Here we are! This one took a bit more time to write, because there was a lot I wanted to get in, but I also didn't want to drag it on too much. Hopefully things flow smoothly here. I admit that the last bit was written while being tired, but I tried to keep it as even as possible. I will also be up front of this: Hecate and Ban are a complicated pair. They clash like oil and water, but at the same time they come together perfectly like chocolate and oranges.

Hope you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Seven Deadly Sins, not that I wouldn't love to have the rights to have Ban... I own Hecate, her ability and any other characters not part of the anime.

Rated M for suggestive themes, strong language and potential explicit scenes later on.

Thank you guys for your feedback! I'm really glad you're liking it! And all of your comments make me smile and a lil giddy too. lol.

I admit, I'm still trying to find a nice balance between descriptions and getting on with the story, so please bear with me some more.

See you next update!

Ban felt himself slide against the ground, catching the woman before she got hurt further from the fall. He held her close, his heart squeezing painfully as he looked down at her. Her ragged breath coming out in pants, her cheeks flushed as if she was plagued with a fever. She looked horrible, and he knew if he didn't do something soon, she would lose herself, and they would lose her.

And he couldn't have that, not now.

"Ban! Hecate!" the others called out as they rushed over to the two.

There was so much chatter coming from Diane and the Captain, that Ban was having a hard time thinking. They kept asking what was wrong, what had happened, why did she just fall like that, what was going on. Over, and over again. But he couldn't answer them, because even he didn't know. He hadn't been paying attention. The moment he snapped at her, he lost all interest and locked that part of him away… until he turned and saw her fall.

"We…" Ban managed to find his voice, cutting through the others as he tried fighting off the wave of emotion that threatened to overcome him. "We need to set her arm…" he spoke quietly, blinking rapidly. "She needs blood…"

There was a sense of urgency in his voice too, despite how calmly it came out. Meliodas placed a hand on the man's shoulder, causing him to look up at the blonde. It was the second time the Captain had seen that look in the man's face, the first time came twelve years ago when he carried Cat to the group, passed out in his arms. This time though, Meliodas knew Ban was ready to help the woman the best he could, and he would be there to help her.

"Tell us what we need to do." Meliodas gave the immortal an understanding smile, this was important, for everyone.

Ban nodded slightly, relieved that he wouldn't have to ask the others to help him out. He looked down at the woman, pressing his hand to the forehead, checking for a fever. She wasn't warm yet, which was a good sign. It meant if they were to act now, she wouldn't have a relapse. He was racking his mind, trying to remember what the twins told him about their physiology. He remembered asking them about it after seeing them consume some blood a couple days after he decided to stay with them. It had been a strange sight that he had ever witnessed and became curious about it.

The twins, for their part, didn't hold back when they explained their need for blood and how it helped their body. They went into excruciating detail about how they could reattach severed limbs but needed a healthy supply of blood to help give their natural regeneration a boost. They also mentioned how their bodies could digest blood automatically even while they were unconscious, explaining that their vampiric nature tended to act out in instinct to protect them. Due to their respect for Elaine, they never physically showed him how it was done, though at the time, he suspected she threatened them if they tried.

"We need a bed… set the arm… give her blood… and wait… wait for what again?" Ban mumbled out loud, his brows pinching together as he tried remembering what was said to him.

As he tried remembering, he ripped the sleeve off the severed arm, ripping it apart to make a makeshift tourniquet to stem the bleeding a little. He wrapped the cloth tightly around her stump, knowing it was only a temporary fix, at least until he could get her boost her healing ability. He was still trying to remember what he was supposed to wait, but it was eluding him.

Looking down at the man, Meliodas felt some pity towards him. He was struggling to remain calm and help the woman in his arms after clearly showing his disinterest in her earlier before her collapse. His red eyes carried a deep helplessness in them that he hadn't seen since they were reunited almost twenty years ago. He knew there wasn't a lot he could do to help and was waiting for Ban to give him some sense of what he needed from them.

"We need to get her to a bed…" the immortal repeated in a stronger tone as he grabbed the severed arm and bracelet, pocketing the latter for now.

"You can use our home…" the siblings from earlier spoke up, coming out of their hiding place, causing the group to look at them.

"Who are these two?" Diane asked, peering down at the kids, who clung to each other in fear, taking a step back.

"Huh?" Ban questioned, looking over his shoulder at the kids in slight surprise. "Oh, we met them earlier." He somewhat supplied and stood up, being careful with Hecate. "You sure that's okay?" he asked the children, who nodded their heads.

"Yes, that woman was kind to us, we want to help." The girl, Ellen, spoke up, her voice gaining some strength to it.

"Thank you." Meliodas spoke up, giving the two a smile and looked over at Ban who moved towards the siblings who led them to the still intact house.

It was hard to believe that only moments ago, he and King nearly destroyed the very house he now stepped into. He looked down at the woman and frowned at the way her breathing was still ragged, but it didn't look like it changed any. The girl led him to a bed, and he set his Kitten down, resting her severed arm on the bed next her. He rested his hand over her forehead and frowned when he felt some heat radiating off her. Ripping the rest of the shirt off the stump, he looked over at his Captain and motioned with his head to join him.

Outside, Diane was kneeling on the ground, peering into the window to watch what was happening. As much as she was worried about King and why he left so suddenly like he did, she was worried about her friend. They all were, and this was just another time where she wished she were smaller and could be there to help the woman out.

"I need you to hold her and her arm in place after I've set it." The immortal man explained as he grabbed the other bracelet off the severed arm and tucked it into his pocket with the other. "While I give her blood, there might be a chance her body will react and move."

"Of course." Meliodas responded, nodding as he stepped closer to the bed.

Honestly, it was the least he could do since no one wanted anything happen to the halfling. And honestly, he really didn't know what to do in a situation like this, but it seemed that Ban had snapped out of whatever was bothering him earlier. He was focused now, his eyes sharp, with a distinguishable light in his eyes. He knew whatever they did now better help the woman, if it didn't, he shuddered to think what Ban would do. He looked over at the children, giving them a kind smile. They shouldn't have to witness this.

"You two should probably head outside." Meliodas spoke kindly, knowing they wanted to help. "I don't think you'll want to see this next part, here." He nodded to where Ban standing so the two could see what he was doing.

Ban was leaning over the woman, handling her arm with immense ease he compared the cut marks he saw. He needed to get everything right so the reattachment would go smoothly. Seeing this, the children nodded and fled from the house, leaving the two men alone with the unconscious woman. It really was lucky that King hadn't had the spear spinning when the cut the arm off. He found the right angle and set the arm close to the stump and sighed as he looked over to their Captain.

"Alright, hold her still," the immortal said, moving around the bed to the other side as the blonde took his place and secured the severed arm and shoulder.

"How's the fever?" Meliodas asked, watching as the taller man placed his hand over her forehead once more.

"Still low…" he murmured, his voice betraying the relief he had as he gently pried her mouth open.

Now it was time for the hard part, feeding her while making sure her body didn't move too much. Positioning his wrist over her mouth, he slit it with his sharp nails, allowing the blood to drain into her. He watched, waiting to see if they twins were right about their inner vampire reactively needing to consume blood. It didn't take as long as he first thought as the two men watched her throat begin bobbing, taking in the blood. A bitter chuckle left him as he watched her body digest the blood, it was just like the twins told him. Honestly, he had thought they were full of shit when they told that, but he should have known better.

"Have you done this before?" Meliodas asked curiously, watching curiously to see what else would happen, only to see the man shake his head.

Meliodas merely nodded, not bothering to ask how he knew what to do, he could ask later after all. He was just about to ask what was about to happen next, when Hecate's body arched upward. He pressed down on her shoulder to keep her body as still as he could keep it, Ban doing the same on the others side. Her breathing deepened, but she didn't wake. After a moment, her body flopped back onto the bed, once again motionless as Ban continued bleeding into.

"Is the arm and stump still aligned?" Ban asked, his heart pounding in his chest, he really hadn't expected that.

"Yes, they are." Meliodas responded after a moment, and the two let out a simultaneous breath.

"Damn woman… giving us a heart attack…" Ban muttered under his breath.

Mere seconds after muttering those words, red, blood-like tentacles slithered out of the woman's stump towards the severed arm. Meliodas released the limb and body, taking a step back as he watched, becoming weary of the image in front of him. Once those the tethers found the arm, they pierced it and gently tugged the arm back into place, locking it to the stump firmly. The skin between the two slowly began knitting itself together. Her grey started fading from her skin, and her breathing began evening out. The blonde felt himself relax before turning to the immortal, who was concentrating on his current task.

"You might want to head back to the tavern, Captain." The man said simply, "It might take some time to get things working."

"I doubt anyone minds waiting, Ban. We all care for her; we can head back to the tavern once she's stable." Meliodas told him simply and headed outside, leaving the immortal alone, he didn't expect his help was needed anymore.

When he came out of the house, he smiled at the kids and Diane, they seemed to brighten up at the sight of him. He walked to the side of the house and took a seat on a barrel.

"Well, she's on the mend, but Ban doesn't know when he can move her yet." He explained, his smile not fading. "Her colour's returning to normal and her breathing has started to stabilize." He turned to the kids now. "Since we have the time, want to tell us what happened before we got here?"

The siblings shared a look before nodding and began explaining what happened.

Ban let out a groan as he rotated his neck, sighing in relief when his neck cracked loudly. He didn't know how long he had been at it, but he felt assured that things were going well. The woman was looking better now and seemed to be resting peacefully. Her looked to be healing properly, but he knew it would still take some time before she could use it. There was still a thin, silvery line that marked her skin as a reminder, but it was barely noticeable.

Feeling comfortable enough to move her, he ripped part of her shirt, knowing she was going to tear into him for doing it, and as a precaution, wrapped it around her healing arm. He grabbed the soiled fabrics, stuffing them into his pockets, making sure that the kids wouldn't have any reminders of what occurred. He picked Hecate up with great care and left the house, blinking a little when he saw the kids speaking with the Captain and Diane.

"Ban! How is she?" Diane asked, being the first to notice him.

"Better, I'm taking he back to the tavern to rest more." He told them with a bit of a smile and began walking again.

He heard the others following behind, the chatter falling upon deaf ears as the immortal kept walking. In his pocket, he could hear the bracelets clinking together, and he couldn't help but wonder why the bracelets started harming her. He had a few choice words for Merlin the next time they met the woman about that. Shaking his head, he entered the tavern, being greeted by Elizabeth and Hawk, who turned to him with a smile, only for their faces to turn into panic, Elizabeth especially.

"She'll be fine," Ban told them before they could ask what happened. "Anyway, I'm taking her upstairs to rest some more." With that, he headed upstairs, not wanting to get into it just yet.

"What's got into him?" Hawk asked, turning to Elizabeth, who was staring at the immortal man.

"I don't know…" she admitted quietly, a hand raised to her chest in worry.

It didn't take Ban long to get to their room, and he set her on the bed, brushing some hair from her face before letting out a sigh. Now, it was would be a waiting game until she woke up. It all depended on how much blood she needed. He would check up on her later and give her more if she hadn't woken by then. Running a hand through his hair, he set her bracelets on the bookshelf in the room and left to dispose of the bloody strips of cloth.

When he got down to the tavern, he was greeted by the others, aside from Diane. The kids were sitting at the bar, looking around at the tavern with wide eyes. A wiry smirk crossed his face as the others turned to him and he walked to the bar, taking a seat next to the girl. He still couldn't believe how much she looked like Elaine, the two could have been twins in another life...

"She's really going to be okay?" the girl asked him, looking at him in worry.

"She's tougher than she looks. Give her some time, and she'll be back with us, Elaine." Ban chuckled, grinning calmly as he ruffled her hair.

"My name is Ellen…" the girl corrected him, causing him to laugh.

"Right, right. Sorry." He chuckled, but the correction slipped his mind soon after.

They spent some time getting to know the kids before their stomachs began to growl, and Ban took it upon himself to get them food, after blatantly telling his Captain to stay out of the kitchen and just entertain the kids. He didn't need the blonde ruining the food. These kids deserved a good meal after all.

There was something about the smell of food that could bring a person back to consciousness. It was that very scenario which caused Hecate's nose to twitch, teasingly pulling her away from the comforting darkness she had submerged herself in. First her fingers flexed, lightly gripping the bed covers underneath her, though her right hand was slower and stiffer than her left. There were slight phantom pains that traveled up her arm where it disappeared into numbness. It took her consciousness longer to catch up as her eyes fluttered open as she took a sharp inhale of air and stared up at the ceiling, confused.

Her body felt heavy, as if it were being weighed down with sandbags, yet her body was simply buzzing with energy. It was the strangest sensation that she had never felt before as Hecate raised an arm to her head. Despite feeling weighed down, she felt… good. Her previous headache was gone, the sickness that had been bothering had vanished. It was as if she had bathed in blood for hours to rejuvenate herself. Yet, as she stared up at the ceiling, something was nagging at the back of her mind. She was missing something, and it bothered her.

"Welcome back." A cheery voice greeted her and the halfling her head attention to the door, where her grinning Captain stood.

"Hey, Captain." She murmured with a small smile, her voice soft and scratchy.

The man walked into the room, hands casually tucked away in his pockets and on the bed, looking her over. He was relieved at what he saw. The once ghostly and ghoulish woman from early was gone, and all remained was the woman part of his team. Though clearly still a little out of it, she was healthy and in her right mind.

"You gave us quite a scare there, Cat." Meliodas tsked playfully, wagging his finger at her, but she knew there was a serious undertone, despite the easygoing words.

"Sorry… I guess I couldn't hold on anymore…" she sighed with a chuckle and went to push herself up, only to have the blonde shake his head.

"None of that," he scolded lightly and helped her sit up against the wall. "Until your arm is fully attached, I don't want you doing anything unnecessary to slow your healing down." He explained and she frowned a little as she looked at her right arm, puzzled.

"…how did my arm get reattached?" she asked with some hesitance, looking over at the man, who snickered.

"A very worried and panicked immortal…" he grinned knowing, as the halfling just stared at him.

"Wait you mean…" Hecate stuttered a little and the man nodded.

"Yup." Meliodas laughed, seeing her stunned expression. "That guy seemed to remember every little detail you and Dante told him and put it to practice. A man so concerned about his Kitten." The man teased, causing the woman to groan, and attempted to swap him, but he dodged.

"Never call me that again, Captain… that sounds so… so wrong coming from you." She scolded but couldn't hide the bashful smile on her face. "How long have I been out for anyway?"

"A few hours, more or less. We were starting to take bets to see how long you would be gone for. Seems Ban wins, again." The blonde shrugged with a slight shake of his head. "Anyway, you should get up and get some actual food in you. I know you can survive on blood alone, but after the ordeal you've gone through, I don't want you to rely solely on Ban's blood to make a full recover." He expressed his concerns and patted her leg with a smile. "We'll be downstairs, you also have two good kids worried about you too." He added and stood, leaving the room while losing the door behind him.

Ban's blood was flowing through her… that would explain why her body was pulsing with energy and why she was feeling so good. She slowly raised her right arm, noticing the material of her shirt wrapped around it in a makeshift bandage. Her fingers curled slowly; her joints stiff from being severed from her body for so long. It would be useless in a fight right now, but it wouldn't hinder her too much till then. If she had a guess, she would be healed in a few more hours.

Knowing that she couldn't stay in bed forever, the halfling shuffled to the bed and took off her tunic, leaving her in her crop top. She sighed a little at the state of her shirt and tossed it into the corner where her bag was. She would deal with it later to salvage it if she could. A glint caught her attention and she turned to see her bracelets sitting on the bookshelf. She walked over to the shelf, picking up her bracelets and slipped one around each wrist, feeling them hum for a moment before settling.

Her attention was drawn to the door, where the scent of cooking food wafted up. The scent was more than appealing as her stomach began rumbling. Whoever was cooking knew what they were doing, and she knew it wasn't the Captain. The thing she heard was heavy panting, and the sound of something dropping to the ground. Stepping into the tavern, Hecate found herself looking over at Hawk, who was foaming at the mouth, drool dripping from the corners as he stared at the man in the kitchen. Everyone was focused on Ban, who was cooking behind the bar, who didn't seem aware of anything else except the food he was preparing. Leaning against a nearby wall, Hecate was content to watch, trying to keep her own stomach from rumbling out and breaking everyone's concentration. She looked out the window to see Diane looking and gave the giantess and smile and wave, watching as her friend's eye widened, filled with happiness and relief.

Elizabeth was surprised when Ban decided to cook for the children. She had wondered why Sir Meliodas had designated the task to the taller man, but now she understood. Whatever he was making, smelt wonderful and she had never seen Hawk drool so heavily at the mere scent of food. She had to smile at the sight before her, the look of excitement in Ellen and Luigi's eyes as they waited for the food, caused a giggle to escape her. She never expected that Ban was good with kids. As the princess looked around the room, she was surprised and delighted to see that Hecate was up and moving around.

She noticed the halfling was watching the scene before her, her light pink eyes soft and warm, and there was a small, fond smile on her face. She noticed that that the woman had discarded her top, leaving her in a more revealing one. It was different, but it fitted the woman more. What really caught her attention was the red mark on her chest, and the silver chained necklace around her neck that was tucked into her top. While she couldn't he could make out what was on the end of the necklace, she focused on the mark. She could see the head of a howling wolf with its head tilted upwards and the front part of its body before being covered up by her top. Just like the marks on Sir Meliodas and Ban, the princess connected it with her Sin, branding her, just like the others.

Walking over to the halfling, Elizabeth smiled brightly at the halfling, standing at her side. "Welcome back, Cat." She spoke softly, but cheerfully as the woman turned to her, the warmth in her eyes never leaving.

"Thank you, Elizabeth." The woman spoke quietly to not bring attention herself. "I'm sorry if I worried you when I was brought back." Her face slipped to one of guilt and apology as she momentarily broke eye contact with the princess.

"No, no, it's fine." Elizabeth immediately replied, giving the woman a reassuring smile. "Sir Meliodas, Diane, and Ban explained what happened. I'm really happy to see that you're healed and back with us now."

The softness came back to the woman's face and pink tinged her cheeks, accompanied by a sheepish smile. It wasn't often that the halfling became embarrassed from a simple thing as someone worrying about her. It had the princess wondering just what the woman had gone through in her life to make her that way.

"I'm almost healed…" Hecate murmured, catching Elizabeth's attention as she raised her left hand to over her healing arm. "A few more hours, then I'll be good as new. Despite having regenerative abilities, it still takes time for things to heal… I won't go into detail with you, you don't need nightmares of it." she chuckled bitterly, a jaded smile forming on her face as if her mind couldn't stop its travel down memory lane.

"I don't mind," Elizabeth gave her a reassuring smile, shaking her head. "I'm just relieved you're up and moving."

Hecate couldn't help but smile softly at the princess, her worry and genuine care warmed her heart. In an act of pure instinct, her fingers found her hidden pendant and she gripped it lightly in her hand. It had been a long time she needed to draw strength from the black pearl that hung around her neck. She toyed with it for a few moments as she and Elizabeth fell into a comfortable silence before slipping it back under her shirt. There would be time later for her to reflect on things, but now there were more pressing matters. Before she even realized it, she felt two arms wrap around her middle. Looking down, she was greeted by the faces of the siblings, who were smiling up at her with some tears in their eyes.

"Miss Hecate! You're awake!" they both spoke with relief in their voices.

"Hey kiddos." She greeted them warmly and lightly rested her hands lightly on their heads, running her fingers through their hair soothingly as they clung to her. "I'm sorry for worrying you two like that."

Ban wasn't paying attention to what was going on outside of the kitchen. All he was focused on was getting those kids fed, without thinking about anything else. He finished plating the food, piled high on the largest plates he could find. He mildly noticed the Captain holding a frothing Hawk away from the table by his ear. His sensei had been desperate for some food himself, which Ban had logged in the back of his mind to give him some, but after the kids ate.

The table already had plates put out, and he made sure to have one more in case a certain sleeping woman finally woke. He expected the kids to find a table they wanted to sit at, but when he came out, he blinked slowly at the scene before him. He honestly had never seen Hecate interact with children except for that bit earlier, but he remembered Dante mentioning it to him one day when the two headed out to grab some food for everyone.

He watched as she comforted the kids, the soft, tender expression of her eyes and face, that motherly look he got to experience from his own family. She was gentle with the children, speaking in soft tones of reassurance and comfort as they hung onto her. Hecate had an odd way of knowing exactly how to react to the kids and what to do, it came naturally to her. It was a side of the woman that rarely came out, unless she interacted with children. Anything she came back from someplace and she had that look in her eyes, he always knew she had gone to see the children in the village. With a shake of his head, he walked over to the nearest table and set the food out, placing his hands on his hips. He noticed the woman look over at him briefly as he watched them, but quickly focused back on the kids.

"I think Ban has some food ready for you guys," he heard her speak softly, that same soft smile still in place. "It would be a shame to let it get cold after all the hard work he put into it."

The children looked up at her before turning to him and saw the piles of food he had laid out for them. Their eyes went wide, and they let out a cheer as they ran to the table to take their seats. Their actions caused the others in the tavern to laugh at their glee.

"Gosh, that smells delicious!" one of them gasped, the other agreeing immediately after.

It was then that a low whine echoed in the air, causing everyone to stare over at the halfling, who was now flushed with embarrassment as she pressed her left hand over her stomach, making a shushing noise as the others began laughing at her expense.

"Come on, there's room for one more." Ban spoke to her with a wicked smirk. "I made more than enough, and I'm sure the kids won't be able to polish it all off." He teased lightly, watching as her pink eyes twinkled with a familiar spirit that he hadn't seen a while.

"How do you always know?" She asked lightly with a laugh as she walked towards the table, taking a seat across from the siblings with a slight shake of her head.

"When don't I know?" he tossed back with a chuckle as he took a seat next her, shooting her a playful wink as the two looked at the kids.

"Go ahead you two," she spoke to the siblings who were staring at the food in awe. "You both need it more, so take as much as you want."

The siblings looked at her surprise before turning to look at Ban, who merely snickered at them and nodded. He waved at them to go ahead, smirking at their eagerness.

"You heard the lady, dig in." He leaned an arm onto the table, watching them eagerly begin piling their plates up.

Once they had, he nudged his Kitten who also began doing the same. He watched her carefully, taking notice that she was using her left hand instead of her right and that she was being careful of how much she took, and what she took. He had to stop himself from frowning and feeling his gut twist inside.

"Don't." That simple word caused Ban to pause as Hecate looked over at him from the corner of her eye.

"How do you always know?" he spoke quietly with a sigh.

"Because I know you, Ban…" she replied quietly. "So, don't." she repeated, and he merely rolled his eyes at her.

"This is delicious!" Ellen beamed at him as she began eating.

"Thanks so much, mister!" the boy replied with a big grin, the siblings unaware of what quickly transpired between the two.

"Quid pro quo time." Ban spoke, turning to the siblings now as Hecate began eating. "In return, tell me about this Necropolis place." He requested, resting his chin upon his propped-up hand.

He was about to say more when he felt pain in his shin and heard a scoff coming from the woman next to him. He scowled at her, sending her a bit of a glare, that she promptly ignored while eating. He didn't even know what he had done to deserve that!

"Uh, Ban?" their Captain spoke up causing the two to look over at him. "We found King." He reminded the man, causing Hecate to snort.

"If I remember correctly, he also left without saying a word to anyone." The halfling mentioned with a shake of her head. "He also owes me for ruining one of my favourite shirts."

"You look better without i—" Ban cut himself off with a yelp when he felt a heal dig into his toes.

"Shut it." she ordered with a huff and the man rolled his eyes with a scowl.

"Enough you two, you can talk it out later." Meliodas sighed, speaking up before they got into another row with each other. They really hadn't changed a bit. "Anyway, like I was saying, we already found King, so there's no more reason to go there, right?"

"No way in hell is that King!" Ban denied stubbornly, and Hecate snorted, rolling her eyes at that.

"Trust me, it's really him!" Their Captain insisted, not budging from the truth.

"It's a fake." Ban stubbornly insisted.

"It's really him." Their Captain insisted once more, the two men focusing on each other now.

Hecate sighed at them and shook her head at the two stubborn men. She saw the siblings looking at them in awe, probably having never seen something like this happen before. She gave them a reassuring smile before motioning to the, still, arguing men.

"This happens all the time with them." She laughed softly, far too used to this happening around her. "Now, eat up, you two need it."

"You guys also want to go to the Necropolis?" the brother asked, interrupting the men, looking at everyone in surprise.

"Also?" the three of them ask, looking at him in surprise.

"That boy from earlier came with questions a few times, too." He explained, "He said he wanted to reach to Necropolis no matter what."

"King said that?" Meliodas asked in surprise, tilting his head a little.

"Yeah. He said he'd been looking for it a long time." The brother confirmed, causing Hecate to hum softly.

"It's here in this dump?" Hawk asked in surprise and disbelief.

The brother shook his head as he looked at everyone. "No, but it's nearby." He vaguely told them.

"What do you mean?" Diane asked looking in from the window behind them.

"The entrance to the Necropolis is in the hamlet," he began, his voice starting to grow soft. "but it's not a place you can reach just because you want to." He explained cryptically.

"Riddles aren't my thing." Ban spoke blandly, unimpressed with what he was hearing, causing the halfling to nudge him in the ribs with her left arm.

Hecate looked down at the plate, understanding what the two were getting at. It seemed that part of the rumours she heard were true then. It was part of the tale she heard that she hadn't shared with the others, mainly because she hadn't wanted to douse their hopes. The only way to get there… was to die.

"Oh. I get it." Their Captain spoke calmly as he looked at the two. "So, what you're saying…" he trailed off a bit as he bent down and fiddled with something, drawing the attention of everyone. "is that it's like this!" he exclaimed, revealing Hawk who had a long stick tied to his back with a plate full of food on it suspended in the air.

Hecate let out a groan as she ran a hand over her face. He was being a goof again, and teasing Hawk who had been eyeing the food on the table the entire time. Of course, he was going to pull something like this. It was in his nature. Both she and Ban let out a sigh, sharing a deadpan look with one another. They shouldn't have been so surprised as they were. It wasn't the first time he had pulled a stunt like this.

"I don't think that's it…" Elizabeth tried to explain as Hawk noticed the food and began focusing on it.

"Is it a grave that's normally hidden or something?" Meliodas asked, standing straight now as he looked at the siblings.

"It's not a grave." The brother replied seriously, using his pointer finger to point to the ceiling. "They say the Necropolis is a land where people go when they die." He clarified.

"It's the other side, you mean?" Meliodas asked for even more clarification.

"How can we reach such a place?" Elizabeth asked, sounding worried as Hecate looked down at her plate a little.

"That is the question… isn't it?" Hecate murmured softly.

As bad as it was, she could think of a few ways to reach the place, but they would be both tedious and dangerous if done wrong. To be honest, she was afraid to even bring them up because she knew no one would agree to them. They were drastic, but if there was no other way—

Hecate shook her head a little, she couldn't go down that road. Dante would kill her if she did.

"Have you been there?" Ban asked curiously, bringing focus to the kids once more, looking at the expectantly.

Their reactions were instant and opposite of one another, the brother looked panicked, while the Ellen became unusually calm.

"Of course not!" the brother denied, his hands waving in front of him. "All that stuff is just superstition!"

"Superstition is usually based on fact…" Hecate murmured and lightly tapped her nose without bringing attention to her as he stared at her in surprise.

There was a reason why Hecate spoke as she had earlier. There was a reason why she couldn't smell anyone around. Aside from their group, and King, there were no other warm bodies around, but she didn't want to let that get out, but at the same time she had never experienced something like this before either.

"Precious memories shard with the dead will guide you to the capital." Ellen spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to the girl who stared at them. "The man next door always used to say that." She lowered her eyes a little afterwards. "I'm sorry, that's all I know." She spoke softly.

Ban had a thoughtful look on his face as he reached across the table and ruffled her hair, much to the other's surprise.

"That tip paid for your meal, and then some." He told her gently. "Thanks, Elaine."

"…my name is Ellen…" the girl responded, unsure of why she was being called a different name.

"Oops, sorry, Ellen." Ban responded with a light laugh.

Hecate looked down at her food and sighed softly as she turned to the siblings with a small smile. "Forgive him…" she murmured softly. "You remind us of someone close to us, who looked just like you." She explained.

"Who?" both siblings asked, focusing on her now as Ban gave a bit of a sigh.

Before she responded, she felt him rest a hand on top of hers, causing the woman to look at him. Ban was surprised when he felt his Kitten thread their fingers together, seeking strength from him, but as he looked at her closely, he knew she was fighting the urge to tremble.

"My sister-in-law." Hecate murmured just so the people at the table could hear. "Now, finish your food, can't have it go to waste." She spoke gently, but clearly indicating that she wasn't going to elaborate any further.

Ban looked over at Hecate, seeing the pain in her eyes as she spoke those words. He knew that while Dante and Elaine hadn't officially been married, they were as good as with the pledge the made to one other. The day before everything went to shit, and their lives changed drastically.

When Hecate finished her food, stood up, gently resting her hand on Ban's shoulder, gaining his attention after losing himself into his own thoughts.

"Thank you." She spoke softly, a soft smile still in place as she headed towards the exit. "I'm just going out for some fresh air." She alerted the others and left without another word, stuffing her hands into her pockets as the door closed behind her.

Ban watched this before sighing heavily and stood. He couldn't just let her leave after all that. He didn't know what kind of trouble she could get into, even after eating a full meal and taking in a good amount of his blood. Besides, he had to get rid of that knot in his stomach that threatened to make him sick if he didn't at least try to talk with her.

It wasn't hard to find the blue-haired woman as she walked around, her head tilted back a little as she stared up at the cloudy sky. She stopped in front of a bare field surrounded by cliffs, seemingly lost in her own mind. He walked up behind her and without saying anything, wrapped his arms around her waist, just holding her as she leaned back into him. Sometimes he forgot how short she really was compared to him, barely coming up to his shoulders, but she always fit perfectly like that. There was no one around them, the others off somewhere else, searching for the entrance.

"Do you remember that day?" Hecate spoke, looking up at Ban as he let out a hum, staring down at her a little. "Just after you declared you were going to stay with us?"

Ban chuckled a little and gave her a small smirk. "When I got the weirdest interrogation from those two?" he teased weakly and she nodded.

"Yeah…" she murmured fondly with a smile.

"How could I forget?" he mused and shared out into the field.

The toxin in Ban's body wore off hours ago, and he just finished show Hecate his beer label collection, after he went down to collect his discarded bag. The woman had taken great interest in it and commented on some beers she thought he would like, ones that he had never heard of before. They were currently up in the branches, having easily climbed through the tree. They settled on one large branch, sitting side by side as his sister pointed out a few places in the distance that the twins had traveled to. The two were being watched by Dante and Elaine in another branch nearby, who were unable to understand how the female halfling could be so comfortable around the man. The two were animated as they spoke, and had no trouble poking fun at the other before laughing it off.

"She seems happy, don't you think?" Elaine murmured next to the male halfling, resting her hand upon his.

"It's strange to see her that way though… what makes him so special?" Dante mumbled, threading their fingers together while Elaine giggled.

"Don't be like that, be happy that she found someone else that she enjoys being around." She lightly scolded him, causing the man to smile and lightly press his lips to her temple.

"You're right… as always…." He gave in, only to smirk wickedly. "But that doesn't mean I can't bother them." he added, causing Elaine to laugh.

"You're horrible." She teased, unable to stop herself from smiling and he grinned at her knowingly.

"Hey Ban!" Dante called out to the bandit, causing both him and his sister to pause in their conversation.

It was time to get some proper answers now. Even though they all made peace with what happened hours ago, that didn't mean he was going to let what happened go so easily. He watched as his sister rolled her eyes at him, but the bandit had his head tilted, and an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah?" the other man asked, slightly annoyed at being interrupted.

"We gotta clear some things up before you get comfortable here." Dante explained, and heard his sister blow a raspberry at his insistence.

"Fine… what now? I thought I already answered everything." The bandit whined, only to pout when Hecate slapped him in the chest.

"Just play along and we can continue." She scolded lightly, rolling her eyes a bit.

Dante stood from his spot, gently pulling Elaine up with him as the two moved towards the two, who were sitting comfortably together, as if they had always been close. Elaine looked down at her and Dante's intertwined fingers and sighed softly as she led them to the edge of their branch, knowing her beloved wanted to try to intimidate the other man. She wanted to help him find some peace and accept that his sister was happy, so she had him look out over the forest for a bit. For Elaine, her life had been so lonely until a few decades ago, when the twins first appeared, and now, this man has entered her life as well. There was a lingering bittersweet feeling about the entire thing.

"What is your purpose in seeking the Fountain of Youth?" she asked before Dante could talk, turning to the man who was still showing her sister his bizarre collection.

"Hm?" Ban responded for a moment as he and Hecate looked up at them. "No real reason." He admitted with a careless shrug. "If you live a lousy life long enough, maybe something good will come your way eventually. That's all." He reasoned and that struck something with all three of them.

None of them had lived an easy life so far, and his words resonated with them. In a way, they were all the same, all struggling in their own way to try and make the best of their life. Dante gently gave Elaine's hand a squeeze, causing her to look at him with soft eyes. The twins knew what haunted her every day, just like she knew what haunted them, what made their lives lousy despite being together. Hecate sighed quietly and leaned lightly against Ban who stared down at her. He understood the twins now. Sure, he might not know their history, but he could see it in heir eyes, and that made him feel more connected than ever with another person.

"What if you gain eternal life and nothing good ever comes your way?" Elaine, Dante, and Hecate asked quietly, their words mixed with different tones that reflected what was going through their heads.

But Ban didn't have an answer, at least, not for the others. Instead, he grabbed Hecate's hand and gave it a squeeze. He had seen that look in her eyes, it was a look that longed for something more than mere familial companionship. And if he was right, she didn't think she was worthy of it.

"I don't believe in never." He whispered into her ear, and felt her hand tighten around his.

"Oh ho?" a teasing voice pulled the two out of their thoughts as Diane came towards them with a cheeky smile on her face. "Ban, that's so not your style!" she teased him. "But it's definably Cat's!" she laughed as the two separated, looking over their shoulders at the giantess.

They didn't know what she meant by that, until they noticed she was pointing at something. Turning now, the once baren field was now covered with light pink roses, the entire area was covered with them. The two shared a confused look, not knowing how to explain what happened. Hell, they didn't even know when it happened.

"What the hell?" the two questioned, unable to stop the question from slipping out.

They were confused and surprised. As far as they knew, this place had been barren and lifeless, but now it was vibrant and lively. Looking at each other again, they could only shrug and shake their heads. It didn't make any sense.

"Elizabeth!" Diane called from over her shoulder. "Look at all these cute flowers!"

Not far behind, Elizabeth appeared with their Captain and Hawk, all looking at the area around them.

"What kind of flowers are these?" Elizabeth asked in wonder, looking at the flowers with soft eyes.

"Who cares about a bunch of stupid flowers?" Hawk complained, not impressed with the view. "You can eat and eat these things and they never fill you up!"

"They're not meant for eating, Hawk. Flowers ae meant to be enjoyed." Hecate spoke softly, a fond smile crossed her face a little as she thought back to the time her mother used to have a flower garden.

She was ignored though as Hawk grew close a flower and blew air from his nose on it with enough force that the petals flew off it. It started a chain reaction as the air filled with the flower petals and began swirling around them. Hecate stared in shock as she turned around, feeling Ban's back against her own as they could only watch with anticipation of what would happen next.

"Pretty!" Diane cooed as wind began to pick up.

"Guys!" Ellen called to them, causing everyone to turn to look at her and her brother. "Be careful!"

Those were the last words they heard as the storm of petals grew thick and dense, the winds growing stronger. Hecate felt Ban wrap an arm around her, anchoring her to him as she gripped the sleeve of his jacket. As the storm got to its highest and thickest point, it just tapered out. The petals falling around them as the group stared at completely different area.

It was green, crystalized, and otherworldly.

It was a place none of them had ever seen before.

Hecate could only assume that this was the Necropolis.