Disclaimer: I do not own Black Clover. It belongs to Yuki Tabata.

"Hey Asta.." "You okay?" asked Secre, currently in her bird form. Though she received no response. 'Guess not..' she thought, internally sighing to herself.

The Fifth Leaf Of Despair

CHAPTER 10: HOLDING TIGHT

Asta and Secre, each using their own methods, were currently flying through the clear morning sky of the Heart Kingdom. As they were both approaching that huge ocean separating the Heart and Clover Kingdoms.

Asta, being the one who invited Secre to join him on his way back to the Clover Kingdom, was currently lost in his own head..

He was currently lost in his own head, many interesting thoughts going through it as he was flying on auto-pilot at the moment.

'Why did I dream of those two people again..? And why do they look like me too..? And then there's that weird black hole around my heart again.. suffocating me to death..' thought Asta, as he was recalling his dream from last night, tears forming on the corner of his eyes as he did so.

FLASHBACK - LAST NIGHT

"Hey Nero, your room's that way, just next door to Noelle" Asta said to Secre, as she was still sitting on his head as a bird as he was heading into his room for the night.

"Yeah, what of it?" replied Secre, not giving a damn about what Asta just said. "Huh what are you talking about? You know you can't sleep with me, you remember how Noelle gets mad for some reason right?" stated Asta, a chill going down his spine as he remembered Noelle beating him up because he slept with Nero.

"So? this isn't the Black Bulls hideout, she can't do anything about it, now can she?" responded Secre, still not backing down.

Secre, though she wouldn't say this out loud, was really worried about Asta. Ever since that one time he almost died while training with his black form, she's been really worried about him.

And since they were currently in the Heart Kingdom, nothing was stopping her from keeping an eye on him overnight. Despite what Noelle thought, she doesn't and wouldn't do any 'weird stuff' with Asta.

Even though this is probably not how Asta viewed Secre, she herself worried about him like some sort of big sister or something. Especially considering that she's always been around him, even when he was still just a kid. Even if he himself didn't know it.

"Alright then if you say so.. I just hope I don't get beaten up over it again" replied Asta, finally giving in, as they were now entering his room.

FLASHBACK - LAST NIGHT - END

FLASHBACK - ASTA DREAM

"Ahh.. Licita I'm gonna fall!" screamed out Liebe, as he was about to fall into the the river in front of him.

Licita, a perfect copy of Asta, except female. And, Liebe, a baby version of Asta, only he's a devil. Two people Asta recognized from his dream a couple of days ago, were now right in front of him again. And, for some reason, he was unable to move or speak in this dream too. Stuck there, watching them, until he woke up. Though of course he did not know this was a dream.

"Hold on Liebe! Looks like you caught a big one!" yelled out Licita in response to Liebe, as she was currently hugging and pulling him from behind, holding on to his tiny, black, devil hands, which were currently holding a wooden fishing rod.

The both of them were currently out fishing in a river. Hoping to catch some fish for dinner. As Licita, the adult of the two, didn't make enough money with her job. And so, they needed to catch their own food every now and then. And while Licita was used to this, this was Liebe's first time hunting for his own food. And so naturally, and because of his still weak, kid body, Liebe struggled a lot. A/N: Licita's body doesn't drain mana and life force in this fanfic.

"EEHH... There we go..!" yelled out Licita, as she and Liebe both dropped butt first onto the ground. Having now caught that huge fish Liebe managed to lure before it got away. Though it took all of their strength combined to do so.

"Woah! Look Licita it's huge!" stated Liebe with starry eyes, as he was currently amazed at the size of the fish he just caught. Thinking about his tasty meal when they get back home. As he always loved Licita's cooking. Though that excitement didn't last for long..

As if getting revenge for being caught in it's final moments, this big fish that Liebe caught with the help of Licita, suddenly bit Liebe's small, weak, and unsuspecting devil tail. HARD.

"AAAHHHHH!" "L-LICITA.. MY TAIL IS GONNA COME OFF!" Liebe screamed out in pain and agony, tears forming in his eyes. As his small, baby devil tail was currently in between two sets of big, sharp teeth. As they were not only biting on it, but pulling it hard as well.

Licita, now noticing the fish, immediately opened it's mouth and removed it from Liebe's tail. And though she did it as quickly as she could, Liebe's tail was still bruised, bleeding non-stop.

"I'm sorry Liebe! Here let me.." apologized Licita as she tore off a part of her blue vest, wrapping the wounded part of Liebe's tail with it. So that the bleeding can calm down for the time being.

Liebe's tail now tended to for the time being, Licita grabbed the big fish they caught, holding it over her shoulder, as she stood up. And, with weak resolve, said these next few words..

"C'mon Liebe, let's get back home so I can properly treat your wound" "You don't have to walk, I'll carry you on my free arm" stated Licita, fake smile plastered on her face. Trying to hide her sadness and anger. As she blamed herself for Liebe's current state.

Seeing Liebe cry shattered Licita's heart into a million pieces. All she wanted to do right now is to hug him tightly. Tell him that it'll be okay. And though that's what she wanted to do, it was not what she should and will do. As hugging him won't heal his wounded tail.

Liebe, not wanting to add to Licita's worries, slowly got up on his own two feet. Wiping the tears off his cheeks. His tail still hurting like hell. All he wanted to do right now was to cry into Licita's shoulder as she was holding him. And though it was extremely hard to say this, he forcefully let out these next few words..

"I-It's o-okay.. I can s-stand on my o-own.." responded Liebe hesitantly. Summoning every ounce of willpower he had in him to stop his tears and not accept Licita's generous offer of carrying him.

Licita simply nodded and smiled in response. She was very proud of Liebe for having the will to carry on despite his injurie. Even though it hurt her to see him in pain. Even though she wanted to ignore him and just carry him back on her arm right now, she didn't.

Though when they actually get back, and after she heals his wounded tail, she was still going to help herself to hugging him tightly all night long. And probably the next day too. And the one after that.

The two of them were now on their way back home. Passing by a wide eyed Asta as if he wasn't even there. Which to the two of them, he wasn't.

Asta simply just stood there, frozen, watching all these events unfold before him. And even though this was a different dream (not that he'd currently know it was a dream to begin with), for some reason, it felt like he was simply just recalling memories..

It felt like he was simply just recalling memories. As if that other dream he had never ended. As if it only came to a pause. A pause where he remembered events from earlier in that same day. It was weird. It only added to his already, confused thoughts and brain.

MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, ASTA STILL IN HIS DREAM..

A, for some reason, crying, angry Noelle suddenly opened her grimoire, raised her wand, and..

*BOOM!*

...

"ehhh... w-what was that..?" A now, awake Asta, wondered out loud. As he and his self-invited room mate, Secre, were forced awake by this loud noise.

FLASHBACK - ASTA DREAM - END

"Hey Asta.." "Asta?" Secre called out to Asta, twice now, before he even noticed. Secre had just witnessed Asta, for an unknown reason, crying, not knowing why. This really hurt her. A lot.

"Why are you crying..?" she asked him hesitantly, after he finally noticed her. "Huh..?" 'I was crying? What? I didn't even know..' thought Asta, confused, not knowing why he was crying. All he was doing was remembering his dream from last night..

"Uh.. It's nothing! Don't worry about it Nero!" responded Asta, an obvious fake smile on his face, as he wiped the tears off his cheeks. Now picking up his pace, so that Nero would hopefully not question him any further. As he did not know how to answer her.

'Yeah sure..' thought Secre, now hurt even more because Asta wouldn't tell her. She had really wanted to help him out.

AN HOUR LATER - ASTA AND SECRE ALMOST PAST THE OCEAN SEPARATING HK & CK

"Huh.. is that.." "YUNO!?" Asta yelled out loud, now forcefully snapped out of his depression. As he had just noticed his foster brother and best friend since childhood not too far away to his front. Also flying.

CHAPTER 10: END

A/N: Hey everyone. Thanks for reading if you've made it this far. Sorry this chapter came out later than I would've liked, I wasn't happy about how I wrote some of it at first and so I did it again lol.

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