Blue and his friends were the monsters that had caused all this chaos. Did that change how Erika felt about Blue? No, she still found him irresistible. Did it change how she felt about the rest of his friends? Yes. What was she to do? She wouldn't harm Blue's friends because he would then reject her. Maybe even end her life. All she could do was distance herself from them, and, whenever the moment arose, she would leave Blue and his friends to ensure that she would not do anything irrational. Yes, it would kill her to depart from such a beautiful, strong man such as Blue, but the risk of staying was far greater.

For now, she had escaped with the three legendary monsters. Why had she left Blue behind? It wouldn't have mattered if she stayed anyway; she wouldn't have been useful anyway. Erika turned her attention to Red, he was furiously pacing back and forth.

They had entered Ilex Forest: a forest that was always shrouded with shadows. Only a few ray of sunlight managed to penetrate the thick canvas of the trees. It seemed that every step Red took flames would spark from his feet. Erika rubbed her eyes and dismissed it as her not having enough sleep. Only, when a person that had obviously been in wait for the perfect time to strike attacked, Red completely seared him. His body fell to the ground, and Erika stared in horror. Misty approached her.

"He was going to kill us," she replied gently. Erika shook her head as she studied the charred body. Those had been the same burns that covered the little boys body. Anger quickly replaced her fear.

"You," she growled, glowering toward Red.

"What?" He took a step forward, as if preparing for a confrontation.

"You killed that little boy. You are the reason I am the way I am!" Erika cried. Confused clouded Red's features. Before he could do anything, Erika unsheathed her sword. "Prepare to die."

Misty quickly jumped in front of her and grasped the sword with a firm hand. "What do you think you are doing?" She asked mirroring Erika's intensity.

"I'm going to make him pay for his wrongs. Now, move."

"You're going to have to go through me first."

"Please," Erika replied, not taking her eyes off Red. "Back down. I have no quarrel with you."

"Like hell you don't!"

"Very well," Erika replied before kicking Misty in the stomach and pushing her away. Red jumped forward, but Yellow stopped him.

"Hold on, Big Man. Let's see where this goes."

"If she gets hurt because of you I swear I will rip your intestines out through your nose," Red threatened. Yellow gave a confident smile.

"Don't worry. If it gets too bloody we will step in and stop it." A sharp cry of anger prevented Red from replying. Misty had dragged Erika to the ground by jerking on her ankle. Erika, with her sword still in hand, twisted her body so she could face Misty and struck, intending to kill with the first blow. A bright flash of light suddenly discharged, and an invisible barrier prevented the sword from making contact. Misty took advantage of Erika's surprise by kicking her and pushing her off. She rolled away and quickly got back to her feet. Erika followed.

"Clever," Erika praised. "It's pretty impressive that you can use a move like Reflect in such a short time's notice."

"Thanks. I've had time to practice," Misty replied dryly. Without warning, Misty pushed both of her palms outward; a giant blast of water expelled from her palms. Acting on impulse, Erika quickly dropped to the ground in order to evade the attack. However, she did not have enough time to recover when the second blast impacted her. She flew backwards, unable to stop herself. Erika hit the ground hard.

Misty stood over her. "I don't want to kill you."

"Well, then that's your first mistake!" Erika cried as she leapt forward and thrust her sword. Misty had barely managed to dodge the attack. Flower petals began to dance around Erika's sword as she held it out toward Misty. "I didn't want to kill you either, but one must make vital decisions in combat."

When the flowers dispersed, her sword had become a long, green, vine-like whip.

"What the-" Red and Yellow began in unison.

"What is that?" Asked Misty.

Erika snapped the whip outward. "This is the true form of my sword. I rarely use it because I hate to see the sight of bloodshed, but you have left me no choice." She thrust the whip forward, slicing into Misty's left shoulder. Blood poured from the wound. Red cried angrily. He attempted to move onto the battlefield, but the same barrier that had protected Misty now protected the fight between her and Erika.

"Misty, baby!" Red cried.

"Don't worry about me. I can handle this."

Red was left with no time to protest. Erika made her second move, wrapping the whip around Misty's leg and pulling her to the ground. Still, Misty kept the barrier strong. She twisted her her body rapidly, breaking the whip that had captured her. As soon as the whip broke it returned to its original form. The shock of the transformation caused Erika to drop it. Misty made her move-

But Erika had foresaw the attack. She exhaled spores that paralyzed Misty. The barrier began to weaken, and Erika, moving with amazing speed, grasped her sword and dashed toward Red. Just as the tip penetrated his abdomen, an angry voice stopped her from proceeding.

"Erika!" The voice thundered. The trees began to freeze at the sound of the voice. The ground became ice, and snow began to fall from the sky. The forest had become a tundra within seconds. Erika's hands began to tremble as she let go of the hilt.

Blue landed behind her as gracefully as an angel. Snow covered his icy wings, and he, too, had his sword unsheathed. Blood dripped from several parts of his body. He was the picturesque fallen angel.

"What are you doing?" His voice was hard. Erika stumbled. She could no longer find the strength to stand, nor find her voice.

"I'm going to kill her!" Red exclaimed as he raised Erika's sword. Erika closed her eyes. How could she have allowed herself to lose control? She had never wanted to hurt anyone, but that poor little boy. Someone had to suffer the consequences. It was only fitting that she would would die by her own sword. After all, she had injured an innocent person with it. Tears rolled down her eyes as she said her final words to this life.

"You will do no such thing," Blue growled. Erika opened her eyes. Was he protecting her life?

"What? Do you not see what she did to Misty?"

"I said you will not touch her!" Blue yelled. Erika was taken aback. She had never heard Blue raise his voice. Her tears deluged down her cheeks. Red threw her sword to the ground.

"Fuck you!" He screamed as he rushed toward Misty. Blue's eyes become as icy as the weather.

"You want to repeat that?"

"Yeah. As a matter of fact I do. I said-"

He did not get the chance finish, for Blue had pinned him to the nearest tree and had his sword pointed to his comrade's throat. Red's eyes were burning with fury.

"Stop!" Erika's voice had no effect. Yellow, who had been standing next to the tree, snapped his fingers. Tiny jolts of electricity shocked both Red and Blue, paralyzing them.

"Yellow!" Blue shouted.

"Calm down. You two are acting like asses. And I should know because I am one," he picked Red up and moved him next to Misty. He then returned to Blue.

"I'm going to wring your throat once this paralysis wears off," Blue threatened. Yellow nodded in agreement.

"Before you do, I think you should talk to your female. She's under the impression that we're evil. Which we kind of are. Anyway, she really needs to be informed of our situation."

Yellow had lifted Blue and gently sat him next to Erika, who was still in tears.

"I'm so sorry," she said between sobs. Blue, no longer afflicted with the paralysis, reached up and wiped a tear away with his finger. The darkness in his eyes had subsided, and he seemed to be back to his normal self. The skin he brushed left her cheek chilled.

"You're so cold,"

"I stay that way," Blue replied distantly as he retracted his finger. The sensation was strange to Erika. His fingers left her skin cold, yet she could feel the heat of his skin. She had to stop herself from reaching out and pulling his hand closer to her. "Why did you attack my friends?" He asked coldly. It wouldn't matter what explanation she gave. Blue would be angry with her no matter how much she tried to rationalize her actions. She had attacked his family. He had every right to be angry with her. If anyone had attacked Erika's family she would never forgive them.

When Erika failed to reply, Blue stood. "Come with me," a command. Erika hesitated before she took his hand. She did not dare ask where they were going. He could have been taking her to her death, but Erika felt as if she deserved a punishment worse than death. Blue stretch out his wings and commanded Erika to climb on his back, warning her not to touch the appendages. Erika assumed that touching them would cause incapability for flight.

Blue soared high into the frozen sky after Erika had adjusted herself.