Summary: Meliodas is on a personal quest to find the other Seven Deadly Sins. But when a girl disguised as a knight comes crashing into his bar, she reminds him of the crimes and the past he wishes he could leave behind.

Hey Everyone!

Lickitysplit and Dom here! We are very excited to bring you our first collaboration. It was a pleasure getting to work together on this story, and we can't wait to share the adventure with you! For those lovely readers who haven't read the manga yet (we feel sorry for you by the way), warning, there are spoilers ahead.

Chapter 1

"Hey! You can't bring that pig in here!" Meliodas looked over at the shopkeeper, who was hurrying around the counter of the store. "We don't allow animals in here. He needs to stay outside."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Meliodas looked down at Hawk. "Sorry buddy, I guess you're going to have to wait for me."

"Oh, nuts!" Hawk huffed, turning and trotting out the door.

"Did—did that pig just talk?" the shopkeeper stuttered. He stepped around Meliodas to stare out the door.

"I don't think so," Meliodas answered. "I have a list here of things I need, can you help me out?"

A short while later, Meliodas stepped outside to where Hawk was waiting. "It's going to be about an hour," he said. "Let's go find somewhere to wait. And try not to talk to anyone, okay? I don't want any attention."

"Why not?" Hawk squealed. "I thought we were going to advertise today."

"We'll do that tomorrow." They walked through the small town together until they reached the center. Families milled about in the warm spring day, and children ran after each other screeching and laughing. Meliodas sat on the edge of a fountain that was in the middle of town, and Hawk laid down on the warm stones of the town center at his feet.

Meliodas was enjoying the sights and sounds of the peaceful town when two children caught his eye. They were pulling on an old man, who laughed and hurried after them as quickly as his elderly body could. "Let me sit here," he puffed to the young ones, and took a seat on the fountain a few feet over from Meliodas. "There now. Your Grandpap needs a rest."

The girl moaned, but the boy hopped up on the old man's lap. "Can you tell us a story, Grandpap?"

"Yes! Tell us about the old war!" the girl screeched, climbing on the fountain ledge and leaning against her grandfather's shoulder.

The old man frowned. "That again? Your mother says it's too violent."

"Pleeeeeease?" the little girl asked, and the old man laughed. "All right, but I'll tell you about how the world was saved. It wasn't by a great battle, you know."

"It wasn't?" The little boy's eyes were wide. "Didn't the Holy Knights defeat the demons, Granpap?"

The old man shook his head. "Nope. It was love that saved Britannia."

"Love?" the children squealed, faces scrunched up like the word itself would spread its cooties. "You're making this up!" the boy whined.

"It was love. A goddess and a demon, in fact. They fell in love, and in doing so brought about the end of the war."

The girl made a face. "How could a goddess and a demon fall in love? Demons are so ugly!"

The old man chuckled. "Maybe not all of them are. Because this goddess took one look at him, and he looked at her, and it was love at first sight. And they loved each other so much, that it made the other clans fight even harder against the demons who wanted to destroy everyone."

"Let's go, Hawk," Meliodas said suddenly, jumping up from his seat. "Our things should be ready soon." Without waiting for an answer, he started walking back towards the store, whistling with his hands behind his head.

Hawk lumbered up on his hoofs and jogged to catch up. "I kind of wanted to hear the rest of the story, you know," he muttered.

"He wasn't telling it right anyway," Meliodas murmured.

.o0o.

"Here you are, brother."

Meliodas swept his hand in a wide circle, gesturing to the field that would be the stage for the next battle in the Great Holy War. Zeldris followed his gaze, and then looked back at him, confused. "Here is what? I see nothing."

Meliodas shook his head. "This is yours, your battle. I'm handing the command over to you. You've been asking for a chance to prove yourself to the king. Now is your chance."

Zeldris regarded him suspiciously. "You're handing command of your demons to me." It was more of a statement than a question.

Meliodas nodded. "The Fairy and Human clans will be here within the day. It should be an easy victory for you."

Zeldris huffed. "And what will you be doing while I do all the work?"

"I'm going to head around them, watch them. I want to see how the Holy Knights attack." Meliodas frowned. "They seem to be getting stronger, and I want to know why. If I can watch them in action, then I might find a clue."

His brother nodded, cracking a devilish smile. "All right, then. But you will not interfere with any of my commands, you understand?"

Meliodas nodded. "As you wish, general." With that, he turned and walked away. He made his way through the demon camp, observing with satisfaction the captains making their final preparations. Over three thousand lesser demons stood ready to attack at the first sign of the Holy Knights rumored to be on their way, with five hundred more who, like Meliodas, were ranked and reported to the demon king directly.

He reached the edge of the camp and stole silently into the woods. They were in the western part of Britannia, and had been systematically burning down the forests there, partly rooting out Fairy tribes and partly corralling the human and giant clans towards the north, where the full force of the demon clan continued their advancement. He made no sound as he crept through the trees, his senses tuned to detect any scouts from the approaching army.

After covering a fair distance, he could hear the sound of marching from miles away. He stopped and decided to find a spot to watch the battle. Choosing to go up, he quickly hopped up the branches of a partially burned oak tree, and perched on a bough. Less than ten minutes later, he could see tiny dots approaching the field.

As they came closer, Meliodas contemplated how strange it was to see them together. The different races, as an unspoken rule, did not associate with one another. This had been to the demons' advantage, making it difficult for Britannia to rally itself once the demon king had ordered the invasion. It was only recently that they had begun to not only band together, but to work with one another, and he found it very curious. Not that he held any ill will towards them; on the contrary, he—well, perhaps admired was too strong of a word—he commended them, perhaps. But the demon race had grown too large to be held in its realm anymore, and the king wanted Britannia for his own; what the king wanted, they delivered to him.

Meliodas watched the approaching soldiers closely. The Holy Knights he found begrudgingly impressive. Most of them had power levels that matched or exceeded the lesser demons; some even could meet a ranked demon and not perish instantly. It was almost a shame how futile this all was for them. They still remained convinced that the demon clan could be defeated, as ridiculous as that thought was.

An unusual light caught his eye, and Meliodas turned his focus. Goddesses, was his first thought. It seemed that way; there was an unmistakable energy coming from the middle of the company. But closer inspection revealed the silver-haired Druids that traveled with the soldiers. Meliodas was glad. Goddesses were an entirely different thing altogether. He would have never let his brother lead this battle if he had thought one would be fighting.

Soon the battle began, and he watched closely how the clans worked together, formed their lines of attack, and communicated among the generals. The tide of the battle seemed to ebb and flow between the two groups, but Meliodas was never concerned. No side's power was limitless; and the demons had a reserve of power that outmatched the Holy Knights tenfold.

When the battle was decided, the Holy Knights ordered the retreat, and those that remained began moving to take cover. He was distracted by one figure that headed into the forest where he was hiding, and he jumped into the next tree to see who or what had the misfortune of going in his direction.

It was a Druid, her telltale silver hair gleaming in the late afternoon light, swishing back and forth as she ran. She pressed against a trunk of a tree once she was well beyond the treeline, and spared a precious moment to catch her breath. How unfortunate for her. She was not nearly as safe as she assumed she was.

Meliodas lifted his hand. He wouldn't even need to remove himself from the tree in which he hid in order to kill her. It would be quick, painless; a death he didn't grant many. All it would take was a single swipe of his hand and—

Meliodas' hand froze in mid-air as her head leaned back against the tree. She brushed her bangs away from her face, her hair and clothes clinging to her from the sweat and heat of battle. He noted the mark of the Goddess on her right eye, as distinct as the mark of the demon clan that was over his own.

As she stood there, slowly breathing in and out, he was captivated; no, it was so much more than that. He watched the rise and fall of her chest, her eyes flutter closed, a bead of sweat that slid from her temple down her porcelain throat to finally pool at her collarbone. Something about her stunned him completely. His senses heightened, but all he could hear was her steady inhales and the thundering in his own chest. His vision narrowed so that he could memorize every curve, every line. A hundred years could have passed in that single moment and he wouldn't have noticed, let alone gave a damn.

His thoughts were interrupted as a demon crashed through the trees: one of the big red demons, with his sights set on destroying all in its path. The Druid screamed and tried to run, but her foot caught on a root and she tumbled to the ground. The demon roared and raised its hand to strike, but Meliodas jumped between them in a flash. His sword was drawn before his feet hit the ground, and he swiped at the creature. "Get back," he commanded, but the demon took no heed.

It lunged forward again with a roar. Meliodas called again for it to stop, but the demon swiped its claws at him, catching him in the chest. He realized that since he had given up control to Zeldris, he would not be able to stop it with just a command. The demon swung its arm, daggers shooting from its grasp, but Meliodas avoided it easily. He jumped into the air, and a moment later it crashed to the ground, its head and limbs severed from its body.

He landed easily and turned to the Druid. She was on the ground, watching him with wide, fearful eyes. Even afraid she was still something incredible to behold. "Who are you?" she whispered.

Meliodas stepped towards her, and then stumbled. The gash across his torso had nearly cut him in two, and he rolled onto his back, sucking in deep breaths as his body slowly recovered. He could feel how deeply the poison from the attack was embedded, and groaned as he thought how excruciating it would be as he gradually healed. What in the hell had he been thinking?!

Before he knew what was happening, he felt himself being lifted. A hand grasped his own. He looked up into the glowing face of the Druid girl. Her eyes were closed, and a faint light covered her like a halo—a light that should have avoided him like the plague. She was whispering, and the movements of her mouth as she murmured her spell hypnotized him. Instantly he felt better, as if the light that surrounded her was weaving its way inside him.

Within minutes, the wound was gone, and he was able to sit up and breathe with no difficulty. The two sat on the ground, face-to-face, regarding each other for a long moment. "Why did you do that?" he asked, amazed.

"You saved my life," she answered. Her voice was as enchanting as the rest of her. Then she laughed, causing his heart to skip a beat. "Why did you do that?"

"I don't know," he said, honestly.

"What is your name?" Her smile warmed him.

"Meliodas," he answered without hesitation. Why did I tell her that? he wondered, finding that he didn't really care, either way.

"Meliodas," she repeated. Hearing his name on her lips turned his blood into fire, yet sent delicious shivers down the length of his spine. "Thank you, Meliodas."

The demon was struck dumb. Never, in the centuries upon centuries that he had lived, had anyone ever thanked him, for anything.

The girl sucked in a breath, reaching behind her shoulder. She pulled a needle out, staring at it in horror. Meliodas clenched his jaw. "You've been poisoned," he said gravely.

"It must have been during the retreat," she whispered. Her hand was trembling and she dropped the cursed needle to the ground.

"Can't you heal yourself?" he asked, finding it curious that he genuinely cared.

She shook her head slowly. "Only others. I will need the power of a Goddess for this." She quickly stood, and he scrambled up after her. "I need to go before I'm discovered. Will you be all right?"

For the second time, Meliodas found himself speechless. This girl was poisoned by a demon, and she was concerned about him? "Let me help you," he said, not ready to have her presence leave him so soon. Why did I say that? He asked himself again. He knew he couldn't possibly go with her… but he couldn't just let the girl wander off alone while she was poisoned.

"I'll be fine…" she began, and then stumbled as the strength left her body. Meliodas caught her before she hit the ground, pulling her against him. She was as light as a feather and he lifted her easily. "Which way?"

She pointed towards the north, and he took off at a brisk pace. "What is your name?" he asked her.

"Elizabeth," she answered softly. Her head grew heavier until the poison got the better of her, and she pressed her face into the nook of his shoulder.

Elizabeth… He repeated it in his head over and over until the syllables meant nothing. But the inticing pang of excitement it gave him every time he thought it was enough to keep him running straight towards enemy lines.

What a beautiful name...

.o0o.

The Boar Hat was bustling, as busy as it had ever been. Every chair was taken, every table filled, and Meliodas hurried between filling glasses at the bar and serving up food. The noise was overwhelming, but he was glad for it. The more people in, the more information he could gather.

There was one thing everyone seemed to be talking about: the Rust Knight. Meliodas kept a smile on his face as he served drinks and food, but stayed attuned to the conversations surrounding him. Some said it was a giant, some said it was a demon, but everyone agreed it had to be one of the murderous Seven Deadly Sins. It didn't sound like anyone he recognized, and Meliodas wondered who it actually was.

The door crashed open, and a gigantic knight in rusted armor staggered into the door. The crowd fell silent in fear. The Rust Knight swayed, unsteady on its feet. "Seven… Deadly… Sins…" it moaned. All at once, the men of the town screamed and ran, knocking over chairs and stools in their scramble to get away. "The Rust Knight!" Hawk squealed, ducking behind Meliodas' legs.

In moments the bar was empty, and Meliodas huffed in frustration. "There goes an entire day's work," he muttered to himself.

Jumping over the bar, he stood in front of the knight. "Who're you?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips. Abruptly, it toppled over onto the floor. The helmet flew off, and Meliodas leaned over to take a closer look.

"What is it?" Hawk shouted, trotting over. He peered down. "It's a woman." It took a moment to register, and the boar yelled in surprise, "It's a woman!"

Meliodas frowned. Her face looked vaguely familiar, although he had no idea from where. But that's not what concerned him. First, she had long silver hair that spilled out around her. He had only ever seen silver hair on the Druid clans; in fact, he hadn't seen silver hair on anyone in hundreds of years. Second, the blue earring she wore looked too expensive for an ordinary girl. It had the crest of the royal family, and that made him uneasy. It was odd enough that the Rust Knight was revealed to be a girl; a girl from a family in the king's court would not go unnoticed. Someone would be looking for her.

But what bothered him the most was how he felt as he looked at her. There was strange ache in his chest that was incredibly familiar. He had felt the same twisting several times since he had first come to Britannia. It can't be, he thought to himself.