(Hey everyone, sorry about the wait, if anyone was waiting, I've been struggling with school right now, but summers just around the corner so I should be able to get back to this, just wanted to get this one out here, the next chapter will be an NSFW chapter and will be published on a different story, labeled Blood Lust (NSFW) hope you guys enjoy.)
Maria and the young hunter wished Eileen good tidings as they left after having a conversation similar to the one they had with Djura, it was all about reminiscing and reliving the past. This brought Maria more joy than the hunter could ever know and when they were out of Eileen's view she grasped the hunter tightly and sobbed into his shoulder. He was stunned and quickly tried to cheer her up. "H-hey what's wrong, that's what you wanted right, you liked seeing them right?" He said frantically.
"Yes, that's exactly what I wanted, I wanted that more than anything, and I can't thank you enough for allowing me to do this, it's been so long." She said sadly. "I never thought I'd see them again, I-I'm the happiest I've been in a century." She said as she sobbed into his shoulder. He stood there grasping just how long it had been since she'd had any contact with anyone friendly. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and gently kissed her neck, slowly swaying his body back and fourth, almost like a dance. She gripped him tighter and continued crying as she brought her face up to meet his and kissed him passionately on the lips, gently sniffling as she did so. They stood like this for many a minutes, maybe even an hour, of pure passion and morose happiness. After the hour Maria pulled away and wiped her eyes, stifling anymore tears she may have had, embracing him one last time. She then walked to the lamp with him and warped back to the dream, appearing in front of the doll who had awaited their return, she saw the sadness and tears in Maria's eyes and looked at the hunter.
"What did you do?" She said pointing a finger at him accusing him of hurting her.
"I-I..." He didn't really know how to answer. "She's not sad, she's just..."
"I'm the happiest I've been in many decades." Maria cut him off and hugged him. "So blame him not." She smiled and walked over to the workshop. "I wish to retire for the day, all this excitement has me tired." She said, seeming oddly more regal than how she previously acted.
"Yeah, today was something else." He smiled and turned to the doll. "How are you?" He said embracing her tightly, feeling bad for basically forgetting about her the past couple days.
"I'm quite average." She smiled and hugged him back, kissing him gingerly. "But feeling you makes me feel quite happy." She said she embraced him tightly.
"Likewise." The hunter smiled and held onto her, not letting go as he sunk into her soft dress, he had forgotten just how soft she was. "Hey, can I rest on your la..."
"Of course." She quickly said before sitting down and patting her lap, she loved having him rest on her, it made him happy and comfortable, and she loved being near him and being able to make him happy. He smiled and laid down resting his head on her lap. She immediately starting petting his head and gently playing with his hair. "I've missed you Good hunter." She smiled.
"It's only been a couple days since Maria's showed up." He said smiling a little.
"But it feels like years whenever you're not next to me, especially if you're going to be next to some other woman and hurt my heart in the process." She said sadly.
"I'm sorry, but you have to understand her perspective, it's been decades since she's found another person that doesn't want to kill her, pardon her for wanting to have contact with that person, and pardon me if I want to make her happy." He said in a rather defensive tone, he loved the doll with all his heart, but he was not loving her view of Maria, though he knew Maria felt roughly the same about the doll.
"I-I understand that, I'm sorry, I just... I finally found love, and I don't want it to leave me." She said morosely, sad that he yelled at her, small tearstones falling out of her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get upset, and I understand how you feel, I'm sorry." He said gently, wrapping his arms around her waist and putting his head on her lower stomach, giving it small kisses.
"It's ok, I'm just paranoid." She said, smiling a little, petting his head and rubbing his back with her other arm.
"Me too." He said as he put his head back down, resting it on her legs, as she continued to pet his head. "I love you." He said.
"I love you too." She said and smiled, cherishing his words. She sat there, now enjoying silence as he rest her head on her legs, she gently pet his head, she would sweetly kiss him gently every now again, and he would slowly slip into sleep. After an hour Maria came out and saw them and smiled, she walked over to the doll and sat next to her.
"A blessing isn't he." She smiled and pet him as well.
"Truly, so kind, so sweet, so thoughtful." She smiled and looked over to Maria. "So, why are you out, I thought you said you were retiring for the day?"
"Couldn't sleep, got bored." She said in response.
"Oh I see, so what did you two do that resulted you coming back in tears?" The doll said looking over to her.
"We visited some really old friends, the ones I haven't seen in a hundred or so years." She said sorrowfully and looked down, but still smiled. "I'm just glad I got to see them at least one more time, if only just to say sorry for staying away so long." She said and pet the hunters neck, gingerly running a nail down his nape and reaching her hand into his shirt to rub his warm back.
"Ahh, I see, I'm sorry." The doll said, she really did feel sympathy for Maria and her situation, she knows exactly what confinement and lack of exposure to emotion for so long can feel like. She then reached a hand and placed it over Maria's. "I know we're not the best of friends, but if you need anything, please, just ask, you are a hunter after all, and I am here to help you hunters." She smiled warmly at Maria, the warmth in her smiled even outmatched any smile the young hunter made, the dolls was so inviting and pure and innocent.
"Thank you, I'll be sure to take you up on that some day." Maria said smiling at her. The hunter soon woke and looked up at them.
"Ahh, hello Maria, how'd you sleep?" He looked at her.
"I didn't, couldn't." She said and smiled at him. "But it seems you slept rather nice." She smiled and kissed his forehead.
"Heh, yeah, she's really soft." He said and embraced the doll tightly, bringing himself into her, gently pressing against her dress. She blushed a little and looked down at him smiling, kissing him as well.
"So, I'm a little bored, is there anything to do here, or do you guys just cuddle all day." Maria said, not opposed to the idea.
"Well it's mostly cuddling, but me and the doll will sometimes spar to train my skill and..."
"Ahh that's perfect, that'll get rid of my boredom." Maria cut him off, walking off to get her armor and weapons. "I want you to get ready." She smiled at him and walked into the workshop to get her stuff.
"I shouldn't have said anything." He said worriedly, he knew she was gonna kick his ass, maybe that's what she wanted though, a punching bag, she must know how much stronger she is than the hunter, but nevertheless he somberly donned his hunters set and from his assortment of weapons grabbed the boom hammer. Once they were both ready they went to the open field as the doll rested against the great tree in anticipation. They both got into fighting stances and soon charged, Maria quickly closing the distance, so quickly in fact he was taken off guard, he recoiled from her speed. He hopped back just narrowly missing being shish-ka-bobbed by her blades and retaliated, bringing the hammer in an upward arc and narrowly missing her chin, when his strike missed she dashed at him quicker than he could bring his hammer back up and stabbed him through, he felt the strong steering pain as she smiled at him and kissed him mockingly. But in another instant she felt a searing pain and pulled away realizing it was the fire of his hammer, and as she pulled away he brought the hammer down onto her cheek and sent her sprawled to the ground, he was about to see if she was ok when she suddenly jumped up and ripped out her Rakuyo out the side of his body, eviscerating him, he stumbled and slammed a vial in his leg, patching up the wound, and slammed another one to heal the stab wound as well. They stood there, back to the beginning, he healed his wounds and Maria looked as good as she did before the fight, he was about to throw himself at her again when she suddenly dashed up to him and cut his legs bringing him to his knees and then slamming her hand into his chest, her sharp nails forcing entry through the skin and just like he was a beast ripped her hand out of him, causing a mass of his blood to pour onto her as he fell to the ground and disintegrated halfway though falling, waking back up in the workshop, he sighed and picked himself back up, walking over to the large field where a very happy Maria and a giggling doll were.
"That was the best you got, come on I barely broke a sweat." She said laughing.
"He probably just didn't want to hurt you, whenever we spar he would always go easy cause he felt bad hurting me." The doll said giggling.
"Awww, how adorable." Maria said, pinching his cheeks, her hands leaving blood on his face. He just stood there and took all the berating. "Now if I'm not mistaken I get a reward right?" She looked at him and smiled.
"Or you can punish him." The doll said.
"Ooh, how interesting, what could I do, I could get you to lick your own blood off of me, I could beat you more, I could get another one of your famous foot massages, or, you could wash me, cause your blood is starting to get sticky, you pick." She smiled. He definitely didn't want to lick her clean, nor endure another beating, and he had enough of her feet last time, so he decided to wash her, she giggled and the doll led them to the bathing area of the dream, a small pond, large enough to sink into, and large enough for two people, it was also naturally heated. Before he could really comprehend what he got himself into Maria suddenly stripped in front of him, revealing her buxom figure, her ample breasts, her sexy posterior, and even revealing her most sacred of areas. He recoiled a little, looking away blushing. "Oh come now, you've seen a woman naked before right?" She smiled at him.
"None as beautiful as you." He said, she had the visage of a goddess, and he felt like a sinner just looking at her, even with a large amount of his blood coating her.
"Oh nows not the time for ass kissing, we can do that when I'm clean." She smiled and led him over to the pond as she sunk in. "Well, get to work." She said as she lifted a leg out of the water.