Sin of Crimson Sunlight

Chapter 12: Whatever It Takes

Hawk walked out of the crater he had made when he struck Meliodas mid-flight. He wanted the battle to be over quickly, he didn't see Meliodas as a close friend, but he didn't want his death to be slow and painful. Unfortunately, Hawk's attack didn't seem to remove his fighting spirit. Meliodas, without warning, cut off Hawk's arm freeing himself. While Hawk did feel pain from this, it was soon elevated when the shadowy black substance the demon clan used reattached his arm.

Meliodas: "Why Hawk?! Why side with them? They're the evil that wants to take and destroy this world. Why?!"

Hawk: "So naive. You, of all people, should understand or...you will understand. No matter how hard you try. You will always be an outsider—no matter what you do. You will never be like those you choose to love and care for. The only thing you can do is keep living a lie, and eventually, the world you built your lies upon comes tumbling down... Or you accept what you truly are. It took me a long time to figure that truth out. But now... Now I live my life as it was truly meant to be."

Meliodas: "A murderer and a traitor?!"

Hawk: "Whole. But my fight isn't with you. Their's is. Good luck."

Hawk walks away towards the rear of the group of other Commandments.

Zeldris: "Well then, brother. Are you ready?"

As Hawk takes a seat on an outcropping of rocks a reasonable distance from the ensuing battle. He hears the unsheathing of two blades; he sighs a deeply saddened sigh.

Hawk: "Just because I refuse to hurt you doesn't mean you can beat me in a fight." He looks over his shoulder to see Pyrrha. "You won't have to worry about the others. I made them swear not to harm you as long as I am with them. But as of now, my part in this fight is done."

Pyrrha's heart raced. She'd never thought that she would draw her swords on the man she loved... still loves. But his words were cold, even more cold than they ever were before. His tone itself was like a warning, warning her not to approach not to try and fight. She slows her breathing, calms her nerves, and approaches, blades still in hand. She goes for several slashes, but Hawk ducks and sidesteps her attacks with relative ease. He could tell she was holding back, she didn't want to fight him, but she had to. As Pyrrha goes for an overhead with her twin blades, Hawk catches her wrist with his hands. Their eyes then met. Pyrrha was horrified. The once red iris of Hawk's eyes had now been blackened over by shadow. In her eyes, he was an entirely different person, yet he wasn't.

Hawk: "Stop...you don't want to do this."

Pyrrha: "Then why?! Why are you doing this?! Joining the Ten Commandments?! Abandoning me to be alone?! Killing those people, why?!" Hawk then transforms into his demonic form as he lets his anger out.

Hawk: "Cause I can't help what I am, dammit!!... I can't help being what I am. You don't know what it's like. To have to be so..scared of letting loose, hurting those you care most for, and not being in control. It's like I'm starving and letting myself die of thirst. Being this..this thing. It's killing me. I feel myself growing weaker every day." Hawk lets go of Pyrrha's wrist as he back away from her.

Pyrrha: "Then please tell me what to do. I want to help. I don't want either of us to be alone."

Hawk: "That's the problem, Pyrrha...it is you... As a demon, my body needs certain nutrients, like how a human needs food and water. Demons don't need those, they're more of luxuries, but they don't provide any sustenance. Demons require blood...human blood to survive. Without it, we grow weaker and eventually become as fragile as glass, with the power to match. The last time I had human blood was when we took the Crown of Will. Ever since then, I've been starving myself. For five years, I've been holding back this constant need to consume human blood. But here...here demons aren't as savage as they were on our world, here they behave like humans. And after you discovered what I had done in Vacuo, I thought that maybe they'd let me join them. So then I could live and..maybe convince you to abandon me. To live your life without being afraid of what I am."

Pyrrha: "Why have you never told me this?"

Hawk: "How was I supposed to tell you? "Hey, Pyrrha. Sorry to drop this on you, but I need to go slaughter a nearby town so I don't starve. Thanks, see you when I get home." No. You would've forbidden it...so I chose to hide my growing weakness. I chose to live my life with you because you are the only one that has ever mattered to me. But when I saw how you looked at me in that vision, I knew you'd never love me the same way as you did before ever again."

Pyrrha: "No, Hawk! Why would you ever think that? I love you, and nothing is ever going to change that. Being with you has been the most incredible adventure of my life, and I would never want it to end. If...if this is how it is meant to be... Then I'll simply change it."

Hawk: "What?"

Pyrrha: "It's simple, Hawk, we just have to make you human again." Hawk is visibly stunned by her words, so much so that he reverts to his human form. "I know it'll be difficult, but we've done more impossible things before and...I want to do this. Not for me but for you. You deserve to have the peace you've longed for ever since Raven died. The only thing in our way is finding out how to do it."

Hawk stood there in silence as he watched Pyrrha mumble ideas to herself. He couldn't believe what she was talking about. Becoming human. The thought had never surfaced in his mind. He always just assumed that he'd be a demon forever, but he never had the idea of returning to his life as a human. And yet here was Pyrrha, the girl Hawk would gladly call his wife. She was dead set on making him human once again, just so
he wouldn't have to suffer for her sake.

Hawk looked back towards the battle to see it was coming to its conclusion. Meliodas could've taken down Gloxinia and Drole if it were just the two of them as before. But an eight on 1 is a battle Meliodas could never have won. But that wasn't what Hawk was worried about. Hawk understood that if he went with Pyrrha, she would be in danger as the deal he had made would be broken. So he sighed as he knew what he had to do. Unsheathing Yamato, he slashes open the portal to the Boar Hat Tavern.

Pyrrha: "What are you doing?"

Hawk: "Pyrrha. Know this...I believe in you." He tosses her Yamato, which she catches, but is then thrown by Hawk through the portal as it closes.

Breathing deeply, he turns around and hears the squelching noise as Estarossa drives his blade into the last heart that Meliodas had, killing him. Walking over to the group, he summons Jetstream to replace Yamato.

Hawk: "So is that it?"

Zeldris: "Yes, now let's go." Zeldris creates wings of shadow as he flies up into the air, Fraudrin, Estarossa, and Melascula following.

Hawk: "Almost seems like he didn't want to kill Meliodas."

Monspeet: "They were family, so it makes sense for the hesitation."

Derieri: "Thank you for helping, by the way." She says sarcastically.

Hawk: "Had to handle personal business, besides I designed the plan not to have my involvement from the beginning. So you're welcome."

Gloxinia: "I think it went rather splendidly. Don't you think Drole?"

Drole: "While the battle was difficult, your planning did ensure our victory. Well done, Hawk."

Gloxinia: "Well, I believe we should be taking our leave. Let's be off, Drole." Gloxinia uses his fairy wings to fly off as Drole follows behind.

Derieri: "Whelp. This place just got a lot more boring, so I'm gonna head off, maybe snag some snacks on my way back." Flying off as well, leaving Hawk and Monspeet.

Monspeet: "So? What'd you two talk about? I couldn't help but see a lack of fighting between you two. Thought she'd be pretty upset at you."

Hawk: "Monspeet? If you had the choice to leave the demon clan and live your life with the one you cherished...would you?"

Monspeet said no words as he patted Hawk on his shoulder and flew off after Derieri.