The first time I witnessed it, I was in kindergarten. It had been the first day of school, and we were sitting in a circle on a fluffy, pink rug, waiting for the teacher to introduce herself. We were scared and nervous, not sure what to expect. Some children had cried for their parents, others squirmed around restlessly. I had stared at the door, wondering how fast I would have to be in order to escape before an adult caught me.

The door had flown open, and a boy with dark, jagged hair entered the room, alone.

"Oh, hello! You must be..." the teacher glanced down at her list of students. "Kaito! Come on in, buddy!"

The boy had smiled shyly and knelt down beside me. That was when it had happened.

His heart began to glow.

It wasn't bright enough to make you avert your eyes, yet it wasn't dim enough to go unnoticed. It was a warm, orangey glow, like a bit of a sunset had fallen from the sky. It blossomed from his chest and snaked outward, stretching like a sun's rays.

"Wait for it..." the teacher had murmured, her eyes shining with surprise and delight.

A few seconds later, another girl's heart began to glow, equally bright.

"What's happening?" the girl, Emi, had asked, clutching her chest.

"Soulmates," the teacher had whispered, more to herself than to anyone. "You've found your soulmate at such a young age..."

The two children had been the subject of ridicule, years later, to the point where Kaito's parents switched him out of Fiore Elementary, and into a private school. Although the teasing eventually subsided, deep down I knew Kaito and Emi would be reunited, despite their separation. Someday, whether it be in twenty years or in three days, they would be reunited because fate had deemed it so.

~ ~ ~

Fourteen years have passed, and I have yet to find my soulmate. Lucy Heartfilia, my used-to-be neighbor, and best friend found hers the second she stepped into Fiore University as a freshman. They took it slowly- first as friends, then as lovers. Now, I constantly tease Lucy by asking when their wedding will be. 

Some people don't want to listen to fate. They cover their chests, specifically the area where their heart is, with heavy-duty body tape. It's uncomfortable at first, and a little bulky, but you get used to it. I don't believe in wearing tape over the heart- okay, maybe Lucy doesn't believe in it, and me, being her "partner in crime," has to oblige and follow suit.

Now, as sophomores at Fiore University, Lucy and I finally get to live in Magnolia, the slightly better girl's dorm. (Rosemary, the freshman dorm, sucks.)

"There's a microwave in here!" Lucy shrieks from the under the bed. "Oh my god!"

"We could convert this side of the room into a kitchen," I tell her, pushing my desk to the left corner of the room, away from the window. "We'll eat here, at the desks. And we seriously need to do something about the walls. I feel like I'm in a prison cell."

"This feels like deja vu," Lucy comments, sliding out from under the bed, cradling the precious microwave in her arms. "We should've unpacked earlier."

"That's what everyone says," I sigh, smoothing back the covers of my bed. I fish out my schedule from the back pocket of my jeans. It's not even the first day of school and it's already been torn to shreds.

"Criminal justice," I read aloud for probably the billionth time. I've wanted to be a detective since I took a forensics summer class during junior year of high school. The fact that Fiore University was offering a criminal justice course for sophomores was a huge deal.

"I'm kind of nervous," Lucy admits, sitting beside me on the bed. The blankets the university have provided us look like the subject of a practical joke- they're thin and stained and don't look very sanitary. Anyhow, Natsu, Lucy's boyfriend, was nice enough to give us blankets since we're both broke.

"Why?"

"If this class doesn't go well...If I fail it...there's no way I'll be a police officer. And if I can't be an officer, I can't be a detective..."

"Stop being pessimistic," I chide, patting her back.

"We need posters," she replies sullenly. Leave it to Lucy to change the topic at a blink of an eye.

"We're broke," I remind her.

"My soulmate isn't."

I give her a pointed look that causes her to burst out laughing.

~ ~ ~

Breakfast is a blur.

The second Lucy and I step into the dining hall, we exchange glances that read "We should've woken up earlier." We then exchange a second set of glances that read "Never mind. Sleeping in was worth it."

The bell rings, signaling the end of breakfast, so when I say "breakfast was a blur," I literally mean "breakfast was a blur."

"Ever since when has breakfast ended this early?" Lucy groans, ruffling her long hair irritably. "I hate school already."

"Ever since now," Natsu says, approaching us from behind.

"I bet you made me late on purpose just so I can starve!" an unfamiliar voice says, rising with anger.

"Oh shut up, Ice Queen," Natsu snaps, shocking all of us. I had only known Natsu for a year, but from what I could discern, he was so gentle, he wouldn't dare kill a fly. I mean, sure, he was annoying and could barely read, but insulting people? Never.

"There's no need to argue," Lucy says kindly, taking off her bag and unzipping it. "Something I learned from last year- always keep energy bars handy."

"Thanks, uh..."

"Lucy." She smiles brightly.

"Who is that guy?" I whisper to Natsu.

"My roommate, ever since Gajeel dropped out," he replies with a frown. "He's an idiot, and what's worse is he's in my morning criminal justice course."

"Oh, you too?" I exclaim. "Awesome!"

"We'd better get going or we'll be late," Lucy announces, tossing me and Gray each a brightly wrapped bar. "I swear, if we're late, I'm dropping out too."