A few moments earlier.
.
.
.
.
"Ms. Ais did you hear that?"
"Yes, let´s hurry Lefiya."
Roars and the sound of two fighting monsters could be heard over a long distance. Ais hoped she would get the snake this time, too many people had died already because she wasn´t fast enough...
I hop-
A bright light flashed for a moment in a short distance, after that came the titanic roar.
She jumped over a rooftop and saw it...saw him.
A black dragon with only one red eye stood in the ruins of a part of the city, dropped the skull of the snake from on of it´s claws and got down to all four legs...he approached a lone woman in the street.
Badumm!
No...it can´t be...
Badumm!
It´s him...
Badumm!
The expression on Ais´ face changed when she saw the dragon, he looked like the stories had told.
Badumm!
The one eyed black dragon...
Badumm!
Her heart pounded like never before.
Badumm!
He took mother from me!
BADUMM!
Kill him!
BADUMM!
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!" More than anger exploded in Ais Wallenstein...pure hatred.
"M-Ms. Ais?" Lefiya looked shocked.
"AAAAAH! AERIAL!"! Green wind whirled around Ais as she accelerated.
Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!
"AVENGER TEMPEST!"
Lefiya watched in horror as Ais got faster and faster away from her, she had never seen her idol like that.
Ais landed on the street...
"LIL...!"
Jumped forward and thrusted her sword to the black dragon.
"RAAAAAAAAAFAAAAAAAAAAGAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The dragon had no time to react, "Scale Breaker" sank into his body up to the hilt and together with her magic, she rammed the dragon into the collapsed buildings.
"No!" Ais vaguely heard a voice from the side.
But it didn´t matter...all that mattered was to slay that dragon.
Inside her head, her maiden self clung to her warrior self, begged and cried to spare Bell and don´t hurt him...but it fell on deaf ears...
.
Generating a stream of blood, she yanked her sword from his flank, still covered by her...now red colored due to "Avenger"...wind magic, Ais jumped onto the flank, ran up and hacked the remaining wing from the dragon´s body.
He screeched in agony and tried to get away from her, dragging his left broken leg behind.
Unnoticed by her, a crying Fairy with a broken foot hobbled after them and begged her to stop, crying.
I will kill you!
Please stop! Don´t hurt Bell!
Ais´ warrior self didn´t noticed that this couldn´t be "that dragon"...it only saw the enemy of her life.
Her maiden self tried to stop her rage, not wanting to hurt the young man she had discovered she was in love with.
.
.
Mia ran through the streets in search of Ahnya, shortly after her scream she had heard an explosion and was worried.
When she came closer, Mia heard crying...Ahnya´s crying.
Mia ran around the last corner and saw a destroyed place before her eyes, three people were here...and the remains of a dozen other.
A young werewolf, missing half of his left leg and arm, was lying at a house wall unconscious...Mia had seen him before when he made a ruckus at her pub. He had burns on the body but it looked like he was still alive.
"Allen..*Hic*...Allen..*Hic*...Allen!"
She looked to the side and saw Ahnya leaning against another house wall, a young cat man in her arms, his back was riddled with splinters and he missed the upper third of his right ear. From the looks he had protected Ahnya with his body.
"Ahnya!"
"*Hic* Mama Mia *Hic* Please...*Hic* Save my brother." Ahnya herself didn´t looked good, but her brother looked worse.
So Mia Grande, often annoyed when she had to do things for people, tucked Allen Fromel under her left arm, Ahnya over her shoulder and ran towards Babel after she had picked up the werewolf too.
A few monsters and Evilus´ tried to stop or attack her...
It didn´t turn out well for them...
.
.
.
"Stop it sword prince- Ack!- This is no monster!" Ryuu sucked in air sharply through her teeth. "This is Bell! Stop!"
If Ryuu could, she would stop Ais Wallenstein herself, but her foot and ankle were broken...also she hadn´t much strength left.
But she hobbled in their direction, using her beloved sword as a crutch.
"Bell!"
The dragon didn´t fought back, he recognized Ais and he was close to death anyway. He only tried to fend her off with his claw, whimpering from pain and weakness.
Ais jumped around slashed his side, back and legs again and again.
Lefiya wasn´t here to see what happened, after she witnessed Ais going berserk, she turned around and ran to get Riveria and the others. Even if she was mad at him for covering her with his bodily fluids...Lefiya wanted to save Bell Cranel. He wasn´t a bad guy as she had thought, he wasn´t after Ais...she didn´t wanted him to die. She saw the proof in his claw that he had killed the snake, there just had to be something left in him.
Alone she wouldn´t be able to stop Ais, she just hoped she would find her Familia fast...
Argh, ouch...move you damn leg!
Ryuu tried to calm herself down a bit, over the years she had learned that it didn´t help to panic, just hobbling after them wouldnt save Bell, so Ryuu used the most of her remaining mental strength to cast "Noa Heal" on her leg. It didn´t healed fully but the pain numbed down and she could run without the crutch again...the only question was how long it would last.
Shakti, thank you. Ryuu took the potion she had with her and gulped it down.
To her luck, it was one of the new twin-potions that the Dian Cecht Familia produced. When she got her monthly potions from Nahza, Ryuu had learned that it was the chientrope that had created these potions first. They had sold the recipe to Dian Cecht to pay back a part of their loan. Now the Dian Cecht Familia sold these twin-potions that healed and regained mental strength. They were pretty strong...but not as strong as these that Nahza could make. Her potions could be used with just splashing them onto someone and they were stronger.
Still it was enough so that Ryuu could fight again...for a while.
"Bell!"
She drew Justice Lumina and ran after them, the glowing of the sword had stopped. It didn´t sensed anything malicous around it, not even from the enraged Ais Wallenstein.
Ryuu wanted to cry when she saw how badly wounded the black dragon was, there wasn´t one part of his body that had no cuts in it. Blood streamed onto the street...and he was getting slower.
"SWORD PRINCESS!"
With a fierce roar, Ryuu jumped forward and attacked Ais with her sword. The blonde girl whirled around, her face contorted with hatred as she swung her sword after Ryuu. Both swords clashed, the dragon dragged to one side, groaning.
"Stop that sword princess! This isn´t a monster!"
Like a whirlwind of destruction, Ais attacked Ryuu with a series of fierce attacks. For the moment the wind around her was green again, it turned red whenever she attacked the dragon. Ais´ mind recognized the dragon as a monster and Ryuu as something else, so her skill "Avenger" activated only when she attacked the dragon. That was Ryuu´s luck or else Ais would have killed her.
She is so strong!
Even though she was so angry that she saw literally red, Ais was an excellent fighter and her garment and sword only strenghtened her further. Ryuu had to depend on her garment too to protect her.
Ryuu had to change her fighting stance, protecting her injured foot, it stung whenever she had to do a quick step. The good thing was that Justice Lumina had the Durandal effect and that Ais´ Scale Breaker was meant to defeat scaly opponents.
Ais swung down her sword hard, changing the direction in the last second and slashed from the side, Ryuu parried just in time. Whirling around, Ais dealt a high blow to Ryuu´s head and as soon as Ryuu blocked that too, Ais kicked with all of her strength into Ryuu´s stomach.
.
"Ack!" Ryuu curled up as she fell backwards, lay on the floor coughing and spat out the contents of her stomach.
The grey undershirt that was part of her garment had just protected her from getting some of her ribs broken and organs crushed.
"Bluargh!" It was a very unelven posture that Ryuu had taken as she started to vomit, she didn't cared if anyone saw her doing that, the pain was intense.
"Stay down." Ais´ voice sounded calm and cold.
Ryuu spat out and wiped her mouth with her glove. I´m sorry everyone...I will clean it later I promise...
Slowly she staggered back to her feet.
"This is Bell! This isn´t a monster!"
"Ridiculous!" Ais jumped forward and thrusted her sword at Ryuu´s chest.
Inside her head, the maiden Ais clung to the other and begged her on her knees to stop, that the elf in front of her spoke the truth.
Ryuu turned to the side, holding Justice Lumina´s blade downward and deflected the thrust aimed at her heart aside.
"Listen to m-AH!" She couldn´t finish her sentence when Ais gave her a headbutt.
No one would ever expect the beautiful sword princess to attack like that and she would never do that normally, but the dragon´s presence had a special effect on her so she fought different.
Due to her trauma, Ais was the only female in Orario that was effected by the dragons rage aura.
I don´t want to hurt you sword princess! Ryuu knew that this was not a normal behaviour for the blond girl.
She knew enough of Ais Wallenstein, some because of their shared past, some she was told by Bell. And she knew that Bell was once in love with her. But Ryuu wasn´t angry or jealous because of that, her trust in Bell was complete and she knew he loved her, he would never cheat on her. Ryuu had no grudge towards Ais, so she didn´t want to hurt her...but there might be no other way.
This is going to hurt...both of us.
Ryuu staggered back from the headbutt, blood running from a wound on her forehead.
"Tsk!" When she kicked herself forward with her right foot, a sharp pain shot through it.
No one except Ryuu Lyon could even try what she did next. Right before she jumped she held her sword pointed upwards in front of her face, then pointing it at Ais.
As she jumped, Ryuu took her sword to the side, dealing a slash attack after the sword princess. She jumped past her as Ais blocked, immediately returning and slashing from the other side.
Ais blocked again, whirling around as Ryuu returned a third time, jumping to her start position and turning herself with a somersault in the air, so that her head pointed to the ground.
The whole time she attacked, she chanted a short version of Luminous Wind.
Ryuu pointed her free left hand forward. "Emerald Duty!"
A green vortex formed under Ais´ feet, whirling around and exploding upwards in a tornado of wind and green light.
If it were only wind it wouldn´t have any effect on Ais, but the light dealt damage to her.
"Owie...it hurts..." The reaction sounded as calm as she normally spoke.
"AH!" It hurt Ryuu more as she finished her somersault and landed...on her right foot.
Ais jumped forward, smoke rising from her, she dealt a high slash to bind Ryuu´s sword...and then with all of her strength she stomped right onto Ryuu´s right ankle.
Ryuu´s sharp ears could hear the breaking of her weakened bones, she screamed in pain as she fell to the ground, letting go of her sword and held her shattered foot in reflex.
Ais kicked Justice Lumina to the side. "Last warning. Stay down."
Weeping and her face contorted with pain, Ryuu watched her go.
"Sword Princess! Ais Wallenstein! Stop! I beg you!"
.
The dragon was on his feet, the bleeding of his wounds had stopped. He didn´t have the skill to regenerate but he was a black beast, so his wounds healed to a certain degree way faster than of normal monsters.
"Grrrrrr." He didn´t looked sorry anymore, he bared his fangs and threatened Ais.
Bell had seen what Ais did to Ryuu, the urge to protect her rose, the living dragon at his side growled outraged, he wanted to protect his female. And the black beast was getting stronger again, fed by the others two anger.
With a roar he jumped forward, attacking the blond girl with his claw. Ais just intended to block the attack, but her eyes widened when she was catapulted into the next house wall by that immense strength.
The anger gave the dragon some of his strength back.
"Aerial! Avenger Tempest!"
Ais dashed forward and slashed after the dragon´s head, he jerked backwards, whirled around and whiped after her with his massive tail. It was the first time he used his tail as a weapon.
The feeling of being human was too strong since now, but he became more and more the dragon.
She jumped over the tail, slashing it with her weapon and blocking the incoming claw the next moment, it still tossed her to the side again. Equipment and being a strong adventurer or not, the dragon had the greater mass so his attacks had more natural power.
But Ais was protected by her wind so instead of slamming into rubble, she cushioned herself and now her attack really began.
Like an angry hornet...or spirit...her wind magic let out an loud angry hum. Ais jumped and whirled faster and faster around the dragon, slashing it in countless places.
In horror, Ryuu saw one part of the dragon´s right claw falling to the ground, cut off. As well as the upper third of his tail, he screamed and whimpered as he received more and more wounds.
Ryuu tried to get up, but her leg gave way under her, the broken bones rubbed together and injured the surrounding flesh more. If she tried to use Noa Heal now on her leg, the bones would only grow together in a strange way, making it impossible for her to walk.
Crack...
She heard stone cracking whenever the wind magic of Ais missed the dragon, the surrounding area looked nothing like buildings anymore, the only one that stood was the clock tower, that Ryuu was lying in front of.
Crack...
Her ears twitched and as she raised her head to the tower her eyes widened in fear. The tower swayed more and more and then slowly leaned in her direction.
Oh dear gods no!
Ryuu tried to crawl away but she was too slow. The tower swayed one last time...then with a huge crack it fell...right onto Ryuu.
"Aaaaah!"
In a reflex she tried to cover her face with her arms, so she didn´t saw the enormous shadow falling over her.
.
.
The ground shook, rubble and stone shot in every direction, dust swallowed the whole area as the tower crashed down on that small elf, no mortal could survive something like that.
A hill of rubble and broken stones remained where the tower had stood, some of the stones rolled down...some more...and revealing a black scaled leg.
Huh?
Ryuu opened her eyes and saw only darkness, but she felt no pain except that in her leg.
I...live?
She heard a painfilled whimper over her.
Don´t tell me?!
Ryuu raised a hand and touched something scaly.
"Be-" *Cough cough* "-ll!"
.
Outside of the rubble Ais Wallenstein stood with the sword in her hand and looked to the shattered tower. The dragon had pushed her aside as the tower fell and had jumped right onto the elf. Between the crushing of the stones she had seen and heard as big pieces hit the dragon´s back, legs, head and tail. The breaking of his scales and bones was easy to hear. And now she saw no movement.
Is he dead?
Oh gods no Bell! *Hic* Please *Hic* stop it already! You kill the boy we love!*Hic sob*
The sword princess shook her head, she knew she had to kill that dragon but something felt wrong...very wrong.
With a rumble, the hill moved a bit, she heard a female voice muffled by the rubble.
Slowly bit by bit, the dragon came into view, his body couldn´t look worse, most of his bones were broken, the left leg completely shattered, the tail stood up in an awkward angle. His body was hunched over as if something was lying under him, something he had protected from the falling debris.
With a faint puff, he slumped lifelessly to one side, revealing the uninjured elf.
New rage filled Ais, she activated her magic again and walked to the dragon´s head, time to finish it.
"Bell?! Bell?! Answer me! Please!" The elf cried uncontrollably and shook him.
Bell?! Please move! No stop! Don´t kill him please! Ais maiden self joined Ryuu´s begging.
When she came closer, the sword raised for the deadly thrust, the elf threw herself forward to protect the dragon´s head she was aiming at.
"Stop it sword princess! I beg you spare him!"
"I told you...it was the last warning..."
Ais wouldn´t stop, she would get her revenge on the black dragon here and now, if the elf wanted to protect him so badly she could die with him.
"Aerial...Avenger Tempest!"
The magic whirled around Scale Breaker as she pointed it to the elf´s heart.
"Die together then."
Ryuu didn´t flinch, if she couldn´t protect the man of her heart she wanted to go with him.
Bell...let us find peace in heaven...
"Bell...I love you..." Ryuu squeezed her eyes shut as she hugged the dragon´s head.
Ais reached out and thrust her sword straight forward.
Noooooo! Stoooooop! A last cry from her maiden side.
"Lil...Raaaaaaafaaaaaaaaa-"
.
In the literal last second before she could stab both bodies in front of her, something rammed into Ais Wallenstein, something that looked like a young Amazoness.
"Ais stop it!" Tiona clung to Ais´ waist as she used all of her strength to break Ais´ stand and her attack.
She wasn´t the only one, before Ais could regain her posture Tione smashed into Ais too, gripping her sword-arm.
"Help us!"
"Get her! Pin her down!"
"LET GO OFF ME! I WILL KILL HIM!" Ais´ voice was filled with rage and hatred.
The Loki Familia had finally arrived, Lefiya had told them what happened and they came just in time.
"Sorry Ais! I have to touch you!" Gareth jumped forward and pinned Ais´ legs down.
"Ms. Ais! Please stop!" Lefiya clung to Ais free arm and did her best to hold her, soon she was joined by Finn.
It took four level six adventurers...and Lefiya...to pin the screaming girl to the ground.
Dust started to rise and fall off the dragon´s body.
"Ais! Calm down! This it not "that" dragon!" Riveria ran over to the struggling girl and tried to talk to her.
"Let me go! I must kill him! I will kill him!"
Non of the Loki Familia had ever seen their "princess" like that.
"Ais what are you saying?! This is Argonaut!"
"Hold her down!" Gareth used his whole body just to restrain her legs.
"Ais! Listen to me!" Riveria knelt in front of Ais head, the only free spot on her body.
"Kill him!"
"Ais! This is Bell Cranel! He was cursed! Are you listening?!"
"KILL HIM!"
More dust fell of from the dragon´s body, his tail fell of and dissolved into nothing...the same way a monster died.
"Here goes nothing...Ais, I´m sorry..."
"KI-"
SLAP!
.
For the first time in her life, Riveria gave Ais a resounding slap. She had bonked her on the head in the past when she was too reckless, but this was the first serious slap. It hurt Riveria way more than Ais, not in the physical meaning...but in her heart.
Her head jerked to one side, her cheek immediately reddened, her eyes wide and unfocused.
Riveria´s slap did what they couldn´t hope for, it broke Ais´ rage. It wasn´t the physical slap, but who did it. In her head the maiden self finally got through to her warrior self, both stopped to exist and Ais Wallenstein returned to her true self.
"Ri...veria?" She stopped to fight against her Familia.
"Ais! Do you recognize me?!"
"Yes...what...happened?"
Slowly the others let go off Ais, Lefiya was the one that was the most horrified by what she had seen. Never before was Ais that brutal and focussed to kill something.
"You don´t remember?"
"No...I..."
Before they could talk further, they heard the crying and wailing behind them.
Ryuu knelt in front of the dragon´s head, who´s body crumbled more and more.
"Bell?! Bell! Don´t die! Please!"
But what they saw wasn´t the dragon dying. When Ryuu had thrown herself in front of the dragon´s head, she had done the one thing that a curse was weak to, an act of true love. Ryuu was prepared at heart to sacrifice her life for her love...or to die with him, since she didn´t want to live without him. Again and again she had done things in the last hours that had shaken the curse, her complete trust in Bell never swayed.
With a small explosion, the dragon´s body turned to dust and revealed Bell Cranel´s body, naked and covered in an horrible amount of wounds. Ryuu broke the curse without knowing it.
.
But...
.
He wasn´t saved...
.
Bell had taken too much damage and wounds...
.
"Bell?!" For a moment hope came up in Ryuu.
Drip...drip...drip...
But he didn´t moved.
"Bell?" Ryuu touched his face.
The first raindrops started to fall down...
No reaction.
The Loki Familia could only watch, Ais came slowly up to a sitting position when she saw him.
"Bell!" Ais got on her feet and jumped forward but.
"STAY AWAY!" Ryuu screamed at her with tear filled eyes.
"Huh?" Ais hesitated.
Little by little, the memories came to her what she had done to the dragon.
"Bell?! *Hic* Bell! Please *Hic* open your eyes!" Ryuu sounded desperate.
More and more raindrops fell...as if the heavens cried for the dying boy...
"Oh dear gods!" Lefiya clapped her hands over her mouth as she saw his badly wounded body.
"Argonaut! Please open your eyes!" Even the ever happy Tiona had tears in her eyes.
"Bell...please..." Ryuu´s body was shaking uncontrollably.
With a tear filled voice she started to sing. "I sing now of a distant forest..."
She caressed his face with her hand, tears falling down on him.
"A familiar melody of life..."
Bell...come back to me...I beg you...
Ryuu sobbed heartbreakingly. "Noa Heal!"
A green aura enveloped Bell´s shattered body.
She let his head rest on her thighs, caressed his calm face and sung again and again for him while she cried.
.
"Noa Heal!"
.
Ryuu didn´t cared what happened to her, she felt a mind-down coming closer, but she pushed her body further and further.
"Bell! *Hic* Come back! *Hic* Noa Heal!"
Ais could only watch in horror...realising she had done this.
.
Ryuu pushed her body further...her mental strength was gone and...she started to use her life force instead. Only elves were able to do that and it was more than dangerous, if she went too far she would die with him.
.
"Bell! I beg you! COME BACK TO ME!" In her state, Ryuu didn´t noticed the hand on her shoulder.
.
Riveria had pulled the stunned Lefiya with her, holding Lefiya´s right hand with her left and putting her right hand on Ryuu´s shoulder. Elves were a highly magical race and weren´t called the Fairy race for nothing.
With her incredible magical knowledge, Riveria opened her mental strength and that of Lefiya to Ryuu, letting her drain them from their energy more and more. It was a very unpleasant feeling and as she felt Lefiya getting a mind-down, Riveria let go off her to prevent her young life force from being sucked out.
Lyon...take as much as you need...
Riveria offered all of her mental strength...and even some of her life force to the crying woman.
.
But it wasn´t enough...
.
Bell Cranel didn´t open his eyes...
.
Even an elf could only bear a certain amount of life force being taken.
.
Ryuu passed out ... and lost herself in the blackness...
.
.
.
.
She had failed.
Ryuu knew that deep down in her as she drifted through the darkness.
"u..."
Was she dead?
Was she on her way to heaven? Would she see her love and her friends there again?
"uu..."
I have failed..
"yuu..."
He is gone...
"Ryuu..."
Bell...I..
"Ryuu! Please wake up!"
I loved you...
"Ryuuuuuu!"
Ryuu felt tears pooling beneath her eyelids. She frowned, trying not to let them spill over.
"Where...am I...?"
She opened her eyes a little but closed them right away after seeing blinding light.
Heaven?
She opened her eyes again, grimaced unable to even blink, she heard a surprised voice coming from immediately beside her.
"Ryuu, are you okay?!"
Ryuu looked up at the form leaning over her.
The blurry shape eventually came into focus and the colors became cleare. She made out blue-gray hair and eyes, Ryuu parted her lips as the exhausted face peered down at her.
"Syr..."
Her voice sounded terrible...as if her throat had forgotten how it was like to talk. Nevertheless, as soon as she spoke the name, the face above her lit up with happiness. Seemingly overcome with emotion, the girl fell onto Ryuu.
"Ryuu! Oh, Ryuu! I´m so glad...!"
Syr buried her face in Ryuu´s neck and hugged her softly, Ryuu could feel the familia, kind warmth of her body through the blanket. She was in the hospital of the guild in Babel.
"Meow! Ryuu opened her eyes, meow!"
"Damn, I was so worried about you, Nya!"
"You slept for three days straight!"
She was surrounded by chaos, Ahnya dance around like a child, Chloe looked at her releaved and Runoa just looked happy.
Ryuu was alive...she hadn´t died.
"Ryuu, how do you feel?"
"I...Bell?! What about him! What is with Bell?!"
"Ryuu please calm down." Syr
"Bell! Tell me!"
.
She didn´t need to hear the answer as she saw her friends sad faces.
.
.
"Ryuu...I´m sorry he...didn´t make it..."
.
.
No...
Ryuu felt her heart getting squeezed.
No...
Tears gathered in her eyes and her lower lip trembled.
No please no...not again...don´t take the ones I love away...please...
"Ah...Ah..."
"Ryuu, please calm down." Syr looked helpless at her crying shaking friend.
"Aaah..."
Bell...why...dear gods why?!...Bell...I..
"Aaaaaaaaah!" Ryuu clapped her hands over her face when the dam broke.
Endless the tears streamed down her face, she cried and sobbed, her friends couldn´t stop her from screaming as her heart shattered...
The man she loved so much was dead...and she was alive...it had happened again like the time with her Familia...
"No! Why?! Why?! Aaaaaaah!"
.
She couldn´t hear her friends anymore.
.
With a physical sharp pain in her chest, Ryuu´s heart broke.
.
From that day onward Ryuu Lyon never smiled again...never laughed again...never was able to love again...
.
.
As soon as she got out of the bed, Ryuu went to the dungeon without gear and equipment...she didn´t want to live anymore...
.
.
.
.
.
The End...?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Gasp!" With a startled cry, Ryuu opened her eyes, awaking from that horrible nightmare.
.
It was dim around her, without bright lights. She was lying on her left side, her broken foot resting on a special pillow and the first thing she saw was...
.
"Bell!"
.
Ryuu saw his face right in front of her, she was resting on a hospital bed, Bell lying in another right next to her. The chief healer, Amid had arranged it that way, she wanted the wounded woman to be able to see that he was alive as soon as she opened her eyes.
It wasn´t only out of her good heart, but Amid wanted to prevent Ryuu from running half-naked and badly wounded out of her room again.
"Bell?"
He wasn´t reacting, but only because he was asleep. Tears of joy filled Ryuu´s eyes, she reached forward and could slightly touch his shoulder and bandaged face. His right eye was closed, the left covered by bandages. As far as she could see, most of his body was bandaged or in plaster, like his left leg and arm.
He is alive! Thank all the gods!
A huge burden lifted from Ryuu´s heart.
They were alone in the room, it was night outside so the magic stone lamps were nearly shut off.
"Bell..."
A smile came to her lips, Ryuu was incredibly relieved that he was alive.
"Mmmmn..." He moaned lightly and moved in his sleep.
"Bell?"
"Mmmmnn..no..."
He has a nightmare.
Ryuu knew these signs from him.
.
With an aching body, Ryuu leaned up, swung herself around and got slowly on her weak legs, using the crutch that leaned against the wall. Bell´s bed as only an arm´s length away. It was a good thing that his bed was so big.
Very carefully, Ryuu sat down on the side of Bell´s bed, pulled her right leg up and put the pillow under her foot. She didn't care if Amid would complain, Ryuu took the pillow and blanket of her own bed, layed down beside Bell and snuggled softly against him, her right arm resting on his chest, her face in his neck and her free hand took Bell´s, their fingers entangled naturally. She took a deep breath of his scent...and as he noticed her body against his, her warmth and her scent...Bell calmed down.
.
Thank to all the gods for this miracle...
.
The medicine in her body made Ryuu sleepy...but she could swear a small part of Bell´s bangs...had a green color...
"Good night...Bell...I love you..."
She closed her eyes, ignored the throbbing in her foot and fell into sleep, with far more pleasant dreams than before.
.
.
.
Amid wasn´t surprised in the slightest when she came looking after these two in the morning and found Ryuu snuggled up to Bell in his bed. She had expected this and arranged a bigger bed for him.
"Well...can´t help it..." Amid turned around, closed the door and left. She would let them sleep, both were here for four days already and at least Ryuu was awake for a short moment.
These two should rest, after all it was Ryuu´s extreme amount of healing magic that had saved Bell´s life. Without her doing that...and sacrificing some of her life force, the Loki Familia wouldn´t have brought them in time to Amid.
That was the reason why some of Bell´s hair turned green...their souls were now bound together...forever.
.
.
.
.
.
Authors Note: Hey everyone and thanks again for the Reviews. I was thinking about doing a cliffhanger with Bell, but decided against it. We still have a long way in front of us before this story is over.
So long.