Soulmate.

I heard about that phenomenon when I was little. People say everyone was born with the inability to see colors. Then when you meet someone and you're whole world suddenly became dyed with the colors of nature, it means that someone is your soulmate. I don't exactly believe in that kind of thing, not just about that out of this world phenomenon, but the whole love in general.

When I became aware of the world, that is, when I was about three years old, I can't recognize colors. Actually, all I've been seeing are black and white. I asked my brother about it, he said he was the same too.

When I entered pre-school, every child in my class also suffered the same condition, which was why our teacher did not teach us anything about colors.

Then when I entered grade school, my classmates started bragging about how much their world suddenly became full of colors when they meet this special someone they call soulmate.

I asked my mom about it.

She said it was normal. Most people would meet their soulmates as early as middle school. There are some who would meet their other half in high school. But when I asked her if dad was her soulmate, she would go silent and change the subject.

I found out about my rare condition when I was in middle school. My eyes got injured while I was playing basketball. I went to visit a doctor that summer.

He said I was colorblind.

In a world where seeing colors meant that you finally found your other half, how am I supposed to find mine?

I asked my mom that question.

I asked her, 'Mom, does that mean I will never find my soulmate'

I remember my mother gave me a smile and told me this.

'Even if you wouldn't be able to see colors when you meet her, you would know it is her. Because true colors are seen not with the eyes but with the heart, and so there is no color of happiness but black and white.'

I just looked at my mother back then, my eyes going blank as I stare at her. I still remember the words I told her –

"But soulmates don't exist," Sasuke said out loud before he looked at the white screen of the computer.

It's been seven months since he left Japan. The operation took a while and the recuperation will take more than that. The Doctors said the recuperation is the most crucial part. And for months Sasuke only heard Sakura's voice, they often call each other but not as often as Sakura would want it. Since both of them are in different timezones. When Sakura was just about to fall asleep, Sasuke had just woken up to start the day. He also asked not to video chat with her, he said he does not want to spoil himself with the sight of her yet. When he said he wanted to see her in person, and not just on the screen, Sakura was flustered, agreeing that they exchange calls instead.

Aside from constant calls, they also send each other voicemails. One of the reasons was the different in schedule. When Sasuke is free, Sakura is usually busy at school.

Time is such a cruel master, but sometimes it became so kind as to make a person feel like time would blur by so fast. The Summer is warm, autumn had gone by in a swoosh of yellow and dried leaves, winter is cold yet comforting and before both of them knew it, it's Spring once again.

"No! I can't be late!" Sakura said when she woke up, her alarm did not set and she slept for another thirty minutes. "And today is Sasuke-kun's return, I can't be late!"

They had agreed to meet with Sasuke in the airport, at eight in the morning. Naruto is already waiting outside with a taxi he booked earlier when Sakura came running out of the apartment complex.

"Sakura-chan, relax. So what if Sasuke waits for another hour?"

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura said just as she pulled the seatbelt and sat in the backseat.

A few months ago, she received Sasuke's letter via mail. A Christmas gift from him. It was a letter of how he initially felt about the thought of soulmate. Sakura had read it so many times she actually memorized each words.

But what she could not exactly get is the fact that the letter seemed incomplete. As if Sasuke still had something else to add at the end. But Sakura did not give it much thought, maybe it was just her overthinking stuff again. Sakura looked out the window. It feels as though the Cherry Blossoms were shedding its petals yesterday and now they are already in full bloom. The nostalgia Sakura felt after all those months whenever she sees the Cherry Blossom trees aligning the campus. The feeling of incompleteness every time she walks home from school, even though she is walking with Naruto and Shikamaru. Sakura was so engaged with her thoughts that she did not notice the surroundings.

"Hey Naruto, this is not the way to the airport," Sakura said, turning to Naruto and he flinched in surprise.

"Huh? What do you mean, we might have taken a shortcut you know," he said, chuckling a little bit forcefully and Sakura furrowed her brows before she turned to look out the window.

She saw the cherry blossom trees outside and a river before a cloth suddenly obscured her vision and Sakura yelled.

"Naruto, you idiot! What are you doing?!" Sakura asked but Naruto held her shoulders and kept her in place.

"Sakura-chan, just trust me," he said and Sakura felt the taxi halted.

Naruto knew if Sakura wanted to, she would have untied the cloth. But instead, she let Naruto led her out of the car. Naruto knew she might have already figured it out so she was not putting a fight.

After a while, Naruto stopped and so does Sakura.

The wind is lukewarm, not that hot or cold. Sakura thought she smelled some flowery fragrance wafting in the air and the pollen tickled her nose. From the lack of sight, Sakura's sense of hearing heightened and she heard some rustling on the grass. She felt Naruto behind her, untying the cloth.

As the cloth slid down, Sakura opened her eyes.

The scene before her was like a place from a fairy tale. Like a magical secret garden and there were even butterflies around.

She already knew something like this would happen from when Naruto told her to trust him. But that does not mean she can control her heart not to beat so fast. Her eyes sought the surrounding until they landed on the one person she longed to see.

"Sasuke-kun," she muttered his name like she could not believe he is standing there.

When Sasuke saw Naruto walking towards the garden earlier, his eyes went to the girl in front of him. And as Sasuke watched, his eyes never leaving Sakura, it felt as though time stood still. Like all the logical reasons were not enough to describe what he felt. The transient moment as she stood there with her eyes blindfolded. To Sasuke, it felt more than that ephemeral seconds ticking by.

The Cherry Blossom petals he saw earlier were put to shame as he looked at the color of her hair. He learned it was the color pink. A calming color that is associated with love and kindness like the girl who bear the hair color. Then as the cloth slid down and when Sakura slowly opened her eyes, Sasuke saw the most beautiful emerald orbs, her eyes that held so much wonder.

"Sakura, I'm home," he said and those simple words brought a smile to her face as she walked up to him.

"Welcome home, Sasuke-kun."

The synergy between the true colors of nature brought about the true color of happiness. When the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, when all the color of nature is mixed together to form a color that can never be overpowered by anything else, that is how a synergy is created. A synergy that made no sense to Sasuke before is something that made every bit of sense to him now.

Now, soulmates do exist.