"If you've hidden all this from me, what else can you be hiding?" She said, turning on her back and running her hands through the black strands of her hair. "I don't know... I think I'd better listen to my parents, we'd better break up."
Klaus stared at Ashley, his heart heavy. He knew there was no excuse for what he had done. She was absolutely right to feel hurt.
"I understand, Ash..." he murmured, his voice full of sadness and regret. "You have every right to feel that way. I did the wrong thing, and I can't ask you to accept that. You deserve someone you can trust completely."
Klaus' words hung in the air like a bitter echo, but he couldn't argue. He had hidden a secret that was a significant part of his life, and that had consequences. He took a step closer to her, but didn't touch her, respecting the space she clearly needed.
Ashley wiped away a solitary tear that ran down her cheek and forced a sad smile. "Don't think I won't miss us, Klaus. The moments we shared. But right now, I need some space to make sense of it all."
Klaus nodded, swallowing back the pain of the impending separation. He knew he couldn't change what he had done, nor could he regret it.
"I just want you to be happy, Ashley," he said at last. "Even if it's not with me."
Ashley nodded, her green eyes still moist with tears. "You deserve happiness too, Klaus. Maybe one day, when the wounds have healed, we can be friends."
"I just want you to know that I never meant to hurt you..." said Klaus with a heavy sigh. "You mean a lot to me, and that makes it all the more painful that I've kept all this from you."
Ashley looked at him, her eyes full of tears. "I know... And I appreciate your honesty now, even if it took a while for it to happen."
Klaus moved closer and took her hands in his, making her look at him. That way, looking into her eyes, he said:
"I thank you for everything you've done for me, Ash. I'll give it time, and if you ever decide we can be friends again, you know where to find me... In the midst of the stress of starting the Special Program, meeting you was what put my heart at ease."
Then Klaus leaned over and gently kissed Ashley's forehead. There was no anger between them, only sadness at the loss of what they had and the uncertainty of the future.
Soon, they hugged one last time, with tears in their eyes, and went their separate ways.
Klaus returned to the van that would take him back to the hotel and, as he looked out of the window, he knew that he was entering a new chapter in his life. Life as a Kaizen would continue, but now he had a different perspective, a lesson learned the hard way: the importance of honesty and trust.
As for Ashley, she stood on the pier for a while, looking out at the dark ocean, but Klaus recognized her parents' car right next to the pier from when he arrived, so he wasn't worried. Her family was there to support her, although the cold night wind was enough to carry away her tears and sadness, leaving her with a feeling of emptiness, but also relief.
As the stars began to dot the night sky, Ashley sighed deeply, looking to the future with a mixture of hope and apprehension.
Life would go on, and perhaps, one day, she would find happiness again in Klaus' arms, learning to forgive him so that they could be friends again.
*
At the hotel, Klaus received a warm welcome from the crowd of journalists and fans, which he hadn't expected.
The flashes of the cameras and the screams of the fans hit him immediately. It was a vivid contrast to the moment he had just shared with Ashley on the pier, which comforted his heart, as he hadn't in a million years expected such a reaction for having confessed to being a coward in the World Cup final. However, those people weren't there because of his past, but because of his present, because he was Kaizen, the strongest non-evolved.
That remarkable night on the pier would be difficult to get over, but Klaus was a little relieved that everything had ended peacefully with Ashley. He'd had other break-ups that hadn't been very good.
Finally, after a few minutes, he managed to escape the crowd and enter the hotel lobby, where he found his family waiting for him.
Ard Park, on seeing his brother, with his legs so small, ran to hug him. "Klaussss! You were amazing in the tournament! You did PUFT with the bow and PAMM when you hit that wolf that was running so fast!"
ραndαsΝοvεl ƈοm Michael and Chun Park, his parents, looked proudly at Klaus. Michael walked over and put his hand on his shoulder.
"You really kicked ass, son. We're all very proud of you."
Chun Park stepped forward and hugged Klaus. "You'll always be our champion, no matter what."
Klaus smiled, appreciating his family's support. He crouched down to stand at Ard Park's height, laughing.
"Little ninja, thanks for cheering me on. Did you enjoy it?"
"Yes, very much! I want to start learning to use a bow and arrow right now! You promised you'd teach me!"
"Son, your brother must be very tired. Why don't you ask him when we get home from our trip?" Chun suggested.
"Ah, but Mom..."
"I'm fine, Mom. I'm not that tired. Don't forget that I've worked much longer shifts than this in those Chinese restaurants in China Town." Klaus replied, jokingly.
"China Town? You've worked there too? Hmm... Now that explains why there was always Chinese food in the fridge." Michael replied, putting a hand to his chin.
...
Edited by: DrHitsuji
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