Bell's eyes snapped open and he gasped for air as he tried to forcefully raise his body. But before his intent even reached his limbs, a palm gently pressed down on his forehead. He hissed as the mere touch sent a wildfire of pain throughout his body, as if a signal was triggered. Nevertheless, the smooth skin against his forehead calmed him down somewhat, especially when he saw whose hand it was.
"Please don't move. Lord Miach's orders," Ryuu said quietly, a small, almost frail smile on her face. Bell exhaled slowly, taking her presence in to soothe the aches in his own body. After calming down, he looked around a bit, as much as he could with his body basically immobilized by Ryuu's presence.
"Are you the only one here?" Bell asked, blinking with a bit of surprise. The elf shook her head before giving him a pointed look.
"Well, some people decided to cause quite the ruckus in the city, so there's a lot of aftermath to deal with." She sighed dramatically as she rubbed his forehead, leaning back on the chair she was seated on. "I'd like to think I'm surprised that this happened, but by all means, I am not."
"Err…" Bell coughed a bit, trying to look away, but unable to as the elf loomed over him with an unimpressed expression. He was about to open his mouth to defend himself, as things were out of his hands. But then she cracked a small smile before leaning back once more.
"It's a jest." She crossed her arms with a huff. "Don't look at me like I don't know how to have fun."
"...I mean you are here, instead of outside…?" He replied slowly after a small pause. Ryuu blinked at him before letting out a small chuckle.
"I'm impressed, you learned how to trade barbs."
"Haha…"
He did have a bit of a non-confrontational attitude usually, didn't he? At least he didn't offend her, he was partially worried his words would hit a sore spot. Fortunately Ryuu was as resilient as expected. Just as he thought that however, she lowered her head, her eyes hidden behind her hair. Bell felt worry dwell up in his heart as he saw her shoulders slump. Before he could ask what was wrong, her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke up.
"I had to revive you."
"Ryuu, I-"
A finger poked against his forehead as a shivering breath escaped the elf.
"I thought you were…I was afraid you…" She closed her eyes to center herself. Then she glared at him, her eyes glistening. "I'm really mad at you."
That'd explain him not remembering anything after that final clash, Bell thought morbidly. He looked away, moving his neck a bit as the pain started to subside a bit.
"S-sorry."
"Not for the duel," Ryuu said in a calm tone. Bell opened his mouth, before closing it. Then he smiled, shaking his head.
"...No."
It was selfish. He should think more about how the others felt for the stunt he pulled. Yet every time he thought back to the battle with Asterius…he remembered the growth he experienced. The thrill.
The joy, until…Bell's smile wavered as Ryuu closed her eyes.
"It was a good fight. Quite frankly, I'm jealous. The closest fight I had to something like that was…Aiz perhaps. Even then, we don't have such a bond like you seem to do with Asterius. To see what you did, something you…" She trailed off as she opened her eyes again. She slowly put her hand on his blanket, more specifically on top of his clenched fist. "Bell?"
He tried to stay calm. To focus on the bright side of things. Evilus didn't succeed in getting the Xenos killed. He had an honorable fight. Nobody on his side was hurt too badly. Yet all he could think of…was how his final attack, his hail marry, shattered pathetically against the horn of his rival. Frustration bubbled up, a hot, nasty sludge coursing through his veins as he grit his teeth.
"I lost…"
Despite everything. Despite knowing that winning was actually counterproductive to the salvation of the Xenos…he wanted victory. He wanted to defeat Asterius once more. Yet he fell short. If his opponent was any less merciful, he would've indeed died there. Leaving everyone behind, like grandpa left him behind. He felt something brush past underneath his eye, causing him to freeze up a bit. He saw Ryuu remove her finger from his face, a knowing glint in her eyes as she shared her compassion. Ah, right…she would know what it feels like to lose. The urge to cry lessened. After all, he couldn't call himself a man worthy of her if he broke down just like that. As if reading his mind, she gave him a small glare.
"Don't hold yourself back if you really feel the urge."
"I-I'll be fine!" Bell shouted, straightening himself up, as much as he could anyway stuck in the bed like this. He sniffed once, trying to suck his tears back inside his body. Ryuu maintained her flat look before shaking her head with a sigh.
"Hah…men."
He cleared his throat, a small flush entering his cheeks.
"W-what happened after I…?"
Ryuu humored his blatant attempt of diversion and repeated the past days. Yes, days. Asterius really beat him up. Apparently at this point, they had handed over the key Bell and the others found to Loki Familia. Ryuu didn't go into the details, but the trickster's family were preparing to break into the man made labyrinth. Other than that, the traces of Evilus were scarce. Understandable, as everything happened underneath the surface. Nevertheless, Kaguya specifically was focusing on her manhunt to find out where Nana was. Surprisingly enough, Lefiya had that same drive, trying to find Filvis herself. Though the former had more luck than the latter, as Filvis most likely was hidden inside the dungeon. Other than that, the Xenos managed to return to their hideouts within the dungeon. While Bell's heart ached that they have to return to their 'prison', he was glad nobody died except for…
Anyway, the property damage itself was painful to look at. The numbers had more zeroes than he was comfortable with. At least Hestia Familia didn't have to pay for it all, with Ganesha Familia volunteering while Astraea dug into her emergency funds. A part of Bell felt bad, but he was more surprised Ryuu's family had something like an emergency fund. As for Bell's Familia…Kojiro and Haruhime were healed up enough to help out in the city. Though the latter was still under strict observation, due to the heart attack she apparently suffered. Now wasn't that a shock to learn about? At least they were okay now. Which left…
"Solaris hasn't been home for days. Welf doesn't know where she is either," Ryuu explained, observing Bell carefully for his reaction. The young man pressed his lips together. He didn't believe Solaris was still stuck on her belief that the Xenos deserved to die. Rather, he could only suspect that she was feeling guilty for her actions, hiding away, not sure how to deal with this. After all, the tension between them couldn't be set on fire. Not literally at least. A light turned on in Bell's mind, as he remembered where his captain was the last time she was in a slump.
"...I do. I should g-" Bell blinked. He tried to move out of his bed, but only his upper body moved, almost causing him to fall off if Ryuu didn't catch it. He slowly poked his legs a few times…and not feeling anything. A shiver went down his spine as he turned to Ryuu. "...err, did Lord Miach say anything about my legs?"
The elf was much more calm than he was, tilting her head before raising her finger.
"Oh yes. Due to using that technique of yours over and over again, your limbs basically gave out. He said you are lucky you didn't tear something permanently. Instead they essentially went into a coma, according to him."
"I…see." Well, at least he wasn't crippled. Still awkward however, as he needed to go somewhere. He looked around the room, only for his eyes to land on a suspiciously convenient placed wheelchair. "Could you…?"
Chuckling, Ryuu leaned forward. Bell's eyes shot open wide, a weird high pitched noise escaping his throat when he felt something warm and wet pressing against his lips. The girl leaned back, a small blush on her face, but a confident smile almost blinding him with its radiance.
"Of course."
As she turned around to grab the wheelchair, Bell couldn't help but put his fingers on his lips. It was nothing like the passionate kiss they shared the first time around…with the ton…He covered his face with both palms, letting out a long suffering groan.
…he really needed to increase his own aggression. If this went on, Bell was afraid he would lose something fundamentally important as a man, if the screams of grandpa's ghost were anything to go by.
/
The funny thing about having a singular magic that could be summed up as "Set that bitch on fire" was that with such a narrow focus, one grew a lot more creative with what one can do with it. Or rather, what one learned as a side effect. It wasn't an ability she used often, as it wasn't exactly useful most of the time.
Heat sensing. On the surface, especially in summer, it was borderline useless. After all, heat was everywhere. People sweating, the road heating up. Now underneath? In the sewers were usually nobody alive and sane would go? Oh, it worked wonders there. Still, at this point, Solaris realized a fatal flaw in her genius plan. Figuring out where the Xenos were? Finding them? Easy peasy. What to do after that? Well, as a captain, she had a simple go to approach when it came to planning.
If the plan ends at some point, just swing. Looking back, her swings were extremely sloppy. She hit a thigh instead of the inner part of the knee. Instead of gouging an eye out, she'd hit the cheek instead. Anyone else would say her accuracy was still extremely accurate, but for her, she might as well be drunk. Her flames flickered and causing the other Xenos to back away in fear. The sight only caused her to grit her teeth even more, increasing the force of her swings, as if trying to cut out the doubts in her mind.
The gargoyle growled, trying to parry as best as he could. And only that. Solaris knew she had plenty of holes within her chains of fire and steel, yet the monster never took the dive in. He just focused on defending and…nothing else. He heard them shout. Human words she didn't want to acknowledge. They were just noise, she repeated in her mind. They didn't mean anything.
Maybe if she thought that often enough she might actually convince herself.
The gargoyle stumbled. Maybe it was the exhaustion from the chase on the surface. Maybe it was the pressure inside those sewers. Maybe Solaris was even hitting harder than expected. Either way, she didn't miss her chance and propelled herself forward, pulling at the chains with her feet stomping against the monster's chest. She crashed into him, pining him against the ground with heavy breath. She held her scythe up in the air, glowing with heat as she stared into…into…
The eyes reflecting her form. Breathing heavily like a deranged individual. Disheveled. Like a monstrous predator. Then she saw the fear and determination, intermingling, within the gargoyle's eyes. She looked around. A large lizard holding the arachne back, trying to interfere. A small blue skinned monster screaming at her… pleading…The noise piled up. Solaris growled before it transformed into a scream. With furious rage, she slammed her weapon down, the fire cutting deep with the steel.
Gros stared at the weapon with wide eyes, right next to his head. Solaris tried to calm her hyperventilating breath before she barred her teeth, closing in with her face at the Xenos.
"I don't have to save you. I refuse to do so."
She was no hero. Never claimed to be one. Such thoughts were too big for her. They were for the chosen ones like Lord Quirinus or Bell. With a huff, she pulled her scythe out and stepped back slowly
"That doesn't mean I have to kill you."
That didn't mean he couldn't at least try to live up to her vice captain's words. That she was better than this. Besides…she wasn't good at lying to begin with. How could she possibly still pretend they were all just monsters when they acted like any other person when their family got hurt? Her chest still burned, with a tainted flame that was nothing like the confidence she felt during the War Game. An ugly laugh escaped her as she shook her head. As Gros was helped up, Lido gave her a worrying look,
"What'll you do now?"
At that, Solaris could only shrug before waving them off.
"...Good question."
The memory faded and the child of fire opened her eyes. Her hands were folded on her stomach, her head resting on the back of her chair. She took a deep breath through her nose, enjoying the old, alcoholic smell of her little haven outside of home.
"Lost in thought?"
Solaris blinked before turning to her side. With an empty lunchbox on the table, Hestia gave her a knowing, soft look. The captain chuckled lightly before it died off rather awkwardly.
"Sorry. Just…processing everything." She leaned her head on her goddess' shoulder. "Thanks...for being here. Good food."
Part of her wondered how long Hestia knew about this place. Solaris certainly never told her and Bell was a good boy enough to keep her secrets. It warmed her heart that she seemed to know the chain user enough to find her that easily. Coming with food even. It reminded her of easier times. Where all she had to worry was get her paycheck. Before all that terrorism and Xenos stuff entered.
"Here I was afraid you were crying because it was bad."
"I didn't cry!" Solaris shouted with heat in her voice and cheeks. She paused before crossing her arms with a pout. "A lot!"
Hestia giggled and ruffled her girl's hair. Solaris most definitely not feel the urge to purr like a cat.
"So cute." The goddess sobered up a bit, her smile turning a bit more frail as guilt entered her voice. "Anyway, as much as I failed you lately, I'm still your goddess."
"You didn't-"
Hestia shook her head, raising her hand at Solaris.
"I did. I've neglected you. A lot. And for that, I apologize." She lowered her head. "Hehe…It's silly but…sometimes I wish I could do more than just be someone to return to after a day's work."
This time it was Solaris' turn to ruffle her hair.
"If you didn't do that, I'd have gone insane a long time ago. Imagine returning to a cold home."
"Let's just hug it out before we go back to depression."
"Hurray to that."
The both laughed before wrapping their arms around each other. Solaris leaned into the warmth of her goddess, before feeling the deity tensing up a bit.
"Ah…"
Solaris blinked, turning around and followed her gaze, before freezing up herself. She felt like her heart was tearing itself apart in two, seeing Bell in a fucking wheelchair out of all things. She remembered how he got utterly destroyed in that last exchange, observing that duel from the darkness. She suppressed all urge to scream at him, out of anger, out of jealousy. It helped that Hestia patted her shoulder, as if sharing her divinity.
"I'll give you two some space." She gave Solaris' forehead a little peck before rubbing Solaris' cheek. "Don't do any silly decisions, got it?"
With that, Hestia followed Ryuu outside. Solaris chuckled a bit at the dark miasma radiating from the goddess as she smiled with glaring eyes while pulling the elf outside. The jealousy of a goddess. It'd be more funny if it weren't so sad how little of a chance Hestia had. She turned to Bell, seated in front of her. An awkward silence reigned between them, before Solaris scratched the back of her head.
"...Hey."
"Hey."
Great start. She closed her eyes. Then she lowered her head.
"...You were right."
"I'm not here to gloat."
A dry laugh escaped Solaris.
"I know. Just felt like saying it." She ran her hand through her hair. "Fuck...I tried to murder a bunch of refugees without mercy. If you weren't you, I'd be sure you'd hate me."
She always prided herself to be better than most. Not a saint, but a person who wouldn't hurt people for no reason. Yet here she was, about to…Bell shook his head, a compassionate look in his sorrowful expression.
"Please don't beat yourself up like this."
"I still think you went overboard. One false step and…" Bell's unmoving form flashed in her mind. She shook her head before letting out a deep breath. "Still. I recognize they are just like you and me. So…I won't forbid you from interacting with them anymore." She rolled her shoulders. "Not like I can forbid you any longer after today."
"What do you mean?" Bell asked, tilting his head in confusion. Solaris chuckled. She's been thinking about it a lot, since she came out of the sewers, since Bell lost. Musing over it…and when she finally made her decision, her heart became just a bit lighter.
"I'm stepping down as captain."
"Wha-"
"It'll be up to you then." She said, brushing past his indignation. It was for the greater good after all. "You got the charisma already. As for every-"
"I don't want it!"
He tried to stand up, but was unable to, so he tried to push himself up as much as he could. He glared at her, actually filled with anger. It was weird to be on the receiving side of that as she leaned back.
"You're our captain! I-I know we didn't stand on the same side back then but…I-We, all of us, still look at you as our leader! You're Lady Hestia's first child! You're the one representing our fire the most!"
Damn, why was he like this. She felt guilty of trying to do the right thing. She wanted to convince Bell. To get his mindset for the leader position, to learn more how to be a hero. Yet she was unable to, as the pure, pleading eyes stared into her. She sighed. Well…maybe it was too early after all.
"...Fine, I won't retire just yet. It's irresponsible to just drop it like that." She pointed at Bell."But I'll retire eventually, after propping you up properly."
"Solaris, but we-"
She raised her palm.
"I can't trust myself to do the right thing anymore," she said in a grave tone. "A captain can't doubt themselves. Once they do, they aren't fit for the position." She let out a weak laugh. "How can people entrust their lives to their captain if the captain can't do that themselves? Even if you still trust me, which I appreciate, if I don't have a hundred percent faith, it'll affect everything else. I'm not good enough anymore."
Bell bit his lip, processing her words. Yet in the end, he nodded ever so slightly.
"If you truly feel this way…I'll be under your tutelage. But I still have faith in you as our captain. Same as everyone else." He smiled at her. "Your reasons to retire…I think they are exactly the reason you should remain. Nobody cares more about the Familia than you do."
"Arguable," Solaris muttered, ignoring the fuzzy feeling she felt in her heart. She rose to her feet and extended her hand, raising a playful eyebrow. "But thanks. Still friends?"
"Still family," Bell said and pulled her towards her, wrapping his arms around her.
"Heh…"
They weren't there yet. The wounds they inflicted on each other still remained. But…nevertheless…the bond would grow ever stronger from this, no matter what.