FYI don't own danmachi.

This is just a re-upload of another story I wrote. I want it to be part of this catalogue of stories about the Danmachi world. This is technically my first one and I liked it so much I'm putting here with it.

It is quite long tho. It was initally in three chapters and If you want to read that then you can click my profile and read it from there

Enjoy!

Folkvangr. The brutal battlefield where the most powerful adventures the world currently knows reside.

Folkvangr. The luxurious home of the most beautiful and ferocious Goddess in the labyrinth city.

Folkvangr. Where all noise had ceased as every pair of eyes that belonged to the Freya Familia was staring at their main entry gate. Though the metal bars and archway were very nicely shaped and the walls were nothing to scoff at, it was unsurprisingly that what had captured everyone's attention was the young… boy? Standing there. A few of the eyes were paired with a look of confusion, however, most shared a look of hatred and disgust. The best guess for this would most likely be because said boy was shoving a bag of money in the face of their patron deity.

"I would like to hire your services."

Freya had gone back to her mansion for her monthly visit to update her children's falna. None had achieved a significant feat worthy of a level up but a few souls were shining a bit brighter than the previous month. All in all, it wasn't that exciting but she wouldn't call it a waste of time, it wasn't like she had much to do anyway. The Loki and Astrea Familia were now cleaning up the remnants of Evilus after the attack from a year ago. She offered her children to help now and then but she preferred to just sit at the top of Babel and observe. She had recently become interested in Astrea's girls but she wouldn't say she was entranced by them; she could only see one or two she believed might be worthy of making a move on. That lovely green soul was looking more and more appetising by the day though, maybe she should make a…

'Wait a minute, I'm getting off track again. That girl, making me lose focus like that.'

Freya regained her concentration once again on the matter at hand. After she had finished with her daily chore, the Goddess of beauty started her walk back to the tower. It was a real shame she would have to stay in the back alleys, all covered up. It was such a nice day, not a cloud blocking the clear blue sky. Before she could even leave Folkvangr though, a young boy (she thinks it's a boy, will have to come back to that one) was standing in her way. This already was enough to agitate her beloved children as to halt her progress, no matter how small, was considered a sin. It was the next action that almost cost the boy his life.

Freya giggled again as she looked at the person sitting in front of her. She could make out brown, shaggy hair that almost grazed the boy's neck. Two cat ears poked out the top of his head with a feline's tail sticking out of his back. A loose, short-sleeved black top covered his chest. One of his arms was left free in the air while the other was covered in a black sleeve. A pair of fingerless gloves covered his hands. Brown trousers and brown boots rounded out his very ordinary appearance. The only interesting part of his otherwise bland appearance was a striking red beret that sat in between the cat ears that once again stood up straight as his chestnut eyes winced with pain as a healer patted another bruise on his face.

"Could you please stay still, you are just making this go on longer?" Heath said in an annoyed voice.

"I'm sorry alright. You could be a bit gentler you know. It's not my fault you lot couldn't understand what I was talking about." The cat boy said as he remembered 30 minutes ago when he saw the entire Freya Familia suddenly jump him for no obvious reason, well not one he could think of.

"If what wasn't for the big guy there, you lot would have killed me." He said while pointing towards the massive Boaz warrior standing behind his lady's chair, receiving a very unamused look in return. Ottar would have let his fellow Familia members do what they wished if it wasn't for his Lady asking him to intervene.

"YOU are the one who made a blasphemous request in front of the most powerful adventures in Orario towards the most sacred of deities!"

"Aah, stop pressing so hard. Aren't you meant to be a healer."

Another giggle brought the bickering couple's attention to the Goddess sitting in front of them. A body so divine that it could turn even the gayest man straight and the most stone-faced Amazon into a submissive plaything. Her small laugh alone had made the two's knees get weak but it was her regal posture and presence that demanded their attention.

"Heath that will do for now, you may leave."

"Of course my lady." The healer left the room with a quick bow but not without giving a quick glare at her patient, making the boy gulp once more.

"I believe we started with a bad misunderstanding, I hope for your case anyway. May I first ask for your name?"

"Sure, my name is Brandon and don't worry, I already know who you are."

The casual nature in which the boy spoke earned Brandon a death stare from the hulking level 7 but an amused look from Freya.

"So you are a boy then."

"Huh, course I am! Thought you deities were meant to be good at seeing this stuff."

'This boy can talk so casually while in my presence. I wonder who he is.'

"Now could I question what it is you want? More directly, what services is it that you want to request." Freya said in a sultry tone, uncrossing and recrossing her legs. Since Freya was sitting on a chair while Brandon was on the floor, he was the perfect height for the heavenly sight. Whether it was his willpower, his anxiousness or the glare that could kill even a floor boss coming from Ottar, Brandon managed to turn his head away so he would not even catch a glimpse of what most would kill for. This earned another divine giggle out of the Goddess of beauty, only making the already hard task of staying conscious and in control even harder.

"I-I-I-I want to ask something of you, more specifically of the king."

This grabbed the deity and her follower's attention. Freya was surprised, to say the least, and from the unfazed face of her subordinate, he was also in the same boat.

"Oh, what is it you want with my Ottar." A small part of Ottar smiled after being called hers.

"I w-w-wish to hire his services. Please."

"So when you said you wanted my services, it was actually Ottar you wished to ask of."

"That is correct, yes."

"And what is it you would like Ottar to do."

"Hmmmmmmm. I don't know yet."

"Wait, what."

"Yeah. Honestly, I didn't think I would get this far so in all honesty I'm not sure what it is I want him to do. I had already thought of one thing but maybe now I could get a few others." He said with a finger on his chin.

'The cheek of this boy. To walk up to my home and make such a bold request only to not know what it is he is requesting. I would be annoyed if it wasn't for the fact that this was entertaining.'

"What was the one thing you wanted."

"Hmm, oh I wish for him to act as a supporter for me in the dungeon."

"Ok, that's not too bad, wait as a supporter?"

"Yeah. I mean come on. Imagine being able to say I had the strongest adventurer as my supporter for a dungeon dive." 'I had thought about asking for Braver first but very few people were at the Twilight Mansion when I went there. Probably for the best anyway, he wouldn't stoop that low, plus he is a lot smarter and would start asking questions. Probably shouldn't say that though'.

"So this just for some bragging rights."

"You could say that but also no."

Freya was at a loss for what she just heard. For some reason, she couldn't wrap her head around this boy. She quickly looked up at Ottar to see that he wasn't faring any better.

"Could I ask what started all this? Why make this request in the first place if you knew that you wouldn't even get close to it."

"Oh yeah, maybe I should have explained that first. Well, I only have a week left to live."

Freya and Ottar just looked at the boy who was now sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, his tail slightly swishing back and forth. Ottar looked down at his Goddess to see if the boy was lying. He clearly wasn't as Freya hadn't called him out on it. But it was the fact that she remained in silence, clearly in some thought.

'So that explains 'that' then.'

'That' was the reason why Freya had even decided to indulge in this cat boy in the first place. Like most times, she looked at the person's soul even before talking to them. She had done it so many times that she didn't even think about doing it, she just naturally did it. When she looked at the boy's soul, it was just like his appearance. Nothing special at all. It was an average chocolate brown. She could give some small praises like it was a bit more vibrant and energetic than most but it was a soul that she wouldn't even give a second glance at. Though like his appearance, there was one stand out about it, but unlike the striking red of his beret, this time it was an ugly black spot. It seemed to move but not in accordance with the rest of his soul. To Freya, it almost seemed like it was eating the rest of his soul, slowly growing bigger the more it consumed. As soon as the brown-haired cat said his life expectancy, it all made sense.

'He is dying of either a curse or a dreadful disease.'

It was just a normal day in Orario. The sun was out, the marketplace was bustling with life and the constant noise that was heard daily was nowhere to be seen. The issue with the last was probably due to a young brown-haired cat person walking down the street or more specifically the towering, intimidating and immediately recognisable figure walking behind said cat person.

"Ottar, I wish to indulge the boy's request. See it as some sort of entertainment."

"If that is your wish my lady"

"Oh, also find out about what it is that has shortened his life so drastically as well my dear."

Ottar looked down at the young boy walking ahead of him, still wondering what it was that grasped his Goddesses attention but if that is what his lady wished to do, then he would oblige without hesitation. He could still see a smile plastered on the boy's face, one that had not disappeared since his request was approved. Though it was most likely another thing that kept him so happy.

"Oh gods, I can't get over the look on their faces when he saw us walkout, 'specially Vana Freya's."

The pair were making their way to the dungeon, as per the boy's request for Ottar to act as his supporter. Brandon had tried to get a piggyback ride there, saying it would make them get to the tower quicker. A quick death stare stopped that train of thought dead in its tracks, with only a slight mumble of how he had hired him for the day and should do what he says. Still, though, it didn't take too long for the pair to make their way to the central plaza situated at the centre of the city. It did pique Ottar's interest a bit that the boy didn't seem to care about the stares being directed their way. Ottar was used to it by now, as he had learned to live with it but also that ne never cared about anyone else but his Goddess. Maybe this boy felt the same as well, did he have someone he only cared about. It's probably that he is too light-headed to either notice or give a damn.

As they finally arrived at the entrance of the dungeon, Ottar did a quick scan around. It was a natural reaction for him to observe his surrounding area, as so much time dedicating his life to becoming the strongest also heightened his instinct abilities as well. As the Boaz did a quick information gathering, all in the blink of an eye, he caught some very familiar faces that would only serve as a mere headache for him. As he turned his eyes away from the set of blonde hair, he secretly hoped that they would not see him. Considering his fairly large statue, the hushed whispering speaking of his arrival and about his recent ascension to level 7, it would be stupid to wish such a thing but he could still wish for it, couldn't he?

"Hey look over there, it's Ottar."

"Oh yeah, wonder what he is doing here?"

"Maybe he is coming to help Astrea Familia?"

"*smack* Idiot, like Freya Familia, would help, probably just here to go into the dungeon."

"Did you need to hit him to tell him that?"

"Yeah *sniff* what's the deal?"

"Look, Ottar is wearing a backpack."

"Yeah, what the hell's up with that?"

"Maybe he is being a supporter of some kind?"

"Pfft, yeah right."

Great, now they had spotted him. How did he not know that today was the day the Loki Familia was going on their first expedition since the Evilus Attack a year ago. Fantastic, now the executives were staring at him. Finn looked like he was about to give a speech of some kind but it seems the appearance of Ottar and his small companion was enough to interrupt the Prum captain.

"So that is why they weren't there?" Brandon mumbled to himself. "Oh well, hey big guy stop staring down Braver and let's keep going."

To say that the instructions given by the cat person standing a metre in front of the world's strongest person came as a shock to everyone else would probably be considered an understatement, though the Goddess sitting at the top of the tower staring down at them got another giggle out of it, her cat person who had brought her back giving her a confused look but thought little of it. An even bigger shock hit everyone a second later when, with a small nod of the head, the Boaz warrior followed the order and both continued their walk to the dungeon entrance. Ottar could feel the entire place staring at him, a pin drop could be heard with how quiet it was, apart from the whistling that was coming from a metre in front of him.

Ottar looked down at the boy to see that he had clasped his hands behind his head and began a tuneless whistle. It almost astounded the rust hair coloured man how little care the cat boy gave about the situation. This also didn't go unnoticed by the Loki Familia, especially the heads. Though it wasn't them that made the first move towards him.

"Alise, stop. Where are you going?"

"Stop you idiot, you will just cause more of a fuss."

It seemed the words did little to prevent the woman from almost skipping away from the massive group of adventurers and up to the pair.

"Yo king, what you up to?"

Alise Lovell, the captain of the Astrea Familia and recent promotion to hero of the city after her and her Familia's achievements during the Evilus incident. Living up to her very carefree attitude reputation, she bounded over to Ottar and Brandon so nonchalantly that it seemed they had been old friends.

Ottar chose not to respond to the girl, only giving her a brief nod for a greeting and nothing more. Though the same could not be said for his companion.

"Alise Lovell, what are you doing with the Loki Familia."

"Hmm, oh we are going down to the 18th floor to do some crime-fighting and since they are going on their expedition, we thought we could tag along. Anyway, what's your name and what is a cute girl like you doing with the King."

"Hehe, cute. Well, my name is WAIT GIRL!?"

"Aren't you a girl? You look like one, especially with that very cute hat on."

"It's called a beret and NO I'M NOT!"

Ottar could not for the life of him understand the boy. He could stand in front of Freya and give such an absurd request without such a stutter in his voice but as soon as he is called a girl, he seems to lose any control and gets emotional.

"My name is Brandon I shall have you know and I am very much a guy."

"Oh, ok then. Anyway, what are you doing with Ottar?"

"Oh, it's quite simple. It's about nunna"

"Nunna?"

"Yeah, nunna business."

Again, the entire plaza was floored by the way this no one was talking to another major person in the city but to the person it was directed, they didn't seem to mind, only giving a cute pout.

"Ah come on, you can tell me. I promise I will keep it secret from everyone who isn't here right noooooooooow."

"Alise for the love of Astrea, shut up and get back here." A far eastern woman said while yanking the red-heads collar back.

"Owie Owie Owie, hey Kaguya that really hurt." The captain of the Astrea Familia said to her Vice-captain."

"Captain, you need to learn to keep your mouth shut." A pink-haired Prum said coming out of the crowd with another girl behind her.

"You guys are making a scene," the blonde-haired elf said.

Ottar looked on as the rest of the Astrea Familia filtered their way out of the Loki Familia and up to their captain, who they then began to scold for such recklessness.

"Psst, hey Ottar. Let's dip before any of 'them' start coming forward." Brandon said while giving a quick jab over at the Loki executives. Ottar couldn't agree more so while the Astrea girls were currently chastising their captain, the two made their way into the dungeon under the watchful eyes of the Loki Familia.

"Why do you think they were here Finn?"

"Probably just a dive into the dungeon."

"Aiee, but who was the lad with him you think?"

"I don't know, most likely another Freya member who is being observed."

"It's not like them to do that though. They always fend for themselves."

"I also know that Riveria but I can't really think of any other reason Ottar would be following anyone but the Goddess Freya."

All around the central plaza, people were whispering to each other about the unusual pair and apart from the still arguing and oblivious woman of justice, they all watched as the cat person lead the Captain of the Freya Familia down into the mouth of the dungeon.

Swish

*Eurgh*

Ottar watched as Brandon quickly decapitated a goblin.

Fwoosh, shlick

*Rooooaaarr*

Again, the level 7 saw the cat person take out another monster, this time a Kobold, by rolling under its very predictable attack and sticking his knife in the back. They had only been in the dungeon for no more than 10 minutes but Ottar had already completely figured out the young boy. He used a long knife. Not long enough to be considered a sword or even a short sword. The blade was about 10 inches long, made out of some decent material but nothing to brag about. The handle was a normal brown leather hold seen on most basic knives. There was practically no armour to speak of, only a small vambrace on his left arm, supposedly keeping his right hand lighter and less restricted for the knife. The boy had pulled the knife out of a hidden part of his jacket but Ottar had noticed it after looking at the boy for more than a fe seconds, though that was after his request was accpeted, meaning that the King had not identified when they first came across eachother. With this hidden blade, the way the boy fought and the basic equipment it became clear what he did.

'A person of reconnaissance, maybe even a thief of some kind?'

This is the conclusion the Veteran warrior had come to from his observation. Brandon was quick on his feet, quite normal for a cat person who was known to possess good agility. His lack of armour helped this way of fighting, allowing more freedom of movement. Even though he had a vambrace on his arm that was covered by his black sleeve, the boy always chose to dodge and would only use the protection as a last resort. It had occurred to Ottar that the boy was doing his best to not use his sleeved covered arm. The most surprising thing to Ottar was something else, something that was obvious as soon as Brandon engaged with his first opponent.

'He is a level 2!'

Ottar could immediately tell. The boy fighting in front of him had surpassed the boundaries of the falna and had risen above half of the adventuring population in Orario. Again Ottar was almost shocked that he wasn't able to notice that from the very start, showing that the cat person had been able to hide his strength, only adding more to the theory that he was indeed in that line of work, though Ottar didn't even mumble a sound about any of this. He only asked one question.

"Why are we not making our way to the second-floor entrance on the A6 route, this is the A2 route."

"Don't you think I know that big guy? You know I didn't just hire you just for the shits and giggles you know."

"Hmm?" Ottar asked with a look of curiosity on his usual expressionless face.

Brandon took a heavy breath but didn't stop his march down the path. "Ok, we have made it this far, guess I have no reason to not tell you I'spose. You've heard of the Jack bird, right?"

A nod of the head

"So you know of its drop item and the 100% success rate you get from the bird and its high value?"

Another nod

"And Imma guess you know that they are incredibly difficult to catch unless you are a high level."

A third nod. When no further response came Ottar spoke up.

"So I'm to assume you hired me to help you retrieve this monster for you so you can get the reward for the drop item and this is the reason why we have not left the first floor as they have only been sited on this floor."

"Holy moly there is something in that thick skull of yours then and after all this time I thought I was talking to a brick wall." A quick glare was enough for Brandon to show the joke was not appreciated.

Waving his hands in the air, the cat person kept walking but it seemed Ottar was not finished.

"You do know the reason the drop item is so well paid for is that the monster is incredibly rare."

"Course I know that."

"And you want us to spend an entire week in the dungeon to search for something that only has 10 recorded sitings in the past 5 years.

"Not all the week. Don't worry I only expect to be here for a few days max."

A small tick appeared on the Boaz's head but he let it slide and continued for the sake of carrying out his Lady's request.

The day soon passed on no sign of the monster was seen. Ottar wasn't even fazed by anything that had happened that day and his level 7 status made it feel like he had only been awake for a few hours, not needing sleep or food in the slightest. The boy also didn't seem to need to sleep but Ottar knew he should have food and so the two decided on an hour break.

The next day too was the same, with no sign of the Jack bird making the level 7 a bit infuriated.

Halfway through the third day, to say Ottar was frustrated, annoyed and slightly enraged would be an understatement. In his mind, he is now wasting his time following this worthless individual and a stupid mission when he could be standing behind his beloved Goddess.

"find out about what it is that has shortened his life so drastically as well my dear."

The mission his Goddess gave him flew back into his mind, reminding him of why he was even here. The Boaz knew the only way to find this out was to continue following the brown-haired cat boy. He collected his thoughts and decided to fulfil his Goddess's wish

"What's with that face big guy, you still upset you aren't spending time with your lovely lady. Maybe you are already homesick, how troublesome. Don't worry big guy, we shall be done as fast as possible and then you can go back to her side and get a nice scratch under the chin for all your hard work."

Nope! It was impossible. Staying calm and collected was a fool's dream when being with this insufferable boy. Ottar didn't know what was more annoying. The condescending tone dripping with sarcasm and tease. The annoying face that was scrunched up while he was practically mocking him. Maybe it was even that the boy was able to read what it was that bugged Ottar in the first place. All that mattered to the man was that he was considerably ticked off and it showed on his face, proven by the boy's reaction. Most people would give just after pissing off the strongest adventurer in Orario.

"Bwhahahahahahah! Look at your face. HAHAHAHA!"

The voice, definitely the voice, that was the worst part of him. The annoying way it grated in his animal ears just had a way of working him up and the laugh was just more wood to the fire, a lot of wood as a matter of fact. Ottar had concluded that just before he decided to beat the boy into a stain on the ground he was currently clutching his sides on. The level 7 made no clear intentions to hide his rage as he loudly stomped towards the still laughing boy, ready to pummel him into the ground.

*Ding*

Though that was all put to a halt when almost instantaneously, the cat boy stopped his laughing. His cat ears are in alert mode. Ottar stopped his march and restarted his observation.

With no signal whatsoever, the cat bounded forward and then a sharp left. Ottar wasted no time following, easily catching back up.

"Can you be quiet on your feet please?"

Ottar looked down in puzzlement at where the boy talked in a hushed whisper. He was running on all fours, like a normal cat. Ottar decided to ask about that later and followed the boy's instructions. Ottar followed the cat, zig zagging their way through the duneon. After a few minutes of this, the boy suddenly stopped. The Boaz repeated his action, wondering why he had stopped. After a few seconds, Ottar noticed Brandon was clenching his fists.

"GOD DAMN IT!" Brandon suddenly burst out. He then began to punch the nearest wall on his left with what looked like all his strength. Thinking of intervening, Ottar reached out his hand but then stopped after noticing the boy had begun to cry.

"GOD DAMN IT! GOD Damn it! God damn *hic* damn it."

Ottar did not know what to do. He just continued to watch as the boy kept pummelling the wall and crying out, more tears appearing in his eyes. The massive adventurer just stood passenger to the scene that was unfolding. Freya too was watching this, as she had been for the past few days.

'It seems there is a specific and important reason why he is doing this for a reaction like that.' Both deity and child concluded at the same time.

After a minute, Brandon's hands couldn't take the beating any longer. Now bloody and bruised, he saved his knuckles from enduring any more punishment and finally slumped down, subjecting himself to only crying, though that was also lessening. Now that he had regained some awareness of his surroundings once more, he noticed that he was not alone for this breakdown. The hulking figure and the gaze of a certain Goddess of beauty made him realise that two very important people had just seen him at a moment of weakness. Not like it mattered as he only had a few days now at best anyway but it still irked him.

"Let us take a break" Ottar spoke.

"N-no, we can't" Brandon managed to mumble.

"We are taking a break!" The man said in a much more authoritative tone.

"Fine, whatever you say Ca-P-tain.

Ottar took the backpack off his back and set it down. He reached inside and grabbed two sets of rations. He placed one in front of the still sulking boy and then began to open up the one he retrieved for himself. He realised this was the first time the boy had somewhat opened up. These past days, Brandon had put on a facade, almost like he was playing a character. Cocky, assertive and not caring about what others think. However, it seemed after what looked like a failure, the boy couldn't continue the perfomance and from the way it looked, to Ottar anyway, it wasn't the first failure.

However, Ottar was only here for one thing and he now had a chance. The boy had finally broken in some capacity, showing vulnerability and weakness and Ottar was ready to take the opportunity. Through his many years of being an adventurer, facing off against monsters dressed as people and getting beaten each time, the Boaz man had learned that victory wasn't always rewarded through kicks and punches. Though not the smartest man in the city, by no means was he stupid or a meathead as his fellow Familia members called him. The hunter had finally found his prey vulnerable and he was ready to pounce.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead but I ain't promising an answer."

"That is understandable. Ok, what is it that has led you to only having a few days left to live?" Ottar asked bluntly. After observing the boy, he quickly could tell he was not stupid. He had a mind that could talk his way through questions that Ottar thought were undodgeable when asked. When talking to other adventurers, the cat boy played an innocent act but was always scheming and conniving his way through the conversation, seemingly always able to come out on top. So Ottar decided the best approach was to be blunt and straightforward as to stop any dodging of the question.

"You really ain't letting that go. Why does it matter to you anyway, why do you care."

"Because my Goddess told me to find out, that is its extent."

"Huh, should have guessed. Guess the rumours about you lot only doing stuff for her and having no mind of your own was right then."

While Ottar took some offence to this, he could also not argue with the main statement. Yes, he does live solely for his Goddess and he will do anything for her. And now she wanted to know something and had entrusted him with finding that out, and he would not fail her.

"Say what you will but I am the one being dragged around for a purpose I don't know of."

For once, Brandon couldn't argue back. After thinking for a few seconds, Brandon looked down at his feet.

"Fine, you win. You really wanna know then guess I'll tell you. I can't be arsed to tell the full story but basically, I have been afflicted with some sort of curse or disease, I don't know nor care which one. After going to Dian Cecht, I found out it could be cured but it needed a special item.

"How do you become inflcited with this curse or disease?"

"I pissed off the wrong person by trying to do too much. That's all im saying about that."

"Ok and so you need the Jack bird drop item to make money to acquire this item and afford the treatment?" Ottar asked.

"No, that's the problem, the Jack bird drop item is the item that's required."

"I haven't heard of it having any healing properties."

"Nor did I but according to one of the doctors, Dian Cecht had somehow managed to get his hands on one and purely by accident an up-and-coming young girl with some serious talent examined it with her magic. She apparently found it had some healing properties and could make some serious cures to incurable illnesses. So yeah, that's why I'm down here and asking for your help."

"I understand all this but one thing. You say that you can be cured and with a chance of being able to get the cure."

"Yeah?"

"So why do you still believe that you only have a few days left so adamantly?"

Brandon gave Ottar a look of a surprise after the revelation. A look that told Ottar that he had finally backed his prey into a corner. He got what he had wanted.

"Ha, well the funny thing is, I have a younger sister with the same thing."

But it was not the answer the man was expecting.

'So he is doing this sall for his sister then, that is rather noble of him.'

High above the resting pair, the Goddess of beauty was still viewing her light entertainment for the week, behind her was her chariot. As she had been viewing this through a mirror, it had allowed Allen to also observe some of the things that were happening. Over the few days, he had remained mainly silent, similar to how Ottar usually acted. The only difference is that Ottar remained silent unless addressed, while Allen was sometimes quick to bad mouth the boy or even his captain, which the deity always found cute, much to his annoyance. However, after the newest revelation, Freya now saw a new expression on her vice-captain's face. It was one she hadn't seen in almost 4 years now, ever since she had left alongside Mia. Freya couldn't pin the expression to anyone's emotion but she knew that face always came about whenever he was worried about his own sister.

Freya once again turned her attention back to her mirror with even more intrigue, especially now Allen could come somewhat involved. It seems Ottar was now questioning the boy on his skill set, something she would admit being curious about as Allen had informed her of the boy's apparent obvious ascension to level 2. What was strange was that she couldn't remember ever hearing about him or his nickname during a Denatus but she didn't go to all of them and she couldn't really care about the lower levels. Though surely she, Ottar, Allen or any other of her children would have at least recognised him. That is if it was announced.

"May I ask another question?" Ottar stoically asked.

"Sure why not. You have already overstepped any other personal boundaries, why not fill in the whole bingo square." Brandon grumbled back.

"What just happened right now. I did not sense the creature anywhere near us but yet you somehow were sure of its appearance nearby."

With a raised eyebrow, Brandon responded. "My career as an 'adventurer'," he said while mimicking quotation marks with his fingers, "has mainly been as someone who gathers information, which you have already figured out. Whenever I went into the dungeon, I was a scout while adventuring with a party. I would go up ahead and scout out the monsters and determine whether to engage or not. Because of this, when I finally levelled up, somehow, I was given two things to help this. One was the development ability called Sixth sense, which basically allows me to know when I'm being watched or if I'm being snuck up on. That is how I know, like right now, when your lady is watching. The other thing I got was a skill called tracker. Basically, it increases my sense of smell and hearing but it is something I turn on, not a constant thing. However, when I'm focused on tracking something down, a.k.a the jack bird, I shall be given an alarm. Long story short, it turns me more into an actual cat."

"Is that why you were on all 4s?"

"Yeah, sort of feels more natural and easier to move when I'm on the hunt."

"I understand that now. What is the alarm thing then."

"Oh, it is just a signal of some kind that tells me my prey is nearby and automatically activates my skill. It makes a noise almost like a…"

Ding

"Like… a… ding"

Ottar had already noticed Brandon's cat ears perk up, realising that is the show sign of his skill being activated. He then slowly watched as the boy gradually turned his head down the path they had just come across. Ottar mimicked this motion and was now too looking in the same direction they had just come from. Everything looked the same, the stone wall, the cracks in the ground, their footprints and the golden feathered bird monster staring straight at them 25 metres away.

"OTTAR, NOW!"

Not needing to be told twice, the Boaz warrior sprang into life and before the Jack bird could even flinch, it was already slammed into the wall courtesy of a level 7 kick. With not even a squawk of pain, it turned to ash.

As Brandon slowly walked up to the stand next to his party member, tears began to roll down his cheeks but unlike before a smile was plastered on his face. Sitting next to the massive feet of the monster's slayer was a glowing golden egg. A drop item that many would betray, attack and even kill to get a chance at obtaining such a rare object. The Jack bird egg was now finally in the cat person's possession. He could now save his sister.

Ottar was once again being stared at. He didn't really care but as a level 7, his senses were basically at their peak and the looks were constantly notifying them whenever he was being watched, which right now was not the best. Guess there were downsides to being strong. Ottar wouldn't admit this, not to even his Goddess but he was a bit jealous of the boy for being able to have some control over his senses. This however did lead to annoying Ottar that he would even somehow envy someone so below himself. Though unlike Allen and many of the others, Ottar would always try and find a way to learn from it instead of shunning and spitting at it. Just another reason why he was stronger than them.

Anyway, he was being stared at by the people outside the Dian Cecht clinic because that was where he was currently waiting.

'Why is it taking him this long, it's been over 10 minutes now. Doesn't he just have to drop it off and come out?'

Just as he had finished that thought, the boy that he had come to know as some sort of headache (Ottar was still evaluating what kind) appeared out of the door of the clinic with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Is everything done now?" Ottar asked.

"Yes, it is. The doctors have said that my sister should be fine now. You should have seen the look on their faces when I placed that golden baby on the desk." Brandon responded.

"Are… you alright?"

"What kind of question is that. Of course *hic* I'm alright. My*hic* my sister is going to live." The cat boy said while doing his best to wipe away the tears that had started to form. However, he couldn't contain his relief and the emotions that were now spilling out. Brandon's sister was going to live, even after everything that had happened, at least she will live.

Ottar was not very good at consoling people but he at least knew privacy would be best for the boy. So he picked the boy up with one arm and started to head towards Folkvangr, all the while his shoulder got wet from the boy's sobbing. Ottar did not even think to tell him to be quiet or to stop after seeing the boy work so hard over the past few days. This was the only sort of comfort the Boaz Warrior could give and that was enough for the boy.

By the time Ottar had made his way to Folkvangr, the sun was starting its descent into late afternoon. and the boy in his arms had fallen asleep, most likely from sheer exhaustion and overload his mind just went through. No one was in the front gardens as the captain of the Familia predicted everyone was starting to eat or checking over their gear. The few he did come across paid little attention to him, only giving him a quick look before going on with the rest of their day. It didn't take long until Ottar found what he was looking for, the guest bedroom. Gently placing the cat person on the bed, he closed the door and went to go find his Goddess to report back, leaving the boy to sleep.

It wasn't until a few hours later that Brandon would wake up, just as the sun had started to set, the bottom half just kissing the horizon. Chestnut eyes looked surveyed out of the window to view the sky starting to clothe itself with the dark blue of the night. As he looked around a very unfamiliar room, a sweet scent filled his nose. Turning his head away from the window, he saw the Goddess Freya sitting in a very comfy chair next to his bed. It appears she was reading judging by the book in her hand but now she was looking at him. Brandon tried to say something but realised his throat was very dry, though he did not know why. As he tried to say something, Freya gave him a glass filled with water. The cup was placed on the bedside 3 seconds later after being immediately downed by the cat boy, earning another giggle from the Goddess, something he seemed to be good at.

"How are you feeling Brandon?"

"… Hungry."

"Hmm, that does make sense. Ottar, go get some food for our guest please."

"Of course Milady"

"Aah," Brandon jumped after seeing a piece of the wall suddenly talk and move away, not noticing Ottar standing there. He had just woken up after all.

"While we wait for that to come, do you mind if we talk?"

"Sure but could I ask something first?"

"Of course, go ahead"

"Where am I?"

"In a guest room"

"Where?"

"In Folkvangr"

"Ooooook. Why?"

"So we could talk."

"Hmm. I've got nothing else. What do you wanna know?"

"Lovely. Ottar has filled me in on what has transpired and I shall first say my congratulations on achieving your mission. Now.."

"Cheers."

"No problem *cough* Now, could I ask what you are going to do next?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, now that you have secured your younger sister's life, what are you to do for your remaining days?" Freya asked but no immediate response came. Instead, a look of pure confusion rested on the average features of the boy. It seems he clearly had not thought that far ahead and most likely believed that even if he had succeeded in such an absurd mission, he would just wait for his inevitable death.

"May I make a suggestion." Brandon gave a silent nod. " Why don't you do things that you have not done yet or would like to do. Maybe do something nice for someone who helped you in the past."

"Huh, I guess I could."

"Anything spring to mind?"

"I think I would like to say one last goodbye and thank you to my Mom."

'I didn't know he had a mom. Surely she would have been mentioned in all this and been a part of this.'

"That sounds really nice, how do you plan on doing that?"

"I think a nice meal for them all would be good."

'Them all?'

"Anything else?"

"I haven't had sex yet. Thought I might give that a go."

"Oh. Maybe this time you are requesting my services once more." Freya said with a seductive smile and a playful lick of her lips. Before Brandon could even stutter out an answer from his now incredibly flushed face, a clatter was heard from behind the Goddess of Beauty. It seemed by this time, Ottar had entered the room with a bowl of food, just as his lady had instructed. It seems as if neither of the occupants had noticed his arrival but they would soon notice him but he would not disturb his lady's talk until then. However, after hearing of such a blasphemous and sinful proposal, he forgot to register it was Freya who suggested it, he decided to make his presence known. Partly through dropping the bowl of food on the floor but mainly to do with his giant broadsword being directed at the cat boy's throat.

Alongside Freya's (very tempting) offer, Ottar's stare and sword were enough to return the boy back to his slumber. Freya could only hold a hand to her mouth at what had just transpired, not even caring that her guest's life had just been millimetres from being prematurely extinguished.

"Ottar my dear put the sword away. I would also like to make some preparations; I think I know how I can help the boy with his wishes. *Stare!* "His first wish Ottar, calm down would you please."

"I'm very sorry milady. How would you like my assistance with the preparations."

"The Hostess of what now?"

"It's called the Hostess of Fertility. It's where I work and where Lady Freya has prepared a nice meal for you, your mother and anyone else you would like to bring."

"That sounds like a very… adult place. Not sure if I wanna bring my mother there?"

"It's not what you think, trust me. Don't let the name fool you from a delicious meal."

"Hmm ok I think I get that part but quickly explain to me who you are and maybe everything else as I wasn't paying attention."

*huff* " My name is Syr. I work at a pub called the Hostess Fertility. The Goddess Freya has asked the owner there, who used to be an adventurer part of the Freya Familia if she could prepare a meal for you, your mom and anyone else you want to bring."

"You just said that."

"Don't interrupt me!"

"How do you know Freya anyway."

"What did I just say and were you even listening! As I said, Mama Mia, the owner, was asked by.."

"Yeah I know, Freya and used to be an adventurer and whatnot. Why are you coming with me anyway?"

Smoke was practically seeping from the grey-haired waitress's ears at this point.

'This boy, I'm almost regretting helping him out now.'

"I'm coming with you so I can lead the way to the pub after we collect the guests."

"Guess that makes sense."

"How far away are we anyway?"

"You see that mermaid statue just up there, the one that has her breasts showing."

"Y-yeah."

"It's just down the street from there."

"Nothing is just down the street in Daedalus street!"

30 seconds later and the two were now standing in front of what looked like a run-down church. It almost looked decrepit, why had they stopped outside of here Syr wondered. She looked over at her companion to see he had gone stiff, racked with hesitance. Seeing as he wasn't going to do anything, the waitress stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"W-wait a minute." Brandon's complaint was a little too late as a second later the door creaked open. It revealed what looked to be a 10-year-old cat girl with black hair. Gleaming blue eyes stared at the chestnut and grey pairs as no words were spoken.

"O-Onee-chan?"

*Gulp* "Guess we are doing this." Brandon whispered to himself, though it was not quiet enough. "Hey Carla, is Mother here."

"I-It really is you, Onee-chan. Yes, Mama is here. Why, are you coming back to live with us?"

The question finally pieced everything together for Syr/Freya. Brandon, and his sister, were clearly orphans as no parents were mentioned. So Brandon must be now revisiting his old orphanage for one final goodbye and taking the people he lived with to have a nice meal.

'I shouldn't have done this. This will just cause her and the rest of them pain.'

"Hello little one, do you mind going to find your mother please. Me and your onee-chan would like to talk to her." Carla simply nodded in return and turned around.

"Come on Rai, let's go find Mama."

"O-ok."

Syr looked down even further at who the young cat girl addressed. It seemed to be a small human boy that had been hiding behind the girl's legs. He seemed no older than 5.

"Are you alright Brandon?"

"Hmm, yeah. I just don't think we should do this actually. All I'm doing is making it seem like I'm back to only disappear again but this time… for good."

Syr could now clearly see the kind of person Brandon was. Though her was cheeky and a bit rude at times, he was clearly a good person. He always put the people he cared about before himself, which could be seen in his sacrifice for his sister. She could no longer see the average, boring from a few days ago but now a kind-hearted person who she could tell even Ottar respected. Freya knew that headache her captain was having was that of seeing the boy in a different light from almost everyone else. It was why he called Braver a headache sometimes, one that was similar to those children of Zeus and Hera.

"Onee-chan, I got Mama."

Syr looked up to see a middle-aged woman come walking out. She was wearing a plain dress and had plain brownish/grey hair. She did not look like she possessed much money but it was clear that she, along with the other children, was eating somewhat healthy. Though it was clear the atmosphere ahd changed, mainly because of the silence the woman had come to after seeing the brown-haired cat person to the girl's left.

"Brandon?"

"H-hey, Marie." The boy said while scratching the back of his head with nervousness. "It's been a while." Marie didn't answer back, instead, marching straight up to the boy and just after looking him dead in the eye, pulled the boy into her breasts and hugged him for all he was worth.

"I'm so glad you came back. It's been over 2 years and I haven't heard anything from you or your sister. Where have you been? Why haven't you at least visited? I *Hic* I thought you had died. I thought I wouldn't see you again." By this point, the woman was in tears and Brandon was seeming to follow in her footsteps.

"I'm sorry," was all the boy could whisper as he reciprocated the hug. The room was quiet for half a minute as everyone just watched the embrace. It wasn't until the mother finally pulled away that everything was brought back to normal.

"So, why are you here and who is this lovely girl you have brought with you."

"First, no it's not like that, I barely know her."

"But she looks so cute."

"You think so?"

"Hey!"

"Anyway, I'm here cause I have some good news and some bad news. Bad news comes later so the good news is that I'm here to treat you all to a lovely meal at a pub."

After a small bit of explanation later, the small church erupted in cheer at the plans for tonight. It seemed there was a slight problem though.

"I'm going to have to tell Mama to get ready."

"Why, I thought it was already pre-booked?"

"Not for over 20 kids. I can already imagine the look on her face."

Brandon could not identify the look on the waitress's face after she said that. It seemed to be a mix of laughter and fear.

"What's the pub called Miss Syr?" Marie asked.

"The Hostess of Fertility."

"The Hostess of what now. I don't think I want to bring my children to a place like that."

"Exactly what I said."

"It's not what you think!"

"Brandon. I know you are of that age but I thought better of you than that. Don't you dare tell me you have taken your sister there."

"Geugh. It's not what you think, like Syr said."

"It better not be, for both your sakes."

Syr was beginning to realise any who held the title of Mama was someone to be feared.

Mama Mia was busy preparing a meal for tonight's affair and the current customers she was dealing with.

'I still don't have enough staff 'ere yet. Gonna have to keep looking out for some more girls.' The large dwarf woman thought while ferociously whisking a bowl of flour.

"Mama, we are here."

'Ah finally, Syr has returned. God that girl was gone for too long' Mia complained to herself as she made her way to the kitchen door.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?"

'Huh, if someone was gonna make a complaint in her pub then they would have to deal with her.'

"Where did all these kids come from?"

'Kids. Syr said nothing about kids. How many are there to cause this much of an issue?'

The Hostess herself would soon have her question answered, as when she entered through the swinging doors, the sight that greeted her did not exactly bring much joy. What entered her eyesight was a quagmire of kids running around her establishment, a grown woman and a teenage cat boy chasing after them and a lot of complaining adventures.

'Right, best shut this down before it gets too out of hand.' And so another wooden bar surface was destroyed, though it did shut the place up immediately, which is exactly what she wanted to achieve.

"Now, could someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?"

It didn't take long for Syr and Brandon to explain what was happening to Mia and eventually she laughed it off.

"Bit off a bit more than we can chew I think."

"Will you be able to do it Ms Mia?" Maria asked. "The children were so looking forward to this."

"As from one Mama to another, I swear I will feed all those little one's bellies until they pop."

"Thank you very much."

"Hope you have enough to pay for this lad," Mia said while glaring at Brandon.

"Sure do." He responded while lifting a large bag of coins. 'Those few days in the dungeon weren't just for a golden egg. We… I killed a hell of a lot of monsters.'

And so a joyous night began in the Hostess of Fertility. The children seemingly mingled with the adventurers who quickly accepted what was happening. Stories were told, all under the watchful and very scary eye of Mother Maire of course, and the kids were laughing and enjoying themselves. The food was amazing, to say the least. The kids had never had anything like it and to Mia's honour, and despair, almost all of them asked for seconds.

"Thirds please!" Brandon asked with a mouthful of food.

"Don't push your luck lad, this ain't an all you can eat," Mia responded with a stare that could kill a minotaur.

"Yes ma-am." The cat boy squeaked.

"It's Mama to you."

"Sorry, I only have one Mama soo…"

"Brandon, the cheek for asking for a third portion. Did you lose the manners I taught you?"

"Sorry, Mama!" The boy cried.

Nothing more could be said about the night apart from it would be talked about by both groups of people for days and weeks to come. Laughter was shared alongside stories of bragging and adventurers, only to be followed by embarrassing ones as well. Ale and juice alike were drank and the kitchen was put out of stoke. But like all great things, it must come to an end. Most of the kids were asleep with only a few awake.

"Can I hear another one, pleaseeeee?"

"Rai. Stop bothering the nice men. It's time to go home."

"Aah, don't worry yourself, Ms Marie, we enjoy sharing stories."

"Do we have to go? I don't wanna!"

"Now listen here lad, you gotta listen to your mother at all times. Mother knows best."

"O-ok," Rai said with a sniffle.

"Besides, we are coming with you."

"Wait you are?"

"Yeah, we can't expect your mother to carry home a dozen of sleepy kids at this time of night. Wouldn't be right, ain't that right fellas." A chorus of agreement filled the pub with a few lifts of ale mugs.

"Thank you very much, kind adventures, I don't how to repay you."

"Don't worry about it Missy, doing a good deed once in a while is alright."

With the fate of the children now safe, the night basically over with and everyone returning home, Brandon had finally decided now was the right time.

"Moth… Marie, can I speak with you for a second."

"Hmm, of course Brandon. You can speak with me about anything, you know that."

Brandon smiled a bit. "You know how earlier I said there was good and bad news."

"Yeah?" Maria said, now knowing what the reason behind the hesitance and nervousness.

"Did you enjoy the good news?"

"Yes Brandon, it was fantastic. Thank you so much for everything you did for me and the children."

"That's good to hear. Yeah, that's good."

"Brandon, what is the bad news?" Marie slowly said while cupping her hand to the boy's cheek.

"I… I. I don't know how to say this but…"

"Breathe. In and out, slowly. Take your time, we are in no rush."

Brandon followed his mother's advice as he had always done. He always remembered it when he needed it most. When he struggled to survive with his sister on the streets. When he made a deal with a god in a dark alley. When he rushed to face off against a giant orc to save his sister's life on floor 11 of the dungeon. When begging Dian Cecht to help keep his sister alive. He used her advice time and time again to survive, to make sure his sister can keep on living. He had always followed his mother's advice.

"I'm dying, mom. I only have a few days left. I'm going to die by the end of this week."

It was heart-wrenching to hear this. Syr looked over at Mama Mia to see that the stoic level 6 dwarf woman was trying her hardest to not show any signs of emotion to the conversation taking place just around the corner. She knew Ottar was listening somewhere too, maybe Allen was somewhere as well. Syr wondered what they thought about what was happening but she realised it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to stop her from unhearing what she had heard, what she had seen. Even now, through her blurry vision, she could still see the black cracks running across the boy's arm that were once hidden underneath his right sleeve. How they stretched across his chest and encircled the area in which his heartbeat was just below. How his skin was so pale and how his muscles looked so small and weak. How those arms were cradling a woman sobbing into the very chest that was scarred. How those weak, trembling arms held a crying mother who had just been told that her son was going to die and there was nothing to be done. Freya could not help but cry, she almost couldn't understand why. Mortal lives were still something she couldn't fully comprehend so why was she crying and sobbing so much. She couldn't understand it but what she did know was that she was going to do something after this.

"M-Mia?" Syr asked through tears.

"Yeah" Mia responded in a cold voice, almost as if she had sealed off her emotions.

"Do we still need more staff here?"

"Yes, we do, Syr. Yes, we do."

Good, it seems Mia had caught on quickly to what she wanted to do. It was the only thing she could think to help the boy. She had thought of sending in her entire Familia to hunt down a second Jack bird but she was told only one is known to spawn in the entire dungeon at one time and the next one would only spawn a week after the last one.

Syr continued to cry as she listened to the sobs of a mother and a son embracing each other for one last time.

"Thank you for your help, Goddess Freya. It was really appreciated."

"No problem, Brandon. It was my honour. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

No, there is nothing that I can ask of you and Ottar."

Freya seemed to think to herself after this response. It really seemed the boy was now content with everything that had happened. She had watched as he gave one final goodbye to his mother and went in the opposite direction. It had seemed he was just gonna walk around and find somewhere to sleep, so Freya ordered Ottar to bring him back to Folkvangr once more so she could speak with him.

"Hmm, Ottar."

"Yes, milady?"

"You can leave us. I wish to converse with him in private."

"Of course milady. I shall make sure you are not disturbed."

Brandon could only raise a confused eyebrow at what just happened but he chose not to question, simply accepting he didn't have enough time to understand the pair of goddess and child.

"So what is it that you wanna know that requires privacy?"

"Well, I have completed your first wish. I distinctively remember there being a second one."

It took only a second for Brandon to realise what the deity meant, his face going beat red the second after.

"W-w-wait a minute. I-I was only j-j-joking."

"But it wasn't a lie, I could tell," Freya said with a smirk as she stood up and started to disrobe. It only occurred to Brandon that they were sitting in Freya's bed chambers. The boy couldn't continue to think however as the now heavenly sight in front of him stopped him from speaking.

"You have endured a long day, I can think of a very nice way to de-stress. Would you like to know?"

Brandon could only nod and then shake his head immediately after. "N-no, I-I-I" though he could not finish his sentence, unable to grasp any words.

"You really are strange. You know, not even gods can resist my body and yet you can stare at my body and shake your head. I almost feel disrespected." Freya continued her advances, slowly making her way to the boy sitting on her floor, her right falling gently into his lap.

It finally dawned on the boy that he would not get out of this, his body no longer obeying any sort of reason and finally submitted to reality. And so the Goddess Freya comforted the dying boy the only way she knew how that night, with her body.

The Goddess Freya woke up as she would every other morning. As usual, she felt the soft, velvet blanket caress her naked body as she shifted into an upright position. The Goddess of beauty gathered her surroundings with a light stretch of her left arm and her right hand covering up an adorable small yawn. It only took a few seconds of moving her sleepy eyes to realise that she had spent the night at her chambers in Folkvangr. While trying to remember the reason why she was here instead of her usual bedroom located at the highest point in the mortal world, Freya placed her bare feet onto the soft lavender smelling carpet. Though as she wondered why the Lavender scent wasn't slowly tickling her nose as it should be doing at this point, a new, much more prominent smell infiltrated her sense of smell. A smell she knew all too well. Though she showed no signs of confusion or anger, a small smile graced her lips and a slight giggle sat at the back of her throat as she slowly recalled last nights… events.

With new clarity on her situation, she began to turn to see her newest conquest on the sheets. The young man in question seemed to be in a deep sleep as he hadn't even made a murmur while the Goddess had begun to wake up, though Freya expected this of a first-timer, especially with how the night went. While turning around, she realised that the smell of sex in the air wasn't as strong as it normally would be after a night, especially if she woke up with a smile. Instead, it seemed to be mixed in with something quite clear and almost refreshing. As she was now fully turned to see the other side of the bedroom, her confusion was soon put to rest on the two questions that had popped into her head.

The latter was answered as she saw her bedroom window wide open, allowing waffs of clean, fresh air to enter the room, subduing the main evidence of last night's escapades. The former one about her young partner aligned with this one as well, as the left side of her bed was empty and only her clothes littered the floor. Alongside the window being open it only took a second for Freya to realise that she was actually the second one of the pair to wake, with the first leaving before she had any time to return to the land of the living.

Freya continued to look at the open window as she started to remember the last things the two did together, almost like she was trying to solve a puzzle but with missing pieces. The last thing she can recall before letting sleep take her was the sounds of heavy breathing, a head of shabby brown hair covered in sweat and the feeling of a soft but warm cat-like tail in her right hand. Though it was the words between the breathing that she last heard before everything went black. As Freya remembered nuzzling the boy's face into her bossom for the fifth and last time that night, she felt his warm breath grace her skin.

"Thank… you... for… everything."

Brandon woke up just as the sunrise hit his eyes, causing him to squint slightly. This was already unusual as the sun shouldn't hit the alley he sleeps in until almost mid-day but the differences didn't stop there. Immediately he was struck with a scent he recognised while doing some scouting in the red-light district. Straight after identifying the smell, his ears picked up something new. A small but really cute murmur coming from his right alerted him that he was not alone wherever he was. As he looked over, he saw a strand of silver hair, then another, then a whole lot of it. As he examined it more he came to the realisation that it was attached to someone's head. He then realised the only thing similar to his normal morning was how airheaded he becomes after waking up as lying right next to him was the Goddess of beauty, Freya. Immediately he was hit with memories of all that had transpired and all the pieces to the puzzle fell into place for him. Brandon didn't want to wake up the Goddess sitting next to him for two reasons. One, he was scared that if he disturbed her there was a very likelihood of being beheaded by her attendants. Two, he didn't think he could talk to her right now. As it was, he did not need to worry about this right now as he probably couldn't form a sentence but he definitely needed to worry about the first as he was completely freaking out.

'I just had sex… with the most beautiful Goddess… and the most powerful deity in the world.'

Brandon took a few deep breaths, brought his hand to his mouth "oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!"

He was honestly surprised that Freya hadn't been woken up by the sheer vibrations coming from his body onto the bed they were sharing.

'The bed… we are… sharing?'

With a quick yelp, the cat boy practically jumped out of the sheets and onto a rug. He smelt a small bit of lavender but his nose was being drowned out by the smell of sex. Looking up to see if he had woken up the deity, he only saw a small shift of the bedsheets and barely even a noise.

"How can she be in such a deep sleep?" Brandon whispered to himself. Then the detailed memories of last night answered that question, with each detail adding to the ever-increasing blush on his face.

But just as quick as the memories came, they disappeared as Brandon quickly grasped onto his chest.

"mmmm" Brandon tried to cover the gasp of pain with his other hand but he couldn't completely cover it up. As the pain kept throbbing in his chest, the brown-haired cat boy was brought to his knees as he did his best to stop any loud noise escaping his mouth. After about a minute, the pain subsided but it did not bring any relief.

'It's gotten worse, a lot worse than yesterday.'

As he started to collect the clothes that had been ripped off him last night, he looked at the sleeping figure. If he was told only a week ago he would be in this scenario, he would think he would most likely scream, be silent in shock or be in utter disbelief. I mean, it was THE Goddess Freya. The most powerful and scariest deity in Orario, well that was how he looked at her a week ago. Now, the only feeling he got when he looked at her was gratitude. Gratitude in knowing he had lived a few happy final days. Gratitude in knowing that he could treat his Mom and the rest of his family one last time. Gratitude in knowing that because of her kindness, or maybe boredom, his sister was going to live. And as he opened the only bedroom window and allowed fresh air to envelope his body and the room, he concluded that he couldn't have asked for more. With a final look and a silent thank you, Brandon jumped from the 3-story window, just managing to reach the wall and ran off into the city coated in the morning sun.

Ottar was on the lookout. After being called to his Lady's room, he was quickly informed about what had happened that morning. His Goddess quickly got dressed and instructed him to take her to the Tower of Babel. Freya wanted to try and find the boy and believed it would be best if she could view the entire city from her chambers at the very top. After a few minutes of arriving there, Freya then ordered Ottar to go around the part of the city that she couldn't see as she hadn't been able to find him. Without hesitating, the large Boaz man set out to fulfil his lady's command. At first, he checked Dian Cecht's infirmary, and even though Freya had looked there, he went to see if the boy had visited it. It would seem his judgement was correct as the staff said they saw him come in, enter a room for about 20 seconds and then leave. With that, Ottar started his actual search behind the Tower. Even though Freya's Glass wall looked out over 75% of the city, there were still parts she couldn't view as it was covered by the entrance to her room and a concrete wall. The only part she cound't fully see were the outskirts of deadulus street in the south-west of the city. As the Level 7 began searching through the streets he wondered about a few things. Why had the boy left without saying anything? How could he hide from Freya's gaze and if he was on this side of Orario, why? There was nothing over here, no major landmark or anything of significance, well nothing that the boy had mentioned anyway. To get a better view, he jumped up onto a slightly tall grassy hillside which gave a decent view of the surrounding area.

'Oh, how could I forget about that place.'

With only a second of looking, he spotted the only notable landmark on the southwest side of Orario, just next to the outskirts of Daedalus street, the only part Freya couldn't view from her room, one in which the Goddess herself was glad she couldn't see every time she was reminded of its existence. With a small grimace on his face, Ottar set out towards the place he hadn't visited in 9 years, the last time was to pay his respects to those that had fallen to the OEBD. In only a matter of seconds, the Captain of the Freya Familia stood at the gates to the Adventurer's graveyard.

Even though he was under his lady's orders to find the boy as fast as possible, the Boaz man did not run or hurry in any way. To do so would be a disrespect to those that lay here and that is a line he would never cross. Though he may call them weak and look down on them while they are alive, when an adventure dies, they all become the same no matter how strong or how great they were. As an adventurer himself, Ottar knows this and had already accepted that he would one day join the mass crowd of the dead and to disrespect those he would soon be joining would be something he would never do. The sun was only a quarter of the way into the sky, most normal people would only just be waking up for their jobs. He had only come across adventurers or stall owners during his search but now it was deathly quiet, fitting for the area he thought. With the slow fall of his steps crunching on the soft earth below him, he slowly made his way through the field of death, the only thing blooming out of the ground were the headstones of the fallen. There were little to no bushes or trees to mask the view of the countless graves situated around the living adventurer. Though it was somewhat nerve-wracking it did assist in his search as it allowed him to easily spot the only other living thing in the area. With his enhanced vision, he could easily make out the recognisable shabby brown hair with two cat ears poking out the top. He could see a feline tail swaying slightly in the morning wind, the tip just barely scraping over the stones it was in front of. The boy's head was looking down and as Ottar got closer he could see it was looking in between two gravestones, or most likely both of them. As Ottar quietly approached the boy, the cat ears picked up the sound of his walking but the boy made no effort in turning around. The Boaz man gradually came to a standstill behind the young cat boy.

No words were said between the two as they both continued to look between the pair of gravestones. However, Ottar still had his mission from his Goddess and he had already allowed the boy to look at the graves. Even though he did not want to do this, he wished to hurry the boy along somewhat for the sake of his lady. Little did he know that if she saw this she would ask for Ottar to allow the boy to take as long as he wants.

"Are these two special to you?" Ottar asked out of formality, not wishing to assume but he had already guessed they were the boy's parents.

"If ya are askin' if I know them or if they're my parents, then no. I have no idea who they are."

Ottar shot the boy a confused look. "Then why stand in front of them?"

"Because they are nameless." Again Ottar was confused But the boy, sensing this, elaborated.

"You know, it didn't take long to find two nameless graves next to each other. I don know who's Familia they belong to or who their names are or when they died." Brandon bent down to look at the left one, its blank exterior staring back. "But to me, this could mean they could be anyone. I never told you much about my parents because I didn' really know 'em. All I remember is they were adventurers of some kind, I don' know what God they served or any of that. I just remember one day they didn't come back and I was chucked out onto the streets with my baby sister in my arms."

It was a story that had been lived a thousand times by many children. Losing their parents to the dungeon and with no family left they find themselves on the streets. Ottar waited to see if he would go on but wanted to ask a question after he realised the boy had stopped for a moment.

"How old were you both at the time?"

"I was 4, My sister was barely 2. She doesn't remember anything about our parents. She only sees Maria as her mother, as do I."

"How long was it until you met up with the orphan woman?"

"We were on the streets for over a week, I think. I just kept walking around, asking for help but everyone was too busy listening to how the amazing Zeus and Hera Familia had beaten the Behemoth, so no one really cared about two kids walking the streets alone."

Ottar was taken back a bit by the mention of the two former strongest Familia's. He remembered those times full of happiness and cheer, especially when it was announced they had completed one of the three great quests.

"Maria found us after I stumbled into Daedalus street and from then on she decided to raise us. She then began an orphanage and my new family grew from there. I'm almost glad about how that turned out as I'm happy with the family I now have, I wouldn't want to change that in any way.

All of a sudden, Brandon grasped his chest and fell to the floor, gasping for air. Ottar kneeled to see what was wrong but couldn't understand what was happening. He could only watch as the cat boy struggled to breathe for almost two minutes before being finally released.

"It's progressing a lot worse," Ottar heard the boy mumble through deep breaths.

"Is this your disease?" A nod of the head was all the confirmation Ottar needed.

"How do you get this?" The question that had been the start of all this was finally asked. The one that made Ottar delve into the dungeon as a supporter of a strange level 2 cat boy. The question which saw him chase down and kill a jack bird. One that saw his Goddess come almost obsessed with a normal, average person.

"Ha, yeah I guess I might as well tell you. It's the only reason you are here and the only reason she cares." For some reason, this irked Ottar that the boy believed this, though he didn't know why. Wasn't that the case.

"But it is also the reason why my sister can now live so yeah. I don't know exactly what it is but both me and my sister have it." As Brandon began to explain he took off his shirt and the sleeve on his right arm. This revealed to Ottar what looked like a massive black rash that covered almost the entirety of his right arm and to his shock, it was now covering the boy's shoulder and the right side of his chest, almost like it was making its way to something. That something soon became clear to Ottar, as it answered why the boy had grasped at the left side of his chest, just above his heart.

"It started as a small black dot on the back of my forehand when I was 7, my sister also got it just after she turned 7. I was 9 by that point and it had already started to creep up my arm. I had also started to get random spasms or pain from it and not wanting my sister to go through that, I brought her to the Dian Cecht clinic. They had apparently never seen it before but it had been documented. It was a simple disease but something incredibley rare. The black spot it's called. Apparenlty it is passed down through blood, though I don't remember my parents ever having this. They told us they could only think of us getting a falna to maybe slow the progress down and relieve some of the pain. So we both set off in hopes of finding a Familia for us to join so we could get a falna. But of course, we struggled and were constantly rejected. I mean who would take in two sick, weak, dying children. They all thought we would just be a burden. I thought it was hopeless after a week of trying but I kept pushing as if I didn't it could mean my sister was going to die."

Brandon took a second to stop and lookup. Ottar felt it too, the gaze coming from Babel. Ottar wasn't sure how his Goddess was viewing them but both he and the boy had felt her watching them just before he started the story, meaning she had heard the story. If they could look far enough, they would see a large wave of silver hair billowing in the wind as the Goddess Freya stood on the roof of the Tower of Babel, her chariot right next to her to make sure she doesn't fall off.

Brandon turned back towards the gravestones and sat down. " It was then that we found them. The Baldur Familia. As soon as the God heard of our story, he immediately put a falna on our backs. HE was crying by the time he had finished with it and afterwards, he hugged both of us.

'That sounds Like Baldur, but why haven't I heard of him. Moreover, when was the last time I saw him.' Freya thought to herself.

"It seemed things were going good for us. As the Dian Cecht Familia told us, the falna had slowed the progress of the disease quite a lot but not completely. But that was fine, the Falna also subdued the pain quite a lot as well and God Baldur believed that if we increased our level, we might be able to beat it completely, so that became our aim."

"I'm sorry but I don't know of the Baldur Familia, what was their rank?"

"Hmm, guess it makes sense you wouldn't know them, though he is from the same region of heaven as Freya. Including me and my sister, there were 9 of us altogether. At the time we joined, only the vice-captain and captain were level 2, the rest of us were level ones, though some had been at it for almost 3 years so their stats were ready for the level up. I could name them all but it won't matter."

Ottar did not lose the fact that the young boy was speaking in the past tense, seeming that he already knew where this story was heading.

"What happened next?"

"We stayed happy and me and my sister slowly grew stronger. I mean we were hearing stories of the sword princess and you lot but we didn't really care, we just wanted to get stronger just so we could live pain-free, but since we were such a weak familiar, I never even got to the under resort or the town there but I didn't mind, that much. Our family was slowly getting stronger too, but then… last year happened."

Brandon didn't seem to want to continue. All those listening in to the story knew what he was on about. The Evilus attack last year was something Orario would not forget for a long time.

"By this time, me and my sister were the only ones not a level 2. The captain had just hit level 3 and we were making some headway into the dungeon. Our God Baldur was such a kind person, he really was. He always tried to find the best in people and always hoped for the best outcome and always tried to be as happy as the situation allowed. But that also meant that when the Evilus bombing happened, Baldur wanted to help. No one argued with him though as it seemed he had influenced all of us and so we all tried to figure out how we could help. One night, when we were just coming back from the dungeon, we spotted a large fire. Another set of bombs had been set off in the north side of the city. Without even talking, we all rushed over to the fire site. Already there were a few adventurers but it seems they were already preoccupied as a group of Evilus members were there and a fight broke out. Our captain and a few others went straight ahead to help with the fight while the rest of us helped with the fire. That was when I heard screaming, a lot of it. But I was the only animal person there and no one could hear it, not even with their level 2 hearing. My sister also couldn't hear it but I definitely could so I sprinted into one of the buildings on fire and started to use my ears to locate the people. I remember at one point I felt like a real cat with the way I was hunting and tracking down all of them."

"Well, by the time the fight was finished and the Evilus members had been pushed away or killed, I had apparently rescued 30 people. I don't remember much of that night, only after each time I pulled someone out of the fire, my sister and my other Familia members tended to their burns. After I saw they were being treated I ran straight back in."

"The only part I can recall was the smoke filling my nose and the screams of those burning and dying all around me. I… I don't know why I kept going back in or not, whether I felt like I had to or it was my duty or I wanted to help, I don't remember or can even figure it out today but from that experience, I managed to get my level up. I don't know why I levelled up; I didn't deserve it. 20 people still died that night in the fire.

Ottar looked down at the boy, noticeable tears in his eyes but they were being fought back but only just. Some might think this story was a waste of time, that this was not answering Ottar's question, in fact, his question was already answered, so why was he still here. If someone said that to Ottar he would ignore them and not even acknowledge them. He had spent only a week with this boy but to the boy, it was the rest of his life and Ottar decided it was only right to listen to a dying person and to know their life story. To be remembered was what everyone wanted, unlike the blank graves sitting in front of the pair. Ottar did not rush Brandon, nor did he ask what happened next or tell him that's enough. He stood there and waited for him to continue when he was ready.

"I remember being taken to the Dian Cecht clinic to be checked up for my burns because we didn't have a proper healer in the Familia. While being checked, a staff member recognised me from years before when I asked about a cure as she was looking at my almost covered black arm. At first, she thought it was just a really bad burn until she recognised me." Brandon laughed to himself.

"Anyway, it was there that I was told about the jack bird drop discovery and its healing properties and that me and my sister finally had a chance to be free from our curse. After that, while the rest of our Familia were instructed to help out with the Evilus attack, Baldur ordered me and my sister to non-stop look for the jack bird and get its drop item." Again, another long pause but this time the tears couldn't be stopped from spilling out.

"While… um while we were in the dungeon one day, we were almost finished looking for that day when all of a sudden we felt weak, really weak. We were so weak that I couldn't even take on a kobold on floor 1."

"You lost your falna, didn't you?" Ottar had made the quick connection. As it also dawned on Freya she remembered that terrifying night a year ago, when so many of her fellow deities were sent up to heaven. She realised she didn't know who was lost and she never realised she would come to regret it until this day.

"You and your sister escaped the dungeon without a falna. How?" Ottar asked. It was common knowledge that going into the dungeon without a God's blessing was suicide and the fact two children were stuck in the dungeon without a falna even sent a small chill up the Level 7s spine.

"To say it was the most terrifying experience of my life would be an understatement but like hell was I gonna let my sister die like that knowing there was a cure waiting for her. I grabbed her hand adn we just ran. It was fortunate that we had already begun to leave which meant we were near the exit anyway but I still had to kick and scracth a few goblins out of the way. By the time we made it to the surface, the battle was over. The city was in disarray, everyone looked miserable but I didn't care about that, I just wanted to find out one thing."

"Did they…?"

"Yes, they did. I found out later that after having their falna stripped from them and watching their god ascend to heaven, a horde of monsters charged at them. To stop the onslaught that would happen to the civilians, even without a blessing they all chose to fight the monsters, to allow everyone else to escape. As I made my way over to where they died, Ankusha was there alongside the Ganesha Familia. They all looked at me and asked me why I was there but all I saw were the weapons of my… friends… my family, littered across the street all surrounding a large puddle of blood that went up to the ankles. The only thing I could find was my captain's hat, her red beret."

At this point, Brandon was almost hyperventilating and this then led to another attack on his heart. His condition was getting so bad that Ottar could see the black rash move closer and closer to its destination.

After Brandon controlled his breathing again he sat back and leaned against the gravestone behind him, still breathing in more than normal but back to a healthy but a slightly unstable rhythm.

"After that, and without a falna, the disease began to spread again and this time my sister could feel the pain as well. And it was so much worse, so so bad. My sister fainted out of pain and I didn't know what to do. So I went to the Dian Cecht Clinic where I asked for anything. The only thing they could give us was pain killers or if we wanted, sleeping gas so we would not feel anything. With nothing else to do, I put my sister into a deep sleep and I took the painkillers, as if we were both asleep who would get the jack bird egg. And after finding a god willing to give me a falna for money, I searched for almost a year until the pain killers were ineffective and I was diagnosed with only a week left to live and here we are."

Brandon finished his story with his arms weakly spread out. Ottar though could only look at his face. It had gone pale in the final part of the story, Brandon's breathing had gone from heavy, deep breaths to shallow, small breaths. His bare chest showed why this was happening as the black was now just above his heart.

"Do… do you think they are in here?" Brandon asked as he slowly lifted his arm to point out into the graveyard.

"Who?" Ottar responded to the now weak and quiet voice of the cat boy.

"My… parents."

Ottar didn't know how to respond, instead, he looked out across the field of stone and assumed there was a possibility of that but he didn't know what the dying boy wanted to hear.

"I… I don't want… to die here." Brandon meekly stuttered out.

Ottar turned back to face the boy with now only one goal in his mind, one he knew the person gazeing at him shared.

"Where would you like to die?"

"That night... of the fire... I remember Baldur... telling me that what I did was good. That... that instead of 50 people dying in the fire, 30 people were saved... but I can't help but feel I could have done more... maybe I could have just saved one more if I was stronger... just one more."

"Where, Brandon?"

The boy smirked. "That... was the first time you have... called me... by my name." His weak smile was met with a stern gaze.

"When I was with Baldur Fam *Cough* ow, Familia there was this… nice hill with a tree at the top, south side… of the city. It looked over a nice lake and… I used to take… to feed the ducks and nice napping.. spot to.. when… sun…. was in… sky"

Ottar didn't need telling twice. He knew his Goddess wanted him to take the boy but Ottar didn't know where this place was and from the way, the rash kept moving forward and the less blood in the boy's face showed there wasn't much time left.

"Ottar, I will direct you!"

"Lady Freya. How?"

"Doesn't matter. I already know where he is talking about. Now go!"

Ottar never questioned or disobeyed his Goddess and this would be no different. He did not care how he got to the spot, only that he made it in time. He would later find out when Ouranos called Freya to his throne room in the guild about a use of her arcanum.

"Hey.. what.. what are you… doing?"

"I'm picking you up, do not worry it is of little issue to me." Ottar simply answered the boy while picking him up and carrying him bridal style

A small smile graced the cat boy's pale lips. "You really are… a big… softie, ya know tha'"

With the directions from his Goddess watching from the top of Orario, Ottar quickly made his way to the spot. He did not have time for all the people gawping at him or pointing at him or to those that had questions about what happened. He didn't even care or notice that he ran straight past his Familia home, where a few onlookers noticed him but paid little concern. The wind whipped in his ears but he still managed to make out the faint chuckling from the lighter and lighter boy in his arms.

A few minutes later, Ottar landed on a hillside, on the south side of Orario, overlooking a nice lake where some ducks were paddling in. The Boaz man then looked at the frail figure in his arms and laid him down so his back was leaning on the tree.

Brandon felt the bark softly hit his back, which made him slowly open his eyes. A small smile graced his lips as he looked at where he was. A sight he had always enjoyed, not so much now as a massive wall of muscle stood in his line of sight but he will allow it, he could look past that for this moment. The sun was jutt about to move right into the middle of the light sky, fluffy clouds were slightly scattered around the ocean of blue, the perfect time for a nap.

As his eyes drifted down, he saw the lake where he used to feed the ducks. He wondered if any of those ducks down there were the ones he and his sister fed when they were younger.

As he continued looking he saw a younger version of him and his sister running past, with a group of teenage kids running after them while three adults walked slowly behind. As his sister continued running to the lake to look at the ducks, his younger self stopped and turned to look at the rest of the Familia behind him. He then turned to look at Brandon and finally back at his sister before disappearing. Brandon then slowly turned back to his Familia and saw they were all standing there, looking at him with smiles on their faces, the captain with her hand outstretched towards him. With one last look at the lake where his sister is playing, he reached out his hand and took the hand that had reached out those years ago.

Ottar watched as the lifeless hand of the boy fell to the floor with a soft pat. He did not know what the boy saw in his last moments but he was smiling and Ottar believed that there was no better way to go. The Boaz man did not know what to do so he just stood there and stood guard at the body that was so full of life only a week ago when it announced it would hire the services of his Goddess. The speed that it had when running through the dungeon was now long gone and the eyes, ears and nose that were as strong as someone could ask for were now no longer working.

After about 10 minutes of silence, Ottar slowly reached down and carefully took off the red beret from between the cat boy's ears. He then, with his large hands, he started to gently dig at the soil beneath him. For one who was always seen as a muscle headed brute and someone who was said to only know how to hit things hard, Ottar showed the world and nobody that day that he was gentle with his hands.

As the Boaz man replaced the last bit of soil that he had dug up, he clasped the red beret in between one of his dirty hands, bowed towards the tree that looked like it was reaching up to the sky and then left to go back to his Goddess, who was currently doing her best to not let loose another tear, though she failed again, as she had done for the past 15 minutes.

1 week later:

"Wh-where am I?" A young girl, no older than 13, woke up from a very deep sleep. As she looked around the room, she tried to think but that hurt her. As she slowly picked herself up and out of the bed she noticed that everything was surprisingly white. The walls, the bedclothes, the singular piece of cloth that fully covered her body and the set of double doors at the room's entrance. As she slowly made her way to the exit… entrance… doors, she will go with doors, the young girl started to get a slight headache. She stopped to try and regain her composure, lifting her right arm to grasp at her forehead.

'My arm! That was it, the pain, the disease, Brother!'

The girl was now being pushed back at all her memories that swamped her head that had turned back on after almost a year of being asleep. Just before she could make her way to the double doors though, a young girl, a bit younger than her with silver hair, walked into the room. The two girls locked eyes with each other.

"H-hi, could you tell me where I am? Why am I here? Where Is my Big Brother?"

Instead of answering the cat girl straight away, the silver-haired girl rushed towards her, grabbed her by the arm and forced her onto the bed.

"You are at the Dian Cecht Clinic, you have just woken up from a long sleep and I don't know." The young girl said in a high-pitched voice suited for her age but the tone she used would normally be found and those much older than her.

"Don't talk so quick and loud, my head really hurts." The cat girl said as she once again grasped her head.

"Like. I. Said. You have just woken up.. from eerrrr, hello, I'm talking here." The silver-haired girl had noticed that the cat girl wasn't paying her much attention. It wasn't until she realised why did she understand the reason she was ignored.

"It seems you have remembered your arm being half-black, don't you."

"uh-hu, what happened?"

"Your brother, I think anyway he did look like you, found the jack bird egg and we managed to cure you."

The cat girl was stunned at what she just heard. Her. Cured. She almost didn't believe it if it wasn't for the proof that was, or more accurately wasn't on her arm.

'He did it, Brandon did it' "HE DID IT! HE FOUND IT!"

"Hey, you just had a go at me for shouting now you are yelling." Though the young girl also couldn't help but pull a small smile at the sight in front of her. She too was in complete shock when that cat guy had come in and delivered them a jack bird egg. Though she didn't know where he had gone now, surely he would have wanted to be here when his sister woke up she thought.

"So is he is also cured, my brother."

"No, he only supplied one egg. We needed two eggs for two people."

"W-what, wait. No. NO. You said that one would help us both."

"No, we didn't. I remember listening in as one of my colleagues told your brother that it was one… for each… of… you."

It was at that moment the truth dawned on them both.

"WHERE IS HE!" The young cat girl shouted as she scrambled out of the bed and into the hallway. Just as she made round the corner of her room did she collide with something.

"eeeee!"

"Ow!"

As the cat girl looked up from where she was now sitting, having landed right on her tail, she looked over and saw something green, with a bit of white. As she got a closer look, she realised it was some sort of uniform, though for what she couldn't make out. It was only until she looked at the person's face did she get a good look at who she had hit. Grey hair swayed in a little ponytail and with the grey eyes staring back at her did she make out it was a young woman she had hit. As she examined her more she came to the conclusion that she was quite attractive, to say the least, and she was wearing what seemed to be a maid/waitress uniform. As she traced the girl's form, the cat girl's own chestnut eyes made their way back to the girl's face only to see that she was still staring at her.

"H-hello. Why are you looking at me." 'Wait, that doesn't matter right now, I need to find Brandon.' But before she could get up, the grey-haired girl sprang up, clasping her hands together.

"YOU'RE FINALLY AWAKE! THANK THE GODS!"

Both The catgirl and the silver-haired girl covered their ears from the high-pitched shrill.

"Oh, oh I'm sorry for being loud but it's just that I'm so happy you are awake." The maid said.

"Who are you, and why do you know me?" The catgirl asked.

"She has been coming to visit you every day for the last week." The silver-haired girl answered, earning a quick giggle and a smile from the one she answered for.

"Haaa? Why have you been visitin' me?"

"I've been here in your older brother's… absence."

At the mention of her older brother, the young girl threw a volley of questions at the waitress but the silver-haired girl caught onto the fact of the more down look that crossed the grey-haired woman's face and the stutter at the mention of the brother. Couple that with the fact he hasn't shown up in over a week but this girl has been coming instead told the young doctor about the situation, causing her to frown.

"Calm down, young lady, I will tell you everything in due time. All you need to know is that I knew your brother."

"Knew. What do you mean by that?"

The waitress caught her breath at the quick accident she made with her words but ultimately sighed at the inevitable.

"Follow me and I will tell you, ok?"

"…. ok"

With that, the grey-haired waitress lead the young brown-haired cat girl away and out of the clinic., leaving the silver-haired girl , still in thought.

"Hey Amid, what the hell was all that noise about?"

"mmmh, oh hey Bernadette." Amid said after being pulled out of thought. She then quickly filled in her senior on what had just transpired.

"Hm Hm, I understand what happened. Can I just ask one question?"

"What?"

"You are telling me you just let a girl, who had just been asleep for almost a year because of an almost incurable and deadly disease, leave immediately after she woke up. Am I correct in that?"

"Yes you arrrrrrrrrrrrrr OH CRAP! YOU TWO GET BACK HERE!"

As the middle-aged woman watched as the new up and coming talent of the Dian Cecht Familia raced after her patient, she murmured to herself.

"Real shame about that boy. He seemed like a good kid; I hope he has found peace."

Unfortunately for Amid, she could not catch up or even find her patient that she had been constantly treating for the past year, which left her in a mood foul enough to stop her weird God from trying to tell everyone how great she was. I mean really, doesn't he know when to shut up, she was only just about to hit 12 for god's sake.

As for the two escapees, they were already walking down the west street.

"So how do you know my brother?"

*Sigh* "It is… complicated. How about we talk this over something to eat, you must be really hungry after not being awake for so long."

"How long was I actually out for?"

"Almost a year, apparently." The catgirl almost tripped on her feet after hearing that.

'A year. Brandon has been on his own for that long. I hope he is ok.'

"Anyway, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Syr and I work out a restaurant/pub called the Hostess of Fertility."

"The Hostess of what?" The young girl gave her a weird look.

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" 'Geez, like brother like sister' A small smile formed on Syr's lips at that thought. The young girl really did resemble her brother. Hair, eyes, the cute nose, even to the way they talk. The only thing missing was the hat in between the ears but that would probably be sorted out later.

"You know, it's rude to not give your name after someone else has given you theirs."

"oh yeah 'sposse. May. My name is May."

"Well, it's nice to meet you May. Your brother mentioned you quite a bit but never gave me your name."

"Well Brandon is weird like that."

"He is, isn't he." Syr made sure not to make the same mistake as to stop any more painful questions.

"He never said what you like doing. Is there anything that you would like to do."

"I like to be outside in the sun."

"Yep"

"I enjoy feeding the ducks by the lake me and my brother go to a lot."

"Y-yes." Syr was almost struggling now. She was really struggling to cope and hold it back. It was a lot harder to conceal her emotions when she is Syr.

"I remember I always wanted to cook." May finished. As the young girl looked back up at the waitress, a calm smile was on her face.

"You know what, I think I can help with that. Ok."

"Ok."

The two girls continued their walk down the street towards a place that is special to one of them but would soon become special to the other. The young catgirl would soon come to love that place and find a new family their over the coming years, though all of it would always be second best to a nice quiet hillside, with a nice lake at the bottom filled with ducks and a tree that looked like it was reaching towards the sky.

As I said, this is from a previous story by the same name I made a while back.

I know it was long but that was why it was in three parts last time but here I'm only making large one-shots.

Thank you for the reviews by those that read the story when I first posted it. I'm glad you liked it and it turned into more than you expected.

Anyway, please leave a review on who you would like to see me write about. Next I'm tackling another staff member from the hostess.

And with that, see ya later and peace!