-1867-

Battle clashed around him, but all Sungjong could see was L. His lover fought near him, sword on sword with one of their attackers, but they were too outnumbered and they both knew it. The sea of black creatures moved between them, separating them further until they could no longer see one another. The Seeker could feel that the inkies were trying to pull L away from him, trying to separate them, and so with every ounce of power he fought to get back to L's side. Sungjong blasted a heavy strike of light against one of the inky creatures, but even as he did so he felt a sharp pang in his heart.

Knowing what happened couldn't change the fact, and so even as he used his strength and ripped the head off of the nearest attacker, he dove through the opening in time to see L fall to the ground, blood pouring from the gash across his stomach. “No!” Sungjong cried out, angry and heartbroken to see his lover taken from him so soon after meeting. 

“No!” The sound reverberated through the room, his cries echoing off of the walls.

“No!” A harsh grip on his shoulder, and then Hoya's voice, “Wake up!” 

A sharp shake to his shoulders pulled the lithe young man from his memory dream, and he sat up to look into Hoya’s worried eyes. The moon cast dim light into the nineteenth century bedroom, illuminating the bed and the open door across the room. Sungjong's body was covered in sweat and his heart beat rapidly as he clung to the older Seeker. Hoya’s lips were drawn in a thin line as he watched Sungjong try to catch his breath.

“I saw L,” Sungjong said quietly, and the line of the older man’s lips only drew thinner. He released the other’s shoulders to run a hand through his short dark hair, a sigh escaping him as he did so.

“Seej,” he said quietly, the pet name bringing back centuries of memories, “He’s long gone. He can’t be reborn like us, you need to stop torturing yourself.”

“No, you’re wrong!” The younger boy shook his head firmly; he hated when Hoya brought that up. “Soul mates are different, just because he isn’t a Seeker doesn’t mean he can’t be reborn.” They had this same argument again and again, both of them always bringing up the same points, but Sungjong couldn't deny his feelings.

Hoya’s brow quirked as he asked, “Reborn for what? He’s not part of our Quest!”

“For me.”

Silence hung in the air between them before Sungjong’s oldest friend gave a heavy sigh and stood to his feet. “Okay, Seej, whatever. Try to get some sleep, okay? We’ve got to track down that lead tomorrow.” Sungjong knew that was more of a dismissal than an agreement. Hoya probably thought that Sungjong would let it go and be fine in the morning. What he could never understand was that without L, Sungjong could never be fine.

As Hoya left the room with an air of irritation about him, Sungjong pulled his knees to his chest, fighting back the wave of despair that threatened to overwhelm him. He hadn’t seen L since that life, the only one in which they had met; it had been over four centuries since then and yet the other man’s face was clear as day in his mind. Despite the older Seeker’s insistence, Sungjong knew that there had to be a reason he remembered L so well. There had to be a reason that he dreamed of him so often, a reason that he had actually felt him die. He just knew that one day he would find him again.

Because soul mates are different.

-2014-

Myungsoo hoisted his book bag higher onto his shoulder, wishing for the umpteenth time that he had taken fewer classes this semester. He was ambitious, though, and if graduating sooner than predicted meant a heavy bag then so be it.

Walking through the campus for his first class of the day, he ignored the looks and the whispers that followed him. He was used to it, to be honest, and though it had initially made him uncomfortable he had grown to accept it as a part of life. Looking in the mirror he didn’t see anything that set him apart, but apparently others did. There were always comments of how handsome he was, and offers here and there about modeling or joining some entertainment company or other. That wasn't his goal, though, and while the recruiters seemed surprised that he would pass on the offer, they left him alone after that.

Unfortunately it didn't work so well for his private life, though. In high school he had been bombarded with flirting and requests for dates, and while he tried to turn them all down graciously, it wasn't easy. He wasn't quite sure how to deal with people in an every day situation, let alone in one where they wanted more from him than he could give. College was a bit easier, with less people asking him out, but he still got the looks.

Stepping into his new Psychology