Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Allergy

"Zick," Elena pleaded with her husband, "Please don't go. The kids need you. I need you!"

Zick looked into her eyes. He saw something that was only there when he was about to die while fighting monsters. Fear.

"Elena," he said softly. "I'll be fine. I'll be home in six months, we've been separated longer than that before." He was referring to a time when they were fifteen and Magnacat had captured him and kept him prisoner for nearly a year, just before he had confessed his love to her.

"I know, but... What about the kids?" Elena glanced at their four- and nine-year-old kids watching television. "They need their father, Zick! If anything happens to you, how will I explain it to them?"

The taxi driver honked the horn.

"Just another minute!" Zick turned toward his wife, but unable to met her eyes again he looked down to smooth some imaginary wrinkles from his olive green army uniform. "Elena, I've really got to go."

He gave Elena a hug and kiss and was off. He waved from inside the taxi, his eyes watering. Elena watched the taxi until it was out of sight, then, heaving a heavy sigh, walked back into the house.

"Hey Mom, where'd Dad go," the youngest of the kids, Isabella, asked.

"He's going away for a while." Elena turned and attempted to calmly walk to her room.

The eldest kid, Theo, looked at his sister. He knew their mother was crying.

"Isabella, Dad's not going to be home for half a year-"

"Half a year! That's forever!" the girl exclaimed. Theo gave her a look that shut her up within seconds.

"As I was saying, Dad's going to be away for for a while, so we need to help Mom out as much as we can, and don't mention him while Mom's around or she'll start crying." The kids went back to watching cartoons on the tv.

Zick felt the familiar yet uneasiness grip of a rifle in his hands. He hated knowing he held the power to end a human's life within a heartbeat. He much preferred using his Tamer powers, but that wasn't an option here. Not in the middle of so many people he could easily hurt with as single blast of Dom energy. That was something humans couldn't even begin to understand unless they were a Keeper.

An enemy soldier gripped his knee and fell on his side, blood seeping out from the bullet Zick had fired. It hit right were he had aimed. The soldier beside him clapped him on the back.

"Nice shot bud, but aim for the head, that way there's no way they can kill someone again."

But if I killed him, won't I be just as bad as him? Let's face it, none of us want to be in this Hell we call war.

"Damn bastard," he muttered under his breath. The other soldier must've thought Zick was cursing at the enemy. He smiled and ran further down the trench to kill more people.

Zick shook his head to get rid of the thoughts and squeezed off another shot into someone's wrist. They dropped their gun and screamed in pain.

Zick looked around the battlefield, scanning the bodies that had yet to be retrieved. His eyes widened as he recognized a man with a lady crying over him.

Zick grabbed an emergency first-aid kit and jumped out of the trench, sprinting toward the dying man.

"C'mon Teddy, hang on a little longer! Please!" The woman sobbed as she held the man's hand with both of hers. Zick knelt down next to the two, oblivious to the shots and explosions around him.

"Teddy, how're you doing? Got any plans after you get out of here?" Zick quickly opened the kit and pulled out disinfectant.

"Yeah, me and Lay are gonna get married. Will you be the best man?" Teddy's eyes were trained on the sky. He frowned slightly. "Zick, why does the sky seem so far away? And it seems paler, or is it darker? Something is off about it."

"You're getting married? Congrats, and of course I'll be the best man." Zick ignored the comments about the sky. He'd seen enough of it in this damned war, yet it always pinched at his heart. He'd learned how to act calm though.

He examined his friend's wounds. There were three bullets that had his left arm, two had gone completely through, but one was still lodged about halfway. His left was was worse. Five bullets lodged inside and a huge cut from a knife. At the rate he was losing blood, it was a miracle Teddy was still alive, and even find the strength to talk through the pain.

Zick locked eyes with Lay, silently confirming her worst fears.

"Hang on a little longer Teddy, a medic will be here soon. Then you can go home and-"

"Don't play games with me!" Zick was taken aback by the harsh tone.

"What're you talking about?" Teddy tried to force himself up, but Lay gently pushed him back down.

"You've been a great friend through the years, Zick. You've helped me get my dad back and you've always had my back. I can't repay you for everything you've done for me." Zick's eyes misted over. He opened his mouth to say something, but found he couldn't and closed it. "And Lay, you're the most amazing girl I've ever met. I love you, and I always will."

Lay lost control and cried on Zick's shoulder. He awkwardly tried to comfort her, but she wasn't his biggest concern at the moment. He pulled away from her and turned back to the dying man.

"C'mon Teddy, you're talking like you're about to... about to..." Zick choked on his words.

"Die." Teddy finished for him. "I know I'm going to die, don't try to tell me otherwise."

Teddy's eyes closed, his chest stopped rising and falling. Zick put two fingers on the man's wrist. He looked over at Lay. She bit her fist. Tears streamed down her face.

"Shit," Zick cursed as he turned his gaze back to the body. He pounded his fist against the ground over and over again until the pain finally registered in his brain and saw the blood on the dirt and the raw spots on his hand.

Bang!

Thump.

For some reason, that one shot among thousands jumped out at him. He slowly turned around.

Lay was face down in the dirt, blood seeping through the back of her shirt.

Zick couldn't move his body, it just stopped responding. He suddenly felt very tired. He just wanted to take a nap, even if it had to be out here on the battlefield. He knew his body was shutting down from shock. His two best friends had just been killed and he couldn't do a thing about it.

Zick spun around just in time to see an enemy soldier charge him with a knife. The cold steel bit into his chest, then was pulled out, leaving a trail of fire where it had cut.

He dropped to his knees, then fell, laying sprawled out on the bloody ground. Each breath he painfully took in drained some of the little strength he had left. His bones felt like they were melting. He could hear the blood rushing in his head as it throbbed like an earthquake had taken place inside it. His drowsiness grew more and more, his eyes drooping shut.

Finally, his eyes closed and the pain was gone.

Elena cried into a tissue. She knew she never should have let Zick sign up. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't raise two kids by herself! They needed their father!

"Thank you for telling me," she managed to the man dressed in a black uniform. He nervously rubbed his hands together.

"Again, I'm sorry for your loss. I knew your husband personally. He was a good man. He shouldn't have died. War is Hell." The man turned and walked away from the house.

"Mom? Who was that?" Elena turned to see Isabella looking up at her with questioning eyes. Theo was behind her, looking so much like his father with his blue-gray hair and patient eyes.

Elena hugged Isabella tightly, fresh tears forming. Theo nodded grimly, understanding. No tears could be seen in his eyes. Elena was glad that he would be the strong one. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep from crying, the pain was to much, the scars too deep.

Elena pulled Isabella closer as understanding dawned on the little girl, making her cry as well.

Those kids must be growing on me. I was planning to kill them in the end, but decided to change it for some reason.