this is not your destruction.
this is your birth
"DON'T BE AFRAID, SHOYOU," came the mellifluous voice of the ex-volleyball analyser, her phone held to her ear, her other hand gripping the handle of one of her three suitcases. "Look up at the stars."
Hinata did as instructed, glancing up at the night sky, spotting the various sparkles glowing luminously, taking their stage and performing a ballet for those watching them to view, finding strength in the midnight blue.
"Watch them twinkle and shine into the vast nothingness in hopes of illuminating the path for some lost wanderers such as you," Mizuki said, staring at the same night sky, standing right before the airport in Massuchests. "They are much greater than you could ever dream to be, yet they shine for you to follow. Trust in them."
Hinata took in a breath, feeling her heartbeat slowly calm down as Mizuki continued, "the wind is your life-long companion. On your moments of woe, fall silent and listen to its soothing whispers. Feel it run its gentle fingers through your hair and kiss your pink-tinted cheeks. Let it be your guide as you follow your star-lit path." Her descriptions went on, describing the rain in that ever so soothing tone. "The pouring rain will remind you that even omnipotent entities breakdown. Let the chilly water wash away your worries. Let the raging thunderstorm blare out harsh reality. May the forming rainbow bring glorious technicolour to your life."
"But it's not raining here," Shoyou pointed out, settled on the beach, the waves drifting up and down the shore lavishly, sneaking a peek at the humans above the sea.
"Then look for the trees. Watch how they bow to you, providing you with shade on your every turn. Listen to the life that lives upon it, and learn from them. The trees will always be there for you," she said. "Their leaves will perform a gentle dance for you, should you wish to rest beneath them. Let the trees be your home when you're afraid and lost."
"I'm on a beach, Mizuki-nee."
An airy chuckle floated through the call, and Hinata felt automatically at peace, his fears dissipating at the sound.
"You get what I mean, Shoyou."
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I do."
"Just relax," Mizuki said, her liquid tranquil voice calming the rage of anxiety thundering inside him. "You'll be fine. Brazil may be foreign to you, but make it your home."
"How do I do that, though?" His voice was barely above a whisper.
"That takes time. And, my love, you have all the time in the world."
"I love you, Mizuki."
"I love you, too, Shoyou."
•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••
The sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the apartment, disturbing the content stillness that had enveloped the four soulmates in peaceful harmony.
"Are we expecting anyone?" Akaashi asked, looking towards the others in the room, tilting his head in confusion.
They shook their heads.
"Not that I know of," replied Kuroo, dusting his hands on the apron he wore. He undid the bowtie, removing the strap around his neck and hanging it on the rack they nailed by the open kitchen's entrance. He stepped out, heading towards the door.
Reaching for the handle, Kuroo pressed down and swung the door open; breath choked up in his throat as his eyes laid before the beauty in front of him.
The familiar pure lavender hair cascading down her back and curling at the ends; the familiar ambience of superiority and softness that seemed to fill up every room she stepped in— Kuroo would recognise them anywhere.
I could recognise her by touch alone, by the way her breaths come and her feet struck earth. I would know in death, at the end of the world.
Mizuki removed her sunglasses, revealing those lilac orbs Kuroo adored to the moon and back.
A warm smile curled at her lips.
"Tadima."
Mizuki didn't know what it was that got her hooked on them, but she couldn't get their fingerprints off her heart, or their touch off her skin. All she knew was every night, during her university days, she laid in her dorm room, missing them, craving them, needing them.
Letting go of her suitcase handle, Mizuki took a step forward, reaching up and placing her hands on the back of Kuroo's neck. She pulled him towards her. And kissed him. She kissed him. And she kissed him. And she kissed him.
And he kept kissing her back.
Mizuki would never be able to forget how right it felt when their lips met.
"Mizuki, you're back!"
Her lips spread along Kuroo's, and as she pulled back to look over his shoulder, she swore she heard him let out a soft whine.
"Hello, Koutarou."
The said male grinned vividly, bounding through the entryway and capturing her in a tight hug, sweeping her out of Kuroo's arms and into his. He wrapped his arms around her lower waist, twirling her up in the air, golden eyes trained solely onto her joyful face. The sound of her laughter, bright and cheerful like dandelions in summer days, blessed the world. The birds that had previously been silent started chirping, tweeting happily at the heavenly sound as if it was infectious.
Mizuki's hands gripped Bokuto's shoulder, her world spinning, yet with his muscular arms around her, she was as stable as she could be—as safe as ever.
Bokuto brightened tremendously.
"Don't hog her, Kou."
Kenma's pouty voice broke through their honeyed moment, eyes drifting over to the male donning oversized and baggy clothing.
"Hai, hai!"
He put her down, and Kenma tumbled into her arms, burrowing his face in her chest and sighing happily at the familiar embrace. Mizuki smiled, placing her chin on his head and holding him closer, memorising the way he slotted perfectly with her.
A match made in heaven.
Kuroo and Bokuto watched them fondly, Akaashi choosing to step closer and press a loving kiss to her lips, joining the tender embrace.
And of course, seeing the opportunity–
"Group hug!"
Mizuki grunted as a body slammed behind her, two pairs of arms wrapping around the shorter three of the soulmate penta.
"Koutarou, you're squishing us," came Keiji's muffled voice, his face pressed against Kuroo's shoulder. There was no bite in the tone, and if anything, his comment made Bokuto tighten his grip.
Kuroo chuckled.
"Hush, Keiji," he said, his head laying on the bed of curls. "Let us take this in."
Keiji grunted, but he snuggled into the warm embrace, content expressions washing over all of them.
They were finally whole, all pieces of their souls slotting perfectly together, wholly satisfied and wholly in love.
"I need to go save my progress," Kenma informed, stuck right in the middle of the group. "I don't want to restart the game."
"Ughhh, fine."
They broke apart, untangling themselves from each other. Kenma walked through the entryway, heading to the room they dubbed as his gaming room, and the others headed into the living room.
"How come you didn't tell us you were coming?" questioned Keiji, grabbing one of her luggage from outside, Bokuto and Kuroo grabbing the other two suitcases. "We could've picked you up."
"I wanted to surprise you," she answered, smiling to show her gratitude.
Kuroo pecked her lips as he passed her. "Well, we definitely are surprised." He hauled the suitcase into the living room, laying them gently beside each other. "Which is which?"
"The grey one is filled with my clothes. They're all washed, so we won't need to do anything but pack them away, and the pink one is filled with all my uni stuff."
"And the blue?"
"That's filled with gifts."
Bokuto perked up, like a dog would when a treat was shoved in his face, or a child when entering a candy store.
"Gifts? For us?"
Mizuki laughed. "Yes, Bo."
"Can I open them?"
"Wait until the morning," Akaashi instructed, a soft yet stern glint in his eyes. Still, even he could not stop the excitement and curiosity fluttering to life behind those thick-rimmed glasses.
Bokuto pouted. "Boo."
Mizuki smiled, bending down and pressing a kiss to his lips, happy to see his bright expression return. She pulled away when his lips stretched to either side of his face, choosing to plop onto the couch with Koutarou scrambling off the floor. She lifted her arm, and he buried himself into her side, inhaling her familiar saccharine scent.
"What's the plan for tonight?" she asked, running her fingers through Bokuto's grey and white locks.
"Moon domination," Kuroo answered.
Mizuki's brows arched.
"That's a little ambitious, isn't it?"
He smiled innocently, and it took Mizuki a second to process his words. Her face flushed profusely when the underlying meaning processed in her brain.
"Stop teasing, you sleazy cat," said Akaashi.
Kenma stepped into the room, her eyes drifting over, thankful for the distraction.
He stared very intensely at her chest, and Mizuki's lips thinned into a line.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Your shirt," he replied, his gaze unwavering. Mizuki glanced down at it, furrowing her brows. She wore a long-sleeved black shirt tucked into beige sweatpants, an outfit she chose due to its comfiness. Stuck on an aeroplane for at least seven hours, Mizuki was by no means going to wear jeans.
"What's wrong with it?"
Kenma's eyes locked with hers, displaying his seriousness. "It's still on you."
She blushed the same as before; a sudden rosy colour tinged her cheeks against her will, then disappeared; so when Akaashi took the attention off her, it faded away like the sun as twilight ascended the world.
"Are you cats in heat or something?" He rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help the amusement flourishing in his chest, the emotion following through their bond, along with the other two's horniness. "Anyway, let her get settled in before you pounce."
"Keiji!"
•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••
"Mimi-chan!" came the all too familiar nickname and voice flowing through her phone and to her ear. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
Mizuki's lips quirked upwards. She could hear the smile in his voice, the glee and excitement, and she knew it was genuine, unlike the other times they called this past month.
"Hi, Tooru. How was Brazil?"
"Huh? How did you– oh, Shoyou told you, right?"
A laugh bubbled out of her throat, one hand gripping the phone to her ear and the other gripping the wooden spoon to stir the pot before her. "Yes, he did. I'm calling to thank you. He said he's feeling much better after your matches together."
"It went both ways," Tooru replied, grinning from the other end, sitting cross-legged in his apartment, his bags packed for his trip back to Argentina. "He helped me remember that volleyball is fun."
"I'm glad to hear that."
They remained silent, taking in and absorbing the presence of each other, even if it was only through a phone call. Fond smiles tugged at their lips, contentment flowing through their bodies, a familiar feeling when talking to one another.
"Ne, Mizuki."
"Hm?"
"Come to Argentina."
"This again, Tooru?"
"Yes!" he whined, and Mizuki could imagine him jutting out his bottom lip, eyes intentionally widening as he tried to pull off his puppy dog face to convince her– too bad she was on the other side of the world. "You'd be an amazing asset to our team! Nobody can analyse volleyball like you!"
Arms encircled around her waist, and Mizuki relaxed in the embrace, feeling a chest press up against her back, a chin weighing on her shoulder and faint kisses being trailed up her neck.
"You know I have my own job," she said.
Mizuki moved back to Tokyo because she was going to take over Akira's firm, the older brunette deciding to retire early and spend her days with her wife, Talia, and their son, Takeru.
"Please! At least part-time," he tried, his voice, although an octave deeper, still retaining its whiny pitch. Mizuki laughed. No matter how old he got, Tooru Oikawa would always be Tooru Oikawa.
"You already know my answer, Tooru." A shiver crawled through her spine as a pair of lips planted themselves onto the base of her neck, right above her collarbone. "I have to get going now, though. Have a good day."
"You, too, Mimi-chan. And don't think we're ending this conversation here!"
"I'd never dream of it."
"Mhm, anywho, bye, bye! Say hi to the others for me!"
"Will do."
With that, the line ended and Mizuki placed her phone down on the counter, far away from the pot on the stove, filled with a stew for their dinner. She learnt from her university days. Never keep your phone close when you're cooking. Especially if you have idiots for friends.
"You're not leaving us," Kuroo said, burying his face into her shoulder. "It's only been a month since you arrived."
"What an overprotective, or rather, possessive soulmate I've gotten myself," she teased light-heartedly, a grin spreading across her features as the arms around her tightened.
"You should've known what you got yourself into. It's too late for regrets."
"That's not what was advertised in the deal I got, though," Mizuki playfully restored, adding a thoughtful, "is there a return option? I think I'd like to make use of that."
Her grin widened as Kuroo yanked her closer, nipping tempestuously at her ear and husking a low, "there's no out-option, moonshine. You're mine."
A shiver ran through her at the utterly possessive declaration, butterflies swarming in her stomach and fluttering excitedly. And Mizuki never shoved them down, choosing to let them reign free, welcoming the feeling as easily as she welcomed her soulmates into her heart now.
You can find love anywhere, she thought.
But the love she found with Tetsuro was the most illogical thing she had ever seen. He teased her, he challenged her, he pissed her off at times, and somehow, Mizuki couldn't consider ever leaving him— or their other soulmates. The only thing she could do was love them. Their kisses tasted like heaven; their touches made her feel loved; their smiles were the brightest when they were all together.
I guess that illogical can be good sometimes.
Because sometimes, against all odds, against all logic, we hope.