He was dozing lightly on a large, rounded rock that had been worn down with the passage of water and time. A patch of blue could just be made out overhead; the dark branches of the dense forest provided more than enough cover and protection.

It was quiet. The forest was alerted to his presence, but nothing within dared disturb his peace. A flutter and flitter of wings was heard every now and again; the gentle breeze rustled through the toppermost leaves of the rainforest.
All was green, all was warm. All was quiet, and waiting...expectantly.

After some time, the young man's eyes opened, revealing clear blue irises that reflected that small patch of sky. He ran a work-hardened hand through his already-tousled hair and slowly sat up. He stretched luxuriously, with some amount of almost feline grace. He closed his eyes and turned his face upward, feeling the faint rays of sunshine warm his skin.

There was a slight prickling in his sense; a presence was drawing near. He remained as he was.

"Hey, there..." a female voice broke the silence.

"Hey, yourself," he replied, without looking in her direction.

She cleared her throat nervously. That subtle spike in her emotions was telling, but he did not say anything.

The silence continued, as if it had never been broken. The woman watched the young man on the rock with sharp eyes used to weighing and appraising.

Though the time of day could not be guessed from so deep within the forest, the heat rising from the earth told of the approaching midday. The woman passed a hand over her forehead in discomfort, but her eyes never left the man on the rock.

His eyes finally met hers. "What is it?"

Her mouth opened slightly, but she snapped it shut. "Nothing."

He simply looked back at her. "Nothing?"

She moved from her safety zone next to a tree and drew nearer to him. "I just..."

"...what?"

She didn't reply; her eyes fastened themselves to the forest floor, looking for something just beyond sight.

"Hey."

She looked up.

"Do you need something?"

Once again, her mouth opened; once again, she snapped it shut.

"Do you need me?"

She shook her head with some heat.

A smile began in his eyes. "All right, then. Mind if I go back to napping?"

Uncertainty darted across her face and was gone as she reset her expression into firm, expressionless lines. "No, you go on, then. I'm sorry I...." She was almost to him at this point, but turned and began to walk away.

"Sorry for what?"

"I'm sorry I bothered you," she mumbled.

"You never bother me," he replied warmly, sliding off of the rock. "Where are you going?"

"Back."

He stood and stared at her for a long moment. She stared right back.

He walked towards her. She kept still, her eyes back on the ground.

"Do you want to talk?" he asked, very kindly.

"Is there still a chance?" she whispered, still not looking at him.

"A chance of what?" He was so near her now that she could feel his breath on her skin.

"You know...a chance...for..."

He took her hand. "You will always be my best friend," he told her, searching her face.

Something rather like anger flashed through her eyes, but oddly enough, it did not catch fire. She stared at his hand holding hers, tears stinging her eyes.

"What do you want me to do? I can't leave her now. Would that be right? Ask yourself...you should have asked yourself before you followed me here." He dropped her hand and stepped away from her, something hard flashing through and staying in his eyes.

"If you don't love her..." The words tumbled out before she could stop herself.

He looked at her.

She looked away again, silent tears sliding down her face.

"I have always loved you," he said softly, bitterly, "but you wouldn't let me in. I can try, and try---but you've always told me that I can't save everyone. So..."

"You tried to save me." It came out too sharp and too---vulnerable.

"You were already saved. You didn't need me. I tried to save myself...and that was the one person I couldn't save. But if I could mean one thing to one person...how could I take that away from her? It's not her fault that she is who she is. She was trying to save others---and nearly died for it." He allowed himself a brief moment. "The cycle perpetuates itself: we cannot save ourselves, but we can help one another...but you chose not to help me."

She opened her mouth yet again; snapping it open, she yelled, "I chose no such thing!"

"Ah, but don't you see? Choosing to do nothing is still choosing to do something..." He closed his eyes and tilted his face to that piece of sky. When he realized that he had come too far under the branches for it to be seen, he looked back at the woman again.

"I will go on loving you, for all of eternity," he said quietly. "And maybe that will be good for you---to know that my love will surround you wherever you go. But I care about her too---and I can't choose you now, not when she needs me most---just because you finally decided to let me in."

She was breathing heavily, emotionally winded by the exchange.

"You are the most selfish person I have ever met," she snarled. "You'll never love her---and I'm sure she knows it!"

"And you are the most selfish person I've ever met," he replied, still quietly. "You would order the lives of others around to suit your own timetable. I gave you ten years---and that wasn't long enough. I gave you my heart, and that would never be enough. I gave you my life, and you tried to take it."

She was crying again, eyes wide with horror.

"So I will go on loving you anyway, because I can't help who I am. I hope you'll be happy...but let go of the pride...please..." His eyes began to burn. "If you could do one thing for me....let it go. Then you'll have reached your hand out to me after all...you'll have saved me..."

He started to pass her, but stopped to touch her hand one last time. Her heart broke at the sight of his wedding ring.

"Goodbye, Mara."