The Story of Aria and the Slayer

Chapter 16

Aria opened her eyes slowly, trying to make out her blurry surroundings. She expected to wake up on the stone cold floor of the training room, but found herself in the comfort of her given bed.

Pressing a hand to her forehead, she sat up with the plush covers still draped over her legs. She winced at the movement and leant onto the backboard behind her. Her body still lightly ached from her previous exertion, but she wasn't nearly as exhausted as she'd been before she collapsed.

She blinked, realizing something. She collapsed. So how did she end up in her bed?

A soft click caught her attention and she shifted her gaze to the door. As she suspected would happen, the Slayer stepped into the room and eventually his stare drifted toward her. His eyes widened a fraction at the notice of her conscious state.

“Oh, you finally decided to wake up,” he drawled, further welcoming himself into the large space of his own room. His hair was tied back and his hands were missing the white fingerless gloves he usually wore during his ‘outings.’ It was likely he'd only been training. “You've been passed out for some time now. I was wondering how much longer you'd make me wait.”

Aria brushed her fingers through her own tangled strands. “So I was asleep for…?”

“Two days.”

“What?” she breathed out in shock. 

A single slash had knocked her out for two days. It was almost unbelievable. Though it made her wonder if the technique had been that complex or if she was simply weak. She hoped for the former.

The demon shrugged, glancing at his own empty bed. “You heard me. Two days. And I suspect your body will need a bit more time to recover from such a … draining experience.”

“Speaking of that,” Aria murmured, “how did I … uhm … get back here? I remember collapsing in the training room.”

She could've sworn the Slayer tensed. His expression seemed conflicted, but he'd faced away from her too quickly for her to really tell. “How do you think you got here?” he replied in an annoyed tone, as if the answer were obvious.

So Aria thought about it for a moment. And when it hit her, her eyes widened and she could feel a slight flush rise to her face. That was the second he'd been forced to carry her through the building. She was almost glad she hadn't been awake to have to deal with such close proximity to the demon. It was hard enough the first time. Then again, she wasn't nearly as terrified of him as she was back then.

The Slayer huffed suddenly, snapping her out of her thoughts. “Don't look at me like that. I was just doing what seemed easiest for me at the time.” He himself didn't exactly appear to be as unaffected by the event as he may have hoped to let on. There was a certain stiffness in his movements, in his words, that gave him away. Still, he waved a hand in dismissal of the subject. “Besides, you have more important things to worry about. I fully intend to bring you with me on an … outing by the end of next month. So you better improve within these next several weeks.”

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Over those next passing weeks, improving and resting was all Aria could focus on. There'd been no time to continue pursuing her goal, or even her interests in the Slayer's past in general. After all, any hints of humanity that she could lure out with stories of his old life could be a potential step forward. Not to mention she somewhat enjoyed getting to see those genuine emotions and fondness he often tried desperately to hide.

Though she had a feeling she'd eventually cross a line. A line that was both a risk and a necessity to continue past. And that fact was exactly what she proved to be true the day before her official debut into the real world of the tower.