An Unknown Bond [Zeldris x OC]

Ch. 20 - Changes

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Chapter 20 - Changes

It's already evening. Zeldris and I still sit together. I look at him after another moment of silence. "Won't your brother suspect anything when you stay away for so long?" I ask Zeldris.

"Won't your friends, too?"

"Well played" I say and lean back against the wall. I know I should head back to the Boar Hat or Meliodas will get really worried otherwise.  I don't want him to do anything stupid and it's going to take me some time to find where Mama Hawk went with my friends anyway. I only know an approximate direction of where they wanted to go and I still haven't slept very much. But it feels like Zeldris and I get closer with every meeting. Maybe it's the most stupid thought and Zeldris is just playing with me. But he's so honest with me, that I can't believe it's just some kind of game to him. And even when we used to know each other, it's like I get to know him all over again.

"You still don't like Estarossa" I hear Zeldris say like he's lost in thoughts and I look at him in surprise. Still? Zeldris looks up at me and his dark eyes look somehow different, as if a veil lays over them. "You never really liked him, right?" he asks me and just now I realize that his voice is different, too.

I wonder why he thinks about Estarossa just now and what's wrong with him but when I look at Zeldris, I can see that he's waiting for an answer, so I nod slowly.
"Why?" he asks me.

"There's something that always seemed off. There's something about him that scares me, he seems unpredictable which seems really threatening." 

"But you're not scared of me?"

I look at Zeldris in surprise, like I can't understand him at all. Something is definitely off with him. He just seems so different from the boy that sat next to me just a minute ago. He reminds me of the Zeldris I used to know and it almost seems as if he can remember it, too. "Zel, I was never really scared of you. At least, not after I got to know you" I say softly, locking eyes with him.
Suddenly, I see his expression change and the veil in his eyes disappears. "What were you saying?" he asks in confusion and I can tell he doesn't remember anything he asked me about Estarossa. But how is that possible? Suddenly it hits me. What if what happens to Zeldris is the same that happened to Gowther? What if it's Zeldris' memories and emotions that are slowly coming back to him?

Please... No...

"I... I said that I have to go" I stutter and get up on my feet and feel my knees getting weak already. I have to leave as fast as possible. I can't risk Zeldris regaining his memories.
I hurry away from Zeldris but he follows me quickly.

"Yami, wait!" he says and grabs a hold of my hand. Startled, I turn to him as a tingling sensation runs through my body when I feel his touch. With a quick breath I look down at his hand, which is in a metal glove and grabs a hold onto my wrist. My heart is racing and only slowly I look up at Zeldris, who looks just as shocked at my arm that he's holding onto. Only very slowly he loosens his grip on my wrist until he lets go completely as if he's no longer afraid of me escaping. We look into each others eyes breathlessly.
"Are we going to meet again?"

"I don't think we should do this any longer, Zeldris. I'm sorry."

"Please don't say this" he begs and my heart gets heavy and I feel tears forming in the corner of my eyes as it breaks my heart to lose him once again and I know I have to leave immediately. I can't show him any weakness.

"Goodnight, Zeldris" I say and spread my wings, flying away as fast as I can.

Breathlessly, I reach the Boar Hat hours later as night has fallen in already. My heart still races just from the thought of Zeldris touching me. It's been 3.000 years since I last felt his hand on my skin and I know I missed him a lot but I didn't know I missed him that much. But the moment he held onto me, all I wanted to do was hug him tightly and hide my face in his neck, inhaling his scent whilst he holds onto me tightly.
The painful memories from the past times seemed so unbearable that I seemed to break down right in front of him. That is why I had to leave so quickly.