Just a reminder, not my idea nor do I own the characters of Danmachi. This is a long asked for request from fellow writer so if you're reading this, I'll do my best and hopefully you'll enjoy it. Now, onto the story...

It had been some time since the expedition, and the Hestia Familia was having a well deserved rest. Bell himself was sitting outside of the manor and reflecting on what had happened to him in the short time he's been in Orario.

Bell: (First finding Goddess, then Lili and everyone else. The minotaur, the whole incident on the middle floors, the wargame and saving Haruhime, the Xenos and then the expedition. So much has happened and it hasn't even been a year.)

He let out a sigh as he stretched his arms. It felt great to finally be free from his cast.

Bell: It's still early, might as well go for a walk.

And so, he passed by Welf's forge and told him he was going out.

Bell: I'm heading out for a bit!

Welf: Sure, I'll tell the others if they ask!

Finding something to preoccupy himself is all Bell could do. He was still plagued by nightmares of what happened to him in the dungeon, and was losing sleep for it. He was doing his best, but he wouldn't be able to hide it forever. Haruhime had already caught onto it, and she was doing her best to help him. Thankfully, he was able to get a decent amount of rest the last few nights. Right now, it was just barely past sunrise and the city was beginning to wake up and start the day. He walked around the streets and paid several visits to places he'd been to before like the ruined church, the square and the wall. More of the morning went by before Bell had enough.

Bell: (Guess I'll head back now.)

Since his last update, stats had risen to the peak again which had made it uncomfortable to move around for a while. He decided to take advantage of that and quickly make his way back home to get used to the massive jump he made. Arriving back, he opened the door where Haruhime was on the other side.

Haruhime: AH!!

Bell: Oh, s-sorry about that. I guess I should've knocked first.

He scratched his head while apologizing. The renard was startled at the rabbit's abrupt return, but quickly composed herself.

Haruhime: I-It's fine. Your timing was good, at least, breakfast was just finished.

He smiled, and the two made their way to where everyone else was and had their meal. While eating, Hestia had been curious about where Bell went.

Hestia: So, where'd you run off to this morning?

Bell: I just took a walk around the city.

Lili: You sure it wasn't to meet anyone.

The girl had a questioning look on her face as she and the short goddess interrogated the boy. Welf just groaned and rolled his eyes.

Welf: We just started, is this really the time to be doing this?

Hestia and Lili: Obviously!!

Hestia: My Bell is in a very vulnerable state right now!

Lili: Lady Hestia is right! Who knows what could happened to Master Bell while he's recovering!

Welf: Last I checked, he's already out of his cast.

Bell: Feels great too!

Welf: Anyway, he's more than capable of taking care of himself.

Lili: Even so...

Seeing this taking a turn, Mikoto tried to defuse this before it got out of hand.

Mikoto: Let's just relax. Why not talk about everyone's plans for the day?

Hestia: I guess I can live with that.

Lili: Well, Lili has to recount our funds so we can resupply. Once everyone is ready, we should head back down to the dungeon.

Welf: I'll probably head over to Hephaestus'. I'd like to have her supervise some of my projects for me.

Hestia: Projects?

Welf: Hey, even if we failed the expedition, I got some good stuff from it. Truth be told, I just can't sit still not knowing what I can make put of those. Who knows, it could be enough for a brand new armor set for Bell or Mikoto.

Bell: My old one did kinda get destroyed.

Mikoto: I'm probably going to take Haruhime with me to Takemikazuchi-sama's.

Haruhime: What about about you, Bell-sama?

The boy wondered that himself. All he'd been doing was taking it easy.

Bell: I'll try visiting Airmid or Miach so can do another check on my condition. Hopefully I'll be well enough to train again.

Hestia: Thankfully, you can move your arm again. It can't be too much longer by now.

Bell: I hope so, it's getting bothersome no being able to do anything. What about you, Goddess?

Hestia: I'm going to be busy working. That debt won't pay itself.

They went on about their plans, and soon enough they finished eating. Afterward, each of them went on about their day. This left Bell wondering what to do now.

Bell: (I guess I'll pay Miss Eina a visit.)

Bell left and made his way to the guild. He walked inside and looked to see where the half-elf was. It didn't take long to see which counter she was attending. She saw him and smiled as he made his way toward her.

Bell: Miss Eina!

Eina: Hello, Bell. What brings you here today?

Bell: Well, you see, I'm still recovering and the thing I can do are limited.

Eina: Oh, I see, you're bored.

She gave him a teasing smile as Bell blushed a little.

Bell: Y-Yeah, there isn't much left for me to do so...

Eina: Alright, why don't we do more studying on the lower floors for your next dive.

Bell: Okay.

Bell would spend the rest of the afternoon learning what he could about the lower floors. Every little bit would make a difference if it meant that he could avoid what happened to him down there. .Timeskip Several Hours.Having finished their session for the day, Bell and Eina were cleaning the room they used as books were all over the place.

Bell: Ok, this should be the last one.

Eina: Thanks, you know, you didn't have to stay and help with all this.

Bell: Well, I didn't have anything better to do, and I'm at least half responsible for the mess.

Eina: Alright then, I'll be seeing you, Bell.

Bell: Right, thank you for everything Miss Eina.

The two waved each other goodbye as Bell made his way back home. He arrived at Hearth Manor and let himself in.

Bell: I'm back!

He entered and saw everyone relaxing in the living room.

Welf: Hey Bell!

Haruhime: Welcome home.

Bell: Thanks guys.

Hestia: Great timing, Mikoto jus finished putting dinner down.

Welf: Sweet! I'm famished!

Lili: Alright everyone, let's go eat.

They made their way to the dining area and had dinner made by the far eastern girl.

Hestia: I'll never get tired of your cooking.

Haruhime: I must agree.

Mikoto: Tha k you everyone, I try my best.

Welf: So Bell, what did you do today?

Hestia: Yeah, you came back later than usual.

Bell: Oh, I asked Miss Eina to teach me more about the lower floors.

Welf looked at him and sighed.

Welf: Bell, you don't have to blame yourself for what happened to us down there.

Mikoto: He's right, it was just an accident.

Bell: Still, the extra lessons have been helping. I'm sure we'll do better next time.

Lili: Yeah!

The evening went on and everyone finished. The dishes were cleaned and everyone got ready for bed.

Hestia: *Yawn* I'm gonna turn in for the night.

Bell: Good night, Goddess.

She left and soon everyone else followed. In his room, Bell tried once more to go to sleep, but everytime he closed his eyes, flashbacks to the dungeon plagued his mind. He was about to try again until the door to his room opened revealing Haruhime.

Bell: H-Haruhime?

Haruhime: If you're still having trouble, we can pick up where we left off.

Bell: I-I'd appreciate it...

He gave a sheepish smile as she sat on the side of the bed, next to him and brought out the book they were reading last time. She began reading and after many pages, Bell was finally able to fall asleep. However, this would not last. The days went on and it became increasingly difficult for Bell to sleep at night. The nightmares got more frequent and soon even Haruhime was having trouble.

Haruhime: ...the end.

She finished yet another book for Bell, but the boy was wide awake and staring at the ceiling. The renard had a sad face as she saw her efforts fail every night for the last few nights.

Haruhime: No good. I'm terribly sorry, Master Bell.

The boy was brought out of his trance when he heard her sniffle. Bell turned his head and saw her beginning to cry. He quickly tried to console her.

Bell: N-No, it isn't your fault, Haruhime. It's mine, I'm sorry, so please don't cry.

Haruhime: B-But, you haven't been able to get a good rest for days...

Bell took a look outside and still saw some light on the streets.

Bell: I-It isn't too late, I can take a walk and try again.

Haruhime: B-But, at this hour...

Bell: I'll be fine, I'm almost level 5.

She couldn't argue with that logic. Most thugs were much weaker than first and second class adventurers. Even if Bell was tired, he wouldn't get beat by them. With a sad smile, she nodded and left the room as Bell threw his brown coat on. He made his way outside and saw several people on the streets. They either were the ones who enjoyed the night of Orario or were people carrying their drunken friends out of the bars that were closing. Without realizing, he had made his way to a certain bar his familia visits all the time. There, a silver haired girl was at the door to greet him.

Syr: Bell?

The girl was sweeping as the staff were just about finished closing up the shop. Syr was humming to herself when she saw her favorite rabbit walking on the street with a lost look on his face. When she called out to him, Bell was a bit startled and he looked for where the voice came from. He quickly found that it was Syr that had called out to him and was soon confused at where he was.

Bell: (I'm at the Hostess?)

Syr: Um, are you ok?

She was waving her hand in front of his face while Bell was stuck in his daze about how he got here.

Bell: Oh, sorry.

Syr: You don't seem like yourself. What's wrong?

Bell: I-It's nothing, please don't worry yourself about it.

He tried to persuade her that it wasn't a problem, but she wasn't convinced.

Syr: If that were true, you wouldn't have bags on your eyes.

Bell: (Crap!)

Syr: Come on inside, it won't be safe if you're outside at this time.

She pulled on his arm and dragged him inside.

Bell: Ah, w-wait! H-Hang on-

Bell was stuttering a response to the girl's sudden action. The next thing he realized, he was inside the pub where he saw everything neatly organized for the night. The sound of footsteps had alerted an individual that drove fear in the heart of anyone who dared bring trouble to her establishment.

Mia: Why's rabbit boy here? We're closed for the night, boy.

She had a displeased look on her face while Bell was thinking of a way to calm her down.

Syr: Can Bell stay here for the night? He isn't feeling well, and it isn't good for him to go back like this.

Mia: What?!

Bell: W-Wait, you don't need to do this, Syr! I'll be fine!

The dwarf took a quick look at the boy and saw a shred of validity to the girl's story. She saw that the boy was certainly not in a healthy condition, and it was apparent that he was sleep deprived. Mia decided that it was probably best that the boy stay here for the night.

Mia: *Sigh* Alright fine, you can take one of the rooms here. Syr, give him and room and finish the dishes for the night before you go.

Syr: Aww, alright.

She led the boy to the stairs and gave him the directions.

Syr: Ok, down the hall, third door to the left.

Bell: ...okay...

It was getting later and later, and Bell was slowly fading out. He barely heard what Syr had told him before she left. Still, he didn't want to be disrespectful, so he nodded, pretending he heard everything she said.

Syr: Great, have a good night, Bell.

The boy nodded again before making his way up. Meanwhile, the girl was washing plates with a satisfied grin on her face.

Syr: (Once I'm done here, I'll enjoy a quiet night alone with him, hehehe.)

Unknown to Bell, Syr was plotting against him once again. The directions she gave were really to her room rather than an empty one. Although, things would not always go her was and I, I mean, fate had other plans. Bell made his was to the door he thought was correct and opened it. His eyes were practically closed as her tried to find where the bed was. Eventually he did, and he drifted off while hugging a soft pillow he found next to him. What he didn't realize, was how easily it was for him to rest. Having no energy left to think about it, he let sleep overcome him as the day came to a close.

The next morning, Bell was woken up by a loud scream.

???: KYAAAAAAH!!!

His sleep was abruptly ended as he felt himself hit the floor of his room. He rubbed his head as he tried to get himself together.

Bell: Ow, what was that?

His vision came to, and he saw a blonde elf in her sleep garments looking at him with a menacing glare that made Bell sweat.

Ryuu: Care to explain yourself?

AN: Yeah, this took a few days, sorry. For one I just wanted a break and also, I recently got the covid booster and I've felt like shite for a few days. Arm is still sore, but I'll be fine. Anyways, that's the first chapter for this story done. I've already made contact with my client on wattpad so, if you're reading this, hopefully this was to your liking.

As always, thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed, leave a star and a comment and I will see you in the next one.