This chapter is longer than the others. It will be the last before the epilogue that I may write.

...

Meliodas looked up from the mug he was polishing. A sharp twinge resounded from the dragon's mark on his upper arm. Catching eyes with Merlin, he knew he wasn't the only one. Each sins animal brand burned with a searing pain that warned them that a companion was on the verge of death. So he sat there.

Sat there and ignored the pain.

Thought to have faith in them to climb out of that dark place.

To overcome a curse with the power of love.

To save themselves.

Only when the pain in his arm started getting worse he realized that some people needed help. Support in a situation where both people were in too much pain to see each other clearly. Sighing, he got to his feet, putting on a bright and cheery attitude.

"Well, it seems like our two friends aren't doing so well. Who's up to save them from near death!" If we aren't already too late.

The small crowd around him looked happier, and a small amount of hope wormed its way into his heart.

"Then let's go!"

...

They followed a trail of destruction to the bottom of a hill. Sensing their teammates close by, they stumbled up it as fast as they could. Upon reaching the top, Meliodas halted. The rest of the sins could sense his horror, and quickly raced to join him. And they too gasped at the sight that beheld them.

King, or who they assumed to be King, was pressing his hand to Diane's, or who they assumed to be Diane's, back. Their outlines were faded and crumbling, the harsh breeze blowing them away. Almost immediately, Elizabeth ran to help her friend. Yanking the fairy off her, the warm glow of her healing enveloped the giantess. The rest of the seven stood by watching as the figure of the sin of envy became more defined. Merlin rushed to help, shrinking Diane so she was completely encased in the pinkish glow.

But for whatever reason, the fairy king was forgotten, a fading shadow in the bright light. As his comrades rushed to help the one he loved, he smiled. Because in some strange, twisted way, he believed he had saved her from the damnation he had brought upon them. So he lay there unnoticed in the shade of the glow, wishing for death to take him swiftly, hoping that no one would try to save him. Harlequin didn't feel the arms that lifted him, or the whispered words of worry that were passed over his unmoving body. Instead, he drifted into a dream that he prayed was death.

...

Diane woke up a week later, with no memory of the event. But what she did remember filled her with so much joy that she wondered how she had even forgotten in the first place. Days where only happiness and laughter were present, where she could be herself and no one would judge her. The story of a little giantess and the wingless fairy. And only a few seconds after she opened her eyes, she remembered.

"Harlequin!" She sat up straight in her bed and gasped. All those days so vivid and real. And that face...

"Diane? Diane, you're awake! HEY EVERYONE, DIANE IS AWAKE!" Elizabeth yelled at the sins that awaited downstairs. She had been by the shrunken giantesses side the entire time and the open eyes that were before her were delightful to see. But the eyes themselves looked worried. "Elizabeth, where is Harlequin?"

"Who?"

"HARLEQUIN!" Her voice was high and pitchy, cracking from all the time she had spent sleeping. "Elizabeth! Where is he?" Suddenly realizing that no one here actually knew King's real name, her eyes widened. The fight that led to her walking away, the happy memories that caused her so much physical pain, the small hand on her back that was her saviour and her doomsday at the same time. "Where is King?" This time she could barely be heard, his name just a whisper on her chapped lips. "Please, Elizabeth, where is he?"

The relief that overcame her when the princess smiled was enormous. She had to cover her mouth to keep in her sobs of joy. "Oh goddesses, thank you." And her very own goddess beamed as the shrunken giantess was surrounded by the sins who had rushed upstairs to greet her. "Thank you." And the peace of sleep took her away again.

...

King woke up to an empty room. He sat up groggily, wondering where on earth Ban could be at this time of the morning. Then the week's previous events hit him. And they hit him hard. His eyes widened and he tried to get out of bed, but his legs wouldn't move. He tried rolling, or levitating, but exhaustion was wrapped around him in a thick blanket and prevented him from moving freely. His glaring eyes wouldn't stay open and his body wouldn't sit upright. Sliding back down into his hammock he at least tried to open his mouth to shout, yet the wariness settled on his lips stuck them firmly closed.

'I just wanted to tell her... wanted to tell her I'm sorry... Diane...' His final thoughts were snatched by an unrestful slumber, and his dreams were tossed with the memories of unimaginable agony, losing control, hurting people and animals alike. 'Harlequin' resounded over and over again in his head and he tried to swim to the surface of all the chaos, but it dragged him down into the pain of the past, the sins he still hadn't atoned for.

But even his unbalanced sleep couldn't last forever. "HARLEQUIN!" The voice pierced his nightmares like a spear of light in dark waters. He heard her voice. It wasn't angry, or mad, or hurt. It was searching, and it wanted him. Tears came to Kings eyes as he forced his aching body to move towards the source of the voice. He needed to reach her. Stumbling to his feet, he was reminded of his journey through the forest, her pain dragging him down. But now the anguish was lifting him up, strengthening him so that he could rush into her arms and tell her sorry for all the hurt he brought to them.

In a wobbly line, he reached the giantesses door and swayed. There were voices inside. His comrade's voices. The voices of his brothers and sisters in arms. So badly he wanted to push open the door that divided them, yet his wavering strength gave out. Her voice had been drowned out, his source of power now gone, and all he could do was collapse. Again. The feeling of uselessness circled him in a way where he could only get used to it. Fading away from the world again.

...

Diane woke up at around midnight and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Not wanting to get up just yet, she snuggled into the fluffy blanket Elizabeth had let her borrow and squeezed her eyes shut. Her mind constantly replayed past memories, and visions of the days of happiness danced behind her heavy lids. Recollections of the years spent together drummed inside her head and made it impossible to sleep in a world of churning colours. Slightly dizzy, she looked around for Elizabeth, hoping her friend could ease the dull ache. But the princess was asleep in a chair beside her bed, looking peaceful in her slumber. Diane brought her hand up to stroke the side of the girls' face.

"Sleep well, Elizabeth. I won't wake you just yet." She giggled for no particular reason and reluctantly rolled from her bed to stand up. She hoped that a glass of water would subdue the chaos in her mind. But instead of hitting hard wooden boards, the giantess tripped over Meliodas's sleeping form, landing on Ban, who was beside him. "What the..?" She paid them no mind. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could make out the hazy figures of the other sins, Merlin floating above Escanor, who was clutching Gowther like a teddy. Smiling, she was glad they had stuck by her side.

But where was Harlequin? She scanned the blurry faces for the one that was dancing through her mind but to no avail. Forgetting about her mission for water, she rushed to the door. Was he really so unimportant that her comrades had forgotten him? Though she didn't remember the past two weeks, she could still vaguely recall feeling pain, not hers, but someone else that was linked to her tighter than a worm on a hook. Flinging the door open, she frantically began her dash forward, only to trip a second time over an unidentified object.

"Harlequin..?" She lifted herself up from the ground. "I'm so sorry, are you ok?" She helped King up from his place on the ground. Slinging one of his small arms around her shoulders, Diane grabbed his waist. She almost fell over again in surprise as his entire body weight was leant against her until the fairy was practically hanging off her sturdy frame. Groggily he lifted his head and turned it to look at her. "Diane..." He began, but his head drooped. Sitting them both down, she arranged herself so that his head was resting in her lap.

"What happened to you Harlequin?" She tried to keep her voice from cracking when she looked down at him. His eyes screamed fatigue and pain, his limbs felt stiff, and there was no hint of joy anywhere on his face. Never had Diane ever seen him so desolate and alone.

"So you remember?" His voice was just a hoarse croak, blending with the hollow songs the crickets sang outside the tavern. "I'm so sorry Diane." A single tear ran down the side of his face. It forged a wet trail across his cheek and fell defeated in her lap. The giantess stared at it for a moment, before a fiery passion enveloped her eyes and evaporated the water droplet.

"What are you sorry for?" The voice that left her mouth was soft, despite the burning determination etched into her features. "You helped me remember those happy years. You healed the scar in my mind and gave me back the days when I was young, when I could dance with you carefree under the sky." She smiled down at him. Diane had figured out how she had lost her memories a long time ago, and she bore no grudges for the one she loved. "I don't care what you took from me, I have it back and there is nothing that could taint the joy I feel right now." This time her tears joined King's, as they flowed as one into a river of prosperity, like the one they had frolicked in when they were children.

Peace had finally settled in Diane, and she finally felt complete. Sitting with the one she loved, in the place she loved, with the people she loved right behind her. Gazing into the eyes of the one below her, she could see that the wave of calm had flowed over him too. Without thinking, only obeying instinct and gut feeling, she leaned down and brought her lips to his.

It was messy, wet with their tears, but a promise, one that would not be broken, a promise of everlasting happiness. The kiss ended almost too soon, but the lust still lay in their souls. Curling up together on the wooden boards, they drifted into sleep, hearts and minds content.

...

I finished the manga about a week ago, and I'm hoping the author will write an epilogue because I have to find out what happens next. As for this fanfiction, it has come to a conclusion. I want to thank you all for your support and advice throughout. I feel like I rushed the ending a bit, and I might make an epilogue but don't expect anything and it probably wouldn't be done for another 6 months. Also for everyone suffering in self-isolation, I feel you. The coronavirus is affecting my schoolwork and social life but it won't be ending for another few months so hang in there. If you actually read all this, you should be proud. ~ Silver