Grown to hate

Chapter 14: The report

Noelle snuggled the blanket that covered her body. She was entranced by the familiar smell it had, and it brought her comfort. She opened her crusty eyes to find herself in a room that had a cracked window. The light had made it harder for her to see with her already blurred vision, so she used her free hand to rub them. After a few seconds she began to process her whereabouts, and had a sudden realization.
"AHHHHHH!"

Asta sat in front of a lake keeping his eyes closed. He tried to maintain his focus, he listened to the breeze whisper into his ear, and inhaled the scent the plants around him released. He felt something move, but nothing had physically touched him. He opened his eyes and looked to his right. He found a small rabbit chewing on a stem of a wildflower. He kept his focus on the rabbit and felt it's presence in a different way. A smile crept onto his face, and he chuckled to himself.
"I'm surprised I didn't figure this out sooner." He said.
"Talking to yourself again? Go talk to that Noelle girl if you're so lonely." Liebe said.
"Shut up. It's not weird if I talk to myself, is it?" Asta asked.
"I don't know, but I can imagine you talking to me out loud can look weird. Now that I think about it, that girl knows about me. What would happen if she says something?" Liebe asked.
Asta kept staring at the rabbit which had come closer to him. He gently pulled out some grass and left his hand lying flat on the ground. The rabbit hopped its way towards Asta and sniffed it before stealing the blades of grass for itself. A strange, yet tranquil feeling resonated throughout his mind.
"I can trust her. I can't think of a reason that would cause her to rat me out. Besides, from what I saw last night, she took a liking to you."
"How do you know that?" Liebe asked.
"It's hard to say, but her eyes just seem more vibrant when she's happy. I could have you talk to her more often... if she'd like to."
"Why do you even care about her? What good has she done for us? What good has she done for you?"
"I don't know, but the fact that she cares for me just makes me feel welcome. It's not like she was forced to befriend me, she chose to befriend me. Besides, after we get done with getting our revenge, we'll have our own reason to continue living."
"What do you mean by that? You aren't planning on living the rest of your life with her, are you?"
Asta had stopped speaking, and stared at the clouds. Nozels words kept repeating in his mind. "I—I don't know."

"Asta!" Noelle frantically searched every corner of the base hoping to find the boy she worried for. Her mind created thoughts which only had made her more anxious.
     Magna, Vanessa, and Finral were also helping the girl find Asta. Unfortunately, the four couldn't even find a clue of where he went.
"Rasta, show yourself damnit!" Magna shouted.       
"Shut the hell up!" A deep masculine voice shouted.
Noelle had sprung her head up and she dashed towards her captain. "Captain Yami, have you seen Asta?!" She asked with her eyes glistening.
Yami blew out smoke which he accidentally directed towards Noelles face. As the girl coughed he said, "That brat went to train, he should be back soon. Now shut the hell up, I have to shit in peace!"
Noelles brow twitched, and she clenched her jaw. "That idiot." She grumbled as she curled her hands up into a fist.
"That boy slept in for two whole days, and then went to train the moment he got up. If that's not dedication then I don't know what is." Vanessa said.
"That's not dedication, that's pure stupidity! That dumb, stupid, short, muscular, kind, violent, idiot!" Noelle shouted.
Magna chuckled as a bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. "That poor Rasta will have it coming to him when he gets back. But I can't deny how manly he is for doing something like that. Imagine just healing from battle, and training right after that with no break. Just ama-"
"Shut up! What he's doing is not manly, it's just stupid! He'll kill himself if he continues to be this stupid." Noelle folded her arms, and aggressively sat down on the couch. Her foot kept on tapping the ground, and she chewed on her lip.
Vanessa giggled seeing the young recruit so worried. "There's no point in being so worried about him. I'm sure he's being careful with his training."
"I'm not worried about that idiot. I have no reason to be worried about him." Noelle said with a slight blush.
Magna tilted his head, and squinted his eyes. "You sound like you're worried."
"Shut up, you delinquent! I'm not worried! I'm not!"
"Hey! I'm your superior!" Magna complained.
"Shut up, insect." Noelle said with a prideful tone.
The door opened causing the three to turn their heads in its direction. Magna and Vanessa felt sorry for what was to come, and Noelle tightly gripped onto her wand. She saw the bruises being partially covered by Astas torn clothes, and her anger only spiked.
"Good morning." Asta said as he took a step inside the base. His eyes stayed closed, but he was able to sense a large object coming in his direction. In an instant, he sliced the water ball in half thinking it was one of Lucks attacks.
"Where the hell were you?!" Noelle asked rushing towards Asta. Her steps were heavy, and had power. She lifted her right hand, and was about to land a slap on his face, but was surprised when it was caught instead.
Asta felt the smooth skin he touched, and opened his eyes. "So that's what your ki feels like." He said.
Noelle pulled her hand away and stomped on Astas foot. She grinned as Asta yelped, and she started pulling on his ear. "Where were you?" She asked in a grim tone.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Asta wiggled his toes and tried releasing Noelles grip from his ear, but she only pulled harder.
"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?!" She shouted. Her vision had blurred and tears were ready to fall from her eyes. "You were horribly injured and unconscious for two days straight! And then the morning you finally wake up, I find out you go train instead of rest! Do you not care about yourself? If you can't take care of yourself, then please just do it for me!"
Asta's scowl had faded. He bit his lip and he gently placed his hand on her shoulder. In a quick moment he brought the girl into the tight hug and Noelle melted into it.
"I'm sorry for making you worry, but I didn't do any serious training if that helps. Just some mental training." He said.
Noelle sniffled and used Asta's shoulder to wipe her tears. Her vision had cleared and she was met with Vanessa's squinted eyes staring daggers at her. The woman had a malicious grin painted on her face, and Noelle's face had heated up. The girl was brought back to her senses by feeling the boy's gentle squeeze around her body. The affirmation from the hug was enough to drown her embarrassment away.
Asta pulled away from the hug, but Noelle still kept her arms on his back. "I just remembered that we have a report to give." He said.
Noelle's cheeks were still tinged red, but gazing the boy in front of her filled her chest with a rush. She huffed and her hands made their way down to his. The boy instinctively gripped them and paid no mind to the girl's behavior.
"We should get some breakfast first." She suggested.
The boy's stomach had grumbled. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea." He said.
The two walked toward the kitchen hand in hand leaving the bulls only staring at them.
"Those two called me single in every single language." Finral complained.
"Oh, those two are fucking." Vanessa remarked.
"You people jump to conclusions too fast," Magna shook his head. "They just seem friendly to me." He said.
"You're a special kind of stupid, aren't you?" Vanessa huffed and followed the two new recruits to the kitchen.