Smoke and Mirrors

Summary: Funny thing soulmates, you would think fate would bring them together and keep them there forever. Well, you're wrong.

For the OTP Prompts Weekly Elimination Battle Competition: Round 2.

Minor Spoiler Warning! Due to the nature of this AU I have taken away the Persona aspect, along with the Phantom Thieves, but this fic still contains spoilers if you squint. So if you don't want anything spoiled for you don't read.

Ann stared at the first-year student in front of her, specifically at the design that was painting itself along his right cheekbone: it started with a light gold stem, with pale blonde thorns sprouting out from it as the soul mark appeared on him. Her soulmate.

She could feel her own soul mark developing on the right-side of her neck. It felt just like what she had been told to expect, a thin prickling, almost like when her leg fell asleep, but probably less shocking when she moved - she had collapsed a few times when her leg fell asleep on her before, especially during her modeling gigs. Not that she was moving, her eyes glued to the shocked face of the student in front of her, just one year below her. The face was quickly twisting into one of disgust, and for that last second of silence she was confused as to why.

"You're suppose to be my soulmate?" Anybody in the hall that hadn't been staring at the two of them up until now had just turned their head. She could feel everyone's eyes on her. "The jail bait bitch of Shujin Academy?"

She was finally able to avert her eyes, even though she knew it would only be seen as guilt for the 'crimes' she never committed. But really? Jail bait bitch? That was one she hadn't heard before, and it had just come from her supposed soulmate. Weren't soulmates suppose to bridge the gap of any issues people had with other relationships before meeting their soulmate? Not that she had actually done much dating in reality. The entire school body thought she did, so much that it was tampering with the one bid for happiness she had left.

It was next to impossible to make any real relationships with anybody when everyone thought you were dating multiple men. Not to mention supposedly dating a teacher, and it didn't help that Kamoshida hit on her; he was the reason half these rumors existed in the first place.

That and her unique looks, between the two of them she was largely ignored by the student body. Except for some juicy gossip. Some of which had clearly been heard by the boy in front of her. It had only taken two and a half months since school started to make quite the impression on him.

"I can't believe this. I guess you're a cougar on top of being a gerbil. You'll fuck anything that's legal."

That's not true.

She wanted to say it, but the words got stuck in her throat. It's not like he would believe her anyway, and if she did say it what was going to stop some other kid from stepping in and saying they had 'proof?' Some crappy photo-shopped image of her with Kamoshida, or an actual photo taken when she was waiting for the train, claiming that she was dating the guy standing on her right - or left, like it mattered.

She swallowed down the words, lips reflexively twisting into a thin line. A 'resting bitch face' that would be expected of her. Ann clasped her hands in front of her and bent forward - a mocking bow. "Sorry about this mishap. But you're really not my type."

With that she straightened back up, shooting a glare at the kid - one that held all her anger and conveyed it properly, not to mention how hurt she was over this - before turning on her heel and walking down the hall, heading towards the farthest staircase that would lead to the ground floor. She did all of this while holding back tears.

Once she was on the first floor she disappeared into the bathroom just off to the right of the stairs. She wanted to be alone, she'll admit that. Anyone would want to be after going through something so humiliating, and having to act like she was the person they depicted her as. Some 'self-righteous bitch.'

But she was also curious about the mark that had appeared on her skin. A soul mark was suppose to represent one's true inner self, not their mates; though there was always a clear connection between the two marks.

Ann twisted her head, the tips of her fingers brushing along the bottom of the red rose that had appeared on her neck. There was a gradual change from the soft silk of a flower to a raging fire petal depicted there. At the tips a thin trail of pink smoke went up for a few more inches before the mark stopped.

It was larger than his, but it wasn't on her face. So she could just cover it up with a scarf during school. It was the only consolation she had really; that he would have a hard time hiding the soul mark she had given him by meeting his gaze. He would have to use makeup.

She sighed, not able to laugh at the image that appeared in her head at that thought. If only she could skip the next few days of school without more rumors cropping up.

~ Y ~

A splash of color here, a thick dark line there. Yusuke picked up another brush from his pallet, going for a wide stroke before his brows pinched together. Hmm, he was running out of the color he needed, and it wouldn't look as good if he continued before making more by combining a few other jars.

He set the brush down just as the door to his atelier swung open. A girl stood in the doorway, hands curled into fists. "What is taking so long?" she demanded, stepping into the room, hands on her hips. "You said we could go somewhere days ago, Yusuke! How is it that your stupid painting there is more important than spending time with me? I'm your soulmate, dammit!"

Well, he was happy that he hadn't been painting right when she came in. He had to scrap his last painting because of it. The image had just been ruined. This was his second attempt.

"I told you I have a deadline coming up. I need to get this finished before then." Yusuke grabbed the jars he needed on his right, because of this he wasn't looking at her. Which meant-

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

"Ishiko, I need to finish this in two days. Please, put your selfish desires to the side for once."

"My selfish desires?" Her voice seemed to raise by much more than a few octaves. "Do you hear yourself?"

He sighed softly. "Yes. I'm sorry."

An audible harumph came from the door. "You always say that, but nothing ever changes. The fact that we're suppose to be soulmates flies right over your head, doesn't it? You've continued to care about your work first ever since I found you! And you don't care to change!"

"All I ask for is two days-"

"No! I'm sick of this and how you treat me! I'm leaving!"

The door slammed shut a moment later, leaving Yusuke to stare at the jars of paint he had collected. How I treat her? How did that add into this? He hadn't done anything to her, he had never abused her or anything like that. So what was with her? ...was she serious about leaving?

Her voice echoed through the house when she made her departure, "Good bye, Madarame. Don't expect to see me again. I'm utterly sick of your son!"

Ah, so his father figure had come home just in time to be greeted like that.

Even so he still had to finish this. Yusuke put a few drops from each jar he had picked up into the circular indent, swirling it around with the brush. He could hear foot steps before the door opened: Madarame checking on his progress.

"You shouldn't be concerned with women anyway. She was just going to drag you down, that soulmate business is nonsense."

The footsteps faded away moments later, and Yusuke set his brush down.

He couldn't do this right now. It was impossible for him to concentrate at this point. He inhaled the scent of paint all around him, closing his eyes a second later as he felt a headache coming on.

I need to get some fresh air.

~ A ~

Her feet pounded into the concrete with each step, she imagined cracks splintered out along it's surface. It felt like her blood was boiling after overhearing what some of the students were already saying behind her back because of that fiasco in the hallway. They called her the bitch when it was him who was the asshole! He was the one who cursed at her and called her those despicable things! And yet she was the one they were saying horrible things about?

What the hell was wrong with them!?

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she snatched it up, glancing at the screen, hoping it was Shiho but the name that graced her screen was Douchebag. With a scowl she clicked the message open, gaze quickly scanning over the words before narrowing.

I just heard what happened at school. Want to come to my place?

The nerve of him!

She snapped her phone shut, shoving it back into her pocket as she took off down the sidewalk at an increased speed.

Kamoshida really thought she would sleep with him of all things just because she was pissed off and upset at her soulmate? What a fucking perverted creep! What sort of guy did that, anyways? The desperate kind. She was pretty sure the reason Kamoshida was interested in girls her age was because he couldn't get a date with someone his own age because he was so immature! Talk about thinking with one's lower head. Did he have any blood in his brain? Or was it always in his penis!?

"Fucking asshole," she snapped into the air, not caring if some bystander heard her as she walked, dressed in her school uniform.

She kept going for quite awhile, taking all kinds of twists and turns, before she was snapped out of her anger induced haze. The road was no longer surrounded by stores and restaurants, with a convenience store at every corner. She was in a residential district, and there was someone walking behind her.

With a quick glance around she surmised that there weren't a lot of people about, there certainly wasn't any crowds for her to duck into. Just some child walking a pet further ahead across the street.

It didn't really give her much of a choice.

Ann stopped in place, spinning around to face the person a few yards behind her. "Why are you following me?" It was a boy, around her age, with dark blue hair. He was staring back at her, looking a little stunned by her sudden change of direction, but her eyes had bee drawn to his left cheek. Where a white fox resided, strips of red in its finely detailed fur.

She relaxed with a sigh. No one with a soulmate could be doing anything mischievous. Her imagination must have gotten the better of her after everything that had happened.

Ann looked back towards the guy that was still staring at her, she slapped a hand over her own soul mark, immediately wanting to hide it from his intense gaze."What are you looking at?" she snapped, nearly biting her tongue in the process.

"A goddess."

She blinked, not expecting that sort of response. It was certainly direct, but there wasn't any hostility in his voice, just awe. "You're weird." She let her hand drop. Well, he had already seen her mark. So she guessed there wasn't really any reason to be hiding it. Even if all it did was remind her of what had happened earlier. "Where are we?"

"You don't know where you are?"

She frowned, crossing her arms beneath her chest. "I got lost, okay? I was looking for a store to buy a scarf to hide this-" She waved at the right side of her neck to indicate the soul mark. "Thing."

The boy tipped his head to the side. "Why? It's beautiful."

She nearly rolled her eyes. "Because my soulmate is a stupid prick."

He went silent for a bit, looking at the concrete below before meeting her gaze again. "I know a few shops that might interest you. I could also help you get to the nearest station if you want."

Her shoulders nearly sagged at the sudden emptiness in his words. Was he having soulmate problems to? He must if that's how he responded to her announcing her own like that. She should know better. No one was interested in her problems, and blurting them to a random stranger that had their own problems wasn't going to help hers in the least. "I would really appreciate that. Thank you."

"My name's Yusuke Kitagawa." He reached out a hand.

She took it. "Ann Takamaki."

prompt: Soulmate AU - Imagine your OTP getting together after both being rejected by their soulmates.

Please have a look at the poll on my profile for Persona 5 pairings and vote for what you want to see.