* * *

It was Saturday. The weather was nice and warm. 

Megumi and Yuuji were walking together in the park, and Nue, Megumi's owl, was perched on Megumi's arm.

"So now that you won, Yuuta really promised not to go near me again?" Megumi asked him.

"Yeah," Yuuji confirmed.

Yuuji ended up telling Megumi about the duel, even though Yuuta told him not to say anything. But Yuuji figured that Megumi should know, because the duel was all about him anyways. 

But Yuuji didn't tell him about Yuuta's outburst at the end. 

"Well let's hope he keeps his promise," Megumi said. They kept walking, enjoying the warmth and the sun shining on their skin.

Megumi extended his arm out, and Nue flew away, grouping with a bunch of pigeons that were soaring in the air. 

"Woah, do you always just let him fly away like that? And he always comes back?" Yuuji asked.

"Yeah," Megumi answered. "I think it's important for Nue to be able to stretch his wings. And he likes hanging out with the pigeons here."

Megumi continued. "Plus you know what they say, if you love something set them free. And if they love you too, then they'll come back."

If only I could be like Nue, Megumi thought.

After around 30 minutes, Nue came back and rested on Megumi's shoulder. Yuuji was amazed at how huge he was, probably the biggest owl he had ever seen in real life.

They kept walking until they met up with Megumi's older sister Tsumiki, who was sitting under a tree near some flowers.

"Hey, can you take Nue back home with you?" Megumi requested. "Me and Yuuji are going to get something to eat."

"Sure," she accepted, and Nue perched on Tsumiki's shoulder instead. 

⤜-------⤛

As they kept walking, looking for somewhere to eat, it unexpectedly started to rain. It was only a light rain, so they didn't mind it at first.

"Looks like the weather forecast was wrong," Megumi observed. "Hopefully Tsumiki's back home now so Nue doesn't get wet."

Suddenly, the rain started to get heavier. It went from a light shower to a heavy down pour at the top of the hat. And they didn't have an umbrella.

And before they could go inside, a car passed by them, driving through a giant puddle. Yuuji was on the outer side of the sidewalk, so Megumi pushed him aside gently and shielded him before he could get splashed. Megumi ended up getting splashed by the puddle instead. 

He was completely soaked from head to toe.

"Megumi are you okay?" Yuuji asked, concerned. "You protected me!"

"Yeah, well, it was just instinct," He downplayed it. 

"I appreciate it. Thank you," Yuuji smiled. 

Megumi noticed that when Yuuji smiled, his eyes smiled too. He had an eye smile.

It was cute.

"Mm, no problem," He responded. Megumi was cold as hell and completely soaked...but if he could make Yuuji smile from that, then it was worth it. 

"Let's go inside now." Yuuji suggested. And then they went in before they could get even more wet than they already were.

⤜-------⤛

They were at the mall, sitting near a water fountain, waiting for their clothes to dry. 

Yuuji bought Megumi some extra clothes, since Yuuji was dryer than he was and was able to go inside stores without trailing water everywhere. 

Megumi's shoes were filled with water and soaking wet, so he decided to dump the extra water in the fountain. Then he took off his shoes and changed his socks with the clean store bought ones. 

Yuuji's eyes widened, noticing the mark on Megumi's foot.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Megumi asked. "Oh this?" He held his foot up.

Wait but I've seen that mark before, Yuuji thought.

"Yeah, it's looks like, uh-"

"It's my soul mark." Megumi told him. "Yuuta has the same one, in the same place. It's pretty ugly if you ask me."

Yuuji brushed the thought aside. No point mentioning it now. Yuuta and Megumi are already soulmates. But just by thinking that, he had a weird feeling building up inside him. Was it...jealousy?

"I think it looks pretty cool!" Yuuji said.

Megumi scoffed. "Looks generic compared to others I've seen." He remarked.

"How many others have you seen with soulmate marks?" Yuuji asked. 

"Like two other couples maybe?" Megumi tried remembering. "My sister has a soul mark but she still hasn't found her partner. Yuuta's parents are also a soulmate couple. And there's this one couple where they both have a giant marking that looks like a spider on their forearm; it looks really cool. Super hard to hide though."

"Only two other couples? In this whole area? Soulmates are rarer than I thought." He noticed. "Are the couples all happy? Are they still together?" Yuuji inquired.

Megumi thought about it. "From what I know, yeah. At least they look happy on the outside. One of them is married, the other couple is engaged. Good for them I guess."

Yuuji noticed the contempt in Megumi's voice. "Is there something wrong? Do you not like the fact that they're happy?"

Megumi shook his head. "No, that's not it. If they're really happy as a soulmate couple then that's genuinely great. But that doesn't apply to everyone, or at least, it doesn't apply to me." He stated. "I still think that the whole thing is stupid."

Yuuji sat down beside him. "I remember I read in a greek mythology book about this guy who tried to fight a prophecy that an oracle gave him and it ended up coming true anyways."

Megumi gave him a strange look. "So you're saying I should just give in? Just accept that Yuuta is my soulmate and marry him and accept my fate just like that?" He asked.

"Well....no." Yuuji hesitated. "I don't know. But at least give him a chance. Even though you have a rocky relationship right now, he really seems like he loves you."

And then that weird feeling inside came back. Why am I helping Yuuta? Yuuji thought. Then he remembered, it was because of Yuuta's weird outburst at the end of their match. 

I love him more than you do. The words replayed in Yuuji's mind.

Megumi sighed. "The thing is, Yuuta wasn't always like this. When we were kids, he wasn't always the clingy, desperate Yuuta he is now. He was just normal. We were just best friends that talked about stuff, sort of like you and me, and we got along really well. But now it's so hard to talk to him, especially since he wants us to be boyfriends so bad."

Megumi put his head in his hands. "The more he forces it, the more I want to push him away."

"Then don't push him away." Yuuji suggested. "I'm not saying be his boyfriend, but at least approach him as a friend." 

Megumi turned his head to Yuuji. "I know how he is, he doesn't want to be just friends. Only boyfriends." 

"Then tell him that if he doesn't accept the fact that you want to be just friends and won't respect your relationship, then you'll drop him completely." Yuuji advised again. 

He continued. "I think you have to give an ultimatum for these things. Just say that if he respects you and your feelings, then he'll be willing to compromise if he still wants to have a relationship with you, whether it's platonic or not."

Megumi thought about it. Compromise. "What are you, a relationship counselor or something?" He joked.

"Nah, I just grew up watching my parents." Yuuji said. "They were always lovey-dovey with each other, and they were good at talking things out."

"Were they soulmates?" Megumi asked.

"I don't know if they had the soulmate mark or not. But I don't even think it matters. They loved each other, more than anything. And what they had was is probably as strong as any soulmate couple out there." Yuuji responded.

"That's nice." Megumi looked on with envy. "I don't know if I even want a relationship, frankly I think I'd just be happy alone, but if I had to have a relationship I would want it to be like theirs. A relationship where the soulmate mark doesn't matter, and I can love my partner because I want to love them from the bottom of my heart."

Yuuji got up and face towards the fountain. Then he the took out a coin from his pocked amd threw it in the water.

He clapped his hands together. "Then I wish that no matter what ends up happening to you, whether you are alone or whether you have a partner, that it is by your own choice. And I hope that your choice gives you happiness."

Megumi was surprised. Yuuji was wishing for me? He thought.

He realized that Yuuji was always like that. Listening to him, trying to give him advice, even it didn't make sense at times. He was always receptive to Megumi's feelings.

Then he found himself smiling in gratitude. 

You don't need to wish for my happiness, you've already given me happiness. Megumi thought. 

"You know, you're not supposed to say your wishes to someone else or else they won't come true," Megumi teased.

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry, I..." Yuuji got flustered.

Megumi laughed, "It's okay, haha."

Megumi looked in his pocked, and then he also threw a coin into the fountain. 

"Then I wish for the same thing for you. That you'll find happiness too." Megumi closed his eyes and capped his hands.  

"Ehh, but you just said that if you say your wish out loud then it won't come true," Yuuji jokingly complained.

Megumi laughed again. "It's okay, since I know it will come true. I'm a blessing, after all."