A messy brawl started between the two on the ground, and before it could get even worse, I rushed in, along with a few others, to end the fight.
"Stop it!" I cried, as I caught Hailee's fists that were heading towards Lucy's face.
"Let me go!" Lucy hissed, while being restrained by Phoebe and Bowie.
"No!" Phoebe yelled in response. "You both need to calm down!"
I, and the others who were trying to hold her back, failed at our jobs and somehow let Hailee get past us. Due to this failure, she was able to attempt one more heavy punch. Lucy dodged it, escaped her restraints as well, and attempted a heavy punch of her own. Except hers actually landed. A flurry of attacks started to come from both of them, and I knew I had to take matters into my own hands before things escalated even more.
I learned after a while that all of my powers, except being immortal, could only be used if I was physically touching the Cursed Sword. Even the only power I didn't need a stone for, which was my high cursed ki level, was only present when I physically had the Cursed Sword in my possession.
I had left the sword in my hut. So, I extended my arm out, let it fly into my hand, and blasted both Hailee and Lucy away from each other.
"I'm not watching you guys hurt each other anymore!" I said, defiantly. "We're all supposed to be cool with each other. Not fighting with each other."
I started to divert my eyes towards Lucy more, and felt anger start to well up inside of me. I was already more on Hailee's side considering I had known her longer, and that combined with the fact that Lucy said something so horrible to her, infuriated me.
"Lucy, you owe Hailee an apology."
"For what-"
"What you said was wrong. Very, very wrong. Doesn't matter if you were right or not. You shouldn't have said that. You know what Hailee's going through right now."
"...fine," she pouted, while staring at the ground. "I'm sorry, or whatever."
"You can't just mumble it," I ordered. "And you have to say it while actually looking at her-"
"Okay okay!" she interjected. She walked up in front of Hailee, and looked her dead in the face with an expression that said, "I regret everything."
"I'm...really sorry, Hailee..."
"...well...I don't forgive you," Hailee replied.
"Hailee, wait," I said, as she shoved past Lucy, and walked away quickly. I gave Lucy one more stern glare, and then went after Hailee.
...
"Hailee, please stop running!" I cried.
"Why don't you just use your powers to catch up to me, and force me to stop?" Hailee said. "I mean, I'm just some weakling, right? Shouldn't be hard for you to do."
"What good would it do if I forced you into talking to me? I completely understand why you're upset, but please, let's just talk this out."
"What's there to talk about?!" Hailee screamed as she finally stopped running, and swiftly swung her body back to my direction. Her face was completely covered with tears.
"Someone who's supposed to be working with us, not against us, just called me weak, and said that Alex dying doesn't make me strong as if me wanting to fight for his sake doesn't give me strength."
"What Lucy said was messed up, and I'm mad at her too. Trust me. But you also have to realize that she, Phoebe, and probably every other person here has most likely experienced some type of loss. I think she said what she said because she felt like you thought you were the only one who's experienced something tragic. What she was probably trying to say is that you're not the only one who has something to fight for."
"How do you know? Not like you're in her head."
"I know, but, I can just feel it," I replied. "I can tell she's not a bad person. She's just...bad with words, I guess."
I noticed that Hailee stopped talking. She was just staring at the ground with a teary-eyed, angry expression.
"What's wrong-"
Right before I could finish what I was saying, she cut me off with a sudden attack, brought me to the ground, and pinned me down with her on top.
"Why won't you just give me powers already, you idiot?!" she sobbed, as she pounded on my chest.
"Hailee, stop!"
"Not until you give me a good reason why you won't do this for me!"
"It's too dangerous!"
"So?! You've never cared about Alex's safety, or mine! You don't care about me at all!"
"That's not true!"
"Why should I believe that you care about me?!"
"Because I had a crush on you!" I bellowed.
"What...?" Hailee said, as her expression instantly shifted to a surprised one.
Why did you say that?! I screamed in my head.
Wow, End started. So, as soon as your best friend Alex is out of the picture, you try to swoop in. You might be more evil than me.
That's not my intention. I'd never do that to Alex. I didn't even mean to say it. It just...came out.
Still pinning my arms down on top of me, Hailee was completely silent.
"Hailee...can you get off of me now?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I don't know..."
"That's not really a good answer-"
"What do you mean you had a crush on me?!"
"I mean exactly what I said."
"When did you get over it?"
"Five weeks ago."
"Wait, that's when-"
"Yup. When you and Alex became official."
She finally rolled off of me, and stood up. I followed her lead, and got up as well. It was easy to tell that looking at me was difficult for her at that moment. Not that I could blame her with the information I just dropped onto her.
"W-Why did you tell me this?"
"Hailee," I started. "You're my best friend. You have been for as long as I can remember. But, you've also been the girl I romantically liked the most for a while. Now, I don't feel that way about you anymore, but I wanted to tell you to show how much I care about you. I would literally die for you, Hailee."
"I know I should've sent you guys back home way before, and I'm sorry. I just liked having you guys here with me. I also got cocky and thought I could easily protect you guys with my newfound powers. Obviously, that isn't true. In my current state, I need to be protected just as much as everyone else right now. Which is why I must get stronger."
"That's not fair, Ezra," she said.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm supposed to be mad at you, and then you say...that..."
"I completely get why you're mad at me, and wouldn't blame you if you still were months from now. But, if you somehow can, please forgive me-"
To my surprise, Hailee quickly went towards me, and wrapped me in a tight, warm embrace.
"It wasn't your fault that Alex died, Ezra. I just needed someone to blame, and I'm so sorry for that."
"No, it was..." I replied, while returning her embrace with my own. "I could've prevented it."
"How were you supposed to know they were going to seal you, and that the sword would be up for grabs after? I shouldn't have put all the blame on you. That was completely unfair. It's just..."
She started to choke up on her words, and tears began gushing out of her eyes like a raging waterfall.
"I miss him...so...much..."
"I miss him too..." I sighed, as I held her tighter. "And by the way, you are not weak. Screw what Lucy said. The fact that you still have motivation to fight after everything that's happened is proof enough that you're a very strong person."
"Thank you, Ezra," she cried. "I needed to hear that. I completely understand if you still are wary about giving me powers, though."
"No, I've changed my mind," I said. "I can't let what happened to Alex prevent me from giving you the power boost you deserve."
"So, are you saying..."
"Yes," I smiled. "After Phoebe, it'll be your turn to get a power boost."