A/N: Welcome to the first chapter that has nothing but throwbacks to explain why Meliodas and Yami are so close! Hope you'll like it!

Chapter 12 - The Bond between Meliodas and Yami

5.000 years ago

"Come on, Yami! You need to try harder!" Meliodas said to me and positioned himself in a defensive position opposite me. "Now come on!" he shouted and expected another attack from me. I ran towards him with a loud scream, propably out of frustration, ready to hit him with the wooden sword but he jumped aside, hit me in the back with his elbow and tripped me up so that I fell on the ground hardly, face forward. "Wrong. Again." He sighed and walked up to me, reaching out his hand to help me up.

"I'm sorry, Meliodas" I sighed as I stood back up on my feet.

"Don't be sorry" Meliodas said. "It's your first day of training. And to be honest... You have a pretty tough opponent, too." Meliodas giggled and his green eyes lit up in amusement. I couldn't help but join his slight laughter. "You still think about your movements too much" Meliodas said as he picked up our two wooden swords. We've been training for a couple of hours already.

"You just said it's my first day, Meliodas. I have not been fighting before."

"Well, that's what I'm here for" he chuckled and handed my sword over. "Now back to the starting position!" Meliodas walked a few steps away and then got in his defensive position again. But my next attempt also failed and within a few seconds I landed roughly on the ground once again. In frustration, I blew out and rolled on my knees.

A disdainful snap came from near the door. "You should give up" said Zeldris scornfully. "You're just wasting your time, brother."

"Oh, and you can judge that, little brother?" Meliodas grinned challengingly at Zeldris. "Last time I checked, I was the stronger one of the two of us."

"Neither your physical nor your mental strength will help you train this weakling." Zeldris looked at me contemptuously and raised his nose indignantly. I looked back furiously without avoiding his gaze. He really made no secret of his disdain for me.

"What's the matter, little brother? Did you not sleep well?" Meliodas posed cheekily in front of Zeldris. "Or are you jealous that I am not training with you?"

A slight snort escaped Zeldris lips. "I don't need any more training from you."

"Are you sure?"

The tension between the two brothers was clearly palpable. I sat tense and waited to see what would happen next. But the following movements were so fast that I hardly noticed them. It only took a few blows between Meliodas and Zeldris, even though the black-haired one fought without a weapon. Nevertheless, Meliodas had the upper hand within a few seconds and Zeldris landed roughly belly-left on the floor, almost next to me.

"Seems like I can still teach you a lot" chuckled Meliodas cheekily.

Still sitting on the floor, Zeldris glared at me angrily. What was his bloody problem? After all, it wasn't me who had just defeated him. Without another word, he got up and left the room.

"Well then, well then, well then. If someone wasn't in a bad mood" chuckled Meliodas and threw me my sword. "Now, let's try it once again."

◊ ◊ ◊

"Your name means darkness, right?" Meliodas asked as he stuffed some food in his mouth.

"How do you know?" I asked him while poking around in my own food, still frustrated about how bad my training went.

"You really shouldn't underestimate me."

I chuckled. "It almost hurts that you even think I would. Where ... I guess my name wasn't chosen at random." After all, my life was full of darkness ever since my powers revealed.

"I don't think so either" Meliodas admitted. "I still think it's very beautiful."

A slight smile appeared on my lips. "Thank you, Meliodas."

He nodded to me with a smile. "You should eat something now. Otherwise we won't get your strength under control." He giggled at the end of his words before stuffing the food into his mouth again.

"Meliodas, you eat like a pig" I giggled.

"Mhh .. Pig. We haven't had that in a long time" he said, licking his lips and I had to laugh again.

"You may see your name as a burden, Yami. But a name doesn't say everything about the person" said Meliodas.

I looked askance at Meliodas. "You said person."

"Oh yes?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Is that bad?"

I shook my head. "No. On the contrary, I think it's a good thing. I just haven't been called a person in such a long time..."

"But monster?"

I nodded, unwilling to say the word as well. "Why do you think different? Don't people call you monster as well?"

"I don't meet many people" he said and rubbed the back of his head, his cheeks turning slightly red. "But whatever people call you, they can't take your worth, Yami."

"I have just met you, Meliodas. But you really help me to regain it, again. Thank you."

a few years later

It was the middle of the night and the silence in the castle was frightening. I crept cautiously down the long hallway, wincing at every little noise. Still, I didn't let that stop me until I stood in front of a large, wooden door.

For a brief moment, I wondered whether I should really wake my friend but then I heard his voice from inside. "Come on in now" I heard him giggle and with a gentle smile I pushed the big door open. "You can't sleep?" he greeted me.

I shook my head. He grinned and patted the empty space on the bed next to him. I sat down with him, a smile on my lips and wrapped the blanket around my legs. I saw him smile, too and he then put his arm around me. "I also have bigger and bigger problems falling asleep."

"Your home is a really scary place sometimes."

Meliodas giggled again and I slid down a bit in his arms so that my head could dig itself well between his arm and his chest. "Yes, I know that" he said.

"But when you're around, no place is really bad, Meliodas."

Meliodas pulled me a little closer and began to paint gentle patterns on my skin with his hand. "Thank you" he said after a moment of silence.

"What's the matter?" I asked my friend when I felt how depressed he was.

"Nothing to worry about" he said gently.

"Meliodas ... Just because you give me strength doesn't mean you can't show me your weaknesses too."

"I know that."

"And still you don't want to talk about it."

"And still I don't want to talk about it."

I couldn't help but giggle and then yawned, which made Meliodas giggle too.

4.000 years ago

"Will you ever start?" Meliodas asked me boredly and began to play with the wooden sword in his hand.

"You shouldn't be so cheeky" I grinned at my friend. "I have a good feeling about today."

Meliodas laughed out loud. "Well then... I am ready."

Meliodas looked at me challenging. I just grinned at him cheekily and ran towards him. I pretended that I wanted to beat him with my sword and he jumped aside to avoid me. At that very moment I tripped him up and threw him off balance. He was still swinging his sword in the fall, trying to hit me but I jumped to the side, threw my weapon in the air, rolled to the other side of him, caught my sword again and before Meliodas could get up again, the tip of my wooden sword was on his chest. I had won.

"Well, how was that?"

"Okay. For a warm-up exercise" giggled Meliodas.

"Warm up, huh?" I helped Meliodas get up and got back into fighting position. "Let's have a real fight, then."

Meliodas looked at me with satisfaction. "Let's go!"