Disclaimer: I do not own DanMachi or any of the Omori's original characters, nor do I make any profit off of my writing.
Author Notes:
This is just a spin-off of my other story, 'The Blood of Zeus.' Updates on this story will be completely random, this is really just a side project, it will be nowhere near as long or as thought out as the original story but it was an idea I liked.
Before you go around suggesting pairings this story will end up either having no pairing or being Bell/Aiz, let's be real though, this story is entirely based around the fact that Bell is terminally ill. We all know the ending.
There was a small form curled in on itself in the alleyway, laying amongst the dirt and grime that had settled into the backway over the years. The boy didn't seem too bothered by the way the water and muck soaked through his brown jacket and pants. Nor did he seem to care about the way the mud was caking his hair.
Coughs racked his body as he laid there, trying desperately to catch his breath and make the pain stop. He was given no solace, nor any reprieve from the pain.
A small girl, two midnight big tails handing behind her, rushed down the alleyway and slid to a stop beside the boy. She hesitated for a moment before running soothing circles around his back, hoping she could provide him any amount of relief from the pain.
".. h- hey," she spoke in a soft voice, almost afraid to bring attention to herself.
The boy turned his head up from the ground and looked at her through glossy, ruby eyes. He quickly swiped a hand across his lips, hoping to rid them of the blood that speckled them before the girl noticed.
No such luck.
"You're bleeding."
".. I don't know what you're talking about.. "
It was an instinctual response, one he's not proud of giving. He was just so used to people turning him away once they noticed. They always did.
The only ones who never did were dad, auntie, and neko-chan..
And I ran away from them.
The girl instantly knew he was lying, but she couldn't really blame him, they'd never even met before. Still, it was rather upsetting – she just wanted to help.
She kept rubbing her palm against his back as she lifted him up into a seated position, getting him out of the dirt.
".. what's wrong?"
His ruby eyes blinked up at her lethargically, as if the normally automatic action was physically straining on his body.
".. n- nothing."
Another lie.
The goddess frowned.
"Listen here, child. I know I may not look the best, but I can still help you!"
".. c- child? You're younger than me.. "
What is he– ?
Oh. He can't tell I'm a goddess.
How out of it is he?
"What's your name?"
"Be– "
More coughs racked his body and he instantly curled back in on himself, ducking his head into his chest and covering his mouth with his arm. The goddess most definitely saw the blood spraying from his mouth that time, but she still did not question it. Instead, busying herself with wiping away the dirt and grime from his clothes.
"B- Bell."
"Well, Bell. My name is Hestia, goddess of the hearth and home."
His eyes widened slightly, and he started to move. That is until Hestia grasped both of his shoulders and forced him back against the wall.
"You're hurt, don't even dare try to bow to me right now. I wouldn't want it anyways, okay Bell?"
".. o- okay."
"Good. Now Bell, do you have a home?"
".. n- no."
A lie.
"Where is it?"
He looked away from her, but she could still see the pained look in his eyes.
"I ran.. away.. "
He spoke in a whisper, his voice hoarse.
She nodded minutely and went back to her work of cleaning him off, "if you don't mind me asking, why?"
"Dad didn't tell me.. not until now.. "
"What didn't he tell you?"
".. "
".. "
".. "
".. Bell? What did your dad tell you?"
".. I'm dying."
Her hands stilled over his shoulder as her eyes widened.
".. w- what?"
".. have been for a while. Since I was around six I think, I probably should have figured that out.. "
"B- Bell, what– "
".. my lungs are giving out; my stomach too," he shrugged, his head still facing down the alleyway. There were some flecks of blood that he missed on his bottom lip and his eyes were bloodshot, but he didn't seem to bother by it.
"It was something I lived with so I never really questioned it, last week my dad said I probably have a few months or so left."
".. "
"I had no intention of dying a pointless life."
".. "
"So, I came here, to save as many people as possible before I die," he shrugged again, "nobody wants the dying kid th– "
He paused when two arms wrapped around his back and pulled him into the girl's shoulder. A drop of water slid down his cheek as the goddess held on and cried for him.
"I– I'll t– take you in.. j– just pr– promise me something, okay?"
He nodded into her neck.
".. don't throw your l– life away. If you can keep on living, please do everything you can to do so."
"I– "
"Bell, please."
".. I promise.. "
"Good, then you shall be my first child!"
Bell nodded slowly and Hestia smiled. She stood up and reached her hand down for him, one which he took tentatively. She pulled him onto shaky feet and immediately caught him before he collapsed back down again.
".. let's– let's just find someplace quiet to give you my blessing quickly, I don't think it'll be easy making it all the way back to my home."
He leaned against her, something she wasn't quite prepared for, but something entirely different caught her attention.
He's so–
Her breath caught again as his shirt rose up on his side, their combined movement scrunching the fabric up around her shoulder. The skin that peeked out from behind the fabric was ghostly pale as if his body was already failing to circulate his blood properly. What worried her more were the ribs that peaked through, she could count each individual one through the skin.
Her eyes teared up more as they tracked up from his side to his own downcast ruby irises.
".. are you sure you want this Goddess?"
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
And she hadn't.
She had only descended to the lower worlds a few months ago, but she knew right now, at this moment, that if she ever would have had a reason in life it would be to help this boy achieve his goal.
To die in the stead of another.
She hated that goal. More than she'd ever thought she could hate anything.
But she would do everything in her power to make sure he could reach it.
She would make sure that he got everything he wanted out of life, regardless of how much life he had left to live.
She diverted her eyes from his and looked both ways down the street the alley emerged onto, she gently moved him to face their right.
".. come on, Bell. I know a library that will work. The owner is kind, he'll let us use a room to bestow my falna."
He nodded and dragged his feet across the cobblestone as they made their way through the town. They received plenty of affronted looks as they made their way down the street, but nobody outright stopped them to question them.
A red-haired woman stopped across the street as she exited a liquor store, her eyes following the boy and goddess as they passed her by.
She sighed.
"Hueh– ?"
".. lemme help, kid."
Hestia's head shot to her left at the voice, "what are you doing he– "
".. not now, Hestia. Where are you taking him?"
".. "
"Hestia, I just want to help the boy get to where he can get some help, 'kay? So.. "
"T- the library," she pointed briefly with her right arm, "just up ahead."
Loki smiled faintly and nodded, crouching down low to not force too much weight onto Hestia's back and helped bring Bell along with them.
She briefly thought back to the bag of alcohol she left on the side of the road before dismissing the thought. She could just buy more later.
Loki held onto Bell as Hestia hustled forward to open the door and hold it for them. The man behind the desk inside raised an eyebrow as the boy stumbled in hanging over one of the most powerful goddesses in Orario, but he said nothing yet.
Hestia quickly slipped back under Bell's arm and walked him over to the desk, "would we be able to use one of your private rooms quickly? We'll be out of your hair in no time."
The man nodded minutely and swung a thumb over his shoulder, "third room on the left is still open."
Bell flinched as his chest started scratching and he tried to retract his arms into himself and away from the goddesses.
"H- hey kid! What are– "
Blood sprayed out of his mouth onto his chest as he stumbled backward and out of her grip, he weakly wiped his mouth before collapsing backward onto his butt.
Loki's eyes opened slightly before she rushed forward beside Hestia and caught him from falling all the way down, "Hestia, what's happenin'?"
"He's sick! He needs my falna!"
"Well, we don't exactly have time ta get him ta the back anymore! Just do it 'ere!"
Hestia nodded her head quickly and they both worked together to pull his shirt from over his head and flip him onto his stomach.
Loki pulled a sheathed pocket knife from her shorts pockets and handed it over to the pint-sized goddess, "you know how to do it?"
"Just prick my finger and let the blood fall on him, right?"
"Pretty much."
Hestia waste no time, cutting a line across the pad of her thumb and dragging her index finger along the side, flushing the blood toward the new opening. A large drop of blood beaded around the thin red line before dropping down onto his back with a splash.
Color filled the room, illuminating the old oaken bookshelves and filling the shadows between the spines of the untouched literature as ancient text and the language of the gods sprung to life above his back. A covenant etched itself into the skin of his back as the characters that hovered in the air flipped into place, rotating through each option rapidly.
All at once, everything stopped moving and Hestia brought her hands together. Her thumbs lined up parallel as they hovered side by side, her palms facing down toward his back. She lightly pushed down with her hands, the hovering texts following the motion and receding into his back.
She reached for his shirt when Loki caught her arm, "you should lock his status."
"How do I do that?"
Loki sighed and slid her hand down Hestia's arm and down to her hand, lightly closing every finger except her index. She traced over Bell's exposed back in the shape of a lock using the finger, "just like that."
His back glowed once again before the sacred text faded away, smooth skin replacing where the text once sat.
Hestia smiled softly over to her rival, "thank you, Loki."
"I did it f'r the kid, not f'r you."
Hestia nodded and returned her attention back to the boy who laid before them, slowly she grabbed the black shirt that was discarded to the side and pulled it over his head. Loki flipped him back over again and lifted his back from the ground as Hestia maneuvered his arms through the sleeves.
Loki frowned as she took in his chest for the first time, having been much more concerned with blessing him when his shirt first came off.
"Hestia, what happen'd to 'im?"
The other goddess's hands paused slightly as she pulled the shirt down over his stomach, though she quickly continued on.
"Can I trust you? We've never gotten along all that well, Loki."
Loki nodded slowly, "we haven't no, but 'm not gonna try to get at'cha through yer child."
Hestia sighed and smiled softly at her fellow goddess, "help me get him to a back room and I'll tell you what I know. Maybe you can help me help him."
Loki raised an eyebrow at that but complied anyways, her children were still on their expedition for the next few days, so she had nothing to lose. She glanced back at the boy who was still unconscious and hanging between her and Hestia's arms.
Yeah, that's the only reason.
They set him down on the cushioned reading chair, making sure he was in a comfortable position before stepping back.
".. "
".. "
".. he's dying."
".. "
"He said his dad just told him last week. He couldn't bear with the idea that he would die a meaningless death, so he came to Orario to join a familia and save as many lives as he could in the dungeon before he did."
Loki nodded wordlessly.
".. I didn't want to accept, not with knowing it was his way of taking his own life, but it was the only way I think he will find peace in the end."
".. "
".. "
".. do you have everything you need to support him?"
"What?"
"Don't make me repeat myself, Hestia. Do you have everything you need to take care of him? To get him to his goal?"
"I– no."
Loki nodded and stepped toward the door, "if you need anything for him, and only him, get in contact with me. I won't give you money but food, clothes, anything essential he may need my familia will provide."
"Thank you, Loki. This means a lot to me."
"Yeah, yeah," she waved an arm nonchalantly over her shoulder as she fell back into her typical accent and opened the door, "just don't think ya can go 'round skimmin' me like ya did Fei-Fei. Not gonna happen."
Hestia smiled toward the door before stepping out herself. She walked back toward the front desk and bowed her head to the librarian, "thank you for your hospitality, Ren-san. I'm sorry about any trouble we may have caused."
"Is the boy okay?"
"I'm not sure yet, but he should be better with my blessing on his back. I know I've already asked a lot, but do you have anything I could use to clean him off? Just a rag would do."
He smiled and nodded his head, happy to oblige, "follow me to the back and I'll set you up with some stuff, I should have some clean clothes back there too. It would do him some good to get out of that wet shirt and jacket."
…
"Nnngh– !"
".. ell?"
A soft voice called out to him as he stirred.
"Bell?"
Who is that?
Ruby eyes blinked awake slowly, heavy eyelids opening just above heavier bags brought on by years of sleep deprivation that had only worsened in recent weeks.
He rubbed away the fuzziness in his vision with a shaky arm and looked over the girl in front of him.
She was smaller than he was, shorter by far even with his stunted growth from poor dieting. She had raven black hair that was held up into two pigtails by two flowering ribbons on either side of her head. She wore a tight white dress that left little to the imagination, showcasing her considerable bust.
It was one of the main reasons why she couldn't be confused for a child.
The other being the divine aura that surrounded her and thrummed softly in the air, filling the room with a certain feeling of magnificence.
She had cerulean eyes, a deep blue that matched her accessories: the bow that wrapped around her neck, securing the collar of her dress, as well as the cord that is tied across her chest and arms, supporting her bust. She wore a matching pair of white gloves that stretched up her forearms almost to her elbows, a white color similar to her dress.
The outfit was finished off with a pair of open-toed sandals adorning her feet.
".. who are you?"
Her small lips pulled up slightly into a comforting smile as she stepped over in front of the boy.
".. do you remember anything of what has happened?"
He shook his head briefly, "nothing past being tossed out by another familia."
She nodded slowly, "well I found you in an alleyway not far from here, you told me a little bit about yourself, and you agreed to join my familia under the pretense that you would do everything to keep yourself safe."
Her expression turned stern as she placed her hands on her hips, "that means no giving up your life when it isn't necessary. I agreed to support you in your effort to save as many people as possible before your sickness took you, not to support your death."
He nodded slowly, still having trouble digesting the information dump. Her expression softened once more, "how are you feeling? Are you in any pain?"
Am I?
I felt.. stronger..
Better even..
There was still a tightness in my chest that didn't seem to go away, and my lungs hadn't stopped aching as they hadn't stopped for the last eight years.
But I wasn't coughing, and it wasn't unbearable..
".. I– I think I'm doing better.."
Hestia smiled and one of her hands came down to rest on my shoulder, "that's good. Do you think you can walk?"
He frowned momentarily before bringing both his hands shakily down onto the armrests on either side of his body, he pushed off slowly and rose to his feet. His knees threatened to buckle, and Hestia immediately reached out to support him until he waved her off.
He gave her a hesitant nod, "I think I can."
She took a step back and smiled, "good! We need to get you something to eat, you look like you could use it."
He grimaced but said nothing, he and food had a.. rough relationship. Most of the time he struggled to ever stomach large amounts, the few times he could often ended with him over a bucket or keeled over the ground outside.
He followed behind her as she made her way out of the building, stopping briefly to wave to the man behind the desk. Bell guessed it was a library that she had brought him into, he was half tempted to see if they had any books he hadn't seen before. Reading had been one of his only comforts in the village even before learning he was so weak because he was dying.
That and his family were just about the only comforts he could afford in their small village.
"Goddess?"
"Yes? What is it, Bell-kun?"
Would it be rude to ask this?
"Umm.. what's your name?"
She paused.
Oh no, I've offended her.
"F- forgive me, kami-sama! I just– "
His apology was cut short by the peal of laughter that tore from her throat as she turned around to face him, "it's alright, Bell-kun. I just can't believe I forgot to reintroduce myself when you woke up. My name is Hestia, goddess of the hearth and home. Oh! And family too!"
He smiled and nodded, "Bellerophontes, umm.. I don't really know if I have a last name," he tapped his chin in thought, "my dad's name was Jove though, and my mother was Meteria."
She froze for an instant before looking up at him, "Jove, you say?"
"Mm. Do you know him?"
She shook her head slightly, "it's unlikely, I just have an old.. friend, who sometimes went by that. I haven't seen him in a long, long time though so it would be impossible for them to be the same."
Bell nodded along, seeing the logic in the statement. Sure, his father was old. He had been old Bell's entire life, honestly, it surprised him that he didn't look any older.
Every memory Bell had of his father he looked the same, for somebody who already looked like an old man when he had his first kid, he certainly slowed in aging afterward.
"Where are we headed?"
"I have some leftover food from my shift at work back home, it's not much but it'll do for now. I'll work on getting you some healthier options soon."
Bell nodded, "I'm perfectly happy with leftovers, I do not need much."
She rounded on him and poked a finger into his chest, "you made me a promise to not kill yourself for this goal of yours. That means taking care of your body while you live so you can keep on living for as long as possible."
"I wasn't– "
"The falna has been known to grant extended life spans as the child grows stronger, you can imagine a future for yourself Bell. There's nothing wrong with that."
Bell said nothing.
False hope and empty promises. My days are numbered already goddess, there's nothing that will change that.
Bellerophontes
Level One
Strength: I 0
Endurance: I 0
Dexterity: I 0
Agility: I 0
Magic: I 0
Spells:
Skills:
Moirolatrikos: User is weakened at an accelerated rate, causing a loss of health and mind and a 5% reduction in their abilities. User experiences boosted status when fighting in defense of another.