Chapter Text
"And it was only after they had created humans that the gods realized that they had made life too painful. It seemed like humans had been made only to suffer, but even if that were the case, they were resilient and lived for thousands of years this way."
Kuroo's heartbeat accelerates with anticipation as the older man takes his time to start talking again. A storyteller at heart, Nekomata always loved to use the dramatic pause to his advantage when telling one. However, that often didn't go over well with his grandkids, who only found that it was its own little agony to have to wait to hear what would happen next.
Always the more impatient one out of the two, Kuroo whines, wriggling in his place, "C'mon Gramps, and then tell us what happened!"
Kenma, who was right beside him, didn't seem to mirror his need to hear more. This was probably due to the fact that Kenma had sat through this story many times before at his best friend's insistence.
It didn't matter that Kuroo had also sat through the town leader's retelling of the creation of Karasuno's kingdom and knew exactly what was going to happen. He knew that he would sit through the story a million more times, because he would never tire of hearing it. It was something about the way Nekomata told it, something in his voice and intonation—or perhaps it was the story itself—that made Kuroo believe in something that others were convinced was myth.
Kuroo watches as the older man rubs at his chin in thought, but the upturn of his lips betrays his amusement.
"Well," he starts with a hum. "Even though the humans had gotten used to all their suffering, their resentment for the gods grew. 'Why would you create us only to make us suffer!' They said.
And of course, the gods felt really bad. This was not what they had planned for the humans, after all.
They felt so bad that they decided to give the humans a gift."
"The gift of soulmates!" Kuroo shouts, unable to contain his excitement anymore. At his outburst, Kenma yelps in surprise. The older boy smiles sheepishly over at his friend, who only huffs and glares back.
Nekomata lets out a laugh, nodding. "That's right, Kuroo. The gods gave every human at least one person to connect with through their pain. Together, they would be strong enough to endure whatever life threw at them." Another dramatic pause. "Soulmates."
"But the humans were outraged," Nekomata continued, looking between the two with a somber expression. "They yelled up at the skies and cried, 'We didn't ask for this! We asked for rain to water our crops!'
"Which was true," the older man said as he crossed his arms, looking at nothing in particular, wistful. "You see, at the time, even the two most prosperous kingdoms were suffering. Throughout both lands, the crops wouldn't grow, and the people were going hungry.
The two kings at the time were well-loved in their respective kingdoms. They said that one's hair color was as dark as the night sky, and the other's was as light and golden as the full moon."
"But they didn't like each other," Kuroo jumps in again.
Nekomata snorts, "Oh, they hated each other! They were both great leaders, but something about the other brought out the worst in them! But as much as they were rivals, they were up against an even greater problem: starvation.
So, as best as they could, they decided to set aside their dislike for each other to come up with a solution that could save them. And so, they met up and talked about their shared suffering, realizing they were not so different.
Through their talks, they found out that each kingdom had resources that the other kingdom needed, and so they decided to work closely together for the well-being of their people."
"And then they fell in love," Kuroo says softly, a dopey smile stretched across his face, thinking about the rival kings turning into lovers.
"And then they fell in love," the older man repeated fondly. "They had found each other in suffering and became stronger together, which was what the gods had intended with their gift all this time. The union of their kingdoms through marriage is how Karasuno came to be."
"And now we're celebrating five hundred years of the kingdom tomorrow," Kuroo whoops and pumps his fist into the air. He was already thinking about all the game tents and food stands he was going to visit. Kenma was thinking about the festival too, but he was getting queasy at the thought of being among so many people. Never having been good with crowds, he wasn't excited about the next day's events at all.
Nekomata smiles, getting another faraway look in his eyes, almost like he couldn't believe that time had passed by so quickly.
"That we are," he says, and then stands up from his seat to announce that it's time to head to bed. Kenma, who had been on the verge of falling asleep, is glad for it, but Kuroo can't help but resist.
He can't possibly sleep now! He's practically jumping off the walls with how much energy he has, but Nekomata only laughs.
"Tomorrow doesn't like to be rushed," he teases. "In fact, if you stay up to wait for it, it might never come."
Alarmed at that revelation, and not wanting that, Kuroo stops his complaining and practically drags Kenma to their shared bedroom down the hall, throwing a hasty good night to their grandfather over their shoulder.
They're climbing into bed when Kuroo's dad and Kenma's mom enter their bedroom to tuck them in and turn off the lights. The adults close the door behind them, and a few minutes later, Kenma's soft snores fill the quiet of the room.
As the rest of their village turns in for the night, Kuroo's stubborn body keeps him awake. Another couple of minutes turns into a couple of hours in his head, and he fears that tomorrow will never come if he doesn't fall asleep soon. He closes his eyes, trying to think of things that might relax him, but his heart stays thrumming quickly and yearning for the next day to arrive.
Then he thinks of the story Nekomata had been telling them. Thinks about a world with so much pain that the gods had gifted them a companion to share that pain with. He thinks about his own companion, who they might be, what their smile might look like. Which cuts and bruises were their fault and which were his.
He drifts off into a deep sleep and dreams of his soulmate.