(A/N)

Once again, another chapter for the collection.

I had hoped to post on my birthday, but that date came and passed without my having typed enough words to post. Luckily, this chapter is a bit longer than the last few that I posted. The week after next is my spring break from college, so hopefully I'll find more time to write then. If I could, I'd love to manage to get a few chapters written that week so that I could post them once a week again for awhile. But I have no clue how it's going to turn out, so I can't say for sure.

Oh, and I got one more review this time! Thanks so much!

Christine Ryan: I had actually completely forgotten about that scene, and ended up going back and rereading it, and I'm glad I did! I think it was probably one of my favorite scenes to write so far. I'm glad you're enjoying the story and hope you continue reading, even though I'm not as consistent with posting chapters as I used to be.

Until next time, please enjoy the chapter, and, as always, thanks for reading!

It didn't take long for a week, then two weeks, then a month to pass by at the Sacred Tree of Akshur. Zephyr had been bothered by the fact that we'd extended our stay, and was impatient to move on, but he had yet to push me to leave the place. Not only that; he seemed to have taken a liking to some of the fairies here - Radcli in particular. I was glad he was making friends, as it wasn't often that the fox got to meet new people.

I spent a good bit of my time exploring the town below the yawning branches of the tree. The people were interesting, and they didn't seem to mind that I was constantly wearing my cloak. Upon telling Harlow about finding another place to stay, he'd taken his hat off (Delphi had been right! He did have pointed ears! He'd just been hiding the tips with his hat.) and begged for my forgiveness for anything he'd done to make me not feel welcome. It had taken a while to convince him that it wasn't his fault I was leaving. Eventually, I'd managed to get him to believe that I'd found relatives that lived in town (not entirely untrue), and that I'd be staying with them.

During my stay, Delphi decided to tell me about things that had happened in Akshur, and why some things were the way they were. As it turned out, they hadn't always been closed off to the outside world. While the fairies here hadn't wanted to interact with the fairies of the main Fairy King's Forest, they had still wanted to know what they were like and what they were going through. In order to do this, they had sent some of their partially-human descendants (which I came to know had been dubbed "elves") to keep an eye on the main forest. Being part fairy, they were allowed to move freely through the forest, unlike most humans, and they had managed to stay out of sight of the native inhabitants. Only… when the forest was burned down about twenty years ago, the elves residing in that forest all died. Not knowing what exactly happened, or whether or not they had been targeted, Delphi decided to close their borders and keep out any visitors. The only exception was when Akshur's merchants went in and out of town to either buy or sell their wares.

Not all of the residents of the town beneath the tree knew about all of this - in fact, many never even interacted with a fairy in their lifetime. All they knew was that they were unable to go far from town. But with the safety that their town had always endured, not many questioned it.

The days in Akshur were mild; most days were sunny with a slight breeze and temperatures just a little colder than Liones. It was a day just like that that the daily rhythm that I had gotten into suddenly changed.

I was sitting in the upper branches of the Sacred Tree, looking out over the open field - Delphi at my side - watching the thin wisps of cloud race across the sapphire sky like boats drifting through open ocean. This had become a regular thing for us, as there wasn't much to do here, now that I'd explored everywhere. Out of the edge of my vision, I noticed the blue fairy was giving me a curious look similar to the ones he'd given me when I'd first arrived.

"What is it?" I didn't even look at him, my eyes instead locked on a cloud that was about to outpace a much larger one.

His wings twitched. "I keep forgetting to mention how, even though you've been here for so long, I've still never seen your wings. You never take off your cloak." Now-familiar curiosity shone in his large round eyes.

"Oh…" Truthfully, I had forgotten as well. It was just chilly enough here that it never even crossed my mind to take the cloak from my shoulders. Though, upon thinking of showing him my wings, self-consciousness set in. "D-do you want to? See my wings - that is."

Delphi clapped his hands together and leaned towards me in excitement. "Yes please!"

"Okay…" Standing up and stretching, I unclasped the green fabric from around my throat and allowed it to float next to me. The sudden release of pressure on my wings made me accidentally flick them fully open, almost hitting Delphinium in the face with a wing-tip. Instead of getting upset, though, he only looked pleased.

"Wow! I hadn't realized you had such big wings; they're even bigger than mine. How…?" I could tell that he was trying desperately not to read my heart, as he had learned that I didn't like when he did that. He had trouble controlling it, though.

"Well... let's just say that I'm related to a Fairy King. That's why my wings are this size." I looked away uncomfortably, fidgeting with the edge of my cloak.

"Which one? How?" He reached as though to touch the colorful wing-tip that had almost hit him, but stopped and let his hand drop.

I didn't answer, instead sitting back down on the branch and wrapping my arms around my wadded up cloak. He didn't press for answers. All I tried to focus on was how nice the sunlight felt on my exposed wings. When I finally looked back to the other fairy, I noticed that he was deep in thought.

"If you're related to a Fairy King…" he was mumbling, "would you possibly have the ability, Disaster…?"

Not sure if he actually wanted a response, I answered hesitantly. "...yes?"

He straightened in surprise. "You do?" Excitement - a different kind of excitement from before - seemed to radiate from him. When I nodded, he continued, wings buzzing erratically behind him. "Could you help me with something?"

"What do you need help with that requires Disaster?" Even though I asked this, I did have a clue as to where this was heading. I only hoped that I'd actually be able to help.

"Would you be able to thin the branches of the Sacred Tree so that a forest could grow here?" he confirmed my suspicions with his increasingly excited words.

"I mean… I can try…" I could feel my wings drooping in worry as I told him this. "I've never done anything like that before, but I'll try my best." Then another thought occured to me. "Wouldn't that… I don't know… hurt the tree?"

After thinking for a moment, Delphi waved away the concern. "The Sacred Tree's strong enough to lose a few branches here and there. In fact, it'll probably grow better after losing some of the excess."

"If you say so."

And that was how I ended up helping them clear out innumerable branches from above the town of Akshur. Many of the gargantuan branches shrivelled and fell, only to be caught by the levitation of dozens of tiny fairies that smelled of meadow grasses. By the time we were done, I was exhausted past the point that I thought was possible, but sunshine finally reached the earth beneath the tree.

Looking down from one of the still-numerous branches, I could just barely see elves standing in the streets, pulling down hoods and looking up into the unexpected light. Children's squeals of delight reached my ears even here, and I could make out the tiny shapes spinning in circles in the abundant pools of golden light.

I couldn't stop the smile from inching across my face as I looked over at the guardian fairy on the branch next to me. "Hey, Del-"

That was when it happened. A terrible, horrible, catastrophic feeling spread through my whole being, causing me to shudder violently and almost fall from my perch. Within an instant, Zephyr was by my side. It was obvious he had felt it as well, though it didn't appear that anyone else had. Delphi was giving me a bewildered look, and I could see similar expressions on the faces of a handful of nearby fairies.

"What…" I managed to breath the words to the fox balanced on the branch between me and the other fairy. "What was that?"

He seemed just as disconcerted when he muttered his response. I believe that felt like connections being restored that have been gone for a long, long time. He narrowed his eyes. But why? And, just as importantly, how…? He flicked his tail in restlessness. But also… if you and I were the only ones to feel it, then what does that mean to us? Who…

"Is everything okay?" Delphi's eyes were rounded in worry. "What are you two talking about?" He hovered a little ways off the branch as though to try to see what was wrong.

"It's just… did you feel anything right then?" I asked him, desperate for an answer that I knew he couldn't give. Perhaps everyone felt it, but not as strongly? I had a horrible gut feeling that only Zephyr and I experiencing it was not a good sign.

But of course, Delphinium shook his head. "No, I didn't feel anything. Was I supposed to?" He looked around, then down at his chest and started patting himself all over, as though the feeling that Zephyr and I had had was hiding in his clothing.

"I-I guess not…" I started rubbing my arms, a shiver making its way up my spine that had nothing to do with cold. Even with fear for myself and Zephyr clouding my mind, I couldn't help but think of the friends I'd left in Liones. Please be safe, guys.

The next few days, though just as peaceful as they were before, were filled with nothing but my own concern. What had caused that feeling? Was Zephyr right? Was someone - or something - back? But from where would it come back from? What about the Sins? Were they okay? Was Helbram okay? Where were they all now? Were they still in Liones, or had they resumed their journey? Was Helbram still with them? Did they have something to do with that feeling the other day?

Delphi was worried about me and Zephyr; I could tell. He kept checking up on the both of us, going out of his way to make sure that everything was fine. It seemed so out of character for him. He was usually so cheerful, and could always find something to be excited about. But I guessed my stress was wearing on him. At one point, I was thinking that maybe I should leave - for his sake, if nothing else - but I suspected that he accidentally read my heart as I was thinking that, because it only got worse after that; he insisted on being around me anytime I was awake. Even though I told him that wasn't necessary. Even though it would only make things more difficult.

Luckily, this only lasted a few days, because something happened that would lighten my mood drastically and make me temporarily forget about my worries.

Helbram came to the town of Akshur.

I had taken to one of the lower branches of the Sacred Tree, as it was raining, and here the upper branches kept me relatively dry. Once again, I had donned my cloak, but more to keep my wings out of the rain than to keep warm; it had warmed drastically under the tree after the removal of some of the branches, so I hadn't been wearing the green cloak as much of late.

At the moment, I was watching in minor amusement as people in town ran to and fro trying to stay dry. They weren't used to so much rain reaching the ground. For once, Delphi was leaving me to myself, and he was hanging out with some of his friends elsewhere. I was pretty sure he had gone to plant trees or something.

However, I wasn't completely alone. Zephyranthes was casually draped across the branch beside me, though I could see a bit of tension in his shoulders, which hadn't left since it had first appeared a few days ago. He was also watching the people below, but his gaze wandered, revealing his lack of interest. When he had first started wandering the branches of the tree, I had been worried about him, but he had proven his capability by never falling, and using shadows to move from place to place whenever he wanted to change branches. But he wasn't moving now; he was simply lying next to me, his front legs slightly hanging over the edge of the branch.

When do you think we'll be leaving? He asked with a twitch of his nose. We've been here much longer than you implied when you decided to come here. Even though I enjoy hanging out in a giant tree all day as much as the next guy, there's surely something better that we could be doing.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. "Such as?"

A conflicted look seemed to shadow his face, and he shook his head. Perhaps… No…

I tilted my head in curiosity. "Hm?"

Perhaps we could go in search of whatever caused that strange feeling the other day? It was more question than statement. But, if we did that… I have no clue what we might find. It could be dangerous.

Swinging my legs back and forth over the side of the branch, I looked back over the town nestled in the roots below. It really had a different look to it from above. "Well, it's not like we've done nothing dangerous recently. You're right that it's boring here, though; being with the Sins was exciting, and made me see how much fun it can be travelling and meeting new people. I miss travelling with them. I'll bet they'd know what caused the feeling from the other day. They're probably trying to deal with it as we speak. I wonder if Helbram is still with them." At that, Zephyr stiffened, but I barely noticed. "I'd happily go back there. I'm sure enough time has probably passed. But…"

Seemingly forcing himself to relax, Zephyr scooted closer to me and laid a paw on my leg. But what?

"But they've probably moved on by now. They're probably no longer in Liones. They've probably completely forgotten about me, even. It's not like I was a Sin, or a princess, or even a talking pig. I was just a tagalong. I was just someone that they picked up on the side of the road and took with them. Someone that wasn't needed. So what point is there in me going back?" My legs had stopped swinging, and I had hunched in on myself.

Zephyr shook his head with a sigh and a sad smile. Zinnia, you really need to fix your confidence. You're more wanted than you seem to realize. Then he scoffed. You're more useful than that pig of theirs - that's for sure. Not to mention that I'm certain that Meliodas-sama would never object to you tagging along. Then there's Harlequin-sama. He seems to like you well enough. Elizabeth-san and Diane-sama both appear to think of you as a good friend. And Ban… He's Ban. I don't think he really cares either way. Same with Gowther. I have no clue what history you have with Gowther - which is weird, since we're always together - but he doesn't seem to remember it either. And Merlin… I have no clue with her; you know how she is. I'm kinda surprised she's even with the Sins in the first place, but you never know what's going through her mind.

Overall, though, they seem to really accept you. He let out a quiet whine. More than most people have.

I had to stop myself from saying my thoughts aloud. Yeah, but being accepted and being wanted are two completely different things. I pushed the unwanted thoughts away. "But you're right. We can't stay here forever. I already feel bad for imposing on Delphinium for as long as we have. We're probably doing more harm than good here at this point." The fox shade didn't say anything, only lowering his head slightly as I went on. "Perhaps it would be best if we moved on soon. Though… I don't know where we would go. Would we just travel aimlessly like we used to? I'm not sure I could-"

Zephyr suddenly sat up, looking into the distance. Someone's here. Was all he said. He flicked his tail and narrowed his eyes.

"What? I thought that no one could come here because of Delphinium's illusions." Thoughts of leaving instantly left my mind, replaced with curiosity. Then I gave Zephyr a confused look. "And how did you notice them from so far away?"

Normally I wouldn't. His eyes were trained on a spot in the distance. But they appeared out of nowhere. And I think it's someone we know. I think it may be… He gave a soft growl of frustration and disappeared into the shadows, instantly moving from shadow to shadow towards whoever had arrived.

"Wh-what?! Zephyr, you can't just leave me in anticipation and then leave like that!" I jumped up off the branch, slipping slightly on the rain-slick bark. I flew after him, trying to dodge the areas that the rain was pouring the worst between the branches. It looked like dodging the falling water was pointless, though. While it's near impossible to follow a fox shade that's travelling via shadow, I had noticed that wherever he was looking was far past town, out past the branches of the tree, in the open field. I sighed as I exited the relative dryness of the branches, immediately getting drenched in the downpour.

It actually took a bit of zigzagging back and forth to find what - or who - Zephyr was talking about, which was surprising considering that it was an open field filled with only grass. But, perhaps the rain was making it harder to see, or perhaps the person's green clothes made them harder to see against the green grass. Whatever it was, it took longer than I would have liked before spotting a soaked fox shade glaring at an equally soaked fairy.

A fairy dressed all in green.

A fairy I recognized.

"Helbram!" My smile mirrored the grin that cracked his face when he spotted me.

"Zinnia!" He flew up to meet me, abandoning an annoyed-looking Zephyr on the ground. "So this is where you were hiding. I've been looking all over for you."

"Y-you have?" I could feel a light blush creeping across my cheeks, and tried my best to hide it.

He laughed. "Well, yes and no. I looked for a couple of days before just asking Oslo to send me to you."

"Oslo? Who's that?"

"Oh, he's a black hound. He sometimes hangs out with Harlequin. I'm kinda surprised you haven't met him yet." Helbram explained. "I assume you know what a black hound is?"

"Yeah, a little." I told him, a little embarrassed by my lack of knowledge. "They've got teleportation powers similar to a fox shade's right?"

"Yep! They're a little different, but it's not too important to explain right now. What's important is getting out of this rain." He gestured around us, as though to point out the fact that there was water everywhere. "Do you know of somewhere nearby that we can take shelter?"

I did. Of course I did. But it suddenly crossed my mind that Delphi and the other fairies might not be the most thrilled at seeing a fairy from the other Fairy King's Forest here. They had been avoiding them for nearly 2000 years, after all. But, as usual, I couldn't hide it from Helbram.

"You do? Good! Let's go!" He had only read my heart for the first half, it seemed, as he didn't seem bothered at all.

Shrugging slightly uncomfortably, I nodded. "Okay." I then looked down to where Zephyr was sitting on the ground, looking up at the two fairies chatting in the sky. He looked like a really annoyed (and slightly sad?) wet rat, which made me feel bad for him. His fur would take forever to dry. I was just about to tell him to meet us back at the Sacred Tree when he disappeared into the shadows once again. "Huh…"

Instead of stopping to wonder about it, I turned my attention back to Helbram. "It's this way." And so I led him back to the Sacred Tree of Akshur through the gray, wet day.

It didn't take long to reach the edge of the tree. It was so weird; from here, the leaves all looked green, but I knew that up in the branches one could easily see that they were pink. The handiwork of Delphi's illusion magic, no doubt. I had kind of expected Helbram to say something about the giant tree, but from what I could tell, he was just taking it in right now. He'd probably say something soon, though; I was certain.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind, causing me to slow to a stop and look to the other fairy. "Hey, Helbram, is it really okay for you to be here? What, with what Merlin said and all…"

His grin, which had been replaced by a look of mixed surprise and wonder moments before, returned. "Yep! Merlin-san said that I should be fine now. That goes for being around humans, too. I think…"

"Let's just hope so…" I said quietly while I nodded at him. I then returned to leading him to town.

Within moments, the town came into sight. Most people were inside at this point, but some were still running around frantically, trying to move stuff out of the rain. No one spared a glance upward for the two fairies above them.

"A human town beneath a giant tree?! What is this place…?" Helbram's curiosity seemed to be piqued. This seemed like a good time for him - a time where he seemed more like his old self in his fascination with humans. I had missed the part of him that was filled with wonder at everything humans did - a trait that had been ripped away by the humans themselves.

"There's… a bit more to it than that. You'll see." I could feel my wings flicker in nervousness beneath my cloak.

Soon enough, we were at the base of the giant tree, in a hollow between roots that were so large the humans had yet to get over them. This was where we met Delphi. He didn't look surprised that I had come to meet him here with another fairy. While the blue fairy appeared excited at Helbram's arrival, I could see a tinge of wariness in his eyes now. When had he lost that joyous glee that I was used to? Had my constant worry stolen it from him? I hoped not.

"Zinnia, who's this? Some of the fairies wandering the plains told me they spotted you talking with a stranger." His tone was more serious than I'd ever heard it.

I nodded. "This is my friend, Helbram." I turned to Helbram. "Helbram, this is Delphinium. He's um…" How was I supposed to describe Delphi's position here? King? Guardian? Leader?

"I watch over everyone here." Delphinium had relaxed a bit, and a vague smile had returned to his face. It fit him much better than the serious look. "Please call me Delphi." And then, like water bursting through a dam, he sprang forward. "Another fairy? Where did you come from? Why are you here? How did you get here? How do you know Zinnia? How did you feel when you found out that she's not a full-"

Luckily, that was the moment that Zephyr made his appearance. He jumped out of Delphi's shadow - much more dramatically than usual, I might add - and shook himself out, spraying water everywhere and making Delphi instantly stop talking and start laughing. Do any of your fairies have wind magic, Delphi? I'd really appreciate being able to dry off.

"Of course!" Delphi was still laughing, slightly bent over. "We should definitely get you dried off. I don't want the whole place smelling like wet fox, after all." Zephyr pretended to be upset at the words, glaring daggers at the fairy, but we had both learned by now to not take offense at Delphi's words. Delphinium gestured toward a smaller fairy. "Youth, could you take Zephyr over there and help him out?"

The blond girl - who had been one of the ones that Delphi had introduced me to when we first met - stepped forward. "Of course, Delphi." She dipped her head, her golden eyes shining in the half-light. I watched as she floated to the other side of the clearing, Zephyr following after her, before turning and seeing the confused look plastered across Helbram's face.

"What is going on here…?" He asked quietly. "Why are there so many fairies here? And why is there a giant tree? If I didn't know any better, I'd think…"

"Ah, but that's where you're right!" Delphi told him. "This is a Sacred Tree!"

Helbram froze, looking up at the branches far above us, then to me, and back again, as though trying to get me to say that it was all a big joke. Only, it wasn't.

"Don't worry, I had the same reaction." I gave him a sympathetic look. "I'll explain everything."

And so, I did.