The Cure

DISCLAIMER: Danmachi belongs to its respective owners. Everything that occurs in this story is of my own creation and the characters abide by the fictional laws in the setting.

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Chapter 2: Sacrifices for the Journey

Part 3

"Mom!" Bell, fourteen years old, slammed the bedroom door open, making Alfia jump in her seat in front of the mirror. Her mismatched gaze furiously fell on him for creating such loud noise, yet he ignored her glare to run forward and, literally, pull her up from the seat to embrace her in a tight hug which left her confused, but she returned it, nonetheless. "Why didn't you tell me….?"

"Tell you what?" Alfia asked though she already had an idea of what her nephew was talking about.

"About your sickness." Bell clarified, confirming her thoughts.

"Because there was no point to it," Alfia replied and instantly felt her nephew's embrace become tighter.

"What do you mean there's no point to it!" Bell exclaimed loudly, something he normally avoided doing whenever he was around his mom due to her hatred of 'noise', but she would have to forgive him this time, as he was quite the emotional wreck at the moment, "If you had told me earlier, I could've tried to find a way!"

Alfia smiled despite the annoyance bubbling in her heart for her nephew's loudness, "And pray tell, what do you think you could've done that I have not already?"

Harsh, but it was the truth.

"I would've found a way! A new method!" Bell exclaimed again, his hug becoming unbearably forceful and filled with desperation, "I don't want you to die, I don't want you to leave my side, there's so much we've yet to see together!"

Alfia sighed, "I've seen enough, Bell."

"No!" Bell denied with a sob, "Don't say that mom, please!"

Alfia rubbed her sobbing nephew's back, "It's the truth my dear, you've given me a chance to see much more than I expected and I'm very grateful for it."

"Then we'll see more!" Bell shouted out loud, "I'll find away, I swear it. I'll find the cure!"

"Don't waste your lif-"

"It's not a waste!" Bell interrupted her, "You gave me everything, let me give you this at least!"

Really, this child.

Could he not see how happy he'd already made her?

She had finally made peace with herself once she had eaten the last branch a year ago, and she knew there wasn't much time left for her, yet here he was, giving her hope when she had already squashed it from her own heart long ago.

She had lived a long life, and she was nearing the end of it.

What more could she ask?

She had enough.

He was enough.

At least for Alfia that was the undeniable truth, but not for Bell Cranel.

No.

For the last fifteen years they had been living in the mountains, far away from the rest of the world with only the old man coming to visit them from time to time in the village at the foot of the mountain. Bell had lived a sheltered life, and while it was a great one thanks to the extreme efforts of his mom, there was still so much of the world out there he wanted to see.

And he wanted Alfia to be in it.

She had sacrificed fifteen long years, suffering with her sickness, to raise him into a fine young man when she could've left him on his own.

She was not his mother.

She was not bound to him with anything besides their blood.

Yet she stayed behind for him.

Gave it her all for him.

So, Bell Cranel decided, he would give it his all to find a way to repay back everything she had done for him.

Whether she wanted to or not.

Because Alfia deserved it – No, because his mom deserved it!

Through his crimson, teary, gaze he could see how her gray soul still burned brightly and he knew, her time couldn't be as short as they believed it to be. There had to be something he could do, and he would find it!

Because!

"I love you, mom."

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Bell left behind his innocent childhood to become the man that would find the cure for Alfia's sickness at the tender age of fourteen, he discarded everything that could be considered a child's luxury; Be it his free 'play' time in exchange for harsher training sessions with the old man, be it his free 'rest' time in exchange for fervently studying all books Alfia owned and any the old man could get his hands on, anything that could be even loosely related to her sickness, Bell researched with a fervent passion.

If he had been working ten times as hard to make his mom proud when he was young, then he was working a hundred times harder to find the cure to her sickness and let her continue enjoying the beauties of the world, with him.

No longer did he take their time together for granted, every second spent together made him renew his vow to find the cure for her and he would do whatever it took to get it. Bell tried many things to alleviate Alfia's pain, all taken from the information he gathered from his research yet most, if not all of them, barely worked on his aunt.

No longer was Alfia the one providing Bell with the comforts of a luxurious life, but Bell being the one to try and spoil rotten his aunt by doing everything in the house and giving her all the time she wished to pursue her own hobbies.

Alfia didn't discourage him, but neither did she encourage his endeavors as she thought it was another one of her nephew's childish whims.

Yet she could appreciate how much hard effort he was putting into such an endeavor for her.

It was such appreciation that drove her to discard the notion of waiting for Bell to become of age before they left the mountains, and instead, when he became fifteen years old, she announced:

"We'll move to Orario next month."

And when he asked why, she gave him a motherly smile and replied:

"Because I want to see the start of your journey, I want to see what kind of path you will take, and I want to rest at ease knowing I raised you to be everything we wished you to be."

Through tears, Bell delivered the longest and most expressive embrace he'd ever given her and through his sobs, continuously mumbled that he would make her proud and that he would find the cure for her, that it would be his path, his goal, his reality.

Alfia was a composed woman, but when faced with determination that could match her own selfishness, she couldn't help letting the tears escape her eyes as her nephew – no, her son vowed to finish her days of suffering.

All she had to do was hold on.

Just for a little longer.

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Part 4

The journey from the mountains to Orario wasn't a long one thanks to the old man's help. From the village resources he provided them with supplies for the journey, two horses with a carriage, and a new set of gears for both, Bell, and Alfia.

A far east ensemble for Bell consisting of below-knee high laced leather boots, form fitting black pants and a form-fitting gray shirt with a high collar. Draped over the gray shirt, and only over his left shoulder, was a one-sleeved dark-blue kimono held together over his waist by a wide belt protecting his lower stomach, and the bottom of the kimono flared out over his left leg.

The final piece of Bell's ensemble was a simple longsword attached to the right side of his waist and held by the belt. (AN: Google, Stefan Fire Emblem)

Whereas Alfia had a completely contrasting ensemble to Bell's; Hers was a dark with green accents, goth-like dress that went all the way down to her feet with detached, frilly sleeves, and left an ample amount of her cleavage and shoulders exposed which brought the glimmering shone of her round necklace forward, her hands were covered in silk-like transparent dark gloves.

Her only weapon was a dagger strapped to her left forearm, hidden under the covers of her frilly sleeve.

As all men living in the mountains tended to, when faced with a beauty of Alfia's caliber, they couldn't help themselves to delivering a few catcalls here and there.

And it was there that they learned that while Bell looked to be an extremely calm and composed youngster like his aunt, his true personality was exactly like hers.

Something that left Zeus guffawing in laughter after the young white-haired boy glared with enough anger in his crimson eyes to make the men of the village scurry away in fear. Nobody wanted to find out if the boy who'd been trained by the best hunter in the village was as good with the sword as the old man was.

If only they knew that Zeus hadn't been the only one to train him in the way of the sword.

The old man bid the two goodbyes at the edge of the village, promising to take care of their home if they ever decided to take a vacation from Orario, so long as they brought him a trinket, or a beautiful woman (discreetly said to Bell), when they returned.

The journey, with the horses and carriage, wasn't all that long yet it still took over a week from how far away they'd been from Orario.

A week that went in the blink of an eye for Bell and Alfia who spent the entire time with the former learning everything the later knew about Orario from her time living there. Alfia's knowledge may be fifteen years outdated, but it served its purpose in preparing Bell to know what he needed once they reached the city.

There was one thing Alfia asked of him, (more like prohibited).

And that was to never, ever, get involved with the Loki or Freya Familia.

Bell hesitantly agreed, for it was thanks to those two Familias efforts that Alfia's previous Familia had been exiled from Orario. Her return was a risky gamble, as she had originally intended to let herself waste away in the mountains before sending Bell to Orario by his lone self after her death, and she was not certain whether the exile order for the Hera Familia members was still in effect.

Every day they neared closer to Orario was another day that Alfia started doubting whether it was a good choice for her to come along with Bell or not, but every time those nerves attacked her, Bell was there to calm her down.

By letting himself be buried under the tons of magical, and adventurer's, knowledge his aunt had. His method worked wonders and in no time the two reached the massive gates of Orario. Alfia, as a last minute's precaution method, hid her face and hair with a black, semi-transparent veil that matched her gothic dress.

"Good evening," Bell amicably saluted the guards that walked around their carriage.

"Good evening," A lad with a red headband and short green hair greeted back, a red armband over his light armor denoting his seniority over the other guards inspecting the carriage's content. "Peddlers? Merchants? Travelers?"

"Soon to be residents and adventurers, hopefully," Bell replied scratching his cheek, his longsword's sheath clanking against the wooden seat as Alfia tensed beside him.

"Oh, you certainly dress like one." The lad complimented and extended his hand in greeting, "Name's Rad, I hope you don't mind me asking some more questions before we let you two through."

"None whatsoever," Bell shook hands with Rad, glad to have someone so laidback as their checkpoint patrol.

Rad motioned for another of the guards to come forward with a clipboard and pen in hand, and not a moment later he started:

"Names?"

Crap, they hadn't thought of a nickname for Alfia.

Well, here's hoping lucks on their side.

"Bell Cranel and Alfia," Bell pointed at himself then at his aunt who continued being quiet, and tense, beside him.

"Age?"

Crack

Oh fuck, mom was not happy with that question.

Sorry mom!

"15 and…" Bell glanced at his aunt who was eerily smiling through the veil. "Above 20…"

Rad raised an eyebrow at Bell's response but once his eyes landed on the beautiful and heavily dressed woman beside him splintering the wooden seat with her nails, quickly hit the guard beside with his elbow as the two nodded, "Right, sure. Sorry, uh, race?"

"Humans."

"Any relatives in Orario, or previous residence?" Rad continued after coughing into his hand.

"None; On that note, is there anywhere you could recommend us to stay for a few days while we get our bearings?" Bell hesitantly asked which Rad gave him a grin and a thumbs up.

"I can think of a few places of the top of my head, I'll write the directions down for you before we're over." Rad replied and read over the next question on the form, "Seeing as this is your first time coming into Orario, how did you learn about the city of Labyrinth?"

Bell smiled at that question, "There was a retired adventurer in our village from whom we learned about Orario, and we decided that it was time to see if the stories held true," Bell looked at the majestic, finely carved decorations on the city's gate and walls, and the sneak peek he had of the buildings inside, "And so far, they're holding true."

"Hah! And you haven't seen anything yet!" Rad exclaimed excitedly, "Have you ever seen any of the beastkin races?"

Bell denied with his head, "Only in books."

"Dude, they have fluffy animal ears, tails, some even have fur!" Rad suddenly exclaimed and the guard beside elbowed him, making the lad cough again into his fist, "Right, sorry, girlfriend's a beastkin. Anyways, uh, last question, what is white, dressed in mostly black, and about to own a permit into Orario?" The grin on the lad's face was telling and Bell couldn't help replying with one of his own.

"Us, hopefully?"

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As promised, Rad gave Bell directions to some of the better, and cheaper, inns in Orario along with his, and Alfia's, city permits that they would need to hand in at the Guild before the month was over to continue the process of gaining permanent residence.

Rad kindly pointed them in the direction of one of the Demeter Familia's workstations where they could leave their carriage in the safety of the Demeter's Familia custody, and if need be, sell it and the horses for some extra pocket money which was exactly what they did.

The laidback lad had also given Bell a map of Orario, courtesy of him for sharing in some of his light-hearted banter which Alfia had been quick to put to good use by checking the discrepancies between her memories and how far the city had developed in her absence.

And she hated to admit it but there were a lot of discrepancies.

Bell, not having the problem of losing himself between memories and reality, had an easier time navigating the city of Orario with all the childish wonder he'd left behind after swearing he would find the cure for his clumsy Aunt.

For the first time in his life Bell was seeing something besides the mass of green predominating the mountains, or whiteness of the snow during winters, and, while his aunt would most likely scold him for it, seeing other women besides her.

Bell had to give it to Rad, beastkin did have their own charm with the extra animal features and mannerism in which they moved about. Not that his aunt wasn't a beauty in her own right, attested by how many men, and the rare women, stared at her as they walked around but she was family.

So, no, Bell could not look at her that way.

Not even if they'd been sharing the bed for the last fifteen years. He'd seen enough of his aunt to know she was a natural silver-haired, extremely mature, woman, just like he was a natural white-haired youngster.

Some other things were better left unsaid.

With that said, Bell had one hell of a wonderful time just slowly walking the streets of Orario with his aunt cursing every couple of minutes about something not being where she remembered. The diversity of the city's people, the cultural shock, the vibrant hums of their souls as they went through their daily lives.

To him, it was all a new, enthralling, experience.

One he was glad he was sharing it with his aunt, and one that made him renew his vow, again, about liberating her from her sickness so she could continue to enjoy her life to its fullest.

When the Sun started descending into the horizon, Bell realized it was time to really head towards one of the many inns Rad had recommended before they were left wandering the city of the Labyrinth during nighttime and Bell was not looking forward to trusting his aunt's sense of direction, not that he wouldn't, but he'd rather not get to that point.

For all her knowledge, Alfia could be very clumsy at times.

Some uncomfortable questions from the inn's keeper later, Bell and Alfia had found themselves a nice if small, inn to rest for the night in the western side of Orario. Their room was small, with only one bed for the both of them, but came with a hearty meal delivered at their doorstep, with a jug of ale that they declined as neither liked the alcoholic beverage.

"It's been a long day," Bell was the first to speak as they shared their meal, him sitting cross-legged across his aunt whose side rested against the bed's headboard with her legs to the side.

"And tomorrow will be even longer," Alfia threw her hair to the side before it could fall and get dirty on her plate, "You'll have to head to the guild to find out whether my name has been cleared or not, finish the process to obtain our residence permits, and also scout out possible Familias we could join, or at least you could."

Bell nodded, munching down his meal as his aunt continued.

"In the meanwhile, I'll look around for a permanent place we can stay." Alfia set her empty plate on the night table besides the bed and started unclipping her necklace and undoing the strings holding her dress at the back of her neck, "The prices should still be around the same amount as fifteen years ago, or at least somewhere around the same, so there should be no issue finding us a permanent home."

Bell looked away as her aunt's dress fell to her waist, he didn't need to look at her to know there was nothing covering her naked breast, nor did he need to look to feel her getting off the bed to fully discard her dress and change into a modest semi-transparent nightgown while he finished eating his dinner.

For all her talk about not wanting him to become a pervert like his unknown father, or the old man from the mountains were, she really had no problems revealing her body to him, perhaps it was because she didn't see him as anything but her nephew that allowed her to do so.

But damn it! He was a growing boy!

With a sigh, Bell mimicked Alfia's actions by setting the empty plate above hers and changing into his pajamas.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and as he settled into bed with his mom's arms bringing him into her motherly embrace, Bell knew he would need all the rest he could get.

The young, white-haired, soon to be adventurer's dream were filled with silvery colors and the warmth only his mom could provide, just as she always had for the last fifteen years of his life.

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Author's Note: Teehee~