Disclaimer: I do not own DanMachi or any of Omori's original characters, nor do I make any profit off of my writing.
A girl, who couldn't possibly be any older than ten, stood in front of a door.
It wasn't particularly big or particularly heavy. It was just a door.
She didn't think she had the strength to open it, though. She wasn't even really sure how she managed to work up the nerve to travel here. She shouldn't have, it was probably a mistake, one bound to blow up in her face spectacularly.
But she had saved up her allowances in order to pay for a carriage here, she even snuck away from her mother in the dead of night to come. So, she had to go through with it, otherwise, there would have been no point in the end and it all would have been for nothing.
She was not going to get grounded with nothing to show for it.
Also, she didn't think to save money for the carriage back home. She really needed to talk to this person and at the very least beg for some money.
Yeah, yeah, that was pretty much the only reason she was here.
She most definitely would never work up the nerve to ask the man her real question, that was far too scary. It was a big question, after all. She couldn't just outright ask him something like that.
The man was practically a legend, anyways! He probably gets questions like this all the time (he wouldn't, she knew that but trying to rationalize things that way had been how she motivated herself to end up in this situation, so.. ).
A small hand rose up to the wooden door, shaking in the air as she reared it back ever so slightly to knock.
Two soft raps resounded through the small cabin, echoing from wall to wall before dissipating over the soft furniture and carpets.
The girl waited (rather impatiently) with her arms crossed and her foot nervously tapping on the board beneath her on the porch. She listened intently for any sounds of footsteps approaching from the other side. Nothing.
Was he dead?
He probably wasn't, he was what? Twenty-seven? Twenty-eight?
She was pretty sure he was not dead.
But there was always the chance that he was, does that mean she should just walk in and check? What if he was just sleeping? It would probably be rude to just waltz on in.
He would probably take her for a thief or something too and she didn't fully believe she could take him in a fight being a third his age and size and all. It certainly doesn't help that her mother coddles her like she would break apart if she was hit by a stiff breeze (ironic considering who her mother was).
She could rule out breaking and entering out of her list of potential paths moving forward. It didn't sound all that smart.
Which left her with two options.
Knock harder.
Press her face up against the window and check if she can see inside.
She glanced over to the window to her left. It did look pretty comfortable to press her face into, she couldn't really be blamed if she did it just a little bit, could she?
No, definitely not. People would understand.
Her nose smushed into the glass, leaving an oily imprint on the glass as she cupped her hands above her eyes to block out the excess light from causing glare. It was mostly dark inside, but she could make out a few things.
The couch looked, honestly, very comfortable.
Breaking in was sounding much more enjoyable now that she saw that.
It's perfect for napping!
Several blankets of all different kinds were strewn across its plush-looking cushions. One was woven, giving the perfect amount of airflow and warmth for those days where it's not cold but it's not warm either. There was even one that she was fairly certain was just a sheep laying down, it was that fluffy.
"Baaaa."
".. "
"Baaaaaaaa!"
Nothing.
Not a sheep.
Any reasonable sheep with any amount of pride in their species would have responded to her call. So, that blanket was actually that fluffy. She was so taking that with her.
The couch's pillows even looked like regular pillows! Not like the ones some of her mother's friends put on their furniture that were purely decorative, no not like those at all. These glorious creations were bed pillows. Sleeping pillows.
Her mouth watered at the thought of all the glorious naps she could take on that couch. Her butt waggled through the air behind her as she danced about, humming a happy tune as she continued to explore what was most definitely going to be her new favorite hideaway location.
If only it wasn't a carriage ride away.
She turned and squinted back toward where the sun was rising over the grassy knoll in front of the house, briefly wondering what was happening back at her home.
Mom has probably organized several search parties already.
She asked herself if it was worth it. If worrying her mother so deeply (especially after what happened the week before) just to have a chance to ask a single question, was worth it.
She didn't really know, then again, she was also nine so she couldn't truly be blamed for not knowing.
She was here now, though, so no point worrying about it and–
Oh!
He has so many books! Auntie would love it here!
She could see so many shapes and colors of books (some of which looked completely different from the versions she would read at home, she wondered why that was). Her new napping spot was getting better by the minute!
Now, all she needed was a–
Somebody cleared their throat behind her causing her to jump with a start and smack her forehead against the wooden beam spanning the center of the window. She rubbed at her face, trying to keep the tears the sprung from her eyes at the stinging pain at bay.
"Ow, ow, ow! That wasn't very nice, mister!"
A deep, baritone chuckled emerged from the man's throat as he kneeled down in front of her and began checking her over wounds, pausing briefly at the bruising around one of her eyes.
She pushed his fingers away with her far smaller ones, her cheeks puffed out in a pout as she did.
"I'm fine! Who are you, anyway! Can't you see I'm busy here? The guy who lives here as a very comfortable-looking couch with my name on it!"
The man chuckled again, the corners of his lips twitching up ever so briefly as he did, "oh? Is that so? I take it you want to take a nap on that couch?"
She nodded fervently, her hands crossed over her chest in defiance, "of course! Have you seen it and– hey! Where are you going? It's rude to walk away when– oh. Oh."
She was mortified.
He just walked away from her as she was speaking and UNLOCKED THE DOOR and– and then he turned to her with some stupid little wry smile filled with nothing, but amusement and she was most definitely going to get him and his stupidly wonderful couch back for this.
".. "
".. "
She.. she wasn't going to do that.
Not to the couch at least. It didn't do anything besides be glorious and perfect in every single way. It didn't deserve her threats much less what would happen if she delivered on said threat.
She knew she wasn't really supposed to follow strangers into their homes, but this was technically the man she came here to see, and she knew his name (if only by word of mouth) so was he really a stranger?
He smiled kindly down at her, in a way that didn't seem to quite reach his eyes yet still convinced her everything was going to be alright if she was with him.
Was that a skill?
Probably not, she wasn't even really sure if he still had his goddess's blessing or not. She doubted he would have been allowed to leave the city with it, not without the promise of returning (which he most definitely did not do).
He kept that same smile across his lips as he bent over at the waist and stuck a hand out to her, "my name is Bell Cranel, and you are?"
Well, they most definitely weren't strangers anymore!
The couch was fair game.
She happily grabbed a hold of his hand between her own two, marveling in the rough skin that seemed to about as worn down as she would expect from a man of his history. She shook it up and down with all her strength as she smiled up at him, "I'm Etsuko! You better not forget it!"
He simply pat her on the head a few times (which she did not lean into) as he reassured her that he would do his best never to.
"Well, Etsuko-chan, how about we make a deal?"
"A deal?"
"Yeah! I'll let you take a nap on my couch – and let me just be the first to say, it's as extraordinary as it looks – in exchange, you'll answer a few of my questions, okay?"
Etsuko nodded with excitement, she couldn't care less about the fact that she had come here with the purpose of asking him questions, not the other way around. None of that mattered so long as she got to experience what she could only assume was the closest thing to heaven in the lower world.
Etsuko plopped down on the cushion and reveled in how it was even better how she imagined, a giddy grin stretching across her lips as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall back into bliss.
Bell rolled his eyes as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a few easy-to-eat foods for the kid. He didn't know who she was or where she came from but even when he was living off on his own in a village at the foot of the Alv mountains (the very same one he was raised in) he couldn't ignore his heroic nature. She was a small kid with a black eye and a busted lip, that just didn't sit well with him.
He didn't know if she was abused or just a runaway or what have you, but he wasn't going to just let her wander away when he can help.
He's not above stealing her for himself either.
She was a pretty cute kid despite her injuries. She had pretty hair, it was a soft cream color though he didn't really know if that was its true color or not due to the dust and dirt that had settled over top. It had been relatively dry these past few weeks so it wasn't all that surprising she would appear that way. Anybody who had traveled around the roads knew just how much dirt was kicked up just by walking, it was far worse with faster modes of transportation.
Her eyes were beautiful as well, irregular stripes of reds and golds with flecks of both throughout, even some amounts of amber and the like.
They reminded him of–
His hand stilled just above the carrots his neighbor had gifted to him. He didn't want to think about that dragon anymore, it was dead anyway. He had no idea why it hoarded more gold and gems than anyone being had a reason to keep. It can't even spend money! It just doesn't make any–
Bell sucked in a calming breath and shook away the thoughts.
Admittedly, the part he should be least worked up about is the dragon's treasure trove, that doesn't exactly mean he wasn't.
He reemerged from the kitchen with an assortment of foods piled onto one of his finest pieces of china.
Etsuko cracked an eyelid open and looked at the plate warily.
"Is that made out of wood?"
"Well.. I– uhh," he scratched his cheek sheepishly, "I made it myself."
She shrugged, that answer was good enough for her. She didn't really think people ate from wooden plates, but she supposed it would be harder to get ceramic stuff out here away from the bigger cities. It's not like the village was big enough to warrant traveling merchants stopping by and she wouldn't care enough to travel to by better plates either.
Bell set the plate down before taking a seat next to it on the coffee table. He regarded the girl briefly, checking to see if she had any other injuries he should know about. She didn't, which he was exceedingly thankful for.
A pop! echoed through the quiet room as he popped up the cork from a small vial and held it out in the same between them.
Etsuko reopened her eyes at the noise and stared at the crimson liquid with a small amount of trepidation. Was he trying to poison her? All that thing was missing was a skull and crossbones and he would be as clear as possible!
"It's a potion."
Oh.
Right.
She had heard of those; nobody went through the trouble of making them anymore since the dungeon no longer churned out monsters like a dairy farmer churns butter. It made for a weird culture in Orario. The god's main source of entertainment (no matter how awful it sounds) died with the dungeon when the famed Argonaut struck down the corrupted spirit at the bottom.
Then, with the death of the One-Eyed Black Dragon, the only thing really left to fear were the remaining monsters on the surface, most of which were left to live on their own, being no more dangerous than the predatory animals that already inhabited the forests.
Bell personally would rather fight a goblin or kobold to a bear.
Bears are terrifying.
They run so fast and they can climb and he never wants to see one again.
Even if a few stronger races of monsters still wandered the surface, they were so few and far between that they almost never bothered anybody. If they did they would be hunted down, sure, but not until then.
Honestly, Bell was just happy that the Xenos were able to integrate into the world. It wasn't easy by any stretch of the imagination, there was a lot of push back. His word had some sway over the people, but fear was a powerful motivator.
Most of the intelligent monsters had taken it upon themselves to not push things, instead traveling out on their own or with the few friends they had to enjoy the rest of their lives under the sun.
Bell was thrilled for them, even if he wished people had been able to see through their hate.
He wondered when Alicia and Rei would visit again, they made a cute couple or would make if either of them ever realized just how gay they were. He had quite literally seen them kiss each other when one of them was feeling especially panicked or distressed. It worked wonders in calming them down, he just didn't understand how they could do that and not realize how they felt.
How did he go off on this tangent, again?
Oh, potions. That's right.
Etsuko reached out toward the vial tentatively, at the very least, trusting the man to not actually try to murder a child.
".. you still have potions? I thought you had re.. tired.. "
Bell quirked an eyebrow at her, "oho? So, you know me?"
She fidgeted slightly before swiping the vial and downing it in one gulp, hoping the healing concoction would distract her and him from his current line of questioning.
It didn't.
A shame.
She nodded slowly, ignored the fuzzy feelings that settled over her as the bruise and cut healed.
"I take it you peering into my window wasn't an accident then?"
A shake of the head.
He hummed in thought, shifting to the side to grab the tray of fruits and crackers and place it closer to the child. She didn't reach to grab anything, so he plucked a cracker and slice of cheese for himself and snacked on it while he waited. The girl was going to eat something if it was the last thing he did.
He smiled when she reached over and took a singular carrot from the top, crunching down on the end and snapping a sizable piece off in her mouth.
"Why me specifically?"
".. I– uhm.. I need money?"
She winced. That wasn't how she wanted to ask for that. Now, he was going to hate her for being rude and she was never going to be able to ask her actual question because she was going to be too afraid of his answer and she wouldn't actually get any money which meant she wouldn't be able to go back home which meant she would never see her mother again and–
"How much?"
Bell put a hand down on her shoulder gently before she spiraled too far into her own mind.
She said nothing, only staring at him in confusion, so he elaborated.
"How much money do you need? I don't have much, truthfully, but my familia's sigil may still work for something, so long as Hestia-sama hasn't changed it."
Etsuko rubbed her forearm over her face, wiping away the few tears that had gathered in the corners of her eyes once again as she worked on her response. It needed to be something that expressed her thanks. Something eloquent and graceful.
"Eh?"
Good enough!
"Did you think I would say no? You're a child, Etsuko, I'm not going to leave you alone until I know you're safe. I'm more than happy to give you a little money if that helps you too."
The smile he gave her was so warm, so kind, so fatherly that she couldn't help but nod her head dumbly. He simply continued to smile as he reached toward her face, retracting his hand somewhat before he touched her face to look her in the eyes, "may I check your injuries real quick?"
His fingers brushed along her eyelid after she voiced her affirmation, rubellite eyes watching her face for any signs of discomfort at all. The tips of his fingers dropped down to run along her lip, deciding everything was in order he straightened back up and pat her some more on the head.
It was unfair how the head pats were just as nice as the couch.
"Now, how about you tell me how you got those injuries."
".. I.. fell?"
".. "
".. "
".. wow. You lie about as well as I do."
Etsuko sucked in a breath because he couldn't have figured it out already, could he have? No, that was ridiculous. Plenty of people were bad at lying, not just the two of them. He could still think that–
Oh, he was waiting for the truth.
She shrugged her shoulders, seemingly taking far more energy than the action normally would as she slumped down. She mumbled something out about it being 'stupid' and 'nothing to worry about' because it was 'just some bullies.'
Bell wasn't buying any of that crap for a second. A child being hurt was never 'stupid' or 'nothing to worry about' no matter how it happened.
So, he told her as such, in no uncertain terms.
"Am I going to have to go to your school and teach some kids some manners?"
Of course, she nodded, who wouldn't want that?
Imagine the look on her bullies' faces when the world-famous Argonaut comes knocking on their classroom door to drop her off and warn them that she wasn't to be harmed. She wanted that. Oh no, she wanted that bad. It'd be like she had a dad, and wasn't what they had been bullying her about anyways?
Which meant she needed to actually ask her question.
Because, well– she had a dad. In fact, she was told he was a great man. It was the reason she was here after all.
She had been finally given the answer as to who it was.
The answer had come from the strangest place, a certain goddess of love and beauty begging a child to fix a broken relationship. Of course, she was inclined to help.
It was about her mother and father. A woman she loved (despite her smothering) and the man she'd never met but always dreamed of.
And now he was in front of her.
And really nice.
And he had a far better choice in couches than her mom.
Bell simply chuckled mirthfully as she accepted his offer. He hadn't actually meant for her to want it, but he wasn't going to turn back now. Apparently, he had some bullies to correct. It shouldn't be too bad, should it?
"And where does the little princess need me to save her at? Hm?"
"Orario!"
Oh.
As it would turn out, it can be pretty bad.
He really didn't want to go there. Anybody who wanted to see him knew where to find him and he got visits regularly enough that he didn't have any need to risk entering that city. Not when he knew she was there.
He wanted to see her.
Desperately even.
But they hadn't exactly separated on the best of terms, something he still blames himself for even if he doesn't know where he went wrong.
He'd asked himself all kinds of questions over the years, but he never found the right answer. Nobody else was any bit of help on the matter either, staying rather tight-lipped about the Sword Princess and her life. He couldn't say for who's benefit that was. Hers so he wouldn't bother her anymore. Or his so he didn't know if she ever moved on or not.
A promise is a promise though.
It's not like he was actually that into farming anyways, he would be fine if his harvest was a little worse this year. He could always ask a neighbor to take over while he took care of the girl anyways, they'd be happy to do so.
Bell stood up, his knees cracking as he did, and pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and draping it over the girl.
"What are you– "
"Sleep, you look tired. I'll go handle things so we can go to Orario together, yeah?"
He plucked the plate from the short table and wandered off.
He walked past the couch not even a minute later, finding the girl already fully reclined and resting comfortably. He didn't know what came over him, call it paternal instincts or what have you, but he found himself quickly brushing a few of her bangs away from her eyes and laying a quick kiss on her forehead before ducking into his bedroom to pack a bag, missing the smile on her lips as he did.
The sun was already setting over the eastern wall of the city the following day by the time their shared horse trotted to the gates. Etsuko was seated in front of him on the saddle, gripping the reigns with a feral, excited grin hidden beneath her cloak. She didn't know why the former hero wanted her to wear a cloak, but she wasn't going to argue. It was like wearing a blanket at all times! This man really knew how to live the good life.
There weren't any guards at the gates, the guild and its officials no longer needing to monitor movement in and out of the city walls. They simply continued walking in, stopping only briefly at a stable for Bell to tie up the horse – she called him Fish since Bell had apparently not thought to name the poor guy – and pay a housing fee.
They had only just begun walking down East Street when Etsuko caught sight of a flash of gold and threw her hood down, jumping up and down in excitement as she squealed out a loud 'mom!'
Bell whirled around to face her; his face hidden completely hidden in the folds of his hood.
Mom?
Truthfully, he thought the kid was an orphan who sought him out because he was a hero and she needed help standing up for herself. She even asked him to teach her how to fight!
She has a mother!?
There was a gust of wind and a flash of gold and Bell felt his heart stop as Aiz Wallenstein appeared in front of him, fussing over the child he'd been watching over for a day now.
A child with eyes a mixture of red and golds.
A child who sought him out and never once stopped him treating her like she was his own.
A child who he was fairly certain if she had agreed to shower, he would have seen golden hair.
He'd been played for a fool.
And now Aiz was talking to him. Him! Of course, she had no clue as he had pulled the rim of his hood even further over his face, but she was still doing it!
She was talking and apologizing and thanking him for everything he had done!
And then Etsuko, the traitor, who he loved very dearly and would forgive for anything she ever did because she was his daughter and that was just amazing to think (no matter how much it hurt that he had a child with Aiz and never knew it. Never got to see her grow up and for what reason? He still didn't know) Etsuko was tugging on his sleeve. She beckoned with one hand for him to crouch lower before cupping her hands and placing them between her mouth and his ear. She whispered conspiratorially to him before giggling to herself.
He tried to deny her plan because it was crazy! He could think of a million better ideas. For starters, he could simply live within the city, staying in hiding where she could visit him regularly, and then he wouldn't have to worry about Aiz knowing he was there and–
And she yanked his hood down.
The brat.
He loved her.
He was so taking up the entirety of the couch the next time she wanted it.
"Bell-kun?"
He let out a deep, strangled sigh and stood back up, not before giving Etsuko (who was grinning cheekily) a look. He turned and smiled at Aiz tiredly and nodded his head in greeting, "hello, Aiz."
Author Notes:
Wooooo! Open endings! Yes! Just how many ambiguous stories can one man write? This guy it out of control!