(A/N)

Hey guys, sorry for missing a post again. I've got a lot of craziness going on, so I didn't have a chance to write it until now. As an apology, I've also posted a bonus story, even though I was planning on trying to only do them every other chapter at most.

Speaking of bonus stories, if anyone has any ideas for them, I'd be happy to listen; I don't actually have any past this one yet. Even if it's just something you want to know about Zinnia or Zephyr, it's be helpful. I mean, while I do have ideas for some, I can't post them yet, as they'd have major spoilers in them. So yeah, ideas are welcome.

Enjoy the chapter!

Even though the expression on Gowther's face didn't change, he tilted his head as though in curiosity when he looked at me. "Yes, that is my name."

You know this person? Zephyr was looking at me strangely. He seemed almost confused.

"Is this really the best time for introductions?" Ban butted it.

"No… you're right." I shook my head. I could talk to Gowther later. As I focused back on the monster ahead of us, I smiled slightly, realizing that Meliodas wasn't saying anything else about me leaving.

"The monster…" Harlequin murmured in surprise before getting louder. "It's completely still. Did we defeat him?"

Gowther mechanically turned his head away from me, facing instead toward the creature. "Not quite. He has been taken by an illusion. That is my magical power: Invasion. He is currently under the impression that he is back in the scene of a far off day he has coveted."

"You're as crafty and indirect as ever, you jerk~" Ban sauntered up to Gowther. "Just kill him already~"

"I cannot kill him." At this statement, Ban seemed taken aback. "He did not wish to be born like this. Therefore, I cannot kill him."

I heard a slight sniff from beside me, and glanced over to find Zephyr looking intently at Gowther, his expression unreadable. It barely registered with me that he gave a miniscule nod.

Ban, on the other hand, frowned. "Tch. Who ever wishes to be born in the first place?" He reached out a hand toward the frozen monster, smiling lazily. " Outta my way. I'll kill him."

But Meliodas grabbed his wrist. "Knock it off! There's still a part left in him that's human!"

To no one in particular, Gowther spoke. "If they are fighting… Is it because they are so close?"

Harlequin sweatdropped. "That's not what I'd call fighting."

Ignoring this, Gowther tilted his head. "Is being close… beautiful?"

"Come again?" was all that Harlequin could say.

That's odd… I couldn't help but thinking. This isn't quite how I remember Gowther acting… Did his personality change? Or is this someone completely different, like Elizabeth? No, he seems the same… But why…?

"Don't give me orders~" Ban's words snapped me out of my thoughts. He flicked his free hand, in which he gripped a whip, forward, extending magic through the whip toward the monster and snatching the heart right out of the chest of the man trapped within it.

I wasn't sure if anyone was looking at me, but if they were, they would've seen me stiffen and horror melt across my features. I had been hoping to save that man, whoever he was. I think I even felt my cheek dampen. "...why…?" I murmured almost silently.

Meliodas froze, and Ban snatched his arm away. "...Ban. Why… did you kill him?!"

Zephyr growled, anger clear on his face as he took an aggravated step towards Ban. We could have saved him!

But, of course, Ban didn't hear the fox, and responded only to his captain. "The bastard had become a monster. I just drew the curtains to a close on his miserable existence. You ought to be thanking me~"

"What about your own existence?!" the blonde retorted, anger in his eyes.

"Ooooh~ It's the epitome of a miserable existence, so by all means, I wish you would draw the curtains to a close on it~"

"Both of you… listen!" Harlequin cut off their conversation. He looked nervous. "I think he's murmuring something…"

Now that the others weren't arguing and Harlequin drew my attention to it, I did notice that the man within the beast was quietly speaking. I strain my ears to make out the words, but I was just too far away.

"Even with his heart torn from him," Gowther said in monotone, "he still sees the illusion. I wonder what kind of scene it must be that it could keep him under its spell despite his state."

My curiosity getting the better of me, I took another half a step forward to try to hear the words. With my attention so focused on the sound, I didn't even notice the man's body slump when it went silent. I didn't even have the chance to notice, as immediately after that, the monster, now free from its human part, roared deafeningly. My ears rang and, if I didn't know better, I would probably say that my ears were bleeding.

"What's going on?!" I could barely hear Ban's question over the ringing in my ears. When I looked back to him, realization flooded his features. "Shit! He's also a demon?!"

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes, as I didn't want to get strangled by an immortal. No shit. You just noticed? And what do you mean by 'also'? I shook my head to try to get the white noise to go away, and it gradually faded.

Even though the ringing had faded, that didn't mean that the demon had stopped screeching. It continued to shout, and, as it did so, its four heads morphed and merged into one giant one, and its two arms ripped apart down their centers, separating into four. It was certainly an unnerving sight, and I could feel the contents of my stomach trying to make its way up my throat.

Fighting the feeling back down, I gasped. "What's going on? Why's it changing like that?"

But no one seemed to be listening to me.

"How'd a Holy Knight become a demon…?! What's going on here?!" Ban was confounded as he took half a step back.

Harlequin was just as confused. "Is… Is that thing a demon?"

Meliodas' brow furrowed. "I remember now… That face! He's Dale… Ten years ago, he was still just a novice Holy Knight."

Harlequin hovered over the Dragon Sin's shoulder. "Dale…? Do you mean that doting father Dale? He'd always say he wanted to be like The Seven Deadly Sins and be the pride and joy of his daughter. Why did he end up like this?"

"It is unclear what happened to his body," Gowther told us, "but he was chased by something into this his consciousness gave out and both mind and body were overtaken by this monster. He was on the brink of losing control, of that I am sure."

"Don't tell me, you did something about it…" Harlequin bobbed lightly in the air.

I nodded, agreeing with the other fairy's question.

The pinkette glanced at me for a moment before turning back to Harlequin and continuing. "Yes. My armor is embellished with a seal that curbs magical powers and keeps them from going berserk. I bestowed my armor on him and hid him away in this forest."

"So that's what happened…"

Gowther looked away from him, toward the demon again. "Here he comes."

Meliodas stood resolutely in front of the charging beast. "Wake up Dale!" he shouted. "Don't you remember me?! You're being manipulated by something!"

"Meliodas-san, stop!" In between shouting this, I swiftly moved away from the fighting, knowing that I was currently useless. "Ban-san already killed the human part of him! He can't hear you!" I wanted so badly to rush forward to help, but I knew that I would only hinder those who actually could fight.

"What are you doing, you idiot?!" Ban jumped into the fray, knocking Meliodas out of the way. He turned to the demon, drawing his whip. "I'll kill you dead!"

While that would be terrifying for me, had he said that to me, the demon obviously wasn't phased. It started throwing a flurry of punches, pulverizing Ban's upper half, leaving only his legs intact. Then, it even knocked those away.

"BAAAN!" The captain of the sins chased after him. "That's enough!"

Harlequin flew in from behind, his arm raised. "Hit the dirt, Captain!" Immediately after the fairy said this, Meliodas dropped to the ground. "Fight Fire With Fire!" An innumerable amount of Chastiefol's increased form rained down around the demon, kicking up giant clouds of dust and dirt.

"Wait, when did Chastiefol finish repairing itself…?" I murmured from a distance away. I glanced over at my Dyrnwyn, which I still had floating next to me, only to find that it had stopped glowing; it was fixed. Giving only a sliver of a smile, I grabbed the cloak and clutched it tightly to myself. "Much better."

But I still wanted to help. I wanted to have come here for a reason. What could I possibly do to help?

"Zephyr, what do I do…?" I asked the fox next to me, who already had his eyes narrowed in thought. "I don't see how I could do anything to help anyone…" I could feel myself start to tear up a little. Why was I so useless?

The fox looked at me, then back to the demon, narrowing his eyes further. I think you're thinking about it too much.

"W-what?"

He nodded toward the fight, where Harlequin had just been knocked away in a ball on venom. That thing looks pretty top-heavy doesn't it?

"What are you-?" But realization dawned on me. "Oh!"

Tossing my Dyrnwyn in front of me, I tried to strengthen my resolve. "Dyrnwyn Third Form: Spider Silk." The cloak transformed back into a giant tangle barely-visible threads. With a flick of my fingers, I sent it forward and coiled it around the demon's ankles. It tightened quickly, yanking the demon's legs together and making it wobble. "Someone hit it now!" I shouted at te top of my lungs.

I guess that I had surprised everyone, as Ban, Harlequin, and Meliodas all looked at me, slight shock in their eyes. Ban, who had previously been speaking sternly to Meliodas, recovered the fastest. He sprinted forward and jumped right at the beast, hitting it right below where Dale's body was.

In its unbalanced state, the demon was unable to accurately strike back at Ban, and it ended up getting knocked over, falling onto its back.

That was when someone else's voice surprised everyone, including me.

"Meliodas-samaaaaaa!" I looked behind me to find Elizabeth cresting the hill, panting and gripping a sword to her chest.

"Elizabeth!" Meliodas' voice was shocked.

"Thank goodness…" she breathed. "Here!" She threw the sword toward the blonde.

"That sword's…"

"Liz-san… didn't want you to fight, Meliodas-sama. She wanted you to live!" she cried out. "Just like I do! If it's so that you can fight for other people's sake… if it's for that sin ,then I'll take the blame with you!"

Ban smirked when he spoke to his captain. "Are you sure about this?~ Letting her say all that…?"

But Meliodas had already jumped into the air, catching the thrown sword. "Forgive me, Dale." He slashed down the sword on the collapsed demon, cutting fourn parallel slices down it from top to bottom. Then he sliced continuously back and forth, until slices mark almost the entire body of the demon. But I noticed how he had managed to avoid hitting Dale's body.

"W… Wow!" Harlequin exclaimed from his spot on Gowther's back. I hadn't even noticed until now that Gowther was carrying the fairy. "His skin was like armor, and he sliced right through it like it was nothing!"

"Naturally." Gowther didn't seem surprised Meliodas' strength.

Dropping to the ground, Meliodas sheathed the sword, and the demon immediately shattered into thousands of tiny pieces.

Now that the threat was gone, I retracted Dyrnwyn to my side and returned it to its cloak form, and then I flew to where everyone was gathered. Zephyr, quiet as ever, trotted along at my side. He glanced up at me, grinning slightly. You better not take the credit for what you did completely for yourself!

I smiled back. "Of course not!" I set my hand on his head on his head and ruffled the fur. "Would I ever do that?"

But he just shook his head in annoyance at me messing his fur up.

"That was amazing, Captain!" Harlequin's voice was filled with awe as Zephyr and I approached.

"King… I'm sorry you had to suffer because of me."

"Not at all! I'm fine, don't worry about me!"

"Hey guys! I helped this time, right?" I smiled as I entered the little ring of people. As I arrived, though, I noticed that Ban had wandered off into the remnants of the demon. "Zephyr gave me the idea, but I did it." I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before scratching the back of my head.

Meliodas turned to me, his expression serious. "Yes, you helped. But! You should have left when I told you to. You shouldn't have even come!" He softened slightly. "You could have gotten hurt."

"Meliodaaaaassss, why do you always treat me like a kid?" I pretended to whine, though I was partially serious. "You know I'm older than most of the group."

He closed his eyes and held one finger in the air in front of him. "Age does not determine one's fighting strength." Then he dropped his hands and smiled at me. "And I'm glad you finally dropped the -san. I don't care for formalities."

"Wait- I didn't- You still use -chan with me!" I was so flustered - I was certain my face was beet-red.

But he just completely ignored my complaint and turned back to the others.

Harlequin, having been set down by Gowther, spoke up. "If Ban's right, then do you really think humans can be turned into demons…"

"By curse…? Or…" Meliodas held his hand to his chin in thought. "...Maybe somebody put Dale through an experiment or ritual… or something."

"Y… You… You don't mean creating artificial demons, do you?!" Harlequin exclaimed in horror.

It certainly felt like he had been tampered with.

Meliodas and Harlequin turned sharply to look at the fox, causing him to flinch. "What do you mean?" Meliodas prompted.

W-well, fox shades can feel connections between people and things… I noticed when we arrived in this area that something seemed off with all of the townsfolk's connections, so I assumed that whatever it was affecting them was also affecting the demon - Dale. But, upon closer inspection, the alterations were different. Like… Like someone else did the alterations. All the alterations of the connections in this area feel like they stem from that person over there. He nodded toward Gowther, who had turned to listen. Theirs all seem to be changed in the mind, I believe - it can be difficult to tell. Dale's change, however, was made in the body, and his mind remained the same. He paused and seemed to stare off into space, then his gaze wandered, as though watching something. He stopped before speaking again. The connection is fading as his spirit fades, but whatever did this to him lies in that direction.

"What's that way?" I asked.

Meliodas was the one to answer. "Liones."

(Bonus 3: Q&A)

"Many of you have been asking questions about me and Zephyr, along with different things about our story. I thought I'd take the time to answer some of those questions."

Who are you talking to, Zinnia?

She ignored his question as she pulled a set of notecards out of seemingly nowhere. "Let's see, let's see… The first question here is 'What is your relationship to Meliodas?' Oh, I remember that there was one related to this…" She started to flip rapidly through the cards before pulling out a slip of paper. "This one's 'What did you used to call Meliodas?' You could say that he's kinda like an older brother to me, but not exactly. It's hard to explain, just like my relationships with almost everyone else. You'll probably figure it out eventually - especially if I ever see Onii-chan again. I'm not sure if I'll ever say what I used to call him, though; it's pretty embarrassing. I guess you'll have to see."

Zephyr climbed up onto the bed beside her and looked at the papers in her hand. Where did these come from? You're acting like someone else wrote them, but they're in your handwriting… He tilted his head before sitting down.

"I don't know, I just have been feeling like we've been being watched ever since right before we met up with Meliodas and the group. Thought I'd answer some questions they might have." She tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear before flipping to the next card.

I think you're going insane. He shook his head and sighed. Guess I'll play along, if it'll make you stop this sooner.

Zinnia didn't look at him, but instead smiled and looked to the next card. "This one's interesting. 'I've read somewhere that fairies each smell like a different kind of flower. What do you smell like?' Hmmm, I've never really thought of that. It's kinda hard to tell what you smell like-"

Honeysuckle.

"What?"

You smell like honeysuckle. The fox shade told her, looking up at her face. You always have.

"Oh, why has no one told me before?"

I guess that it just never came up. I never realized that you didn't know.

"Okay, then. It's good that I like honeysuckle, then. What's the next one? 'I really like Zephyranthes-kun. Does he have any hobbies?'" Zinnia looked pointedly at Zephyr. "Well do you?"

What? Why are you asking about me? And why did you write these like someone was asking you the question? He sounded thoroughly confused, and flicked his tail back and forth to show it.

"I thought you said you'd play along?"

He sighed, Fine. No, I don't have any hobbies.

"Really?" the fairy pressed. "Not anything?"

He hesitated before sighing again. I do like to collect things that catch my interest.

"Like rocks."

Not just rocks!

"You're right; shiny things, too."

More than that! Like, like…

Smirking mischievously, Zinnia slowly stood from the bed and walked across the room, where a pile of mostly dust-covered boxes laid. She reached for one towards the edge of the mound - one that had less dust on it than the others.

Zinnia, what are you- Wait! Why are you- He jumped up from the bed to follow her, but she had already lifted the box. Underneath the box was an open space filled with a variety of stones, shiny things, and trinkets. Bits of river-smoothed glass twinkled from between ancient coins and random scraps of colorful fabrics and ribbons.

"It's a nice stash you've got going here, Zephyr." She carefully set the box back down as he pawed, embarrassed, at his face.

I thought I'd hidden it well… What's your next question? He changed the topic.

"'How old are you and Zephyr?' Kinda rude to ask a girl that, don't you think?" The fairy began to amble back to the bed, sitting back down when she arrived.

Zephyr just shook his head in disbelief. You're the one who wrote these questions, so it's your fault if they're rude. He sighed before stalking off across the room and beginning to look through some boxes.

"I'll just say that we're pretty old. I'm older than Zephyr, but not by much, at least as far as a fairy's concerned. Oh, speaking of that: 'How come, if you're only half fairy, you're always referred to as a fairy?' That's because I tend to think of myself as one. I think that my life would be a lot more difficult if I referred to myself using my other heritage!"

She paused, scratching at the corner of one of the cards - they were stuck together. "Come on… Why do these always get stuck?" Catching her nail on the edge, she finally managed to separate them, but, in doing so, made the stack go flying. "Crap!" scrabbling to find all the cards, she gathered them off the floor and put them back into a tidy stack. Gathering her composure, she continued. "Here we go… 'Hey, Zinnia, I've noticed that you don't normally curse, but you did - or almost did - twice recently. Care to explain?' Now that you mention it… I see what you're talking about. You see, I don't normally like to curse, but sometimes in stressful situations, like in the middle of a fight or if I'm injured, I can't really help it."

Just then, Zephyr walked back across the room, climbed back onto the bed beside Zinnia and nudged her hand with a card. Here, you missed one. Are you almost done?

"Thanks." She took the card without even looking at it. "And almost; just a few more. Hmmm… 'Where are the other fox shades?' I actually have no clue. I've only ever met two: Zephyranthes, and a female named Iris. She was Onii-chan's companion. Though I think I saw a couple others wandering around the Fairy King's Forest when I was young. What about you, Zephyr? Do you know of the whereabouts of other fox shades?" She looked to the fox, who had laid his head on the cushions of the bed and slit his eyes.

No, the words were quiet, hushed. I only ever met Iris and my family, though most of my family died before I met you. I don't know where any others would be… He tilted his head away.

With a look of concern in her eyes, the ginger fairy quickly lifted the cards again, flipping to the next one. "On a brighter note: 'What was it like growing up in the Fairy King's Forest?'" She paused, staring off into space, remembering. "It was generally fun. I didn't originally know that I was half-demon, so I didn't have anything to hide. I got to play games and explore all day, and Onii-chan and his friends spoiled me when they weren't busy. Though it was lonely, being the only actual child there. Everyone else came into existence fully grown, lacking only their wings, while I had to start from nothing. I started out playing with some of the smaller fairies, but as I grew, I came to be unable to play many of the same games as them. And by the time that I got to be the size of the larger fairies - the size I am now - they were all…" She trailed off, gazing into the distance, before drawing herself back in. "And they all treated me like a kid! I was the same age as a lot of them, but we aged differently, so they came to see me eternally as a child. They always treated me like that, even when it reached the point that no one would be able to tell that I was any different just by looking at me. Only two people didn't treat me like that: Zephyr and my best friend at the time. The same best friend that destroyed one of my hearts…

"Umm… so 'How tall are you?'" She quickly read from the card, trying to banish unwanted memories. "It's been awhile since I last measured, but I think I was four feet and eleven inches tall. I'm not certain though. Oh, final one!" She squinted at the paper, confused. She muttered quietly, "I don't remember writing this…"

What does it say? Zephyr tilted his head up from where he had been reclining on Zinnia's wadded up cloak.

"'Did anyone actually ask these questions?' Zephyr, did you write this? It isn't in my handwriting, and only half of it is legible. You probably had to hold the pencil in your mouth, didn't you?"

He completely dodged the question. Oh, I know the answer to that one. No. No one asked any of these questions.

"Zeppphhhhyyyyrrrrrrrr… why do you have to try to ruin the fun?" Zinnia drooped, spilling the cards across the bed.

It wasn't all fun… He flicked his tail for emphasis.

Before Zinnia could say anything else, the door to the hallway creaked open and a voice sounded. "I was sent to tell you that Ban has finished cooking. What are you doing?" Gowther, who had only recently rejoined the Sins, tilted his head, though not even the slightest bit of curiosity shone in his eyes.

"N-nothing!" Zinnia quickly scooped up the cards and shoved them under the covers of the bed, while Zephyr hopped down. "We'll be right there."

He only stared for a moment before closing the door. When I heard his footsteps retreat down the stairs, I sighed.

...Crazy… Zinnia just barely heard Zephyr mutter as he trotted, smiling, towards the door.

"Who are you calling crazy!" She called after him as she began to follow. "You, you…" But she couldn't find anymore words for him before starting down the steps to the tavern, where dinner and friends waited.