The Eighth Sin

Episode 23 - Despair Descends

~Y/N's Perspective~

I would feel bad hiding behind a rock while my best friends battle a crazed demon if it wasn't for the fact that I'm currently fighting against both my own body and demon blood. 

"This day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" I ask Hawk. 

"Stop talking and save your strength!" Hawk squeaks at me. 

"Oh, it doesn't matter." I say, pressing my hands against my side to stop the bleeding. "If I'm going to die, I'll die either way. Trust me, there's no way that I'll be able to talk myself to death compared to the speed this demon blood is trying to kill me."

Hawk looks horrified, but I shoot him a smile. "Relax, I'm not going to die. If I did, I'd be subjecting you to a life of eating Meliodas' cooking." I say. "Now, I have one shot at doing this right, so I need you to do something for me." 

"What?" Hawk asks. 

"Just keep the rest of the Sins away no matter what, alright?" I tell him. 

"Y/N, that sounds like if it goes wrong you're gonna die!" Hawk complains. 

"Yeah, but like I said, If I'm gonna die, then I'm gonna die, so just let me do my thing, okay?" I look at Hawk softly, stroking his head. "I know what I'm doing." 

I close my eyes and grit my teeth before tearing open my wound. The sound of my skin being ripped apart is revolting, and the pain is indescribable, but I continue, letting the blood spill out of me faster. Try as I might, I couldn't hold back my shrieks. Hawk Turns to face me and cries out in shock at what I was doing. I shake my head to remind him that he needs to focus on keeping the Sins away. 

Although it resisted, the demon blood eventually slipped out, gravity doing its job. I wrap it around my finger, its consistency being surprisingly slime like. "Got ya." I say before waving my hand over it. I close my eyes and feel the blood dissipate as I remove the memory of its existence. 

"Okay, I'm good." I say, my voice barely above a whisper. I open my eyes to look into Meliodas' horrified ones. I groan. "Hawk, I thought I told you to keep them away." 

"What was I supposed to do when he jumped over me?" He squealed in protest. 

Meliodas brushes the hair out of my face. "When you scream like that, nothing would've been able to hold me back. And when I saw you literally tearing your abdomen open..." He buries his head into my shoulder, hugging me as tightly as he could without hurting me. "Y/N, I thought... I thought..." He doesn't finish. 

I nod, lifting my arms to return the hug even though it hurt. "If I'm not dead yet, that means I'm not gonna die." I whisper into his ear. "The wounds already closing." 

He pulls back to inspect it. He sighs in relief when he sees that what I say is indeed true. "Can you please stop taking everyone's injuries on yourself?"

I smile at him. "You know that I won't."

"Not even for me?" Meliodas presses. 

"Captain." I say. "Now's not the time."

"Why won't you call me Meliodas?" 

I look away. He silently watches me for a bit before standing up to walk over to the rest of the Sins. I hear him tell the others that I'm fine. I slowly pull myself up, walking over to them with a wince in every step. 

"Y/N!" Diane gasps. "Sit back down!" 

"Yes, resting will greatly improve your condition." Gowther says. Is that worry I detect in my stoic friend's face? I send them both a small smile. "I'm absolutely fine, and coming with you on your journey into the abyss." Before they can complain, I raise my hand and say, "Meliodas will carry me until I can walk. Which will be very soon."