Chapter 1
Once upon a time, a long time ago, a withering yet young woman, knocked on the door of a bar, a cradled baby in in her arms.
"Little Mary? Come in, come in! To what do I owe the pleasure of such a visit?" an impossibly young man with bright green eyes and messy gold locks said eloquently, surprised.
"Dearest Meliodas, how ever did you know it was me?" the woman named Mary asked. Her voice was weak and weary, and her caramel colored hair was greying with stress. She looked far too old for her age.
"Alas, you are the only one who knows my direct coordinates, little Mary." the man dubbed Meliodas responded, still oblivious of the child in her arms.
"Must you call me little Mary? I'm hardly that young anymore." she said, annoyance etched into her features, but her bright blue eyes shared a glimpse of adoration at the nickname. Meliodas laughed.
"You forget. To me, you will always be that little girl I met, all those years ago." Meliodas said, practically oozing nostalgia. He then noticed the swaddled baby.
"Oh! I see that the babe was born. A girl or a boy?" asked Meliodas, looking far too excited for a man to be. He giggled girlishly as the ungendered baby in Mary's arms let out a large yawn, showing a mouthful of toothless gums.
"Meliodas, meet your niece, Rose." Meliodas stroked a pale finger down Roses face, cooing softly in baby talk.
"As much as I wish this was just a social call, I'm afraid I came for reasons other than meeting my child. I came to ask you a favor." Mary said, gently placing Rose into her Uncle's grasp, his eager fingers wrapping onto her blanket, securing her.
"My, my! She's so little! Hello little Rose, I'm your uncle Meliodas." He gazed into eyes that matched her mothers. He then looked up. "A favor, little Mary? Ask away. I'd do nearly anything for you."
"Take her away."
"Wha-?"
"I know it will be difficult...but please, Meliodas. Please, take her away." Tears were in her eyes now, and all earlier mirth was stripped from the room. It seemed that Rose was too young to understand, as she still wore a small grin.
"I- I don't understand. Why should I leave with Rose?" Mary took a deep breath, filling her lungs with air before slowly releasing it. Meliodas could see tears threatening to spill.
"The fact that I was able to deliver her is a miracle. I've always been in poor health, and you know that. I am weak and I will die soon. The doctor said I only have few days to live."
"Despite that! I'm really sorry, but little Rose should stay with your family, not with me. It's not safe. You know that I'm in the middle of a war!" Meliodas said to Mary with an incredulous voice.
"I know, I know! But you're different from your family. She can't live a life like a human girl. Just- just look at her chest, right above the heart. She can't live with anyone other than you."
Giving Mary a confused look, Meliodas gently rearranged the blanket off of his niece to reveal a patch of skin in the center of her chest where the heart is. Right there, is the mark, the same mark he and every member of his clan had on their body.
"How- how is this possible? I know for certain that she is his daughter. I didn't think that she could have some of our characteristics, but now I think I understand your request. What about her father?! He will not happy about your request!" Meliodas said to Mary, his thoughts in a chaotic frenzy.
"He will think that we both died. I love him, Meliodas, but- but I can't let him to raise my sweet Rose. You and me both, know that he will find me soon. That's why I asked my doctor to deliver him a letter in which it says that the baby and I died in childbirth. You're different from the rest of your clan members. You love us humans, and more importantly, you respect us. So please, Meliodas, for me, take Rose for me."
There was a stiff silence in which the tension thick with consideration. Not once did Meliodas and Mary look at each other, and instead, they gazed at Rose, still in her uncle's arms.
"I will do as you asked me. I promise to you that I will protect her, and she will be always happy and loved." Meliodas said, even despite the tears that were streaking down his flushed cheeks. A sigh of relief could be heard from Mary.
"I cannot thank you enough, Meliodas! You- you are the best friend I could ever have asked for." Mary stood up straighter and wiped away her tears with the edge of her sleeve, before speaking again. "Before I go, I want to give her something."
Meliodas nodded, and gave Mary her child into her outstretched arms. Mary then took off her necklace, a simple gold chain with an elegant rose gold engagement ring, with a small sparkling diamond embedded into its exterior. Unsurprisingly, she put the garment on her daughter neck.
"Is that-?"
"Yes. My engagement ring. It's the only thing of any value I could give her to remember me." She said. Mary pushed her caramel hair over her shoulder and leaned her head to whisper to Rose, tears flowing freely.
"My little Rose." She cried, shoulders shaking. "I'm sorry I have to leave you. I wish nothing more than for you to grow by my side. Always remember that I love you from the bottom of my heart. Always to listen to your heart, be strong and always listen to your uncle. I know he can be weird sometimes, but he's a good person and he loves you very much." she said, a small laugh at the end of her speech, then kissed her forehead.
Mary put her daughter back in Meliodas's arms and said:
"I'm sorry, I- I have to go."
Meliodas nodded and kissed her cheek, before giving Mary one big, final hug, carful of Rose in-between them.
"I'll miss you." He whispered into her hair. Letting go, Meliodas turned around, with Rose in his arms, and quietly escorted Mary out the door, only the sound of distressed sobs from both parties.
That was the last time Meliodas saw Mary. He asked around, and learned she died the day after their meeting. The war then ended, just a day after that, where his clan forever sealed away.
Now he had a new purpose in his seemingly immortal life: raise his niece. The question is, how does an immature man raise a baby without screwing up ?