What it do lovelies?! I'm back with another chapter after quite a bit of time. I honestly expected the chapter to not take too long since it was just the story advancing forward and since I had a script of the general flow of the story, but I surprisingly found it pretty difficult to sufficiently cover the journey, since I didn't want to be timeskipping so much unnecessarily since I wanted to show some interaction between Bell and Lefiya. Sorry if it's a bit awkward, I tried my best, but this is all a socially awkward fella such as myself can do, so please do forgive me if the conversations are a bit peculiar. I'm also a bit of a perfectionist so I had to think over the lines and rewrite a few times before I found it satisfactory. Anyway, that was just a little bit of ranting on my par. Without further ado, let's get this party started!

I do not own Danmachi

Chapter XX: Companion

Bell Cranel's POV:

The pleasant morning chill tickled my hair and neck as I, along with the rest of my Familia members talked amongst one another while making our way towards the currently closed gates of the city. The sun was just beginning to appear over the horizon and various shop-owners began to set up for a productive day of retail ahead. It couldn't have been seven in the morning, and so we thought that we would have tremendous difficulty in waking up our Goddess, but we were genuinely surprised to find out that she was already awake, freshened up, and ready to see me off with the rest... I guess she wasn't able to sleep much last night though as try as she might, everybody could notice her lethargy and drowsiness.

"Wow, I still can't believe that you'll be gone for a month, man"

Welf sighed as he walked alongside me, striking up a conversation

Indeed, neither I have yet to completely digest the idea that I'll be away from Orario now that it was pretty much my home now ever since coming here almost a year ago. I felt sad that I was going away for some time and won't be with my Familia and friends, but this was something I needed to do... I needed answers from him

"Yeah... neither can I, I mean, Orario's pretty much my home now..."

I chuckled sheepishly as I rubbed the back of my head, responding to my red-haired friend's statement

"You're seriously going to leave me in a house full of single women, aren't you?"

He smirked, teasing me while I blushed and cleared my throat, not answering his question

"Please take care of yourself always, Master Bell"

Haruhime smiled, changing the topic as she butted in and wished me well

"Indeed, best of luck to your endeavor, Master Bell!"

Mikoto also said, sharing the same sentiment as her friend

"Lili also wishes the same!"

I smiled at them and nodded, assuring them that I'll keep safe while I'm away

"You guys too, please take care of Goddess and yourselves while I'm away"

I responded kindly, which earned me a cute pout from Goddess

"Mou Bell! I'm not some kid that needs supervision!"

She flailed her arms around in protest as we all laughed, simply enjoying our time as a Familia before my departure

We eventually arrived to the front gates, where we saw a few familiar figures standing right in front of us

"Lefiya! Good morning!"

I called out to the elf carrying a backpack similar to myself, standing beside a familiar red-haired goddess and Miss Ais

Perking up at my sudden addressing of her name, Lefiya broke away from her chat with Miss Ais and looked at our approaching figures

"Good morning Bell! And hello Goddess Hestia!"

Lefiya greeted back, reciprocating the enthusiasm and warmth

"Hello to you too Miss Ais, and Goddess Loki!"

I also went to greet her companions, but only Ais responded to me, giving me a wave and a small smile, mumbling a 'good morning'

The other one that I greeted was currently locked in a fierce stare down with my Goddess, I could see the sparks coming off of them

"Shrimp"

The red-haired goddess curtly acknowledged, not quite pleased that her rival had appeared right before her, it seems her day was already ruined so early

"Washboard"

Goddess Hestia reciprocated her mood, displeasure trickling off of her mouth

This made all of us around the two become uneasy as they were staring each other down, the tension in the air quickly became palpable

"G-Goddess Hestia, Goddess Loki... please calm down!"

Lili tried getting in front of them, but they weren't attuned to anything other than one another, neither refusing to back down

"You have a lot of nerve keeping us waiting here for so long, Shrimp?!"

Goddess Loki asked, annoyingly while Lefiya raised an eyebrow

"What do you mean Loki? It's only been less than five min-"

"I bet your precious children had great difficulty waking up a lazy log such as yourself"

Lefiya attempted to correct her, but the Trickster Goddess practically ignored her and continued her accusations against our own Goddess

"Hmph! For your information, I was actually the earliest to get up!"

Goddess Hestia proudly puffed out her disproportionally sizeable bust, as much as I'm embarrassed to notice, much to Goddess Loki's annoyance and envy, as she answered her question

"Huh? Didn't you say you were unable to sleep a wink last n-"

"Like hell, you couch potato!"

Mikoto attempted to ask for confirmation, but was curtly cut off by the red-haired Goddess' sharp interjection. Miss Ais, who had been standing passively beside the elf, noticeably perked up at the word "potato", which I found rather cute and amusing

'Potato? jagamarukun?! Where?!'

"Anyways, about time you got your bums down here. The sun's almost up and I have a lot to do today, being the patron God of the strongest Familia in Orario"

Goddess Loki smirked as she emphasized the word 'strongest', much to Goddess Hestia's ire

"What do you mean Loki? You pretty much just get drunk all day and try to peep on the girls when you're not drunk..."

Finally deciding to speak, Miss Ais corrected her Goddess' statement as Goddess Loki completely ignored her as she maintained her smirk

"Yup, very busy indeed!"

She fought to save face until the bitter end

"Uh huh, so how about we see them off already since you'll be busy getting piss-drunk all day, you drunkard"

Goddess jabbed, much to Goddess Loki's annoyance. She bit down her tongue and sighed instead of furthering their banter though

I guess she was throwing in the towel? Perhaps thinking along the lines of 'they have a long journey ahead of them so best not delay'

"Uh huh, I assume you already got permission from the guild to let your dear, sweet boy leave the city?"

Goddess Loki asked our Goddess, I was about to explain but I suppose she should since she was the one being asked directly

"Of course we did, and now have hell to pay for it!"

Goddess Hestia played her part well as Lili nodded in what seemed to be an agreement to her statement, but was actually in satisfaction for Goddess had not said that we had very little difficulty at all, as Lili had suggested before

Yesterday, they went to the Guild to try and convince them to allow me to leave the city for some time in my stead while I was busy packing. But they told us that they were surprised to know that not only did the Guild agree without any hesitation at all but that it was orders that came directly from the head of the Guild itself. So Goddess Hestia went to speak with Lord Ouranos that same day and said that he only gave vague, non-committal answers at to why.

So in short, we have no idea why I'm allowed to leave the city for a reason as frivolous as mine, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth I suppose

"So, when can we expect you two back? Boy, you better not be absconding with my cute, little elf you hear me?!"

Goddess Loki asked, then ended with an accusation which made the blood move up towards my face, exploding red in embarrassment

"G-Goddess Loki! I-It isn't like that at all!"

My arms flailing around wildly, I vehemently denied her accusations

"L-Loki! B-Bell was just asking me for a favor as a friend!"

It seems Lefiya also shared my plight, also attempting to dispel any misunderstandings that took place

Although, I did notice that she kept on glancing at me shyly as she mumbled her words of denial, she was probably asking me to back her up

"L-Lefiya told me that it'll take around a month! It's around a week and a half to the forest and another back here..."

And so I joined in, trying to keep the conversation from derailing and sparing both Lefiya and I any more of the red-haired Goddess' teasing

She eyed me, not saying a single word which made me a bit uncomfortable

"Mhm, I believe you... just hope you're not going to take advantage of the situation and steal my cute, little elf for yourself"

She just couldn't resist another jab with her signature trickster grin. At this rate, both Lefiya and I are going to pass out from all the heat in our face

Before we could protest that it wasn't the case once again though, she walked up to me and slung an arm around my shoulders

Speaking in a low voice, she muttered to my ear just low enough for the rest to be unable to pick up

"Kid, in all seriousness... I am entrusted my cute, little Lefiya to you while you're both gone, so you better make sure to look after her, you hear me?"

Hearing that she felt deeply concerned for her safety moved me. Despite her facetious and playful exterior, Goddess Loki does hold genuine care for her children's well-being, so I responded to her earnest request. I gave her a congenial and reassuring smile, and also spoke in a low voice

"Of course Goddess Loki, even if you hadn't told me that, I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe and happy, for she's my friend!"

Unnoticed by the both of us though, a certain elf's sensitive hearing was able to pick-up what they were saying, their words barely comprehensible to her. Her wild blush returned with a vengeance as Miss Ais asked if she was okay, thinking that she was ill

Back to Goddess Loki and I, our eyes were locked together, she was testing my resolve, seeing just how much weight my words carried. This continued for a solid five seconds until she exhaled and her smirk returned, patting me in the back and shoving me forward lightly towards her elven child

"Alright then kid, better walk the talk then!"

Goddess Hestia and the rest all stood behind the red-haired goddess, who signaled for a Ganesha Familia member to raise the main gate of the city, allowing us egress

The slow creaking of metal as the gear was being cranked was heard while the gate was slowly but surely being raised, we could smell the fresh, morning air from immediately outside the city

"Bye everybody! See you all in a month's time!"

Lefiya and I turned back to wave at the others as we stood right in front of the now open gate leading to outside the walled-city

"Yeah yeah, remember what I said kid! Now go on, git! You two have a long journey ahead of you!"

Goddess Loki waved us off, she seemed like she was trying to act cool instead of getting worked up, like the others

"Yeah! Keep safe you hear me?!"

Welf shouted back, giving me a thumbs up

"Safe trip, Master Bell, Miss Thousand Elf!"

Mikoto also chimed in, waving back

"Please keep safe, you two!"

Haruhime warmly smiled at us, it felt like a mother seeing off her children

""

"Lili wishes you both the best of luck!"

Lili smiled, she was trying to soothe Goddess by patting her in the back.

"Come back soon, Bell!"

Goddess was tearing up and looked like she was desperately trying to keep herself from running after us

"Yes Goddess! We'll be back soon!"

After addressing them a final time, I then looked toward my travel companion, with whom I locked gazes with

"Ready?"

She asked, and I nodded

With our travel bags slung over our shoulders, we began our journey with a step, and then another, until we passed by the gate, now away from home

...

Lefiya Viridis' POV:

It had been a little bit over six hours since Bell and I said our farewells to our friends and Goddesses and left the city for my home forest. The autumn, noon sun was now high up in the sky, shining its radiance down directly on us. Thankfully, the early autumn air was cool enough to offset the heat from the direct sunlight we received, along with the generous distribution of cumulus clouds that occasionally blanket the sky, also providing some respite from the warmth

Looking back behind us, we could see that Orario was now just a tiny dot in the distance about as small as a speck of dust despite the city's enormous span in area

Our progress so far wasn't bad, we certainly could have gone even further faster had we made use of our enhanced statuses, but that would tire us out quickly, which would be counterproductive. Also, we would prefer to enjoy the journey and not rush, soaking in the sights and experience since it wasn't everyday that one could leave the city

I wonder how mom, dad, and Leppy are doing? I bet they're worried sick for me

My thoughts wander as I glanced at the white-haired boy walking beside me, two meters away. We had remained quiet for a good part of the journey and just focused on moving forward, but we did share some discourse here and there

'To think that I'm bringing him to my home forest... '

I said to myself in my head, quiet incredulous that it would come to the point where he'd ask me to come with him to my home forest, it's almost as if...

The sudden realization made my eyes widen and blood rush to my face, insulating me from the cool breeze that frequently blew

'Oh gods, they're definitely going to misunderstand!'

My brain began to overheat at the thought of my family and friends mistaking us for lovers

Though, I don't know why but there's some part of me that didn't mind if they thought of it that way...

'Gah! Get it together, me! Bell's a friend!'

"Lefiya..."

I suddenly snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the aforementioned boy address me, a look of concern on his face

"Are you alright? You were making weird faces..."

He brought up, my flustered state was quickly replaced with embarrassment

"O-Oh! I'm fine! The chilly air's just getting to me a bit!"

I made up an excuse, which I'm not sure if he believed, since his gaze remained fixated on me. It made me a bit self-conscious for some reason

"Give me a bit..."

He then stopped in his tracks, unslung his bag from his shoulders, took of the jacket he currently wore, leaving him in a plain dark t-shirt.

"Here, please take it"

He then extended the jacket out to me, offering it

"B-But! I-I can't! What about you?"

I protested, although it was indeed just a bit chillier than what was comfortable, it wasn't intolerable, so he needn't do that!

My reluctance to take his removed article of clothing fell on deaf ears though, as he was adamant and unwavering, seeing the resolve his rubellite eyes held told me all that I needed to know. He wasn't going to take no for an answer

B-But he was actually willing to endure the chilly weather just so I could stay warm? Even if he didn't need to do such a thing for her sake

Once again, for the nth time today, I could feel my cheeks grow warm, but my heart was also beating faster for some reason, it was almost painful

"Lefiya, please"

He refused to back down

Swallowing all elven pride, I took the jacket he so graciously offered to me with his extended arm, put down my bag for a brief moment, and then slid into the garment, which was modestly loose, but comfortable nonetheless

'This is... Bell's scent'

My acute sense of smell picked up the white-haired boy's scent from the jacket, it wasn't bad at all... a pleasantly light tone of sandalwood with a very light trace of his perspiration, it was intoxicating

"Better?"

He apparently asked me, I had to ask for him to repeat what he said since I had been so preoccupied with the trace of his scent coming from his jacket, as much as I'm embarrassed to admit

"A-Ahm, v-very much so! T-Thank you very much, Bell!"

I stuttered out my gratitude towards the boy as we continued on our way. I was now much more comfortable with his jacket hugging me, the warmth it provided me made my hands grasp both edges of the jacket, pulling them to cover my body, insulating me more and providing me with more of the pleasant scent it had

"I-I guess we should stop here for a bit? It's lunch time"

Bell suggested, pointing towards a nearby large tree that provided a large shade, more than enough to accommodate two wanderers in search of respite from their journey

Setting our equipment down onto the grassy ground, we both sat down next to the tall and imposing tree, leaning against its bark as I closed my eyes and enjoyed the familiar and somewhat nostalgic feeling of just resting surrounded by nature. My ears picked up the sound of Bell rummaging through his bag, it seemed to be cookware as I could hear the sound of metal pots banging against one another

"Lefiya, please wait for a bit while I set up, lunch will be ready in a little while"

I heard him speak to me, I simply hummed in response as I was much too comfortable to even properly string a verbal response, the lovely feeling of being back in nature once again soothed me greatly, I was actually feeling a little bit drowsy but I fought the urge to nap

After a little while more of waiting and simply enjoying myself, a pleasant and familiar aroma was picked up by my olfactory sense, my eyes snapped open as I looked up at Bell, who was currently stirring a familiar, slightly viscous mixture

"Is that... Mama Mia's vegetable soup?"

I found myself asking, recognizing what the boy had concocted. He looked up from what he was doing to smile at me, nodding in response

"Yup! we had Mama Mia put together some easy-to-make meal packages for us"

He said as my stomach apparently began to notice what he had whipped up and was now making us know that it couldn't wait

*Grumble*

Overcome with embarrassment, I let out a soft whimper and curled deeper into myself, refusing to look at him as I heard him chuckle

"Don't worry, it's almost done!"

He reassured, which only served to further my embarrassment

.

"Here, it's hot so please be careful"

He set down a small serving bowl filled with a generous amount of the fragrant mixture for me, along with a spare spoon he had

"T-Thank you"

I muttered out in gratitude as I took it, and true to his words, the heat of the bowl startled my hand, making me almost spill the soup. Good thing I managed to get a better hold on it at once, or I would've spilt the mixture all over my clothes, and there was nowhere secluded enough to change so I would've been forced to walk in a dress stained with soup until further notice

"Woah, be careful"

Bell expressed his concern as he also helped to catch the bowl before its content spills on me, accidentally placing his hand against mine

'Wah! His hand is on mine!'

I mentally shrieked, yet found myself doing nothing and simply enjoying the sensation of his hand on mine

Normally, I wouldn't mind this much since I'm a bit liberal even for elven standards, growing up surrounded by different kinds of people coming from all walks of life. But for some reason, I felt incredibly shy around him all the time. Every time he looks at me, I immediately begin feeling self-conscious, I wonder if my hair is fine, if my clothes look dirty or unkempt in any way, etc. This all started ever since we got back from the dungeon after the failed expedition... I have no idea what's the matter with me...

"Ahm, sorry about that!"

He cleared his throat, taking his hand off of mine, which left me feeling bereft for some reason?

'I'm acting really weird today...'

Trying to keep my mind off things, I took in the intoxicating scent that emanated from the scrumptious concoction in the bowl on my hands

"Mama Mia's cooking sure is the best!"

I said before I even took a bite, it was just a fact of life and thus needed no further confirmation

But of course, I wanted that delicious confirmation, so I eagerly scooped a spoonful of liquid with some vegetables and put it up to my mouth, I couldn't resist moaning in delight at the richness of the taste, the Hostess of Fertility never fails to disappoint

"Ahem, indeed it is! I miss Orario already..."

Coughing into his hand for some reason, Bell agreed with my words as he also fed himself a spoonful, equally delighted with the taste

"Me too, it's been so long since I've last been away from Orario..."

I told him, keeping the conversation going between us

"May I ask when was the last time you've been away from Orario?"

He tentatively asked, so I decided to ease his worries by telling him about the time I had last been to my home forest around three years ago, I had just level up to level three after a successful quest to the twenty-eighth floor that Miss Ais, Miss Tione, Miss Tiona, and Mister Bete and I took. I was so happy for the first level up I received after coming to Orario from the Education District and converting my Familia, that I had to tell my parents about it in person so I went back to Wishe Forest after being away ever since I had enrolled in the Education District at the tender age of eight

He nodded here and there, signaling to me unconsciously that he was actively listening to my story, which prompted me to keep on going as I told him more and more about my life

"Wow, your family must have great faith in you to send you to live by yourself at such a young age..."

He commented, I found myself agreeing but thought not much about it, more like this was the only time I ever actually thought it over

I guess that I was indeed an incredibly precocious child, especially for elven standards, since my parents deemed me worthy enough to be sent to live by myself under the tutelage of scholars at such a young age

"Yeah, I guess so..."

I said, staring off into the distance

"Do you miss them?"

"Huh?"

I was a bit surprised at the question, so I made my confusion clear, asking for his confirmation

"I-I'm sorry! Was that too personal?"

The boy apologetically lowered his head, asking for my forgiveness

I chuckled at his cute display of repentance as I waved off his concern

"N-no worries, I was just surprised, that's all..."

I smiled, reassuring him that it was alright

"To answer your question, I do, in fact, miss them... we regularly exchange letters but actually being there, actually present with them... nothing compares to that"

He nodded, looking up to the sky

"That's true... even though I can't relate since I had nobody to talk to outside of Orario... or at least I had nobody until grandpa decided to rise from the dead and send me a letter"

His fists clenched as his face held an amalgamation of emotions, predominantly sadness and frustration

I grimaced, I was tactfully trying to avoid steering the conversation towards his no-longer-deceased grandfather, but I guess it was bound to come up eventually since it was still a long way from Wishe Forest

Curious, but still trying to be respectful, I tentatively asked him

"What are you going to do when you see him?"

He broke out of his absent-minded gaze to look at me as he registered my question

"I... I honestly don't know..."

He admitted as he choked back a sob, he was trying hard not to cry in front of me, but I wouldn't be so cruel as to not even comfort him. So, needing no asking, I took the initiative and embraced the boy, letting him sniffle and hiccup with his head resting on my right shoulder

"You don't have to answer right away... there's plenty of time to think..."

I finally responded after what felt like a minute of silence, as I was forced to hear his occasional sniffles and groans, which just broke my heart. In this moment, he wasn't a first-class adventurer, one of the strongest in the entire city of Orario... he was, in this moment, just a boy longing to see his grandfather, his last remaining family member

After a few more minutes of letting him calm down in my embrace, he finally got off from me as he wiped a tear off the corner of his eye and smiled at me gratefully

"Thanks Lefiya... I needed that"

He said to me as I smiled back at him and placed a hand on his shoulder

"No problem, that's what friends are for..."

He chuckled suddenly, getting my attention

"To answer your question, I think I might walk up to him, punch him in the shoulder, and then hug him..."

He responded, an excited grin on his face. His outrageous answer caused me to chuckle as well, just happy that the mood was now light again

"Well, the sooner we finish up here, the sooner you can do that when we get there..."

...

Third Person POV:

A hearty lunch done, the two travelers coming from Orario resumed their journey towards their destination. Another quarter of a day passes by in the blink of an eye, it had also been an hour or so since the sun had dipped below the horizon and the moon had shown itself to illuminate their path forward. After some searching, they had finally found an ideal place to set up camp, which was a small cluster of trees with a lake in between, much to Lefiya's delight.

"Oh! What luck!"

Lefiya chirped happily, her elven side ecstatic upon seeing our chosen oasis. It truly was a respite from our travels, the small yet private clearing most inviting as well as its lake in the middle that reflected the soft moonlight glow

"Agree, my feet hurt from walking all day..."

Her white-haired companion complained as they walked towards the safe space

Weaving through the low-hanging branches of the dense concentration of trees flanking the clearing, they reached the heart of the grove and stood breathless before the shimmering lake, its surface aglow with an otherworldly light.

"How beautiful..."

Bell couldn't help but mutter to himself as he gazed upon the lake, but after receiving no response, turned his look towards his elven companion, who remained transfixed, her eyes focusing on the lake

Suddenly, as if sensing the boy's curious gaze on her, she turned forward and locked gazes with him

'How beautiful...'

His earlier words which she just so happened to hear ran through her mind as her face suddenly became red

'W-W-Wait! Was he talking about the lake or...'

The thought of the boy calling her beautiful was too much for her maiden heart to handle

Refusing to look in the boy's direction, she turned away to hide her embarrassment, greatly confusing the boy with her odd behaviour

"A-Anyway, how about I set things up so we can have supper?"

Starting a conversation to dispel the awkward mood between them, Bell suggested and she nodded slowly, but still refusing to turn her head towards him

"S-sure... I-I want to take a bath first though..."

Her elven side talking, Lefiya said

"a-and don't even think about peeking, mister!"

She finally turned to look at the boy, a threatening glare sent his way, which made the boy defensive

"I-I wouldn't even think of doing that!"

Raising his arms in defense, the boy exploded red in embarrassment as he denied his elven companion's accusation

He began to crack under her glare, when suddenly, it turned into a cute chuckle, confusing him momentarily

"I know, I'm just messing with you, hehe"

She admitted, playing a trick on him, which he didn't seem to find amusing as he sighed but didn't want her to think that she had offended him, so he chuckled along, although nervously

"Of course I trust you not to look, Bell"

Her tone was sweet, as if she truly did trust the boy not to overstep his boundaries. It was so that Bell would never be able to forgive himself should he indeed break her trust

"Don't worry Lefiya, I'll be minding my own business"

The boy said, making her smile

"Come, let's put down our things"

She grabbed his arm, leading him as they looked for a cozy place where they can put their things down

Walking around, they eventually found somewhere, a small and private space surrounded by trees, sizeable enough for them to set up their things and bivouac

"Perfect! I'll get on with supper, you can go and take a bath down by the lake"

Bell said as he set down his large bag and started rummaging for the cookware he used earlier, Lefiya nodded and also placed down her things beside his bag and took out what she needed, mainly articles of clothing and a towel to dry herself

"Alright then, I'll be down by the lake, call me if you need something"

She told the boy, who was busy setting up the space some distance away where he'll be cooking, as she left and walked down towards the lake to do her business

Unbeknownst to them, they were not the only ones in the area

A group of small, winged fairies stalked both outsiders who dare trespassed their home, watching with annoyance as they settled and made themselves comfortable. It was distasteful enough for them that they had waltzed into the vicinity, but to stay for the night was absolutely presumptuous and disrespectful of them, so the fairies devised a little scheme so that they'll be forced to look elsewhere for a place to sleep

Debating amongst themselves, they thought of a funny little trick to pull that was sure to work. It was merely simple and harmless pranks since fairies, by their nature, although were playful and cunning, were ultimately kind-hearted beings who would do others no harm

Both travelers were currently busy so they set their plan into motion

Stalking towards the bags they had set down some distance away from the boy who was currently busy whipping up a delicious meal, they slowly and methodically unstrapped the belt that fastened Bell's futon on top of the bag he carried, making sure to be as noiseless as possible in order to avoid attracting any attention

With a little bit of effort and patience on their part, two fairies were able to successfully release the fasten as the rest of the group stood ready below the rolled-up futon, ready to catch it and prevent it from falling onto the ground with a thud

Cackling amongst themselves, they left the area to dispose of the futon somewhere they won't be able to find it, half of the job was done

Some time later, they returned for the futon fastened to Lefiya's own travel bag, but had to retreat back into hiding when Lefiya came back from the lake, done with her bath as she approached her bag to put her clothes away, failing to notice the result of the fairies' little prank as she was much too preoccupied with the lovely smell that exuded from the white-haired boy's section

"Is that... salmon?"

She asked, in disbelief that the boy had brought meat with him

"Yup, I brought a few pieces with me and covered them with salt so that we can eat some on the journey, I've used up the pieces I brought though so we should restock somewhere..."

He told her as he took the last piece of salmon sitting on the fire to cook and placed it on a wooden plate and added some mixed vegetables coated in a creamy sauce

Taking a whiff, she recognized the scent of the sauce and asked him

"You also brough cheese with you?"

Bell nodded and showed her the small roll of cheese he held in his hand, it would have been whole if not for the modest sized chunk missing which he used for the sauce

"Yup, I'd say this'll last us a few more days"

He said, setting the cheese down somewhere safe while he grabbed his own plate

"Come, let's eat before the food gets cold"

.

"Got to say, you're quite the cook, Bell"

Lefiya complimented the boy as she set down her used plate, who chuckled sheepishly as he finished the rest of his food

"Ahm, I'm not as good as Miss Haruhime or Miss Mikoto, but I'm pretty good with a knife"

"Both in the dungeon and in the kitchen it seems"

We both laughed good at my joke

A comfortable silence then fell on us as we simply enjoyed the heat that the bonfire provided us

"Well, I suppose we should set up our futons so we can get some sleep, early day tomorrow..."

Bell then broke the silence with his suggestion, his elven companion nodded in agreement, they could really use some sleep after all that walking for the entire day...

Getting up to their feet, Bell and Lefiya dusted themselves off before making their way to their bags which were still settled to the side

"Alright, let's... huh?"

Bell's sudden grunt of confusion alerted the elf near him, who walked up to him to see what the problem was

"Bell? What's wrong?"

She peeked over his shoulder and saw that the strap that was used to fasten his futon was undone, but his futon was nowhere to be found

"M-My futon! It's not here!"

Standing up, Bell began to frantically search the area, hoping that his futon was nearby, but alas, it was not, for the mischievous fairies from earlier had kept it somewhere he'll never find, they were laughing at the boy's misfortune as they witnessed him search the place tirelessly

"Found it?"

Lefiya asked with concern, but the boy's troubled expression gave her the answer she was looking for

"T-The strap must have come undone and the futon probably fell earlier... I can't find it!"

He admitted, thinking out loud as he sighed and walked back toward his elven companion

"Well... I guess I'm sleeping on the floor tonight, such misfortune..."

Laughing off his misfortune, he was about to go collect a few branches and fallen leaves to make a comfortable pile for himself to rest on, but Lefiya stopped him

"W-Wait..."

Fidgeting with her fingers nervously, she struggled greatly to get the words out of her mouth, her maiden heart found the idea she had in her head to be utterly outrageous, but her proud and uptight elven side refused the thought of her sleeping soundly while the boy suffer a sleepless night, so it proposed a compromise

"I-I have a suggestion..."

She was fidgeting so hard, she couldn't believe that she was actually about to tell him this... it was beyond embarrassing...

"Hm? What is it Lefiya?"

His casual demeanor didn't help her at all, might as well get this over with, she thought

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she blurted out

"How about we share my bed?"

...

...

...

...

"WHAT?!"

The painful silence that was created by her words was curtly broken by the white-haired boy's screech of disbelief, at an utter loss for words at her suggestions. No way, it was too much for this pure boy to handle

'C-Calm down Bell... I'm sure Lefiya's just being friendly... d-do friends even do this?!'

The boy thoughts were racing, trying to reason out and justify the elf's words, chalking it up to her just being friendly, but even his innocent mind couldn't help but doubt that idea since as far as he knows, friends don't usually do that, especially of the opposite sex

The elf was faring no better, for her face exploded in red upon blurting out her words and the boy's response to her suggestion, she was beyond embarrassed and ashamed, so much so that she wanted to crawl into a hole and just hide forever, never to come out

"L-Lefiya! I-I don't know if that's a good idea!"

Vehemently protesting, Bell's hands were flailing around as he tried to talk the elf out of it

"I-It's fine with me, b-better than you sleeping on a pile of leaves, especially on such a chilly night..."

She reasoned, trying to convince the boy that it wasn't a problem for her

"T-That's not the issue here!"

He replied, also trying to prove his point that this wasn't something they can just casually do, even if they were now friends...

Seeing as the boy was much too stubborn, Lefiya sighed

"Look, if you need to hear this... I trust you, Bell"

Mustering up the courage, she disregarded the shame and embarrassment she felt earlier and looked the boy in the eye, showing him just how adamant she was about this matter

The boy was at a loss for words, she actually wanted him to sleep beside her? It wasn't that he had a problem with her at all, it was just way too intimate, going beyond a simple, friendly relationship as they currently shared

Her beautiful, blue irises staring deep into his rubellite ones, he could see the resolve they carried within her. If there was one thing the boy liked about her, it was that ever-present fire burning in her eyes, her resolve to give everything her all and then some, no matter how trivial.

Sighing and rubbing his temples, which began to ache, he spoke to her

"You're really adamant about this..."

She nodded, any remaining embarrassment was quashed by her awakened elven pride, which could not stomach the idea of her getting a peaceful and comfortable night's rest while the boy suffer in the cold, without even a sufficiently comfortable surface to rest on

Sure, they were adventurers and they could sleep anywhere, if there was another option then why not?

"Y-yes I am, so please don't worry about it!"

Lefiya confirmed as she freed her own futon from the straps of her bag, unfurled it and then laid it on a decently clean spot on the floor, then she placed the blanket and pillows on top, then slipped into the covers

Scooting over to give him space, she was confused since the boy was still standing where he had been earlier, his inner thoughts still in turmoil

"Are you just going to keep standing there all night like a creep?"

His hesitation both annoyed her as well as embarrassed her once more, as her face grew red once more at how bold she was acting, beckoning the boy to come and get into her bed

"Oh boy, here we go..."

Bell muttered quietly to himself, but Lefiya's enhanced hearing picked it up. His words made her eyebrows furrow

'Does he dislike the idea of sharing the same bed that bad?'

Before she could think too much about it though, Bell excused himself as he slid into the covers as well. The width of the futon was more than enough to span both of their lithe bodies, with a few inches of allowance to allow some room to wiggle around. It was a snug fit but definitely not uncomfortable

Both of them laid back to back, not knowing what to say to dispel the incredibly awkward atmosphere that formed between them

"G-Goodnight Lefiya..."

"Y-Yes... good night to you too, Bell!"

Bell mustered up the courage to break the silence and wish his partner a good night's rest while Lefiya returned his wishes, stumbling on her own words a little bit due to the embarrassment

After that, not a word more was spoken as they tried to drift to slumberland

Bell, after a little while, felt his companion beside him shake and shiver, along with hearing a few sniffles here and there

'She's cold!'

The boy thought, looking at the soft orange glow coming from the flame of the bonfire some feet away. Despite the source of warmth, the evening cold was especially formidable, and thus overcame whatever heat that the fire had tirelessly provided.

His chivalrous nature refused to ignore the female beside him, who was currently struggling to fight back the cold and just drift off to sleep. So, he called to the elf beside her to get her attention

"Lefiya"

All he got from her as a response was a hum of acknowledgement as she turned her head a bit to be able to look at him, curious as to what the boy had wanted

"Here, please take my shirt and use it as another blanket to help keep the cold away..."

Bell offered as he started to take off his shirt when Lefiya grabbed his arm, stopping him from doing so

"Y-you'll also feel cold! I don't want you getting sick!"

She spoke, a mist of hot air expelled from her mouth due to how chilly it was getting

This wasn't good, the night was just going to get colder and colder, but she was being stubborn... what else is he to do?

"I-I have an idea..."

Once again, she told the boy that she had something in mind that'll take care their current predicament

"a-and that is?"

The boy tentatively asked, his gut told him that it was probably going to be as outrageous as her suggestion that they share the same bed...

Well, he was right... but it was much more outrageous this time

"H-How about we share body heat...?"

Lefiya, half-delirious from the cold one can assume, blurted out like it wasn't a big deal

Bell though, after hearing Lefiya's second outrageous suggestion for the day, nearly jumped out of the bed then and there were it not for Lefiya's steady grip on his hand, preventing him from doing so

"W-Wha-?"

He began, but the elf started becoming annoyed due to the lack of sleep coupled with the white-haired boy's protests, so with an annoyed tone of finality, she spoke

"Look, it's the only way both of us can get some decent sleep tonight, since there's pretty much no other option!"

Bell's eyes widened, surprised by the tone the elf had used toward him, she wasn't angry but it would be best not to push back too much, so he just agreed to the setup, still quite in disbelief

They eventually settled into a spooning position, with Bell facing away while the elf buried herself onto his back, wrapping her left arm around him and she pressed their bodies together, creating as little distance between them as possible to minimize heat loss

'S-So comfortable...'

Lefiya smiled as she sunk into the feeling of comfort that the boy's warm body had provided. It was definitely working to lull her bit by bit into a good night's sleep

Sighing at the situation he currently found himself in, Bell smiled at the predictable and rhythmic sound of Lefiya's breathing, it is a reminder for the boy that she was alive, she was here.

Ever since they had gotten back from the failed expedition more than a month ago, the boy had been occasionally plagued by nightmares of the death of his elven companion at the hands of the mysterious, red-haired monster of a woman. Every single time, it ends the same way, with her driving an arm through her limp body as he was powerless to do anything else but watch. He always woke up from the nightmare in a cold sweat, panting heavily and clutching his erratically beating heart, a mixture of emotions going through him, from anger to hopelessness and grief.

That is why the steady breaths of the peacefully sleeping girl next to her provided him great comfort and reassurance that they were alright, that she was alright

'I'm glad you're alright, Lefiya... I'll always be there to keep you safe!'

His weary eyes becoming much too heavy to maintain open, he allowed himself to lose the battle against slumber as sweet unconsciousness took him, the last thing he noticed as he was slipping into somnolence was the sweet smell of his female companion, a scent he now came to like and take comfort in

-Fin-

Wooh! Finally done, hopefully the 8k word count and numerous vanilla moments were enough to compensate for the long wait. Although sorry for the ending, it seemed a bit rushed since I'm literally writing this tired af, I'm literally struggling to stay awake as I finalize this chapter to submit it and finally move onto the next one. Same chapter will probably take as much time as this one, though it'll be easier to write since there's actually some plot occurring and not just filler content like this chapter lol. Once again, thank you very much for taking the time to read my story! Please leave a comment down in the comment section in how I can improve the story for you guys! Thank you and I'll see you all again soon!