Danmachi: Old Friends

A/N: I have been a little unmotivated to write either series lately, and still sort of am, But I decided to give you the second chapter to this series.

Now I'm sorry for any grammatical issues that might present itself.

Now Enjoy.

Chapter 2: A Reunion

*Few Minutes Before, Loki Familia*

As Ais walked out of the dungeon, she was greeted by cheers, not just her but everyone in the Loki familia was greeted. They were cheers from the citizens of Orario and from other adventures. Ais never showed it on her face but she always enjoyed being greeted this way. She enjoyed how the children would smile at them; she wanted the children to keep smiling.

When the Loki familia continued, Ais began to feel someone staring at her and only her. The gaze was following where she was going. She didn't know what to do, the gaze wasn't hostile, but she didn't know what they could want. She decided she would talk to the captain.

Ais: "Finn, somebody's been watching me". To Ais this was of no concern, she knew she could handle them if they decided to cause problems.

Finn: "Just ignore it Ais. If somebody tries something, we can handle it, just enjoy the moment". Since it was of no concern for them at the moment, she knew they could handle it; she just wanted to let Finn know that somebody's been watching.

As they Loki familia approached the gate, Ais could still feel the eyes on her. The Loki familia opened the gate, but they stopped when they heard a voice.

?: "Ais is that you?".

They all heard the voice. Everyone turned their head towards the voice, and saw a boy standing there looking at Ais.

Everyone could see that Ais was thinking. They began to see that Ais started to tremble at the sight of the boy. When the Loki familia saw this they thought that Ais was afraid of the boy, they thought this because Ais never showed emotion. Even the strongest opponents, she was never afraid. So at the sight of the boy, The Loki familia got into combat positions while looking at the boy. They stopped when Ais took a step forward and said one word.

Ais: "Bell?". The Loki familia turned their attention back to Ais, then the boy again.

All the boy did was nod.

Then everyone saw something no one thought they would ever see. Tears started to form around Ais's ,eyes. All anybody could do was stare in shock, but what Ais did next was more shocking than the tears. Ais ran up to the boy and hugged him and they both fell to the ground. Everyone was stunned at the actions of Ais.

Both Ais and Bell had tears in their eyes. Bell had been smiling at the girl as she jumped into his arms; tears of happiness were showing on both of them.

Bell: "I found you…. I finally found you Ais". Bell was choking on his words while caressing Ais's hair.

Everyone was still in shock, a girl who showed no emotion was crying while smiling at a boy nobody has met, nobody said anything until a wolf decided to speak up.

Bete: "What the hell is going on here?". He was just as confused as the rest of the Loki familia, it was something they all wanted to know.

Loki: "What's going on here?". Loki had been awaiting their return. She saw them open the gate but then stopped to look at a boy. Moments later she saw Ais with tears in her eys as she tackled the boy to the ground with a big smile on her face. It was at that moment Loki decided to find out what was going on.

Finn: "I don't know, Ais started tearing up, then she jumped at the boy". Finn wanted to know what was going on as well.

Bell: "I'm sorry Ais…. I lost you". Bell was saddened by his own words but immediately cheered up when she started to embrace him more.

Ais: "Don't be, I couldn't find you either" . Bell and Ais stayed on the ground embracing each other for a few moments later. Ais had wanted to stay like this for a while but knew she couldn't.

Bell: "I'm sorry, but I have to give a letter to Loki". Ais looked at Bell confused then nodded and got up.

Bell got up and walked towards the Loki familia while Ais was clinging to Bell.

Loki: "Want to tell me what's going on boy". Bell was slightly intimidated by the presence of the goddess but calmed down.

Bell: "I'm sorry about that, you must be Loki, I have a letter for you". Loki looked at it curiously, once she read it.

Loki: "You've got to be kidding me". Once Loki read the letter she understood who the boy in front of her was and what his goal was. When she finished reading she saw who it was signed by and was shocked. 'Zeus'.

Finn: "What's wrong Loki?" Finn had seen the look on her face and was concerned.

Loki: "Nothing, I'll tell you later, but for now, Bell I want to talk to you and Ais alone." They looked at each other and nodded.

Loki: "Now Finn, I want you to sell everything you got from the expedition while I talk to these two, Understood". Finn nodded and started to issue out commands, while Loki, Bell, and Ais were walking to Loki's office

Once the trio entered they got themselves situated. Bell sat on the couch while Ais decided she would rest her head on his lap, For Ais and Bell it had been a long time since they've done any sort of activity and for Ais resting on Bell's lap made her happy, it made her feel like a child again, it was something she wanted to do again. Bell just smiled at her antics and started to brush his hands through her hair. Loki was staring at the pair with a scrunched face; she wasn't used to seeing Ais act like this.

Throughout the years everyone in the Loki familia had tried to make her smile or make her happy but in the end it was null, there were less than a handful of times when they would get a little smile from her. Something like this was unprecedented. It made Loki happy to know that there was a little girl still inside Ais, but she was upset that it was this boy that made her this way and not herself.

Loki: " *Cough*, Now that I have your attention, Ais I want you to tell me why you've never mentioned Bell before. A letter had to tell me who he was, and you didn't."

Ais looked down, she hadn't actually remembered Bell until a couple years ago, and this confused her and decided to keep it to herself, but on that night she cried in her room at the remembrance.

Ais: "I hadn't actually remembered Bell when I met you, I only remembered Bell until about 5 years ago"

Bells head shot up and looked at Ais. Ais thought he was disappointed in her and looked away from Bell.

Bell: "Hmmm… That's interesting because I only woke up 5 years ago." Both Ais and Loki looked at Bell.

Loki: "Now this is a mystery, but first let solve the problem at hand first, you. The letter asked if you could join the familia.

Ais and Bell: "Really?". Ais looked like a kid full of energy; she looked ready to burst.

Loki: "I won't say no but I want to see if you're worth something, I want you to spar with Finn." With that Ais's smile was gone, and she glared at Loki. As far as Ais knows she, and no one else had to fight to get into the Loki familia, this is the first she's heard of it. Before Ais could say anything, Bell spoke up.

Bell: "I accept." Bell said confidently. He knew Loki wanted to test him. Bell just smiled at Loki then turned his head to the left and looked at her, her eyes were full of concern but later turned to happiness when she saw his smile and the look in his eyes. It was full of confidence and it told her not to worry.

Loki: "Alright, let's go look for Finn." Everyone got up and went towards the training field. On their way to the field everyone in the Loki familia was looking at Bell and Ais but mainly on how Ais was acting, seeing a childish side of Ais left everyone stunned, she was also holding onto Bell like she didn't want to lose him again. The pair didn't care about how other people looked at them as long as they had each other they could overcome it.

As the trio continued through the Manor and out to the training field they spotted Finn who was still giving orders. When the trio walked up to him Loki told Finn what's going on.

Finn: "Are you sure, I'm a Level 6 and he doesn't even have a blessing yet."

Loki: "its fine Finn, just don't use all of your power, I just want to see what he's got."

Finn: "Alright let's find out then." Finn was still concerned about why Loki wanted to test the boy, since it was the first time this happened.

Loki: "Alright Bell, come here."

Bell started walking towards Loki until he felt a tug at his shirt; he turned and looked at Ais.

Ais: "Are you sure about this?." Bell could see the worry in her eyes so he brought his right hand up and put it against her cheek.

Bell: "It will be fine Ais, there is no need to worry." Ais held onto his hand for another second then let go because she saw the determination in his eyes.

Bell: "Alright let's do this." Many of the other Loki familia members didn't know what was going on, all they saw was the boy from earlier and Finn, it looked like they were going to face off against each other.

Bell unsheathed his sword, the one he got from the old man, and then got into a fighting stance; Finn did but with a spear. Finn was told to fight with less power, but at the thought of using less power his thumb started to tingle, 'Interesting'.

*Ding*

The bell went and Bell rushed first, and he was fast, it had caught Finn off guard, Finn just barely able to block it, blocked it. The power of the hit made Finn's hands go numb. Finn had underestimated Bell and his abilities, so he jumped back.

Everyone who saw this was amazed at the power the boy had displayed, and how Finn had been pushed back by a single strike. Ais who saw this was in a state of Awe at the power Bell displayed, everyone was, a boy with no blessing was able to push a level 6 back.

Finn started to add a little more power to his attacks, but Bell blocked all attacks that came in his direction and began to counter attack in return. This surprised Finn a little and jumped back from an onslaught of slashes. The next thing caught Finn off guard because Bell threw his sword at Finn, and Finn took his eyes off Bell for a split second, but Bell only needed a second. As soon as Finn blocked the sword, he had a knife to his throat.

Bell: "My win." Everyone stood there in shock at the revelation. They knew Finn wasn't using his full power, but the defeat affected everyone except Ais, who was shocked but also happy at the development. Ais ran up to Bell and congratulated him for his victory.

Loki looked at the boy after his victory; she had a feeling about him and wanted to test him. Although she didn't expect the boy to win she was happy at getting a strong new member in her familia.

Loki: "Alright, let's go to my office and I will give you my blessing." As Loki, Bell, and Ais walked away Finn was approached by a green haired elf.

Riveria: "That was unexpected, he had no falna and he still managed to beat you…. Do you know who he is yet?."

Finn: "No idea. Loki said she would tell us later." Finn's mind wasn't thinking about who he was, it was thinking about the tactic he used in the duel. He had been caught off guard by the blade coming towards him and in that split second he lost. 'He has tactics', was all Finn could think, he admired the way they boy fought.

Finn: "I'll ask loki about it later". Riveria nodded and walked away. Finn looked at Riveria then looked back at the mansion. He knew that if the boy was trained and raised ranks, he could easily become the strongest. But that was years away and anything can happen.

*Back to Loki*

Loki: "And… Done, you are now part of the Loki familia"

Bell: "Thank you Loki… Now what?." Bell was in a good mood but didn't know what to do.

Loki: "I will have Ais take you to your room, then at dinner time I will introduce you to the familia. Tomorrow I will also have you register with the guild, understand."

Bell: "I understand." Bell and Ais walked out and Loki looked at his status sheet.

Bell Cranel

Loki Familia

Lv. 1

Strength : I 0

Endurance : I 0

Dexterity : I 0

Agility : I 0

Magic : I 0

Skills:

(Liaris Freese): Rapid growth, Stronger the desire stronger the growth, Stronger the will stronger the growth.

(Strength): When fighting an opponent stronger than the user, status is temporarily increased.

(Connection): ?

Curse:

(Curse of the Black Dragon): ?

This status sheet was unbelievable, Bell had 3 skills and that was considered amazing but the last thing made her grimace. 'Curse of the Black Dragon', she didn't know what it was and she was going to have to tell the executives about it. Loki thought about it for a while and she decided she would tell Bell of the curse, but he had to make sure not to tell anyone, not even Ais. 'I can tell this is going to be trouble'.

Ais had been showing bell around the manor and where everything was. Bell had been enjoying his time reconnecting with Ais, he had been looking at Ais throughout the tour and had admired how beautiful she became. During the tour he could feel two pairs of eyes on them, but decided to ignore them.

Tiona: "Who is he and why is Ais so attached to him?." Tiona and Tione had been following Bell since his battle with Finn.

Tione: "I don't know but Loki said she had an announcement at dinner time, maybe it's about the boy."

Tiona: "Well, Ais seems to be having fun." The twins noticed that Ais was smiling while talking to the boy. Something that Ais never did, she was doing. Something the boy could do in seconds the girls couldn't do it in years.

Tiona: "I'm envious of the boy to be able to do something like that." The twins continued to follow the pair but decided to run off to the dining hall because the dinner bell went.

Everyone gathered in the dining hall to eat. Loki was at the center of the room talking about their achievements in the dungeon and how she was proud to lead this familia. When she was done she shifted to a new topic, more specifically it was about the boy everyone had been seeing.

Loki: "I would now like to introduce a new member to the familia." Bell stood up from where he was sitting and bowed. Bell had been located next to Ais and it earned him more than a couple of glares from other familia members, but he didn't let it bother him. After his introduction he sat back down and began to eat.

Loki: "Now that that's done we can begin to eat…. Oh and Finn, Gareth, and Riveria I want to see you in my office after dinner." The three executives nodded and continued to enjoy their meal.

As the night grew and dinner was done Bell was tired and exhausted from the day he had, so he decided to go to bed. He decided to walk to his room while talking to Ais since his room was beside hers, as they said their goodnights and entered their own rooms.

Bell was about to fall asleep, until he heard a knock on his door. He got up and opened the door and when he did he saw Ais in a white nightgown. As bell saw this he was stunned, while he was looking at her, he noted that Ais wore something similar when she was young. But right now he wanted to know why she was here, he had a feeling he knew but still questioned her.

Bell: "Do you need something Ais.?"

Ais: "Can I come in." Bell nodded and she walked in and sat on his bed. As Bell sat beside her he was tackled and pinned to the bed, he looked up and saw tears in the girls eyes. Once he saw this he brought her head closer to his chest and started to pat her head.

Bell: "I'm here now, there's no need to worry." She just nodded and he set her down beside him. Bell turned to his right to look at the girl who was no longer crying and now was smiling at him. He smiled back and started to stroke her hair, he had been stroking her hair for 5 minutes and she had fallen asleep. Bell took note at how long it had been since he's done this, since they were young they would sleep together all the time and it would comfort each other.

Bell finished caressing Ais's hair and began to doze off. He said one more thing before he was consumed by fatigue.

Bell: "Goodnight Ais, I love you." then kissed her forehead.

A/N: Here is the second chapter to the series and now that that's done I will plan for the third chapter. I hope it will come out faster than this one did.

For the fight scene in this chapter, I do apologize if it does seem lacking and I will do my best to improve them in the future.

For the future I will try to motivate myself to write more frequent.

Now signing off.