Erika was sleeping peacefully.
It was the kind of deep, comfortable sleep that came from safety, soft plushies, familiar surroundings, and a rare, happy dream she didn't quite remember, but didn't want to leave either. Wrapped in warmth, her breathing slow and steady, she shifted slightly beneath the covers.
In her half-asleep state, she felt someone nearby.
"Akira…?"
The thought surfaced lazily, drifting through her mind as her consciousness began to sink again.
Then she heard it.
Hhhh… khhh… hhhh… khhh…
Heavy breathing.
Mechanical. Rhythmic. Wrong. But Iconic.
The sound cut straight through her dream.
Her consciousness snapped sharply.
Before she could fully react, something cold and heavy touched her shoulder. A metallic hand shook her gently, but insistently. A deep, distorted robotic voice spoke right next to her ear.
"Arise, Erika. Arise."
Her body reacted before her mind could.
Erika's eyes flew open.
And staring down at her, far too close, was the Dark Lord of the Sith.
Darth Vader.
Not metaphorically.
Not symbolically.
Actually, Darth Vader.
Black armor. Towering presence. Mask inches from her face. Red lenses staring straight down at her. One massive, gloved hand still gripping her shoulder.
The other was holding… something. A tray? Cups?
She didn't have time to register it.
Because the moment he noticed her eyes open, Vader spoke again.
"The time has come to fulfill your destiny."
There was a half-second of silence.
Then Erika screamed.
"KYA…!!"
Her fist moved on pure instinct.
BOOM.
She punched Vader with everything she had.
The black-armored figure was launched backward like a cannonball, smashing into the wall behind him in an explosion of debris. Stone cracked. Furniture shattered. Something very expensive was definitely destroyed.
The entire room shook.
Dust slowly settled.
From somewhere within the rubble, a familiar robotic voice echoed weakly.
"…Ouch."
Erika sat up fully, heart pounding.
Then it clicked.
The armor.
The timing.
The sheer stupidity of the situation.
"…Akira."
She stood up slowly, rage radiating from her like heat.
Only one idiot in the world would think waking someone up dressed as Darth Vader was a good idea.
She walked toward the broken wall, glaring down at the armored figure as he tried, very unsuccessfully, to sit up.
Erika snapped, voice sharp.
"I already warned you."
She loomed over him.
"That is NOT how you wake someone up, especially a girl! Did you forget?!"
Vader raised a hand defensively, still half-buried in rubble.
Speaking in a painfully committed Vader-like tone, he replied,
"I have a reason for my actions…"
He paused.
"…Wait. No. I do have a reason. I have a reason. Please wait, wait, WAIT…"
In the end, the durability test continued.
And somehow…
Both the armor and Akira survived it.
After a while, Akira and Erika were sitting at the dining table.
Erika silently ate her egg salad sandwich, sipping her café au lait with slow, measured movements. Her expression was calm.
Far too calm.
But an oppressive pressure filled the room, subtle, invisible, but unmistakable. It pressed down on Akira's shoulders like a physical weight.
He stared at her for a moment and couldn't help but wonder.
"Did she somehow unlock Conqueror's Haki…?"
Akira opened his mouth to speak.
Erika glanced at him.
Akira immediately shut up.
Only after she finished her sandwich did she finally speak.
"So, Akira," she said calmly.
Her tone alone made him straighten his back.
"I told you not to scare me when I'm sleeping. Why did you do that?"
Akira sat up instantly.
"I wasn't trying to scare you this time," he said quickly. "I was protecting myself."
Erika raised an eyebrow.
"Protecting yourself from what, exactly?"
Akira hesitated, then answered honestly.
"Well… remember what happened yesterday? I wanted to avoid a repeat, so I wore armor."
Erika paused.
Then her face turned slightly red.
"That happened once," she said, stuttering just a little. "And only because I didn't drink blood the day before. You wake me up all the time. I've never done that before."
Akira froze.
That… was true.
He realized it then; yesterday had been way too stimulating. He'd completely forgotten every other normal morning they'd shared.
He coughed lightly.
"Sorry. I forgot about that."
Inside his mind, a small, traitorous thought surfaced.
"Doesn't that mean it won't happen again tomorrow…?"
For some reason, that realization made him feel slightly discouraged.
Erika looked at him again, eyes narrowing just a little.
"Then why the Vader suit?"
Akira immediately perked up.
"I finished it last night," he said excitedly. "I wanted to test it. Well… we can conclude it's durable."
Erika fixed him with a serious look.
"Don't do that again."
She leaned forward slightly.
"This time, I'm serious."
Akira nodded without hesitation.
"Understood."
Erika let out a slow breath, then said firmly,
"Selena. I told you to keep an eye on him."
Selena's voice replied absentmindedly,
"Sorry. I was busy watching anime."
Erika blinked.
"…Why are you watching anime?"
"To help with my brother's romantic situation," Selena said casually. "It's a romance anime."
Akira frowned.
"What anime?"
"To Love Ru."
Akira stared.
"…You're watching that for romantic advice?"
Selena replied, clearly done with the conversation,
"…Anyway, I'm in the middle of something. You two keep going."
Erika sighed.
Sometimes, she truly didn't know what to do with these two.
Then Akira suddenly seemed to remember something.
"Actually, Erika," he said, his tone turning serious.
Erika straightened immediately at his expression.
"What is it?" she asked.
Akira looked at her and said,
"I want you to fulfill your destiny."
Erika blinked.
"…What?"
Akira continued calmly, "Remember when we were little? That game we played. When Iori asked what kind of girl I wanted to marry."
Erika did remember that.
Very clearly, in fact.
But why was Akira suddenly bringing that up now?
She nodded slowly. "Yes… I remember."
Akira smiled, completely sincere.
"That's why," he said. "Now that you're my girlfriend, fulfill your destiny."
Erika's mind went blank.
"…What?"
Her heart started pounding.
"Destiny? Marriage? Why is he suddenly talking about this? We just started dating yesterday! Isn't this way too fast?!"
Inside her head, thoughts exploded all at once.
"Is he asking about marriage? Does he want to marry me already? What am I supposed to say? Should I say yes? But it's too soon, right? But I don't want to reject him either…wait, what do I do…"
Before she could sort through even one of those thoughts, Akira suddenly reached out and took her hands in both of his.
Erika flinched.
He looked straight into her eyes, his expression completely serious.
He slowly started.
"Erika…"
Her panic skyrocketed.
"He's really doing it. He's actually asking. Is this happening right now? Should I prepare myself? Should I respond? Am I ready for this…"
Akira continued.
"Erika…"
He took a breath.
"…become my meat shield…"
...
...
Erika stared at him.
"…Huh?"