Here's a fresh new chapter. Not sure if we'll update every Friday. But when we have a chapter ready, expect for it to be posted on Friday. Now, on to the story!

Chapter Five: A New Friend

"Alright, let's have her sit here."

Naofumi pulled out a chair at the table, and Raphtalia sat down in it. She kept a death grip on little Naofumi's hand, keeping him from moving away. She still looked afraid. And only his hand was keeping her from scampering off in fear.

"Little lady, do you mind telling me what happened?" Erhard asked. Trying to keep his voice calm and gentle for the scared Tanuki girl.

Raphtalia looked even more scared and turned away from them both. If she told the bald guy what had happened, he'd probably return her to her master. And then she'd get punished for running away. And then-

"Hey, it's okay."

Little Naofumi ran a hand through her hair again. It seemed like the best way to calm her down before. But this time she flinched away. He was being nice to her, but how long would that last? What if he learned what she really was? Would he be so nice and kind then? Would he turn on her just like everyone else?

"Kid, I think you're scaring her." The tall bald man said.

"I'm not trying to Mr. Bald Guy. I just want to help." He complained.

"Well, she's not seeing it that way." He said, trying to keep his tone calm instead of frustrated. Did this kid like to cause him all sorts of trouble or something?!

"Hey, don't worry. I'm not going to try anything nasty like that one creep." Naofumi reassured Raphtalia again. Petting her on the head as he did so.

Raphtalia trembled as she looked back at the sweet boy. He looked so sincere. So kind. But she started coughing all over again, and she turned away from them both in the process as her throat hurt from the force of the coughs.

"Wait, is that-" Erhard didn't finish his statement. Before Raphtalia could think to hide it, Erhard moved her long unruly hair out of the way to show the rags on her back.

They were torn and bloody. Like she'd been whipped only the day before. All the exertion with running away earlier had reopened her scabbed over wounds.

"F***!-" Erhard slapped a hand over his mouth. Raphtalia flinched so badly that she fell out of her chair, looking absolutely terrified. And it became worse when she started coughing again.

"Mr. Bald Guy!" Naofumi now looked scared too. But because of how bad Raphtalia's back had looked.

"Dam-" Erhard slapped his hand over his mouth again. "Kid, stay here with her! Make sure she doesn't move or anything! I'll be back in just a moment!" Erhard ran out of the shop entrance down the street.

"Wait, but Mr. Bald Guy-" Erhard was already gone by the time Naofumi tried to yell after him. He heard the door slam. And it sounded like Erhard was yelling words as he ran off. He couldn't make it out. But… a lot of it sounded like words he'd say before slapping a hand over his mouth for some reason.

Naofumi still looked stunned. He'd seen only a brief glimpse of her back. But the poor Tanuki girl looked hurt really bad. Her coughs abated somewhat, and she looked even more scared than ever before.

This was it. The old man was running off to grab her master. Or maybe some of the knights who'd raided her village. They were going to enslave her again. They were going to hurt her. She had to run away!

"Hey, it's alright."

She couldn't. She felt too weak to run anywhere anymore. She just wanted it all to end. Everything hurt so much. "Please... please don't hurt me anymore." Raphtalia balled up. She was expecting to be punished still. She obviously hadn't been punished enough for what she was.

"Um… why would I want to hurt you?" Naofumi asked curiously.

It only confused the poor little Tanuki girl even more. "But… I'm a *cough* *cough*, demi-human." Raphtalia said sadly. "Don't you… *cough*... hate me?"

...

"Hate you? I just met you." Naofumi started petting her hair again. Despite how unkempt it was, it felt oddly soft. "It's not like I could hurt you anyway. This stupid shield wouldn't let me." Naofumi glared at his weapon. Even after leveling up to almost 10, his attack stat was still 1. So uncool!

"H...Huh?" Raphtalia looked even more confused.

"I already told you. I'm a hero, and I'm going to save the world!" Naofumi said excitedly in an attempt to cheer her up. Had it not been for how short he was, the oversized armor, and the weird gemmed shield on his arm, he… could have looked the part?

Before Raphtalia could stare at him in wonder, she started coughing violently again.

"Um, are you sick?" Naofumi asked in concern.

Raphtalia didn't respond. She was too busy coughing. She fell to her hands and knees as she coughed harder. It sounded like her throat was dry as a desert, and every cough was like sandpaper grating against her. It looked like the force of the coughing was causing the scabs on her back to break open more. A drop of blood hit the floor beneath her.

"Hey, take it easy." Naofumi rubbed his hand along her hair again. Hoping it'd help to calm her down. He was almost tempted to touch her tail, but figured now might not be the time for it.

It worked somewhat. Raphtalia's coughs calmed down so they weren't so violent. But she was still lightly coughing. Naofumi looked at the door in concern, wondering when Mr. Bald Guy would show back up. But then an idea entered his mind. 'Don't I have medicine stored in my shield?' He opened his Shield's inventory, and after a moment of searching, he found it. 'Sweet!… I just have to remember how I take items out now…'

Had he said that out loud while Erhard was there, the old man might have facepalmed. Fortunately, it took Naofumi only around twenty seconds to finally remember how he took items out from his inventory. And he pulled a vial of medicine out of the gem. "Here, try this." He offered it to Raphtalia.

She weakly got on her knees. She looked more tired than before. But he put it close to her face, and her nose sniffed curiously. The look on her face said she wasn't too excited about its smell. "What…"

"It's medicine. It should help you feel better, I promise!" Naofumi said while smiling widely and innocently.

Raphtalia still looked tired and unsure. For all she knew, it could have been poison. But she didn't resist when Naofumi opened the vial and helped her to start drinking-

"Pbbth!" Raphtalia spat the bitter medicine all over Naofumi.

"Ewwww!" Naofumi started wiping himself off. "What did you do that for?!" He angrily asked. He was only trying to be nice!

Raphtalia was on her hands and knees again. Coughing to get the taste of whatever that was out of her mouth. "So… so bitter." She complained. Maybe it had been poison and he'd been trying to end her miserable life. Too bad it tasted too bitter for that.

Naofumi looked at her oddly. And then he tried a small sip of medicine himself. "EW!" He spat out the light green substance into the sink. "That tastes worse than boogers!" He started wiping at his tongue with a disgusted look on his face. "Who would force someone to drink this to get better! Blech!"

Raphtalia stared at Naofumi as he wiped his tongue out. 'He… he tried it too?' Did that mean it had actually been medicine? If it hadn't been for the amount of pain Raphtalia was in, she would have giggled at how cute Naofumi looked wiping at his tongue.

That was strange. She hadn't really thought much about boys being cute before...

Naofumi looked around. And saw some fruit Erhard had left lying on the counter. It tasted like sweet apples, but it looked like an orange. "Hmmm…" He picked one of the fruits up and then used a knife to cut the fruit into pieces. 'So I can use a knife for food… but I can't use it to fight monsters. That's lame!' He took a moment to mentally complain to himself.

Once he'd sliced the fruit into pieces. He set the vial of remaining medicine below him and then squeezed the fruit pieces. Making sure to get all the sweet drops to fall into the vial. Of course, being a kid and all that, he made an absolute mess of the area. But he managed to get a good amount of the juice into the vial.

He dropped the remaining fruit, capped the vial, and shook it around for a few seconds. Then he uncapped it again and took a small experimental sip. 'There we go, much better!' The bitter taste was mostly gone. And the medicine tasted more fruity. He didn't know if it'd make the medicine weaker or not, but he hated bitter medicine! Some of his worst memories were of his mom trying to coax him to take disgusting medicine when he was sick.

He wouldn't force that kind of torture on even his worst enemy!

"Here, try it now." He offered it to Raphtalia again, who'd managed to sit up. She wasn't sure if she should or not, but at Naofumi's urging, she tentatively took a sip. Her eyes widened slightly at the taste, and she quickly chugged the rest. Naofumi smiled happily at that. "See, that's much better!"

As she drank, a light glow surrounded her. Another notification appeared in front of Naofumi. "Is that saying... one of my shields is making the medicine stronger?" He said to himself.

Raphtalia finished the medicine and the glow disappeared. She didn't cough, but she still looked tired and weak. Her rags had taken on more of a red color from her blood.

At that moment, Erhard and the apothe-guy finally came running in.

"Kid, how's she doing?" Erhard quickly asked while the apothecary set a bag down on one of Erhard's kitchen counters.

"I just got her to drink medicine. But I had to use some fruit juice to make it taste better so she'd drink it." Naofumi said.

"Fruit juice? How did you-" Erhard saw the mess on the floor where Naofumi had 'improved' the taste of the medicine. A mixture of emotions crossed the blacksmith's face. That fruit was well known for being sticky once it fell onto surfaces. It'd be a task in and of itself to clean up what was on the floor!

"Am I going to have to clean that up?" Naofumi asked.

"No. We're going to need your help," Erhard said with a sigh.

"Alright. I'm ready Erhard." The apotheguy had set all sorts of things on the counter from his bag. Bandages, bottles, etc.

There was another stranger in the room. But Raphtalia looked too tired to try and protest anymore against what was going on. Erhard cleared the table, and the apothe-dude set a clean white cloth over it. It almost made Naofumi think of the hospital from back home. Except it was way more medieval and rushed.

With Naofumi holding her hand, Erhard laid Raphtalia stomach first on the table. She didn't protest this time as he moved her long unkempt hair out of the way so the apothe-guy could cut away the rags covering her back using a pair of scissors.

The rags were all bloody. And what appeared underneath explained why. Erhard immediately slapped his hand over his mouth. Otherwise, the string of cuss words that would have escaped would have hurt Naofumi's innocent ears for life.

"Who did this to her?" The apothe-guy looked shocked. Raphtalia's back was covered in whip marks. Some were older, and a lot looked fresh. As if they had been given to her only yesterday.

"Scratch that. We need to fix this now before one of those open wounds gets infected." Erhard said seriously. The rags she'd been wearing were very dirty. If he ever found out the bastard that did this to the demi-kid, he'd fasten him to a chain and see how he liked being on the receiving end of a whip. "Shield Kid. Make sure to hold her hand tightly. This next part is going to hurt."

Naofumi nodded and gripped her hand while gently rubbing her head between her ears. "Don't worry. Mr. Bald Guy and Apotheguy are going to help you." He said soothingly.

Raphtalia stayed focused on him. She yelled out in pain every now and again when the apothecary behind her threw alcohol on parts of her back. Before rubbing some kind of rubbing medicine over the wounds. It hurt a lot, but it was one of the only ways to clean her wounds and to keep them from becoming infected. So she tried to stay focused on this cute little boy in front of her as well as the small soothing hand rubbing her head.

It felt like a lifetime for Naofumi. Seeing the girl cry out in pain, gripping his hand, looking into his eyes. As if mentally begging him to stop the pain. All he could do was grip her hand in return, and continue rubbing her head. Unsure of what else he could do except saying it'd be over soon. She just had to hang on a little longer. He really hoped it'd be over soon. Seeing her cry out in pain hurt to watch.

The really fortunate thing Naofumi had done beforehand was giving her the medicine. Had she still been coughing and spasming from her sickness, the apothecary's job would have been a lot harder. But without her coughing and staying relatively still, for the most part, he had all of Raphtalia's whip wounds cleaned, lotioned with medicine salve, and bandaged within forty-five minutes.

"Alright. I think that'll be the last of it." The old apothecary said. Wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.

As the apothecary bandaged the last part of her back, Naofumi smiled for Raphtalia. "Do you feel that? You're going to be okay now. I promise!"

Raphtalia tiredly looked into Naofumi's kind eyes. It had hurt so much. But… a lot of the pain had disappeared now. The urge to cough was gone for the moment. She almost wanted to ask for his name, to ask why they'd helped her… but her sight blurred and she gave in to exhaustion.

...

"Um, Mr. Bald Guy, is that a good sign?" Naofumi asked after Raphtalia had fallen asleep.

Erhard checked her over, and he sighed in relief. "Yeah, I think so." He was using his status magic screen to appraise the little girl. Her HP bar wasn't dropping in his visual. And after almost fifteen seconds of waiting, it moved slightly to the right. "She'll just need a good night's rest is all."

Naofumi looked relieved at that. And he continued petting Raphtalia's head between her ears. "Did you hear that. You're going to be okay." She didn't respond in her sleep. But her tail wagged somewhat happily behind her.

"I'm sorry. I don't know if there's anything more I can do for her." The old apothecary apologized.

"Don't worry about it. Also, how much do I owe you for helping this time, old friend?" Erhard asked.

"Why, I haven't had something this exciting since I had to bandage you up after that one dragon." The old apothecary said with a chuckle.

"You fought a dragon, Mr. Bald Guy!?" Naofumi asked excitedly.

"Heh, it was a long time ago kid," Erhard said with a nervous chuckle. 'And it was only because my master couldn't pay off one of his debts. The things he put me through so I could learn blacksmithing...'

The old apothecary looked to Naofumi. And then back to Erhard. "Consider what I did now as a token of appreciation for all the help the Shield Hero has given me." He said politely. "After all, the salves I used on her back came from herbs he picked."

Erhard smiled. "I'll take your token then, you old man."

The old man smirked. "Careful, Erhard. You're not too far behind me yourself age-wise."

"Yeah, Apotheguy is right Mr. Bald Guy!" Naofumi said with a wide smile.

Erhard fumed at Naofumi while the apothecary laughed. He put all his supplies back in his bag. He packed the soiled (blood and alcohol) white cloth into a separate bag before putting it into his main bag. "Make sure she gets plenty of rest and food to eat. Any strenuous movements in the next few days could cause her wounds to reopen." He said seriously.

"No problem. We'll see to it that she's treated well. Right Kid?" It almost looked like Erhard was glaring down at Naofumi as he said the last part.

"Yep, uh-huh, wasn't planning on any pranks here!" He said quickly.

"Sure you weren't." Erhard waved the old apothecary off as he walked upstairs. He carried the sleeping demi-girl against one of his shoulders. She was so smol compared to the blacksmith that it was like he was carrying a cute toddler instead of a little ten-year-old.

Naofumi followed behind Erhard. He carried her into Naofumi's room and set the sleeping Tanuki girl in Naofumi's bed. "Isn't that where I sleep Mr. Bald Guy?" Naofumi asked.

"Sorry kid, I don't have anywhere else she can sleep tonight. And she'll need the bed a lot more than you." He said seriously as he pulled the blanket over her body. Tucking her in.

He expected Naofumi to complain about it. But Naofumi quickly nodded his head. "Okay," Then, to the blacksmith's surprise, he pulled out one of the soft royal pillows from the castle, and tucked it gently under the girl's head. "If she's going to sleep here, she should at least be comfortable." He pulled out another pillow for her to cuddle with just in case. Before rubbing the top of her head soothingly again.

Erhard smiled at the innocent young boy. Just a week ago, the poor guy had decided not to go to Siltvelt to be with the demi-humans. But here he was now, helping one who had been horribly injured. One he had barely just met over an hour ago.

It was adorable. And it made Erhard respect the kid just a tad more. "So you'll give her pillows, but you won't give me jack squat?!" Erhard asked angrily.

"Yeah. Because you're too big for these pillows Mr. Bald Guy." Naofumi said happily.

"Oh, so now you're saying I'm fat. Is that what you're saying you little turd?" Erhard took it in good humor and started rubbing his fist into little Naofumi's hair.

Naofumi laughed, and Erhard did too. "You're not fat Mr. Bald Guy." He said in between laughs. "You're big!"

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult!"

Raphtalia shuffled in her sleep, and the two quickly stopped laughing. Remembering the poor Tanuki girl resting nearby. "Let's say we have ourselves that dinner now?" He whispered.

"Okay." The two quietly sneaked out of the room, leaving the Tanuki girl to sleep in peace.

Erhard had to clean off the table really well of what had managed to soak through the white cloth. He also ended up cleaning the mess on the floor while Naofumi looked over the shields and weapons in the front of the shop. He tried to touch a super cool battle axe that was almost as big as him a few times. But every time he tried to grip it his weapon would shock him. Much to the little kid's annoyance.

'Come on! I only want to use it to eat dinner!' He thought as the same warning he'd read a thousand times already appeared on his HUD again. Unfortunately, the Shield didn't buy it, and it gave him a stronger zap than usual. SO UNCOOL!

Eventually, dinner was ready, and Erhard and Naofumi ate in peace. Feeling better about having managed to help the little girl.

Naofumi was wondering why a knife worked for food but a battle axe didn't. While Erhard was thinking about what they'd do when the girl recovered. There was no doubt she'd been a slave before. But her slave crest was gone. He wasn't sure what that meant, but one thing was for certain-

"So are we going to keep her?" Naofumi asked.

Erhard nearly spewed out his drink at the question. "What?!"

Naofumi looked shy at Erhard's outburst. "I don't think she has anywhere else to go… so wouldn't it be the right thing to take her in?" He asked.

"Kid, do you even know what you're asking?" Erhard asked in disbelief. "It's bad enough already taking care of one of ya. Another kid would be… be…"

Naofumi was unleashing his ultimate move. He stared up at Erhard with a puppy dog face. His eyes wide and on the verge of crying. He wasn't a demi-human at all, but damn that face looked almost as cute as an actual puppy's! "Please Mr. Bald Guy… can we please keep her with us?"

"But… but…" Naofumi didn't relent. Erhard was level 90, but the kid's level 10 move was killing his heart. How could he live with himself if he refused a face like that!? "Fine, we'll talk to her about it, and if she has nowhere else to go, she can stay." He finally relented.

"Yay!" Naofumi looked very happy.

"That's only if she has nowhere else to go kid!" Erhard made sure to clarify. "I'm not going to keep her away from her family!"

"Okay!"

The rest of the dinner passed in peace. And then Naofumi went back upstairs to his room. He made a nest of pillows near the bed Raphtalia was sleeping in. He curled up inside and fell asleep. He was so smol in the midst of all the pillows that they surrounded him like a little cocoon.

Erhard watched from the door and chuckled to himself. 'Damn you kid. You're lucky that you're so adorable.' He really hoped that the little girl did have somewhere else to go. But he was already making plans on bracing himself for the news that she didn't.

If she really had been a slave before, the odds that she had no other living family members were very high. It was one of the sad things about Melromarc. 'I'll just have to get used to raising a demi-girl too then.' He thought with a sigh.

'At this rate. I'm going to be running a whole orphanage in my Blacksmith shop.'

The night passed, and the next morning came.

Raphtalia blinked her eyes against the harsh morning light coming through the window. 'What…' She sat up and rubbed tiredly at her eyes. Moving some of her still knotted hair out of the way. 'Where am I?' She was clutching something soft, and her head rested against something comfortable. She wasn't lying on stone or dirt either.

She looked around for a second. The way the sunlight was streaming in through the window blinded her. She almost thought she was back home. That her parents were about to come through the door to greet her with a morning hug and love. That everything recent that had happened was a nightmare, and would soon fade into her memories. Her tail started to wag behind her in anticipation...

Then her eyes adjusted to the light. She wasn't in her room. She was in a stranger's home. Her parents were still dead. She was clutching a pillow, not a stuffed toy.

Her tail sagged and her ears drooped in disappointment. 'Mommy… daddy…' She looked like she wanted to cry all over again.

...

She looked down at herself, but instead of the dirty cloth she'd been wearing, she found that she was wearing a large shirt and baggy shorts. It had a few stains on it from grease or something similar, but overall it was clean. Much cleaner than what she was usually forced to wear. The fabric was soft to the touch, and it gave her a small measure of comfort. But her confusion quickly turned to nervousness.

'How did I get here..?' She wondered. She pulled the blanket up to cover everything but her face. Looking around at everything with wide, fearful eyes. Was this something new? Was this only a way to make her feel better before crushing her hopes and dreams all over again?

…

"Huahhhhhh…" A loud yawn broke her out of her thoughts. She looked over the side of the bed to find an astonishing sight.

The cocoon of pillows was beginning to move. Something stirred around inside. Mother nature was about to give birth to something new. Something wonderful... Something-

"Ah!" Little Naofumi jumped out of the pillows with a yelp.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Raphtalia panicked and screeched.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Naofumi screamed too, startled by the sudden noise.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" At his screaming, Raphtalia's own screaming got louder. For a short time, both of them screamed at each other in surprise.

...

Soon, the two of them stopped screaming and looked at one another. Raphtalia had almost fully retreated into the blanket. Their chests were heaving and their hearts were pounding from shock.

"S-sorry! You scared me!" Naofumi admitted, sheepishly scratching his head in embarrassment. "It was just so hot in all of those pillows!"

Naofumi waved his hand over his red face, trying to cool himself off. His hair was matted to his forehead. Apparently, sleeping in a cocoon of pillows hadn't been a very good idea. But it was very comfortable!

"Mmmm…" Raphtalia huddled in on herself at the other end of the bed, eyeing him warily over the blanket. Looking at her, it was admittedly weird to see her ears on top of her head. She seemed nice, but was she being shy? Then he realized she wasn't shy, but scared. "Hey, did you sleep well?" He asked, sitting at the edge of the bed.

Raphtalia wrapped herself into a ball and hid her face in the blanket. Not wanting to answer because she was still frightened.

Yesterday had seemed so easy, but Naofumi found himself stopping at the edge of the bed. He felt… weird. Wasn't this supposed to be a girl? How many times had he rubbed her head yesterday?

Oh no... Was it possible he had the cooties now!? 'AHHHHHH! I'M UNCLEAN! I'M UNCLEAN!' Naofumi thought in fear.

The blanket the girl was hiding under shook fearfully. Naofumi remembered the girl was scared and slapped himself. Why was he worried about cooties when this girl was so frightened?! That was really uncool of him! What was it Erhard said to do as a Hero? It was either do the right thing... or a word that rhymed with duck. He wasn't sure what the word was since Erhard had been saying this to him while hammering a sword, and the hammer hit his thumb instead of the sword. The old bald man had quick reflexes when it came to covering his mouth while saying stuff. But he was guessing he'd said duck. Why, he didn't know.

"Hey, what's your name again? I'm sorry, but I forgot." Naofumi finally said, overcoming his initial shyness.

Had she even told him her name yesterday? So much had happened that it was hard to remember.

The blanket stopped shaking. It lowered just slightly, revealing a pair of worried tea-red eyes. "I think it started with an R… or did it start with a G?" He looked confused as he thought it over. "Ra… Ramen? Or was it Groot? No, it couldn't be Groot. Or maybe Kazuma- wait, that was one of my classmates. Hmmm..." Naofumi started to mutter to himself.

Naofumi had mentioned he was bad with names before, right?

"... Ra… Raphtalia." Raphtalia said quietly while Naofumi was trying to remember.

"Oh yeah, Raphtalia!" He said excitedly. He looked proud of himself for getting the name right. He jumped closer onto the bed, almost causing the poor girl to screech in surprise. "I'm Naofumi!" He said happily. "Nice to meet you!"

"Nao… Naofumi?" She asked quietly.

"Yep!" Naofumi nodded happily. "That's going to be the name of a Hero!"

Raphtalia was still confused. "... You're not… you're not going to beat me?" She asked quietly.

Naofumi looked appalled at hearing that. "No! Of course not! Why would I do that?!" He asked. "I'm a hero, and heroes are supposed to be nice! Not mean!"

Raphtalia looked unsure again. This was all so strange... she started to cough again. It looked like the medicine from yesterday had stopped working already.

"Hmmm, let's go downstairs. I think Apotheguy left something for you to take. You can also have breakfast with us!" Naofumi said happily.

Raphtalia was confused. "Breakfast… with you?" She asked. But Naofumi got off the bed, grabbed one of her hands, and pulled. The action caught her by surprise, and she followed Naofumi like an obedient lost puppy.

A cute and adorable lost puppy.

"Yep. And if Mr. Bald Guy doesn't like it, I'll beat him up for not being nice!" He said enthusiastically. He didn't have an attack stat. But he'd find a way to do it! Even if it meant giving the old man a good old fashioned German Suplex!

Would that even work? Naofumi wasn't sure. But it was worth a try!

The two went downstairs. Erhard was already at the counter preparing breakfast. "Hey, it looks like you finally woke up. Though I think your screaming woke up the whole neighborhood." Erhard said with a chuckle. Raphtalia looked down at the floor in embarrassment, her tail also wagged in embarrassment with her. "I hope you had a good night's rest little lady." He was preparing eggs and bacon. It was, once again, a meal fit for an adult.

"Hey! What about me!?" Naofumi whined.

"Nobody asked you."

Naofumi pouted, but Erhard just blew a raspberry at him childishly.

Raphtalia was again confused at his kindness. Didn't they see that she was a demi-human? She started coughing again. This cough was getting really annoying since it kept on interrupting her attempts to understand what was happening!

"Hey, Mr. Bald Guy? Didn't Apotheguy leave something for her?" Naofumi asked.

Erhard finished the batch of eggs he was cooking. Then he walked over and grabbed a vial off the counter. He uncorked it and gave it to Naofumi. "The old man came by again during the night. He noticed with his Status Magic that the little lady had a sickness. So he identified it with an appraisal skill and found a medicine from his store that should help her out."

"Whoa…" Naofumi looked at it in awe.

"Who knows. Maybe one day you'll get good enough to do the same thing for other people." Erhard said with a smirk. That'd be the day. When a little kid walked around healing everyone he met.

Naofumi uncorked it and took a sniff. His nose scrunched up. "No, this won't do."

Erhard looked at Naofumi as if he'd grown a second head. "What do you mean, kid?"

Naofumi ran past Erhard and grabbed another fruit off the counter along with a knife. Erhard quickly realized what he was about to do. "Oh no! You're not making another mess on my floor again!" It'd taken him almost half an hour to scrub out the sticky fruit stains last night before dinner. He didn't want to go through that again!

"I'll do it on the table then," Naofumi said as he sat at the table.

"No, then you'll get the mess all over my furniture!"

Raphtalia coughed again. She looked around, unsure of what she should do.

"Don't just stand there little lady," Erhard said to her. "Make sure he doesn't make a huge mess!" If Erhard wasn't trapped at his stove making breakfast (his bacon had to be cooked just right in the morning), he would have made sure Naofumi didn't make another mess like last night.

Raphtalia eeped in surprise, but obediently did what she was told. Sitting in a chair next to Naofumi.

For his part, he was being more considerate by placing several napkins underneath him while he worked this time. Still, by the time he finished, the vial was sticky, the napkins stuck to it, and part of the table and floor were covered in juice.

It was amazing how big a mess one little kid could make from a fruit the size of an orange.

Naofumi handed the medicine to Raphtalia right as Erhard approached with a platter full of food. He looked down at the mess, didn't speak as he saw the extent of the damage, and then he sighed in defeat. "What am I going to do with you, kid?"

"You're going to feed me breakfast so I can grow to be big and strong like you Mr. Bald Guy!" Naofumi said happily.

Erhard cracked a smirk. "Sure. Keep dreaming there, Short Stack." He used his free hand to rustle the boy's hair before setting a plate in front of Naofumi.

"Boo!" Naofumi did not look happy about the new nickname Erhard called him by.

"And here's some for the little lady." Erhard set a plate in front of Raphtalia, right after she'd finished drinking some of the medicine, which did taste a lot better thanks to Naofumi. Her body also glowed in response to Naofumi's shield activating again.

'What the hell?' Erhard was wondering if he was seeing things when Raphtalia glowed.

"Oh yeah. For some reason, I keep getting a notification whenever I give her medicine." Naofumi said happily. "It's something about some shield increasing the… um… pot, um, pot-and-see...? What does that mean?"

"Potency?" Erhard guessed.

"Yeah, I think that's the word!" Naofumi said happily.

Erhard stared at the kid for a long second. 'Maybe him going around as a doctor wouldn't be such a farfetched idea…'

Raphtalia looked down in confusion. "Is this… for me?" She asked.

"Course it is. Eat up." Erhard said with a smile. Glancing sideways at Naofumi who was already digging into his breakfast. 'I know that Shield of his keeps him from attacking… but if it makes medicine more powerful and herbs better, what else can it do?'

He idly wondered if teaching the boy about blacksmithing could benefit his business, but dismissed the thought. Even if his shield could improve materials or their outcomes, Erhard didn't need some kid running him out of business one day.

'I really need to find that deadbeat of a master one day...' he thought with a sigh.

Raphtalia hesitantly took a bite, and her face immediately brightened. "Mmmmm!" Her tail started wagging happily behind her, and she started scoffing down the food like a hungry animal with her hands.

She ate so frantically that she didn't bother to chew. Her eyes widened and she beat her chest to dislodge the chunk of nourishment her body desired so much.

"Easy there! Drink this." Erhard pushed a glass of cold water across the table. Raphtalia took it and downed the entire glass in one go before sighing in relief. Naofumi laughed in delight at his new friend liking the food. "I'm sure you're starving, but try to eat a bit slower. You won't even taste it if you just swallow it whole like that."

"I-I'm sorry..." Her ears flattened against her head in shame. Erhard sighed.

"Don't be sorry. The fact that you like my cooking is a compliment. The brat here never has anything nice to say about me, so I hope you'll be a better guest than he is." He jabbed a thumb at Naofumi, who sputtered.

"I'm not a bad guest!"

"Sure you aren't, what with you calling me old and bald all the time." The blacksmith said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"But you're older than I am! And you are bald!"

"Most people are older than you, brat! And hair loss is a natural thing as you get older!"

"My grandparents didn't lose their hair and they're SUPER old!"

"Oh yeah, how old are we talking here?!"

"Old enough for you to be their uncle!"

"I am not that old!"

As the two males argued playfully, Raphtalia couldn't help but giggle. 'It almost feels...like a home.' she thought. The way they could insult each other and smile about it reminded her of her home. Her older sister, Sadeena, would always trade barbs like that with her parents and they'd laugh about it afterward...

Her expression fell. 'I miss home...Mommy...Daddy... Big Sis...' She had done everything she could to block the pain, but it always found its way to her in the middle of the night. Raphtalia was forced to relive the destruction of the only home she ever knew, and the death of her parents almost daily.

It was agonizing and had caused her a fair bit of trouble with the other slave masters. But she couldn't help it. With the memories of what had happened to her and her village being so fresh in her mind… with no relief since that day...

"Hey...are you okay?" Naofumi asked. He frowned as tears appeared in the girl's eyes. Her looking so sad made him feel sad.

"Why?..." She mumbled. "Why would you do all this for me?..." She quietly asked.

Erhard and Naofumi shared a look and a frown. "Well... It looked like you were hurt really bad. I couldn't just leave you in that alley." Naofumi said.

"But… but I'm a demi-human… I ran away from my master… I… I have no one anymore… I'm just a burden..." She looked on the verge of breaking down into sobs as more tears leaked slowly from her eyes.

Raphtalia was still looking down when Naofumi head patted her between the ears again. She looked up in surprise at his smiling face. "Don't worry! If you have no one, then I'll be your friend! I'll help to take care of you!"

...

She glanced at Erhard, who sighed and nodded. He'd been afraid Raphtalia had no family left. "Yeah, I'll be there for you too. As long as you don't go turning my shop into your personal playground." He did not need another repeat of what had happened Naofumi's first day in his shop.

Naofumi's smile split his face. "Yay! I won't be alone anymore!"

"Alone! You have me kid!" Erhard said angrily.

"Yeah, but you're always so old and grouchy and boring!" Naofumi said with a laugh.

Raphtalia looked between the two, and then back at Naofumi who had stopped rubbing her head. "Did… did you say… you'll be my friend?" She quietly asked.

Naofumi nodded to her happily. "Of course! I'm a hero! And a hero is a friend for those who need one!" Then, throwing everything related to cooties out the window, Naofumi hugged the Tanuki girl.

Raphtalia looked shocked for a moment like she almost couldn't believe it. But at feeling the warmness of the hug, and the sincerity in little Naofumi's innocent words, she started crying again as she embraced the kind little boy back.

It wasn't in sadness and grief like every time before since losing her parents.

This time, it was in relief and gratitude for being found by such good people.

"Yes… I'll be your friend." Raphtalia said.

Erhard tried hard not to cry at the adorable display. But he had to pretend to wipe food away from his mouth with a napkin so he could dry the tears running down his eyes. 'Damn it, kid! Stop doing things like this out of the blue! My heart can't take it anymore!'

Raphtalia hadn't felt so happy since the day she'd been playing ball with her friends.

Author's Notes:

Allen Blaster: I have to say, this chapter made me want to hug KidTalia even more than the last chapter!

To explain in a nutshell some obvious changes. There was some time that passed between the last time Idol whipped KidTalia to Naofumi buying her in canon. Since KidTalia was rebought mere moments after being whipped, that was an injury that had to be addressed here. It's also why she's far more skittish and frightened.

RLTygurr: This chapter made me laugh and cry a lot more than I expected. Naofumi finally got his partner in crime, so stay tuned for more adorableness!

Hero Clips!

German Suplex (Epic Fail)

"Alright kid, you ready?"

"I was born ready."

"Good. Here they come. Easy does it..."

Raphtalia watched in interest as the two men hid in the bushes. Ahead of them was a group of various monsters. Usapils, balloons, and a few porcupines grazed on small plants and herbs in the area. Naofumi was crouched low to the ground, muscles tensed.

One specific creature stood out amongst the rest. It was a bear-like creature that stood on two legs. It was about the size of the blacksmith, but much wider and covered in thick brown fur.

It bent down to sniff the ground, and all of a sudden, Mr. Bald Guy stood from the bushes and shouted. "Hike!"

"Haaaaaaaaah!" Naofumi burst into a sprint, startling the monsters in the area. Some of them ran away, while others attacked him immediately. Balloons latched onto his body and Raphtalia panicked, but he showed no signs of slowing down. The bear creature growled and stood back on its hind legs as a sign of aggression.

Naofumi didn't slow down.

"Mr. Bald Guy!? What is he thinking!?" Raphtalia cried, gripping the blacksmith's pant leg tightly. He didn't respond, instead opting to pick up an oval-shaped rock from the ground.

"Ready, Kid!?"

"Yeah!" Naofumi screamed, charging toward the bear. It roared at him.

Erhard reared back and chucked the stone as hard as he could, directly at the bear. It struck the beast's head with a loud *thunk*.

"You're mine!" Naofumi shouted, reaching the monster and wrapping his little arms as far around its waist as he could. "Shield Hero secret technique number one!"

The bear made a confused whine as it was suddenly lifted off the ground. Naofumi bent backward, swinging the bear over his head and slamming it headfirst into the ground. "German Suplex combo!" He finished with a cheer.

The bear was motionless. Raphtalia's mouth hung open in surprise. "Wh-what was that!?" she exclaimed, pointing a finger at the boy.

"Hahahahahahahaha! HA! Hahahahaha!"

Erhard was too busy laughing to respond. He laughed so hard that he was on his knees, wheezing. "Oh! Oh kid, that was great!" He wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling. "I can't believe that worked! I thought you were dead meat for sure!"

Naofumi released the bear, and it slumped over on its side without another movement. "See!? I told you it would work! I saw that move on TV once and I had to try it out!" He ran over to them, fists at his side in a superman pose.

Suddenly, the bear opened its eyes and started standing back up. It roared at the surprised group of three. "What, but I thought my move took it down-" As Naofumi spoke, his Shield gave him another alert.

Martial Arts used by the Shield Hero still do 0 damage

"What!? That's totally lame!" Naofumi said angrily. He wasn't even using a weapon! It was using his body!

"Oh... I didn't realize how high leveled that creature was." Erhard said as sweat gathered on his forehead. It was like a special boss monster.

Next time you try it, I'll shock you into oblivion kid

Whoa, was his own shield threatening him now!? He didn't know whether to think if that was lame or downright terrifying!

Unfortunately, he didn't have long to think about it. Because the bear roared and charged their group.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" They all fled. Running for the safety of the Capital as fast as they could.

After the epic fail of that day, Naofumi found a new reason to hate his Shield.

'Stupid Shield!'

Till Next Time

Allen