There Is No Darkness Without Light

Chapter 9

It has been two weeks since Meliodas and Elizabeth both arrived in The Human realm. They spent most of the time together. The longest they were apart was when Meliodas had to draw the attention of some passing Demons away but that was only for a few hours.
"Ever been to a Tavern Elizabeth?" Meliodas quizzed as the two walked the streets of a local town. It had no name but its town square was full of Market stalls and people.
"No. I have not" Elizabeth shook her head. Meliodas raised his eyebrows and look at the Goddess in shock.
"Get your fruit here! We got Apples fresh from the orchard!" A man shouted holding an apple in each hand.
"Fish from the river!" A lady in white chimed.
"We got chickens! Beef! And Pork!" Many traders shouted. Elizabeth looked at all the stalls.
"What? Like, ever? Does the Cloud District have nowhere to drink?" Meliodas exclaimed.
"Oh, there is a Tavern. Only Males are allowed in. Women are to drink water or milk"
"God, Your realm seems rather dull"
"Yeah, It kind of is" Elizabeth look off into the sky.
"You look as if you hate the Goddess Realm" Meliodas frowned at the Goddess.
"I love the place as it is my home but I... I wish there was more to life than this sodding war"
"There has to be a way of ending it" Meliodas sat down on a nearby stone step.
"I wish I knew" Elizabeth sat down next to the Demon. She ran her hands over her hair.
"I heard rumours that we ain't the only ones who want this war to end. One of the Commandments is looking into it"
"Which one?"
"I think it's Gowther. I can't really guess anyone else. All the other's heads are firmly up my father's arse" Meliodas looked around.
"Hopefully one day, We will find out" Elizabeth smiled "So, Where is this Tavern?"

Everyone is dancing or drinking. The atmosphere in the Tavern is explosive. Elizabeth decided that it is best if she stayed in the shadows. Meliodas tried to argue as he knew this place all too well but Elizabeth didn't want the hassle. It was mainly because she didn't want to be spotted by any passing Goddess. Meliodas stands right in the middle of the stairs, watching down straight into the middle of the room. He was chatting with some tall man. Two males approach her, They elbowed each other, Pointing towards Elizabeth, and then they start to whisper between themselves.
"Hey Buddy, Look what we have here"
"Ohhh she looks lonely over there? Maybe we should keep her company"
"Just look at that attitude, Leaning against the wall like she owns the place!" Elizabeth ignores them.
"Hey, Baby girl, Are you into dancing?" Elizabeth looks sideways, ignoring them again. She notices that Meliodas is looking at her from the corner of his eye. He did not look happy. The tall man had left him and was nowhere to be seen.
"Leave me alone" Elizabeth stays against not changing her posture at all.
"Bet she can dance, We should help her out a bit" They start to approach her.
"Hey girly, dance for us!" They say, as they near Elizabeth "Dance for us little lady"
"Judging by those curves, She ain't little" One man chuckled as he scratched his chin. She could see that the men were slowly starting to wind Meliodas up. He shakes his head with a glare. Though Elizabeth knew he was getting angry.
"Sorry boys but dancing is clearly not my forte" Elizabeth waves them away. She tried to walk but they grab her upper arm. Elizabeth remained calm even if they are slowly starting to cross the line. Elizabeth backed herself up from the wall and stood up straight. She faces them and has already balled her fists.
"Come here human, come come," They spoke mockingly, Elizabeth rolled her eyes. The men were drunk and foul. One smelt as bad as a pigpen. One of them stretched out his hand, His hand is close to touching Elizabeth.
"I ain't some dog that you can just summon" Elizabeth snapped at the drunks. She saw that Meliodas was making his way to her location.
"Shame, Love to put you on a leash" One of the drunks cooed.
"Please leave me alone. I don't want to hurt you" Elizabeth says calmly.
"HA! A dainty thing like you? How could you hurt us?" Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She knew they wouldn't listen. They are too drunk They just laugh and come closer.

Loud screams came from the dance floor and Meliodas immediately looks in the direction from which the screams came. He felt a little bit of panic and at least half of his heart had stopped. But once he gazed at the situation, A smirk was on his face. The music stops and the lights go on. Elizabeth has one of the men in a hold. His arm was pinned behind his back.
"ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY!!" A tall man storms towards Elizabeth and pushes her to the side.
"Don't you dare touch me!" Elizabeth says in an angry tone. Still in fight mode and on adrenaline. Her muscles are tensed. Her face expresses pure anger.
"Care to explain?"
"These men wouldn't take no for an answer so I punched them"
"Hey! Listen here, You little bitch. if you want to fight, GREAT! Go outside and get your arse handed to you in a fight club, but don't you dare do it here!" The man yells at Elizabeth.
"Let me guess, You're going to protect these men that don't have any clue of manners" Elizabeth responded. The man that Meliodas knew as Jaxson approaches Elizabeth with a furious frown on his face. He bends at the waist and glares at Elizabeth.
"THAT'S IT! I AM FUCKING GOING TO THROW YOU OUT YOU IMPOLITE DISRESPECTFUL -"
"Jaxson!" Meliodas appears as he approaches from behind the tall man. He gives the tall man a dark stare "You really need a crash course on how to behave towards a woman"

The music starts to play again, the lights dim down and the dancing area is filling up again.
"Meliodas" Jaxson starts to speak but Meliodas just holds his hands up.
"So. What do we have here?" Meliodas says as he bents down, to look at the drunks. He then goes around the drunks and kicks them hard in the face, making their noses bleed like Satan's waterfall. He does it in an unnoticed way so that the club can go on with its business. Jaxson opens his mouth so much that he looks like a goldfish.
"This fucking bitch just hit these two. I was about to kick her out onto the streets" Jaxson went to grab Elizabeth's arm when Meliodas smack his hand away.
"She's with me. Kick her out, You kick me out too" Meliodas folded his arms "I was watching the entire event unfold. She told those things on the floor to leave her alone" Meliodas says very politely and calmly. Well, as calm as he could be. The tone in his voice was enough to send shivers down Elizabeth's spine. The man known as Jaxson is still trying to argue when Meliodas turns to him.
"Even so, I shall have to insist that this is dealt with. In a proper manner. If she didn't want to be hit on, Then maybe she shouldn't of stepped foot in my bar, Looking like she does. She was practically asking for it" Jaxson pointed at Elizabeth. Meliodas closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He turned his head ever so slightly to the man.
"Into the back room, Jaxson. Now" His voice sounds dark. This still didn't frighten Elizabeth. She put a hand on his shoulder. Meliodas felt a little calmer but he still had to deal with Jaxon. Meliodas cover her hand with his "Elizabeth, I beg your pardon. Would excuse me while I talk to this man for a couple of minutes?"
"Sure Meliodas" Elizabeth spoke over a few seconds.
"Stay here, I'll be back soon" he smiled softly as he and Jaxon walked off.

Meliodas closes the door behind him and Jaxson. He expresses his anger by allowing his dark mark to spread across his forehead. Jaxson isn't fazed. This wasn't the first time he had seen the mark.
"Who do you think you are?" Meliodas growls. His voice sounds even deeper.
"I am your friend Meliodas" Jaxon hissed.
"And you think that gives you a free pass to talk to her like you just did? You need to get it in your thick skull that no one asks for stuff like that" Meliodas shoved the man into a wall. Cracking the plaster.
"That hurt" Jaxson grunted "Look Meliodas, I just want to help you. I need to that you know what you are doing. I am fully aware that you know who she is"
"Still doesn't give you a free pass to being a twat" He warns the tall man "I can take care of myself properly. If you speak to Elizabeth like you just did, Then I will cut your balls off and feed them to the black hounds. Do you understand?"
"Yes Sir" Jaxson replied in a sarcastic tone. The sound of a loud slap resounds and Meliodas transforms back "The fuck dude?"
"You really going to speak like that to me, Human" Meliodas grabbed Jaxon by the shirt.
"No Meliodas" He holds his face in shock.
"Marvelous. You can leave, now" Meliodas opens the door that leads back to the Tavern and Jaxson storms out, furiously.

As soon as the pair exit the back room, Meliodas scouts for Elizabeth. The feeling of panic builds up in his chest again. But he soon spots her in the seating area under the stairs. He lets out the breath he was holding in. Jaxon looks in his direction and storms over to Elizabeth.
"Sir Jaxon, Can I help you?" Elizabeth sits up as soon she spots the angry barman.
"Don't break his heart" He whispers towards Elizabeth, then he walks off. Meliodas frowns at the man and then sits beside the Goddess.
"What did he say to you?" Meliodas demanded.
"He said don't break your heart" Elizabeth turned her head to look over her shoulder. Jaxson is holding his cheek still, Glaring away as he applies an ice pack to his face "I will admit, I do wish he would specify which one"
"I have never heard that joke before" Meliodas rolled his eyes "We will finish our drinks and we will be on our way" Meliodas gives Elizabeth a stare, and then his lips form a smile. Elizabeth spot Jaxson from the corner of her eye. He is stood there shaking his head in frustration and goes back behind the bar.
"There's no rush" Elizabeth stares out the bay window. There were a lot of stars in the night sky tonight. Normally, It was cloudy and rather dull "What did you do to him anyway?"
"Might have backhanded him for being a twat" Meliodas stared at his drink, Watching the bubbles in his ale pop as they reach the surface "I didn't like how he spoke to you"
"I understand why he was like that. It's a male thing. You like to act tough in front of other males but behind closed does, Some are like kittens. Sweet, soft and like to cuddle"
"I don't think I have ever heard a male being referred to as a kitten" Meliodas chuckled "A puppy is more acceptable"
"How so?"
"We need to be walked, fed and entertained" Meliodas took a sip of his ale "Cats get left alone"
"So you enjoy the occasional belly rub or a good scratch behind the ear?" Elizabeth smiled.
"I don't know about the ear but men do like their hair being played with" Meliodas pouted as he nodded his head.
"I'll remember that for the future" Elizabeth smiled once more as she gazed back out to the night. Meliodas did the same.

They sat like this for several minutes. It wasn't an awkward silence either. Over the next few weeks, Meliodas knew that he would find himself becoming more and more attracted to Elizabeth. And the feelings were mutual for Elizabeth. With each passing day, It was becoming more obvious to Meliodas just how much he wants her. Normally, when he finds someone that makes him feel this way, He would either personally deal with it or push them against a wall and take whoever said person is like a madman. But Elizabeth has made him feel things so he has to try a different approach now. The English version is that he didn't want anyone else. And he was okay with that.
"I think I should admit that  I am very impressed," Meliodas says to Elizabeth. He shuffles closer to her "You seemed to handle yourself well earlier" Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at him.
"You already knew I can fight" Elizabeth looks at the bleeding men on the ground They were finally waking up "Is it wrong to feel good after I beat them into the ground?" She says in a slight defeat. Meliodas laughs short and dark.
"Are you sure you ain't a Demon?"
"Pretty sure" Elizabeth smiles as one of the men pulled himself up and stared at Meliodas and Elizabeth. He storms over to their table.
"Fucking pricks the pair of you. Who do you think you two are" The Man clenched his fists "Mainly this little plaything"
"I don't think our names are anything to do with you" Elizabeth sighs.
"Shut it bitch" The man spoke as he towers over Elizabeth.
"Speaking to women as you do, Deserve more than a fist in your face" Meliodas replies. Standing up and pushing the man away from Elizabeth.
"Just who do two think you are?!" The man spat.
"My dear, Tell this gentleman your name and then mine," Meliodas says as he observes Elizabeth. She raises out of her seat and stands in front of Meliodas.
"Elizabeth" Elizabeth bows slightly at the waist. The man goes to push her out of the way but Elizabeth grabs his wrist and does a fancy move that shoves the man into the wall with his arm pinned behind his back "Twice, I've done this. once more and I will throw you out this Inn myself" Meliodas breathes in deeply. He knows that deep, deep, down that he is highly attracted to Elizabeth and that he wants her. Even if Elizabeth is a Goddess and the ONLY Daughter of the Supreme Deity "And this is Meliodas" The man freezes up when he hears Meliodas's name.
"Meliodas? As in The Meliodas?" He pants as Elizabeth moves his arm a little further up.
"So you have heard of me?" Meliodas takes two steps and leans on a wooden pillar. Meliodas give him a little smile. And not the nice one. It's the one that says you better run.
"A pleasure to meet you" He stutters.
"Sure it is" Meliodas rolled his eyes "Now, What are we going to do with you?"