I, Bluecookiedough, do not own The Seven Deadly Sins. Thank you to everyone for all of the support you have given me! I hope you are all staying safe.
Water flowed down endlessly into a silver chalice, the water itself reflecting light of pink and purple. A girl stood watching it, her blonde hair shifting as she quickly turned her head to look behind her.
Both Ban and King immediately flinched back, both looking close to tears. The other Sins looked at them worriedly. This was clearly Ban's Sin, the fountain of youth. But how did King know the girl?
Merlin tightened her grip on Ban's hand trying to comfort him, while Gowthor tightened his grip on Ban's other hand as well as his arm around King's waist. Meliodas looked at his Sins worriedly, wishing he could do more to comfort them, wishing they didn't have to suffer through this.
In a forest, Ban was climbing a large tree. He smiled, "Now we're talking."
He sang as he climbed, "Just a drop on your tongue adds ten years to your life. And a good swallow gives you a hundred more." He crested the top of the tree, where it flattened out and held the chalice and it's waters. "Drink it all and you'll live forever!"
He stood at the water's edge. "A miracle fountain guarded by a holy woman, and anyone who drinks the water flowing out of that cup is in for a nice dose of immortality, huh?" He licked his lips. "Talk about blowing things out of proportion. I don't see an old bag guarding any miracles around here."
Suddenly he stopped, looking down to his right. The girl stood there, her head only reaching a little above his waist.
Ban stared at the screen almost desperately. It was almost physically painful to see her there on the screen, unharmed and full of life.
King closed his eyes, hiding his face in Gowthor's neck, his guilt at leaving his sister too prevalent to watch her.
Meliodas ran his hand through King's hair and Gowthor's as well, trying to give them comfort.
He leaned down, "What's up little girl, are you lost or something?"
"I'm here guarding the spring," She replied, rising up to float in front of him. "Protecting it from bandits like you." She flicked her hand and sent Ban flying off into the forest.
Though the other Sins didn't know who the girl was in relation to Ban and King, they wanted to try and help. Merlin spoke up softly, "She's a feisty one, huh."
Ban laughed wetly, blinking away tears. "Yeah, she didn't put up with any of my shit."
King's lips twitched in agreement, almost a smile but not quite.
Diane looked sad, and Meliodas leaned over to pat her on the arm. Elizabeth had moved to the floor with Hawk, not wanting to get in the way.
As Ban fell to the forest floor it was revealed that he had fallen out of his bed in The Boar Hat, his flashback having been a dream.
Ban and King relaxed, glad to see the end of the flashback.
Hawk yelled up the stairs. "Out of bed you lazy butts! Come and get your breakfast!"
Elizabeth opened her eyes, a bandage still on her cheek from their last adventure.
"Well good morning, Elizabeth!" Meliodas greeted her, he was lying on a trundle bed to her right. "You feeling better today?"
Baltra frowned from his seat. He didn't like seeing his daughter hurt, and he didn't like seeing her sleeping in the same room as another man, even if they weren't actually sleeping together.
"Yes, thank you for asking, I feel great. And good morning to you too." She sat up in bed.
Later Elizabeth and Meliodas were sitting at a table in the bar eating breakfast, Diane was looking in the window.
Ban shuffled in and sat on a stool, "I could sure use a drink, Captain."
"Isn't it a little early?" Diane asked.
Gowthor rubbed his hand up and down Ban's arm, giving him a soft smile.
"Would you like to have some breakfast with us?" Elizabeth asked.
"You don't expect me to eat the Captain's awful cooking do you?" Ban replied, reaching out to catch the bottle that Meliodas had thrown him.
"Well Beth, we can always count on you to be a morning person." Ban said, grinning at her.
Elizabeth grinned back, but she noticed the sadness still residing in his eyes.
Baltra frowned disapprovingly at the drink so early in the morning.
"If you don't like it then make it yourself!" Meliodas teased Ban.
"Don't mind if I do." He took a drink of the ale.
"Yes!" Diane laughed, "Ban's food is the best."
"It's so good." King agreed, "Now I'm hungry."
"Well maybe after this one I'll see what I can do." Ban said with a crooked grin, some humor coming back into his eyes.
"Excellent." Merlin said, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Alright guys" Meliodas said, pointing at a map laid out on a table. "Time to head for the Necropolis. We'll start looking for King there."
"Hold on, didn't you say King was dead?" Ban asked.
"It's the only lead we've got so I think we might as well check it out." Meliodas replied.
"So why exactly does everyone think I'm dead. Where did that even come from?"
"Yeah, clearly you're still alive and able to be contacted."
"The city of the dead sounds kinda scary." Elizabeth said, "What kind of place is it?"
"I have no idea." Meliodas replied. "Honestly the only thing I know about it is that it exists."
"If you ask me, It's probably haunted with a spooky name like that." Hawk said. "Bet it's gloomy and dark all the time with rows and rows of creepy graves everywhere!"
"There...won't be any bugs right?" Diane asked, sounding frightened.
"Once we get there and start looking, what'll happen if we do find King?" Hawk continued, "Do you really think he'll still be alive?"
Elizabeth looked scared. "Oh please don't say anything else!"
Hawk laid his head on Elizabeth's lap, feeling sorry for scaring her in the future. She patted his head.
"Some ghosts, huh?" Meliodas asked.
Ban had fallen asleep, another memory taking over his dream.
He hung from the branch of a tree in the forest. "Talk about a close call. So that's the holy woman who guards the pond, huh?"
Back at the fountain of youth, the woman stood at it's edge.
Ban and King tensed up again. The other Sins looked pained at their suffering.
"You're safe once again," she said. "I've taken care of the bandit."
She gasped in surprise as Ban's song came into her range of hearing.
He sang as he climbed back up the tree, but as soon as he reached the top he was flung back with a wave of her hand.
The screen showed a montage of all the times Ban tried to get to the fountain. Sometimes he made it all the way up, sometimes he only made it halfway before being sent flying.
Finally he spoke to her, hanging at the edge of the clearing. "Will you just stop!"
"You're the one that needs to stop around here! How are you even alive anyway?! No human could possibly survive a fall from this height!"
Though the other Sins looked tense at the possibility of Ban's death, he only had room in his head for what was happening on screen.
Gowthor looked between King and Ban and spoke up softly, "Who is she?"
Ban's reply could almost be mistaken as a sigh, if not for the anguish in his voice. "Elaine."
King's voice held just as much pain when he said, "My sister."
Ban and King locked eyes as Ban took King's hand in his own.
"Well I did get caught on a branch once, then I fell into a clump 'a trees another time."
She looked at him in disbelief. "Is that true? Why would the forest try to save a human like that?"
King tightened his grip on Ban's hand, wondering the same thing.
He laughed, "Like I care, I still can't believe a little thing like you is the guardian of this secret treasure."
He walked closer, standing in front of her. "But now it's my turn to get serious." He pulled out his nunchucks, getting into a fighting stance.
Ban closed his eyes, ashamed of his past actions against Elaine.
"You humans all think the same. You all want something without earning it."
Ban narrowed his eyes, swinging his weapon, which emitted a pink glow. The glow seemed to lengthen and reached over Elaine's head, lifted up the chalice, and brought it to Ban's outstretched hand.
King sharply turned to look at Ban, who was staring resolutely at the screen. "Is this when-"
"No, I- no."
King nodded slowly, "ok."
Ban sniffed the liquid in the chalice. "Not bad, doesn't smell like booze though."
Elaine looked panicked.
"When I say here's to my health I mean it!"
Ban tried to take a drink, but found himself unable to move. Elaine had used her magic to make the branches of the tree wrap around his limbs, rendering him unable to move an inch.
"What the hell is going on here?"
"She's strong." Meliodas commented, his voice softer than usual.
"Yes, she was a good guardian of the fountain." King said, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "But it's my fault that she was forced to stay there."
King spoke very little about his history, and life before becoming a member of the Sins, so the others were surprised.
"I'm sure she doesn't blame you." Meliodas said softly.
"You can't know that for sure." King replied, still looking near tears.
"Well I can." Ban said, turning to look King in the eyes. "Elaine doesn't have a bone in her body capable of hating you. If she didn't hate me, a literal bandit after her fountain, then she definitely couldn't hate her own brother."
King seemed to deflate in his relief, leaning his head on Ban's shoulder.
Gowthor rubbed his hand up and down King's back, sharing a helpless look with the rest of the Sins.
Ban felt his shirt grow wet with tears where King was leaning against him, but didn't mention it.
Elaine took the chalice out of ban's grip, floating up and leaning into his face. "I'm finished with trying to make you humans understand. If the fountain of youth disappears, everything in this forest will wither and die. So give up your quest and leave this place."
"Alright, fine."
"How dare you lie to me like that! What do you mean 'fine'?" Elaine put her hands on her hips.
Ban laughed, smiling. "Honest."
Elaine thought to herself as her eyes began to glow, he doesn't realize I can read the minds of humans.
Ban's thoughts came through, man this really sucks. The ale made with wild berries from this place is seriously good stuff. It'd be pretty lame if I couldn't have it anymore.
"That's why?" Merlin laughed softly, threading her fingers through Ban's hair.
He gave her a small smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Well, you know me."
His face turned thoughtful, "Honestly, I never really knew why she believed me. She was readin' my mind, huh."
King laughed wetly, "Yeah, that's how she gets ya'."
Elaine was surprised to see that he was serious, and the branches retracted leaving Ban free.
"Who in the world are you?" Elaine asked.
"Me? I'm a bandit. You really couldn't tell? Bandit Ban's my handle around here. How 'bout you, kid?"
"Oh no, I'm not a child. My name's Elaine."
The memory ended as Ban woke up to see that the Boar Hat was moving. Hawk's Mom having just finished the journey to the Necropolis.
King and Ban relaxed once again, the other Sins hoped that this would be the last of the pain for a while.
"We're here!" Meliodas called out.
Diane shaded her eyes as she looked around. "So this is the Necropolis? It's not what I expected."
The 'city' was actually a small village, seemingly abandoned.
"Wow, that place isn't scary at all." Elizabeth said, resting on the table.
Hawk snorted in agreement.
"How'd a run down little village end up with a name like that anyway?" Hawk asked.
"Rumor has it this should be the place that's closest to it. Let's see if we can get some info on King, and find out where to go from here." Meliodas said. "And we're all gonna need to make a little food money right away, so, let's get the tavern up and running."
Ban raised an eyebrow, "What'd'ya know. Guess the Captain really does sell the drinks."
"And he's so cute when he's working!" Diane giggled.
Diane blushed, looking away from Meliodas.
"Oh, this again?" Meliodas lightly teased.
Diane snuck a glance at him, and relaxed a little when she saw he was smiling kindly at her.
"What do you mean 'again'?" Ban teased, "You look the same way you did when she said it the last time."
"Yes, if you were cute before, then you're definitely cute now." Merlin smirked.
Meliodas blushed, his eyes wide.
King took pity on him, he smiled softly and put a hand on his arm, "It's just nice to see you excited, Captain."
Meliodas, after an unusual moment of hesitation, softly placed his hand on King's, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"And I'm gonna put all you guys to work, too." Meliodas said. He pointed at Diane,
"Bring in some customers, jumbo billboard girl!"
He pointed at Ban, "you start grilling up some grub, jailbird cook."
"Are you sure you want this guy handling our food?" Hawk asked.
"Trust me," Meliodas said. "This guy is a real wiz in the kitchen."
Ban looked bashful, "Yeah, alright, I don't know about that."
"Oh it's definitely true."
"Yeah, your food is so delicious."
"It's the best out of all of ours, no offense Captain."
"None take, Ban is much better in the kitchen than I'll ever be."
Ban just blushed, though a smile spread across his face.
Meliodas clapped his hands, smiling brightly. "Alright, let's get to work!" He called out. "Put your backs into it, you guys!"
"Please, Sir Meliodas. I want a job, my injuries don't bother me anymore." Elizabeth said, coming to stand beside him.
He smiled softly at her, "Just don't push too hard."
"You're always so nice, Sir Meliodas." Elizabeth smiled up at him.
"Of course! I'm always gonna take care of you, Bethy." He smiled back at her.
Baltra huffed, a frown on her face. "She wouldn't need someone to take care of her if she hadn't been with you. The only reason she got hurt is because she was with you all."
Meliodas looked taken aback, and the other Sins looked offended as well. Meliodas opened his mouth to reply, but Elizabeth stood up before he could.
"None of what you just said is true." She said. She stood tall, tilting her chin up and looking Baltra in the eyes without flinching. "The Holy Knights were after me so I would have gotten hurt either way. Sir Meliodas and the other Sins protected me, without them I would have been captured."
Baltra stood up as well, walking over to kneel in front of her, "Elizabeth, dear, you almost died. I know that from what we've seen so far, Meliodas has stopped you from being captured from the Holy Knights, but you were still severely injured!"
He took her hands in his own, "And I know you were just trying to help me and your sisters, but you could have gone about it in a better way. I mean really, searching out dangerous criminals on purpose? And spending extended time with them? And on top of that-"
Meliodas interrupted Baltra's speech by hopping down off the armrest of the couch and placing his hand on Baltra's shoulder.
Throughout the time Baltra had been talking, the Sins had been getting more offended, and Meliodas had been getting more and more angry. Not about himself, but on behalf of his team. Now he was thoroughly pissed off.
Not that you would know it by his face, though. When Baltra looked up at Meliodas, he was greeted by a face of stone. Meliodas showed no emotion as he proceeded to manhandle Baltra back into his seat with seemingly no effort at all. It was as though he was moving a feather instead of a full grown man.
Baltra made as though to speak, but one sharp look from Meliodas had him shutting his mouth.
"You may not agree with your daughter's actions, but they are her own. She is free to make her own decisions in life." Meliodas said, then he leaned in, speaking so quietly that even Baltra had to strain to hear him. "You may not agree with me or what I have done in the past, but if I hear you call any of my team criminals again, we're gonna have problems."
Turning around Meliodas went and picked up Elizabeth and Hawk, placing them on Merlin's lap. He sat on the armrest next to them, blocking Baltra's view of them and any of the others.
Elizabeth patted him on his hand, smiling thankfully at him.
He gave her a small smile in return, smoothing her hair down
"You got it!" Elizabeth said.
Diane grabbed Meliodas, lifting him in one hand. "Captain! You made me the billboard girl, I'm so so happy you chose me!" She gave him a 'hug', squishing him to her cheek. "And don't worry, I won't let you down. I promise!"
"You could never let me down, Diane." Meliodas said softly.
She just smiled at him, her eyes a little wet.
All of the Sins were a little overwhelmed by what had happened in the past few minutes. They knew that their Captain cared about them, and that he would do his best to protect them, but they had never expected him to stand his ground for them against the king himself. It was a lot to know that Meliodas cared for them that much.
"Diane you're gonna do great!" Meliodas said, before looking down, "Ban, the pantry's out in the back.
However, Ban was nowhere to be found.
He was walking along a dirt road in the village. "I think the Captain's losing his mind, what kinda info does he expect to pick up in a gloomy dump like this?"
"You'd be surprised." Meliodas grinned at him.
Ban grinned back, looking slightly out of it, "I guess so."
Meanwhile, Diane was calling out, trying to attract customers. "We've got amazing drinks, and there's a super cute billboard girl who will welcome you in! Step up, to the Hot Boar Tavern!"
Hawk stood at her feet. "It's Boar Hat, but whatever."
"We've got plenty of free goodies just for coming inside!" Diane continued, but the town seemed completely devoid of people.
"This joint is seriously run down." Ban said to himself as he continued walking.
Suddenly he stopped walking, catching a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. It was a young girl, standing in the doorway of one of the houses, facing away from the road.
Ban's eyes widened, "Elai-"
The girl turned to look at him, her face one of a poor, dirt covered child. Not the girl from his dreams.
"I guess it's not so abandoned after all."
"Oh sorry about that," Ban said, turning his head away. "It couldn't possibly be her-"
He was interrupted by the child again as she collapsed onto the road in front of him.
"Uh oh."
Back at The Boar Hat, Elizabeth was wiping down the bar, Meliodas behind it, and Hawk at her feet. "So Sir Meliodas, how would you describe King? What kind of person is he?"
He turned to look at her. "Hmm, let's see now. Oh! About King, there was a time where Ban was totally into collecting plushies."
"Oh, I remember this!"
King groaned in embarrassment, covering his face. "Not one of my finer moments."
Ban grinned at him, patting him on the knee, "Nah, you were fine, showed how much you cared. If anyone should be embarrassed it's me." Though he didn't look ashamed in the slightest.
Elizabeth lifted her hand to her mouth, covering her laugh. "Seriously?"
"That's just adorable." Hawk said.
In the flashback, King was holding an armful of plushies, tears running down his face. "This is absolutely heartbreaking!"
Ban grinned up at him from where he was lying on a bed, "Give it a rest, huh?"
The screen zoomed out to show Ban surrounded by a huge pile of plushies, covering the entire bed.
Elizabeth gasped turning to look at Ban, "You stole all of those?!"
He winced, "Uh, yeah. My bad."
She frowned. "That's not very nice."
"No, it's not. You're right." He leaned down, his face serious. "Sometimes, in the past, I wasn't a very nice person. But i'm trying to be a better person now."
She nodded to him, her face serious as well. "Ok. I think you're doing ok now."
Ban cracked a smile, "Well thanks, princess."
King leaned over to them, "Don't worry, Elizabeth. They were all returned."
Ban let out a rueful laugh. "Oh that was you, huh?"
King grinned back, "Who else would it be? I was always cleaning up after your messes."
"Yeah, you were." Ban's grin softened as he lifted a hand to cradle King's cheek. "Thanks."
King lifted his hand to rest on Ban's, "no problem." He stared into Ban's eyes, looking almost smitten.
Then he seemed to snap out of his daze, grinning and leaning back to rest against Gowthor again.
The other Sins grinned at each other, amused.
"How could you steal these wonderful things? Each one is an emotional piggy bank, packed full of their owners' wonders, dreams, and desires!" King continued to cry, almost sobbing.
King covered his eyes, embarrassed at his sobs.
The other Sins smiled fondly at him. Gowthor chuckled, running his hand over King's head fondly.
King smiled at him, his cheeks flushed.
Ban took a swig from a bottle of ale he was holding, clearly drunk. "What they're packed full of is rags and stuffing." Ban said, lifting one up that had the stuffing leaking out.
King snatched it from his hands, "Don't you dare!"
"King sobbed and sobbed, all night long." Meliodas narrated, "Then the next morning, while Ban was passed out and snoring away, he brought them all back to their owners."
Elizabeth looked up at King and patted him on the knee, the highest place she could reach from her spot. "That's nice of you."
He smiled down at her in thanks.
Elizabeth smiled, clasping her hands. "Sir King seems like he must have beens a little strange, but he seems like a man with a really warm heart! I admire that."
"But it also means Ban's an even bigger jerk than I already thought he was. I bet they fought all the time!" Hawk commented.
"Sorry Ban," Hawk oinked, "I know you're not a jerk."
"Aw, thanks Hawk." Ban chuckled.
Meliodas looked amused, "what would make you say that? King and Ban were practically joined at the hip. Though, when I think about it, that might have been to clean up Ban's messes." He smiled. "But when all is said and done, they did make an excellent team."
King and Ban smiled at each other. "Hell yeah we did."
Elizabeth giggled.
Outside, Diane looked sad. "We haven't got any customers. I couldn't get a single person to show up."
At the same time, Ban had now lifted the child into his lap, attempting to wake her. He gently tapped the side of her face. "Hey, hey come on."
She opened her eyes.
"So, are you alright?" Ban asked.
"Get your filthy hands off Ellen!" Another child, a boy this time, screamed at Ban.
The boy had picked up a pitch fork and pointed it at Ban. "Just what do you think you're doing to my sister?"
Ban looked at him, "Look kid, if you're her brother and watching out for 'er, shouldn't you make sure she's getting enough food?"
"Shut up!"
"Ooh, he's really not taking any of your sass, huh."
"My sass? I'm only telling him the truth." Ban said, though he was laughing slightly.
"Oh, of course. We all know how honest you are."
Gowthor grinned at Ban, "Being sarcastic is the very opposite of Ban's true nature."
"Alright, that's enough outta you." Ban pushed Gowthor playfully.
The Sins laughed.
"Go away, and leave her alone!" The boy shouted at Ban.
Ban seemed unaffected, "Now I'm gonna ask you again, are you making sure she's getting enough food." He said, his voice deadpan. "Or should I take her away."
The boy growled. He raised his pitchfork and ran at Ban, shouting a warcry. The pitchfork impaled Ban in the chest, causing the boy to back up in shock.
The audience gasped in shock. The Sins leaned closer to Ban, as Merlin, Gowthor, and King held tight to any part of Ban they could reach.
Meliodas especially looked as though he might live up to his moniker as the Sin of Wrath.
The girl ran to her brother, both of them seeming close to tears. "No brother, this man was only trying to help me. What have you done?!"
"But...I thought that-"
Ban effortlessly pulled the pitchfork from his chest, dropping it with a clang.
The boy looked at the ground ashamedly, "I'm sorry. What can I do to atone for my sin, sir."
"You wanna atone, huh? What's there to make amends for, kid?" Ban said, standing up straight.
Ban smiled uncharacteristically gently at the other Sins. "It's all good, guys. Don't worry about me. It'd take a lot more than one four year old to kill this guy."
His remark startled a laugh out of King, "He looks more like 10." He said, his eyes a little watery.
"That shrimp? Nah." Ban said, and his hand was gentle as he stroked King's ankles that rested in his lap.
The children looked at him in shock. "Your wound!"
"There's something you should know. Real genuine sins? No amount of repenting erases them."
Suddenly, there was a clang, and Ban seemed to jolt, he spit out blood.
The audience looked back at the screen in surprise and confusion. The Sins once more had tensed up in worry.
King's face appeared before him, seeming mockingly innocent. "Glad you finally realised that."
"What!?" King looked at Ban in shock.
"Uhhh, did King just stab Ban?"
"What is happening?!"
"I don't know!" King was crying, tears sliding down his cheeks. Ban pulled him close.
King lay, resting on Chastiefol, which was plunged straight through Ban's chest.
"Hey Ban, how's it going?" He asked, resting his chin on one hand.
Ban didn't reply.
King narrowed his eyes, "Awesome, it's so great to see you after all these years. What's up? It's not like you to be so quiet."
Ban tilted his head, "Hold on. Who are you?"
"Ok, now I'm even more confused!"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I recognise King." Ban said, trying to catch King's eyes. King wouldn't look at him, still feeling shock at his supposed future actions.
"Wow, my feelings are hurt." King drawlled. "Who am I? Have you really forgotten about me?"
"I don't remember you at all. Sorry there, bud."
"Seriously! What happened?"
"Maybe something happened when we were all split up?"
"He was in jail the whole time though."
"Well not the whole time, right?" Ban commented, "Just when I got bored."
"Ok, so something could have happened before that."
"Sure, but what about King? Why is he acting like that?"
"I don't know, it's the future!"
"It can't be the future!" King said, sitting up suddenly. The others looked at him, surprised at his sudden outburst. "I refuse to believe this. I would never hurt Ban like that."
Ban cradled King's cheek in one hand, swiping away tears with his thumb. "I know you wouldn't."
King sighed, "well I guess it doesn't matter too much. The important thing is that you are Ban the Fox Sin, the Sin of Greed."
Chastiefol started to spin, drilling through Ban's chest and emerging out the other side of a much larger hole. King floated up to perch on it as it hovered high in the air.
"Or maybe you'd prefer it if I called you this name? Ban the undead."
Ban wiped the blood from his mouth and the children gasped as his chest completely healed.
"You got a smart mouth kid, and I'm getting sick of your tone. The hell do you know about me anyway?"
King sighed, "I know your sin. Even if you don't remember me, you can still remember your own sin, can't you? You know, that terrible awful crime you committed? To satisfy your selfish greed and gain eternal life, you murdered the Holy Woman of the Fountain of Youth."
King turned to look at Ban in shock, pulling away from his embrace, "What?"
"That's a lie," Ban snarled, looking furious, "I never hurt her. I could never." His face looked more anguished now as he stared at King. "You have to believe me, King."
King stared back at Ban with wide eyes, "Ok. I believe you." he said softly.
Ban pulled King close again, pressing his face to King's hair. "I loved her, I'd never hurt her, I loved her."
King closed his eyes, grasping Ban's shirt tightly in his fist.
The other Sins looked at each other in pain and anger.
Meliodas wished he knew who had brought them all to this room, for seemingly no purpose other than to suffer. How dare they make his Sins go through so much pain.
Merlin reached up and grabbed his hand, her small smile closer to a grimace.
Elizabeth slid to the ground next to Hawk, pulling him close and watching the Sins with wide eyes.
Ban remembered Elaine, laying still on the ground, blood staining her white dress red.
Both Ban and King looked gutted by the sight of Elaine's still body. Gowthor put his hand on King's back, rubbing softly.
He growled at the children without turning around, "Listen up brats, get outta here."
"Let's go, Ellen." The two siblings started running away from the action.
Up above them King leaned towards Ban, "I'm right aren't I." He floated down in front of Ban, dodging a punch.
"I'll ask you one more time," Ban growled, "Who are you?"
King appeared behind him, "I'm happy you came out here to play with me, because you just walked right into my trap! Now you won't escape!"
Ban nimby dodged King's attacks, leaving them standing across from one another in an open field.
"I wish she could see this." King said "And watch the man who took her life, pathetically begging for mercy, in agony." King floated up into the sky.
Ban looked completely unimpressed, his face showing no emotion. Suddenly he grinned, looking up at King and preparing to strike back. "Now for the last time, who the hell are you?!"
He was stopped in his tracks by Meliodas who appeared behind him suddenly and bopped him on the head with an empty flagon.
"Bad Ban!"
The room seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the sudden lack of tension. Merlin leaned her head on Meliodas' leg.
He ran his hand through her hair.
"Well hopefully you'll put a stop to the fight, Captain."
Ban sighed, turning to Meliodas. "Hey, Captain could you butt out? I'm kinda busy here."
"What's the matter with you?" Meliodas asked, hands on his hips. "You think you can just skip out on work?"
"What's the matter with me? Some little punk i've never seen before came out of nowhere and started a fight!"
Meliodas looked up at King curiously.
"Please tell me that you at least will recognize King."
"Well I don't know why I wouldn't."
"Ban didn't recognize me."
Ban rubbed his thumb up and down King's arm, where it was resting. "Sorry."
King sighed, "It's not your fault. You can't control the future."
"But is it really the future?" Merlin asked, looking around at the other Sins. "What proof do we have? A letter from someone we've never met!"
Meliodas frowned, considering her words.
"That is true," Gowther said, "we do not have any definite proof. It is possible that we are here for some other purpose entirely."
"Well what would that be?" Diane asked, starting to look annoyed at the possible deception.
"I'm not sure." Gowthor responded.
Meliodas frowned as they turned back to the screen, an idea beginning to form in his head that he did not like at all.
"I mean just look at what he did to my sweet threads!" Ban pouted.
Diane joined the group as well, "Alright. Someone better tell me what all the commotion's about." She looked at King curiously.
Suddenly both Diane and Meliodas were shouting out in joy. "King!"
"Oh thank the goddesses." Diane said, smiling when the others turned to look at her. "I'm just glad that I still recognized him."
Ban looked shocked, "What? Tell me how that tiny creep's supposed to be King?!"
"Well maybe he lost a little weight?"
"What? Why would that matter?"
"Oh!" Gowthor sat up straight, "his human form."
"Really? That's why I don't recognize him?" Ban asked, looking confused. "But I've seen King in his fairy form before. He's sitting right next to me."
"More like right on top of you." King giggled.
"A little?! And that ain't even the main issue here!"
Diane smiled at King, leaning closer to him. "King we came to look for you and now you're here! This is incredible, I'm so happy to see you again!"
Not responding, King turned away and flew off into the distance leaving the others to watch in confusion.
"Well that went well."
Later, back at the Boar Hat, Ban had cooked up a feast. "Okay everybody dig in."
"That smells amazing!"
The others gathered around the table in awe, including the two children from the village.
"That looks great!" Elizabeth said, smiling up at Ban. "You're really good at that."
Ban smiled back, embarrassed but hiding it well. "Thanks Bethy."
Baltra glowered over at Ban, disliking him more and more as the video went on. The thought of Meliodas' retaliation was keeping him from saying anything.
"This is amazing!"
"Yeah it's the best I ever had, thank you so much!"
Ban smiled at the children, "It's time for some give and take, alright? Now tell me everything you know about this Necropolis place."
Meliodas tilted his head, "What are you doing, Ban? Finding King was our mission, so there's no reason to go there anymore, right?"
"No way in hell that little punk is King!"
"Trust me, that's really him."
"I think he's a fake."
"Nope, it's really him."
"He's a fake!"
"So you guys are trying to get into the necropolis too?" The boy interrupted the two Sins.
"So the kids are trying to get to the necropolis as well?"
"Well they clearly know something about it."
Ban and Meliodas looked at him in surprise.
"That boy's asked us questions about it a lot. And he told me that he had to find it, no matter what."
Diane giggled, "King they think you're a little boy."
"Well he is pretty short." Ban grinned.
King rolled his eyes, grinning good naturedly at the joke.
"King said that, huh?" Meliodas asked.
"He told us that he'd been looking a long time, too."
"What are you looking for?" Merlin asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
King frowned, his eyes darkening with grief, "It could be a number of people."
Merlin nodded understandingly, squeezing his hand in her own.
"So it's actually here in this run down place?" Hawk asked.
The boy shook his head, "No, but it's not far away."
"Then, where is it exactly?" Elizabeth asked.
"The entrance to the Necropolis can be found here in this hamlet. But it's not a place that you can reach just because you want to."
Elizabeth and Diane looked at each other in confusion.
"Look man, riddles have never really been my thing." Ban said, resting his chin on his hand.
"Oh I get it." Meliodas said. "It's like a grave that's normally hidden, right?"
"It's not a grave at all." The boy responded. "It's a land unto itself. A place where you'll find the spirits of those who've died."
"Are we talking about the afterlife?" Meliodas asked.
"How could we reach a place like that?" Elizabeth added.
"Tell me," Ban leaned closer towards the children. "Have you guys ever had a chance to go there yourselves?"
"Do you think they're ghosts?" Hawk asked peeking out from underneath the table.
"I don't know," Meliodas shrugged, "they could be."
"They are the only people in the town." Diane said, "wonder where their parents are."
"Oh no of course not!" The young boy responded. "All that stuff's just superstitious nonsense!"
The little girl suddenly spoke up, "if you share with the dead your precious memories, they will lead you where you want to go."
"Okay, so she clearly knows about it."
"More than her brother anyway."
Merlin narrowed her eyes in thought. "Unless they're faking."
The others looked at her in shock.
"The man next door used to say that to us all the time." She continued. "That's all I know."
"Well thanks for the tip." Ban smiled at her, ruffling her hair. "Well done."
"What kind of reason could it be that Sir King wants to get into the Necropolis now?" Elizabeth asked.
"I know, that's a really good question," Meliodas answered. "Guess we'll learn the answer when we get there."
Outside, Diane thought to herself. "I wonder why King just ran away from me like that?"
"I'm wondering the same thing."
"Maybe 'cause he knew you wouldn't let him keep fighting Ban?"
In the woods, King was busy yelling at himself. "Idiot! I can't believe how stupid I am! Moron! Now Diane's gonna think that I took off just because I saw her! Then again, who could blame me? Hearing that after being away from her all this time."
"I'm so happy to see you again!" Diane's voice echoed in King's mind.
"Diane's just as adorable as she ever was!" King floated on his pillow, turning in loops in his excitement.
King blushed heavily, hiding his face in Ban's neck.
The other Sins laughed, not unkindly, as Diane started to blush as well.
"But what am I gonna do? What if this tips her off that I like her?" He collapsed onto his pillow, floating down to the forest floor. "What am I gonna do?"
"Wait, you like me?" Diane asked, turning to look at King.
King peeked out at her, "why wouldn't I like you?" He mumbled.
"Oh," Diane said softly, smiling at the ground, blushing stronger.
The other Sins traded fond looks at the pair's actions.
He sat up suddenly suspicious, "And why hasn't the Captain changed at all in these past ten years anyway? It's strange that he looks the same."
"Y'know, now that you mention it, you do look exactly the same." Ban said, turning to look at Meliodas.
Meliodas just grinned back, shrugging.
King buried his face in his pillow. "Still, it was really good to see them both again."
His expression hardened in anger, "I can't let that monster deceive my two friends! Ban! I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure that you pay for this."
Back in the village the group was exploring.
"Even if this Necropolis place exists, there's no way to get to the other side!" Hawk said as they walked.
"Well I guess all we have to do is die, right?" Meliodas said nonchalantly.
Merlin and Ban turned and hit Meliodas on the arm.
He laughed, holding his hands up in surrender.
"You big idiot!" Hawk shot back.
Elizabeth stopped walking, "Share memories that are precious with the dead, huh? If I could, when my mother died I was too young to remember, I'd love to meet her."
"Aw, Beth. I'm sorry."
Elizabeth smiled, her eyes a little watery. "It's ok, Sir Meliodas."
Merlin lifted Elizabeth up to sit in her lap.
Baltra shifted in his seat, grumbling under his breath, but after Meliodas shot him a warning look he stayed quiet.
"That rules you out then." Hawk said kindly.
Elizabeth sighed, "I guess you're right. I don't have any shared memories."
Ban walked out into an open field nearby. Elaine's voice echoing in his head.
"Ban, you came here for the Fountain of Youth, but why do you seek it out in the first place?"
In the past, Ban responded to her. "No real reason. I just figured that if you live a lousy life long enough, maybe something good'll finally come along and make it better. That's about it."
Ban stared ahead at the screen, resolutely avoiding making eye contact with his teammates.
The other Sins shared concerned glances.
Elaine looked at him with sad eyes. "I see. But what if you gain eternal life, and nothing good ever comes your way?"
King closed his eyes, his head hanging in grief.
Ban was startled back to the present by the sound of Diane's laughter as she walked up behind him. "Ban that is so not your style."
Ban looked around in surprise to see that the once barren field now had roses covering every available surface.
"What the hell is this?"
"Shared memories," Gowthor said, tilting his head.
Diane turned as the others walked up, "Elizabeth c'mere! Look at all these flowers."
"Oh my! What kind are they?"
"Who cares about a bunch of stupid ol' flowers?" Hawk asked, "you can eat these things all day long but they'll never fill you up." He snorted at one, sending petals scattering into the air.
Elizabeth giggled, leaning down to pat Hawk on the head.
Suddenly the petals from the rest of the roses followed, swirling around the group as they stared in surprise.
King also looked surprised from where he was hiding nearby.
The petals were swirling around them in a circle.
"Hey you guys! Be careful!"
The group turned to see the two children.
"Those children have gotta be in on it."
"Yeah they definitely know something."
The petals picked up speed, blocking all sight and creating a strong wind.
King flew into the storm on his pillow.
Suddenly the petals dispersed, showing the group that they now stood in a world made entirely of large green crystals. The Necropolis.
"Captain…" Diane looked at him in surprise.
"Look you guys," Meliodas answered.
King watched them, hidden behind a pillar of crystal. "No doubt about it. It's the Necropolis. Memories belonging to one of them opened the pathway."
Elizabeth held her hands to her chest, "Do you think it was my wish to meet my mother that opened it up and carried us here?"
"Maybe it was my powerful longing for all the scraps I missed in my long and colorful life!" Hawk said.
Meliodas rubbed the back of his head, "My mind was totally blank."
Merlin tightened her grip on Meliodas' hand, sending him a look that said she didn't believe a word he said.
Meliodas shrugged, smiling sadly at her.
Diane laughed, leaning down next to him, "Mine too!"
Ban looked around, spotting a retreating figure in the distance. It looked like Elaine. He ran after it, pursued by King.
King and Ban looked at the screen with wide eyes.
"Hold it!"
"King?"
"But how did he get here?" Elizabeth asked.
"What the hell's going on?" Hawk oinked.
"Captain," Diane asked, "What are we supposed to do?"
"I guess we'll run after 'em for now."
In the distance King was gaining on Ban. "You're not gonna escape!"
Ban however, had eyes only for Elaine. "I won't let you get away from me again!"
But the figure of Elaine had disappeared.
Back in the normal world, the children stared in shock. "Ellen, did you see that?"
"Yeah, those people just...disappeared."
"Are you sure they know something?"
"Eh, maybe yes, and maybe no."
"Ok thanks. You are no help."
Ban laughed.
"Well, well," a voice behind them spoke up. "It seems the Necropolis really does exist."
The children turned around to see a woman in armor. A Holy Knight.