Title: Locket

Genre: Fluff with a tint of angst

Warnings: Heavily unedited. Thoughts are everywhere.

 

Locket

“Grandma, what is this thing hanging around my neck?”

 

The old lady sighed. The locket was of upmost importance in every individual’s life. She was hoping that Sakura’s parents had explained the significance of it to the young girl, but it seemed like they have not. She shouldn’t be surprised though. Sakura spent most of her time here because her parents were busy with work.

 

“It’s a locket. You’ll understand when you grow up.”

 

“Why can’t you tell me now?”

 

Little Miyawaki Sakura was naturally an inquisitive kid. It was foolish to think that the young girl would let this slide.

 

“Everyone is given a locket when they are born. You see dear, inside each of our locket is a name. This name belongs to a special person that will come into your life one day.”

 

“Can I open it now?”

 

“You can’t just open it. You have to fulfil a set of conditions before you can access it.”

 

“What are those conditions Grandma? I want to know who my special person is!”

 

“No one knows those conditions, Sakura.”

 

“Then how will I know who my special someone is?”

 

“You don’t. It’s like a test to see if the two of you are truly compatible.”

 

“What if I can never open my locket? Does that mean I’ll be alone forever?”

 

“You’ll meet your special someone when you grow up. Trust me.”

~~~

By the time Sakura turned 20, the locket was still sealed tight. When she was younger, she would try to pry it open by using different tools and methods.

 

She tried hitting it against the wall.

 

She tried using a hammer.

 

She tried leaving it into a pail of hot water.

 

None of the methods worked. Sakura gave up at the age of 15. She would leave everything up to fate.

 

“You’re a high-ranking member in AKB48. Is it worth the risk to join Produce 48?”

 

“Although I am a high-ranking member, I’m not sure if it was because I was in Japan, or it was because of my skills. I want to take this chance to improve and learn from the Korean trainees.”

 

“One last question. Have you met your soulmate?”

 

“No.”

 

“Good. All idols are not allowed to date, especially during the 2.5 years, but I’m sure you are familiar with it since the no dating ban exists in AKB48 as well.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“We’ll contact you again if you are chosen. Thank you.”

 

For the first time in a while, Sakura clutched the locket hanging around her neck and wished that she wouldn’t meet her soulmate in Korea.

 

She was here to improve her skills, not to fall in love.

~~~

“If you continue squeezing your locket this tight, it might really burst open.”

 

The worn-out girl opened her eyes and looked up at the figure that was hovering over her. She knew who this trainee was.

 

Lee Chaeyeon.

 

Seeing the lack of expression on the Japanese girl’s face, Chaeyeon started panicking, but those feelings soon disappeared as she heard a laughter come out of the older girl’s mouth. It was the first time she heard the girl laugh, and the first time she truly saw a smile appear on Sakura’s face since the official training sessions started.

 

“You speak Japanese?”

 

“I do! I’m not really good at it though!”

 

“N-No…You speak well enough.”

 

Chaeyeon took this opportunity to seat beside the Japanese girl. Even though she has observed the girl from afar on quite a few occasions, it felt different to see the girl up close. From this view, Chaeyeon could trace the sharp jawline that the Japanese girl had to the faint moles on the side of the older girl’s cheek. Despite all the faint “marks”, Chaeyeon still felt that the Japanese girl was beautiful.

 

“Why vent your frustrations on your locket?”

 

“Because I know it won’t open even if I damage the exterior.”

 

“I haven’t met mine either.”

 

“Do you ever think about how your soulmate looked like?”

 

“I am curious, but I don’t think about it that often. I believe that fate would assign me the right person, and regardless of how the person looked like, I would still love my soulmate unconditionally.”

 

“Your soulmate is a very lucky person.”

 

“Isn’t loving your soulmate unconditionally a given?”

 

“My grandma’s soulmate eventually left her.”

 

“I-I’m sorry to hear that.”

 

“It’s okay.”

 

Glancing at the clock above her, Sakura realised it was getting late. She didn’t have a lot of time left to practice.

 

“You look like you need help.”

 

“I do.”

 

Chaeyeon was the first to stand up, extending her hand for the Japanese girl to take. She under-estimated how light Sakura was though. The force she exerted to pull the older girl up was too much, causing Sakura to crash into her chest immediately.

 

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry, Sakura chan!”

 

Sakura frowned. She was sure that she felt something burning against her chest when her body collided with Chaeyeon’s. Pushing away the thought, the Japanese girl smiled at the new friend that she just gained.

 

Perhaps joining Produce 48 wasn’t the worst decision she has ever made.

 

~~~

Chaeyeon woke up all of a sudden. It was odd. She has been sleep-deprived for the entire week. The team only ended practice two hours ago. She should be sleeping like a log right now, yet she was awake. It was as though someone jolted her body. She took a glance to her right to make sure that it wasn’t time to wake up.

 

The Korean trainee tossed and turned for ten minutes, but she couldn’t fall asleep again. It was like her body was refusing sleep. Thinking that it would be a waste to just lay in bed, Chaeyeon grabbed a few items before heading out to the practice room.

 

After all, they had to switch centers two times. It would be good to practice a little more.

 

As Chaeyeon walked towards the familiar room, she was surprised to see that the lights were still on. It was 3:30am. Everyone should have been in bed by now.

 

Chaeyeon walked closer. Only then was she about to tell who the trainee was. The younger girl opted to observe the Japanese girl for a while. There was something about Sakura that drew Chaeyeon in.

 

Chaeyeon was impressed, not only by Sakura’s dedication, but also the improvements Sakura has made in the span of a few hours. The trainers’ comments deeply hurt the Japanese trainee, and Chaeyeon struggled to find the right words to console the older girl a few hours ago. The team decided to switch centers again and had to re-do the dance positions.

 

Even though Chaeyeon knew that Sakura was perfectly capable of remembering the first formation again, the Japanese girl struggled a lot during practice. It was only when the older girl kneeled down onto the floor with hot tears streaming down her face did Chaeyeon realise that the harsh comments had scarred the Japanese girl’s heart.

 

“I-I can’t do this anymore.”

 

The crack in her voice sent a danger straight through the younger girl’s heart. Watching her friend mutter self-depreciating comments while hitting her own head was gut-wrenching. It took a while (and a lot of comforting) before the Japanese girl was ready to practice again. Even so, the members knew that she wasn’t in her top form.

 

Comparing the Sakura a few hours ago and the Sakura now, Chaeyeon could immediately identify the difference. For that, she admired the older girl. Despite the tears and the pain, Sakura never gave up. The Japanese girl was ready for tomorrow’s stage.

 

“Sakura chan?”

 

“A-Ah! Chaeyeon! Why are you here?”

 

“I couldn’t sleep. You should be resting!”

 

“I-I’m not ready. I still have to work on my dance.”

 

“You are ready. I watched you from outside just now. Trust me.”

 

“You’re not lying?”

 

“Why would I lie to you? It’s a team mission. You improved a lot already, Sakura chan.”

 

“I’m still nowhere near any of the Korean trainees standard.”

 

“We’ve trained for years, Sakura chan. Even those who only trained for one year had formal dance and singing lessons. You never did. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

 

“What if I screw up? I’ll drag everyone down.”

 

“You won’t. Now come here.”

 

“What for?”

 

“Just listen.”

 

The older girl wasn’t budging, so Chaeyeon decided to pull the Japanese girl towards her. Sakura’s chin naturally fell onto Chaeyeon’s shoulder as she felt a strong pair of arms wrapping around her thin waist. As soon as Chaeyeon interlocked both her hands around her waist, the tears fell down again naturally.

 

Sakura cries easily after all.

 

There was something about the way Chaeyeon was holding her that caused her tears to spill out.

 

Perhaps it was the warmth of Chaeyeon’s body,

 

Or perhaps it was the way Chaeyeon made her feel secured.

 

Either way, Sakura was thankful, and she responded by nuzzling her nose in the crook of Chaeyeon’s neck instead. Although Chaeyeon’s shirt was damped with tears, the Korean trainee was far from annoyed. She was relieved to know that Sakura trusted her enough, and that Sakura was comfortable enough with her. Rubbing Sakura’s back softly, Chaeyeon continued whispering encouraging messages to the Japanese trainee.

 

If she wasn’t so pre-occupied with Sakura, she would have noticed that her locket was glowing a little.

 

Your soulmate must trust you whole-heartedly

 

~~~

“You seem happier these days.”

 

“Really?”

 

“There’s just something. It’s like your face is glowing, and I have never seen that before, or at least in a long while.”

 

“Maybe it is just the Korean make-up.”

 

“Maybe…But even so, there is something different.”

 

“Well, my eye bags are getting bigger.”

 

Nako laughed. Ever since the Japanese member started filming for Produce 48, Nako realised that there were sides of Sakura that she hasn’t seen in a long while. Being a first generation member, Nako knew that Sakura was stressed out. She knew that the older girl wanted HKT to continue being successful even after Sasshi leaves.

 

She grew up watching Sakura. Back then, Sakura was always smiling. She had lesser burdens and lesser anti-fans to deal with. However, ever since Sakura got her first AKB48 center, Nako saw a change. Her senior became less confident and more self-conscious. Nako rarely saw a genuine smile on Sakura’s face. The only exceptions Nako knew of was when Sakura could meet the other HKT48 members.

 

“Well, whatever the reason is, I hope to continue seeing you smile.”

 

Before Sakura could even reply, a text message popped up. Despite her short frame, Nako managed to catch a glimpse of the sender’s name as well as the grin on her senior’s face that was slowly growing bigg