0

The small bolded 0 on his right inner wrist stuck out to Kuroko his entire life. Now nearing his late twenties, the blue haired boy had given up on the idea of his soulmate.

"My soulmate probably passed away or something." Kuroko said while packing his bag at work. Kise was packing his things as well when he had struck up the conversation about soulmates with his coworker.

"No no, it's probably more likely that they're not in the country, Kurokocchi. Don't be so pessimistic! Afterall, the counter only goes up when you walk by each other."

The blue haired boy lightly grasped his friend's wrist and turned it over. Kise flushed red and tried to cover his wrist by pulling down his dress shirt sleeve. Kuroko gave him a small look, "May I?"

The blond pouted slightly, I guess this is what I get for bringing up soulmates with Kurokocchi.

Kuroko gently tugged Kise's sleeve exposing the bold number 112 on his wrist. The blue haired boy ran his finger over the number as if admiring it.

"You've passed by your soulmate 112 times. Do you know who it is?" Kuroko asked softly.

Kise shook his head, "I have no clue. It's frustrating, I've passed by my soulmate so many times but I don't know who it is."

"Mm, I mean judging by the number, it should be someone working in our building or somewhere you go frequently."

The two co-workers walked together to the train as always. While Kuroko suffered from not passing by his soulmate a single time, Kise suffered from passing by his soulmate many times yet not knowing who it was.

As Kuroko walked to his apartment, he passed by a small path that he didn't notice before. The narrow path stretched far between two buildings and it seemed to go on forever. The blue haired boy stared down the path, feeling a light breeze against his back as if the wind was inviting him to walk. Kuroko took a step forward, prepared to let the wind take him down the path.

At that moment, the blue haired boy's cell phone rang; Kuroko snapped out of his trance and fished his cell phone from his suit pocket,

"Hello, Kuroko Tetsuya speaking."

"Ah Kuroko, it's Kagami. Can you tell Kise that the director would like to see him tomorrow? I can't seem to get a hold of his cell. I'll send him an email too just in case."

"Yes, of course. I can call his home phone, he should be in by now. I wonder what the director wants with him." Kuroko said while opening the door to his apartment.

Kagami laughed on the other end, "Knowing Kise, he's probably in trouble."

The blue haired boy chuckled, "You're probably right. Well, I just got home, Kagami-kun."

"Sorry! Didn't mean to keep you on the line. I'll see you around, Kuroko."

When Kuroko hung up, he stared at his dark apartment, called Kise about the message, and then immediately went to take a shower. He relaxed as the hot water beat down his back. The blue haired boy stared at the 0 on his wrist and scoffed.

Soulmate? Love? You gotta be kidding me, as if things like that exist.

The next morning, Kuroko started his routine as always and made his way to work. When he got to work, he noticed that Kise was quaking at his desk.

"Kise-kun, are you alright?"

The blond turned slowly to face Kuroko, his eyes wide in horror, "I'm just nervous that the director wants to see me. Ahh, what did I do? Did I send him the wrong file? Kurokocchi, what am I going to do if he fires me?"

"Calm down, I'm sure he won't fire you considering he always forgives you after you mess up."

"That's not helping!" Kise exclaimed.

The blue haired boy let out a small laugh, "It's going to be alright. Just go before you're late for the meeting with him."

It was maybe a whole hour or maybe two until Kise came back and when he did, the blond's face was flushed pink. Before Kuroko could even ask what had happened, Kise smiled the brightest smile that the blue haired boy had ever seen. The blond glowed like the sun, he radiated warmth and he said the words which Kuroko had been dreading. The words which he wished he didn't hear Kise say, at least not yet.

"T-the director is...Aomine Daiki, our director is my soulmate."

It was as if time had stopped for the blue haired boy. His one friend, the friend he had a partial similarity to was moving forward. Of course Kuroko was happy for him, ecstatic even, but he felt a small part of him break.

Suddenly Kuroko felt sick, his stomach turned and he thought the nice breakfast he had that morning would come up his throat. He swallowed the thick bile he felt at the back of his throat and smiled at his friend,

"Kise-kun, that's wonderful news! No wonder the counter was going up often."

I'm alone. Nobody wants me. I'll never meet my soulmate.

"I'm so glad you found your soulmate, Kise-kun!"

I don't need one. I don't need anyone.

The blue haired boy took a deep breath and smiled while listening to Kise talk. Kuroko's life continued as always, he went to work, he went home, he hung out with Kise less and less since the blond was spending more time with the director. And with every day that passed, every day that he saw the bolded 0 on his wrist, pieces of Kuroko chipped away.

Months passed, Kise and Aomine were planning their wedding and Kuroko had abandoned the thought of a soulmate altogether. He stopped looking at his wrist every day hoping for something to change and simply spent his days working.

On his walk home, Kuroko stopped in front of that narrow path again. The evening sun was just starting to set on a warm summer day and the light breeze pushed the blue haired boy to walk down the path. It was quiet walking down the path between two tall apartment buildings. It didn't seem like many people took the path.

Sunlight washed down the path as the blue haired boy reached its end. Kuroko squinted at the bright light as he exited the path and came to a road which he didn't recognize. The other side of the path seemed to be a commercial district with small cafes and shops.

I guess now that I'm here I'll grab a cup of coffee. Kuroko thought to himself as he walked into the cafe closest to him.

As the blue haired boy waited in the warm cafe, he shrugged off his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves to cool off. Kuroko stood at the counter and waited for his order to be prepared. Once he had his iced drink, he actually felt good to not follow his usual routine. Kuroko held his belongings in one hand and decided to go home, feeling a genuine happiness which he hasn't felt in months.

As the remaining rays of sunlight disappeared over the horizon, Kuroko brushed past several people to get to that narrow path which led home.

"Ah! You!"

Kuroko turned around to face whoever had yelled at him. The blue haired boy felt like he was struck by lightning when he turned to see a young man with bright red hair, also holding a suit jacket and briefcase, pointing straight at him. Passerbys dispersed quickly at the commotion leaving the two men alone on the sidewalk. The man's crimson and gold eyes captivated him completely and all Kuroko could mutter was a single,

"Y-yes?"

The man then spoke words which Kuroko wished he had never heard,

"You're my soulmate!"

The blue haired boy instinctively yanked down the sleeves of his dress shirt to cover his wrist. He didn't glance down to check if the number had changed, he simply couldn't take his eyes off the stranger in front of him. Kuroko chewed the inside of his cheek in anxiety while thinking of what to say.

"I'm sorry, I think you have mistaken me for someone else."

"Nope, you're my soulmate. I saw the 0 on your wrist when you were walking towards me and when you walked past me, look!"

The redhead showed off his own wrist, revealing a bold 1. Kuroko's breaths shortened, his heart rate increased, and finally, he panicked.

"I don't have a soulmate. Never had one, never will."

"Liar, I saw the number change on your wrist when you walked by me!" The man exclaimed as he slowly approached Kuroko.

The blue haired boy forced back tears that were close to escaping, he couldn't breathe. Kuroko gripped the hem of his sleeve tightly and shivered despite the warm weather. The man continued to approach until they were face to face.

Kuroko looked up, gasping for air when the man gently grabbed his hands. The blue haired boy dropped his belongings and felt the warmth electrify him.

"Hey, it's alright." The man softly spoke, his touch was soft, "May I…?"

The blue haired boy watched in disbelief as the man slowly pulled Kuroko's sleeve up, exposing the small 1 on his wrist. His eyes widened, that's impossible.

Kuroko stepped back quickly, tearing his wrist away from the other. The blue haired boy stared at the ground and snapped,

"You're not my soulmate. You'll never be my soulmate."

An awkward silence followed Kuroko's outburst. The stranger felt hurt by the rejection from his own soulmate.

The redhead sighed, "Ok, then walk by me."

Kuroko kept his eyes glued to the ground, "What are you talking about?"

The man lifted a finger to the blue haired boy's chin and tilted his head upwards to meet his gaze, "Look at me. You're my soulmate. Whether that number on your wrist says so or not, I know that you're my soulmate. Walk by me, maybe then you'll understand."

His eyes are burning me, Kuroko thought to himself, he's really my…

"Fine." Kuroko said while rolling up his sleeve to expose the number imprinted on his wrist.

The redhead smiled and rolled up his own sleeve. They put some distance between each other before walking forward.

Azure eyes staring into garnet, they took brave steps forward. The stranger he had just met was strangely familiar to Kuroko, but the blue haired boy had abandoned the concept of love and soulmates. It was too convenient for his soulmate to just show up now.

Their shoulders brushed as they swept past each other. Kuroko's eyes shifted from the man's to his own wrist and he watched the bolded 1 on his wrist turn into a 2. The blue haired boy spun around to see the redhead grinning at him while showing him the 2 on his own wrist.

With a gust of the summer wind, their memories raced back to them. Kuroko smiled, tears streaming down his face,

"Seijuro.."

Akashi opened his arms wide and laughed, "Tetsuya, it's good to see you again."

Kuroko ran into the other's embrace and held tight. The feeling of Akashi's arms around him was enough to put his mind at peace. And finally, Kuroko cried. His body shook as he sobbed out all the pain and loneliness he had held inside.

"I thought I didn't have a soulmate. I thought...I thought my soulmate died. Why didn't you come find me sooner? I was so alone."

"I'm sorry, Tetsuya. I thought my soulmate had died as well. I just recently got transferred to my new workplace."

What felt like forever passed, Kuroko's tears dried up and he simply held onto the redhead. Akashi never let go, he continued to brush Kuroko's blue hair with his fingers until they both felt calm.

Akashi moved in with the blue haired boy shortly after and they got their 53rd tattoo. Kuroko felt as if the piece of his soul that was missing was finally whole. Akashi's heart clenched at the mere sight of his soulmate; the amount of love he felt for the other continued to grow with each day that passed.

They lived fulfilling lives together, without a single worry. They both wanted to enjoy this moment together without stressing over the next life. Simply being together was all they needed. Akashi passed away due to old age, followed by Kuroko 3 years later.

Author's Note:
Just wanted to let you guys know that I'm renaming the chapter titles, so don't be surprised!
I hope you enjoyed this fluff ^^
I'll see you in the next life!