Written by: BWinner

BWinner's Note: This kinda popped into my head after reading another AU piece for this pairing. I'm not that well versed in Seven Deadly Sins yet, having only seen what's been released on Netflix and the first four volumes of the manga. However, I love King and Diane; lords they are so cute especially with how worked up King gets over her. Since I'm so behind on things though I thought I would just take what I know and put it towards a little AU fic, things might get OOC of course.

Warning: Language, Adult situations, OOC, AU,

Pairings: Harlequin"King"/Diane. Meliodas/Elizabeth(established), Ban/Elaine(established)

Disclaimer: I do not own Seven Deadly Sins; it belongs to Suzuki Nakaba. I do not profit from this work of fiction.

In the Garden

Four hours. She had been on this hot, smelly, noisy bus for four hours and had no idea how much longer this torture would continue. With a resigned sigh the rather irate young woman folded the book in her hands closed and turned her attention to the passing scenery once more. Various shades of green seemed to blur together as she watched the trees whip past; even if she wanted to focus on nature, her mind was too much a vortex of confusion and frustration. Tucking an errant strand of brown hair from her face she tried instead to look at her own reflection in the glass; did she know the woman looking back anymore, just what had been happening to her?

'That was pathetic! Your punches are getting weak Diane!' he had scolded. 'One of the most important matches of your career is happening in less than a month, and with hits like that you might as well just hang up your damn gloves.'

Green eyes had glared at her with a mix of disapproval and concern. It was a look that had made her feel helpless and ashamed; disappointing her captain was one of the worst feelings in the world to her. She had known Meliodas for a number of years now; he was an exceptional coach that had helped her climb the ranks in the Women's Middleweight class in boxing, earning and defending a world champion title for a couple of years in a row. The match coming up in a few weeks would be one of many to qualify for the Olympic games, and it was a lot of stress to be under for sure. Meliodas seemed to think so at least…

'I think you're cracking under the pressure, and you need some rest. I'm sure you remember my fiancé Elizabeth; she's helped me open retreat in the countryside not too far from here, go there for a few days and have some down time. Take a jog out in the woods a couple of times a day and try to centre yourself.'

'Yes, Captain.'

With that simple exchange he had sent her home to pack, then arrived in the morning with her bus ticket. He had strictly forbidden her from driving, so she would have no opportunity to escape. Admittedly Diane didn't know if what she was doing now was the greatest idea; at least not when it came to who would be there. She liked Elizabeth well enough, but her recent engagement to Meliodas had deflated Diane emotionally. It was shameful to admit, but after about their first year working with one another, Diane had developed a fairly serious crush on the small, yet muscular, blond man. It always made her heart swell when he expressed pride in her victories and she tried especially hard to keep that up. While his engagement to Elizabeth hadn't changed how Meliodas regarded her during training, she knew any hope of winning him over romantically was all but gone. Could that be the reason her recent training sessions had gone down hill? The thought seemed pathetic.

Diane was not offered anymore time to contemplate on the matter, as the vehicle came to a rather sudden stop. Getting off the bus it finally struck her that she was in the middle of a rather dense forest. There seemed to be no signs, or sense of civilization anywhere.

"Just head up that path and you'll reach a clearing in the woods. The Boar's Hat will be right there," the bus driver said.

The Boar's Hat in the middle of White Dreams Forest, very much sounded like something that would be more appropriate to belong to a fantasy author than a boxer, but who was Diane to judge. Hitching her bag over her shoulder the young woman began the trek up the forest path. It took about ten minutes of walking, but soon enough she came to a clearing; in the middle was a charming little building that resembled an old-style European cottage. It was a simple white building, with dark green trim and a wood shingle roof, and a delicate porch that seemed to wrap around the entire structure. What charmed Diane even more though were the beautiful gardens that surrounded it on all sides. Her boxing coach really owned this slice of fairy tale?

Diane took a moment to appreciate the vision before her. Daffodils flanked the pathway leading to the front door of the inn, and surrounding the porch was an ocean of orange, pink, and red hues from various tulips; as she walked closer the sweet smell of hyacinths came to her senses from small pots resting on the top of each side of the bannister. She was mesmerized.

"Diane!" a melodic voice called her name, and she looked up at the front door.

"Hi Elizabeth," Diane waved slowly.

The petite silver-haired woman bounced down the steps to embrace Diane. "I'm so glad you made it; I hope the bus ride was okay."

"A little stuffy, but I'm alright," the brunette said, and returned Elizabeth's gesture with a half-hearted embrace. "I had absolutely no idea the cap- I mean Meliodas, had such a place. It looks amazing."

"This is a little pet project of his. Meliodas has always wanted somewhere joyful for friends to convene. About six months ago he found this place in a shabby state and purchased it for a song, then he roped me, his best friend Ban, Ban's girlfriend and her brother into fixing it up and starting a bed and breakfast of sorts," the young woman explained.

Diane had to laugh softly to herself, if there was one thing her coach was good at, it was persuading people. He had been the one to insist she try out for the Olympics after all. The brunette allowed herself to be led into the building, noting with a small frown that this was yet another place she had to duck to enter as she reached the doorway. However, she was pleasantly surprised to note that the exterior was deceiving, and inside were quite a few areas with vaulted ceilings giving off a roomy and open feel to the place. As her eyes followed the room, she caught sight of a pair of people standing in what looked to be a dining area and wasn't at all surprised when Elizabeth beckoned them over. One was a rather young-looking blonde girl, and the other towered over her a lean man with spiked pale blue hair.

"Elaine, Ban, I'd like you to meet Diane," said Elizabeth.

"It's a pleasure," the brunette smiled awkwardly.

"So, you're that awesome boxer Meliodas is always going on about," Ban began, and almost appeared to be sizing her up. "From what I hear the pressure's getting to you and your punches are goin' soft."

"BAN!" Elaine snapped and gave his chest a quick smack with the back of her hand. "Forgive him, sometimes he completely lacks a filter."

Diane blushed and twisted one of her pigtails between her fingers nervously. "No, sadly he has a point. I'm here for a few days to try and reconnect with myself."

"We'll do everything we can to help make sure that happens," Elaine smiled, and Elizabeth nodded eagerly beside her.

"Thank you," the tall young woman replied. "The outside is certainly an amazing and relaxing sight; who put together that incredible garden?"

"Oh, that was my brother who did that," Elaine announced proudly. "I helped here and there, but he's the one with the real green thumb in the family," she admitted. "When you get time, you should check out the back; the front has nothing on what he's managed to do back there."

"Speaking of, where is the little runt? Shouldn't he be here introducing himself too?" Ban asked, rather irritated.

"Stop it Ban," Elizabeth insisted. "You know Harlequin is on the shy side, I'm sure he'll come around and introduce himself in time."

"Well, whatever, it's about time I got started on dinner anyway," the taller man drawled with a wave of the hand. "Also don't worry Diane, Meliodas has given me the instructions for your diet plan."

The young woman flushed and smiled awkwardly. She got the feeling she was likely going to be doted on while she was here, and wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. For most of Diane's life she had been rather independent, and to allow someone else to care for her was rather foreign. Politely she asked Elizabeth where she could find her room and was left to feel even more embarrassed when the two young women excitedly beckoned her to follow them. She was then quickly led upstairs and brought to a fair-sized room at the end of the hall.

"Since you're on the taller side, I figured it would be best to give you the room with the king-sized bed. You'll also be in luck, it has a lovely view of the gardens and the forest in the back," Elizabeth beamed.

"Thanks Elizabeth," Diane said, and placed her bag on the dresser by the door.

"We'll let you get settled in before dinner. See you down there soon," Elizabeth said with a smile and a wave.

Diane shrugged off her dark denim jacket and took a minute to absorb her surroundings. It was interesting the penchant Meliodas seemed to have for old European stylings, must have been in his heritage, but it certainly wasn't without its charm. Intricately carved woodwork on the furnishings, and a cushiony looking duvet on the bed gave the place a comforting and homey feel as well; she could see why he would think of this as the perfect place for stress relief. Taking a seat on the inviting bed, Diane flopped back and closed her eyes; it didn't take long at all for her to drift off.

A knock at the door woke her with a start. It took a moment to get her bearings, but when she did, she realized it had started to get dark outside. Although there was a faint golden glow coming through the gossamer curtains covering the window in the corner of the room. Curious, Diane got up and walked over and chanced a look through them; what she saw made her gasp slightly. In the back were several varieties of flowering tree, each strung with amber hued fairy lights; the porch also opened up in the back to a rather expansive covered deck with trellises covered in winding wisteria and more fairy lights woven through out.

"Spectacular isn't it?" Elizabeth's soft voice announced her entry.

Diane jumped slightly at the sound, but nodded in recognition. Standing up straighter she tried to brush the wrinkles out of her clothes before following Elizabeth down the stairs. The delicious smell of the food assaulted her senses before she turned the corner into the dining room and saw the spectacular meal laid out. Baked salmon with steamed spinach and carrots, and a small side of quinoa; Ban really wasn't lying when he said he had her dietary plan.

However, the food wasn't the only thing she noticed; sitting at the table with Ban and Elaine was another new person. He was rather small in stature from what she could tell, both in height and build, with cinnamon coloured hair and unusual amber-brown eyes. He also clearly did not seem pleased to be there. Without a second thought Diane walked up and sat in the empty chair next to him.

"You must be the elusive Harlequin," she smiled teasingly. "My name's Diane, it's nice to meet you."

The man in question rather noticeably flushed and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Nice to meet you too," he mumbled.

"Ah, good luck getting that one out of his shell!" Ban insisted with an almost obnoxious laugh. "Our 'King' here doesn't like interacting with anything unless its plant life."

Diane was surprised when Elaine didn't pipe up this time, and instead only offered a sad smile. She gave the young man a curious look, but decided not to press things and instead dug into her meal. The young woman could hardly contain the soft hum of satisfaction she gave upon tasting the food; if nothing else that would make this a decent experience.

"So, what would any of you recommend for some light recreation? Are there any good trails to jog around here?" Diane asked after a long moment of silence. "I've never been one to just sit around, and Meliodas seemed to think the exercise out in nature would do me some good."

"There's a pond down at the bottom of the north side of the hill, it has a lovely gravel path around it that should be good for a walk or a jog," Elizabeth responded with a smile.

"Thank you," Diane offered her own small smile.

Despite the fact that Elizabeth had 'stolen' Meliodas away from her, Diane found that she just wasn't able to hate the young woman. She was a nurturing and kind soul, something Diane had rarely come across in her life; adding on the brunette's profession and people like Elizabeth were even fewer and farther between. During her stay here Diane was going to have to make her best effort to have a decent connection or two with the young woman.

Dinner carried on with mostly Ban chattering on boisterously to Elaine, and Elizabeth chiming in to the conversation once in a while in her own soft way. Diane tried to follow along here and there, but couldn't shake the unnerving feeling that she was being watched. Looking over at Harlequin on the odd occasion she finally caught him stealing a glance or two at her. Normally the young woman was the kind of person to confront another individual on this but found, since hearing about his shy nature before hand, she just couldn't bring herself to do that. Instead, all she did was give an awkward smile and partial wave; this only resulted in him flushing terribly before shoving the last few bites of food on his plate in his mouth, and abruptly leaving the table. The action left Diane a little stunned and she watched his retreating back with a regretful look.

"Don't take it to heart," Elaine's voice broke the silence. "My brother really just doesn't know how to react around some people.

"Yeah, but even still Elaine, he's acting stranger than normal," Ban added.

Elaine and Elizabeth both cast withering stares at the blue haired man, and Diane glanced down at her lap regretfully. The brunette boxer knew she could be intimidating with her height and build, but she sincerely hoped she hadn't outright scared the young man. Given the events of the day, she was left to hope that this little trip really would be the stress reducing getaway Meliodas seemed to think it would be.

To be continued…