Chapter 503 - Becoming Family
"Oh ho!" Kana yelled out as a blob of water appeared in front of her. She poked the blob of water, but surprisingly it did not break. Seeing the blob of water made Kana wish she had a cup. Since the things she wished for both came true, she decided to try her luck once more. "If only I had a cup to put the water in…."
Kana looked around and almost cheered when she saw a cup rise up from the rock next to her. She picked it up and examined it. When she saw it was fine she scooped the blob of water up into it and took a sip. "Mmm, tasty! Bell here, try some."
Bell was awake but quiet. She seemed to be still trying to process everything that had happened. When Kana moved the cup to her lips and tilted it, she did begin to drink. Luckily Bell was a good girl and still listened.
From that day on, Kana found that she was able to use fire, water, and earth magic, which helped a lot. She had used earth magic to transform the cave she was in into a real home, a place where both she and Bell could live comfortably. Bell never spoke a word of what happened. In fact, she had not said much since that day.
A week passed, and Kana had just come back from hunting. She had a few rabbits in her hands as she entered her new cave home. She looked around but did not see Bell sitting in the spot she normally did. Kana began to panic and tossed the rabbits to the side as she yelled out: "Bell!? Where are you!?"
"K-Kana…. It hurts..." A muffled cry came from one of the rooms Kana had made. It was the one she created to be their bathroom. She had used earth magic to create a really deep hole in the ground to use as a toilet.
Kana quickly ran over to find Bell curled up on the ground, shaking like a leaf on a tree. "Bell, what's wrong!?"
"Kana… It hurts… I need something… I don't know what it is, but I need something!" Bell cried out. Her entire body was covered in sweat. Her eyes were blood red, and two little fangs protruded out of her mouth. Kana did not know why but she felt like she understood exactly what was going on.
Kana walked over to Bell and scooped her up into her arms, and sat down on the floor. She then used her claw to slice a wound in her right arm and placed it by Bell's mouth. Bell's nose twitched and, on instinct, dug her little fangs into Kana's wound and began sucking her blood. Kana petted the top of Bell's head. She did not even feel the blood in her body being sucked out. If it was such a low amount, it did not affect her at all. Bell only drank Kana's blood for a couple of minutes before lifting her head and burying it into Kana's chest. The wound on Kana's arm quickly healed as if it was never there, to begin with.
Kana patted the back of Bell's head and asked: "Do you feel better now?"
Bell nodded her head and then wrapped her arms around Kana and hugged her tightly. "Mommy's never coming back, is she?"
Kana was dreading this day, but she knew it would eventually come. Kana nodded her head as she replied: "Your mother, Melinda gave herself up in order to keep you alive. My guess is that as long as she went with them, you would be safe if I brought you away with me. I could only do as your mother asked.
"I know all of this is hard to understand for you right now but, just know your mother did not give you up because she wanted to but because she was thinking of your own safety. But that does not mean we can not still live a good life. I learned how to do magic… and was able to make this cave into a warm cozy home for us. It might not be as good as the wooden house I built, but it is still very good." Kana tried her best to comfort Bell. She was still so young and was already dealing with such things. Kana really felt it was unfair.
"Kana, you won't leave me, right? You will always be by my side? Will you be my new mama?" Bell asked in an almost inaudible voice.
Kana's heart melted as she hugged Bell tightly. "Mm… I will be your mama… And I will always be by your side."
Kana's words seemed to have made Bell calm down as she snuggled into Kana's embrace and fell asleep. Kana knew the little girl had not been sleeping well the past few days. But it seemed she must have been worried about being abandoned again. Kana gently lifted Bell up and walked out of the bathroom and into their bedroom. She decided dinner could wait until later. She laid Bell down on the grassy bed and then laid down next to her. She stroked the top of Bell's head and whispered softly. "I promise to allow you to grow up healthy and strong, and then one day you will venture out on your own and begin your own family… Family… This word seems so nostalgic… I wonder if I had a family before I woke up that day..."
Kana has been questioning a lot as of late. She wondered why she was suddenly able to cast magic and why taking care of Bell came naturally to her like she had taken care of a child before. But she couldn't remember if she really had or not or if this was just a big case of deja vu. Whatever the case may be, she now had a big responsibility to be a good mother to Bell, now that she was going to be her mama. "I need to buckle down and make more things for the house. I can not let Bell be bored all day. Need to make some wooden swords as well and train Bell how to fight."
Kana began planning one thing after the next trying to come up with ideas to help Bell grow up strong.