Work Text:
When Akito was a child, his parents had taught him all about the beauty of the world, and the colours it offered.
Initially he’d learnt of all the variations of grey-- the entire scale, from black to white. Those were the tones that made up his world, and all he would know for many years to come.
Colours had fascinated him since then-- the sky and the sea, the trees and leaves-- he could barely stand the wait until he’d meet his soulmate, until they’d lock eyes, and the world of colours would flood their world .
Years passed. He met more people than he could ever count. Many potential souls, also in search of their other half, came and went-- and at the end of the day, he remained stranded in a colourless world whilst everyone else paired off.
After a while, Akito accepted his fate-- convinced he’d never meet his fated pair.
Then he was possessed by a charming wraith, and his life changed forever.
Akito had taken the opportunity for a break after another long day of hunting yokai and avoiding death. It was beginning to become a bit of a chore, but at least he was never alone with his thoughts-- KK made sure of that.
Dropping by the nearest convenience store, Akito bought a decent sized serving of ramen, pulling up a chair and eating the meal faster than was necessary. KK made a sound of disapproval at the sloppiness of his eating habits, but Akito could tell the wraith was saddened by his lack of form, and inability to join him for a meal.
“Hey, KK. I’ve been wondering.” Akito finished off the bowl, pushing it out of the way. “When you’re in my head, can you still see colour?”
“No,” KK answered before he could fully consider the question. “Should I be able to?”
“I don’t know. I was curious, that’s all.” Akito shrugged, clearing his throat. “I… haven’t met my soulmate yet, so I wondered if that meant you saw the same colourless world as I do when you’re stuck in my head.”
KK made an uncharacteristic, thoughtful sound-- as if confused by the line of questioning. “No need to concern yourself with that, kid,” he replied. “This is all I’ve ever known.”
Akito’s brow furrowed, slowly placing together KK’s words in his mind. That could only mean one thing-- they had something in common.
“So you mean, you and your wife weren’t…”
“Yeah. We decided to get married after hitting thirty five and no soulmate in sight.” KK sighed, reminiscing for a moment. “Couldn’t wait forever to start a family. Not all of us are as lucky as some.”
Akito licked his lips, desperate to comfort the other man but unable to due to their current physical predicament. “I’m sorry, KK.”
“Don’t be. I lived my life, and was happy while it lasted. That’s all that matters.” KK’s voice softened somewhat. “You’ve still got time, kid. Don’t fret.”
Akito felt his heart break, and he wondered if he too would meet a similar fate.
Akito was at a loss for what to do with himself once he’d saved the world, and farewelled both his sister and KK-- both leaving a large hole in his heart.
But his life remained, and he had to continue on-- otherwise his hard work would have been for nothing.
At first, he returned to the home he’d once shared with his sister, now finding the rooms cold and empty, and devoid of the telltale sounds of life. There was nothing for him there; too many memories, too many moments he’d shared with Mari-- a reminder of what he’d lost.
He needed to get away, at least for a while.
Akito had decided to stop by KK’s apartment, unsure as to why, specifically. He’d felt a need to visit it, perhaps to simply reminisce about the times they’d shared together in his head, and how they’d both relied on each other to save the world.
The hole left in his heart when he thought of the wraith was different to that of his sister. It wasn’t a familial love, no-- it was something more, something deeper, something new to him.
Akito had, admittedly, developed feelings for the grumpy detective-- only causing his heart to ache that much more at the loss of the other man when they parted.
He decided to take the opportunity to find something within the apartment while he was there. A token, perhaps. A keepsake. A little something for him to remember KK by, and hopefully, help him overcome his one-sided love.
But when he stepped through the door, Akito found he was no longer alone.
“KK!” Akito shouted in surprise, a smile reaching from ear to ear. “You’re--”
The man in question turned at the sound of his name, but neither could predict what would soon follow.
KK’s lips parted, words never having a chance to escape as their eyes met. The world stopped, their shared gaze never faltering, remaining unblinking, as the unexpected happened before them--
A flood of colour flashed through their eyes, illuminating every single object in reach. The initial shock of such a sight caused both men to freeze in place, barely able to comprehend what was happening around them.
But they knew what it meant.
Neither man could tell who moved first until they were already in each other’s arms. They remained in a warm embrace as the reality of what they’d experienced began to take hold, realising the extent of their relationship with the other.
No wonder they could pair up so easily--
Being soulmates had many advantages, and in turn, perhaps the reason the two managed to remain in sync enough to share a single body for all that time.
Akito had barely pulled away far enough to see KK’s face again, so very desperate to remind himself the colour of his eyes. But then KK pressed closer, capturing his lips as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do, causing Akito to melt into the embrace.
“Akito…” KK said breathlessly; foreheads resting against one another. “I’ve found you at last.”
Overwhelmed with emotions, Akito couldn’t tell if he wanted to laugh or cry-- feeling as if he’d found his place in the world for the first time, and granted the love he’d searched for his entire life.
All he could do was draw KK in again, allowing their lips to meet once more, as many times as he could in a single breath-- intent to never let his soulmate go, now that they’d finally been united.
Finding his soulmate in the most unlikely of places filled Akito’s heart in a way he’d never experienced before-- and the fact it was reciprocated caused any last fears he had to dissipate.
Parting from their embrace, KK smiled at him with an expression so soft and loving that Akito thought he might cry, convincing him that he’d finally found it, the one thing he’d always wanted since losing his family--
With KK in his arms, Akito was finally home.