(Erica POV)

"Hey. We made it out." Ken said through the phone.

Right as we had gotten out of the rift, Ken had called Principal. Behind us, the rift started to flicker as it became unstable, before closing.

We made it...

And then my eyes were drawn to the limp bodies of Goku and Brandon. But at what cost? We lost their souls. The most important part of a person, with how much Merlin emphasized it.

"...Mostly. But yes, we found both Emi and Brandon, and have gotten them out..." Ken stated. "What about you?"

"...You got the seal? Nice." Ken lightly smiled.

"...What? Why can't you just tell me now? What could be so important you need to tell me in person?" Ken asked.

"...Fine then. Where are you now?" Ken wondered.

"...Okay. We're still outside of the rift, though it's closed now." He replied, glancing at where the rift just was. I glimpsed a hint of sadness on his face before he hid it once more.

"...We'll see you soon then. Though, there's something important that I should tell you. We experienced some...casualties." Ken slowly stated.

"...No one is dead...but...well, we encountered the Demon King's right hand man. He was much stronger than what we expected." Ken explained.

"...And...he stole Goku and Brandon's souls to give to the Demon King. They're not dead, but they're in comas. They won't wake up unless we get those souls back." Ken continued.

"...How is Amber?" Ken softly asked, his fists tightening.

"...I see. I'm sorry." Ken sadly stated.

"...It is! I...I...never mind..." He sighed, seemingly defeated. "We'll see you soon."

"...Alright." He hung up the call, pocketing his phone. He stared at the ground with a mixture of emotions.

I had known Ken for a whole year now. And yet, I never seen him look so defeated like this. Never, not when we fought monsters or other people. Not even when he was fighting for his life.

I hated it. I didn't want to see that look grace his beautiful face. I wanted to vanquish it, but what could I do?

I couldn't bring back Brandon, nor could I bring back Goku.

I can't even imagine how Ken, Eri, and Bianca must feel. Of course I'm sad, but I wasn't nearly as Ken was to Goku and as Eri and Bianca were to Brandon.

Sometimes when I would watch Goku train Ken, I couldn't help but think how they looked like a father and his son. Except for the fact that they don't look anything alike.

I wanted to help Ken. Tell him that everything's going to be all right. But I can't guarantee that.

I don't like being a downer, but we might not even survive the next days. The Demon King's right hand man said that he'd see us soon.

I didn't like that. It meant that Demon King would be arriving very soon. And with his arrival, we all could die.

My hands tightened. I wasn't able to do anything against him. I didn't contribute anything to taking him down.

It made me realize that I'm painfully weak. The only way I helped was through Avalon, and that was given to me.

I need to get stronger. So that I can protect Ken.

Ken has always been there for me. Ever since the beginning, he's was there. He was the first one that greeted me when I arrived to Japan.

I was scared. Sure, I learned Japanese, but I would still be in a new country all by myself. There was my aunt, but she's always busy with work. I don't see her often.

But having Ken by my side...I wasn't scared anymore. I had someone that I could trust and confide in. Someone who has my back.

He's the kindest person I've ever met. And he's probably think I'm crazy if I said that to him, but that's just because he's a tsundere. Lily and Iris introduced manga to me and I learned that term.

I love him so much. I loved him before Irene, before Iris, before Lily, before Yui, before Amber, and before Bianca.

I love him. I would even KILL for him. I did before.

I'm not scared of them anymore. I'm only scared of losing Ken. I need to do something...

I was brought out of my thoughts as the sound of a jet entered my ears. Looking up, the jet was descending towards us.

It landed down, and the others immediately rushed out. Amber ran outside, eyes red and swollen. Her eyes locked onto Goku, more tears streaming down.

Ken brought her into a hug, rubbing her back to comfort her. "I'm sorry." Was all he said as she cried into his shirt.

He may have seemed strong, but I saw through his facade. He was pretending to be strong. I knew that he wanted to cry just as much.

Principal looked at the limp bodies of Goku and Brandon. "Damn it." She muttered. "They're going to pay for this."

Principal looked at all of us. "All of you, get some rest. It's been a long day." She glanced towards Ken. "We'll meet up again tomorrow and I'll tell you about what we learned."

Everybody silently nodded in agreement, the mood damp. Lily walked over to me, standing next to me.

"We better head to the apartment." She said, looking defeated.

"Yeah..." I replied as the group started to separate.

Lily and I turned, heading towards the apartment before we were stopped by someone calling my name.

"Erica." Irene, of all people, said.

"Yeah?" I asked, turning around.

"I would like to ask for your help." She stated.

"Uhh...what do you need help with?" I asked.

I knew Irene fairly well. We were fellow sisters in the Cult of Loki, and we've interacted a couple times. But I'm not nearly as close to her as I am to Lily and Iris.

"I'm worried about Ken." Irene stated. "He and Amber were the closest to Goku. I'm worried about his mental state."

"What about Amber?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Amber, Bianca, Emi, Yui, and Aoi are having a sleepover. They'll be able to find comfort in each other." Irene stated. "Which leaves Ken."

"While I am the closest to Ken in...certain ways..." Irene continued.

What was with that wording?

Irene sighed. "As much as I hate admitting it, you've known him the longest out of all of us. While I know Ken well, you are the best at seeing through him."

"I know he's not alright, but I have no idea what may be going through his mind." Irene stated. "I'd rather not do or say something wrong."

"Yeah, I can help." I nodded.

"Great." Irene lightly smiled. "You can come with us. We have some clothes you can use to sleep over."

"I don't mean to be rude, but what about me?" Lily asked, reminding us of her presence.

"You are close to Iris. I'd you don't mind, could you accompany her tonight?" Irene asked.

"I can." Lily nodded. "Erica, I'll text your aunt and let her know we'll be staying over at the Aegis Mansion."

"Okay. Thanks." I replied.

Irene led us towards the mansion. We walked in a silence. Iris and Ken had already left, which gave them a head start.

Once we arrived to the mansion Irene gave us each a pair of pajamas to use. After taking a shower and changing, she led Lily to Iris' room, where Lily knocked on the door. Iris let Lily in, leaving just the two of us.

We started to head towards Ken's room. Stopping outside of the door, Irene turned towards me.

"If you two want to get a little...further...in your relationship, you have my permission." Irene stated.

"W-what?!" I exclaimed in surprise, my face becoming red.

Irene nodded. "I'll see you two in the morning. Good luck."

Irene walked off, leaving me a blushing mess. Geez, what was with her?! I really didn't understand her sometimes.

And why would I need her permission to do that stuff with Ken anyways?! The only reason would be if...they...

Oh.

...

No, shake the jealousy away. You can be jealous later. Right now, Ken's mental state takes priority. However, I still couldn't help but feel jealous. I pushed it down, knocking on Ken's door.

The door slowly opened, revealing Ken. "Erica..? What are you doing here?"

"Hey." I softly said. "Can I come in?"

"Of course." Ken replied, opening the door for me.

I walked into his room. It was pretty bland. There was his bed, a closet, and a bedside table. There wasn't anything other than that.

Ken sat down on the bed. I followed him, sitting down next to him.

"So, what's up?" He wondered.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Fine." He replied.

"That's a lie." I immediately called him out.

"What?" He replied, looking towards me surprised.

"That's a lie." I restated. "I know you Ken. I know when you're lying, and you're doing it right now. You're not okay."

"...fine." He slowly replied. "You got me. So, now what?"

"I just...I just want to help. In any way I can." I stated.

"I'm sorry." He said. "But I don't think you can help me."

"But why not?" I asked. "I can do something."

"You don't get it." He sighed.

"Then make me get it. I'll listen. I'll always be here for you Ken, because I love you. You are, and will always be, my best friend." I stated.

"...even though I would like to go further than that..." I mumbled.

"Anyways, I just want you to rely on me. Because you aren't in this alone. You have me and the others." I stated.

"I..." Ken slowly replied. "I...It's my fault..."

My eyes widened as I realized what Ken was feeling. "No, don't say that."

"How can it not?!" He growled. "I let my guard down and he injured me. Then I watched as he took both Brandon's and Goku's souls, unable to do anything."

"Ken..." I sadly said. "If that was your fault, then the whole incident is just as much on me as it is on you. I wasn't able to stop it either."

I overlapped my hand over his. "Ken...it's not your fault. It's the Demon King's right hand man's fault. All we can do now is get those souls back."

"...and what if we can't?" Ken asked, his voice cracking. "What if we lose them forever? I would have failed both Amber and Bianca..."

"And yourself." I finished. "But we have to try. We have to hope. Because there is a chance, Ken. You've always fought and conquered every obstacle so far, you can again."

"...that's not true." He slowly replied.

"It is." I stated. "You're amazing Ken. It doesn't matter how many times you fall, you always get back up. You're the strongest man I know."

"I've watched you train with Goku so much. Every time he knocks you down, you always get back up. Doesn't matter how big of a bruise or how long it takes to recover, you always stood once more." I continued.

"I...I miss him." Ken weakly said. "I don't want to lose him...he was like family..."

I hugged Ken, pushing his head against my shoulder. I rubbed his back as I whispered into his ear.

"We'll get him back. We've seen his tricks once, now we can be prepared. You can do this Ken. I know you can."

And then I felt my shoulder start toe become wet as Ken started to cry. Despite all the time I knew him, I had never seen him cry before.

His sobs were silent as he still resisted. He didn't want me to see his weakness. He didn't want me to see that he was fragile, just like the rest of us.

It was kind of comforting, knowing that he also had his own weaknesses. Now I just had to help him get past them, like a good friend.

Or future wife.

"I'll always be here for you." I whispered.

I pulled Ken's face up, wiping the tears from his eyes before pressing my lips against his, giving him a deep kiss.

Ken's eyes widened as his cheeks flushed, our faces connected in a long kiss. It felt so sweet to finally kiss my love.

I reluctantly pulled away, releasing Ken.

"Erica..." He muttered, clutching his chest. "I...I'm sorry-"

Is quickly cut him off. "Irene gave me permission."

"What?" He asked, surprised.

"You know I wouldn't lie to you." I replied. "And even if I did, you would be able to tell. She gave me permission."

I pulled him in for another kiss, tasting him once more. Ken's arms wrapped around my head, pushing me into him and deepening the kiss.

I felt myself being pushed down onto the bed as Ken laid above me, staring down at my body.

"I...I love you too, Erica..." He admitted, his face turning red.

A smile graced my lips as my heart pounded. He loved me back. He loved me back. Oh my god, he loved me back.

If it wasn't for what happened earlier, today would have been the best day of my life.

"Is it...okay?" Ken asked. "If I go further?"

"Yes." I whispered, rubbing my legs together.

I needed him.

And as Ken descended down for another kiss, I knew that while this wouldn't be the best day of my life, it would absolutely be the best night.

I went to sleep that night, naked under the bedsheets with my beloved, completely and utterly satisfied.

Drifting off into sweet dreams...

...

...

...

...

Ken floated through a dark void. I stared at him, wondering what was going on. As I got closer to his unmoving body, I gasped at that I saw.

He was in a terrible state. One of his eyes was gouged out. One of his arms was completely gone, and the other arm was definitely not supposed to be at that angle.

There was a hole in his chest where his heart should have been. However, it wasn't there. Only a hole.

Many slashes and cuts covered his body, and as I stared even closer, I noticed something horrible. He wasn't moving.

At all. Not even a small rise and descent in his chest to show that he was breathing. He was completely, and utterly dead.

I floated backwards, gasping as I stared at the dead body of my beloved. No, no, no, what's going on?

No.

No.

NO.

This can't be happening? What's going on?!

A deep, guttural laugh entered my ears. Slowly turning around, I was met with two menacing, blazing red eyes staring at me through the darkness of the void.

I gasped, jumping up. Looking around, I was no longer in that void. Instead I was back in Ken's room, under his covers.

A nightmare? Oh my god, that was horrific.

I looked down at Ken, who was sleeping peacefully next to me. What would I do if he was gone...?

I sat there, breathing heavily for quite a while after that nightmare, trying to calm myself down. But no matter what, I couldn't get the image of a dead Ken out of my mind.

I looked back down at Ken. I knew what I needed to do. I knew how to help him.

...

Afterwards, I went back to sleep, snuggling up to Ken. This time, only pleasant dreams awaited me as I dream through the night.