A/N: I'm not dead everyone! Hopefully you all like this new chapter regardless of my month long hiatus. Sorry about that but life can be an itch with a B at the beginning. Anyway let's not focus on my problems onward with the What-if ships!

Chapter 2: Heated Metal part two.

"Really? Here of all places?" Helios complained as he sat down in his chair. "Can you get more generic with Restaurant?"

Lizbeth rolled her eyes as she sat down in her chair. "Oh shut up, you're getting free food so stop complaining."

The blacksmith was starting to regret her decision to take him to Floor 57 to thank him. Not even five minutes of being sat down and already he's starting stuff. To be honest she didn't know what she was expecting with this. Maybe she'd see a side to him that might have been better? No it was too good to be true when it came to Helios.

"Honestly at least reward my heroism with a feast befitting my actions."

Liz growled as she picked a fork and pointed it at him threateningly causing him to shrink back in fear of being shanked like a prison inmate. "Watch it asshole! Just because I'm nice enough to reward you when you deserve it doesn't mean I won't stab you if it comes to it!"

Helios coughed into his hand and quickly picked up the menu and used it to block his face. "N-Never mind, Restaurant is fine and dandy! I think I'll take the steak sandwich!"

"Good now let's just eat and get out of here so I don't have to be around you anymore than I have to." The pink haired girl said with a sigh as she placed her order to the NPC.

The air around the two was painfully awkward as neither of them had anything positive to say about one another. It was no secret that the infamous Unrelenting Psychopath and the blacksmith extraordinaire were bitter enemies that hated each other to such an extent that it made the Holy Dragon Alliance and the Knights of the Blood Oath look like bosom buddies. The fact that the both of them were together at the same table was more than enough fuel to casual onlookers to grasp their own conclusions to the reason of them being here. Soon enough whispers reached the ears of Helios and Liz and what they said, quite frankly, made them sick. Talk of them being in a hidden relationship, talk of them being on a hate date and playing footsies under the table. Liz would've addressed this nonsense herself if Helios didn't get up first as present his weapon as a demonic gleam entered his eyes.

"Okay anyone else who decides to comment on my being here with the blacksmith is gonna get real friendly with the blade of my axe. And let me just say that my weapon has some issues about violating personal space!" he threatened as he chased the players out of the building.

Liz watched with morbid curiosity as she observed the literally axe crazy player run around trying to give people a taste of his weapon. It was like watching a bull run on a rampage around a neighborhood, a thought that oddly seemed to fit Helios to a T. After he had chased the last person out of the place the ash haired teen sat back down in front of her as he caught his breath.

"Ha… Ha… ….So now that we are alone with nobody to bother us let's just enjoy our meal and never talk to each other again. Sound good?"

"Y-Yeah… let's…"

A heavy awkwardness floated in the air between the two of them as they awaited their meals. Normally Lizbeth would have no trouble striking up a conversation with someone she liked but considering she was face to face with the biggest jackass in all of Aincrad, it left her feeling a little tongue tied at the moment. Her hatred of him also being a damping factor in this.

"So…" The blacksmith jerked out of her daydream and looked at the axe wielder who was current scratching the back of his head trying to make conversation. "...Uh… Why be a blacksmith?"

"Really, that's the question you come up with?" she asked as she held her head in her hand. "Nothing better or insulting under your belt?"

Helios rolled his eyes as he gave a sneer to the girl in front of him. "Oh please like your a fountain of conversation? I'm ahead of you in this race girl."

"Don't you freaking patronize me asshole! I just don't like the idea of having to waste my breath on you." she let out a sigh as she looked out the window of the restaurant. "But if you must know I've always been a handy girl when it came to metalworking in real life. My dad always loved to do metal framing projects when I was young so I learned a lot from him so he's to thank for me picking this trade. Asuna always told me that I shouldn't get involved with the front line stuff cause she'd hate to see me hurt. I know she means well but I can't help but feel a bit useless considering equipment maintenance is about all I do for my friends…" she looked back at Helios and was surprised to see him not ready with some smart remark but rather had a look of interest on his face. "Uh you okay? You don't seem like yourself right now."

"What, oh well I mean… It's just I never expected that your old man was the reason behind you choice in job." he said as he looked away from her.

"And what about you?" she asked as the NPC brought them their food. "What makes the big bad Helios tick when it comes to his violent tendencies?"

"Wow patronizing. I believe the pot is calling the kettle black right now. Well I don't see any reason not to. The thrill and rush of battle is enough for me to give it my all out there. There are so many challenges to face in this death game and I know with my power and Ren's brains, we can beat any challenge. That's the reason why i keep fighting, I want to be known as the strongest player in the game so that when we clear it my mark is left on this world. As for why I can be such a violent ass most of the time well… It's just who I am I guess." Helios said with his usual cocky grin. "Also helping my friends get back to the real world is a plus too I guess."

The blacksmith looked at him impassively. Normally she would make a witty comeback at whatever he said but there was no legitimate way to mock his desires. He wanted to be remembered as strong and someone who helped his friends, nothing to make fun of there. "But what about your family? Don't you want to make it home to yours too?"

Liz immediately regretted those words as she saw Helios's face turn dark as he looked away from her seeming to find the empty chair next to him very interesting. Nature seemed to want to emphasize her mistake as soon enough dark clouds rolled in and rain started to pour down outside. "...I don't really care about that. I got no one important waiting for me anyway…"

"Helios…"

He shook his head and picked up his meal in his hands. "Look just drop it, I'm not gonna open up to you of all people about my past. Let's just enjoy our meal and leave okay?"

She reluctantly nodded her head and ate her meal along with the berserk axe player in relative silence, the only sounds were the moving of silverware. After around half an hour the two of them finished their meals and paid the bill as they left the restaurant.

"Well hope I don't see you around anytime soon." Helios said as he brought his hand up to wave goodbye to her. "I think I'll go bully the squirt a bit before going to the fields to grind for a bit."

"Yeah whatever." Liz said as she rolled her eyes. Seeing as how she prefered to be dry rather than wet she brought up her menu to see if she still had the jacket that Kirito gave her a few weeks ago. She frowned as she saw the item wasn't in her inventory, remembering that she had gotten a nasty gash in the warm piece of clothing a few days ago in a forging accident and had sent it to the tailor to get fixed. "Damn it…"

Helios turned around as he materialized his own jacket from his inventory. "What you forget an umbrella or something?"

She groaned as she knew an insult was coming her way soon enough. "Yeah actually. Look I don't need you giving me crap for forgetting i- MMPH!?" she flailed around in surprise as Helios threw his own jacket at her. Getting the jacket off her face Liz looked at it for a moment before giving Helios a suspicious look. "Okay why?"

"You need it more than me right now. Just don't get too attached to it cause I know how girls love their clothes. I expect it back by tomorrow alright?" He didn't give her time to answer as he ran out into the rain to the teleport crystal to get back to his friends in Wyvern's Inferno, leaving a stunned Lizbeth in his wake.

She looked at the jacket in her hands and back up to see a light blue flash in the distance, signaling that Helios had left the area. 'Helios, why are you being… so nice to me?"

This question remained in her head as she put on the warm piece of clothing and placed the hood over her head to avoid getting wet as she walked down to the crystal to go home for the day.

-Floor 50: Alagade Inn-

Helios shook his head like a dog would shake themselves to get all the rain out of his hair. He hated getting wet without a swimsuit on and no summer sun to bask in. 'Maybe if I didn't give that blacksmith my jacket I'd be fine… Why the hell did I even give it to her in the first place?"

"Yo Helios!" he heard a voice to his right yell. Looking in that direction he saw Ren with the others all armored up and ready to move out. "Where were you? I thought we agreed that we'd train at 4 PM at Floor 59."

"Yeah I was out doing something when I ran into a little snafu." He said as he gave a smile to them. "But being the awesome guy I am I took care of it in a little bit and got a free meal out of it."

Mai rolled her eyes at his obvious ego stroking. "And what's the reason why you look like a wet dog?"

"Wouldn't you like to know squirt?" he said as he suddenly grabbed the younger girl and gave her an annoying noggie as she struggled to get away from him. He then dropped the flailing kid and moved to the inn where they rested. "I'll meet you there in Danac's fields, let me just get some dry clothes on and I'll be there."

"Alright then just don't be late. I gotta stop by Liz's real quick to pick up an order and then it's off to train. Be quick alright Helios?"

Alice and Dagger noticed Helios stiffen a bit at the mention of the blacksmith's name before he waved him off. "Yeah yeah just make sure she didn't screw the job up."

'...Thinking back at the restaurant, when she called me by my name it almost sounded like… she wasn't disgusted at me, that she cared for a second there. Ugh why am I thinking about this now? I gotta get dry ASAP!'

He pushed the thoughts of the pink haired girl away as he got dressed in a fresh pair of clothes and armor as he ran to catch up with his friend.

A/N: And that makes chapter 2 of the Helios x Lizbeth ship done! Now I have a question for you all who bother to read this. Do you want me to continue this ship for another chapter or want me to do a new one all together? Tell me in the reviews or via PM so I can get to work as soon as possible! Thanks for reading this you all!