sayo sighed as she shakily stood up. She took some deep breaths and then left the stall. She walked to the sink and splashed cold water onto her face.
"Are you alright?"
Sayo froze. She was back. Her vision was slowly getting brighter again.
"I'm fine. Just… sick. I need to go home." Sayo quickly said and walked away.
She hated that she was avoiding her. But, she had no choice. She couldn't physically stand being around her. The colors got too bright. She couldn't handle it.
Sayo made her way home. She sighed as she laid down on her bed. What on earth was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to manage this. She didn't want to avoid Yukina forever. That just didn't sit well with her.
"Onee-chan?" Hina peeked her head into the room, "Is something wrong?"
"Maybe…" Sayo mumbled as she sat up.
"You wanna talk about it?" Hina asked as she entered the room.
"I guess…"
Hina sat down beside Sayo on the bed. She waited for her to start speaking.
"You found your soulmate, right?" Sayo asked quietly.
Hina nodded, "Yep. What about it?"
"When you're right next to them… does the brightness bother you?" Sayo questioned.
"No. I think it's awesome! The world looks amazing when it's so bright." Hina cocked her head in confusion, "So, what's the problem?"
"I… I can't stand it. It's too bright…" Sayo sighed, "I found them… but I ran away… I can't handle the brightness of being right beside her…"
"How did it make you feel? The brightness, I mean." Hina asked, unsure what to say. This wasn't something she had ever heard of.
"It made me feel sick… I ended up throwing up because of it." Sayo pulled her knees up to her chest.
"Why don't you just tell her?" Hina asked.
"Why would anyone believe me. No one else has ever had this problem…" Sayo sighed.
"You can't just avoid her forever. She'll probably come looking for you too." Hina stayed, "You should just tell her."
"I'm not telling her!" Sayo yelled.
The room fell silent. Sayo sighed as she buried her head into her knees. Hina wasn't sure what to do.
"Do you think there's anything that could lessen the color you see?" Hina asked, "Maybe if you saw less color to begin with, the brightness wouldn't bother you?
"You think that's possible?" Sayo looked over at her.
"I dunno, but it doesn't hurt to look." Hina replied, "I'll help you research if you'd like."
"Okay…"
DIVIDER--
Avoiding Yukina didn't work out, as Sayo knew it wouldn't. Hina had been right. Yukina was looking out to see if she was around. Sayo had to be around her and hope she didn't get sick again. She made sure to stand a little bit away from her to keep the brightness down as much as she could without looking suspicious.
But, she hadn't accounted for Yukina wanting to start a band with her. That threw everything off. Now she was around her a lot more than she would've liked. But, Sayo hadn't wanted to give up the opportunity to be in a band. Especially one that seemed to have potential.
Sayo somehow managed to avoid having Yukina come over and vice versa. That was the best she could do. At least she could have time to herself at home. Time where her senses were normal.
Her and Hina both tried to find people who could potentially help her out. Unfortunately, they only found people who could remove color completely. Sayo didn't mind if that was the case, but… it was the fact it would happen for both of them that made her hesitant. She didn't, no, she couldn't do that. Not without Yukina agreeing. And, she couldn't bring herself to admit the truth.
Sayo kept searching to see if there was a way for only her to lose her colored sight, but she was having no luck. It was stressful. She just wanted to be able to function around Yukina without any issues.
She had ended up having to run away to throw up a few times. Yukina would just get too close to her and she couldn't handle it. It concerned all the members of Roselia, but she just brushed it off. She couldn't tell them. She didn't know why, but she just refused to do it.
DIVIDER--
It was late. Sayo had stayed behind to practice more. She didn't realize how late it had become until she exited the room. She sighed as she looked at the dark outside. As she was going to leave, her phone rang. Barely anyone was around, so she answered it in a desolate area.
"Hello?"
"I see. What can you do?"
Yukina had also stayed behind. She was leaving when she heard the conversation. She hesitantly snuck over. She was far enough away still that Sayo wouldn't notice the slight change in brightness. Yukina didn't think she should be listening to this, but she was curious. Maybe this would explain what was going on with Sayo?
"I refuse to do that. I've told you already."
Sayo sighed. This wasn't going as planned. The person calling was a doctor they had contacted to see what they could do.
"I'm not doing that. Especially not without her consent."
Yukina didn't know what to take from the conversation. It was hard when she couldn't hear what the other person was saying to her.
"Yes, I do want it, but I'm not doing it like this." Sayo was getting ticked off.
"I'm done. We'll find someone else." Sayo ended the call.
She sighed and buried her face into her hands. This wasn't going well at all. No one seemed to be able to help her in the way she needed. They could remove color, but only from both of them. Sayo didn't want that. She desperately needed someone who could only take away color from her. It was seeming hopeless at this point.
Sayo walked out. She stopped as she realized her vision was starting to grow brighter. Yukina was here. She probably heard some of her conversation.
"Why are you here?" Sayo asked.
"I was staying late to practice. I just happened to hear you." Yukina replied.
"It's not nice to eavesdrop." Sayo growled.
"I'm worried about you. The way you act is strange." Yukina said as she walked closer.
Sayo took a step back. She continued to do that every time Yukina moved closer.
"See. You always keep a certain distance from me. What's the reason?" Yukina asked as she stopped walking.
"We don't need to be right next to each other." Sayo stated.
"I don't see what the problem is." Yukina walked closer again. She wanted to test this out.
Sayo was backed into a corner. She had no choice but to let Yukina get closer.
"Why do you avoid me?"
"I'm not. Since when have I been avoiding you?" Sayo gulped.
"You refuse to hang out with me outside of practice. That makes me suspicious that something is up." Yukina replied.
"Nothing is up. Now let me go." Sayo was doing her best to be firm.
"Why won't you tell me? What do you have to hide?"
"Please, back off." Sayo shut her eyes to try and block out the brightness.
"Fine." Yukina stood back, "But, I'll be keeping an eye on you. Something is up. We all know that."
"Nothing is up!" Sayo yelled and then ran off.
She hated this. Why did she have to be the one with a problem? Why couldn't she just be like everyone else? What was the reason for her having this problem?
DIVIDER--
A few days later, nothing had really changed. Sayo still couldn't find a doctor that could help. She was running out of options. At this point, all she could do was tell the truth and hope for the best.
Sayo didn't want that. She didn't want to be seen as different. Not in this way. This way was a bad different. She was a freak. Someone who just couldn't fit in.
Sayo decided she'd try one last doctor. If they couldn't help her, she'd give up and tell Yukina what was going on.
Sayo was hiding out during their break from practice. She decided now was the best time to do it. She just had to make sure she wasn't overheard. That was the last thing she wanted.
"Hello? Um… I was just wondering something."
Unfortunately for Sayo, Yukina had been keen on keeping her promise. She followed Sayo to where she was hiding out. Yukina couldn't figure out what was the reason for anything that Sayo was doing. No one in Roselia could.
"So… I have a problem. I… I can't handle the brightness that comes with this soulmate thing. Whenever they get really close to me… it makes me feel sick."
This was definitely not the information Yukina had been expecting to hear. But, now it all made sense. Sayo wasn't really avoiding her in the sense that she might be meeting someone else. She was avoiding her out of her own health reasons. Yukina could tell it wasn't something Sayo seemed happy to have to do. Now it all made sense to her.
"I know you can remove colored vision for both… but I'd like if I could be the only one effected by it. Is that possible to do?" Sayo knew it was most likely going to be a no, but she had to try.
"I see… well, thanks anyways…" Sayo hung up. It was no use. They couldn't do it either.
"So, this is why you've been acting the way you have?" Yukina decided to confront her.
Sayo froze in place, unsure what to do. It was obvious Yukina had heard everything. There was nothing she could say to deny it.
"Leave me alone."
"Why wouldn't you just say something?" Yukina wasn't phased by Sayo's cold response.
"I didn't think anyone would believe me." Sayo mumbled.
"You've been trying to find a way to remove color from your sight?"
Sayo nodded, "Yeah… but they can only do it for both… taking it away from one doesn't work…"
"I see."
They fell into an awkward silence. Neither knew how to continue. Sayo was debating if she should walk away before anything else could be said.
"If it'll help you, then do it."
"Huh?" Sayo looked over at Yukina.
"I don't care if I lose the ability to see in color. If it's hurting you, then do it. Don't force yourself not to for me." Yukina said.
"Y-you're fine if I do it? You sure? It's irreversible." Sayo was surprised.
Yukina nodded, "It's fine with me."
"Okay…" Sayo wasn't sure this decision would be final.
"We should get back to practice." Yukina said.
Sayo nodded. The two of them walked back to the practice room. Everyone was there waiting for them. They got a few suspicious glances, but no one said anything. It was a little strange to see them together like that since Sayo tended to avoid walking next to Yukina.
DIVIDER--
Sayo still couldn't believe it was that simple. If she had said something sooner, she wouldn't have had to suffer for this long. She had convinced herself that Yukina would never agree to lose her colored sight and yet… she had agreed without much hesitation.
Sayo nervously made an appointment once she got home from practice. She was waiting for Yukina to say she changed her mind. But, nothing came of that even after hours of their conversation. Sayo still couldn't believe she'd agree so quickly.
Then, she started to wonder if it had been the opposite way. What if Yukina had been like her instead? Would she have done the same thing? Would she have agreed to lose the ability to see color? Sayo wasn't sure. She knew she should be jumping to say she was, but she was hesitating.
"Onee-chan?" Hina entered her room.
"What do you want?" Sayo looked over at Hina.
"I wanted to see how it's going. Did you have any luck?" Hina asked.
"Kind of…" Sayo said.
"What do you mean?" Hina was confused by that statement.
"Well… the doctor didn't work out either, but… she agreed to it. She doesn't care if she loses seeing in color." Sayo said.
"Really? Awesome! You should've told her a long time ago." Hina smiled.
"I guess I should've." Sayo agreed, "I made an appointment for two days from now. Let's hope it works out."
"I'm sure it will!" Hina said positively.
DIVIDER--
When the time came for the appointment, Sayo was nervous. Yukina had decided to join her. Sayo was kind of glad to have her there. She knew sometimes the doctors got mad when someone tried to do this. Hopefully since both of them were fully agreeing to it, the doctor wouldn't say much about it.
They were brought into a room. They both guessed it was to talk to the doctor before they did anything. This was a pretty big thing. It wasn't something they could go back on once it was done.
"So, you both are willing to lose your colored vision?" The doctor asked.
They both nodded.
"I don't believe this is something you should be doing at such a young age."
"It's not your decision to make." Sayo shot back.
"You might regret it."
"How am I going to regret it?"
"You'll stand out. You'll never get to see what other people do." The doctor seemed adamant about convincing them otherwise.
"I don't care. This is better than suffering because of it." Sayo wasn't going to back down.
"Are you her soulmate?" The doctor turned to Yukina.
Yukina nodded, "I am."
"And you're okay with this?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"If it's going to help her, then I'm all for it." Yukina replied.
"You both know this isn't something you can just change. Once it's done, it's over."
"We know." Sayo was getting frustrated.
"Fine. I'll schedule it for a week from now. If you regret it, it's on you."
Sayo was fuming as they left the place.
"I can't believe him." Sayo growled, "What right does he have to judge anyone for something like this?"
"You can't help those who think their opinions are the only right ones." Yukina replied.
"Shouldn't be a doctor then." Sayo grumbled.
"Nothing you can do. Just be glad he actually let you do it." Yukina said.
"I guess that's true."
"I guess we'll have to wait a week more." Yukina said.
"Yeah… I'm glad it's so soon." Sayo replied, "But… you're really okay with this?"
"I am. I don't care about seeing in color. It doesn't mean anything to me." Yukina nodded.
"Yukina? What are we?" Sayo asked.
They weren't dating at the moment. Neither had ever asked the other out. They were just there with each other.
"I don't know. What do you want to be?" Yukina didn't seem very interested in finding an answer.
"I don't know." Sayo admitted, "I'm not sure I'm ready to try a relationship."
"Doesn't bother me. I'm fine with things the way they are." Yukina said.
DIVIDER--
The week seemed to drag on. It took forever to end. But, thankfully, it was over and time for Sayo to go back. Yukina, like before, went with her. She had to wait in the waiting room while they were working on Sayo.
Yukina knew it had worked when her vision dulled and became black and white again. She smiled slightly.
Sayo came out a few minutes later. She walked over to her. Yukina stood up.
"So, it's done." Yukina said.
"Yep. It doesn't bother me to be near you anymore." Sayo nodded.
"Well, what do you want to do now?" Yukina asked.
"I don't know. I'd prefer to just go home." Sayo said.
"We can do that."
DIVIDER--
Sayo and Yukina spent the day together. They didn't do much, but being around each other was enough. Sayo was glad to not have any problems anymore. Sure, it was a little upsetting that she no longer could see in color, but it was worth it to not suffer.
"Sayo? Do you want to date?" Yukina asked.
Her voice was very casual. It wasn't as if she was confessing or anything. It seemed like she was just asking a simple question. Sayo had learned Yukina wasn't too bright about how things like this went so it was no bother to hear her ask it that way.
"Sure. If that's what you want." Sayo replied.
She wasn't opposed to dating her. It also wasn't something she cared too much about. But, it wouldn't hurt to do it. After all they were still soulmates. They were meant to be together.
"Then, we can go on a… um, date." Yukina said, "I think that's what people do."
"Yes. That is what they do… do you really have no idea on how this works?" Sayo sighed.
"It's never been a big thing in my life. I don't care that much to get romantically involved." Yukina replied, "I always felt it would get in the way of my goal. But, I guess I've come to realize it wouldn't do that."
"We can go on a date. Perhaps a movie date would be the simplest way to go about it." Sayo said.
"Okay. Are you going to choose a movie?"
"I can."
They talked for a while longer. Before long, it became night and they had to go to bed. They decided to share Sayo's bed instead of trying to make one for Yukina. They were a little cramped, but it was still manageable.
Yukina was already asleep. Sayo wasn't. She looked over at Yukina. Sayo still couldn't believe that all this had happened. She had found her soulmate, she had fixed her problem, and got a girlfriend. It had barely been two months.
Sayo still couldn't believe Yukina had agreed to all of this. But, now that they had grown a little closer, Sayo understood it. She remembered when she had first asked herself if she would've done the same for Yukina. Back then, she hesitated. But now, she knew her answer.
She'd do the same thing because that's what you did for someone you loved.