42nd Moon: The Woe of Soulmates

by Thea Chin

  The two of them compete against other couples in various games like trust falling and a three-legged race. They are doing well, and only one more game awaits.

  “And the last game is a game I’m sure you all are familiar with,” announces the MC before whipping out a snack from his coat. “The choco stick game!” he exclaims, and the crowd goes wild.

  The rules are simple: partners try to get the shortest stick by eating it from both ends without coming into contact. To enforce the rules, one partner is given blue lipstick and the other is given red. Any of one color on the other partner’s face results in disqualification.

  Jaiden feels his hands growing clammy as he watches his team’s other half rip open the package. Their faces are going to be just millimeters apart! Jaiden wants to faint, but at the same time, he would give up his tail just to have this opportunity. Goodness, he really wants to kiss her. How can he not when she’s so innocently lifting the chocolate stick up to his mouth with her own?

  “Ready?” calls the MC. “Go!”

  The fifteen seconds allotted for this game is not enough for Jaiden to overcome his internal conflict. All he can think about is making purple with Tsukiko, but he knows how much she wants to win this game for the prize, and he isn’t sure she would appreciate the action either. Somehow, for reasons unbeknownst to Jaiden, a sly hand manages to slide on its own onto the small of Tsukiko’s back, flushing her against him as he tilts his head to the right, leaning closer, and closer, and—

  “—and time!” calls the MC.

  The girl bites off her end of the stick and steps back from Jaiden, smiling in content at her progress.

  The MC reads off the lengths of some other couples’ sticks until he gets to theirs. “1.8 cm!” he exclaims. “That puts you two in first place for this round, and with your scores from the other games, you two are the best couple of Jolly Land!”

  “We did it!” Tsukiko burst with glee.

  The MC guides the two to the center of the stage to celebrate their win. Jaiden spots some guys with their girlfriends’ color on their faces and scowls. Who’s the real winner here? Not him, apparently.

  “So congratulations!” the MC says again. “How are you feeling?”

  “Great,” Tsukiko responded, hugging her new plushie against her chest. “I really like Jolly Quokka; it’s so cute.”

  “You know, Jolly Quokka’s smile makes it look kind of like your boyfriend, doesn’t it?” he jokes.

  “Yeah,” she agrees, pinching Jolly’s cotton face. “He’s cute too.”

  Jaiden immediately snaps out of his sulking and looks at her with round eyes. How many times is she going to make his heart jolt like this today?

  The MC laughs and comments about how adorable the two of them are. “And what do you think about your girlfriend?” he asks Jaiden.

  “She’s cute too, of course,” he answers easily. “And pretty and funny and smart.” He pours feelings out of his eyes into hers as he speaks, hoping she will feel his sincerity.

  * * *

  After another handful of rides, night falls and the two of them are standing behind some metal railings, waiting for the parade.

  “Look! There it is!” Tsukiko exclaims, squishing Jolly as she leans against the railing for a better view.

  Jaiden follows her finger to see a couple of people in quokka costumes twirling batons.

  “The MC earlier was right,” she chuckles. “Maybe you should join the parade; you look just like a quokka.”

  He swings one of his arms behind her, grabbing the railing from the other side, and leans towards her ear. “But that makes me ‘cute,’ right?” he teases.

  Tsukiko blushes, realizing how her previous words sound. “Please forget I said that.”

  “Why? I like it; it’s flattering.”

  “It’s embarrassing!”

  “It’s cute. Like me.”

  “Oh, shut up.”

  He laughs, and she turns her attention back to the parade with a pout.

  Ah, her pout is so adorable, Jaiden can’t help but stare at it. He keeps staring even as another part of the parade passes by, making her lips part in wonder at the colorful lights. Jaiden is not interested in the decorated carts or drum-playing children. To be honest, he has only been able to concentrate on one thing ever since that choco stick game.

  The urge is so strong, and her lips are so plump, so red, so inviting.

  “Ki…” he begins, his voice barely a raspy whisper. “C-can I… can I—”

  He realizes then that she isn’t hearing his words. He looks to her eyes and finds that they aren’t even on the parade anymore, and it isn’t hard to find what has stolen her attention either.

  On the other side of the parade are Darren and Terena, doing the very thing Jaiden has spent all afternoon trying to accomplish.

  Jaiden frowns upon seeing Tsukiko frowning. A little lower, and he sees her soul mark tattoo every time she lifts her hand to pet Jolly anxiously. Why does she have to be Darren’s soulmate? Why can’t she just be any other girl in his chem class? Why can’t she—he looks at his own barren wrist—be his soulmate?

  “Come on,” he snaps, pulling at her hand.

  Tsukiko jolts out of her staring. “Where are we going?”

  “Home,” he announces. “I’m tired. Let’s go.”

  She follows him through the crowd wordlessly until they’re both out of the mob.

  “I’m sorry,” she says in a small whisper.

  Jaiden turns to her. “Why are you sorry?”

  “I was staring at Darren on what was supposed to be our date. Isn’t that why you’re mad?”

  “No, I’m not mad, I’m just—” He runs a frustrated hand through his hair. “Okay, I am mad, but not at you. I’m just irritated at the whole stupid soulmate thing! Like if it’s going to make you love someone, then shouldn’t it also let you be with them? Then if you were happily together, maybe I wouldn’t have— Ugh, no, I’m just being selfish right now. This is all just… just so messed up. Emotionally binding you to someone you can’t be with, it’s just so messed up.”

  “Jaiden…” she begins, although she is unsure where to do so. “It’s okay; I’m okay, unless… there’s something more?” She looks at his wrists. She has noticed before that everyone in the frat but him has a soulmark, and is starting to put the pieces together. She isn’t sure it’s something he’s comfortable talking about, but she’s also noticed him staring at hers a lot and that it’s bothering him.

  He freezes at her suggestion. Tsukiko takes in a long breath to gather her courage before grabbing his wrist and stroking it gently. She cocks her head to the side, questioningly. Jaiden bites his lips and looks to the ground.

  “You’re right. There’s something more,” he confesses.

  She lowers his hands. “You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to.”

  “It’s fine,” he says, still not looking at her. “She, um, she’s dead. It happened when I was fifteen. It was the worst day of my life; it felt like the sun stopped shining and I was nothing but a hollow husk. My wrist burned for days and days as the mark peeled off until it was all gone.”

  “I’m sorry,” Tsukiko says sympathetically.

  “It’s okay. I got used to the feeling. And recently”—he manages a small smile—“I’ve found something that’s been filling that void.”

  “Really? What?”

  “That I want to keep secret, my dear Tsukiko.” With a sigh, he turns around and continues walking. “Sorry to dump that sob story on you.”

  “It’s alright. I’m glad you were able to talk about it.”

  He smiles weakly again. Only with you, he thinks to himself. “It does feel nice to get it off my chest sometimes. Come on, let’s go.”

  He makes a right, the opposite direction to the subway. “Ready to go home?”

  “The train is in that direction,” she tells him, knowing he opted for that mode of transportation to avoid parking.

  He smi
rks and lets out a howl into the night air. Before she knows it, Tsukiko is dashing through town on top of her personal wolf. Jaiden lets the cold air on his face clear his head and the sound of her adrenaline-laced squeals fill his ears.

  “Did you have fun today?” he asks once they have arrived at her dorm.

  “Yes, thank you. And thanks for being my boyfriend for the day; it made me feel less bad to see all those other couples at the park,” she jokes.

  He laughs lightly with her.

  “And Jaiden?”

  “Hm?”

  “Don’t worry about soulmates. I’m sure there’s another soul out there waiting for you.”

  Jaiden smiles bittersweetly at her. He takes a couple of steps closer and kisses her forehead. “Good night, Ki.”

  She watches his retreating form disappear into the night and clasps her hands over the spot he kissed. If today was any indication, whoever that soul is that’s waiting for him, she thinks to herself, is very lucky.

  T-40 Moons

  It is that time of the month again, but not for Tsukiko, for the Mu Alpha fraternity. Chan warned her to stay away from the house even though the boys should all be locked inside their rooms. Better safe than sorry, right? She’s taken his warning seriously and is just coming out of the undergraduate library, half-way across campus, so why is there a big, brown canine snarling at her?

  “Nice, Darren, nice,” she says shakingly.

  The moon illuminates their surroundings brightly. She isn’t sure if she should thank it for the extra visibility or curse it for letting her see the deadly teeth protruding from the wolf’s mouth. The pattern on his wrist glows softly, indicating how he found her in the middle of this sleeping campus.

  “Good doggie,” she tries again despite knowing that her words are not making sense in his now-primitive mind.

  Darren growls, circling her and shortening the radius with every step.

  “Darren,” she says, fumbling to find her pepper spray.

  He takes a step back, but not to retreat. Instead he pounces, teeth baring and claws extended. Tsukiko covers her vitals with her bag and in a moment of desperation, cries, “Darren, sit!”

  She crouches a little lower, bracing herself for the impact, but it doesn’t come. Instead, she hears a whimper. Tsukiko slowly lowers her arms from her face and sees Darren on his bottom looking at her with a tilted head and a flicking tail.

  “Y-you sat,” she breathes, shocked.

  “Ooo,” he whines.

  “You sat!” She lets out a few laughs of relief and approaches him slowly. Tsukiko extends her hand and has it find his head, rubbing the fur gently. “Good boy, Darren, good boy!”

  He lets out a content noise and changes the angle of his head for her to pet another spot. After a while, she straightens up.

  “Okay, Darren, let’s take you home now, shall we?”

  He bumps her arm for more pets, not understanding her.

  “Okay, umm,” the girl thinks. “Darren, follow.”

  He lets out a whine and remains seated.

  “Alright, how about this?”

  She pulls out a pencil pouch from her bag and hurls it in the direction of the fraternity house. As she hoped, Darren pounces after the projectile, and she runs after the wolf, hoping to cover some distance before he returns the pouch to her.

  After many tosses and petting breaks, they finally arrive in front of his house with Tsukiko’s arms aching and lungs gasping for air.

  “We’re here!” she exclaimed, more to herself than to him. “Look, Darren! Home!”

  He wags his tail, eyes focused on her now-deformed pencil pouch.

  “Let’s see how you got out and get you back in there…”

  She does not have to look long; his window lock lays uselessly on the lawn, and upon looking up, she sees a busted window on the second floor.

  “Can you jump back up there?” she asks rhetorically and gives her pouch another toss into the room.

  She smiles triumphantly as he gracefully leaps after it, but groans in frustration when he brings it back. She will have to go with him to his destination like she’s been doing all along.

  “Alright then,” Tsukiko huff. “Let’s try this!”

  The pouch is tossed one last time, but before Darren could jump, the girl wraps herself around his torso and bites her tongue to suppress a scream. Once he lands, she rolls off onto the floor, and he drops the pencil case on her happily.

  “Good boy,” she sighs wearily. “Now staaay.” Tuskiko puts her hands in front of her as she slowly moves backwards towards the door.

  Apparently, Darren was never taught “stay,” and for every step she takes, he takes two until he is pinning her to the door, lapping her face with his tongue.

  “Okay, okay,” Tsukiko giggles, wiping her face with her sleeve. “You win; I’ll keep you company until the sun comes back up.”

  Darren wags his tail happily. She finds a basketball and rolls it around for him. While he is distracted, her eyes zone out on the glowing pattern on his wrist. It’s so detailed and carefully crafted just for him. What is the point of soulmates, Tuskiko wonders, if they can be so easily cast aside? Before she can come to an answer, her weariness catches up to her, and her vision goes dark.

  * * *

  “Bloody howl.”

  Tsukiko wakes up to a foul hiss. She opens her eyes to see Darren above her turning his face away and burying it in his hand. She quickly sits up, realizing she was resting in his lap just a second ago.

  “I’m sorry!” Tsukiko apologizes and rushes to her feet.

  “No, it’s kind of my fault,” he sighs, joining her on his feet and going to his window to see the damage done. “Just… just leave please.”

  “Right,” she nods and heads for the door.

  “And uh,” he calls and she turns around. He looks nervous. “Don’t tell Terena what happened. I’ll tell her myself.”

  “We didn’t do any—”

  He cuts her off with a shake of his head. “She doesn’t know about the whole wolf thing, so even the fact that you stayed over, it’s… it’s suspicious.”

  “Okay.”

  He gives her a nervous smile. She can see the guilt he’s feeling for the injustice he’s done to his girlfriend.

  “Thanks.”

  Tsukiko quietly shuts the door to his room behind her and makes her way to the front door. She walks down the hall until another door opens in front of her.

  “Good morning, Ki,” mumbles a sleep deprived Jaiden with a toothbrush in his mouth. He blinks twice before realizing what he just said. “Ki?!”

  “Good morning,” she laughs nervously.

  Jaiden hurls his toothbrush back into the room, runs frantic hands through his hair to comb it, and clears his throat. “Ahem. Hi! What are you doing here?”

  “N-not much. I, uh, got kidnapped by one of the wolves yesterday.”

  His eyes widen in worry as he cups her face, checking it for injuries. “Who? Did they hurt you? Oh my moon, I swear they didn’t mean it, but I’m still going to eat them alive if they did anything.”

  “No, no,” she assures him, stepping back. “We just played fetch all night.”

  “O-oh, really? T-that sounds fun.” He looks to the floor with a sudden desire to play fetch too.

  “Well, I’ll see you in lab?”

  “Yeah, I guess,” he pouts to himself.

  Tsukiko reaches over to comb down a piece of hair he missed earlier. Jaiden’s eyes dart up upon her touch to see her tranquil morning face as she runs her fingers through his locks.

  “Bye!” she waves when she is done.

  “Bye…” he returns, no longer sulking.

  When the front door swings closed and Tsukiko is gone, Jaiden finishes his business in the restroom and heads back to his room like he is walking on clouds.

  “I’m sorry, sweetcakes! I really am!”

  Jaiden raises his eyebrow at Darren’s door. He leans a little closer to hear the co
nversation.

  “You promised at the party that you’ll never be alone with her. Ever!” a female voice from the other end bellows. “Are you cheating on me?”

  “No! Of course not! Don’t leave me! I swear it won’t happen again, I promise!” the man inside continues crying.

  “Are you lying even now?”

  “No no no no. Please believe me. Please! I’d do anything!”

  There’s a pause before she speaks with a completely different tone. “No, you don’t have to do anything.”

  “W-what?”

  “You’ve already proved I’m the only one for you the night of the party.”

  “Oh, t-that…”

  “Actually, I’m going to the hospital right now to check it out. Can you drive me, darling?”

  “I have lab in an hour.”

  “You aren’t going to make a pre—”

  “I’ll be right there!” Darren interrupts, hanging up the phone.

  The door flies open, barely missing Jaiden by a whisker. Darren doesn’t even notice him as he darts out the door.

  Well that’s weird, Jaiden thinks to himself, wondering what could be wrong.

  * * *

  “One more absence and he’s not passing the course,” Tsukiko frowns at Darren’s empty stool.

  “I think something happened to Terena. She’s at the hospital right now,” Jaiden says.

  Tsukiko swirls their solution in the ice bath as crystals begin forming in the reaction tube. With her other hand, she massages her soulmark that has been aching on and off.

  “Is something wrong with your mark?” Jaiden asks after looking up from filling in his notebook.

  The girl shakes her head. “Nothing unusual. Just random pulses at times.”

  “It’s not supposed to hurt,” Jaiden tells her, setting aside his pen and taking her wrist in his hand.

  “Really? It’s just a little ache though.”

  “You said it’s on and off. Is there a time it’s worse?”

  Tsukiko ponders for a moment before answering, “It was really bad the night after the frat party, but maybe it had something to do with the alcohol. Otherwise, it’s pretty random.”

  “I think we should ask Chan about this; he knows the most about soulmarks and werewolf stuff. Are you free after class?”