Spark in Darkness: Unworldy encounter/Prototype

Spark 29: The two who make up the Mark (II)

Coughing from the dust, Haruki opened his eyes. Other than a few cuts, he was pretty much unscathed. However, it was pitch black all around him, and he hit his head against something hard when he tried to stand straight.

"Ouch!" Letting out a whine, Haruki decided to use his Light to see what had happened. 

He saw that he was trapped under some huge rock slabs that had fallen in a way which supported each other and created a space around Haruki and Rinya.

Isn't this a really cliche setting for a guy and a girl to hang out in fantasy stories? Haruki thought.

"Rinya, you okay?" Haruki looked down to see Rinya lying down, coughing too.

"I think so...there's so much dust here though..." Rinya spluttered.

"Well, can't be helped, that bitch went crazy and destroyed the whole building, I guess." Haruki shrugged.

"You tried to protect me from the debris, right? Thanks!" Rinya gave a small smile.

"Err...no problem..." Haruki scratched his cheek awkwardly as he looked away. Despite the dust on her face and her slightly dirty hair, Rinya still looked lovely. He definitely did not want Rinya see him blushing.

Speaking of which, Haruki decided to apologise. He bent over and placed his head down on the floor, his hands on either side of his head.

"I'm terribly sorry!"

"Eh? What for?" Rinya was taken aback.

"Well...about the illusion that woman named Vivian showed me..." Haruki muttered.

"O-oh! About that...it's okay, I guess...it's weird when you think about a guy fantasizing about you...I don't know if I should feel happy about it or not..." Haruki could not see what was Rinya's expression, but judging from the tone of her voice she was pretty uncomfortable herself.

"I wasn't fantasizing! And it's not about that...it's about the reason for seeing you in the illusion...well it wasn't exactly because you were kind. In the illusion you didn't have the Mark of Balance...that was what made me realise the whole thing was a fake...but it was also because my heart skipped a beat when I saw you for the first time..." Haruki himself just wanted his head to be buried under the ground due to the sheer embarrassment he felt as he said all these words, but he had the feeling if he did not say everything out honestly now, he would have to bear the guilt of lying to Rinya.

"Even when I tried to kill you?" Rinya asked, her voice trembling.

"Yep," Haruki nodded truthfully.

To his surprise, instead of getting angry, Rinya giggled. Haruki looked up to see Rinya stifling a laughter as she sat in front of him.

"What's so funny?" Haruki asked, confused.

"Nah, it's nothing. Just thinking you being honest can be pretty funny. Here we are, a Nayshard and a Spark, but you're being so honest to your enemy on a war front with your neck exposed. You're a weird one, really."

"Please don't repeat what you said the previous time we met. It only aggravates the pain I feel." Haruki said half-jokingly. "It's because I don't see you as an opponent. Like I said, I think you're a kind girl. That time, after I got that gem out of you, you took care for me for a while. You thanked me for helping you just now too, didn't you? If I have to say, you're the weird one. I haven't seen a Nayshard so nice, truthfully." Haruki argued.

Hearing those words, Rinya's face darkened and she fell silent.

Did I just step on a landmine...ah, I don't get girls at all...