I do not own Familia Myth or any of the characters.

Together Again

Ethan sighed as he finally spotted Wiene. She'd been ducking in and out of waterways for the last few minutes while she fled from Tiona. However, even in the middle of running for her life, she'd stopped to save a young girl from a collapsing bridge. Then, when Tiona had caught her, she'd let her go. Ethan only knew that because he had heard her tell Tione she'd let her go and explain why.

Ethan dropped into the street in front of Wiene, and she instantly dove into him, hugging him tightly. "I'm glad you're okay. We you hurt at all when you saved the little girl?"

Wiene shook her head. "I'm okay. But there are a lot of adventurers around."

"I know," Ethan said. "Stay close to me. I'll use my cloak to hide us."

She nodded and he wrapped his cloak around her as well before pulling up the hood, turning them both invisible. However, after having traveled barely two streets, Bete landed behind them and Ais stepped out of the shadows ahead of them.

"Come out," Ais said. "You're done hiding."

"So it would seem," Ethan said, pulling his hood down and stepping toward Ais, drawing his blades. "Wiene, when I tell you, you need to run."

Just then, Bell landed in front of Ethan, drawing his knives, so Ethan spun stepping around Wiene and facing Bete.

"You only need to stall," Ethan said.

"Ais, do you remember what I asked you?" Bell asked.

"I do," Ais said. "You asked me what I'd do if there were monsters with emotions and reasons to live the same as our own. My answer hasn't changed." She drew her sword. "As long as someone will cry because of a monster, I will kill monsters."

She shot forward at the same time as Bete, but Bell blocked Ais's strike and Ethan deflected Bete's before slashing. Bete managed to block it with his other shin, but the force behind the blow sent him flying backward.

"Please listen!" Bell pleaded as Ethan fired a barrage of Light Blades at her, only for her Ariel to block and deflect them. "The Xenos are-"

"There's no need!" Ais snapped. "When your Vouivre goes on another rampage, will you be able to say the same thing?" She looked to Ethan. "Will you still defend her?"

"Die, Vouivre!" Bete shouted from above them.

"Lightning Spree," Ethan said, several blasts exploding into Bete, several striking at Ais but missing, and most blasting the road harmlessly. "I will always protect her. She's my family. My daughter. And she will never go on another rampage."

Ais looked furious. "Your family!? A monster? You're deluded and a traitor to both humanity and the gods. I'll kill you and that monster both!"

She shot forward, stabbing at Wiene, but Bell roared in effort, deflecting the strike and slashing at her rapidly. Ais looked startled, and was caught off guard.

"Go!" Bell shouted. "Now!"

Ethan spun scooping up Wiene and tugging his hood up before sprinting past Bete's unconscious form and toward the Western gate. However, after a moment, Wiene tugged on Ethan's shoulder, stopping him.

"I don't want this," Wiene said. "Bell will die if we don't help him!"

"If we intervene, you might die," Ethan said. "Again. I won't let that happen."

"I won't die," Wiene said. "I'll have you there with me."

Ethan hesitated before groaning and heading back toward the sounds off Bell struggling to fend off Ais. When they arrived, Wiene jumped out of Ethan's arms, landing in front of Bell as Ais was preparing to finish the fight, Ais instinctively jumping back away from her.

"Stop!" Wiene said. "Don't bully Bell!"

"Wiene!" Bell gasped.

"Please, don't hurt Bell!" Wiene begged.

"Stop that," Ais said softly. "Don't speak. Why does someone like you exist? What is your objective?"

"I...want to stay with Ethan and Ryu!" Wiene said. "I want to stay with Bell and Haruhime, and the others! I want to stay with my family!"

"I won't allow that!" Ais said, gritting her teeth. "Your claws hurt people. Your wings terrify people. Your red stone will end up killing many people! Letting you have your way on the surface like those other monsters...I will never allow it! I cannot let you go!"

Wiene reached over to her claws and ripped them off, screaming in agony, then did the same to her other hand.

"Wiene!" Bell shouted.

Ethan paled and stepped toward her, only for her to shake her head. She reached over to her wing and Ethan moved to stop her, but she stepped away from him, ripping the wing from her back. It disintegrated as it hit the ground and Wiene began to fall, only for Ethan to catch her, healing her and sealing her fingertips and back to stop her bleeding. He held her tightly as she sobbed in pain, tears of his own rolling down his face.

"If I ever...stop being myself again...next time, I'll...disappear like I'm supposed to!" Wiene sobbed. "I was all alone...in a dark, cold place! Since before I became me...for so long...It was scary. It was lonely. No one held me close. But...Ethan and Bell saved me! I was pitch black...and Ethan and Bell saved me!"

Ais lowered her hand to her side. "I can no longer kill that Vouivre. You...None of you are wrong. That is what I have come to believe, and so..." she tossed them a potion in a tall, thin, blue bottle and turned away. "Go."

"Thank you, Ais," Bell said.

Ethan pocketed the potion and lifted Wiene into his arms. "I'm going on ahead." He looked back at Ais. "Monsters aren't Xenos, and Xenos aren't monsters. However, some humans are monsters as well, aren't they?"

He turned, running into a nearby alleyway, pulling his cloak's hood up as he sped toward Fels and the others. Bell split off, Hestia directing him to a place where he could meet up with Lili and Haruhime, who had found Fear, Let, and a couple others who'd gotten separated, but who had gotten another key from the Black Minotaur and had been directed to a closer doorway. Ethan was happy they were all okay, but his primary concern was finding Ryu and the others before they found Dix.

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