Chapter 22: When the Sin of Lust's Heart Beats

"I don't get it."

Ban followed Merlin and Meliodas down to the bar, allowing Gowther some time to be alone with their new baby. While he was relieved that it was all over with, the Fox's Sin was still put off by the Goat Sin's sudden change in behavior. Was it an effect from the stress of delivery, or was it something else? Because crying, smiling, and expressing what he wanted and how he felt didn't come naturally to him. To Ban, the question bore repeating: why was Gowther acting so different all of a sudden?

"I can't exactly say I'm surprised," Merlin stated, "usually among the dolls I've assisted in their deliveries, about 70% of them exhibited behavioral changes of some kind."

"But why?" Ban growled, "It's not like he's pretending to be a normal human being, now. Something must have happened to him while he was giving birth. Wait . . . That little Peace Amulet you gave him didn't malfunction, or anything like that, did it?"

Merlin laughed, "I doubt the Peace Amulet has anything to do with it. All I can say is that this is a usual side effect from a situation that causes dolls a great deal of stress."

"What kind of side effect?"

The Boar's Sin smirked, "Their hearts start beating, of course."

Merlin's words made Ban pause. This whole experience made Gowther's heartbeat? It didn't make sense. Gowther had been obsessed with trying to "find a heart" for years. Was Merlin implying that he had a heart this whole time and it just took a push and shove to get it working? If so, then why now? Why not during all the battles they had fought together in the past when he was being torn limb from limb and having weapons run through his body? Why now?

"Let me explain," Merlin stated, "Dolls are pretty durable creatures, probably even more durable than demons. Each doll made by the wizard Gowther was made by is given a heart, but the heart isn't able to function until the doll experiences something that is either physically, mentally, or emotionally overloading. We already know that Gowther is physically capable; it's almost impossible to exhaust him, and I don't think it's possible to mentally exhausted him, as well. He reads so many books and has lived long enough to be a whole textbook of knowledge. And, in the past, we've seen that emotions are something he uses others to understand, so there was hardly any effort on his part to understand those things."

"So what made tonight so different that Gowther 'overloaded'?" Ban asked.

"Childbirth is all of these things combined. Between the effort the parent has to go through to deliver and the pain that it causes, it's physically demanding on the body; doll or not. It's also mentally demanding at the fact that there's so much waiting involved, and nobody knows just how long it will be before it's over. Childbirth is also a very emotional experience. Delivery can be scary and frustrating, and seeing the child for the first time can bring feelings of happiness, pride, joy, and love. Gowther is a very durable doll, but even the most durable ones can be broken by childbirth."

Ban nodded and understanding, but then the thought hit him, "Then what was that number you threw out there? Only 70% exhibit behavioral changes? What about the other 30%?"

Merlin's smirk fell slightly.

"That's the percentage that had either changed before then, or they died in childbirth."

The statement made Ban think. Gowther could have died from that? In the past, whenever the Sin of Lust pissed him off, he always thought how good it would be if he would just drop dead. King had probably thought that at one time or another, too. But Ban realized that if that had happened at any point during tonight, he would have been devastated and probably would have done everything he could have to revive him. Not only would have they lost a valuable member of the Seven Deadly Sins, but they would have lost an unborn child with him. It probably would have been just as bad as when he had lost Elaine.

"So, does that mean that Gowther's human?" Ban asked, "now that he has a heart, and everything?"

"I'm not sure," Merlin replied, "it's entirely possible that'll happen, but the odds of that happening aren't all that good. Of the 70% of dolls that find their hearts in childbirth, only 10% ever stay that way. It isn't uncommon for the heartbeat to stop again once they've fully recovered."

"So if that happens, Gowther will be back to his usual self?"

Merlin shook her head, "No, it's more likely that he'll shift back into his doll form, and I will take another powerful burst of magic to turn him back again."

Everything in Ban froze. There was only a 10% chance that Gowther was going to be all right after this? He didn't like those odds. When he thought about it, maybe that was why Merlin had done everything she could to help him over the course of the past nine months. It was probably why she was so insistent that Ban be included in this, and he had taken all of that time for granted.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Meliodas piped up, "Gowther's come out of a lot of stupid situations before. I'm pretty sure this won't be any different."

The Sin of Greed stared at him in bewilderment. How could the captain be so nonchalant about this? Losing Gowther would be a major blow to his team, not to mention the child he'd leave behind. Then again, he had a point. Gowther had gotten himself in and out of all kinds of dicey situations. But this seemed to be more of a matter of chance than anything.

"Besides," Meliodas continued, "if Gowther was going to turn back into a doll, wouldn't he have done so by now? I mean the most stressful part is already done and over with."

Merlin gave a slight shrug, " I suppose you have a point there. I would consider the odds of him changing back pretty low, at this point. But it's still a possibility."

"I'm going to see how he's doing," Ban finally said, walking back towards the steps, "I still haven't gotten to hold the kid yet."

The Fox's Sin went back up to his bedroom quietly. Elizabeth was still there, sitting beside Gowther, watching him as he still held his newborn. Ban couldn't help but smile at the sight. He'd never seen Gowther look so happy before. Heck, he'd never seen him look happy.

"Have you picked out a name yet?" Ban asked.

"That's what we've been trying to go over," Elizabeth replied, "Lord Gowther doesn't like any of the names I've suggested."

"Well, what have you got?"

"I really like the name Amelia, but Gowther said it wasn't quite the right fit. I tried to suggest Joan, but he said it seemed like a big name to live up to."

Ban chuckled, "You mean like Joan of Arc?"

"Yeah, I always loved hearing stories about her as a kid."

"I'm going to have to agree with Gowther on that one. That does seem like a big name to live up to."

Elizabeth pouted slightly as Ban took a seat opposite her.

"Well, you don't like any of the princess's suggestions," he commented, "have you thought of anything?"

"No, I haven't," Gowther replied, "everything I seem to think up doesn't quite fit. Would you like to hold her?"

Ban scoffed, "I stayed with you for four hours today helping you, and I just watched you give birth. Hell yeah, I want to hold her!"

The Sin of Lust let out a chuckle before passing the tiny bundle over to him. The infant let out a tiny cooing noise as it stretched and squirmed, trying to get comfortable. Ban couldn't help but smile. While she did have his hair, she mostly look like Gowther. While it would still be some time before her natural eyecolor came in, he wouldn't be surprised if hers were the same golden color as the Goat Sin's.

Ban couldn't help but be surprised at how tiny the baby was. She had to be around fourteen inches long and her head easily fit in his hand. The way the delivery went, he thought Gowther was going to deliver a monster of a child. Then he thought about it a little bit more. If he had to push this tiny thing out of them, he'd probably be screaming, too. He'd probably order a few steins of beer on top of that, so he had to give Gowther some credit for being able to cope with the pain with nothing but a few back rubs and some breathing techniques.

"She really is cute, isn't she?" Ban said, smiling.

Gowther studied him carefully. There was something in his eyes. Something about the way he was looking at their child reminded him about the way Ban always looked when he talked about . . . her. It was the name of the Sin of Greed always clung to, and if Gowther had to be honest with himself, the name suited their child perfectly.

"I know what I'd like to name her," he piped up.

"What's that?" Ban asked, forcing himself to tear his gaze away from those of the child, "Is it the name of a character from one of your books?"

Gowther shook his head, "I think it's a name you will like to."

"Well, what is it?"

". . . Elaine."

Ban felt his chest tighten as he looked from Gowther to their child.

"That's what you want to name her?" He asked, "Elaine?"

Gowther nodded, "I think it suits her."

Ban's first instinct was to get defensive. Was he implying that this child could fill the void that Elaine's death had created? Did he think that she could replace her? Nobody could replace his Elaine. He would see her again someday, he just knew it!

Then Ban allowed himself to slow down and think. When Ban was panicking about feeling no attachment to Gowther or his unborn child, it was Elaine's spirit that came to comfort him. When he was worried that neither he nor Gowther would make suitable parents, it was Elaine's words that brought him reassurance. And now that everything was finally done and over with, their only problem trying to find a name for the child, it was Elaine's name that was suggested.

Naming this child after Elaine wouldn't be so bad.

"Elaine . . . I think it's perfect."

THE END