Bete strode out of the Dungeon tired and weary, the lower level members of his Famila giving him a wide berth.
Most were ashamed, having needed to be saved by him during the expedition. They had since been at the mercy of his acid tongue, but what had hurt them the most was that after the Knossos assault aftermath they could now recognize the desperate urge to not lose anyone else in his eyes.
None of them followed him as he began down Southwest Main away from those he protected, away from Twilight Mansion or Dian Chet Familia. Away from family and healing towards someone else.
The ragged grey wolf finally stopped in front of a tall, familiar gate. Before he could muster the energy to jump over it, the doors to the mansion behind it opened and head of pure white hair poked out.
"You're back!" the smile accompanying the words was enough to ease some of the tension in Bete's shoulders. The rest eased after the gate was unlocked and he fell into Bell's gentle embrace. "Long day?"
"Mmnnnnn" Bete murmured into the deceptively strong shoulder of the 15 year old.
"It's ok now, you're back." The strongest adventure in the world ran a hand through the dirty fur of the giant killing level 6. "I'm here, I'll always be here."
Bete would have had trouble believing those words from anyone else, but his rabbit had proven repeatedly that he could do the impossible. After breaking every record and surpassing everyone -Bete included- in a year of being an adventurer he was no longer the child covered in minotaur blood he first saw.
Bell Cranel had very much caught up to the hero he admired, and now led him into the Hearthstone Mannor and up to his room. The powerful hands of the level 7 methodically removed each piece of adventuring gear from each of them before sitting down apon the bed and guiding the werewolfs head to his lap, letting him use it as a pillow.
"Bell... I lo-" Aiz jolted awake in a cold sweat. A terrible feeling that she couldn't explain with words gripped her. At a lost what to do Aiz instinctually grabbed her sword and ran.
That day the members of Hestia Familia were woken by the strange sight of Aiz Wallenstein in her pajamas forcing their violently blushing Capitan to give her a lap pillow.