A Spark of Happiness

Chapter 16 - Realization

"I had no other option but to help Kirby..." Ending his story, Taranza caressed his flower, tears falling on the ground as he remembered his first love. "I-I saw her die right in front of my eyes... And held on to that g-guilt for the last four years, k-knowing that if I hadn't given her that cursed mirror, she would be here, right by side..."

A gust of wind caused the flower to fly away, the poor spider tried to grab it, but it was to no avail. "It was all my fault. You have every right to hate me, I'm a worthless spider." His voice broke when he finished his last sentence, his hands shaking from telling her everything.

Seeing her friend breaking down in front of her caused Zan to frown, but instead of carefully comforting him, she made things her own way.

"SHUT UP!" That made him stop and look at her, but she couldn't prevent his tears from falling. "It hurts me so MUCH to see you like this! Forget everything I said last night, that wasn't me! That was the other girl, the one who thought everyone was against her, the girl no one loved..." 

The lightning mage looked to the side and continued. "When she decided it would be better if she gave her own life, you, among all the people, helped her- I mean, me!- Argh! Why is this so hard?!" She slapped her own face, which brought him even more confusion.

"The thing I want to say is: I'm only here talking to you because you helped me. You achieved something with me that tormented you for years! That was the point, right? You felt guilty that your former leader got corrupted... That also happened to me, I know how you feel." She grabbed two of his hands.

"But, if you managed to make me leave that state, I'm sure you can also leave it." Tears formed on her face as she recalled that fateful day, but she smiled anyway. "Don't judge the situation at first glance, you may find a chest made out of gold." 

As Taranza lowered his head, the girl made sure he looked at her. "Hey... You know who taught me this? You did, you're the reason my life got better. Sure, I may have not found my spark of happiness, but one step at a time." She sighed.

"You're the best thing that happened to me in years! Even if your feelings aren't two-sided; sorry about that; I still wanna continue with this friendship. Huh! I'm surprised someone fell in love with me. I know this doesn't compare to the love you've felt for your queen, but it's a sign showing that you can move on." The blonde girl wiped a tear from his face.

"So don't say stuff like that! You're not worthless! I'm sorry if I lost control. You don't need to forgive me now, but that's what I wanted to say..." 

The boy widened his eyes, sniffing as more tears fell. Zan panicked when she saw that he didn't stop crying. "HEY! I'm sorry, I should've kept my mouth shut. You know what? I'm leaving, I won't hurt you anymore..."

When the lightning mage let go of his hands, a hug prevented her from moving. "I-I..." She tried saying something, but she didn't know what could be her next move.

"T-thank you..." He had finally said something. "T-thank you so much..." 

At this point she also had a tearful face, she then sighed and hugged him back. "I thought I ruined everything. I promise I won't hurt you again." The boy sniffled and smiled. "You're forgiven." He hugged her tighter. "Good. Don't make me worried again, you mean a lot to me." 

The two hugged for what seemed like hours, they had found everything they wanted: an apology and a forgiveness. "But just to be clear, miss, I never said I loved you. A simple crush can easily disappear and I'm okay with that." Taranza ended the hug and crossed his 'arms', which made her chuckle.

"Okay, bowlcut." Zan playfully punched his 'shoulder' and put a hand on her hip, widening her eyes soon after. "I-I, is this nickname too offensive? I can change it." She nervously smiled and rubbed her hands, he then popped his tongue.