Meliodas felt dazed as he walked through the halls the next morning, and it wasn't just because he didn't get any sleep.

He couldn't stop thinking about what Ban had said to him. His big brothers weren't telling him everything? But.. why would they lie to him? Sure, Meliodas felt like they kept things from him occasionally, and he even got frustrated a few times at how they'd act around him because of that feeling. However surely it wasn't anything super big, right? He made some tiny lies before even though he hated it, but never anything super big. They were close after all! Didn't that mean they should be honest and not lie about the big things? Unless...

Was it.. all in his head? Was he not as close with his siblings as he thought? Did they care enough to not lie? Did... Did they really care at all?

He had no idea why that thought popped into his head. Of course they cared! Zeldy and Esta had been so scared when he went missing! And they always made him treats and tried to take good care of them. Esta had even stayed by his side when he was in a coma! So why... did that thought keep sticking with him? Why did he keep feeling like they didn't care at all when he knew that wasn't true?

Tears rose in the child's eyes as he sniffled and wiped them away quickly. The blond knew what was going on, he was having one of those weird feelings again that he couldn't control. The kind that always made him cry. It wasn't as strong as last time thankfully, but this time it felt more... bitter, than sad. A blend of the two, really. With a few others he couldn't even name thrown in. Although that part wasn't different then normal. He always felt like with all the emotions he could name and know he was feeling, there were always at least three more he had no idea what they were. Which at the moment only made him more confused about how to feel about what he was told by his close friend.

He didn't believe Ban was lying to him, his gut told him as much. And even though the boy searched desperately for things to prove otherwise, more things came into his brain that just added to the words the man had said.

He couldn't remember Ban or any of his other friends other than meeting them in the woods, and Ban said what he did in correlation to Meli asking about why. That meant the secret was something about his friends, right? And why he couldn't remember them? Not to mention the blond also couldn't remember doing anything to make the maids look at him so weirdly, or to make Zeldris act mean to him after first waking up, but it still all happened. Was that all connected to whatever lie Ban had been talking about too?

But that all brought it back to why once again. Why would they lie? What was the lie fully about? Why couldn't he remember certain things? What had happened to make everyone act weird after those things happened? Why couldn't he stop crying or feeling weird whenever he tried thinking about any of this?

Why couldn't he stop hurting?

The more tears he wiped away the more that replaced them, until so many flooded his eyes and face that he could no longer ignore them to stay in his thoughts.

Stopping in the hallway he was walking through from his bedroom- where he had wanted to stay instead of with Zeldris to collect his thoughts- he continued sniffling and rubbing his eyes as frustration and confusion were unquenched by his previous inquiries.

I'll just have to find out when I talk to Ban. He said he'll tell me if I go somewhere with him, so my brothers don't hear I assume.

He knew he both needed and wanted to find out whatever his pal had to say, and he felt no gut instinct telling him it was dangerous, but the smallest voice inside of him- the part scared to hear the truth- kept whispering in a tiny whimper to not go. Forever fearful and terrified of learning whatever horrible secret his brothers he loved so much were keeping from him.

Finally starting to get the tears to slow even as a few still trickled down, Meliodas forced that scared voice back down, and tried to keep his resolve strong.

Whatever it is, I need to know. I need to know what my family is hiding from me. I need to know why I keep getting so sad.

Letting out a shaky breath in a poor attempt to calm his nerves, young Meliodas started walking again only to be stopped shortly after once bumping into something; or rather, someone.

"Hey Meli, I hope you slept okay last ni- Whoa, are you crying?"

The blond's blood felt like it chilled by the very sound of his sibling's voice. All happiness and excitment he normally felt at getting to see his busy older brother was completely gone and replaced by his overwhelming emotions swelling again. Confusion, fear, sadness, and frustration at the top.

Zeldris leaned down towards his baby brother, concerned by the tears sliding down his face and small, sad, sniffles accompanying it.

"Oh Mel, what's wrong? Was it another nightmare? Hey, it's okay. Why don't you tell me-"

He didn't get to finish as a groan of frustration left Meliodas and he pushed his brother away before speeding off.

Everything was hurting again, worse than before. Except that at the momemoment, the blond knew exactly why.

Because he couldn't bare Zel being so nice like nothing was wrong when he had really been lying all this time! The blond may not know what about yet, and some might have called him foolish for taking a stranger's word over his brother's so fast, but Meliodas knew that Ban had been right. He didn't know what made it all click into place, but he did know that as soon as he saw and heard Zeldris again... his gut confirmed it. And that was all he needed to back up his determination to meet Ban and find out what this was all about. To find out why ever since he had woken up... something felt returned and exchanged for something else lost.

I hope you like this chapter! Might be a little fast-paced and I'm sorry about that, I'm very tired right now but wanted to try to get this out today. Anyway, more to come tomorrow!

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