This is a one-shot about my favorite couple of Danmachi, hope you like it.
Feel free to leave a review, please, I would appreciate.
A big dream
Suddenly, he found himself looking at the window of his room, however, his vision was somewhat defective, so he blinked a couple of times to clear his red eyes, in these there was a certain glow and although it was of a color associated with evil, there was not a hint of it in this person.
He watched as he gently swayed the elegant curtains of his window, to tell the truth, his entire room was of the highest quality, something he never even dreamed of when he lived only with his beloved and idealized goddess: Hestia.
After winning the war between families against the Apollo family, they had taken his quarters and all his riches, which was a fair thing after the hell she had put him through and destroyed his home.
Not that they had that much stuff either, but what little they had, they had destroyed everything, so, although not entirely convinced, he ended up agreeing with his goddess to possess the keys to this place, also this is how he now lived with his other friends and members of the Hestia family.
Bell Cranel, a young adventurer like him, was really living a new life after so many exploits, and that he only had a few months as an adventurer, what would he do in a year? And the next? Anyone is free to bet, no doubt, there would be a very particular god who would dare to raise the bet higher than anyone else.
"Should I wake up already...? I guess it's still early if Haruhime-san hasn't come to wake me up yet...? right?" Bell thought somewhat sleepily, her gaze still not quite clear, but it didn't present much of an effort to keep his eyes open. "Well, I really shouldn't have to ask her that, but... she insists it's to help me. Come to think of it, Kami-sama gave her a maid's dress, even though she's also part of the family..."
Bell felt that it was something wrong, after all, Haruhime belonged to the Ishtar family, but before that, she came from a good family, now she was an important companion, but thanks to the 'role' given by Hestia, it seemed that she had changed from being a prostitute to a maid...
"Kami-sama, although I mentioned that having a maid would be great as soon as we win the war between families, why to Haruhime-san...? Ah..."
Bell had obtained a cute maid with fox ears and a fox tail, but if she counted Haruhime's past, it no longer sounded like an achievement. Was this karma?
Nevertheless, Haruhime looked happy wearing maid clothes, doing maid things and practically being a maid... maybe he didn't have to do anything.
"Should I keep resting a little longer before going to the dungeon...? We've been working so hard to pay off Kami-sama's debt and we haven't gotten into trouble with any other families, so..." His mind seemed to water down and dilute, but his body did the opposite and he sat on the edge of the bed. "Or... maybe not...?"
It was at that moment that he felt hands encircle his stomach gently and without much force, as well as something soft rested on top of his head, on his white hair.
"Huh?!" Bell was surprised and even a little startled, however, her body didn't seem to keep pace with his thoughts. "What's going on?! M-My body, what's going on!"
"Bell..." said that voice so calmly, it almost seemed like the whisper of a secret.
"..."
"Who is in my room? This is not Kami-sama's voice, it's different..."
Bell strained to turn his head to see who it was, but it had become an impossible task for him. He was completely useless.
"Bell... go back to bed... it's still too early..." This female's soft hands wrapped around him with more force and pressure, though it was a command, she said it so softly that it didn't really seem like one.
"T-That voice... I-it can't be, what are you talking about? No, it can't be...! Is that voice A-Aiz-san's...!" On the verge of heart attack, he screamed internally, but his body reacted simply and calmly.
He placed his hands on top of hers.
"Yes... you're right, it's still early, honey," he said with a small smile.
"What am I saying?!"
Aiz Wallenstein, the sword princess, one of the most famous, respected and outstanding adventurers of the moment, and also, the person Bell secretly loved —for Aiz it was a super-secret—, and the warrior he most admired and aspired to surpass.
It was so much desire that he unlocked an exponential growth ability, allowing him to level up quickly, even if he was a novice of only 14 years old.
She settled back on the bed, still covered by the sheets, though not quite, her long blonde hair stretched almost all the way across the red pillow cases, Bell turned his head finally to look at her.
"Hiiiiiiii! It's Aiz-saaaaaaaaaaaan...!" Bell must have lost his soul in that scream from deep within, but it seems that the impact had been so great that he merely watched her as she died inside.
Nevertheless, his body lay next to that of his ideal princess, without a hint of terror or surprise, as if it was the usual thing to do. Aiz settled on top of his chest and Bell cried out internally.
"Aiz-san?! This can't be, this has to be a dream, a dream! Ah...!" As soon as he realized that, it became completely feasible to him and he took it for granted. "If this is a dream... don't wake me up, don't wake me up, please! Aiz... san~..."
"Bell, could it be that you're hungry...?"
"Hm... no, I just woke up earlier. But since you mention it~, does that mean you'll cook for me before I leave?" he asked with some excitement, though inside, it was another story. "Aiz-san will cook for me?! Ah, it doesn't matter if it's just a baked potato, I'd eat the whole thing! Please, Haruhime-san, don't wake me up, don't even open the door!"
"...Bell... do you really want to...?" she asked as she squinted her eyes with a complicated expression.
"Of course I do, Aiz-san! If I could cry, I would. If I could beg, I would."
"Hm? Why do you say it like that?"
"Hn... cooking is an unconquered battlefield and one that I'm not very good at. One day I'll be really good, but... right now..." she explained quietly.
"A-Aiz-san... you don't have to try so hard for me... Aiz-san!" Bell was on the verge of tears inside, but on the outside, he just smiled warmly and hugged Aiz a little. "Ahhh...! I'm... hugging... Aiz-san?!"
This was the best dream of his life.
"True, you know how to cook very few things, but the things you know how to make, I really like them."
"Bell..." A small blush appeared on her cheeks and she smiled a little. "Thank you. So, I'll make you some toast today with jam and butter."
"Sounds really good, sweetie."
"Aiz-san got...blushed...? Because of me... because of me?! BECAUSE OF ME?!" Bell couldn't think of anything else.
However, there wasn't much rest for his heart, because he received a kiss on the cheek from the golden-eyed woman.
"...!" But she had stolen even his thoughts as she stood over him and grabbed his cheek, the smile she made was... something he never wanted to forget.
She closed her eyes and moved closer to his lips, slowly...
"Aiz-san..."
"Ugght...!" Bell had blown a resounding kiss against the floor as he fell off the bed, but soon after he dropped the rest of his body half-trapped in the sheets. "Huh?! Aiz-san...no... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Bell's scream was so loud and heartbreaking that Haruhime, who was already coming to wake him up to go to the dungeon, ran over in great concern and opened the room without permission.
"Bell-sama?!" Haruhime opened her eyes a little wider as she saw him slamming his fists on the floor and still stifling part of his screams. "B-Bell-sama... a-are you crying?"
"...! Ugh... n-no, Haruhime-san... it's not like that..." he said frustrated and sadly, still clenching his fists. "Damn, I was so close and I'm already forgetting!"
Haruhime was left stammering for a bit, but ended up quietly approaching and knelt down beside him, then brought her hand up to his white hair and stroked it gently.
"It's okay... it was just a bad dream, you're okay now," she said with a warm smile, but Bell put her hands to her face and lifted her head up to look at the ceiling. "...!?"
"I-It wasn't a nightmare...!"
It was clear that Haruhime could not understand his current pain.
"Huh? A-Ah...! So, um..." The green-eyed, blonde-haired young woman raised her tail in surprise, but ducked down to fox ears when she realized she didn't know what else to think. "I'm so sorry, Bell-sama...so what was it that happened...why are you in so much pain, does your stomach hurt?"
"You don't understand, Haruhime-san! Aiz-san... uuh..."
After a few hurried steps, a small girl with great attributes on her chest arrived, but she was still wearing pajamas and even a sleeping cap. Her beauty was indisputable, but she looked like a child because of her height. Her hair was long and black in color, while her round eyes were blue.
"Bell-kuuuuun!" she shouted before reaching him with a leap and hugged him tightly, sticking her large breasts to his back. "My dear Bell-kun~, what's wrong with you? Who made you scream like that?!"
"K-Kami-sama?!"
Dropping the cute tone, she looked at Haruhime with some annoyance.
"Hey, what happened!?"
"Eh...! No, I came here too because I heard him screaming, I thought it was a nightmare, but..."
"A nightmare!? Ohh~, right, Bell-kun, you're still as cute as a child. Don't worry, your dear goddess is already here" Hestia said very affectionately and sticking as much as possible, plus she was petting him from the head.
"...!" Haruhime frowned slightly and her annoyance was only growing. "I-It's not fair, I wanted to comfort him, Hestia-sama!"
"No, Kami-sama, you don't have to get upset... Nn..." he said with slight complication, trying to escape her 'care', but she was still stubbornly sticking to her adorable Bell. "K-Kami-sama, seriously, I'm fine now... you can let go now..."
"Hestia-samaaaa!" shouted an enraged, petite young girl who came through the door, she had brown hair and eyes of the same color. "You're getting too close to Bell-sama again! This is unacceptable, forbidden!"
"What?!" shouted alluded, but then looked away with a slight blush. "What's wrong~? T-there's nothing wrong with a goddess loving one of her children very much, is there~? Besides, Bell-kun wants to cling to me too."
"That's not true!"
"Ahh...it's just a misunderstanding, Lili... They don't have to..."
"I'm the goddess and I say it's so, Support-kun!"
"It's not so!"
Bell could do nothing but sigh, that's when the two started yelling at each other about things, while Haruhime helped the young boy up from the floor, however, the boy still left his room with his mood on the floors while the other two argued about the proximity to Bell.
"Bell-sama..." Haruhime didn't give up and accompanied him to the kitchen, walking alongside him and looking at how depressed he was. "I'll try my best for breakfast today, it doesn't matter if he can't tell me what's wrong with him, I'll do my best to make him happy!"
It was a typical morning at the Hestia family residence, nothing new really. So much so that Welf, the albino newbie's best and almost only friend, only asked him if he had been able to stop the morning discussion, to which Bell had to shake his head.
Haruhime's breakfast was delicious and gave the youngster the necessary energy to fight in the dungeon during the day, but it hadn't given him the concentration, because of the dream with his beloved Aiz, the boy didn't keep up the pace and was hit several times by the monsters.
"Lili, take over Bell!" shouted the reddish-haired boy and rushed into battle with the other monsters. "Come on, Mikoto!"
"Take a break, Bell." Was all the young girl said as she also advanced beside her friend.
"Bell-sama!" Lili came to his side, carrying her huge backpack, she helped him up, but he decided to stand up by himself. "What's wrong with you, do you need a potion for your energy?"
"I'm... sorry, Lili... I'm being a bother..." he whispered pessimistically.
"Bell-sama, it's not like that. We've been over this floor before, what's wrong with you? You're out of balance... Was Haruhime-san right...?" she asked a little worried, then the boy looked at her.
"Uh...? What did Haruhime-san tell you...?"
"A-Ah... Well, that you might be... constipated..."
"What?!"
"A-Ah, no, no, forget what I said! But seriously, we're worried about you... whatever you're thinking, put it out of your mind and concentrate, I know you can do it, Bell-sama!" she said with firmness and hope in her eyes.
"…!"
The young man ended up watching as his friends battled the monsters on this floor, that's when he tightened his grip on the 200 million dagger, the cause of his goddess's debt.
"That's right... it's not the time to think about that. Aiz-san would never be with me like that... not as long as I'm this weak, losing focus... over something like this...!"
"Haaaaaaaaa!" he shouted as he ran into the fray, leapt forward and sliced completely through the side of one of the monsters, staining his shoulder with blood in the process. "How can I call myself an adventurer with determination like that!"
Bell had to jump through some monsters to get to meet up with his other friends, now the three of them were surrounded, but Mikoto and Welf were glad to see him determined again.
The monsters went all over them, Lili stifled a scream as she watched how they were practically on top of them.
"Firebolt!" That scream echoed the atmosphere and an explosion of fire blasted the monsters away across the space. "I want to be a hero, but for me to do something like this is... it's just... pathetic!"
After the battle, Lili finally reached over to grab what the monsters had left before disappearing while Mikoto sheathed her sword with a small smile as well as Welf did the same and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Ah..." Bell inhaled some air and put away his blades to turn to his teammates.
"What happened to you earlier, Bell?" asked the young woman with black hair tied in a ponytail, she put a hand on her waist and looked at him with some doubt. "You don't look fit, if you're not feeling well, maybe we should stop for now."
"No. I'm sorry for acting like this, I was... thinking about other... things..." he explained in a complicated voice, he also blushed a little as he remembered the Aiz from his dreams. "Ah...!"
The young man shook his head a couple of times, Mikoto let out a: "oh" of surprise while the other young man arched an eyebrow.
"It's of no importance...! Instead, what is important is... we still have a long way to go to settle my Kami-sama's debt..." he said with some heaviness, completing that task would be titanic. He looked to where the path of the current floor continued. "Every monster counts."
"Hey, hey, Bell." His friend reached over and squeezed his shoulder amicably.
"Uh?" He turned his head to look at him.
"It's the family debt, it's not just about you. Whatever problems Hestia-sama has, are now our problems too" he expressed with good humor and a positive tone.
"Welf..." A smile broke out on the albino's face.
"Bell, remember we're here to support each other, so don't try to carry everything, you're not the only one in Hestia-sama's family anymore." Mikoto also smiled kindly.
By this time, Lili had finished her task of collecting the valuables that the monsters had dropped after being defeated, but she had heard everything and was just as happy, if not happier, than Bell Cranel.
Belonging to a family was one thing, but that it was so warm and composed of pure good friends was beyond all expectations.
It was great.
"I understand. Let's go on!"
"Ohhh!"
The journey of killing monsters left and right with the goal of collecting as much money as possible made them look like they were a cleanup crew as if they were hired killers or an annihilation team.
They went through floors that were full of these violent and non-rational creatures, seeking to earn more than their daily bread, trying to avoid as much as possible to exhaust their energy with their skills, thus investing less in potions, as they also cost money, and resorting more to their brute strength and in the confidence of how powerful their weapons were.
The young men fought bravely and Bell stayed focused at all times, only because somewhere in his brain there was a logical part that dictated to him that, if he did not stop thinking about his dream world, he might die, and it is stronger the fear of death than the desire to relive a sweet dream.
By the time they left the dungeon and went to collect, most of them were dragging their legs, the boys were the ones giving off the worst smell, although Mikoto was not far behind because blood, after a few moments, stinks.
Lili was the least exhausted, but her legs already resented the weight of time and the huge backpack she carried on her back.
They had been working hard for five hours and forty-three minutes, even if they took a few breaks and also a fairly long one to eat, they were exhausted.
The pay would indeed be worth it, or so they supposed.
A relaxing bath, a well-deserved rest they all deserved, a good dinner that Haruhime would no doubt prepare with great care, words of congratulations from Hestia and an early night to rest from all this punishment.
Bell Cranel had convinced himself of that as he returned to his family's residence with his companions, chatting about what they would do once they got home.
Until Welf reminded his little friend of something.
"Hey, Bell, are you sure you should go with Aiz today?"
"Huh?!" He looked at him in surprise. "What are you talking about, Welf?"
"Huh? Aren't you supposed to train with her today to get better in battle?"
"¡...!" Bell opened his red eyes much wider. "That's right... IT'S TODAY!"
Suddenly, his dream came back to hit him right in the face and he blushed.
It seemed that Bell would not be enjoying a well-deserved rest like everyone else.
He heard her voice, saw her smiling, happy face, one he would like to see all the time if possible, that look would be worth more than a thank you, in fact, it would be a damn trophy, he knew!
It was a beautiful painting, one that was suddenly torn the moment her legs were swept away by a swift movement of... Aiz Wallenstein.
"Aiz-san...?" As time seemed to slow down, it was the moment he should have reacted, but instead, he followed her with his gaze as he fell in slow motion; the vision of his dream ceased to be part of reality. "...!"
"Ahh...! Ught...!" The sole of her foot seemed to skewer his stomach and Bell even felt the food along with his gastric flows go up his throat, before shooting out to roll on the floor about eight times. "Ugh, cof-cof... uuh..."
"…" Aiz seemed to relax, but she didn't put her sword away, just lowered it as she walked to get to him. "Did I overdo it?"
"Damn... I should have jumped, but why won't I stop thinking about it!" Bell clenched her fists and leaning with those on the ground, he stood up quickly.
"..." Aiz stopped then and stood on guard again. "Apparently not."
Bell stood on guard again, but then was puzzled when he saw her drop her guard and after a blink, she brought her hand up to her own mouth.
"Uh...?"
"You're bleeding."
"Ahh! Uh..." He wiped it off quickly.
"Was I too hard?"
"N-No...! It's okay, I like it like this."
"Like this...?
"N-No, I didn't mean...!" Bell sighed and stood at attention, though he was embarrassed. "I meant it's better this way because... the dungeon is dangerous and the monsters will show no mercy on me."
"Oh..." She nodded her head slightly and stood on guard again. "Good. Remember you can jump to avoid those kinds of attacks, you were able to dodge it, but I didn't see you trying, I thought it was some kind of feint, Bell, but the second attack you didn't dodge either..."
"A-Ah... that..."
The boy had no choice but to duck his head a little and still blushing slightly, he closed his eyes somewhat tightly, making himself promise not to think about that again.
Aiz stared at him, expectant of his response and noting how strangely he was behaving, she noticed that he was having a hard time keeping up.
"I'll do much better now!" Bell lunged forward as fast as he could, but Aiz quickly blocked him with her sword, without losing countenance.
The contact of their blades caused shrieks to be heard and sparks to be released, as well as the young man's arm resented the force with which Aiz pushed her sword against him, blocking her attacks was somewhat painful.
He didn't have to hide it, this young woman was much stronger than him and if he continued blocking, his arm might suffer from cramp or in the worst case, give in to the superior strength of his opponent.
"If so...!" Bell opted to take a small leap backwards to dodge Aiz's attacks, but she increased the speed of her attacks to force him to smash his blades into her sword, again.
She had destroyed his strategy just like that, but Bell didn't give up, for, although it would tire him in the long run, he stood half on his toes so that he could make the quicker jump and dodge like that.
The only bad thing was that this way she would end up cornering him all the way to the wall, where he would not be able to retreat any further, so Aiz kept attacking to get him there, where he would have no escape.
"You're running out of room, so what will your next move be?" Thought the sword princess as she continued to attack him at the same speed, not varying much in the pattern of her movements. "Just a little more..."
"…!"
"Haaa…!"
Bell had flown just above her and while still in the air, he decided to sacrifice one of his blades to throw it at her from that position, although Aiz managed to deflect it with her sword, the young boy landed on the ground and quickly got to his guard, pulling in some air.
Aiz had opened her eyes a bit wider, but then lowered her sword for a moment.
"Ah... ah..."
"He was able to run for brief moments along the wall to then jump up and managed to attack me from there, all as long as he didn't overtake me by the time he reached the ground. He took advantage of the medium in a good way, but he's not used to that pose for fighting, and using it while wearing armor, even if it's light like his... would wear him out quickly."
However, the young man was not only panting from exhaustion, but because he had wasted the opportunity by remembering how in love he was with her.
"Is it okay for me to... attack Aiz, even if it's for training? Ahhh! I shouldn't be thinking about that right now!"
"Bell... let's take a break. You did well."
"...! Oh... thank you, Aiz" he said with a small smile, although he wasn't entirely happy.
After a few moments, they both took a seat on the edge of the bridge where they were training, it was a structure made of stone, it wasn't comfortable, but right now, it was the best.
It was getting dark and the first stars were already shining in the bluish sky, it was a nice sight, but the young man, as he watched Aiz out of the corner of his eye, believed that she was much brighter than any star.
"Bell."
"Ah...! What's the matter, Aiz...?"
"I was wondering if you have a problem, you seemed distracted since we started" she said in a calm voice.
"A-Ah, well, it's just that... t-there's something in what... um..." The young man shielded himself from embarrassment as he looked up at the stars in the sky. "Uh... what a nice view, isn't it...?"
"Yes."
"…"
"…So?"
"Uh…" It was inevitable to look at her, she seemed a little curious.
"You mentioned that there is 'something'."
"Y-Yes... um, well... it's... it's a dream..."
"A dream?" she asked with a little more emphasis, Bell almost screamed, but held it back and nodded his head several times. "Hm... what's going on with your dream?"
"Ah, about that... um..." He lowered his head a little and pressed his knees with his hands, letting out some air through his mouth, blushing more. "I-It's... about... my dream is... about you, Aiz..."
"...about me?"
Bell began to sweat, suddenly he found himself fighting the biggest battle of his short life: a fight against his own feelings, which were already cooking him alive to devour him.
He fought against them for a few moments that seemed long, but Aiz waited patiently while wanting to know more, although he did not express it directly.
"I... in the dream... w-was having a... well, we both had... w-we were..." Bell looked at her, blushing on his cheeks, she was a little surprised. "E-Eh... um, we... were... to-together... And we were having a good time, that's all!"
After saying that, he lowered his head, blushing deeply, possibly on the verge of a heart attack.
"I see," she said as she looked at the sky again and seemed to smile a little, but he couldn't see it because he was still trying to control himself. "So, you were thinking about that all this time?"
"A-Ah...?! W-Well, I... um... yes... I'm sorry..."
"..."
"But..." He looked at her firmly, although he was still blushing. "I really appreciate what you do for me, Aiz, really! It's not that I don't have a good time in training, but... t-together, not training... that was... what was happening in my dream..."
"I understand," she said in a gentle tone and looked into his eyes. "I hadn't thought about that, but if you want, I wouldn't mind, Bell."
"...! T-Then... c-can we...? I mean, Aiz... would you like to spend some quality time... together?" he asked as he looked her straight in the eyes.
"Yes. Thank you, Bell."
The young boy smiled widely and looked up at the sky again, grateful to the gods for this miracle.
No matter where they went or if it was just to accompany her back to the Loki family residence, as long as he was with her, he would be happy and worth living for.