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Kairi grew up hearing many stories from her grandmother, and all were legends she swore were true. As a kid, Kairi believed her grandmother wholeheartedly. The story she loved hearing most was about the string of fate that bound soulmates together. She loved how her grandmother described how the string could stretch as far as it needed to until the lovers finally met. It appealed to Kairi’s hopeless romantic mentality and painted her view of the world with tenderness and magic.
There had even been a time when Kairi was convinced she saw a red string wrapped around her pinky. She had been in her first year of middle school. The string had appeared suddenly while she was in the middle of switching subway lines. She had been in a rush, scared she was going to be late to school, when she had looked down at her watch and saw something red on her finger. It had disappeared as soon as she’d gotten on her train.
She’d told her grandmother as soon as she came home. Her grandmother had encouraged her to stake out the location, so she had for days. The red thread never appeared again. It was then she realized she had to grow up. There was nothing magical about the world, so she let the tale be just that, a tale.
~5 years later~
Kairi pushed through the front door and slid her shoes off as she shouted, “Grandma, I’m home!”
“Welcome home!”
She was quick to hurry toward the stairs. “I’m gonna study in my room until dinnertime, okay?” She didn’t wait to hear her grandmother’s confirmation. Kairi was a third year in high school now and it seriously felt like there was not enough time in the day to study for her entrance exams. She was aiming to get into Tokyo University, the most rigorous university in the city, so she could not afford to waste any time. Between school, cram school, and studying while she helped her grandmother run her bakery, she did not leave much time in her day for anything else.
She plopped down into her desk chair and emptied her notebooks onto the desk. Kairi had only planned to study for the hour or so before dinner, but that changed when she jolted awake hours later confused and hungry. Her face had been in her notebook and she had drooled a bit on some of the pages. She lifted her head and looked outside, surprised by how dark the sky was.
Before she could panic too much, she noticed a plate of food next to her with a note from her grandmother that said, ‘Keep fighting!’ With a smile, she removed the plastic covering the rice balls her grandmother had loving made her. Kairi went to pick one up with her left hand and nearly shrieked.
There was a red string around her pinky. It was faint, looking almost pink, but it was there. No matter how many times she rubbed her eyes it didn’t go away.
“I must be going crazy,” she concluded as she twisted her hand every which way. The angle did not change its appearance.
Kairi suddenly stood, pushing away from her desk, and walking to her bedroom door. “I just need to get some fresh air.” The fact that she was talking to herself did little to soothe her worries that she was, in fact, losing it. Perhaps she did need to sleep more than 5-6 hours a night.
Kairi hurried outside, smoothing the wrinkles in her summer uniform as she stepped through the gate at the entrance of her home. The street was empty, and she was grateful for it. The last thing she needed was for the neighbors to drop by while she was at school and confront her grandmother about her strange behavior.
She looked up at the sky. She and her grandmother lived in a suburban area of Tokyo, so while the stars were still obscured by light pollution, they were clearer there than where her school was. She sighed as she watched the thin clouds float overhead and let their pace calm her mind. ‘If only I could be up there,’ she thought with a little sigh, ‘It seems much more peaceful than down here.’
The sky had always been a comfort to her. Much like the ocean. She felt at peace and more like herself than she did when her mind was grounded in the reality around her. Kairi unconsciously looked down to check her watch, not wanting to stay outside too long, and was surprised again to see the string around her finger. It was darker now and she could see it trailing off to the left of her, though it became invisible the farther out she looked.
The situation was so much like her grandmother’s story it was uncanny. ‘Am I dreaming?’ Kairi latched onto that explanation. If this were all a dream, she didn’t have to worry about time. It meant she could lose herself to the excitement she was barely keeping at bay without having to worry about the consequences.
“Okay then, let’s see where this leads me!”
She took off, walking down the street at an even pace at first. Her eyes switched between her pinky and the space ahead of her. The farther she walked, the redder the string became and the more of it she could see. It was exciting. Truly exciting. For the first time in what felt like forever, Kairi felt giggly and whimsical. It was not long before she began jogging. Then running. She felt the wind in her hair and a lift in her spirit.
She followed the string to a park in her neighborhood. There was a swing set and a jungle gym. It wasn’t anything special. Kairi had played there often when she was young, but she had not visited since her early middle school days. She and her friends preferred to spend their after-school time at manga cafes or karaoke bars these days.
Kairi’s indigo eyes followed the length of the clearly outlined string to a boy that was sitting on one of the swings. He had not noticed her yet. From what she could see, he had a messy head of brown hair, tanned skin, and was wearing the uniform of another high school. The uniform was familiar enough, though. Perhaps it was a school she had played when she was on the volleyball team last year? He seemed to be examining his own hand and she wondered if he could see the string too. She could see that it was tied to his left pinky. Her heart fluttered at the implication.
She softly approached, waiting until she was standing in front of the open swing to announce herself. “Um. Hello.”
The boy jumped and sputtered, jerking the string that attached them to each other. A flash of emotions flooded his face. Fear. Recognition. Surprise. Nervousness. Excitement. Kairi should’ve said something, but she was speechless. This guy was the most beautiful person she had ever seen before. He had blue eyes that reminded of the sky on a summer’s day. Skin that looked smooth enough to touch. Hair that was messy and unique and inviting. She wanted to touch one of his spikes badly. His lips were parted, and she found herself wondering what they would taste like before she could reel herself in.
“Uh. Hi?” he finally replied. His face was a little red. Kairi supposed hers probably was too. She giggled anyway.
She quickly stuck out her hand, flashing him a smile. “My name is Kairi. Nice to meet you.”
He took it and gave it a firm shake. “I’m Sora.”
Suddenly, the notebooks waiting for her mattered less. She could study tomorrow. Tonight, she needed to get her soulmate’s chat ID and e-mail address so she wouldn’t ever lose him again.