Chapter 3

While our three friends suffered, anguished and despaired, the Hero's (lol) party was less happy with the occurring events- losing their Healer and second best warrior would be a problem for anyone. When they find that they have deserted the party out of disgust, the depression would be one for the ages- even though they were sad, they were cursing the cause of the loss of Kaori and Shizuku- one Hajime Nagumo.

Kouki, in particular, was convinced that Hajime had somehow deceived the two of them (the girls felt a shiver down their backs in their sleep), and decided that he would dive back in when he got stronger- courtesy the training from Ehit's Apostle, Noint. Kouki was joined in his training by the rest of the current top 5- Ryuutarou Sakagami [Monk], Suzu Taniguchi [Barrier Mistress], Eri Nakamura [Necromancer],and Daisuke Hiyama [Light Warrior]. Of them, Hiyama was the most distrusted of the lot.

Most of the class wanted Kousuke Endou [Assassin] to join them, but the person himself refused for some reason. He also decided to train directly under Commander Meld. He didn't tell anyone about it, but he had grown distrustful of the God Ehit even before the three "Fallen", as they were called, fell. However, he was convinced that Hajime had the right of it when he focused on survival over power.

Commander Meld was in awe of Hajime, a [Synergist] who could do what the others couldn't- stay calm in the face of death. His awe was furthered when he saw Kaori break out of her friends' restrain efforts and jumped in, taking their second best with her. He knew that it was normally impossible for the three of them to survive, but his own instincts told him that Hajime was the true hero of the lot that were summoned, and would thus survive and come back.

Princess Lillianna. B. Heiligh was shocked to hear that Hajime had fallen due to a misfired spell, and was presumed KIA. Her shock was heightened with the news that Kaori and Shizuku, who had grown dear to her, went in as well, especially to hear that Kaori had dragged Shizuku down in her pursuit of Hajime. She prayed for all three of them, hoping for their safe return.

With the exceptions of Daisuke and Kouki, the Top 5 were starting to realize that they needed to survive to return home to Japan. That was why they were happy to receive training from Noint. However, they decided that the first time they found a way home, they would abandon Tortus and return.

Kouki decided that he wasn't returning home, not until Kaori and Shizuku were with him as well. At the same time, Daisuke was not even considering a return home. He was able to hide the fact that he had fired the shot to kill Hajime. He wasn't going to relax until he had Kaori for himself. And Hajime was in the way. He never expected Kaori to join him.

Kaori was not very happy- she should've noticed the bullying that Hajime had suffered, all because she had decided to try to get close to him. She resolved herself, not to rejoin the Hero's Party, but to stick with Hajime. Her feelings were just one of the many reasons she made her mind up. Her own time in the Pits of Hell had allowed her to retrospect on the shot that hit him, and knew who had fired it… Daisuke Hiyama was not going to be a happy person and his own fate was sealed. He just didn't know it yet.

Shizuku was wondering what Kouki did to help Hajime when he was bullied. He had told her that the party of scum (as she called Hiyama's group) had a great practice target, but now that she replayed Hajime's fall, she also came to the same conclusion- Daisuke Hiyama was dead. Her conflict arose from Kouki's own actions- he never condoned anything cruel, yet he had alluded to a human being used for target practice and was happy for them. She decided that the class was rotten, apart from Ryuutaro, Kousuke and Suzu. The rest needed to explain themselves, and Daisuke was dead regardless. And once she returned home, she decided to demote Kouki from disciple to student of Yaegashi Dojo, for dishonorable conduct.

When Aiko Hatayama, the teacher with the group heard the news, she pressured the Church into allowing those who didn't want to fight to remain out of combat- after she regained consciousness, that is. She also mourned the three of them and was hoping that she would meet them again. Her thoughts were only to keep her students safe, so she had to submit herself to the now-despicable church, just to do what she wanted.

The one with the most conflict was Hajime himself, surprisingly. He was fairly certain that doing a dogeza[1] in public was a matter of humiliation, and yet that action resulted in his gaining the admiration and love of not one, but two beautiful ladies. He wasn't sure that he was even seeing reality, which was not good in the Pits of Hell, but he knew what reality was, so he resolved to analyze his own and their reactions to some flirting whenever he could do so.

And so, the newly crowned Monster of the Abyss started to realize his own feelings while keeping them six feet under for now.

The others mentioned either enjoyed the hospitality of the Royal Family of Heiligh, or joined Aiko in her quest- mostly to protect her from seduction by the Templar Knights, who were suspiciously handsome- clearly meant to seduce her into giving her loyalty to the Church, but they needn't have worried- They fell for her instead, while begging the question of the Church's motives from those who had an ounce of logic in their heads. This would eventually turn in Hajime's favour, but that will come later.

1- I'm pretty sure that if you don't know what a dogeza is, you are not suited for comedy, at least anime-centric comedy.

In other business, I will post a chapter at least once a month, if not more. Any problems with the story so far?

Like I said in Chapter 1, Please Review!

Hajime in this fanfic won't be as big a prick as he is perceived in canon. He will retain his core kindness, and none of that tsundere BS.