WHERE DID THE TIME GO?

Bell was far more keen on elaborating on his grandsons, even the ones that were not biologically related to us, "Lyn believes in the power of his beauty and Charm is a walking Pokémon encyclopedia."

Which pretty much indicated that Fluffy's genes were still going strong.

Lyn had been adamant about mating someone more beautiful than he was. Recently, he had paid his Grandpa Bell a visit because he read about a Tyger legend and wanted to know if Grandpa Bell could transmigrate such a girl that would meet his criteria to him.

He even brought the book detailing the process of "drawing a soul out from the water."

"If you wish it, I could grant it. But it would cost something of equal value." Bell answered waving away the book reference languidly.

Wait what? I interrupted Bell, "You could do that?"

Bell smirked, "My love, given the right price, what can I not do?"

In Lyn's case, the cost of his wish would be his beauty.

"How could that be worth the trade?" I exclaimed on behalf of my future grandson.

Which turned out to be his thought too. Luckily, Lyn inherited a brain with those looks. He left to do more research, "I will return with an alternative proposal."

Which seemed to be the answer that pleased Bell.

His brother dropped by to visit Grandpa Bell a few days later.

From a very young age, Prince Charm was exceptionally fond of Prince Ignatius' youngest great great granddaughter, Pika. Short for Princess Pikachu*. (*Not her real name.)

I think it was cute that they attempted to name themselves after Pokémon of corresponding powers. It was also cute that the Pokémon craze somehow found its way up the legendary Colored Mountains.

Okay, cute wasn't the word I was looking for. More like baffling. The future sounded seriously mad. I could so see myself a grandma shaking my head at all the crazies the young ones were running into.

"You're Mew, by the way." Bell informed me, "Charm says Mew is like the mother of all Pokémon."

Wth. Don't look so proud of something like that!

Anyway, Charm also had a heartfelt wish. Ignatius had told him to stay away from his great great granddaughter in no uncertain terms. As usual, Ignatius had done so with the charm of a jackhammer, and Charm was very offended. 

So now Charm wanted revenge (because pettiness was in Fluffy's bloodline like that.) Bear in mind, the both of them were still middle schoolers so it wasn't like Princess Pika was Prince Charm's soul mate or anything. Charm just didn't like to be told no.

And as expected of Fluffy's descendent, he had conjured up some over-complicated plot and was wondering if Bell might like to capture Princess Pika so that he could be a hero to save her, but only after Ignatius begged him enough.

85X - Bell noticed the marker on our path, "Time seems to slip by so quickly, and the months quickly become years."

"It seemed like only yesterday that these troublemakers were just born, but one by one, they find their own feet and run." Bell shrugged, "From that moment on, they are nothing but trouble."

I nodded, unsure of how to respond to this new Bell. Bell made a lot of old man talk now that he was a bona fide grandpa.

"They just won't leave me in peace." He complained most happily.

Because there was more. Not only did both his grandsons on Felix's side came by, Felix himself came to know about what his sons had been plotting. (I wonder which old grandpa tyger accidentally leaked that? Haha.)

Anyway, Felix was alarmed enough to also visit Bell with a wish of his own. He wished for Bell to NOT grant wishes for any of his sons.

"Dad, you know and I know that the cost of the wish will far outweigh it's benefits." He had gravely told Bell.

"I did warn them." Bell answered as haplessly as possibly, "But they seem determined to find a loophole."

They would! Those two would take it as a personal challenge to their genius now. I didn't even need to meet them to know.

"They would come to regret it." Felix felt sure. Therefore, he would make the wish first and be the only one to regret. There it was, classic Fluffy logic at its finest.

In my second life, I had come to know Fluffy's magnetic attraction to dramatic self sacrifice. For all his genius, he seemed involuntarily drawn to plotting his own Joan of Arc story.

Anyway, the cost of Felix's wish was quite dire. Bell promised not to entertain Lyn and Charm's wishes so long as Felix personally kept the old Tyger entertained.

Thus Felix had been spending every afternoon keeping Bell company (because they were after school hours when the boys might possibly sneak over).

On the days he couldn't be there, he had pulled strings to make sure JL4 would drop by, even if it were just to make sure his pups were no where near.

JLV had come once or twice too. He had noticed the unprecedented social activity at the Tyger King's lair and came to investigate... Subtly of course, in the guise of a casual visit.

Bell felt quite sure he was about to be even more busy in the future since he had accidentally let slip about the existence of a certain treasure of unimaginable destruction. None of his children or grandchildren felt the world could risk such a treasure falling into the wrong (Grandpa's) hand. They were sure to plot multiple elaborate schemes to steal or trick it out from under his nose.

OMG Bell! If you wanted your grand kids to visit... I'm sure there would've been a more straightforward way to go about it.

65X - How did we get here so quickly? Did we take a short cut? We had only been walking and talking. Bell just went on and on... I just listened, barely able to recognize the people he spoke about, even though he recalled them as if I was there with him.

I wondered if Bell had any regrets after all these years, "If you could go back and do everything over again, would you do anything differently?"

"Hm?" Bell raised a brow at me, and then he sighed, "Perhaps I should've been around more when our own kids were pups."

I nodded silently again, but mostly because I neither expected or understood the sentiment.

"Maybe have more conversations with them while they were still talking about Pokémon, playing ball, and going to school." Bell smiled a little wistfully, "Most of my memories of our boys growing up were through Ki's evening reports."

"My later fatherly attempts with Henri were so clumsy they were laughable." Bell confessed, "It's a good thing she had always been a sensible and considerate pup."

"Henri must be your favorite." I guessed.

Bell didn't even bother to deny it, "You think so too?"

"I suppose." Bell shrugged as he considered it, "It's not the first time I've been told, but it's hard to say no when she looks so much like you."

"Oh." I said, because it sounded like Bell was saying he wouldn't say no to me either.

"You too." Bell growled, so quietly I nearly did not hear it.

Me? What? I blinked.

"I should've spent more time with you too." Bell said, he laughed just a little, the low familiar rumble, "Not that you needed me around, I know,  I'm just being greedy. I wanted to keep you always by my side, but maybe I should've just swallowed my pride and stayed by YOUR side."

I had to take a double take, just to make sure I was still walking with Bell.

"What?" Bell asked.

I wasn't sure what kind of expression I was wearing so I quickly wiped it off, "Nothing. I was just thinking that your grew wiser."

It was a joke! I grinned at Bell, to make sure he knew that.

Bell shrugged, and then he laughed. His laugh was still the best sound in the world.

"Maybe me too." I admitted, "I should've treasured you more."

Because we were suddenly passing 50X and the realization that this moment, like every other one I had with Bell was fleeting.

{My life is but a single prayer, a single breath into the air.}

"I'm glad." I told Bell, "That I get to spend this life with you."

Suddenly, it felt quite clear, at least in the stories from Bell's hindsight, that this would be the man I love for a very long time.

Eh? We stopped walking. 19X. Bell stopped to examine his name with the ~❤ next to it and the words scrawled on the white ground in permanent ink, "I wish you were here."

I made a face as I read those words. This was why one should not scribble love confessions where your love might pass by.

Bell smirked, "I wasn't strong enough to reach you then."

He looked down to consider the words again before concluding, "I've kept you waiting."

I shook my head quickly, "I was just... It's not..."

My brain wasn't cooperating.

We walked in silence for the next few X's.

"Thank you." Bell smiled tightly at me, "For not giving up on me. And… for being there for the pups when I wasn't, and for being there for me to come home to."

I looked up searching his expression for a clue to what he was talking about.

Bell opened a portal, "This is your stop. I'll be leaving Ki with you. Take care of him for me."

Haha, why would those be his parting words?

Wait, were those really his last words? "Bell...are you dying?"

It couldn't be!

Bell smiled wryly, "In a hundred years or so."

But why? What? How? We were supposed to live at least a few centuries, Bell was a healer wolf, Bell was a Tyger, Bell was...

Anyway, we were supposed to live happily every after! FOREVER!

"It isn't your fault. I had burned most of life force even before I met you." Bell informed me, even though his face was much older, the expression was the same as the arrogant smirk that he sported from the first time I met him.

"No regrets." Bell forced another tight smile and then pushed me gently towards the black rectangle.

I think... I think "No regrets" was probably only said by the wolves in my life who lived the most recklessly. That was all I could think at the moment. 

I looked back once more, but all I could see was the black plume wrapping about its master, and also around me so that everything was dark. 

"See me on the other side."