Picking yourself back up after a crushing revelation was never easy. Sig knew that all too well.

There were days where he didn't even want to look at his red arm. For the most part, he had gotten used to it. It was just that weird thing that happened someday, but it didn't hurt at least.

Yet from time to time, it all came back to him.

Their words echoed in his mind.

''Eww! What happened to you?''

''You are a freak, get away from me!''

''Don't come near me! Maybe it's contagious!''

Those he called friends for so long, all of them rejected him on that fateful day when his left arm and eye turned all weird and red.

He still remembered how lost and alone he felt. All of the sudden, nobody was by his side.

Thankfully, that loneliness didn't last long, as he soon found herself in Ms. Accord's class. The resident blonde sweetheart Amitie was quick to give him a firm place in the classroom's dynamic and even outside of it, he got to make friends. Be it the constant prince on the run Salde, comet warlock Lemres, Suzaran's prime bookworm Ringo or the girl from another world, Arle Nadja.

And for some time, things seemed well! Klug acting weird and turning red, a tournament, meeting people from other worlds, all kinds of adventures to experience with his newfound circle of friends.

Every once in a while though, Sig would stay behind or miss out on when Arle, Amitie and Ringo went on adventures on their own. For the most part, he just told himself they could handle themselves and tried to not think much of it. Even then though he couldn't stop thinking about what if at times.

That's when he decided to talk to one of them about it, tell them how much they mean to him.

That's when he heard Arle say it.

''Sorry Sig, I always saw you as a friend's friend. We never were all that close.''

Despite feeling as if a sledgehammer pounded his heart, Sig nodded and left the scene, no tears shed and no further arguments made.

Still, it felt so hard to accept. If he was just clinging onto Arle like that, what is to say his relationships with everyone else were any different? No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he tried to see things positively, the usually stoic boy was constantly haunted by those thoughts.

After way too many weeks of thinking of it, Sig said his goodbyes to Amitie and left Primp Town.

Where would he go?

He didn't even know.

All he knew was that he needed to create distance between himself and what once was.

Several months have passed since then.

Sig wandered and wandered, no particular goal in mind. Just go wherever the wind would take him.

Of course, shaking off the past didn't come easy. Even now it felt like he could sometimes hear the voices of everyone he once called friends, as if they were carried by the wind, blowing through the grass.

''You okay?''

A voice behind him spoke up, noticing he was spacing out.

''I'm fine Marvett. Just had a moment again.'' He responded matter of factly.

''You can talk about it if you want, y'know.'' She tried to assure him, not like they haven't been through this before.

Sig felt himself warm up as her hand touched his shoulder in a comforting fashion. It was a feeling you could very well get used to for sure.

''Thanks, but it's nothing too bad.''

''Glad to hear that. How about we take a break and nap over th-..! Argh!'' The girl was startled by a spirit leaving the pen she used to point at the nearby tree.

''No-no Rabbi, I wasn't implying I was gonna nap too! We got a novel to finally finish!'' She tried to, not so convincingly, argue to the stern looking rabbit spirit. Rabbisuke for his part seemed less than convinced.

A small argument broke out between the two, with Marvett nervously trying to defend herself, while Rabbisuke, in a way only the girl he was bound to could understand, chewed her out for putting off her work.

While this was happening, Sig found himself drawn to the sound of someone giggling. A certain pink-haired sword fighter, carrying a smaller girl, largely clothed in green in her arms.

''Thehehe~ A certain someone certainly could use the nap!'' Hilda looked the girl in her arms in the eyes, not even trying to be subtle about who she meant.

''I'm not tired -Yawn-. I got a whole two hours of sleep last night.'' Dalida argued.

''A new record…'' Marvett snarked from the side before going back to arguing with her literal spirit animal.

Dalida didn't seem to pay it much mind. Then again, she didn't seem like she was still among the waking.

''I know you want to rea-ahahaha~ research why Puyos pop when connected, but this is unhealthy.'' Hilda went for the more affectionate argument and she really did mean it.

The smaller girl did seem to consider for a brief bit, maybe she could do with a little bit more energy. Smirking, she thought of the best excuse she could think of.

''Sure, but who would carry me then?'' She did really enjoy it and even got a refreshingly not curse-induced giggle out of Hilda with her cheesy line.

From one moment to another, she found herself passed into Sig's arms instead. Surprised, but not enjoying it any less.

''I'll carry you over.'' Was all he said and Dalida was happy to go along with it.

It wasn't exactly much of an argument from him, but it was charming in his well meaning, simple way.

The four of them settled down next to the tree, with Sig sitting down in the middle, while Hilda and Marvett each took a spot next to his left and right. Dalida meanwhile was let down right in front of Sig. The back of her head resting on his chest like a comfortable pillow. She embraced the cuddled up position and the feeling of Sig's arms wrapped around her, allowing the boy to cuddle her into her sleep.

And so, the four of them remained.

Dalida sound asleep cuddled into Sig.

Hilda leaning back against the tree and enjoying the feel of the wind in her face.

Marvett writing on her notebook, hoping to get the novel done soon.

And Sig, with Dalida in his arms, stared into the sky.

At this point he had forgotten how long it had been since he wandered away from Primp. He certainly still thought of it a lot.

Much has happened, the good, the bad, the crushing revelations. Heck, even now, it still felt like he could see Arle's face in the clouds.

Many people have left him through his still young life and it felt like said life was turned upside down more than once. For so long, stability and certainty that things would be okay, felt like a myth to him, but now all he needed was to look.

He looked at Dalida, sleeping so peacefully in his embrace. Allowing him to help her rest.

He looked over to Hilda, who took notice and smiled at him, giving him that warm, comforting look that told him she'd always be there for him.

And then he looked over to Marvett, who took a bit to take note of it, but smiled back as well, with that space-y, yet loving expression Sig always heard others mention about him.

Sig's day to day life sure had shifted since he went on this journey. Going from place to place. Solving quests for their financial funds. Always on the move and sometimes, he didn't quite have the time for bug catching like he used to,

But that was okay.

He wasn't sure if leaving Primp was even going to lead him anywhere. It was an emotional response with no goal in mind.

Yet, meeting Marvett, Dalida and Hilda ended up making this leap of faith worth it, as they taught Sig the most important lesson of his life.

To never give up on finding happiness.

Notes: As it turnes out, early Puyo game translations were very innacurate, so things deeply rooted in my Puyo fandom, especially SigArle, were never really there. This did hit me hard initially, but I am ultimately at peace now with these revelations and have sought out different ways to get my excitement for Puyo back. There is always something to find that makes you happy, you just need to know where to look.