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Kota Izumi contemplated exactly how the staff decided what colour clothes were. They must only employ those who had already found their soulmates. He only saw in shades of grey.
Wondering through the aisles of a clothing store, he finally decided on what he wanted. Grabbing a baggy, medium grey hoodie off the rack – the label read 'blue', though he had no comprehension of what blue even was - he wondered over to the counter to pay. He rifled through his wallet and tossed a few notes on the bench top before pulling the hoodie over his head and leaving the store.
He walked at a leisurely pace through the streets, basking in the warmth of the sun. He paused for a moment to stare at the light grey sky above. Who even named what they all saw as 'grey' in the first place. What must it have been like, suddenly seeing the world anew? It must have been bizarre.
He continued walking, heading towards the town square. Recently unemployed, he had all the time in the world on his hands, and there was supposed to be some sort of event on.
He hoped it wasn't just some seedy salesman putting on an expo for 'Colour Bombs' again. Some drug all the cool kids took that supposedly let them see colour.
Kota couldn't quite understand the appeal of colour anyway. It all seemed like nonsense. How can you miss something you've never had? Surely, it mustn't be that important, otherwise they wouldn't be stuck seeing the world in grey.
Even the whole notion of 'soulmates' made him laugh sometimes; the idea that you're somehow predestined before birth to be with another, that before birth your very soul would be tied to another. It all sounded the plot of a corny romance novel.
His parents weren't soulmates, and they had gotten along fine. They'd dealt with a world without colour. Most adults he knew had handled a world without colour. Most likely, so would he, and he was ok with that. Really. He didn't need to cling to the idea of fate to give him a reason to live.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice someone was in his path before it was too late. Colliding with the lady, they both crashed to the floor.
Heat flaring in his cheeks, he got to his knees before looking across to the lady on the floor beside him. She was clutching her right shoulder with a grimace on her face.
"Miss, are you alright? I am so sorry… no, here, let me help you up." He got to his feet and offered her a hand. With a pained but grateful smile, she accepted the help and Kota lifted her to her feet.
And for the first time in his life, he saw.
The grey melted away, revealing brilliance and life and beauty and… and colour.
It was all too much too fast. Kota stumbled back a bit and forced himself to take deep breaths. Re-opening his eyes, he looked up to the lady in front of him. He noticed that the colour of his hoodie and her dress matched. What had the label read, blue? Yeah, blue. His first colour he could put to name.
He greedily consumed all the sights around him, even things as mundane as the street lamps and road signs now capturing his attention with child-like awe. Turning back to the women, his heart leapt to his throat when he realised what this meant.
She was his soulmate, and she was gorgeous. She had her head cocked, staring at him in confused amusement, though he found himself unashamed. After all, it wasn't every day that your entire perspective on life completely implodes.
She wore a pale blue sundress that reached to her knees, before giving way to long, smooth pale legs. She had her hair down; long, flowing, shimmering silver locks that set his heart racing. Completing the look, she wore a floppy, straw, beach hat, with a hole cut out of one side to accommodate for the short, stubby horn on her head.
Kota had only met her, but he was already smitten. Now that he had found his soulmate, he suddenly understood the appeal of the entire notion of Soulmatism. To have one person on this Earth for you, who had the power to give you sight. One person to love and be loved by unconditionally.
He strode towards her and grabbed her hands, lacing his fingers with hers. "Do you see it? You see it too right?"
The amused expression on her face was gone, replaced with concern and apprehension. She pulled away from him and put to feet between them before she spoke.
"What do you mean? See what?"
As suddenly as it had appeared, all the colour drained away. Stunned, he collapsed to his knees, transfixed on the last bit of blue on her dress before it too finally faded away.
"Umm… I-I have to go." The lady, his soulmate, gave him one last concerned look before stepping past him and walking away.
Kota couldn't tell how long he remained on the floor. As it was, he could barely keep himself from losing it all together. Though it had faded it away, the ghost of colour remained. She had taught him what colour was, what it meant, what it gave a person… and she would never know.