Requested by: -Sevexy-
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"Shut up, you assholes!!"

A vein bulged on Terasaka forehead as he glared daggers at his two friends, who were currently laughing their butts off, one hee-haw-ing like a horse and the other cackling like a crow. Yoshida wiped away a tear. "Oh, man. Never thought I'd get to see a day like this!"

"Yeah, and just when the Great King oh-so-pompously declared he 'was not as pathetic to believe in a soulmate'," Muramatsu mimicked, before both of them burst into howls of laughter again.

Hazama lifted her gaze from her book and shot a look at the two that immediately shut their mouths. "Would you two monkeys please shut up, or do you want me to get my spiders to do the job?" A sadistic grin crept onto her lips. "Their venoms are quite effective in doing their jobs~"

"But don't you find it funny that a guy like this blockhead can get a soulmate?" Muramatsu pointed an accusing finger at the burly delinquent, who growled in response. "My String hasn't even appeared and his did!" "Maybe that's just because you really don't have one," Yoshida snickered at his friend, and soon a bicker ensued.

Terasaka vaguely registered the boisterous ambience, his thoughts once again sinking back to the previous events. A few days ago, he had woken up in the morning as usual, feeling even grumpier than usual. He had stomped to his bathroom and had just picked up his toothbrush when he noticed something glinting in the light.

A red, silk-like string, to his horror, was wrapped neatly around his pinkie.

He didn't know what had encouraged him to blurt his perturbation after his friends questioned his restless actions, but he knew that relieving that fact to them did nothing to help his current condition, in fact worsening his mood for the day. Especially when he had declared his revulsion against the whole 'Soulmate bullshit' just a week ago. His friends claimed that he was merely jealous that almost everyone in their class had already gotten their Strings. It was asserted that one would see their Strings around the age of 12 to 15, and yet even after a few months of his fifteenth birthday, nothing tugged at his finger, nor on any limbs. Needless to say, the secret yearning for a lifetime partner in his heart shrivelled up, leading to the seed of aversion towards the soulmate system.

That was, until a few days ago.

He glared at the blood red string tied around his finger for the umpteenth time that morning. The string swayed ever so slightly, as if mocking his naivety for thinking he could defy the laws of the universe. He had tried to pry the string off his finger, to cut at it or even relying on brute strength to break the string, but it held on stronger than ever, the red as vivid as ever. What irked him more was that the colour just had to remind him of his archenemy in their class.

However, even through his bitterness, he couldn't help but wonder: Who was his soulmate? What did she look like? Was she from their school? Smart? Athletic?

Before the teen could ponder more, the bell pealed, and the door to their classroom slid open as if on cue. Students immediately scurried back to their seats for roll call as Korosensei slipped in, the permanent smile on his face somehow managed to further agitate Terasaka. With a roll of his eyes, he tore his focus away from the String and wrapped his fingers around his gun, prepping for their daily shooting-fest.

*

As soon as the bell rang the last time for the day, Terasaka shoved all his belongings into his bag and stomped out of the classroom. His friends quickly followed after him with the exception of Hazama. Feeling more miserable each time he thought of the annoying string on his pinkie, his legs soon led him to the arcade. Eager to game his worries away, he went straight for the street fighting game to release his frustration. Yoshida jumped at the chance to fight against his friend, and they had an all out brawl session, leaving no space for poor Muramatsu to join.

They stayed at the arcade for a good two hours, with Terasaka practically destroying his friends (and the machine). The string on his finger was soon long forgotten, and his mood had improved drastically, his smirk practically stretching from ear to ear at the end of the day. By the time the sun was low on the horizon only did they step out of the arcade.

Yoshida stretched and yawned. "Man, that was the best!" "I didn't even get to play much..." Muramatsu half-sobbed in one corner, but something caught his eye. Just across the street, there was a gaming shop, and a bright orange poster was stuck on the window: an advertisement for the arrival of some game that Terasaka didn't know and didn't want to know. His friend, however, squealed like a high-school girl.

"YOSHIDA, LOOK. THE NEW VERSION OF FURY RISE IS OUT. WE'VE GOT TO GET IT!"

"WHAT? WHERE?"

With newfound zeal, the motorbike fiend tagged on to Muramatsu and they both dashed off, leaving Terasaka dumbfounded in the dust. Realisation hit him that his friends had decidedly abandoned him only did he snap out of his stupor and gave chase. "O-Oi! Assholes!"

He didn't see the in coming bunch, nor hear the stomps of footsteps and gleeful laughter.

CRASH.

A body practically pummelled into his side at full throttle. Terasaka slammed to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. In his disoriented state, he could vaguely tell his grip had latched onto the culprit's arm, pulling him or her down together with him. Groaning in pain and exasperation, he sat up, ready to give the idiot a piece of his mind when light green eyes met with bright (e/c) ones.

That was when something weird happened.

It was like an electric flow between you both: wherever your skins were in contact had a sudden static shock, earning a yelp from the two as Terasaka quickly jerked back, his grip on your hand gone in a second. A bright glow then caught his eye. Simultaneously, you both glanced at your hands. The String tied around both your pinkies was practically flaring up, a dazzling sparkle of exquisite silk burning bright red as the string tightened, an invisible rope connecting your fingers suddenly taut and glowing luminously. Only then did it click in Terasaka's head.

You were his soulmate.

Judging your expression, you seemed to have arrived at that conclusion too.

Then, just as quickly as it happened, the glow abruptly died out, and the bridge between your pinkies disappeared. Both your strings had died to a maroon red, identical unique swirls imprinting into your flesh like a scar.

For a moment, neither of you said a word. Just as Terasaka opened his mouth, disjointed yelling interrupted him.

"There she is!! Get her!!"

In a flash, you were on your feet, hand closed around his and tugging him to his feet. "Come on! We've gotta run!" you urged him, and dashed off with him in tow. A plethora of questions filled his mind, but for now, he had to focus on not tripping over his own feet.

The cries and the pounding of footsteps of your pursuers only got closer, and your breaths were getting shorter. Terasaka soon was overtaking you, his physical training from class proving to come in handy. However, it was obvious you couldn't keep up and would lag behind soon.

On a spur of moment, Terasaka took lead and pulled you into an alley. He braked in front of the wall of a shop smaller than the rest, and cupped his hands in the position of boosting a person. "Get up there!"

"W-What?" you spluttered, confused by the reason behind his actions.

"Just hurry up!! Or they're gonna catch up!"

You immediately complied, scurrying to climb on his positioned palms and he hoisted you up. You quickly gripped onto the ledge of the shop's roof and swung yourself onto the flat surface. Terasaka soon followed, his height providing no problem to aid in his scaling as he leaped and climbed onto the roof with your help. You prepared to sprint off again, but Terasaka pushed you to lie flat on the roof and ducked down himself.

Soon, you heard the voices of your angry pursuers echoing in the cramped alley, cussing when they realised you both had disappeared from sight. "Find them," a voice boomed, "And bring the girl to me!" A chorus of "Yes!" rang out, and they scattered. You both waited, breaths held and mouths screwed shut, until the very last one of them left. A huge sigh of relief escaped your lips, your tensed shoulders relaxing.

"You really saved me back there. Thanks," you mumbled, then looked at your shirt and frowned. "Aw, this roof's so dusty! Now my clothes are all dirty!" "At least you're not getting beaten up by them," Terasaka grumbled. "What the hell did you even do anyway?"

A sheepish smile graced your lips, as you chuckled nervously and scratched your head. "Well, they were bullying a poor dog, and I had to step in. I may have also called them some... indecent things while I was at it." The two-tone haired boy facepalmed at your childish actions and thought why did he even decide to help you. It was true that you did nothing wrong, but because he had helped you escape those bullies may only mean more trouble for him in the future. That was when his thoughts trailed back to the strange incident between you both. But he didn't need to worry on how to began the conversation.

"Say..." you started off, thumbs twiddling and suddenly looking very shy. "Are you... really my soulmate? How old are you?" "15," was his brief answer. You gave him a quick glance over. His dyed hair and fierce look practically oozed 'rebellion', and his built and aura gave off one of a bully, but he had saved you, so you couldn't really judge a book by it's cover.

"What school do you attend?"

"Kunugigaoka."

"Why did you help me?"

"What is this, 20 questions?" He glared at you, but instead of getting intimidated, you found the sudden urge to laugh at his second-natured hostility. Not because you were arrogant or he failed to look scary, but you found it entertaining.

"I'm going back," the said boy promptly announced and stood up, dusting his uniform before leaping off the short building with swift agility. "Hey! Wait wait wait wait..." you lowered yourself and landed not-so-gently, pain stemming in your heels. Ignoring the ache, you ran after the boy, who could sure stride far with his long legs. "Jesus, you're just going to leave a girl in the alley by herself?"

The teen deliberately ignored you, but you didn't let that douse your bubbly self. You ran up to him and grinned. "I still haven't repaid you for your help. Don't leave yet!"

"You can repay me by leaving me alone."

"I can't. We're bound to each other after all."

He suddenly stopped in his tracks, as if you've hit a nerve. You paused too, peering up at the taller boy with a nervous smile. "U-Um, Mr. Soulmate-?"

"CAN YOU JUST STOP WITH THE SOULMATE BULLSHIT?!" He exploded all a sudden. The fury on his face was enough to make a college student cower. "WHY THE HELL DOES EVERYONE TAKE IT AS SUCH A BIG DEAL? YEAH, WE'RE JUST CONNECTED BY A STUPID STRING, THAT'S IT. DON'T GO AND EXPECT ME TO TREAT YOU LIKE WE'RE SO CLOSE!"

Despite his roars, your expression remained neutral, not a single line giving away how you felt. Fear crept into Terasaka's heart. He knew he was wrong to scream at you who did nothing wrong, merely following the dictations of whatever divine being that created this rule. However, humiliation and vexation overpowered his emotions in that moment, him sick of hearing the word 'soulmate'. He didn't know what he had wished to accomplish if he found his soulmate, but it was definitely not scaring you away and making you hate him.

With a stupid system like this, who would want to be alone for life, anyway?!

"Hmm, you're right."

To his surprise, you actually began to think about it seriously. "Then, why not we go for dinner together? It'll be my treat, I owe you one anyway. We can get to know each other better then!"

He blinked owlishly. Did everything he said before his last statement just flew over your head?

You didn't give him time to ponder for long, though. With a cordial grin, you stretched your hand out for a handshake. "I am (L/N) (F/N). Nice to meet you!"

Stunned, he could only stare at you, and now only did he truly see who you were. Your (h/l) (h/c) swaying in the light evening zephyr, framing ebullient (e/c) irises and pink lips. The setting sun highlighted the contours of your faces, adding a glow to your already radiant mien, and he found himself accepting your handshake.

"Terasaka Ryouma."

As you both set off on a journey to satisfy your stomachs, he found his thoughts trailing back to the softness of your hand encased in his larger, calloused ones. Perhaps you could change his perspective after all, one step by one.

BONUS:

"Woo! This is the best!!"

Muramatsu held up the newly purchased box in an imitation of The Lion King when Simba was born in all its glory. Yoshida, however, opened his wallet and frowned. "Aw, it was damn expensive though. I'm starving, and I don't think we have enough for dinner."

A still drunken on bliss Muramatsu merely waved a hand in dismissal. "Ah, we'll just get Terasaka to pay for our dinner. Or, y'all can stop by mi casa to eat!"

"What's with that weird accent..." Yoshida sighed. "I wouldn't want to eat your ramen either though. Speaking of which, where's Terasaka?"

"Wasn't he at the arcade-" Muramatsu turned to see his friend strolling by, now with a girl by his side, both of them laughing.

"EH?! TERASAKA PICKED UP A CHICK?!"

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Yes, finally I can write again. But probably only until so long.

I apologise for my inactivity and thank everyone for your patience. Especially to those who still are here after so long, you have my deepest gratitude.

On a side note, changes have been made in the request & guideline page. You guys can go check it out if you want to request or anything. There's quite a few changes, but nevertheless no restrictions added ^^. Also, if you scrolled back to the previous one shots, the usernames who requested them have been deleted for some reason, and it may take me a while to find them again.

Nevertheless, thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed!