Side Story: The Hero's Double Date

Hello everyone and Happy Valentine's Day! Now I wish I could say releasing this chapter today was planned but it was more along the lines of life just happens sometimes. Also, a shout out to Starlord Master for the suggestion on this week's chapter. Now first thing's first, onto the guest reviews: DCDGojira: Still debating on that myself. It'd be funny as all get out but the question is where to throw it in. curioustomjerry: Worry not for we shall at last get at least a small glimpse of his fate. Now, onto the story!

Near a Riverside Town

"How are you guys holding up over there?" Asked Darius as he dodged to the left of his rolling adversary. The creature unfurled itself to reveal a large iguana-like monster that was twice the length of an average person if you included the tail. It also had rows of sharp teeth and three rows of spines instead of just one, all of which were as lethal as blades. The common name for them, according to his HUD, were Pit Rollers. A simple name for a monster that wasn't so simple to fight.

The Roller snarled at the hero as it balled itself up and charged again. 'Guess now's as good a time as any to try this new one out,' thought Darius as he switched from the whirlwind Warhammer to one whose head looked like a twisted spike. Just as the monster's body was about to connect, the cardinal hero sidestepped to the right and slammed the hammer into its side, releasing a flash of light which sent the Pit Roller into some nearby trees. The Armory Hero took his opening as the stunned monster tried to get up, only to have its head smashed in right before it could roll away.

Darius took a breath then as he turned to look towards the rest of his party, noting they hadn't answered back yet. "Guys are you-oh."

"We're fine over here," replied the weasel girl as she smacked away one, then another Pit Roller with her mace. The less lucky one was picked up by Johann before it could recover and pulled into the air where it got roasted by a spout of blue flames. Rifana, meanwhile, had chanted a quick spell which caused fire to encircle her mace. But this wasn't her usual flaming mace attack. "Zweit burning land!"

She slammed her weapon on the ground then, releasing a wave of fire that raced towards the Pit Roller as it was getting to its feet, frying its soft underbelly. Johann made sure it was dead by dropping the corpse of its comrade right on top of it before landing by his party. "Was that all of them," asked the transformed dragon boy as he looked around.

"The town said at least a dozen," Darius reminded his mount, "so those last three were actually extras."

"Good thing they didn't show up until after we destroyed the nest," remarked Rifana, "It took us at least a few hours just to find it and the dozen Pit Rollers the townspeople told us about. Oh well, extra pay is extra pay."

"All I want to know is can I eat any of these?" Questioned Johann as he eyed one of the burnt corpses, "because these two smell pretty good right about now." The sound of all of their stomachs growling made it known that everyone was actually a bit hungry.

"I guess that means we'd best call it a day for the leveling and get some lunch," said Darius as he opened up his communications window. "Hey Naofumi, did you find all of the monsters you were looking for on your side?"

"Raphtalia and Filo are finishing off the last of them now," replied the Shield Hero, "I take it your party is done over there?"

"Just took out an extra batch," replied Darius, "anyway, Rifana and Johann are starving and I imagine at least Filo is hungry over there."

"She's always hungry," remarked the Shield Hero, "but I take it you have a place you want to meet to go over things."

"If you mean I know a place we can eat, well, there was that one spot we passed halfway to the center of this little town," said Darius.

"You mean that funky establishment frequented by adventurers?" Questioned Naofumi.

"That's the one," confirmed Darius, "do you or anyone else in your party have an objection to that?"

"Well you know how it goes," said Naofumi, "Raphtalia will say she doesn't care whether she gets a break or not but if I mention food then-."

"FOOOOOOOD!" Darius almost had to cover his ears as the hyperactive Filolial jumped into view while Johann, now in his human, also popped into view on Naofumi's screen, "are we really going to get food now Master!"

"Yeah we are," said Johann, "the Boss won't say it but his stomach's been growling like everyone else's."

"I guess we have too now," said Naofumi, "We don't need grumpy mounts when we get back to the village."

"I hear that," remarked the Armory Hero as he habitually dropped some of the monster material he'd picked up from the corpses into the jewels on his bands, "I guess we'll see you back at the town. Just try not to keep Johann waiting."

"I'll beat that dragon there Master, you'll see!" exclaimed Filo as she transformed and grabbed Naofumi before tossing him onto her back. The communication shut off then as the Shield Hero more than likely needed to hold on tight. This also held true for Rifana and the Armory Hero as they hopped aboard Johann and headed back towards the town.

Restaurant Nekoya: In the Town by the River

"And I saw I got here first," said Filo between mouthfuls of food.

"But I landed in front of the door so that technically means I got here first," replied Johann as he tore, almost literally, into his own plate of food. The two had amazingly been carrying this argument on for the last several minutes without even looking at each other as they scarfed down their food.

"And here I thought teaching them to use utensils would help them eat a little slower," commented Darius as he took a bite of his own food.

"Well for once I can't say I blame them," commented Rifana as she pulled the shells off some of the fresh crustaceans that were said to be caught fresh in the town's river, "this place has got some pretty exotic cuisine in comparison to a lot of the other places we've been too." And given the restaurant's customers it was hardly surprising. Not only were there both humans and demi-humans present but even beast men and women that were even more animalistic such as the tiger-like Hakuko or the dog-like Nui. It certainly lent to the town's reputation of catering to all adventurers and its location by a major river for both trade and travel meant there was always a diverse mix of people coming through.

"Exotic and a little pricey," noted Naofumi as he remembered what some of the menu items cost, "Just this meal right here is gonna eat up almost a sixth of our payday."

"We may be able to offset some of that by selling a few more products from the wagon," suggested Raphtalia, "I hear healing and stamina potions are in high demand around this area."

"Well we can't hang around here for much longer than we already have," reminded Darius, "Reichnott, Figneria and the others are holding down the fort right now but they've got stuff they need to get to."

"And I think we should all just relax a little and enjoy the meal while it lasts," said Rifana as she popped a few of the crustaceans in her mouth, "honestly we've been running ourselves all over the place recently and if we're not careful we'll crash and burn."

"We're preparing for the next wave on top of running a village right now," said Naofumi, "that doesn't really leave a lot of room for taking it easy."

"All the more reason then," said Darius as he took a swig of his beverage, "and Rifana is right. We've been working our tails off almost as soon as we got back from Cal Mira, a vacation that was interrupted I might add, to get things in order. Come to think of it, the closest thing you've had to a break that doesn't involve eating, sleeping or traveling in the wagon was the lunch you had with Raphtalia. How'd that go by the way?"

"Oh that, well," Naofumi said sheepishly, "I guess you could say it went okay."

"It was relatively peaceful at the time," added Raphtalia with a blush coming to her face, "I honestly would like-."

"Sir Heroes," said one of the Queen's shadows as she seemed to appear practically out of nowhere like always, "the Queen would like to speak with the two of you. It concerns future preparations for the waves and involves a few of the questions you had for her."

"And there goes our peaceful lunch hour," commented Johann as he shoved the last bit of food on his plate into his mouth.

Castle of the Queen of Melromarc: A Short Time Later

As had become something of a common practice over the last few days, the two parties used the teleport skill to warp into the castle and were a bit surprised at what they saw this time around. "Hey check it out," quipped Darius as he indicated a certain someone right next to the Queen's throne, "it's some of that art made out of Trash."

"Y-you d-dare to speak t-to," Trash tried to get out as he stood frozen in a block of ice similar to the one the Queen had put him in during the trial. Given the way he was shivering the former royal had been in there for a while.

"Ah yes, thank you both for coming," said the Queen, "Don't mind Trash here. He is simply serving more of his sentence. In this instance, I am punishing him for betraying me and once I've decided he's stayed long enough I'll send him back to his cell."

"Guess you're having to punish quite a few people lately with the dissolving of an entire heretical church," remarked Naofumi.

"It's been sentencing of large group after large group," said the Queen, "I've had the major conspirators, including the bishop, executed. Their accomplices imprisoned and doing hard labor for what will possibly be the rest of their natural lives while also revoking the status and fortunes of several of the Church's supporting nobles which we'll be putting towards the waves. Depending on their crimes I've had everything done from banishment to several years of imprisonment. And for those who opposed the two of you but have agreed to share information regarding their other brethren I've had them lashed according to the number of crimes they committed."

"I guess the saying right now is so many punishments and so little time," offered the Armory Hero.

"I'll bet the thing that hurts the most is having us all here conversing peacefully with you," said Rifana.

"Indeed," said the Queen as she held her fan in front of her mouth in her usual manner, "though much of what I have to say is for the Shield and Armory Heroes. The rest of you may explore the castle if you so choose."

"Oh, can we go play with Melty?!" Questioned Filo excitedly with her hand raised in the air.

"Just so long as you don't cause any trouble," said Naofumi with a shrug. Johann looked up with a hopeful expression at Darius, the same question obviously on his mind.

"Rifana," said Darius, "why don't you and Raphtalia help these two find Melty real fast. We don't need them getting lost in the castle."

"YAAAAAAAAY!" Cheered the two mounts as they ran off towards the throne room doors. Rifana simply sighed as she and Raphtalia followed after them at a slower pace.

"So," said Darius as he and Naofumi turned their attention back to the ruler of Melromarc, "what'd you need us up here for?"

"To begin with," said the Queen, "Melty has already finished the list you both requested of prospective trainers. Though there has been some difficulty in locating a couple of them."

"Will any of them be available any time soon," Questioned the Shield Hero.

"Within a few days' time is the best estimate I can give at the moment I'm afraid," said the Queen.

"Well I guess it can't be helped," said Darius, "the hard part's gonna be convincing a few certain other people to go along with the criteria once we got this all worked out."

"Indeed," said the Queen, "but rest assured we have gathered all the other requested materials, so you won't lack for anything once the new training regimen is underway."

"Good," said Naofumi, "but I get the feeling there's another reason you called us up here."

"There is, actually," replied the Queen, "you mentioned all but one of the otherworldly heroes you fought used something called vassal weapons."

"That was the title I got from my weapon analysis," said Darius, "does this mean the scholars you had researching them found something."

"It's more correct to say we found some similarities between these so-called vassal weapons and some weapons from this world," answered Mirellia, "Here's what we know so far."

Outside of Melty's Room: At about the Same Time

"And then once Rifana was done roasting that ball lizard I dropped its buddy right on top of him!" Explained Johann animatedly as he and Filo were happily recounting some of the events of the past few days Melty had missed.

"They really are a cute bunch when they want to be," observed Rifana as she and Raphtalia stood outside of the second princess's room.

"Yes they are aren't they," replied the raccoon girl somewhat absent-mindedly before her friend tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, is everything alright Raphtalia," asked Rifana, "because I can tell something is on your mind. Did Naofumi hurt your feelings on accident or something?"

"Oh no it's not like that," she replied while waving her hands in a pleading manner, "It's just, Darius mentioned my date with Master Naofumi and it made me think: You still haven't been on a proper date with Darius and I'm not sure I'd call my private lunch a date either. True, we got to spend some time with just each other which is what I wanted but, well, neither of us is especially romantic."

"Oh Raphtalia," said Rifana with a smile as she shook her head, "Did you really learn nothing from all our little talks about romance? Just the fact that you enjoy spending time together is already a step in the right direction, you just gotta give it a little time and feel it out. If you try to force it then things could get really awkward. Believe me, things were plenty awkward between me and Darius after our first night of passion and not just because we had a third person."

"I guess that does make sense," said Raphtalia with a finger to her chin, "It just seems so different from all the stories I know and I can't think of any good examples to follow except-wait. Rifana, isn't tomorrow the day off of teaching for the fishing crew?"

"If you could call it that," replied the Weasel girl, "we managed to get a big enough haul in the last couple of days that the plan for tomorrow is to focus on getting them all cleaned and the meat packed to send to the market, not really something they need us to teach them at this point."

"Well then I might have an idea," said Raphtalia as she whispered her plan in her friend's ear. If her animal ears perking up was any indication, Rifana was greatly intrigued by what she heard.

Outside the Doors of the Throne Room

"I really hope some of those details were exaggerated," said Naofumi as he and Darius walked out of the throne room with the doors closing behind them, "I mean most of it makes sense but to think Trash once held a title like that."

"I find it harder to believe he earned it by defeating the previous title holder," remarked the Armory Hero, "although a lot more stuff makes sense now that we know the previous Shield Hero beat his ass in a duel."

"But now we've got another objective we need to think about," said Naofumi, "fact of the matter is, no one seems to have a clue where-."

"Master Naofumi, Darius," said Raphtalia as she and Rifana approached the two heroes, "we were wondering something."

"Well our audience with the Queen is over," said Darius, "so ask away."

"Okay," said Rifana, "you know how we're both basically off teaching the fishing crew tomorrow because we got that huge haul that still needs to be cleaned and shipped out."

"That was pretty lucky," said Naofumi, "we're getting a better start on the fishing industry then even I expected."

"Well Rifana and I thought that, if possible, the four of us could all go to this little spot I know near the village tomorrow," suggested Raphtalia.

"Just the four of us," repeated Darius, "you mean like a double date?"

"Yep," said Rifana with a smile that said 'bingo', "we can all bring something to eat and make a picnic out of it!"

"I don't know," said Naofumi, "there's still a lot of work to do in terms of rebuilding the village and getting a competent fighting force prepared. And we can't get behind on our leveling. Not to mention-UFF!" The Shield Hero was silenced by a jab in the ribs as he turned his attention to the Armory Hero.

"Need I remind you that the plan for tomorrow was mainly hunting and drills," whispered Darius, "I've got to take Figneria and Rishia back to Koteraan this evening so that they can attend to a few royal matters. There's also the fact that you know Johann and Filo haven't seen Melty in a couple days and will probably want to spend the night with her so they can bring her to the village tomorrow morning."

"So what, you're saying we're gonna be at something of a standstill tomorrow?" Questioned Naofumi.

"I'm saying that the conditions for you to take a little bit of that time off we were talking about earlier are about as good as they're gonna get," explained Darius, "and we'll be near the village so if something does happen to come up we'll be able to lend a hand." The Shield Hero simply sighed as he turned back to the two girls.

"Tell you what," he said, "If Van can spare a little more time to run the village tomorrow then I suppose we can give it a shot."

"YEAH! Thank you Master Naofumi!" Cheered Rifana and Raphtalia as the Weasel girl gave Darius a quick hug and Raphtalia grabbed the Shield Hero's hand with a grateful look in her eyes. The Armory Hero happily returned the hug while Naofumi actually managed a small smile. 'I guess it might not be the worst idea,' thought the Shield Hero, 'we could definitely be wasting our time on more frivolous stuff.'

Koteraan: Private Bed Chambers of the Castle of Armorus, the Next Day

Darius let out a small groan as his eyes fluttered open. 'Well I made it through at least this night without one of those blasted dreams popping into my head,' he thought as he felt a stirring against his side.

"Did you sleep well Darius," purred Figneria as she lifted her head off of his chest.

"Hard not to sleep well when a beauty like you is next to me," replied the Armory Hero as he stroked his bed mate's back, "though I think it's pretty telling how exciting my former life was given that I'm still getting used to waking up next to a woman."

"You should know this is new for me in a way as well," said Figneria as she moved her head up next to his ear while continuing to press her body against him. "It used to be I only ever laid with a man for two reasons: to satisfy the occasional need for another warm body or because it was a way to get my knife to their throat. You have been the only man I've actually been happy to sleep with more than one time. So in a way, I'm also getting used to waking up next to a man or at least still being with one when the sun rises."

"Well with any luck," said Darius as he gave her a quick peck on the lips, "we'll both get used to living a life we enjoy." His former teacher smiled as she moved in to deliver a kiss of her own before the door was suddenly opened. The assassin/mercenary was on her feet in almost an instant with a knife held in her hands that the cardinal hero was certain hadn't been in her translucent purple nightgown.

"Who goes there?!" demanded Figneria as the surprised servant backed out of the room.

"Oh, my apologies Lady Figneria," said the servant as she bowed a few times, "I was sent to inform you that the expected nobles will apparently be arriving earlier than originally announced."

"I see," she said as she lowered the knife and hid it behind her back, "tell King Ivyred that I shall be there shortly. And do send out a reminder among all of the servants to knock and announce their presence first before entering my chambers or any room I'm known to frequent. The last thing I want is to accidentally hurt any of the castle staff."

"Of course, right away Lady Figneria," said the servant as they hurried along to do as instructed.

"You know I love the sight of a woman crouching protectively over me, especially with this view," commented Darius noting just how close her wonderful thighs were to his head, "but I think the threat has passed and you can let me up."

"Ah, my apologies," said Figneria as she slipped the dagger she had back out of sight and pulled Darius up to a sitting position next to her, "I have to keep my instincts a little sharper here given that I do run much of the castle guard."

"Do you often pull a weapon on the servants around here?" Questioned the Armory Hero, "Come to think of it, where were you even keeping that dagger?"

"I have daggers and other assorted weapons hidden in little places all over this castle and at your home," replied Figneria with something of a smirk before frowning slightly, "it is a habit of my old life that I've never been able to shake, just like going for a weapon when something startles me. Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"I wouldn't say uncomfortable," replied Darius, "heck it's more than necessary given that we're still fighting against opponents we know little about. I guess I just never noticed until now because you haven't really done this in the village."

"Rifana learned some time ago to knock when entering a room she knows I'm in," replied Figneria, "it was something I mentioned a time or two during our training sessions. As for you and Johann, well, the little dragon is plenty noisy so I always know where he is and you are polite enough to at least announce yourself. I suppose the best way to sum it up is that I feel much more at ease while I'm in your humble little village."

"Village slash headquarters slash war camp," added the Armory Hero as he got out of the bed, "and speaking of which, there was another beautiful girl I promised I'd meet there for a date in a few hours."

"Well I suppose I have hogged you long enough," said Figneria as she moved to the side of the bed and pulled Darius in for one more passionate kiss, "but I expect you to take me out on a proper date one of these days as well."

"I can only promise I'll do my best to seize an opportunity when it presents itself," replied the Armory Hero as he kissed her forehead, "until then we'll just have to enjoy the moments as they come. So for now, farewell my beautiful blade dancer."

"Be sure to think of me now and then today," Said Figneria with a smile, "and show Rifana a good time while you're at it."

At the Edge of Rurorona Village: About Lunch Time

As luck would have it, whatever engagement Van Reichnott needed to attend away from the village had been called off due to some apparent last minute issues the other party was having. This meant the kind nobleman had more than enough spare time to watch the village for another day. The news was well-received by the two demi-human girls and Darius while Naofumi was his usual grumpy self about it. Now here they stood, both waiting on their dates to show up and passing the time with the usual idle conversation.

"Was it really necessary to get dressed up for this?" Questioned Naofumi as he looked himself over.

"If you call wearing an almost identical outfit to the one you usually have on 'dressing up,'" Commented the Armory Hero. Truth be told he knew Naofumi would rather spend his money on armor than something he'd wear once in a blue moon, but at the same time he felt that the occasion was a bit lost on the cardinal hero. Because for whatever reason Naofumi had decided to wear basically his usual pants and boots with his black long-sleeved undershirt that was normally covered by his armor.

"You say that," replied Naofumi as he indicated the bent down collar on the shirt, "but this was actually a gift from the Tailor woman, you know the one that made Johann and Filo's outfits. Apparently Raphtalia and Rifana had mentioned our date and the moment she got a hold of me she made me try on a half dozen shirts before deciding on this."

"And besides the downturned collar, what's the main difference?" Questioned Darius with a raised eyebrow.

"Apparently she made this out of some kind of special silk," replied Naofumi as he examined some of the material, "I guess it does feel a bit more comfortable than my usual stuff. What about yours?"

"Well," replied the Armory Hero as he thought how best to explain it. Unlike the other three, he'd gotten his outfit from Koteraan with Figneria's help. It consisted of a grey long-sleeved undershirt with a short-sleeved white shirt over it. He still wore black pants and brown boots but the colors were a bit brighter than his usual attire. "I kind of feel like I'm wearing one of Link's fancier tunics. Ya know, the protagonist from the Legend of Zelda series?"

"In my world we had something called the Legend of Ella," replied Naofumi as he thought back a bit, "did you go around collecting magic stones to get a time traveling sword and solve half the problems with a magical instrument in your game?"

"Pretty much," replied Darius before he noticed two very lovely ladies approaching them.

"Hey guys!" Called Rifana as she waved at the two of them, "sorry if we're a bit late. Getting these outfits on took a bit longer than expected."

"By my count you two are pretty much on time actually," noted Naofumi as he actually checked the hour on his HUD.

"And the wait was worth every minute if you ask me," added Darius as he got a look at the outfits the two had chosen. Rifana had opted for a dark yellow two piece outfit that included a short-sleeved shirt with somewhat bunched up shoulders and a v-neck opening, plus a skirt that hung down to her knees, allowing her plenty of room to move her tail around. Her look was completed with a pair of sandals which sported straps that crisscrossed up to her knees.

"Well this look isn't my favorite if I'm being honest," said Rifana as she did a quick twirl to give Darius a full view of the outfit, "but the Tailor wouldn't stop badgering us, though if you really like it I suppose it's worth the slight discomfort."

"It does look good on you," replied the Armory Hero truthfully, "but you know I'd never ask you to do something that makes you uncomfortable without good reason."

"Oh I know, but maybe it's a little better this way, after all," said Rifana as she leaned in to whisper in his ear, "If it gets too uncomfortable you can always help me out of it."

"Well I am always happy to lend a hand," Darius whispered back with a slight smirk. Rifana giggled at that before giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"And what do you think of my outfit?" Questioned Raphtalia in her usual hopeful tone she always adopts when trying to get Naofumi to notice her. In contrast to Rifana, the raccoon girl had opted for a red one piece outfit with yellowish-white sleeves that went to her elbows and a skirt that went to just above her knees. A pair of knee-length boots with cut outs for her toes completed her look. In the Armory Hero's opinion, it seemed like a classier version of her usual outfit.

"It uh, suits you, I guess," said Naofumi as he rubbed the back of his head. "So, where's this little spot you mentioned?"

"Oh, right this way," said Raphtalia happily as she picked up the basket they'd brought and took Naofumi's hand before leading him off towards the forest. Darius took Rifana's hand as they followed after the pair, quickly noting how red-faced the two were.

"I really hope this was a good idea," Rifana whispered to Darius, "I'm still kinda worried the attraction is one-sided."

"I know he doesn't say it much," replied Darius, "but Naofumi trusts Raphtalia with his life and given how hard it still seems to be for him to trust anyone I'd like to think that says at least something. Besides, they both deserve a shot at being happy even if there's the possibility of it going wrong."

"That's true I guess," admitted Rifana, "Mother did always tell me that one risks getting their heart broken if they put it out there. But it's worth the pain if you find happiness in the end."

"I do agree with the last part of that saying," remarked Darius as the group continued to follow a small path through the forest until they reached a clearing with a rather nice view of surrounding area beneath it.

"Well that's something," noted Naofumi with a low whistle, "you can see the ocean and the village in an equal view from up here."

"Rifana and I stumbled upon this place one day when we got lost while playing in the woods," explained Raphtalia, "we were both a bit scared at the time that we might be lost after nightfall. But once we saw this and realized night was still a little ways off we were relieved. From that day on we decided this place would serve as something of a secret spot for when we wanted to be alone with our thoughts."

"Or a secret rendezvous like the ones in those little drama stories," added Rifana as she pulled a blanket out of the basket she and Raphtalia had brought, "now we'd best get set up, this is a picnic date after all." Everyone nodded in agreement as they grabbed an end and spread it out on a nearby flat spot before settling girls then proceeded to exchange their basket for the one brought by the boys as they all sat down and pulled out the food.

"Ya know," said Darius as he took a bite of one of the sandwiches Rifana had prepared, "I don't think I've said often enough how much I appreciate you helping me cook all those times we camped out."

"I was usually the one helping mother in the kitchen," said Rifana as she took a bite of one of their prepared sandwiches, "So I picked up a few things. Though your own cooking skills have improved drastically ever since you started learning from Naofumi."

"Most of that is because I copied the shields he uses to enhance ingredients," replied Darius, "but the majority of this meal is from Naofumi anyway, I just helped get the ingredients prepared."

"Well you both did a splendid job in my opinion," praised Raphtalia with a smile, "and what do you think of the food we made Master Naofumi?"

"It's," the Shield Hero actually struggled to find the words to describe the taste, or rather the fact that he could actually taste it. "It tastes good, there's an actual flavor in this sandwich."

"You know I always wondered at the irony that our best cook can't taste anything," commented The Armory Hero, "but then again Beethoven kept working with music even after he went deaf so what do I know."

"I can taste some things," replied the Shield Hero, "those Lucor fruits on Cal Mira were pretty good."

"They aren't meant to be eaten though," Rifana pointed out, "any other person would be on the floor after just one or two of those, so I'm pretty sure Raphtalia didn't put any in your sandwich."

"I just used some fresh ingredients," said the Raccoon girl, "and a couple of seasonings that Keel tested out. Otherwise I didn't do anything special while preparing it."

"Now that is curious," said Darius as he pulled off an uneaten part of his sandwich, "care to give this a try? Rifana should've used about the same recipe."

"Is this a tasting now?" Questioned the Shield Hero with a raised eyebrow, "and here I thought we were on a double date."

"Just humor me on this, I've got a theory I want to test out," Urged Darius, "If I'm right, it just might make life a little better."

"I'm not sure what me eating your food is gonna tell anyone," said Naofumi as he took the offered piece and tossed it in his mouth. After a moment of chewing he noticed something was, possibly off about the flavor.

"Well, how does it taste?" Asked the Armory Hero as the trio observed the cardinal hero.

"I," Naofumi thought about how best to answer, "I can't really taste much of anything."

"Now try the sandwich Raphtalia made again," suggested Darius, his conclusion already more than half-formed on the matter. The Shield Hero simply shrugged and did as requested. His reaction to it was markedly different from when he'd tried the one made by Rifana.

"I can taste it, and it's good," said Naofumi, "just like the time after my duel with Motoyasu. You said you threw together some stuff from the castle kitchen that night after we left the arena."

"It was just a little something for the road," admitted Raphtalia, "I thought you might be hungry given that you never really ate anything before then."

"I was a little actually," said Naofumi, "but what does this mean? Why can I only taste what you make or those fruits?"

"If I had to guess," Surmised the Armory Hero, "it's all in your head in a manner of speaking."

"Could you be a bit more specific than that," said Naofumi, "you and I have both had enough voices in our heads to almost be considered crazy at this point."

"Well think about how you felt, and sorry in advance for bringing this up, when you left the castle in disgrace and didn't want to trust anyone anymore," began Darius, "from what little I got talking to Erhard you were like a completely different person from the day before. Well I've heard stories of people believing they had some kind of ailment or lost the ability to use a limb to one degree or another because of psychological trauma. There'd be nothing wrong with them physically but the damage to their psyche would have them believe they were suffering from something."

"That still doesn't explain why I can taste Raphtalia's meals but no one else's," Naofumi pointed out.

"Do you trust her?" Questioned the Armory Hero with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course I trust her," defended Naofumi, "I have to trust her."

"Putting aside her job and the slave crest," said Darius, "do you trust Raphtalia with your life? Do you believe she'd ever betray your trust?"

"Well I-," this time it wasn't so easy for the Shield Hero to answer. Thinking back, she'd never given him reason to doubt her before. She'd been right about Darius and Rifana and had put her life on the line for him countless times. More than that, she'd willingly let herself be rebranded as his slave. He glanced at Darius and Rifana, noting how comfortable the two seemed as they freely shared their personal space. Then he looked over at his companion who had a hopeful look in her eyes, her beautiful tea-leaf colored eyes.

"I know I can trust her," he said as he lightly patted Raphtalia's head, "and I can't think of anyone else in this world I trust more."

"Oh Master Naofumi!" exclaimed Raphtalia as she moved in and hugged his waist while burying her head in his chest. "That's possibly the sweetest thing you've ever said to me!"

"Uh, yeah," said a surprised Shield Hero, apparently not expecting this reaction, "but it's true, I really do trust you. Which might be why I can taste the food you make."

"And you can probably taste those berries because they're like eating straight up bleach or alcohol as far as the taste goes," commented Darius, "super strong flavor."

"I think we should just let Raphtalia prepare Naofumi's meals from now on," said Rifana as she snuggled against her boyfriend, "it'll be a lot safer than letting him bring those fruit in."

"That, actually doesn't sound like a bad idea," said the Shield Hero as he stroked his companion's head, "though since we've spent all this time addressing my issues it's only fair that I get to ask a personal question or two of my own."

"Shoot, I don't think we'll be going anywhere for a bit," said Darius as he rubbed one of Rifana's weasel ears. The girl was on the verge of falling asleep in his lap, or at the very least she wasn't moving from her spot as long as he kept up scratching her ears. Plus, it just seemed too soon to make Raphtalia let go of her hero after hearing his declaration.

"Alright then," said Naofumi, "how is it that you're able to trust anyone given that you're from a police state? Or are those drones the only thing you really have to worry about back in your world?" Darius sighed at the question. 'I guess I should've figured this would come up eventually,' he thought.

"Truthfully," said Darius, "when I first came here I kind of thought like the other three heroes: 'This is a game.' It stopped being that when I found some tortured children in cells under a mansion. Afterwards I looked at it as a job and an obligation, something that needed to be done if I was going to make it back home. The leading thought on my mind then was that since we were growing stronger every day, if someone did betray me or the rest of us I'd simply kill them and move on."

"I guess you would be capable of doing that," noted Naofumi as he remembered that his friend had a lot more attack power than him and plenty of ways to apply it.

"Back in my world we were all careful not to rub anyone the wrong way," continued Darius, "learning to read people was a must to avoid the possibility of pissing off the cousin of some cop who could have the drones monitor you more closely or pull a charge out of their ass. But those drones, the only thing you could read about them were their patterns. You never quite knew what they'd be looking for that day given that the rules for them seemed to be changing all the time. Sure we're being monitored here but it's actual people doing the monitoring and we know they can't summon a cavalry from around the corner like the drones could in my world."

"Makes me wonder why you left the house that day for an anime con," said Naofumi.

"I only ever left the house when I needed too, as did a lot of us," said Darius, "anime, manga, comic books and video games became a haven for me and many others to escape our own depressing reality, so much so that it just seemed worth the risk to go see some of the people behind it all. As you can see that decision has turned out swimmingly so far."

"You don't look like you're complaining too much about it," commented Naofumi.

"I'll admit it we've had to put up with some shit," replied Darius, "I never even tried keeping count of how many times we've almost died because I knew I'd lose track pretty quickly. Then there's all these responsibilities we have heaped on us or that we've taken on thanks to these weapons that were forcibly attached to us. But you know in spite of all that and all the reasons I have to hate this world, I can't bring myself to leave it now. Guess that's just how it goes when you discover something worth fighting for."

"Mm, I love you too," purred Rifana from her spot next to Darius as she snuggled closer to him. The cardinal hero could only smile as he brushed some of her hair out of her face. All the while Naofumi looked on in contemplation as he glanced down at his own companion who was breathing softly next to him. Her arms were holding onto him almost protectively, as if she was worried he might get lost if she let go.

"Something worth fighting for," he quietly repeated to himself. It was close to sundown by the time the group returned from the picnic and whatever atmosphere of tension they'd had before was almost completely gone as the two girls walked arm in arm with their respective heroes back into the village. It was quickly declared from that day on that Raphtalia would be the primary cook for the Shield Hero, a job she took too with great enthusiasm. It was also declared by Rifana that their picnic spot would remain between the four of them. After all, even heroes and adventurers needed to get away every now and then.

And there we have it, a cute little chapter for everyone's favorite couple's day! And before I forget, a quick shout out to Perseus12 about the inclusion of Nekoya, which you all know as the Restaurant in Another World to help set the story on it's way. As always feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters or suggestions for short stories. For those wondering, the next chapter might be one focused on Fitoria unless you all demand something different. If so, just say the word. 'Til then.