Boots by my ear, hands grabbing me and hauling me into a tight hug.

"Leraj, stop squeezing so tight," I muttered, grateful to be held. For a few seconds there, I thought that was the end of me.

"Sorry." He pulled back, holding me by the shoulders. "At least I know you're alive.

"A little worse for wear, but I'm alright." I cocked my head and smiled. "Unlike you, you look like shit."

His hair was a mess, face pale and gaunt. His tired eyes held more sparkle than his dented armour, red as the blood on his cheek. I reached forward and wiped it from his cheek, the cut underneath fading before my eyes.

"It's what I get trying to keep you safe," he replied, tapping me on the forehead. "Come on, we better help the others." He helped me to my feet, slinging my arm over his shoulder even as I protested.

"You don't have to do that. I can walk on my own."

"Estra, your feet aren't even planted on the ground."

I looked down then readjusted my feet so they were flat. "Fine. You can help for a bit," I grumbled. "Just until my strength returns." I pointed towards the ground and cast Kitsune to help me along.

"Of course, Fox."

Two demons, a Holy Knight and an original Sin and still we couldn't...My mouth tasted of ash. Hendrickson had wiped the floor with us. The hollow ache in me at losing my friend was only half filled by the anger writhing like snakes.

"We have to go after Hendrickson," I stated.

"We don't even know where he went, Estra. Let's not be hasty. I have a bad feeling there's a reason he's after Elizabeth."

I grind my teeth together. He was right of course. "He's kidnapped her to bargain with the King. The only logical place they are is the castle." Her worth lay in her royal bloodline and Hendrickson was trying to topple the kingdom. Using her as a bargaining chip was the only reasonable explanation.

Unless it's not a reasonable one.

The words were worrisome. "Let's hurry up and gather the others," I said. When my eyes focused though, I realised we had a visitor.

"Ban!" I cried out in relief. He had a set of nunchuks draped over his shoulders, with Hawk close by. "Hawk! You're alive!" Leraj and I began hobbling towards the three of them. Well, Leraj hobbled and I was kind of just dragged along by my demon buddy.

"Of course, I am! Can't kill the Captain of the Scraps so easily," he huffed.

"Ban, help me out here," Meliodas said as he rose to his feet. He clutched at his chest in doing so. "It's Elizabeth. Hendrickson's taken her away again."

"Not again," Hawk said, bounding over to Meliodas. "These Holy Knights have no idea how to treat a Princess, do they?" I smiled at that.

"Hey Hawk, I didn't know you were here," the captain said.

"Forget about that and get some rest, pronto! You look worse than death itself." Hawk pivoted and trotted over to Ban again. "Ban, the two of us need to get going and rescue Elizabeth. Now you're ready to move out, aren't ya? Aren't ya?"

We paused about 30 metres of them, Leraj putting a hand to his head. "Damn fight really got to me."

"Time to take a rest then." I slid my arm from Leraj's shoulders and helped him down to the ground. He patted my hand as I relinquished contact, standing tall while he slumped against debris, a hand still pressed to his forehead.

I'd gathered enough strength to stand alone at least but the Mana I was pulling was slow going. I wouldn't be able to fight anytime soon. Nor would Leraj by the looks of it. Perhaps I shouldn't have stolen his Mana but I'd had little choice in the midst of a fight.

"Ban, listen, you aren't planning anything weird, right?" Hawk's whispered words made the hair on the back of my neck prickle. I focused back on the three of them.

Ban's eyes were that of predators.

"What's up, why aren't you saying anything?" Meliodas questioned.

"Well." A razor-edged smile graced his lips. "I really do love you, Captain."

My jaw dropped.

"What the fuck?" Leraj said.

A splash of blood stained the ground. Ban caught Meliodas' severed arm in hand, nunchuk still in motin in the other. "And I don't want you to suffer, so don't resist." Smile gone, eyes hard.

Shocked rendered me immobile, a cry stuck in my throat.

"Never!" Melidoas cried, retaliating with his good arm. His punch shattered the ground.

I grabbed Leraj and hauled him out of the way as the tiles buckled, heaving upwards and outwards. We crashed to the ground together outside the ring of destruction and coughed dust from our lungs.

"What in seven hells?" Leraj wheezed.

"What do Ban and Meliodas think they're doing?" I growled, on shaking hands and knees, staring back the way we'd just escaped from.

Meliodas held his severed arm and Ban watched him like a hawk. Speaking of hawks... my head whipped round for our trusty scraps disposal only to find him very high up, clawing his way to safety.

"Should have known you'd do something like that," Ban said, not the least bit concerned or shocked or surprised; which was every emotion I felt right now.

I rolled over and onto my feet, before helping Leraj up. He just sagged against me so I laid him once more on the ground, his head between his knees. "I'm too old for this shit," he muttered.

"We don't have time for this crap, so stop playing around!" Meliodas pressed his limb to his arm and then with a roar and black symbols circling on his face, he fused the arm back to his body. Tendrils of what looked like black ink sprouted from his body.

The same as Hendrickson. The same as Vaizel. My sword was in hand before he'd finished healing.

"Alright you guys, enough is enough! This is no time for you to be fighting like a pair of morons!" This came from Hawk, his voice a shout to just reach us.

"So Captain, I've had this suspicion for a while and I've done my damnedest not to ask but I think now's the time. You're from the demon race, aren't ya?"

The memories of Vaizel, Meliodas sending as close to the land of dead as I wished to be, welled up within and fought for my attention. I pushed it away, reasoned that Meliodas hadn't been thinking then. He was now, he was in control. Even so and with a final glance at Leraj, I stepped forward, drawing nearer to them.

"Wait, Estra," Leraj said, reaching out to me. "Don't get too close."

"You're not saying anything so I guess I have my answer," mused Ban.

"This isn't the time to be bringing this up. Elizabeth is-" But he wasn't able to finish as Ban attacked, nunchuk whipping through the air.

"This might not mean much to you, Captain, but to me, there's nothing else in the world that matters more." He got behind the Captain, smacking him in the face with his nunchuk. "If I kill you right now, then she'll be brought back to life!" A flurry of attacks, Meliodas furiously attempting to block them. One got through, sending him into the earth with a thump that shook the ground.

Who was she? I thought, unsure what to do. On one hand, Meliodas could handle Ban easily. On the other though, Meliodas wasn't at full strength and Ban had rage aplenty to fuel his strength.

"Who would put something as ridiculous as that in your head?" Meliodas questioned.

"Some stuck up chick who called herself a Goddess. She was talking to us out of this big ass horn thing too," explained Hawk, having come down from his vantage point and stopped beside me.

Recognition registered on Meliodas' face and Ban gained the upper hand.

"Hawk, what the hell is going on?" I asked, voice strained as Ban continued to pummel Meliodas.

"Ban and I found some creepy horn in the middle of a room and it told him he had to kill Meliodas to bring back the girl he loved," he babbled, making very little sense. "We have to stop him, Estra, before this gets too out of hand."

Only when Ban's shadow fell over a bleeding Meliodas did I make my move.

"Ban, stop this right now!"

The silver fox didn't even acknowledge me. Meliodas struggled to his feet, panting. Ban's grip tightened on the nunchuk.

"You don't want me coming over there to stop it myself," I threatened, raising my blade.

"You could try but you wouldn't succeed. Don't take another step, Estra, or I will hurt you."

I reared back. The venom in his voice nothing like the laughing man who'd drunk himself stupid next to me.

"You wouldn't dare," I snarled and stepped forward.

I hit the ground at a roll before I popped up on my feet, arms windmilling, sword missing. A dazed second went through me then the hot course of shocked anger. He hit me! My focus on the world came back and with it, a growl in my throat.

Adrenaline spiking, flames wheeling about my feet, I ran back towards the two of them. "I said QUIT IT!" I threw out my hands, clawed and with only one intention on my mind. Stopping them.

The sudden burst of strength flowing into me had my eyes rolling backwards in pleasure. Ice cold in my veins, a refreshment to the heat and sweat. And then the fire, dark and heavy as the night. My eyes widened, my heart thump-thumping in my ears.

Ban and Meliodas had both stopped moving, confusion etched on their faces, their strength gone. I looked at my hands. No, maybe they were confused for another reason. My hands were tinted black, spider veins creeping from my wrists.

This is –

My skin felt tight like it did in Vaizel, ready to burst from the Mana in my veins. Then Leraj's hand clamped down on my right wrist, reeling me away from the two of them. Psychic contact broken, I gasped for breath, tinted hands on my chest. That was...

Exhilarating.

My eyes darted to Leraj and the still gazes of my teammates. That wasn't the same as using Thief. My skin still felt tight, the mana hadn't flowed back out like water in a holey bucket, as I straightened. The world sharpened to focus and my aches and pains ebbed away. Invigorated, I glared at Ban and Meliodas.

"We don't have time for this. Elizabeth is in danger. We have to help her first and foremost. You can deal with your quarrel later."

They started speaking with each other again but... there was a buzzing in my ears, so loud I couldn't hear their words. The buzzing coaxed a feeling inside of me, something strange but familiar. Something I couldn't quite put my finger on. It hungered though. Hungered for the power I'd just siphoned out of those two, wanting more and-

Leraj shaking my shoulders drew me out of the spiralling introspection. The world felt underwater as I resurfaced.

"Hey, Estra!"

"What?" I snapped, unnerved as the feeling soothed itself and disappeared altogether. "What's going on?" I asked, glancing around. Hawk had Meliodas on his back, ready to depart.

"We're moving. Meliodas is going to find Elizabeth. Don't know what Ban plans on doing yet. You mean to tell me you didn't hear all that?"

"I think I was in shock," I answered, heart thumping in my chest, the lie easy on my tongue. "I kind of zoned out on reality there, didn't I?" I offered a weak smile.

He returned it and patted my shoulder. "What you did back there, what was it?"

I pursed my lips. "I honestly don't know." The black on my hands was receding and I started feeling comfortable within my skin again. But the strength I gathered bubbled in my veins.

Waiting.

Clenching my hands into fists, I said, "But it doesn't matter. Right now, we have more important things to worry about."