You Belong To Me

5.Will Met Aru

In the dance of fate, two hearts entwined,
Soulmates found in friendship's bind.

Flashback Of Fifteenth Years Ago

As he wandered through the verdant expanse of the park, a palpable aura of desolation enveloped him, its tendrils weaving through the fabric of his soul with haunting familiarity. Settling upon a weathered bench, worn by the passage of time and the weight of countless stories, he surrendered to the profound weight of solitude. Tears traced silent rivulets down his pallid cheeks, each droplet a testament to the ache that gnawed at his heart. The symphony of nature provided a poignant backdrop to his inner turmoil, the rustle of leaves and the gentle murmur of a nearby brook echoing the tumult within.

Suddenly, a gentle caress seized his left hand, rousing him from the depths of his melancholic reverie. His gaze alighted upon a vision of innocence incarnate, a diminutive figure whose presence elicited an unexpected tremor within the recesses of his being.

"Why the tears?" inquired the child, her voice a melodic cadence that belied her tender years.

"Men do not weep," he murmured, his gaze averted in a futile attempt to shield his vulnerability from her penetrating stare.

"Falsehood," she countered, her tone imbued with unwavering resolve. "Tears are but the outward manifestation of one's emotional depth."

"Why do you weep?" she persisted, her gaze unyielding in its earnest curiosity.

"Accept this," she offered, extending a crimson teddy bear with a winsome smile that thawed the frost encasing his heart.

"Why bestow this upon me?" he queried, his disbelief tinged with a hint of wonder. Her sudden appearance, coupled with the tender gesture, left him spellbound, his heart stirred by a kindness hitherto unknown.

"For you are my ally," she declared, her smile an ethereal beacon of compassion amidst the shadows of his desolation.

"Ally?" he echoed, his skepticism momentarily eclipsed by the radiance of her unwavering resolve.

"Indeed. Today marks the genesis of our friendship," she proclaimed, enfolding him in an embrace that transcended the bounds of time and circumstance. In that fleeting moment, he tasted the sweetness of companionship, a balm to soothe the ache of loneliness that had long plagued his weary soul.

"And what moniker do you bear?" she inquired, her eyes aglow with childlike curiosity.

"Will," he replied, his voice a mere whisper against the backdrop of her effervescent spirit.

"Aru, at your service. Henceforth, Aru and Will stand as steadfast comrades," she declared, her laughter a symphony of joy that reverberated through the caverns of his fractured heart. Overwhelmed by a gratitude too profound for words, he embraced this newfound alliance with a fervor born of desperate longing, for in Aru's presence, he glimpsed the promise of redemption.

"Why the tears?" she persisted, her concern a beacon of solace amidst the encroaching darkness.

"Must I divulge?" he countered, his reluctance tempered by the gentle insistence of her gaze.

"Indeed. True friends withhold no secrets," she asserted, her lips curved in a playful pout that belied the gravity of her words.