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Many people talked about their soulmates. Even in Teikoku the conversation wasn’t lost on the teenagers. Some had experienced their soulmates already, some were still waiting. It was well known that it could be a painful process for some people, but it was more like a dull pain. Then again some store soulmates weren't real and the pain was psychosomatic.
Kidou wasn't sure. He knew that if he met his soulmate it would mean he would literally feel their pain. He came to understand that it’s a dull but throbbing pain about the same place you feel wherever your soulmate felt it. That’s what all the students at Teikoku always said.
Of course, some people never felt this. Some people fall in love without feeling this feeling. Perhaps it’s not an exact science. He once asked his father about it, and he got a simple answer.
“I never experienced that.” Mr. Kidou had told him, after they had the discussion. Yuuto would have been ten or eleven around this time, just hearing it for the first time from his peers. He happened to bring it up at dinner. “Perhaps that’s why I am unmarried, but I never came across my ‘soulmate’, if those things exist.”
Younger Yuuto nodded and never brought the topic up again.
Kidou now knew that it was real.
At least he figured that’s what this had to be. It took a while for him to realize the dull pain in his muscles wasn’t just normal pain from being sore after a workout. He realized when the opposing goalkeeper took a ball to the face, and subsequently his own face and head started to hurt that he knew he was feeling this person’s pain.
Him?! Could that goalkeeper that The Commander so readily wanted to destroy be his soulmate?
When the match ended, and Teikoku was instructed to leave, Kidou hurt. His whole body was in pain, and his chest hurt. Why did his chest hurt?
It took Kidou being alone with his coach for anyone to notice.
“You wanted to see me, Commander?” Kidou asked, standing politely in front of his desk.
“I saw you wincing on the pitch.” Kageyama muttered.
Kidou flinched at these words. So he noticed? He shouldn’t be surprised, he noticed everything.
Kageyama continued on. “You were hurt.” He stated. “I know you felt someone else’ pain on that pitch.”
Kidou gave a slightly breathless gasp as he realized what was happening. “Commander...I--”
“Don’t let it get in the way of your soccer. That is all.”
Kidou blinked behind his goggles, confused and knowing this conversation was over, he nodded. “Yes, sir.” But he knew that it was too late. It was already in the way of his soccer.
He knew he would just have to forget about it. Kidou decided he would let it slip to the back of his mind and focus on other things.
--
Through the football frontier, Endou never noticed when he was in pain. He spent a lot of time training, so he was sore all of the time. He had heard about soulmates, but he knew it was just a rumor. There was no way that would be true, right?
“It’s definitely real.” Domon grinned crossing his arms at the end of a practice. “That’s how my parents met each other, they swear by it. They’re still happy and together today.” Ichinose agreed readily, having known his best friend’s family.
Endou gave a hum, but never really thought about it again.
--
When Kidou joined Raimon, there were mixed feelings, especially from Kidou. He knew what he felt every time he looked at Endou now. He remembered the pain he felt. However, it seemed like Endou didn’t feel anything.
Was there such a thing as one-sided soulmates? Kidou shook his head. He would have that luck, he thought to himself.
After they won the Football Frontier, Kidou, Endou, and Gouenji spent a lot of time together. They became closer and surprisingly, Kidou never felt Endou’s pain again.
Then again, he never really saw Endou in pain when he wouldn’t be in pain himself, such as practice, where everyone would be sore afterwards, so it was impossible to tell.
Maybe he was imagining it, he thought.
“Have you ever heard about soulmates?” Endou brought up to his two best friends now, while they were hanging out in his room. They spent a lot of time talking about strategies and soccer, but they never really talked about things like this.
Gouenji nodded without hesitation. “Hasn’t everyone?” He asked curiously.
“Do you think they’re real?” Endou asked, balancing his grandfather’s soccer ball on the top of his foot now.
Kidou and Gouenji looked at each other. Gouenji shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Kidou continued on. “I think it would be highly unlikely that everyone would have a soulmate and be able to feel their pain.” He said simply. “Especially when there is not exactly science behind it.”
“Mmm…” Endou kicked the ball in the air lightly, just enough for it to safely bounce against the wall. His mother would kill him if he broke anything else. “Domon says they’re real. Soulmates.” He stated. “He says his parents met that way.”
“Have you ever felt anyone’s pain before?” Gouenji had to ask Endou. Why else would he be bringing it up, he thought.
Endou blushed at the idea. “Ha! No! I don’t think so?” He placed a nervous hand on the back of his head. “I’d like to think I’d know if I did.”
Kidou’s chest hurt. He had never been cut so deep by such easy words. It had been so long since he was actively able to think about the soulmates dilemma he had, and Endou didn’t feel the pain. Soulmates couldn’t be real, he thought. He felt something else that first day they played together. That had to be it.
But then why would the Commander have noticed?
--
It bothered him throughout the night that they hung out, but Kidou let it go as they were getting ready to leave. Endou walked them out and they said their goodbyes. Gouenji had to leave first because he was expected home. Kidou did not have a curfew.
Finally, the two were alone. They were silent for a bit, in the front yard of Endou’s house. Finally Kidou spoke up. “Do you believe in soulmates?” He finally asked,
Endou hummed again before he went on. He took his grandfather’s soccer ball that he was holding and dropped it to the floor. He kicked it to Kidou. “I don’t know.” He finally said truthfully. “I guess I kind of like the idea, but I don’t know if it’s real.”
Kidou caught the ball with ease and kicked it back. “I understand that.” He muttered.
“Do you believe in soulmates?” Endou kicked the ball back to Kidou.
Kidou caught it and stared down at the soccer ball as he thought. It would be so easy to kick this ball straight into Endou’s face and test it--but he wouldn’t do that. That was too much like the Commander--Kageyama--to do something like that. Instead, he just kicked it with a bit of force back. “I don’t know either.”
Endou caught the ball with his foot and nodded. “I don’t know if I would want to feel someone else’s pain. Would it hurt?” He kicked the ball back again, mirroring the amount of force Kidou kicked with.
Kidou caught it with his foot again, but grinned a bit this time. “Well, yeah, it’s pain, Endou.” He chuckled as he kicked the ball harder back to him.
Endou just barely caught it with his foot and laughed. “I know that! But I mean, would you feel it a lot? Like what if your soulmate was in serious pain?” He kicked the ball.
Kidou caught it. “I don’t know. I heard it’s more like a dull pain.” He kicked it back and looked down and away. He stared off into the night sky as he remembered the pain he felt when Endou was hit. It was dull, but it was strong enough that it radiated throughout his body. He felt it, for what felt like hours, when it was really probably only a few seconds.
“Kidou--!”
Before he could react, Kidou suddenly felt a sharp pain from a soccer ball flying right into his nose. It was very unlike Kidou to miss a ball but his mind was clearly elsewhere. He covered his nose quickly, immediately going to check to make sure it wasn’t bleeding.
“Aa--!”
“OUCH--!” Endou covered his face as he felt a sudden dull, but strong pain radiate throughout his head, especially his nose.
It only took a second for both of them to realize what had just happened.
Endou looked up at Kidou in surprise, watching him hold his nose the same way he was through watered eyes. Did he just feel Kidou’s pain? No? It couldn’t have--
“Did you just--” Kidou eyes widened behind his goggles as he stared at his soulmate--yes, his soulmate. Endou had felt it. He wasn’t crazy. They had been feeling each other’s pain. They were soulmates.
They were silent for a good long minute before Endou finally spoke up. He dropped his hand and smiled. “That must have hurt, huh!” He joked, not taking the situation very seriously. “Maybe soulmates do exist! My face hurts really bad after that!” He gave a laugh.
Kidou wanted to smack Endou and kiss him all at once. He had never felt this way before, but he dropped his hand to reveal a smile of his own. “Maybe they do.”
Endou shrugged. “Well, I don’t know anything about love and stuff, but if we are going to feel each other’s pain, it must mean something.” He let his smile fade as he thought hard about it. “We should test it out! You should hit me!”
“What?!”
“Yeah! We’ll know for sure if you hit me! You’ll feel it too!”
“Endou, I’m not going to hit you.”
“Mm? Why not?”
“Because you’re my friend, I’m not going to hit you.”
“But don’t you want to know?” Endou walked over to him. “Maybe pinch me or something.”
“Endou…” Kidou muttered as he watched the other get closer to him. “I don’t need to do that…”
Endou was about ready to pinch his own arm, but he stopped when he heard Kidou’s words. “Why not?”
There was a pause before Kidou decided to finally speak up. “Because, I already know, I’ve felt it before.”
“Huh?” Endou looked at him shocked and confused.
“That first game we had.” Kidou confessed, looking at the floor in shame. “I felt your pain when Teikoku relentlessly hit you. I tried to ignore it, but I felt it.”
Endou blinked then gave a shocked expression. “You knew this whole time!?” He asked and shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell me!?”
Kidou bit his bottom lip thinking about it, and shook his head. “I don’t know.” He muttered. “Kageyama noticed, and he told me to ignore it. So...I did. Also I guess...I was ashamed.”
“Ashamed? Why?”
“...because you’re my friend.” Kidou blushed at the thought. “I didn’t know what anyone would think...what my father would think, or Kageyama--”
“Forget about them!” Endou forcibly grabbed Kidou’s hand now, holding it more gently. “It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks! You don’t get to pick your soulmate, and we were brought together for a reason! That’s what everyone says and I’m happy I met you! You’re my best friend, and I love you!”
Those words, be them romantic or platonic, made Kidou’s heart skip a beat. “You...do?” He muttered quietly.
“Yeah!” Endou grinned his wide stupid grin, that made Kidou melt. He held his hand tighter. “I wouldn’t want to be soulmates with anyone else!”
Kidou’s heart was beating so fast, that he didn’t even have time to react with what his body was doing. He leaned over and kissed the goalkeeper on the lips, chaste and quick and pulled back just as quickly. With a huge blush on his face, he looked at the other’s face for a reaction.
Endou was shocked a moment but let his big dumb grin come back to his face. He chuckled a bit, through his own blush. He swung their hands a moment. “I guess soulmates do exist.”
Kidou let out a sigh of relief when he saw Endou’s positive reaction. He still couldn’t believe he kissed him like that, but he was glad he got it out of the way. It would have bothered him until he did it.
“I’m really glad you’re my soulmate.” Endou carried on with a smile. “The only way it would be better is if Gouenji was also our soulmate.”
Kidou chuckled a moment. He couldn’t help but wonder how Gouenji would take this news. Well, he would burn that bridge when he got to it. Right now, he was happy as he was.
“Endou…” He muttered with a smile, shaking his head at his words.
Endou giggled and kept holding his soulmate’s hand.