Holidays (AU: Seelenverwandte - Für mich)

[leiyahime.livejournal.com]

Title: Holidays
Challenge: AU - Soul Mates (Für mich)
Fandom: Uraboku
Characters: Touko, Tsukumo
Word count: ~1000

Laughter filled the air. Children screamed in joy as they ran through the waves of the ocean. Teenagers laughed while they played with balls or swam with their friends and talked about the bright sides of life. A few boys had gotten their surf boards and rode the waves. A perfect day on one of Sydney's beautiful beaches.
A group of Japanese youths was there as well swimming, playing or just enjoying the sun with their friends. That was what a girl with long light brown hair did.

"Did you know my mom met her girlfriend on a class trip to Europe during college?"

"They're soul mates, aren't they?"

"Yes. Sometimes the souls get separated so far that they only meet later in life."

"So, Touko, keep your eyes open, perhaps you'll meet your soul mate here."

The girl with the light brown hair laughed. "I wish I did. I miss him."

"How do you know it's a he?"

Touko shrugged. "He always was." She wouldn't know any reason why it should be different now. Especially now!

"How do you know?"

"I remember." She smiled secretive.

"Your former life?"

"Yep." All of them. All the pain and the grief. Takashiro, Reiga... The fights and losses. She shook her head. This was not the right place to reminisce about the past. It was all over. They had been granted a new life. And Touko was so looking forward to meeting her soul mate again. This time without the family bonds that used to connect them in the past. Even if this really was the last time their souls were reborn, as one of the Giou Elders assumed, she would make the best of it. She just needed to find Tsukumo - or whatever his name was now - again. She looked at the tattoo on the back of her hand, her soul mark which read "Touko-chan!" The reason she wore the same name now as in her last life.

"Wow. What were you like?"

Touko laughed. "Same as now I guess." Okay she knew more about fighting demons, but now this ability was not needed anymore.

"Oh, tell us more."

"Nope."

"That's mean"

"Woah!! Look!" The girls looked to the see where a surfer showed incredible tricks with his board.

It took Touko only a few seconds to sit up, now fully caught by the show. The boy’s silver hair was glowing in the sun and she would always recognize the his way of moving. "Tsukumo!" she whispered.

"What did you say?" one of her friends asked.

"You were right, Aimi-chan, sometimes you need to leave home to meet your other half"

"Wait? You're making this up! He needs to talk to you so you can be sure it's him."

Touko smiled calmly but her heart raced. She sat up, hugged her legs and watched Tsukumo. There was no doubt, it was him. Another boy joined him and they performed a few tricks together. Touko watched in awe. Yes, she had a wonderful, talented partner.

After half an hour the boys left the water and got their boards. They talked and laughed and walked in the direction of Touko and her classmates. She needed to get his attention! So she stood up and noticed that he looked at her, so she waved at him.

He dropped his board and rushed towards her. "Touko-chan!" he exclaimed. God, he was beautiful. His skin was sun-kissed like he spent much time here on the beach. His eyes sparkled - here he had changed. The Asian features on his face had almost vanished, but he was still breathtakingly attractive! And not related to her aymore!

"Hi, Tsukumo." She didn't know what else she should say and it was unnecessary. He took her hand and kissed the soul mark before he pulled her into his arms.

"I've missed you!"

"I've missed you, too!" It felt so good to have his arms around her again. Feeling his skin against hers. Perhaps it had been fate that they first met wearing swimming clothes.

It took some time until they looked at each other again and took each other in.

"How are you?"

"You ask that right now?" she teased.

"Well… some people meet their soul mate and are shocked or panicking."

"Do I look anything like that to you?"

"No." He grinned and leaned forward to kiss her temple. "You're beautiful!" he whispered into her ear and she shivered. Yes, she wanted to be desired by him!

"You too. I always had the cutest little brother."

Tsukumo pulled a face. "Never call me that again. I'm not your brother anymore. I don't want to be."

Touko laughed. "I won't." She snuggled close to him again. "I don't want to be your sister anymore as well."

"Good! Then be my girlfriend."

"Gladly."

"Hey, Tsukumo. Why don't you introduce this lady to me?" his friend now demanded. He had come closer with both their surf boards which now stuck in the sand next to him."I didn't know you were dating such a beauty!"

"This, my dear James..." Only now Touko noticed they had been talking in Japanese and Tsukumo usually used another language now. He let go of her only far enough that one of his arms was still placed around her waist."This is the other half of my soul. Er... is your name really still..."

"I'm Touko Murasame", she introduced herself. And his head instantly turned towards her.

"Even still Murasame?"

"The last of us who still has ties to what remains of the Giou"

"I see. We have a lot to talk about later."

Touko nodded. She hoped Tsukumo had contact to at least one of the other Zweilts... Her thoughts glided back home to Japan where she knew of one of them fearing his partner wasn't even reborn.

But now she was here in Sydney in the arms of her most important person introducing her friends as well. But deep down she wanted to be all alone with him to ensure each other their blood relation was really gone.