Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit

Chapter 225: Heartbreak



"Hm? Are you alright, Ravella? Is there something bothering you? You seem a bit tense," Remarked Aster, as he noticed the nervous look on Ravella's face.

"Huh? N-No, uh, I'm totally fine. Yeah, I...I'm just a bit tired, I guess, that's all. Never been better," She responded with a nervous smile.

It was a few hours later, Ravella had met up with Aster for dinner at a restaurant. They were about halfway through their meal, and she'd been pretty quiet and a bit awkward, struggling to keep her cool.

While she was determined to confess her feelings to him, the thought of doing so had her more than a little nervous. With no sense of composure in her mind, she was struggling to keep her cool and make conversation.

And Aster had noticed. While he wasn't sure exactly what was troubling her, he could definitely tell that she wasn't her usual self.

"So, did you have any trouble while taking charge of the squad?" Aster asked her, in an effort to start up a conversation and help ease her nerves.

"Huh? Oh, uh, no, not really. I mean, I was a bit nervous at first, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to handle it, but I settled in pretty quick."

"I see, that's good. Hm, maybe I should make you Vice-Captain instead of Tacitus, he definitely wouldn't complain about that, knowing him," Responded Aster with a wry smile.

"Y-Yeah, he's more likely to be thrilled than upset," She nodded, calming down a bit.

"What about you, do you want the position?"

"I don't know, I haven't really thought about it. But I'm not opposed to it, at least," She replied with a shrug.

"Cool, maybe I'll run it by the Commander," Suggested Aster.

As he continued to keep the conversation going, Ravella's nerves steadily eased, before she began engaging more too.

They talked about each of their experiences during the last few days, though Ravella didn't have much to add since she'd had a pretty uneventful time while Aster was in Anima.

As they chatted away, they steadily finished their food, before ordering some dessert to wrap up the meal.

Ravella's nerves began to return as they waited for the dessert to arrive...with the meal almost over, she had to prepare herself to confess her feelings, her primary objective tonight.

"Ahh, that was good. Haven't been to this place in a while, looks like they've improved," Smiled Aster, as he patted his stomach.

"Uh, yeah, it was really tasty. Their desserts are supposed to be really good too," Remarked Ravella with a nod.

"Oh, right on cue," Responded Aster, as their waiter returned.

"Mhm, yeah," She replied, pinching her leg to try and calm herself down as she felt a sense of anxiety welling up.

They dug into their desserts, Ravella practically wolfing it down to try and ease her nerves.

"Looks like you're really enjoying that," Smiled Aster.

"Huh? Yeah, um, it's really good," She responded with her mouth full, before thinking to herself, "I need to calm down, I'm way too nervous! Come on, I can do this, just take it easy..."

Despite her efforts to compose herself, she couldn't ease her nerves, finishing off her dessert in no time before waiting for Aster to finish his.

As he finished up, he flagged down the waiter and paid the bill, before the two of them headed out of the restaurant, Ravella's heart practically beating out of her chest.

"That was a great meal, I'll definitely be coming back here again. Hm? Hey, are you feeling okay? You look a bit flushed, don't tell me you have a fever or something," Frowned Aster, as he glanced at her with a look of concern.

"O-Okay, no one's around, this is it. I'm going for it," She decided, clenching her fists in determination before speaking as she glanced at Aster, "H-Hey, um...I have something to say. I-Is that okay?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah, of course. What is it?" He responded, looking even more concerned.

Her face was red, she was very visibly tense and nervous, and she was taking deep breaths.

"I-I, um...I...I...I LOVE YOU!!!" She blurted out as her mind blanked and she panicked for a moment, freezing as the words spilled out before lifting her gaze with a look of dread on her face.

"H-Huh?"

"I...I'm in love with you, I have been for a long time, ever since you saved me from the church. I-I've wanted to say this for so long, but I was too scared, and things never seemed to work out the way I wanted...but, um, yeah. That's what I wanted to say...," She mumbled, her face bright red as she struggled to look him in the eye.

Aster's eyes widened slightly, opening his mouth but he couldn't think of anything to say. He was completely taken by surprise, struggling to respond.

But he knew that he had to.

He was silent for a moment, before taking a breath to compose himself and gather his thoughts. As he calmed down, he met her gaze, as she waited nervously.

"I...I'm touched, I had no idea you felt that way about me. I truly appreciate how you feel, and I'm really flattered, but...," He began, before continuing with a slight grimace as her expression began to twist with dismay, "I have feelings for someone else. You're a dear friend to me, but I...I'm sorry, I can't return your feelings."

"I-I see...I was too late, huh? If I had to guess, it must be the Commander. D-Damn it, I-...n-no, don't cry. I can't cry...at least, not yet," She thought to herself as her heart broke, fighting off the tears she felt starting to well up, before putting on a smile and responding, "H-Hey, you don't need to apologize, you aren't obligated to feel the same way, you know. I-It's no big deal, really...so my first love ended up in heartbreak, I'm definitely not the first person to experience an unrequited romance, so yeah."

"I...I'm sorry, I didn't want to hurt your feelings, but anything less than an honest response wouldn't have been fair, I feel bad about-..."

"You don't have to be...like I said, you aren't obligated to return my feelings. A-Anyway, um...look at the time, it's getting late! I, uh...I should get home. I'll see you later!" She blurted out, before hurrying away before Aster could respond, her lower lip quivering as she did her best to hold the tears in.

A short while later, in Amethyst City...

"Hm? That's weird, are you expecting someone?" Inquired Raven, as the doorbell rang.

"No, not that I remember, anyway. I wonder who it could be, this late?" Frowned Celia, as the bell rang again.

"Let's see...oh, it's Ravella," Remarked Raven, as he sharpened his sense of smell.

"Huh, I wonder what she wants? It must be important if she came over now instead of waiting till tomorrow," Replied Celia, before the two of them headed for the door, the bell ringing again.

"Hold on!" Called out Raven, before unlocking and opening the door, his twin sister stepping inside without a word, her head hung and her shoulders slumped.

"Hi..."

"Hey, what's wrong?" Raven asked her as he shut the door, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, did something happen?" Chimed in Celia worriedly.

"I-I, um...I-...," She began, her voice cracking as her trailed off, before a choked sob escaped her lips.

The dam broke, tears pouring down her face as she collapsed onto her knees, before she began wailing in anguish as Raven and Celia knelt down beside her.

"I think I get it...she must have finally done it, confessed her feelings to Aster," Realized Raven, holding his sister as she cried into his chest.

"Hey, it's going to be okay, we're right here with you," Remarked Celia gently, as she rubbed Ravella's back.

She'd realized what must have happened too, Raven had told her about what seemed to have happened between Aster and Jules in Anima, and given Ravella's heartbroken breakdown, it was a fairly obvious conclusion.

"Yeah, just let it all out, sis," Added Raven, patting her head as she continued bawling uncontrollably.

"Wh-Why...?! It's...it's not fair, I...! Damn it! What did I do to deserve this?!" She cried, her fists thudding against Raven's shoulders as her emotions flooded out, unable to keep them contained any longer.

"Hey, you haven't done anything wrong. I know it sucks, but this is just unfortunately a situation where no one's in the wrong. I can't imagine how you must be feeling, but it'll be okay...if nothing else, we're here for you," Celia assured her.

"Yeah, she's right. It must have been tough, holding your feelings in for so long, only for it to end like this. If you need to vent, or anything else, we're right here," Added Raven, as the tears continued streaming down Ravella's face...


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