A/N.: Hello everyone! It's been such a while! How are you doing currently? I managed to successfully graduate from high school! (A personal thanks to Vitsuie for caring about it) ...Though now I'm struggling in university now... My first few grades are... to put it politely, not the best one that I hoped for. But even so I'm keep on doing my best during these 5 next years of study! Actually I never expected to write on this fanfic again, but this isn't a new chapter, it's a preview for a new Nanatsu no Taizai fanfic that I'm planning. Since everyone followed my fanfic so kindly up until now, I wanted to tell it to everyone. Even though I keep on telling myself that I don't have time for that, it seems that my imagination is still stronger than my will, so here I am back again! I have many ideas that I want to try but for now but I'll first put a preview of a small scene here, hoping that it won't be filled with spoilers as I write. I hope that it would please you enough though (I feel like as if I was trying to make publicity... XD)
A young woman smiled to herself as she listened to the sound of lively music and the joyous laughter of the people beneath as she looked down from the window of her bedroom situated a few meters upward the ground, the town was covering with lights and decorations, a delicious smell was being carried here to her nose by the wind from the food stalls, this year again that festival is back, isn't it...? For once that she wasn't spending this day alone anymore, she wanted to at least be healthy enough to walk on her two feets and to spend that so special day with him...
*Knock, knock*
After his two usual knocks, the door of her room was suddenly being opened. If it was the usual him, he would have either opened the door directly without even announcing his presence, or he would wait for her answer before opening it. It was something between the middle today, recently he had became so much considerate compared to usually, not that she couldn't understand, after all it was already that day...
"Yo, Elizabeth! How are you feeling today?" He asked with a smile on his face, his voice in a cheerful tone, besides his right hand that was wrapped around the doorknob, his left arm was holding a water bucket with a towel in it. She actually wanted to laugh at the curious sight, however she can't blame him for looking a bit silly there. She didn't have anything else to hold water, and having him carrying a bowl or a cup would be even weirder.
This person was her lover, and also the one who became her caretaker, she felt bad for relying too much on him but he told her that on the contrary he was glad to be able to help her. Since her own family gave up saving her since the mages told her that her sickness was incurable, she was grateful for him for always staying by her sides.
"I'm feeling fine, don't worry." She answered so as she wanted to step out of the bed she was on and go to him, however before she could do any of that, he held a hand towards to stop her and instead walked towards her before putting the bucket down and took a seat near her bed. "But still the power of the Goddess Clan is sure incredible! Even though you sickness was so painful that you could barely handle it, now it's all healed!"
Both of her eyes had the symbol of the Goddess Clan in it. Indeed, her body developped a supposedly incurable disease, so much that her whole family gave up on saving her, and now with her newfound Goddess powers she managed to heal it with almost nothing!
"Haha! It's true! I would wished if it was so easy to begin with!"
"Do you think you can teach it to me?"
"Sorry Meliodas, but I don't think that it would be possible taking count that you're a demon." The two laughed once again, burying their dark feelings deep inside them, trying to fake that they were alright, trying to ignore what would eventually happen, trying to act as if nothing would happen...
Then suddenly a loud sound akin to an explosion coming from outside.
"...! Look, Meliodas, the fireworks are starting!"
"Ooh... It's true!"
Indeed, loud sound of 'BANG, BANG, BANG' were ringing as fireworks were being shot in the sky, probably signing the end of the festival with their presences. Even so, they looked like rainbow-colored fire flowers that were blooming into the night sky. Even though the display was quite noisy and showy, it was still a beautiful sight to behold. But unfortunately even them couldn't last forever, soon they disappeared and the rest stopped coming.
"Ah... It's already over." Elizabeth muttered so in slight disappointment.
"Well it's not like they could keep them going forever, right?" Meliodas grinned at her, somehow it felt like she was being treated as a child, and she didn't liked it, so she pouted while he laughed again in response. "But still they were pretty right?"
This caught her attention and she realized that she couldn't even stay angry at him for too long, "Yes, they were! From what I heard, it seemed that the town people would put more efforts in it next year to make it even more wonderful!"
"Hmmm? Is that so?" Meliodas hummed in thought at Elizabeth's bright smile, his hand starting to clench into a fist on his lap.
Elizabeth then turned towards the night sky devoid of fireworks, leaving only their smoke behind with a smile on her face. "That's why, if I was allowed to, I wanted to watch the fireworks of next year together with you Meliodas, and not only next year, but also the next and the next..."
"..."
"But it would be too selfish of me, right? Even though you did so much for me already, if I keep for wishing more, wouldn't God punish me for it?"
"...That's not true."
"Thank you, you are always so kind yet I'm always ending up giving you more trouble. I want to do something for you too, but..."
"..."
"You know what? I'm so happy to have met you Meliodas, I'm happy that I was able to see this year's fireworks together with you. With that I shouldn't have any more regrets left, right?"
"I'm happy too..." A splashing sound on his lap, Elizabeth frowning in concern towards him, as tears filled his eyes and just came on dropping, despite that Meliodas kept his smile up as he tearfully said, "To be able to spend... this moment together with you..."
Even though he tried his hardest, even though he did his best to keep his true feelings restrained... everything was just overflowing out now, and he couldn't stop it anymore. His poker face was now crumbling and breaking at an amazing speed too...
Elizabeth smiled sadly at him before trying to keep her tears from overflowing too. "In the end... there is only 3 days left, right?"
"...Yeah..."
"...To say the truth, I'm scared Meliodas. Scared of the fact that I may not be able to see you again... I know that I'll be reborn, but the next 'me' wouldn't be the current 'me', it may be a different 'me', but if so... what would the current 'me' become after I die? Would I end up disappearing completely? It's not even like the next Elizabeth could inherit my memories right after her birth and even if she does it would be a different person from my current self..."
"..."
Just like him, she started to cry, unlike him, she didn't even had the strength to force herself to smile. Once again, she could only curse her weakness, in the end, she only end up giving him more hardship to go through. She tried her best to hide her sobs and tears behind her hands but with now success as she apologized: "I'm sorry! Even though none of the others Elizabeths before me said such things, even though they did their best to endure it...! I... can't be strong like they are, I'm sorry...!"
"..."
"...!" However then she felt a strong hand gripping her trembling one. She looked up with a gasp to see Meliodas who was no longer crying, but staring back at her with eyes burning with renewed burning and unwavering strong will, the slight weakness that he showed earlier was nowhere to be seen.
Upon seeing that, Elizabeth felt a pang of guiltiness inside her heart. He is forcing himself to be strong for her sake, even though he should be allowed to get angry when he is angry or cry when he is sad... in the end, he is hardening all of his feelings in order to support her, and she is angry at her weak self that force him to do that for more than a hundred of years, more than 50 reincarnations...
"I won't forget."
"...?!" When he occured those next words, she felt her heart stop a second as he started to speak once again. "I won't forget. I won't forget any moments that I spend with you, with every of you. Even after those 3 days, I won't forget, I will never forget. Because Elizabeth, even if you are different from them, you are still the most precious existence to me. Just I like them for what they are, I also love you for what you are Elizabeth. That's why I'll remember each moment that I spend with you forever, so don't worry. You will not disappear, since I will never forget you."
"Meliodas...!" It was too much, she couldn't handle it anymore, now all the barriers that were barely restraining her émotions broke. The tears overflowed and wouldn't stop, there wasn't an end about it. Meliodas just wordlessly hugged her tightly, she also hugged him back as hard as she could.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Meliodas! For making you suffer like this again, for forcing you to bear even more you have to already! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Thank you, Meliodas, truly thank you...!"
'I hope that the next me wouldn't give you so much trouble' was left unsaid. But if it was her, then maybe he wouldn't have to watch the fireworks all alone, right...? Maybe that this 'her' would be able to help and support him better than everything she did, right? Please don't force him to suffer any more than this. Oh, God, please just a bit more, just a bit more let me stay with me, let time go slower, just for the sake of this moment, please just let time stop forever here and now...
...I don't understand.
Why?
Didn't you said that the reason for why you are keeping on living...
That you are keep on stripping forward...
That you are not despairing...
That you are not dying, wasn't it just for the sake of breaking your curses?
If so then why are you concentrating yourself only for that sake?
Why, each time, each single time you want to lose your time by spending it with her?
Even though all of them would meet the same end, just why?
You are just killing yourself further by doing this, and yet you aren't stopping at all.
...Which is why, I got it.
Go ahead and waste your time with each of her, do whatever you want.
I won't care about it anymore.
As long as she is with you, even in that endless torture, you would be satisfied, right?
But don't worry... I won't stop just like you did.
I will keep on doing, searching for a way to break the curse for your sake, so just go ahead and spend the rest of your time with her.
I can at least do that much, I must at least be able to do that much.
Because you know what, Meliodas?
You gave me a reason to live...
Even if that reason is in order to grant your wish, I don't mind.
Just leave everything to me.
Even if now is impossible, one day for sure, I will find a way to break that curse.
Until that day come... just endure it and wait.
"...?"
"What's wrong, Meliodas?"
"...Just now, did you heard something?"
"...? I'm sorry, I didn't though."
"How weird... I thought that it felt as if someone was there just now. Even though there was supposed to be nobody other than us here..."
A/N.: Preview finished! I was inspired by some fanart I found on twitter that really boosted my inspiration (I hope that there wouldn't be copyrights matter about this...) I hoped that it was enough to pick up your interest even just a bit! By the way this is one of the many Elizabeth, one around the middle so around the number of 50, she was born with a weak body (I hope that it isn't too cliché), even her family, doctor or even mages gave up onto her recovering from her fatal illness, but the only one who stayed at her side till the end was Meliodas! However when she was starting to recover, unfortunately her memories came back and Voilà... or at least, that is the setting I'm going with this time!
The fanfic would be named "Our Endless Journey" (with an OC character), I don't know when I would be able to publish it, soon hopefully perhaps during the vacations time of this month. I'm trying to write one hour everyday so eventually I would be able to finish the first chapter soon I hope. I'm sorry but there wouldn't be a review corner on this page, I'm still thanking everyone for reviewing my fanfic up until now and if you could review your opinion about this new update it would make me really happy and boost my writing motivation! Good day and thank you for your attention (^^)