'This sucks' Freya thought as she was kicking her covers all over.
'I haven't seen Ottar's soul shine like that in years. Not since back in the dark ages when the Evilus had Zard. He was so determined to beat him back then and now the shine is back for my Bell? What should I do? Should I really consider the chance that my children's souls will shine brighter if they take him as their rival naturally? If I make him a part of my Familia all they will want to do is fight him, if that happens and I won't ever get him to myself. Should I wait a little bit more until he is stronger?'
Finally getting tired from making her bed a mess, Freya stood up and walked over to her window.
'I hope he is level 5 in time for our expedition. If he is a first class adventurer then the others won't have any problems if he were to come along, we could show him how a real Familia operates. Since he is an agility based fighter he and Allen could be the vanguard, or will that be too much for his first time that deep? Wait what's that?'
Two souls in the distance caught her attention as they raced through the city. It was a golden one with a small black flame that danced throughout it and a transparent one that almost looked pure white. It shined even brighter than it did earlier today. She could hardly keep her composure, it was like a shadow had been lifted from his soul. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It felt cleansing to look at, almost as if all her deeds, even back before she descended to the lower world, were being cleansed and purified. It was so breathtaking she had to hold herself up using her window as support to stop her from falling over in a drooling mess. She loved watching his soul shine brighter each day but there were times when its change took her by surprise.
'I need him.' Was the only thought going through her head.
"Allen." She called out, as soon as the word left her mouth she stood up and the door opened revealing the cat man.
"You called for me Lady Freya?" He replied.
"Yes I have a mission for you."
"What are your orders?"
"Go watch my Bell for tonight, he is with the sword princess. Do not interfere while they are together and report back to me on what they discussed."
"Very well, I will follow your orders." He said, sounding almost as if a knife was being twisted into his heart. He quickly left her in order to follow the orders he had just received, with bloodlust radiating off of him.
'Soon my Bell, soon.' Freya thought as she went back to staring at his soul. 'I wonder if Allen's soul will ever shine like Ottar's?'
'I want to be closer to him.' After thinking this she called the rest of her Familia's elites besides Ottar and told them to guard her while she was out.
X
"UGH I MISS BELL." Hestia shouted. "WHY DO WE HAVE TO WAIT TILL TOMORROW TO SEE HIM!"
"We don't have a choice, we need to calm our heads."
"Lili is right Hestia, you two were very rude to him today." Haruhime chimed in. "Seeing him now would just make things worse."
"FINE." Hestia bit back. "Do we have to stay cooped up in this house though?"
"Where do you want to go Hestia?" Mikoto asked.
"Let's go to the hostess, we haven't been there in awhile. A meal might help me think about what to do better anyways."
"Are you sure you aren't just going in hopes to see Bell?" Welf asked.
"Of course I am! But it's as you said, he is in the dungeon so we won't see him tonight."
"Great Idea Hestia!" Lili said while jumping to her feet. "Let's go!"
"You know, what are you two going to do if Bell gets a girlfriend?" Welf asked, giving off a noticeable annoyed look. 'This attitude probably won't fly if the Kenki sees these two acting like this.'
"..." The two looked down while lost in thought. Mikoto and Welf studied the two endlessly for a chance to find out what their answers would be. Unbeknownst to them, Haruhime started to feel a little out of place in this conversation.
'As long as Bell is happy then that is all I care about.' She thought but deep down she was sad, thinking that he'd never choose her knowing her past. She wished she could go back and get rid of it so she could be with her hero.
"Well, Lili thinks if they make Bell happy then Lili would back off."
"I agree supporter, but we are here to make sure that he is happy. We will chase off any girl that isn't worthy of my Bell."
"Huh, well I guess that's fine." Welf replied.
"Besides, he is in love with the sword princess. He won't get a girlfriend while he loves her." Lili commented.
"Exactly! He wouldn't date anyone besides Wallenwhatsit anyways and that won't happen anytime soon! Enough of this talk let's go!" The goddess replied as she was already walking out the door with a much happier mood than a moment ago.
'It'll probably happen sooner than she thinks.' Welf thought as the rest of the Hestia Familia got up and followed their Goddess to the Hostess.
X
"Bell…" Aiz said. The boy she was speaking too couldn't help but widen his eyes to make sure he was hearing and seeing her correctly. The amount of emotions he could feel from her was confusing enough but mix that into the fact that she looked like she was about to start shaking in anger and you end up with sight that no one has ever seen.
"Why."
"Yes?" Bell replied. He had no idea what was going on, all he knew was the person of his admiration, his dreams, his love was standing in front of him and she was clearly upset. 'Bell, if a woman's upset then it's your job to cheer them up.' Thinking back to the only advice he ever got on how to deal with a woman in this situation he silently thanked his grandfather.
"Why are you pushing yourself so hard? Why are you being this reckless!" She shouted. 'I finally found someone who is trying to become my hero. The hero my father told me about. He's already saved me when I fought against Revis, he helps me calm the black flame inside of me, and he made me change. He makes me remember how happy I was with my family. I can't lose him. Bell, I can't lose you like I did my family.'
By now Aiz started to shake from all her emotions, making Bell even more confused on what he should do. It didn't help that staring at her made him lose his train of thought like always but seeing the tears threaten to spill from her eyes made him understand that he had to do something. Deciding on the only thing he could think of, Bell walked up to her and grabbed her hand, trying to calm her anger.
"I need to get stronger Aiz. For the person I love, for the expectations Ottar set on me, for my own goals." Bell explained, trying his best to hide his fluster. "What I want to do requires that I get stronger and the only way for me to do that is if I push myself."
"It's no use if you die Bell!" She snapped. "Push yourself with your Familia, your friends!"
"Aiz, adventurers have to go on adventures. They can't grow if they don't risk themselves. You know about my skill, I can't drag my Familia into mine, it'd be too risky for them. They don't grow as fast as me."
"I don't want you to die Bell." She responded, making his heart skip a beat before continuing in a much smaller voice as she looked down. "I don't want to lose you."
'So that's what it was, she just wants me to be safe.' Bell thought, nearly turning red after realizing. Deciding he had one option left he went for it and pulled Aiz into a hug, figuring he will deal with the consequences later. "I promise you won't."
This sudden change caught Aiz off guard. First when he grabbed her hands she wanted to run away with him and keep him away from risking his life. But when he hugged her? She just about lost it and nearly broke down with all of the memories of her family threatening to surface.
She hated this, she didn't want to lose Bell like her father and mother. The only thing keeping her going for so many years was the fact that she needed to rescue her. Throwing herself into training and the dungeon everyday for years and years until she became a machine.
Riveria helped at first but she could barely break down her walls. Tiona and Tione came along and helped chip it down a little. When Lefiya came she started to show some interest in other things but the only thoughts on her mind were about the dragon. Then Bell came along. How he was scared of her when they first met each other on the fifth floor, how she chased him around and eventually got to talk to him, how his pure expression reminded her of her old life, her old self. She owed those four a lot but Bell was the reason she was able to care about other things, she owed him more than he could ever know because he made her human again.
She was terrified that she lost him when they fought over the Xenos, but thankfully their relationship was stronger than before. She remembered how big of a wreck she had been in after they fought, remembering how painful it was to hurt him and how she hated herself for it. Now he is here. After his expedition, she was so frightened when she saw the state he was in after that adventure that she couldn't focus on anything else besides if he would live, and now he wants to push himself to go on another one. She felt scared of ending up alone again.
"Are you sure?" Aiz asked, taking refuge in his embrace. 'I don't want to stop him from getting stronger, he'd never be able to become my hero then, but I have to know he will live.'
"I'll always come back to you Aiz. I promise." Bell responded, making her relax a little as she found comfort in him.
"Can you at least be more careful?"
"I'll try to be, but if it is to protect someone I care about I'll do anything to help them."
"Fine. Just be safe."
Thanking his grandfather for everything, he realized her anger was fading away. After holding each other for a while, Bell released the hug and went to sit down on the wall, facing the sunset. Mini Aiz was not happy about that, she wanted her rabbit to remain in her reach but upon seeing how tired he looked, she understood.
"Thank you for everything Aiz." Bell told her. Not wanting to be the only one standing, Aiz made her way over and sat next to him.
"You do not have anything to thank me for." Aiz responded, admiring the sunset.
"You're wrong."
"How?"
"You saved my life, trained me, let me fight the Goliath, and countless other things. I'm sorry for worrying you all this time, but it's thanks to your help I keep returning."
"..." With a feeling of happiness she had not felt in years she put her head on Bell's shoulder and made a selfish request. "Put it to good use."
"I will." Bell replied as calmly as he could while trying to hold in how nervous he was being like this with Aiz. While the two of them were enjoying staring out at the world outside of Orario, a certain question landed on her mind.
"Why did you look so upset when you were fighting the Goliath?"
"Ah it was my Goddess and Lili, I was just irritated. I also wanted to see how much stronger I had become since the last time."
"What happened last time?"
"It was when you saved me on the 18th floor actually. I know I was on the verge of a mind down, injured, and had to carry my party to safety but when I saw that monster for the first time I felt too terrified to even keep my eyes on it. All I knew is if I were to try to fight it I'd die even if I was fully healthy. The last time I really felt like that was when you saved me from the Minotaur on the fifth floor. I wanted to fight it to see if I'd feel the same as I did back when I overcame my first adventure and fear. I don't want to keep being that person who is afraid of everything and runs off only to deal with it later, I want to try to face my challenges head on."
"I see. Do you feel any different?"
"I feel like I'm a step closer to accomplishing my dreams."
'He always blazes ahead of everyone to make what he wants happen.' Aiz thought admiring his resolve. "And what happened with your Goddess?"
"It was after I returned from talking to Freya, they just started to jump on me and yell at me. Calling me a womanizer and saying I have to take them on dates just to make up for what happened even though I was just trying to keep Freya happy."
"Why were you trying to do that?"
"Well, she is the Goddess of one of the top two Familia's in the city, the only one who could potentially beat hers in a fight is yours, meanwhile my Familia would get destroyed in a matter of seconds. I just thought that it would be for the best if I did what she asked and didn't anger her." Bell sighed. "But while I was out Hestia and Lili stalked me and interrupted Freya and my lunch. Honestly I was terrified that they were going to anger her and she was going to crush us like she did Ishtar."
"What did they do?" Aiz asked. Now understanding the situation with Freya, all of her jealousy went away in an instant only to be replaced with regret. Deep down she felt bad about assuming the worst about him. 'Doesn't this make me the same as his Goddess?'
"Nothing, she just found it amusing. I got very lucky that she was in a good mood today otherwise I don't know what would have happened."
"I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry Aiz?"
"I didn't like hearing that you were with Freya, I guess that makes me the same as them" Aiz said in a dejected voice. Even Mini Aiz was getting depressed at this situation, who was normally happy when she was with Bell, but now they felt like they had betrayed his trust. However, there feelings turned to confusion rather quickly once Bell started laughing.
"Don't worry about it. I bet you aren't the only ones who were wondering what I was doing with Freya today. And since you guys know about my growth it would make sense that you do not want me to go to her. But you gave me a chance to explain, Hestia and Lili never did so that makes you different than them."
"But I still assumed the worst of you."
"It's okay, you made up for it by not interfering in my fight against The Goliath and plus." Bell started to turn red and scratch his head. "It was nice seeing you that worried."
At this comment Aiz started to become flushed as well, but she was overjoyed that Bell liked this side of her too, the side that was a remnant of the times back when she lived with her parents.
"You know I was thinking about leaving my Familia earlier today." Bell said while gazing across the countless hills and trees that made up the distance as they sat on the wall.
"Does that mean you'll join mine?" Aiz replied impatiently, mini Aiz quickly rushed over and gazed up at him with stars in her eyes.
"No."
"Why?" Mini Aiz started to tear up at his answer and the real Aiz pulled her knees up to her body and put her head down, letting her hair cover her face.
'Her mood just changed really fast. Nice going Bell, you ruined her happiness.' He thought before replying. "Despite how annoying they can be sometimes, I owe them everything. Hestia offered me a hand when no one else would, Welf has been like a brother to me and he is my blacksmith, without Lili we would have never made it as far as we have in the dungeon, Mikoto joined to help me when I was almost taken by Apollo, and Haruhime has helped me more than I could ever repay her for. I still want to build a Familia with them that will be able to stand next to yours one day."
'He really hasn't changed all this time.' Aiz thought. She admired how Bell always had big goals and how no matter the odds he never gave up on them. "I get that. I wouldn't want to leave Riveria and all of them either."
"Yeah, all I need is for Hestia and Lili to give me a little space, it was the same back when you trained me. They almost didn't let me because they were jealous."
"I would not have liked that."
"I wouldn't have either. It also feels like a lot of Familia's are interested in me now just because I've become strong I guess."
"What do you mean?"
"When I first got to Orario no one would accept me. Every single one I applied to rejected me, but then Hestia came and offered me a hand it felt like I had been given a chance. Without her I wouldn't have become an adventurer so leaving now doesn't feel right or fair. It would seem to them that I'm ungrateful for everything they have done. I just need to have Hestia and Lili stop acting so possessive over me all the time." Bell sighed. "I want to spend more time with you but I don't think leaving everything I built up is the right thing to do. Even when Freya offered me a place in hers I just wouldn't fit in and it would feel wrong."
"Freya asked you to join hers?" Aiz asked, this was new information to her and she wasn't quite sure how to react.
"Yeah today while we were eating, she asked me if I would like to join her on their expedition then when I took her back to her home she offered me a place in her Familia."
"You aren't going to join her right?"
"No. I think I am going to go on their expedition though."
'They are going to be aiming for past the 60th floor! That's way too dangerous.' Aiz thought with mini Aiz looking at her bunny in horror. "When is their expedition?"
"Not for a few weeks, by then I should be level 5 so it should be safer for me to go down to the deep floors."
"I'll train you until then. I don't want what happened on your first experience down there to happen again" Aiz responded. 'I won't stop him from going, I can't ever stop him from doing what he wants to do but I need him to come back. If he is going down with the King and the rest of them then there shouldn't be any problems.'
"I'd appreciate that." Bell muttered. "So much has happened in the past six months."
"Yeah." Aiz responded. Memories flashed in her head of when she trained bell and fought Udeaus, Revis, The Xenos, all of the demi spirits, and so much more.
"I think either before or after the expedition I am going to go back to my village for a little while and just relax."
"That sounds nice." Aiz said. 'I want to go with him.'
"If you can I'd like to go with you, but I doubt your Familia would let you leave." Bell replied. 'I told Welf I'd ask her out, if she says yes then I can learn a lot about her over that trip and it'll just be the two of us.'
"I'll figure out a way."
"Really?" Bell asked her with the hopeful eyes she adored.
"Yes. I'll figure out how to accompany you. I want to know more about you." Aiz said softly. Ever since realizing how little she knew about him before he came to Orario and during his time in Orario the one thought that had been on her mind was how to know more about her rabbit. Finally getting the words out she felt like a weight had been lifted but she was also afraid he was going to reject the idea.
"I'd like to know more about you too."
That was the other thing she was afraid of. Aiz was scared that if she opened up about her past he wouldn't see her the same. She already decided to tell her Familia about it first, despite being scared about their reactions, she it felt like time for them to know. She made a vow to herself to tell Bell while they were alone in his village, except she was worried. Not only because he might look at her differently but also she knew Bell would want to fight the dragon to help her and all she saw in her mind was the image of Bell dying like her father. The thought of that terrified her.
"Can you tell me more about your time in Orario?" Aiz asked trying to change the subject. 'I want to know what I missed out on. Plus going to where you grew up will probably make it easier for you to tell me what happened before you came here.'
"Wow I don't even know where to start." Bell sighed.
"Just tell me everything."
"Well, after my grandfather died, I came here and looked for a Familia and eventually Hestia accepted me. Once she accepted me I started to go into the dungeon a lot. After about two weeks you saved me from the minotaur, once that event was over I got Liaris Freese."
"Wait, you were on the fifth floor after two weeks of becoming an adventurer?"
"Yeah." Bell said, letting out a laugh. "I guess I was always impatient."
'He sounds almost as bad as I used to be.' Aiz thought, deciding to ask him more about why he got that skill later; while she listened, mini Aiz started to take a nap in Bells lap. Listening to Bell talk it almost reminded her of when her father read stories to her. "Then what happened?"
"Well, about a week after that I fought the silverback that was chasing me around Monster Feria. Hestia gave me the knife I use right before I beat it. Then over the next few days I met Lili and got the original armor that I used to wear before it was destroyed by the red Minotaur. After that, Syr, a waitress at the hostess gave me a Grimoire and once I read it I got my magic."
"Oh so that's how you got it. Riveria and Lefiya were curious after seeing your quick cast magic and they were hoping to find other spells like it."
"Well it doesn't really compare to any of their magic. It's useful but it lacks power by itself to finish a fight. Even if I was level 6, their magic would be a lot more powerful than mine unless I get time to charge it with my other skill."
"The bells?" Aiz asked. When she originally found out about his magic she felt that they were growing closer due to the fact that they both have quick cast magic. She didn't know why she was happy at the time but looking back it became clear to her.
"Yeah." Bell said. 'I want to tell her more about Argonaut but I should keep it a secret for my Familia, maybe one day I'll tell her.'
"What happened next?"
"Well after getting my magic I went to the dungeon and started casting it everywhere. Since it was my first time using any I guess I got really excited."
"Is that when you rolled away from me after I gave you a lap pillow?"
"Um, yeah." Bell chuckled sheepishly.
"I thought you hated them, or that I hurt you." Aiz pouted.
"Well, I mean it's not like I hate them. It was just embarrassing having you see me like that."
"So you like them?"
"I-I guess?"
Instantly, Aiz took her head off of Bell's shoulder and grabbed his neck, pulling him down into one. Mini Aiz awoke from her nap and was helping her older self push Bell down. As soon as he was in one, she jumped back on him to resume her sleep.
"Tell me the rest." Aiz asked as she began to stroke his hair.
'Does she not realize how embarrassing this is? I mean I guess it's nice and she looks happy doing this.' Bell thought. "Well after that, Lili and I kept going into the dungeon but she ran into some problems. Apparently, the Soma Familia was using her and not letting her leave unless she brought them enough money. So she tried to steal my knife and use me in order to make that money. After having her as my supporter for a little, she left me in a monster party on the 10th floor to use the knife and gems she stole to pay her way out of her Familia. Someone helped me with a lot of Orcs and I chased after Lili, saving her from a swarm of Killer Ants. Once all that was done, she became my supporter."
"That was me."
"What was?"
"I saved you from the Orcs. A half elf at the guild asked me to help you and I did."
"Really? Thank you so much!"
"You ran away that time too."
"Well I had to help Lili." Bell stammered.
"It's fine. After helping you I got a quest."
"Can you tell me more about your adventures one day?"
"Yes." Aiz replied as she started to play with Bell's hair instead of stroking it. She was having a lot of fun twirling it in her fingers while mini Aiz was attempting to braid it. "I'll tell you soon."
"Well, after Lili became my supporter you offered to train me until the expedition. Once that ended Lili and I went down into the dungeon and we eventually ran into the red Minotaur. I told Lili to run and get help while I hold it off. After fighting it for awhile your Familia came. I didn't want to seem weak to you again so I fought it and leveled up after that."
"You were amazing in that fight."
"Eh really? It's all thanks to you." Bell replied which formed a slight smile on Aiz's face. "After that I formed a contract with Welf where he made my original knife from the Minotaurs horn and after getting used to going into the dungeon with the three of us, we went to the middle floors. There we got pass paraded by the Take Familia because they had an injured member. We couldn't beat all of them so we decided to run and go lower in the dungeon. Eventually we made it to the 18th floor where we were rescued by your Familia."
"I was surprised you made it down there that fast."
"Well it is because of my skill and you. If I didn't have your training I would be dead by now. You know all the stuff that happened there but once you left, Hestia got kidnapped and I had to fight Mord to get her back."
"She gets you into a lot of trouble."
"I know." Bell sighed. "During that fight Hestia used her Arcanum and made the Black Goliath spawned. Everyone from Rivira and the rescue party fought it and after I fully charged my skill, with the help of Asfi and Ryuu, we managed to defeat it."
"I heard, I'm surprised everyone survived."
"Once we made it back, my party and I got into a fight with the Apollo Familia but you know what happened during that. We somehow managed to beat Apollo and we took over their properties and made it into a real Familia when Welf, Mikoto, and Lili officially joined."
"When did Haruhime join?"
"Oh that was after the whole Ishtar incident, Welf, Lili and I followed Mikoto into the entertainment district one day. I got lost and separated from the rest of them and ran into Hermes. He gave me a weird potion and I kept it while I continued to search for them. After that I ran into Aisha and she and a bunch of other Amazons took me back to their Familia mansion." It was at this point Aiz stopped playing with Bell's hair and looked at him with worry.
"What happened there?"
"Oh nothing I met Ishtar but she left me alone. After that the group of Amazons led me to a room. Before anything could happen Phryne interrupted and distracted them enough for me to run away." Bell replied struggling to get that name out.
"Good." Aiz replied, starting to play with his hair again. She wondered what caused the change in his voice but he figured he would tell her eventually.
"After running away I met Haruhime in a building I was hiding in and we talked about hero stories the whole night while she helped me hide. Upon returning home, Hestia ended up punishing me for spending the entire night there even though nothing happened."
"She sounds like Loki."
"Is Loki unreasonable sometimes?"
"Yes."
"I see. Well while doing community work, Mikoto told me about Haruhime and she and I made a plan to rescue her from Ishtar. I ended up getting kidnapped in the dungeon by Aisha and a few others. I made my way back to Ishtar's mansion and I kept overhearing things about I'm going to be used to annoy someone but I never caught their name. Before I could be taken to Ishtar, Phryne took me from my kidnappers and-." Bell paused as his eyes darkened. 'I want to tell her what happened, but I'm scared how she will react.'
"Did something happen?" Aiz asked softly. She knew what Phryne was known for in that part of the city and what she did to her victims, she was terrified hearing that Bell was in her clutches.
"No, Haruhime actually freed me from her and helped me escape from their Familia."
"Okay." Aiz replied. 'I'm going to have to thank Haruhime once he tells me.' She thought, mentally preparing herself for war against Phryne.
"After she helped me escape I met up with Mikoto and we made a plan to rescue her from the ritual she was being forced to take part in."
"What Ritual?"
"I can't tell you." Bell replied with resounding determination. "It might put her in danger again and I won't risk that."
"I understand, don't worry." Aiz replied. She realized just how far he is willing to go to protect someone important to him. It made her happy as she realized how far he was willing to go over the safety of his friends and she hoped that soon, he will do that for her too.
"After that, we made our way to her and managed to stop the ritual. I ended up fighting Phryne with a level boost from Haruhime. During that time the Freya Familia attacked and took the attention of everyone else except Aisha."
"Did you beat Phryne?"
"Kind of? I just knocked her down a story then I think someone from the Freya Familia finished her off."
"Good. I don't like her."
"I don't either. After that Aisha challenged me to a fight to see if I am worthy of protecting Haruhime incase some other Familia tries what Ishtar did again. We fought and I ended up beating her. Once that was all over, Haruhime joined our Familia."
"Your Familia sounds like it gets in as much trouble as mine."
"Yeah and after that we had to deal with the whole Rakia invasion mess."
"What happened during that for you? We went to Edas village but that's all I know."
"Well there was Welfs family but I don't want to tell you for him, I fought Finn, and Hestia and I got in a disagreement that made her leave and get kidnapped again."
"What was the disagreement?" Aiz asked, completely ignoring the Finn part. "You never told me when I asked you."
"Well she asked if I would ever date a Goddess and I said no even if they confessed to me."
"Is it because of the girl you are in love with?"
"That and it wouldn't feel right. I don't want to hurt the Goddess after I die and she is left alone. I think you know most of what has happened to me since I've come to Orario now."
"Besides the time I woke up and you were attacked while we were in Edas." Aiz commented.
"Oh that." Bell let out a nervous laugh. "Let's just say you don't hold alcohol well."
A sudden wave of realization rushed over Aiz when she remembered the number one rule in her Familia, don't let Aiz near alcohol. It was implemented after she attacked everyone in the hostess after having a sip. "Did I attack you?"
"Um, yeah."
"I'm so sorry." Aiz replied as she was trying to hide her face in embarrassment and mini Aiz was cowering in the corner after she heard that she hurt her rabbit.
"It's okay don't worry about it. It was funny seeing you that upset back then and I wasn't too injured."
"Are you sure? Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"
"No it's fine." Bell said in an earnest voice. However, upon looking at her distraught face he realized that she wouldn't let this go. "I just want to keep training with you."
"Really?" Aiz asked, happy that he wanted the same thing he did. After hearing all he had gone through during his expedition and just the outline of what had happened in Orario she made a vow to make Bell stronger so he will always return. She also was worried how he constantly was fighting people stronger than him but figured that was how he was able to grow so quickly even with the help of his skill. That and he must have some incredible luck.
"Yes. Can we spar a little tonight since we haven't in a long time?"
"Just a little, you already fought the Goliath today and you look exhausted." Aiz replied as they got up and took their stances. She was sad when he had left her lap but seeing his determination to get stronger made up for it as the two began to fight.
X
"Ryuu? What's wrong?" Luniore asked as Ryuu returned back to the hostess after entering the dungeon with Bell. Her coworkers noticed how distraught she was and since Syr wasn't there, they figured that it was their job to help out.
"I was just thinking." Ryuu responded quietly. 'I wonder if Syr is here, I should talk to her.'
"What about?"
"I think I am going to send Lady Astrea a letter and ask her to meet."
"Really?" Luniore asked, immediately dropping her broom and went up to Ryuu. "Are you sure you are ready?"
"Yes, I think it's time I see her again." Ryuu responded quickly as she walked up to her room in the benevolent mistress, leaving Chloe, Anya, and Luniore to stare at her with plenty of worry. Entering her room, Ryuu pulled out a piece of paper and a quill beginning to write.
Dear Lady Astrea,
I am sorry for taking so long to contact you, after everything that happened I did not know how to face you. I would like to meet with you soon since it has been so long. I have a lot of adventures to tell you about and how I now realize what your words to me meant all those years ago. I am sorry for letting rage blind me and refusing to listen to you. I hope Hermes gets this letter to you soon. I will be going back and forth from Orario to Melen over the next couple of months in order to get some items for the Tavern I work at. I hope to see you there.
Your beloved child
Ryuu Lion
After finishing the letter Ryuu leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. 'I'll have Syr read this letter first and then I will give it to Hermes so he can find her. I want to tell her most of what has happened in person.' Ryuu decided as she began to remember what she had done over the past few years. 'I miss going into the dungeon with a Familia. Alise, Kaguya, and the rest of them always made it so much fun. Maybe I'll see if I can join Bells Familia if talking to Astrea goes well.'
X
'He's gotten a lot better.' Aiz thought. 'It feels like I'm fighting a level 5 instead of a level 4.'
Even though neither of them were going all out in their training, Aiz was beginning to realize just how much Bell had improved since the last time they had trained together. It was before the Xenos incident and right around the time they got back from the Edas Village. After that he met Wiene and her Familia was busy fighting the Evilus so they didn't get a chance to meet except when they fought each other. Once that ended, Bell went on his expedition and she trained with Ottar in order to fight Revis in Knossos. It had been nearly two months since they had done this together and Aiz was reminiscing on her memories with him. Unfortunately while doing that, Aiz stopped holding back and ended up kicking Bell in the stomach, making him fly and double over in pain once he landed.
"Let's stop here today." Aiz commented as she remembered how tired he had been and how his arm is still healing.
"Okay." Bell said dejectedly. "I don't want to go back and see my Goddess yet."
Noticing mini Aiz staring at the sunset, Aiz realized she wanted to spend more time with Bell tonight and did not want him to leave yet.
"Sit over there." Aiz ordered as she pointed to a piece of the wall. Confused, Bell stood up and did what he was told. With a content smile on her face, she made her way over to him and sat besides him, putting her head on his chest. Initially, Bell was very flustered by this but understood if she told him to do this, then he shouldn't make her sad and run away after seeing how happy she was when he listened to her. His grandfather would have rolled over in his grave if he saw him do that as well. After fully giving in, he realized that his right arm was in an awkward position, moving it he wrapped it around Aiz to which she responded by getting closer to him. The two then ended up sharing small talk for the rest of the evening, unaware that they were currently being watched.
X
'What the hell are those two doing?' Allen wondered as he saw Bell and Aiz spar. 'Did Freya really just make me come here to see this brat get his ass kicked by the sword princess? I don't get what Freya sees in him, he's just as worthless as the rest of them.'
After watching them for a few minutes, Allen saw something that made him narrow his eyes. Bell and Aiz cuddling together after they finished sparing, the sight of this nearly made him throw up in disgust. Realizing his Goddess's happiness is more important than all other things, he made a plan to get rid of the hinderance that is currently in the way of that.
X
Author's note
Thank you all for the reviews on the last chapter. I'll try to add in what you guys want eventually if it fits.
Sorry that this chapter felt kinda like filler, I just felt that it wouldn't be right to progress Bell and Aiz without Aiz taking an interest and learning what Bell has done in his time in Orario. I do have to do some set up for later events too.
I know Aiz is more emotional than normal by a lot but I feel that if she found her hero like what happened here she would start to show more and become overprotective. Plus she definitely has some fears of being left alone again so I'm going to try to touch on that in the future like I did here. I also hope them getting to this point doesn't seem rushed, I have a lot of plans for Bell and Aiz in the future and in order to make it work I needed to have their relationship to progress a lot so expect some bigger developments in the coming chapters. She is still going to be pretty emotionless for most things except for Bell in the future but that's already in character for her. I tried to make her act a little how I imagine her parents acting together since that is the only example she has of love so hopefully I pulled that off. I do have plans to include some side romances over the course of this story cause a lot of the girls deserve the best but we'll just wait and see who ends up with who.
I'll try to have the next chapter up in a few days since it will be more of a set up chapter but until next time.