Soarshipping (Dark Magician Girl x Spiria)

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((btw I headcanon Spiria as being non-binary so I'm using ze/zir to refer to zir.))

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Was that…crying that ze heard?

The winged being cocked zir head, listening. That was definitely the sound of crying. But where was it coming from? Spiria turned in careful circles around the sky, trying to listen with zir feathered ears. Ze cocked zir head slightly to catch the sound better. It was...over there. Behind that copse of trees.

Spiria swooped low over the landscape towards the small grouping of trees. It was the only patch for about fifty feet, although there was a large forest just a mile or two into the distance. Here, the landscape melted from grass into sand, this last patch of trees the only one before the desert spread out towards a faraway river. The realm of the Shadow People was not one that made sense in terms of environment, as seen by the abrupt change from verdant grass to shifting sands, like a line drawn across the ground.

Spiria touched gently to the ground, opting to walk the last few feet to the copse. The sounds of crying grew louder, and ze peeked zir head around the trunk...

"Dark Magician Girl?" Spiria said, surprised.

The Dark Magician Girl flinched, head snapping up from where it had rested on her knees, tears flying from her eyes in the motion.

"S-Spiria?" she said, eyes wide.

She immediately jumped to her feet, rubbing furiously at her eyes and then pasting on a huge smile.

"Ah, sorry! I was having an allergy so I just ducked over here for a moment—"

"Dark Magician Girl, you can't be allergic," Spiria said. "None of us can."

The Dark Magician Girl ducked her head, eyes still a bit red. Spiria frowned. Ze had never seen the Dark Magician Girl like this before, not in the three thousand years that ze had known her. She was always this bright, shining beacon, bouncing around with happiness and cheer, making sure everyone around her was happy and safe, never once even not smiling in the presence of others.

Perhaps that had been more wearing on the girl than anyone had imagined.

"Dark Magician Girl," Spiria whispered. "Do you...need someone?"

"N-no, I'm okay, Spiria, really. I don't want to worry you or anything. Sorry about that!"

Dark Magician Girl made to turn on her heel and bounce away, but Spiria's hand shot out and grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Please," ze said. "Don't do this to yourself. You don't have to break yourself for my sake. Or anyone's. Please."

A soft tremble started in Dark Magician Girl's shoulder beneath zir touch.

"I...I don't want to bother anyone, it's okay, I'm okay," Dark Magician Girl said. But her voice broke.

"You're not bothering me," Spiria said. "I promise. You're my friend, Dark Magician Girl. You've always been so kind to me. Let me return some kindness to you."

Dark Magician Girl was really shaking now. Slowly, she sunk back down against the tree and hugged her knees. Spiria came down with her, hand still on her shoulder. Tears started rolling down Dark Magician Girl's cheeks again, and her trembling just grew stronger. Spiria wrapped zir arms around the girl, letting her sink into zir chest and start to sob.

"Sh, sh, it's all right. I'm here," Spiria said. "I'm here."

"I just...can't...do this," Dark Magician Girl sobbed. "I just—every day it's just longer and longer that I have to wait for him to come back so that I can find him again and help him go where he's supposed to go and I just c-can't do this, I can feel Mana's pain all the time in my heart and her sadness and worry and I can't do anything about it, and I just so tired of waiting—"

Spiria nodded silently and tightened zir embrace. Ze understood. Ze could feel the pain of zir own soul-caster, Isis, in zir own heart every day. It was a hard burden to bear.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Dark Magician Girl started saying, over and over.

"It's okay. It's okay," Spiria said, every single time.

"I'm supposed to be there for everyone, I'm supposed to be happy for everyone, I can't be like this."

"Sh, sh, it's fine. You have the right to be sad. And I'll be here, every time you need it. Okay?"

Dark Magician Girl sobbed again, but she nodded against Spiria's breast. Spiria dropped zir head into Dark Magician Girl's hair and squeezed the girl in zir arms.

"I will be right here," ze whispered.

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A/N: there we go, another missing one fixed. You're back to Snarkshipping (Seto x Jonouchi x Honda) next.