BUTTERFLY: The symbol of our destiny

On a warm evening with clouds covering the setting sun, a car reaches the newly built apartments. Inside the car, there is a boy sitting in the backseat, on his left side are boxes packed with books and other utilities. The boy seems to be in his teens, he has brown curly locks which cover his forehead. His green eyes shine with amazement when he looks at the parks and tall buildings in the society his family is now shifting in. In the driver's seat is a woman in her early forties. She has light brown hair with bangs and violet eyes. The boy calls out to the woman from behind, "This place is beautiful mom." His mom gives him a smile from the rearview mirror, a satisfied sigh escapes her mouth as she says," I am glad, I was worried that this change would be too much for you." The boy returns the smile," Don't worry mom, changes are inevitable and I will give my best to embrace this one." His mother was delighted to hear her son's mature outlook on the change they have to face after the loss they had just gone through but she didn't want him to see her cry as she swallowed the grief and blinked hard to pull back her tears.

The society that they were supposed to stay in now has nine apartments termed as blocks from A to I. The block they registered in was B, the fourth floor. The car stopped at the entrance of the ten-story building. The boy came out first and opened the door for his mother like a gentleman, 'he grew up well' his mother thought and thanked him for the favor. Both of them helped each other with the boxes as they took them to the elevator. They did not have much stuff with them because the packers and movers' trucks had already sent and kept most of the furniture a week before their arrival. After putting everything inside the elevator, the boy got the car keys and parked it in the parking area near the building. On his way back to the building, he passed a group of people,' new town, new faces…it might take some time to make new friends huh? Shall I say hi to them?' he pondered upon the last thought but acted against it as it was too early to meet people he doesn't know and moreover his mother was still waiting for him in the lobby so he hurried back and ignored the curious eyes that followed his direction.

It was around eight at night when they were finished cleaning and properly settling in the new apartment, it has two bedrooms with a bathroom and a balcony attached to them, a living room, and a kitchen. They ordered dinner for tonight as it was already pretty late and they were tired after the shifting process. His mother still had to work the next as she could not afford to get more than one day off with the amount of labor her job required. She is a police officer and got posted to a new town which was quite far away from their hometown in the countryside. The boy had to attend his new college as well, he is a month late with joining but after his mother got transferred he had no choice but to leave his old house and friends. He would not have much problem with covering up the syllabus since it was pretty much the same in every educational institute. After wishing each other good night, they both went to their rooms. While taking a shower, he noticed a picture on his left wrist, it looked like a butterfly with only one wing. The wing was blue in color. He tried to rub it off but it did not even shed color, it was like a tattoo that he never got, 'How did it get on my wrist?' he thought to himself, worried if it was an infection or if he should inform his mother about it. Then he remembered his grandmother who lived with them in their hometown who had a similar tattoo on her left wrist but instead of a butterfly it was a swan, they had to leave her there because her mother would not be able to pay for her mother in a big town with her income, she already had to pay the rent and her son's school fees. He does plan to get a part-time job to ease the burden on his mother's shoulder a little.

After freshening up, he went to his study table beside the window in his room and video called his grandmother. She is an intelligent and wise woman who works on her farm and at the age of sixty could still earn for herself which is why his mother did not have a problem leaving her behind. His grandmother also had a caretaker for the fields so if there were an emergency then someone was there to take care of her, the villagers are also nice people, they all live like a family and look out for each other.

"Shota!! My son! How are you? How is your mother? Did you both eat? Don't worry about me, I am as healthy as always." Grandmother began with a cheerful tone.

"Hi grandma, I and mom are good, we are done with unpacking and yes we had dinner, did you eat well?"

"Yes yes, I ate too."

"Well, grandma… I wanted to ask you something..."

"Sure son, what is it? Are you fine?"

"Grandma, something weird happened, earlier…I noticed this picture on my wrist and I clearly remember not having it in the morning, then I remembered you have a similar tattoo, do you know what this means?" Shota showed his grandmother the wrist he got the image on.

"Oh, my son! I am so happy for you! It means that you have a soulmate in this lifetime. You see, not every one of us does but in our family there is a belief that when we meet our soulmate or fated partner, a symbol to represent their love appears on their left wrist. See mine, when I and your grandfather met, we got the swan symbol, it represented loyalty, grace, and beauty of our connection." Shota could not understand the excitement of his grandmother, if anything he felt all sorts of emotions but happiness, he was confused as to why was happening to him. It is a good thing to know that he has someone with whom he would share his life but as far as he remembers, he did not meet anyone today except for the….landlady...

"Grandma, if whatever you say is correct then….I met the landlady today…is she?"

"Maybe?"

"What?!" he was panicking at this point.

"pff- don't worry, you might have just passed her by, you will know who she is when it is time."

"How?'

"You will just connect."

"That's reassuring."

"Shota, remember…no matter who they are or whatever you do, you will have to accept and love them."

"But what if I don't? What if they are some kind of criminal?"

"You just will, that's what a soulmate is, this connection makes you love not only the good but also the flaws of that person. Just like your grandpa accepted your hyperactive grandma! And I know you are a good boy, there will be challenges and changes but I am sure that God will not let anything bad happen to you." Grandmother assured him with a smile which gave Shota some hope, he sighed," Alright grandma, I understand. I feel relieved talking to you, see you later grandma, good night."

"Good night my son, cheer up!" Shota lay in his bed, the moonlight coming from the window shone on his brown locks and lit the room giving it a magical appeal, he lifted his left wrist above him, and light illuminated the symbol as the blue wing glowed brighter,' who are you?' he tried to remember all the faces he had seen throughout the day but failed to recognize any familiar one. Before drifting into a deep sleep, certain long black hair happened to stand out in the crowd of people near the parking lot he was standing in.

The next morning, Shota's mother dropped him at the college he was supposed to attend as they forgot where the bus stand was ad he missed the school bus. She wished him good luck and went off for her work, he decide not to tell his mother until he actually finds the person because of whom he got this symbol. He went into the building which read 'Imperial University. He already had the material he needed so he straight away went to his assigned classroom after some time of asking around. The professor and all the students were present in the classroom, he asked to come in and the professor permitted him to," I am Professor Takeshi, your value-added program teacher, I suppose you are the one who joined in late. Well, this is a combined class so, may I know which department you are in? Also, do introduce yourself."

"Good morning everyone, I am Shota Harumiya from the IT department, it's nice to meet you." Shota gave a kind smile which made a lot of students in front of him comfortable with his presence.

"That's good, you may take your seat beside Yumico, she is a bright student and I am sure that she will help you with the syllabus done so far, Yumiko, raise your hand so that he could know where you are sitting ad do help him with the work." The said girl raised her hand, she was sitting in the middle row at the back, she had long black hair seeing which made Shota go into a déjà vu, 'isn't it the same hair I saw in my vision last night? Is she the one?' Shota thought as he walked up to the empty seat beside her. The lecture began and there was pin-drop silence in the classroom as if everyone was sleeping, and they really were except for Yumiko who was taking notes on every little thing the professor said. She caught him staring at her, "are you fine? Do you not understand something?" without thinking he blurted out, "Do you live in classic apartments?" later he realized what he asked and turned red, it is not something you would ask in the first meet, "Yes, I do…why are you asking?" she gave him a suspicious look. "Nothing! It's just that I shifted there yesterday and I think I saw you too." He did not lie, 'if she is the one then I should begin with speaking the truth.' "Oh that makes sense" and she went back to taking her notes. Shota sighed, he tried to look at her wrist searching for the same symbol he has but failed since she was wearing a full sleeves shirt. The lecture was over and they had to move to another classroom for the next lecture which was programming, Yumiko was in the IT department as well. They both walked together since he didn't know the way to the classroom they were supposed to sit in. They did not speak but on his way he saw a girl standing with her head down which made it difficult to look at her face, she had her black hair tied in a loose ponytail. When Yumiko noticed him looking at the girl, she said, "She is Yimi Itanabe, one of the weakest students in the humanities department, there are a lot of conspiracy stories surrounding her, most of the classes she is made to stand out by the professors because she never completes her assignments and on top of that, fails." Shota was intrigued by her character description and asked, "What kind of conspiracy theories?"

"Something like…chaos magick and that she can read tarot cards, I don't know much, our class is here, let's go." Giving the strange girl a last glance he followed Yumico to their class. She helped him during the lecture and corrected the parts he got wrong, he learned how hardworking she is as she organized notes on every subject, focused on her lectures, and had a beautiful smile.

It was lunch break, Shota and Yumiko went to the cafeteria together. In such a short time they got close enough to have lunch together, Yumiko didn't seem to have many friends as she hardly greeted one or two people from other departments throughout the day. Shota did not have any problem talking to her, it was as if 'we just connect- his thought was cut short by a stinging pain on her left wrist, the symbol changed its color to black, he turned around and saw Yumico on the ground with the food tray splattered and the same girl they saw in the corridor earlier was standing in front of her, holding her right arm. She had no expression on her face, Yumiko and Yimi had collided with each other, Shota helped Yumico stand up," are you fine? Does it hurt?" "a little, but I am fine."

"Look, it's that stoic cursed girl, I am sure it's one of her sacrificial magic tricks." One of the people in the cafeteria shouted and everyone started laughing.

"I am sorry…" Yimi murmured a barely audible apology and left the place.

The lectures for the day were over, Shota helped Yumico reach her bus even if she refused him to, "are you sure that you are fine?"

"Of course I am, see!" Yumiko did a little jump, she looked like a kid who was happy about showing his improvement which made Shota smile.

The day was finally over, Shota video called her grandma again to update her on his soulmate search, just like she texted him to.

"My son! What does your wife look like?"

"Grandma! It's too soon to say that" Shota's ears turned red at the mention of 'wife'," I mean…I did meet someone, she is cute…" before he could continue describing the person he met further, he remembered the pain he felt in his wrist, "Grandma, I don't understand this…my wrist, the symbol particularly hurt today, it was a burning sensation and the wing changed its color too."

"Ah, I understand. It's because the other one who bears this symbol might be in pain, that is how I used to know whenever your grandpa was hiding his anxiety or pain, my wrist would hurt as well."

Shota's heart beat faster," It makes sense! Yumiko fell down today, It surely would have hurt."

"That is how we can learn to take care of each other when we can feel their pain too."

"Grandma, I will give my best to protect her from now and will make sure I don't get hurt either so that she doesn't feel that pain."

"That's like my son!"

Shota gave her a shy toothy smile," good night grandma, take care."

Shota was unable to sleep, he kept twisting and turning in his bed. He felt anxious, "you are a cursed child", "you probably haven't ever cried", he heard mumbled voices and shot back up when the stinging pain in his wrist increased with every passing second. He was short of breath, 'why?' tears began to roll down his eyes and he could not control it, 'Why are you so hurt? Who is hurting you? The people? The voices? or...you?' before he could process anything else, he blacked out from the throbbing pain in his head.

The next morning, Shota took the college bus and sat at the window seat in the back. He was blankly staring out of the window, thinking about his 'nightmare'

"You can't sit here, find a seat somewhere else."

"Not with me."

Shota was taken out of his trance by the noises from other students, he saw that same strange girl with her head hung low standing in the middle of the aisle, 'she lives here as well?' he thought to himself before calling out to her," hey, you can sit beside me, it's not taken" and lifted his bag from the seat so she could sit. Everyone gave him weird glances as if he committed a crime. Yimi, quietly sat beside him. They did not speak for the whole ride, Shota wanted to initiate a conversation but did not want to freak her out more.

The bus arrived at the university and he was Yumico standing near the entrance, he quickly ran up to her, he was relieved to see her without any injury, "were you fine last night? Does it still hurt anywhere?" he asked with a worried look which made Yumico a little happy to see that her new friend was a caring one, "I just had a little headache, nothing much and no, it doesn't hurt anymore."

"me neither."

"huh?"

"Nothing, it's good to see that you are fine, don't study till late, and give proper rest to your mind so that it doesn't hurt"

"yes, I will! Let's go to the class now."

During the lecture, Shots felt a slight pain in his wrist again, he looked at Yumiko beside her who was as usual taking notes, " Yumico, are you feeling…anxious?"

Yumiko looked at him, confused, "no, I am good. What about you?"

"I am fine too." She went back to her notes. The whole day there were instances when Shota felt the pain in his wrist but he never left sight of Yumiko, he now began to doubt himself, 'if she is perfectly fine then why am I still feeling hurt?' he looked around to see if there was anyone else who seemed to be injured but could not find anyone like that.

It was time to go back home, Shota went on the bus and saw Yimi sitting at the last corner of the bus, he decided to sit beside her again so that no one makes fun of her, "Hey, is this seat empty?" Yimi did not look up and just nodded in response. This time he felt the urge to talk to her so he asked something he already knew, 'start with the basics'

"What's your name?"

"That is the infamous Yimi Itanabe you are sitting beside, move away before she curses you too, it is well known that whenever anything bad happens, she is always found at the incident." One of the girls spoke, she had blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Hey, even if she doesn't say anything to anyone, it does not give you the right to say ill about her. You don't realize what she might be going through because of you all spreading rumors about her. You are also a human, can't you understand another person's feelings?" The girl and everyone else was shocked to see someone stand up for her. No one dared to retort back. Shota's wrist began to burn again, the symbol changed its color to black. He quickly grabbed his phone and called Yumiko, "Hey are you fine?"

"Hey Shota, I am goo- ouch!"

"What happened?!"

"I just hit my head with a pole, don't worry it's my mistake, I was not looking around." She laughed it off.

"Seriously? Be more careful, will you?!" Shota said in a worried tone.

The bus arrived at their stop, Yimi got up before him, mumbled a small thank you, and hurriedly went down the bus's stairs.

A few weeks passed just like that. Shota and Yumiko got closer, they became best friends, Shota was happy to have found the one he is destined to be with. Yumiko is very kind and always helps him with his studies as well. They are already named the "elite couple" as both of them are at the top with their grades, charming and athletic. But there was one thing that always bugged Shota, it was the pain that he felt in his wrist from time to time even after making sure Yumiko was in the best health. One night, he decided to video call his grandma regarding this matter.

"Oh Shota, my son! How are you?"

"I am fine grandma, everything seems to go according to your words regarding the symbol, but somehow my wrist still hurts even if Yumico seems fine, do you think she is hiding something?"

"Well, are you still worried if she is the one? Do you love her?"

"She is a good person, but yes, you are right…"

"Then there is only one way to find out. You see, only true soulmates can see each other's symbol of destiny."

"You mean…if she is the one then she should be able to see it?"

"yes."

"Alright, I will show it to her tomorrow then."

"all the best son, but remember, accept whatever fate has in stored for you."

The next day, Shota went with his sleeves rolled up. He waited till afternoon for her to see it on her own but she never noticed so, during the lunch break he went up to her and showed her his left wrist, "Yumico, I guess, I got a cut on my wrist, do you have a bandaid?" She looked up at his extended wrist, "I don't see anything." Shota went blank at her statement and without a word left the cafeteria, it was as if his world was crashing around him, what if he chose the wrong person? What if because of his carelessness his person was still hurting, and it did. His wrist began to burn with pain again, this time more furiously, it was like ten needles stabbed at the same spot. He felt anxious and tears flowed out of his eyes. He reached the terrace stairs and sat at the last one. He was still holding out his wrist with his other hand, staring at the color-changing one-winged butterfly, after some time, it began to return back to its original color and it hurt a little less but the anxiety didn't go away.

"That's a beautiful butterfly"

Shota got chills running down his spine when he heard that voice, he could not believe that there was someone who could see what only he could until now. He shot up from his position and turned around to look at the person who was hurting enough to kill themselves with this much pain. And then he saw her, the face he always wanted to see and now he could because she was not looking down anymore, the same long black hair, light brown eyes which seemed to have turned red after crying for days and without a word he embraced what people called 'the curse'. His butterfly with a broken wing.

"Yimi, are you fine?"

Yimi, who has never heard those words before, who was always asked the reason for her birth, who was always blamed to be cursed just because she could feel the befalling pain of someone. Upon hearing those words could not help but cry, she cried louder than she ever had. All the pain she wanted to be heard for now she found someone who wanted to hear. Then appeared a similar blue-winged butterfly on her left wrist, she found someone who would complete her broken wing.