At the wedding, it was all about parents walking their children down the aisle, not children dragging their parents to get married. Bella and Natasha had nothing to do with the ceremony itself. They didn’t need to slaughter a chicken, burn yellow paper, exchange household registration books, or contribute money. They just sat quietly, stood when needed, and clapped when appropriate—that was enough.
After the wedding, the newlyweds, filled with romance, decided to honeymoon in Spain. Amidst everyone’s blessings, they headed to the airport, leaving the two “tagalongs” to fend for themselves.
With nothing better to do, Bella and Natasha went hunting in the forest. Bella noticed Natasha’s marksmanship had significantly improved since the spider incident.
“I have a rough idea, but still, how did your shooting suddenly get so much better?” Bella asked, pretending not to know.
“It’s just my natural talent. Don’t be jealous!” Natasha replied smugly.
The young beauty wouldn’t admit she hadn’t made much progress in hand-to-hand combat but had intensely trained her shooting skills at S.H.I.E.L.D.’s training base, complete with professional instructors and ample facilities.
Bella was genuinely surprised. She had also spent a lot of time honing her shooting skills, with her superior physical condition and Shao’s guidance, often practicing in the wilderness. Yet, her skills were only on par with Natasha’s now.
Could talent really make such a difference?
Both girls marveled at each other’s marksmanship, secretly deciding to keep practicing harder.
After comparing their shooting, they didn’t neglect their personal combat training.
The dense forests outside Forks, much more secluded than the small parks in Los Angeles, were perfect for their sparring sessions.
Bella used a proper fencing sword while Natasha wielded a baton.
In close combat with cold weapons, Bella had a significant advantage. Though Barbossa’s supposed lifetime of swordsmanship had some exaggerations—who had ever seen a pirate captain not drinking or womanizing, just practicing swordsmanship alone? Pirates weren’t sword saints; their martial skills were just passable.
But Bella estimated that Barbossa had trained hard in his youth, giving her a solid foundation and allowing her to dominate the beginner Natasha easily.
Natasha had a slight edge in shooting, but Bella completely overpowered her in close combat with cold weapons.
After their sparring, they lay on the grass, chatting.
“Where exactly did you learn fencing?” Natasha asked.
“I learned from Carlisle Cullen. You saw him at the wedding—the tall, middle-aged doctor.”
Bella quickly fabricated a story about being favored by an elder and taught special skills. The tale was part truth, part fiction, ensuring that even if Natasha asked Carlisle, she wouldn’t uncover much.
“That guy? Now that you mention it, he did give me a dangerous vibe.”
Bella nodded repeatedly, “Stay away from him. He’s really dangerous.”
Considering Natasha would be in serious trouble if she confronted a vampire, it was better for her to keep her distance for her own safety.
They spent half a month in Forks, then returned to Los Angeles.
The Winchesters had dealt with the bodies, and the criminal neighbor Constance had been put on the wanted list. The new house was no longer a problem.
Dragging their bags, exhausted, they walked into their home.
Having grown used to the quiet life in Forks, adjusting to Los Angeles was challenging.
After getting stuck in traffic for hours, Bella kicked off her high heels upon entering the house. A college and high school student still had differences; at least Bella wanted her attire to be more mature, growing tired of pretending to be youthful.
“Someone seemed to be watching us from the corner earlier?” Natasha noted her heightened senses from special agent training making her very sensitive to such things, more so than her companion.
“Really? Didn’t notice,” Bella replied, unconcerned. “It must be my beauty attracting attention!”
Natasha, tired of Bella’s narcissism, hauled her suitcase upstairs.
Bella lay on the sofa for a while before heading to the bathroom for a shower.
With such a large house, everyone had their own bathroom. While it lacked the crowded charm, it offered much more freedom.
When Bella emerged, wrapped in a towel, hair tied up, barefoot, Natasha had already set up a game console in the living room.
“Oh, such a child!” Bella taunted.
Without looking up, Natasha retorted, “Better than an overgrown kid!”
“That’s it! I’ll show you my skills! Give me a controller!”
Bella sat down cross-legged on the floor, letting her hair down, and grabbed a controller, ready to battle Natasha in the game.
The game console was similar to those from her previous life, though developed by Yashida Enterprises instead of Sony.
They played a game reminiscent of Ninja Gaiden.
Their teamwork was nonexistent, both following a hero’s path, relying on their quick reflexes to charge ahead.
“You’re quick with your fingers! Solving personal problems often?” Bella teased.
“Your fingers aren’t slow either!” Natasha shot back.
“You’re almost dead!”
“Impossible! My gameplay is godly!”
They mocked each other, their relationship not quite friends, not quite sisters, hard to define.
“I’m thirsty. Get me a beer.”
“Kids can’t drink beer.”
“Want one too?”
“Okay, fine!”
Natasha slowly raised her head, her gaze seductive. “You get it. Charlie told you to take care of me.”
“Who’s afraid of who?”
Bella bit her lip, her expression showing a hint of vulnerability, pulling her bathrobe slightly higher. “Look at my legs. Aren’t they pale? I’ve been driving all day. I have no strength left to stand. You go.”
Both were too lazy to move, trying to make the other fetch drinks. In the end, they achieved mutual resistance to each other’s coquettish behavior.
“Think about Charlie’s instructions. I’m your poor little sister, deeply traumatized by the spider incident.”
“Don’t make me laugh! You didn’t seem traumatized examining those spider legs! I’m the one who was injured. I still feel sick thinking about those spiders.” Talking about spiders made Bella angry.
She pushed Natasha’s shoulder. “Aunt Samantha told me to keep an eye on you. You need more exercise. Look at your calves; they’re getting flabby. As your sister, I’m responsible for your health. So, you go, be good!”
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