12Out in the fields grinding as Rino had termed it was going fairly well, Accelerator was level 4, and they had, as Rino put it 'Balloons for days'. They had been grinding for a few hours now and nothing remarkable had happened. They decided to camp the night out and see if Accelerator could make it to double digits by the end of tommorrow. After they had set up camp Rino looked at Accelerator.
"You doing okay?" Accelerator turned to her.
"Yes, Why?" Rino gaped at him.
"I only just really thought about it but you killed someone to save me. How are you not reacting in any way to that?" Accelerator sighed.
"This wasn't my first time killing someone." Rino looked at him in disgust.
"You've killed before?" Accelerator nodded.
"Yes, not something I'm proud of but I have done it." Rino opened her mouth but Accelerator shushed her with a motion from his hand. "But I will tell you something, when I was trying to help someone who I hurt because of what I did, what I had become. I got shot in the head and ended up here! So scorn me sure, but don't call me heartless 'cause after my eyes got wrenched open by someone I saw what I had done." Rino looked him her eyes softening.
"Why did you do it?" Accelerator turned to her.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to talk to anyone about that yet." Rino nodded.
"How many?" Accelerator let out a strangled, choking kind of laugh.
"10 031 people." Rino's horrified look made him laugh in the same way. "Yep, you're talking to a mass-murderer." Rino looked into his eyes and only one thing: self-loathing. She moved over to Accelerator's side. Sitting next to him she murmured.
"I'm guessing you were being used?" He nodded
"Like a tool." Rino put an arm around him.
"Don't think you are the villian." He looked at her.
"How?"
"Your eyes."
"Aah" They sat together looking at the flames of their campfire until Rino broke the silence.
"Well, we better get to sleep. After all we've got to get back to Erhard in the morning." Accelerator smiled.
"Right." Rino unrolled her cloak, which she had rolled up make it easier to carry and laid down on it.
"'Night 'Cel you take first watch." Accelerator gave her an almost unnoticeable smile
"Right, goodnight." He settled down keeping a look out for any monsters with half an eye on the camp fire in case it went out.
-Timeskip brought to you by a lazy Author-
"'Cel, Wake up you lazy bugger." Accelerator opened an eye to see Rino glaring at him. He immediately lept up, eager to avoid her wrath. The campfire had obviously gone out pretty recently. Rino smirked at him.
"Scaredy cat." Accelerator glowered at her.
"Very funny." She snickered.
"It was." He got up, miffed, and stretched.
"So what did you want me for?" He asked.
"To do a final sweep, just in case." She answered.
"Alright then." They started sweeping the area around them. They had been doing this for about an hour when a sickly sweat voice filled the air.
"Sir Motoyasu can you hurry up! My father wants to see you now! Can you do that for me?"
Rino stumbled.
"Alright Myne. I'm coming." A male voice filtered through all the tittering that ensued.
Rino let out a gasp as she fell to the ground head clutched in her hands, shaking. Accelerator took one look at her and could tell, this wasn't in fear, this was in rage. Throwing himself at her he pinned her to the ground. She glared at him fire burning in her eyes. Accelerator shook his head furiously somehow resisting her attempts to get him off. When the tittering had faded into the background Accelerator turned around and noticed three balloons way too but suddenly they all popped as three bullets came rocketing through them. Accelerator turned round and saw a small figure with orange eyes and a brown hooded cloak. The Figure gave him a little wave as if to say 'no thanks needed' Accelerator nodded at the diminutive creature and it turned around and headed back off into the plains. Accelerator's attention was brought back to his companion when she turned around and slapped him.
"Why did you stop me." Rino seethed as Accelerator picked up his helmet, which had fallen off in his haste to pin her down. "You know what she did." Accelerator turned around.
"And?" Rino looked outraged.
"She sold me to slavery!" Accelerator glared at her.
"So you go to her level?" Rino took a step back.
"N-no but." Accelerator faced her fully.
"Well that's what attacking her would do. Also with the idiot spear present? It was suicidal." Rino nodded but still looked angry. Accelerator sighed, "Look, I'm not trying to get you to forgive her, just trying to keep you from doing something I know you'll regret." Rino started to cry.
"I know but how can I just act like nothing happened." Accelerator looked at her.
"I dunno, that is something you have to do alone. Just like I have to make peace with the fact that there is blood on my hands. For me being a hero for people who need me is enough to try, just try. I got this chance somehow, I am not going to throw it away." Rino looked unhappy but still nodded. Accelerator seeing this decided that they should probably head back. "Do you want to head back?" Rino immediately seemed to brighten up at the thought. She nodded.
"Sure."
They headed back to Erhard's shop only to get a scolding from the blacksmith, after which he asked for them to be his hunter's for the time being. Rino also took to wearing a hood when in public, When Accelerator asked about this she told him it was to stop her from being recognised incase the Spear hero's party came back into town. The had settled into a routine but that all changed when the shield hero came back to Castle Town.
So, yeah over half a year in the making but it is here. Sorry it took so long but man, it just didn't want to come out. I knew I had to do three things in this chapter, the hooded figure, grinding and Motoyasu, but they just didn't want to happen, so yeah, sorry for the time lag but hey the next chapter should be the 2nd wave so it should(in theory) be easier.
Sorry for the wait.
Any constructive feedback is welcomed.
See ya.