They grew up in the village together. Prota would see her around all the time while going on errands, getting supplies for the hospital. She helped out as well, bringing the patients fresh fruits from her father’s garden and jewelry that she made herself from shells and pearls she found on the beach. 

She loved the beach. Everytime she invited Prota to go with her to collect jewels, he was thrilled. They’d go swimming together. It was a nice respite from the horrors of the hospital. He could forget about all the Lost and nearly Lost. For a moment, on the beach, alone with her, away from the overly crowded town, they could pretend that everything was beautiful. He could watch how the water made the sunlight glisten on her bronze skin… how the sun created a halo of white light around her pale golden hair. He remembered how she laughed on those days… full of mirth, without restraints. He remembered the way she teased him. He couldn’t swim as well as her, so she gave him some pointers. Her slender, toned body looked so beautiful in her orange bikini. He told her she looked good in orange, and she kept wearing it ever since.

It was a while into their journey, in the legendary EverGlow Forest, that she confessed her feelings for him. Tiki had always dreamed of seeing that forest, with its lake that glowed with the light of thousands of water fairies. Prota and Tiki sat in a tree at night and watched as the orbs of light emerged from the dark water and lit up the night. It was breathtaking. Tiki was mesmerized by it, and Prota was mesmerized by her. The girl was so happy that she grabbed Prota’s face and pulled him in for a kiss. It was more passionate than Prota expected. Her lips were so soft and she was such a good kisser. He so desperately wanted to take her into his arms and give into his desires. He wanted to kiss her back with all he had, to grab hold of her face and let his tongue explore her mouth. He wanted to lay her down on the thick tree branch and press himself firmly against her warm, soft body. 

But he couldn’t.

He pushed her away, despite his longing, despite how sad it made him. He was in love with her. Absolutely in love with her. He would’ve wanted nothing more than to have her… to be hers. But there was more to it than that.

He was sick. His chronic heart condition caused him more pain than Tiki had known. With his medical knowledge, Prota knew the truth. He was practically a Lost. If he wasn’t immortal… these heart attacks would have killed him by now. He knew that, once their mission was over, and mortality was restored to the world… He’d be taken away from her. He knew he didn’t have long to live. But he’d long since come to terms with this. He would welcome death with open arms if it meant his suffering would be over. He could finally be at peace.

He couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth. “I’m sorry,” he said, somberly, as he gently pushed her away. “I don’t…” he swallowed, struggling to get the lie out of his throat, “think of you that way.”

All of the heat left her body. She was frozen for a moment. “...Oh,” she said.

It was a poor excuse for a lie. Surely she would’ve noticed the way his face warmed up, his lips relaxed, and his heart pounded in response to her kiss. Surely she knew how he really felt. But she accepted his decision, no questions asked.

“Okay,” she said, with a shrug of her shoulders, in a taciturn manner, unusual for her.

“You mean a lot to me,” Prota added, trying to patch things up. “It’s just…” He wasn’t sure what to say.

“I understand,” Tiki said, when Prota didn’t expect it. “It’s hard… This world we live in.”

Reflections of green lights from the lake glowed in Prota’s upturned eyes, as he opened them wide.

“When we’re surrounded by so much sorrow and despair,” Tiki said, her hands clenching the tree branch at her sides, “it’s hard to be happy. How can we be happy in a plague-ridden land? How can we let ourselves be happy when everyone else is suffering? I understand… We don’t have time for frivolities. It’s important that we put our mission first.”

She wanted to hold his hand, and he wanted to hold hers.

“You mentioned to me before that you feel half alive a lot of the time,” Tiki reminisced, “and frankly… I feel the same. But with you, I feel like…” she looked at him and forced a smile onto her face, “well, I feel a bit more alive! I’m happy to have you as a friend.”

Prota fought back the tears forming in his eyes.