Notes: Today is my twentieth anniversary on fanfiction dot net, and thus my twentieth anniversary writing fanfiction in general! (Please don't think too hard about my age.)
To celebrate, I... wanted to update Waiting for Rainbows but I'm still struggling a bit with it so uhhhhh here's what I wrote during Camp NaNoWriMo last month instead?
Technically speaking, this is a side story for a soulmate AU story I've had in the planning stages for a few years now. But the side story is being written and posted first because it's less of a commitment (about 6 chapters?) and also this is a super rare pair and I want to hurry up and try converting some people hehe. Like, this ship is way, way rarer than even my main squeeze kuzuhina.
What ship is it? It's a secret for now! I only hope that you can try to enjoy this story as I develop it! But this is a ship that literally has no stories devoted to it yet, so, uh... it probably won't be what you're looking for if you're reeeeeaaally picky about your Mahiru ships.
If you decide to give it a try, though, thank you so much!
Blue Marble
Chapter 1
Mahiru Koizumi sort of hoped that her soulmate was a girl. She just couldn't imagine a scenario where she would be happy with a male soulmate.
It wasn't a matter of sexual preference or anything—honestly, in terms of physical attraction, she thought she was probably fine with either. But it wasn't like soulmates were always meant to be romantically involved anyway; Mahiru had already bookmarked an online forum for people with platonic feelings for their soulmates, just in case.
Besides, what metric did "fate" use to decide who should be soulmates and why? It wasn't like people always stayed the same their entire life. No one ever talked about it, but Mahiru knew for a fact that there were soulmate pairs who eventually grew apart, even if there had been a time when they were ideal for each other. So what was the point?
To put it simply, Mahiru didn't think very highly of the entire system, but if she had to be part of it, she hoped she was paired with a girl. She just got along so much better with other girls her age. Even putting her father aside, from her experience at her co-ed elementary and middle schools, boys were immature, unreliable, and categorically difficult.
A female soulmate would be nice. It would be easy.
But despite all of the girl friends that Mahiru made, despite all of the classmates she met at her all-girls high school, at the age of seventeen Mahiru still had yet to meet her soulmate.
It wasn't unusual that she wouldn't have met her soulmate by the second year of high school, of course. The vast majority of soulmate pairs met somewhere between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five, so Mahiru was still on the lower end of that range.
None of her closest friends had met their soulmates either, at least as far as she had seen. Ibuki certainly hadn't—her mark was the most visible, and she wasn't shy about it, either, so Mahiru knew for sure that the jagged splash of indigo blue on the back of her friend's hand still lacked the soulscript writing that indicated contact with one's match.
On the other end of the spectrum, Mahiru couldn't remember the last time she had seen Mikan's soul mark—though in recent weeks, she had begun to wonder if the timid girl actually had met her match. Mikan was nervous about the concept of soulmates even under normal conditions, always keeping her right ankle wrapped in bandages to obscure the byzantium purple flower stamped there—and she had been even more on-edge as of late, giving a panicked squeal if the bandages came just the slightest bit loose. Mahiru hadn't asked about it yet, though—Mikan had to be handled with care, and if Hiyoko hadn't noticed the change, then Mahiru didn't want to openly give her more teasing fodder.
Hiyoko... To be honest, Mahiru had hoped for months after their first meeting that Hiyoko was actually her soulmate. Even though the soulscript hadn't appeared under her own mark, so logic would dictate that she wasn't, she still held out hope that the blonde-haired girl was her soulmate, somehow. They just got along so well, becoming fast friends within days of their high school entrance ceremony, that it seemed like it would be right.
But, no. Once the summer of their first year came along and the requisite swimming classes began, Mahiru saw that Hiyoko's mark was a gentle brush of vermilion on her left shoulder blade, like a delicate feather. It wasn't a match to her own.
Which was fine, really. Hiyoko's mark suited her well—much better than Mahiru's mark would have looked on her.
It was almost unfair! Mahiru's friends' marks looked so interesting—and while Ibuki's wasn't exactly pretty like Hiyoko's and Mikan's, at least it had character.
Mahiru's mark was boring and plain: a circle of cerulean on her upper right arm. If Mahiru had to pick something about her mark that she liked, it was that it sat just below the curve of her shoulder, high enough to be covered by the shortest of short sleeves. Even in her summer uniform, there was plenty of coverage so she wouldn't get strangers on the street glancing at her weird, perfectly round mark.
Short sleeves and summer uniforms didn't tend to come to the forefront of her mind in December, though, especially with all the excitement around final exams and the upcoming winter holidays.
"Koizumi-oneeeee," Hiyoko whined at lunch the day before the end of term. She hunched over her lunch box and pouted as if she were still the tiny girl that she had been at the start of high school. Even her ponytail looked like it was drooping in disappointment. "I can't believe you're going to be missing my New Year's dance this year!"
Mahiru chuckled good-naturedly and patted Hiyoko on the shoulder. "Sorry, Hiyoko-chan. Be sure to send me a video though, all right?"
"Hell yeah, just leave that to me!" cheered Ibuki, pumping her fist in the air. Her mark was covered with a brightly-colored arm warmer—not out of modesty, but simply because it was an alteration to the uniform allowed by the school. (She was regularly scolded for all her other uniform alterations that were without purpose, though.) "I'll make sure to get all the most kickass angles!"
"Yeah, and that's the problem." Hiyoko pursed her lips unhappily. "Your videos always end up weird. I'd rather Koizumi-onee just come see for herself."
"Umm," Mikan spoke up, hesitantly, "shouldn't we just be happy for Koizumi-san instead...?"
"No one asked you, pig barf!"
"Ahhh, I'm sorry...!"
Mahiru laughed lightly and gave Hiyoko another comforting pat on the shoulder, but the fact was that her excitement for her mother's Christmas present easily trumped her regret over missing Hiyoko's dance.
So often her mother was gone on some adventure, taking photos all over the world, but in just two days Mahiru would actually be flying out with her mother to take a photography cruise around Central America.
"I want you to be able to experience something like this," her mother had said. "And soon you'll be all busy with entrance exams and college, so this is your last chance as a student!"
Mahiru fought to keep the grin from appearing on her face again, to keep up the façade of a sympathetic friend. She couldn't imagine anything she'd rather have, really.
"How about this," she started diplomatically. "I'll come watch your rehearsal after school tomorrow, okay? I know it won't be fully polished yet, but I'll at least have a better idea of how it's supposed to be viewed even if Ibuki-chan's video is taken from weird angles."
Hiyoko still clearly wasn't pleased, but her expression cleared up a bit, leaving Mahiru feeling a little more free to enjoy her upcoming trip.
-My plane just landed! See you soon!
When Mahiru woke up from her nap after Hiyoko's rehearsal, that was the text message from her mother she found waiting for her. For a moment, she panicked—had she overslept? Had her father actually been so useless to let her miss the train to the airport?!—but a quick glance at the clock told her that no, she still had plenty of time. Her mother had just taken a plane that got her to the airport a full eight hours before they planned to meet.
She supposed that it made a little bit more sense now why they were supposed to meet outside departures rather than at the gate.
Mahiru sighed and stretched, getting up to pack the final few things she needed. She had already packed the bulk of it more than a week earlier, and it certainly helped that it was nearly all clothing that she wouldn't need to be using during the Japanese winter anyway—short-sleeved shirts, lightweight pajamas, bathing suit, and a pair of hiking boots for any upcoming rainforest treks. Her mother had advised her that it likely wouldn't be as hot and muggy as midsummer Tokyo, but it was still best to prepare for what Mahiru would consider late-spring temperatures.
Which was a relief, to be honest. Mahiru wasn't sure what she would have done if she'd be burning up in anything more than sleeveless shirts. Pajamas were one thing—of course she was fine with her mark being bared to her mother as they slept—but random cruisemates, strangers from all over the world, seeing and judging her mark? No thanks.
Taking note of the time, Mahiru checked her suitcase again. Enough clothing to last the trip, check. Her pocket Spanish dictionary and respectable stash of balboas, colónes, and US dollars were all accounted for, too (though, on second thought, she moved the money over to her carry-on, safely tucked away with her passport). The last things she needed to add were her toothbrush, toothpaste, and other toiletries, so she quickly gathered those up and packed them away.
And finally... her camera. Of course that was the last to be packed, as she used it nearly every day, just as she had at Hiyoko's rehearsal. She quickly but carefully replaced the battery that she had let charge while she napped, packed away the charger itself, double-checked that the extra SD cards and lenses were in her camera case where they belonged, then secured her DSLR camera and put the case inside her carry-on bag.
With that, it looked like she was ready.
Mahiru quickly changed into her outfit that she had set out for the flight—a forest green T-shirt, light denim jacket, and capri shorts—then rolled her suitcase out into the hallway. "Dad!" she called out. "I have about an hour before I should get going, do you need me to fix..." She trailed off when she saw the bag of convenience store sundries on the kitchen counter. "...well, I guess you got dinner for yourself then, huh?"
"Yeah, I'm all set," her dad said from where he sat in front of the TV. "You don't have to worry about me. I have some sandwiches in there for you too, if you want them. A couple rice balls, too."
Mahiru dug through the shopping bag to extract the mixed variety sandwich pack and a tuna mayo rice ball, trying not to frown too deeply. At least her father had tried... by his standards.
"Are you sure you don't want me to see you to the station?"
"I'm fine, Dad," she huffed, stuffing the sandwiches and rice ball into her carry-on. "I'm not a kid, I can get there myself. I think I'll just head out now to make sure I'm there on time, though."
"All right." Her dad stood, turning around to regard her. "Have a good trip. Say hi to your mom for me."
She nodded, grabbing her winter coat. "Yeah, I will. Make sure you keep yourself fed while I'm gone, okay? And beer doesn't count as sustenance!"
Her father chuckled. "Yes, I know."
Mahiru looked askance at him. "And don't forget to put out the combustible garbage on Wednesday and Saturday."
"All right."
"No non-combustibles! It'll just be sitting on the curb for the next three weeks and causing trouble for everyone else!"
"I got it."
"And make sure you do your laundry! Don't wear the same thing every day without washing it! Even if you bathe every day, it doesn't make a difference when it's your clothes that—"
"Mahiru." He placed a hand on her head. "It's only ten days. I'll be fine."
She ducked down and away from his hand. "Will you?"
"Yes, don't worry about me." He waved her off. "Just have a good time, Mahiru."
Mahiru paused for a moment longer, then nodded, reasonably satisfied. "All right then. I'm heading out."
With one last wave to her father, she stepped outside the apartment into the cold air and immediately regretted the capri shorts without warmer socks—her shins were going to freeze!—but she was sure she'd be grateful when she landed in Panama City. And once she got moving, surely the exertion of hefting her suitcase down stairways and across train platforms would keep her warm enough.
Mahiru arrived at the international departures lobby at Narita Airport about an hour earlier than her planned meeting time with her mother. At that time of night, most of the shops and facilities around the concourse were long since closed, so she found a spot out of the way and sat down on her suitcase to wait, checking the flight information on her phone to keep an eye on any anticipated delays. After about a half an hour of waiting, she heard the voice of Asaka Koizumi calling for her.
"Mahiru! It's been so long!"
"Mom!" She stood up excitedly to address her mother and immediately took note of the shopping bags she had piled atop her luggage. Suddenly she completely understood the eight-hour layover involving a trip outside of passport control. "Don't tell me... you actually went shopping?"
Stopping on a dime before her daughter, Asaka grinned cheekily, wavy red hair bouncing one last time before settling upon her shoulders. "Well, I had the time, so I took the airport shuttle to the mall and Donki. You don't realize this until you've spent some time abroad, but there's really nothing quite like Japanese snacks and skin products..."
"That's what this was about? You know I could have just picked up whatever you wanted..." Mahiru placed a hand to her forehead. "I kept saying that there was no need for you to come all the way to meet me here anyway."
"Oh, come on!" Asaka smiled and knelt to open up her luggage, rearranging the contents to make room for her new purchases. "This is your first trip overseas! I wanted to be with you for this!"
"Still... aren't you tired?" Mahiru double-checked the time on her phone; nearly 1:30 AM. "You've done so much traveling and running around, and now it's so late..."
"Hmm? Oh, I'm still running on Amazon time from a quick little trip to Brazil, so it's like midday for me."
"That's even more of a reason you should have met me in Panama!" Mahiru sighed; her mothers' whims could be a little exasperating, but it was also one of the things she really admired about her. Mahiru couldn't imagine making the sort of spontaneous decisions that her mother did without worrying about how it would all turn out.
She supposed that that might be one of the reasons she could handle taking photographs in environments as volatile and unpredictable as war zones.
Having finished reorganizing her luggage, Asaka stood up again and placed a hand on her daughter's head. "Thanks for worrying about me, honey. But this trip is for you! So relax and let me be your escort out of Japan, all right?"
Mahiru sighed again, her face relaxing into a smile, then gathered her mother into a hug. "Thanks, Mom. I missed you."
"I missed you too," Asaka said, returning the embrace with a tight squeeze. After a moment of indulging in the hug, she released Mahiru and held her at arms' length. "Anyway, let's start getting you all checked in! The security check out of Japan tends to be relatively quick, but it never hurts to get to the gate an hour or two early!"
Their day-long trip involved two layovers before arriving at Tocumen International in Panama City, at which point they'd have about five hours to make the hour-long trip by bus to Colón, where they would finally board the ship. It was a little tight, but not anything to really worry about unless they encountered significant delays.
The first layover at Chicago O'Hare was no problem, aside from the sudden decrease in legroom as they switched airlines. Mahiru had to wonder why an American airline would have so much less legroom on their planes when they serviced a market that, statistically, would need it more.
The real issue arose during their layover at Newark. Their connecting flight was first delayed for an hour, then two, at which point the crew had to be switched out lest they be over flight hours and it took another two hours before the airline had the new crew prepared. In the end, their flight left more than four hours behind schedule, and suddenly what was supposed to be a 1 PM arrival at Tocumen had them getting through passport control and baggage claim just before 6 PM, the time that their ship was supposed to be departing from the other side of the country.
Apparently it wasn't just Mahiru and her mother on that flight who were supposed to be on the cruise; they were joined in their haste by an elderly Korean couple and a middle-aged Canadian man, and the five of them were met by a member of the tour company outside arrivals to be shuffled into a minivan.
"It's fine, nothing to worry about," Asaka assured Mahiru after hearing the rushed explanation from the driver, in English that was too quick for Mahiru to pick up herself. "The ship is waiting for us, they'll just be leaving an hour and a half late. They'll need to reschedule our passage through the canal locks tonight, but everything will be back on schedule by the morning."
"Okay, that's a relief." Mahiru shifted uncomfortably in her seat; after all that rushing and coming off the chilled airplane into more balmy temperatures, she was a bit hot underneath her jacket, but the van was just cramped enough that she couldn't maneuver herself out of it. It was just an hour, though, she could manage. Instead, as the van pulled out of the more urban surroundings into sunset-kissed greenery, she busied herself with craning her neck to get peeks out of the windows.
"The canal would be on your side of the van," Asaka whispered into Mahiru's ear, pointing to the window at Mahiru's left, "but I doubt you'll be able to see it from here. You'll see it plenty from the ship tomorrow, anyway."
Mahiru flushed. "I wasn't... I was just looking at the trees and stuff! It looks so different from Japan..."
Asaka chuckled. "All right, then. Are you sure you're not tired, though? You can take a quick nap until we get there if you want."
Mahiru shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I can wait until later tonight to sleep." Honestly, Mahiru wasn't feeling as jetlagged as she feared she might; knowing that her mother's sleep schedule would be closer to local time, she had taken her cues on when to try to nap on the plane. At the very least, she could wait for a few more hours and get a full nights' sleep at a more reasonable time.
Asaka nodded in acceptance, then turned to chat with the Canadian man on the other side of her—apparently another professional photographer that she was acquainted with, from what Mahiru could catch of their conversation.
With nothing else to occupy her time during the ride, Mahiru took her camera out from the carry-on bag on her lap and pointed it out the van window, poised and ready to capture any notable sights.
The sun had already dipped beneath the horizon when they arrived at the port, and given the sub-optimal lighting and the rush to get the ship sailing, Mahiru didn't get a good look at the ship from the outside—not that she was particularly interested in taking pictures of boats, anyway. There would be plenty of other opportunities to see it throughout the week.
They were shuffled up the ramp and welcomed into the ship, where she and her mother were promptly shown to their cabin.
"You're Japanese, right?" said the young woman who escorted them as she unlocked the room.
"Uh, um, yes," Mahiru said uneasily; the woman's English had an accent that was different from the stereotypical American cadence she was used to hearing in English class, and it had thrown her off for a moment. "Yes, I'm Japanese."
"Oh, wonderful! There are two Japanese boys on this cruise who are around your age." The woman smiled at her kindly. "I'm sure you'll get along well."
Mahiru returned her smile uneasily. Boys. Great.
"Oh!" Asaka, who had been fetching their luggage from the van, caught up to them. "Those two are on this cruise too? Great!"
Mahiru tuned out the conversation between her mother and the woman as their speech took a somewhat faster pace than she could keep up with, only bowing her head in gratefulness when she was handed a lanyard and key card. Not wanting to interrupt her mother's conversation, she rolled their luggage into the room, taking a look around. Two beds, a small bathroom, a large curtained window... All in all, the cabin was a bit bigger than the typical Japanese hotel room, with just enough room to walk around their suitcases. Of course, the size of their sleeping quarters didn't matter much when the more important matter was all the sights to be seen and photographed.
Mahiru finally shedded her jacket, setting it upon the foot of one of the beds, and stepped around their luggage to the window. She reached up and pulled the curtains aside to see... the dark shadow of the end of the dock. Not the most exciting of landscapes, but that was sure to change once they were out at sea.
She sat herself down on the bed, gazing out the dark window, finally able to let herself relax. There was nothing to see out the window now, but in the coming days she knew she would see and experience plenty—not just out that window, but everywhere she looked in a land that was completely new to her.
Notes: do you know how difficult it is to look up pre-COVID airport schedules and hours nowadays? If only I had taken more detailed notes when I started planning this story years ago...
This chapter isn't very exciting, just setting the stage for things to come, but I hope it wasn't too boring...?
"Mahiru" means "midday" so I named her mother "morning sun" because I'm uncreative garbage.
Feel free to leave guesses as to the identity of Mahiru's soulmate in the reviews if you want! :3 (Kuzuhina discord members, you probably know what the ship is, so please don't give it away!)