AN/ Okay ever since I saw these two I knew that something was going on between them, because though Brago tries to show that he could care less what happens to her he ends up showing Sherry that he cares. Hence, the title 'Gestures' Hope anyone who reads this likes it, its a oneshot so don't expect a sequal okay?

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Zatch Bell...

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One: A Helping Hand...

They had been walking for three days now, only stopping for water and food. But not long enough to sleep. Sherry was exhausted but she kept going, this was important to Brago and she made a promise, and she intended to fullfill it. After all he had done for her, it was the least she could do.

"Do you need to stop again?" this question caught her off guard, making her hestitate. Brago never asked questions off the sort, he gave orders, that's who he is. Sherry shook her head.

"No. I'll be fine, lets just keep going." His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, though not in anger, but in the rare concerned way that he didn't show often...or at all for that matter. So they kept going, hours flew by and they had yet to come across a single Momodo. 'Brago is probably in a sour mood now,' Sherry had been contemplating asking Brago if they could take a break so that she could get some rest, but decided against it. She didn't want to get on his bad side again it would only make things worse. Then suddenly she swayed on the spot and reached up to hold her head in hopes of steadying herself. She had stopped walking and took in a deep shaky breath, her eyes were unfocused and her vision was blurred and hazy. When Brago had noticed that she was no longer following him he turned to ask why the hell she had stopped, only to see her passed out on the ground. Without thinking twice about it he approached her, kneeling down next to her and checking her temperature. "Hm, no fever...weak humans, they exhaust so easily" 'If she was so tired then why didn't she say something? Bah, imbicile.' Shaking his head in contempt, Brago carefully lifted her up onto his back and returned to the route they had been travelling. Carrying Sherry on his back the remainder of the night.

Two: Breakfast...

The sunlight that broke through the tree tops shone down persistantly on the girl who lay on her back, a simple blanket covering her body and her hair lay sprawled to one side. Her face scrunched in annoyance as the light chose to glare straight into her eyes. 'Mmm...Better get up before Brago has a fit...wait,' she suddenly sat bolt upright, her crystalline blue eyes darting around only to come across a small, crackling fire burning not a few feet away from where she lay, and what looked like fish that had been scaled, gutted, and cleaned simmering on the scewers they had been carefully jammed onto. The smell was pleasant and she wondered to herself. 'Did Brago do all this?' as if on cue the demon Mamodo himself appeared through a thick patch of undergrowth with their four water cantienes tucked under one arm and a small sack over his other shoulder. When his blood red eyes landed on the upright Sherry, he huffed in what she supposed was an irritated way and tossed her a cantiene and dropped the sack next to her.

"If you need to stop, say something. I don't enjoy carrying you through the night..." she blinked and frowned at his words. 'He carried me all night?' she was so invloved with her thoughts she hadn't noticed that her face had gone slightly pink. She popped open the cantiene and took a long, and satisfying swallow of the cool liquid and sighed at the cool sensation that ran down her throat. When she looked up Brago was standing in front of her still sitting form and was holding out one of the scewered fish.

"Eat, if you pass out again it will only hinder our search. There is fresh fruit in the bag..." after she took the fish from his hand he proceeded to take a seat on the other side of the fire and began to eat his own share. Though she tried to look away it seemed that Sherry's gaze demanded that she kept it on Brago, who sat in his spot across from her with his eyes closed in contemplation while eating his food at a considerable pace. He always seemed to be deep in thought these days, about what Sherry had no clue, and she wasn't about to ask. But she just had to wonder, why was he being so considerate?

Three: Injury

"Oruga Reis!" the beam of spiralling purple energy caused by Sherry's shouted spell struck the enemy dead on, and the mamodo went flying into the face of a cliff. And his book keeper fell to the ground where he stood, his book flying a couple feet from him. Calmly, Brago approached the book and picked it up glaring down at the book keeper as he held it threateningly in his clawed hand.

"Sherry, a spell...now" she nodded and raised her book up once again.

"Rior Reis!" the green energy hit the book held in Brago's hand and imediately set fire to it. Sherry watched as Brago dropped it in front of the mamodo's book keeper who stared in horror at his burning book. Finally when it was nothing but ashes and the unconscious mamodo had disappeared, Brago turned from the man and walked back to her side.

"Y-You monsters!" Brago stopped in his tracks, only a few feet from Sherry and turned to glance at the previous book keeper. Sherry steps forward and grips his shoulder lightly before turning and walking away, Brago following close behind. Sherry thought she was hiding it well, but not well enough it seemed because Brago knew that she had been injured in that fight and was refusing to admit it. Or ask to stop to treat it either. She seemed to be having a difficult time walking on her left leg, which had been hit by a stone that had gone flying from the brunt of one of the enemies attacks.

Two hours of walking later and Brago finally suggested they stop.

"Its fine Brago, we can keep going there is no need to stop..."

"We are stopping for the night and that's final," she frowned. He never wanted to stop. If he could have had his way he would have left without her to become king on his own, but as he had stated quite elequintly before, he only needed her to read his spells. That was all she was, a tool.Sherry didn't mind though, Brago had helped her whether he had meant to or not, he had helped her save Koko. And for that, she would give her life if it meant making him king. And whether she liked it or not, she had feelings for the demon mamodo...they were unintentional, and definately not needed since he would be leaving this world forever when he became king of the mamodo. Yes. She had accepted it, she would never see him again when this all ended, so she decided to make the best of this and spend as much time around him as possible, though she didn't dare say a thing about how she felt.

"You are injured," Sherry was snapped out of her train of thought when Brago had made the statement, and was surprised to see a fire already crackling and dancing merrily in the makeshift hearth that Brago had put together while she got lost in her thoughts.

"What are you talking about, I'm fine..."

"I saw the stone hit your leg, I am by no means blind Sherry. You can't lie to me." The look he gave her with those blood red eyes of his made her extremely uncomfortable though she didn't show it. She lowered her gaze to her feet which lay stretched out in front of her and sighed.

"I'll be fine to keep going tomorrow...don't worry I'll make sure I don't hinder our progress any further."

"Pfft...Moronic human, we are not going anywhere with you in that condition..." Sherry frowned. It seemed that either this was in fact not Brago, or he was the real Brago and had opted to go insane. There it was again, he was being considerate of her when he normally couldn't care less as long as it didn't slow them down. But before she could once again try and deny the fact that the injury was anything but serious Brago had gone over to their supplies bag and pulled out the orange emergancy kit, with a white cross on the front.

"Brago..." She is cut off when he sat down in front of her and picked up her left leg, noticing the wince she had tried to hold back when he had lifted the appendedge. Opening the kit he pulled out a tenser bandage and proceeded to create a makeshift splint for my twisted ankle out of two sturedy sticks and the tenser bandage. She just sat and watched as he worked, his eyes never leaving her leg. Sherry felt her heart flutter after realizing just how gentle he was being. She had always thought him to be crude, and rough. Apparently she was wrong.

When he was finally finished he looked up and caught her eye. Her heart fluttered again and she felt her stomach twist into a knot.

"We leave tomorrow in the early afternoon...you need rest." And with that he got up and walked into the woods, announcing that he'd be back with dinner. When he had disappeared into the undergrowth, Sherry allowed a soft smile to grace her lips. Maybe, just maybe...Brago did have a heart.

Four: Unintentional Admission...

Sherry nibbled on the fish that Brago had caught for dinner earlier. It tasted better than usual due to the help of the wild spices that Brago had found after fishing and it was a nice change from regular fried fish. Brago had already finished his own dinner and opted to watch Sherry, as she had been eating at a slower pace as of late, actually...she had been doing alot of things at a slower pace lately. And she always seemed to be lost in thought. Brago was often confused and puzzled when it came to humans, and Sherry was the only one he deemed fit to investigate. Not only because she was the only human he was close to--in a manner of speaking-- but also because she was the one human that confused him the most. She was strong and determined, though would let her weak side show at random moments that were convenient for her. She didn't cry often, though when she did it was over things and matters that were obviously important to her, so Brago didn't object to the showing of weakness.

Lately he had found that he would often glance at her, or stare when he knew she wasn't looking or aware of it. He had no idea what posessed him to do something so asinine but he never tried to stop himself once. Because he knew he'd lose that battle.

He would notice the little things that seemed to make Sherry, well.. Sherry. Like how bright her eyes were, and how she would fiddle with one of the golden curles that fell down to frame her round, girlish face when she was lying or uncomfortable. How she would Look away whenever he caught her gaze, and how uncomfortable she seemed to be around him lately. This change hadn't started recently, no...its been around for quite some time now and it confused Brago to the point where he just wanted to kill something. Or burn someone's book but there were no mamodo in the area. So he opted for thinking instead. He had admitted to himself recently that he may, or may not have feelings that stretched further than friendship for Sherry. She was beautiful, another thing he had only just recently admitted to himself, and she was intelligent, which he had known since he met her...and she seemed rather reclusive. It seemed that she didn't trust him enough to tell him what had been bothering her lately and it made him angry knowing that despite all they had been through together hadn't changed that fact. He wanted her trust, and he wanted to know what was on her mind. He didn't like it when she was bothered, it made him uneasy.

Opening his eyes Brago glanced at where Sherry had taken refuge only to see her seemingly fast asleep on the makeshift sleeping bag made of two seperate blankets. 'She looks peaceful when she sleeps...' he watched as her face scrunched a little and she shivered ever so slightly. he frowned. It wasn't that cold, was it? heaving a small sigh he stood and walked over to her sleeping form and removed his black fur cape from around his torso and laid it upon Sherry's lithe form. He allowed himself a moment to watch her sleep, how her light lashes would flutter every so often, and how her soft looking pink lips glistened in the soft glow of the still burning fire. Before he could stop himself Brago found himself leaning forward slowly, and gently placing a kiss on the top of her forehead, and then another on the tip of her nose, one on her cheek...and lastly pressed his thin grey lips to hers softly, barely brushing them. Moving away Brago closed his eyes as his lips pressed into a thin line. 'That had to be the most awkward thing I have ever done. I'm just glad she wasn't awake for that.' shaking his dark head Brago took a seat next to her rather than where he had been sitting before and allowed his hands to rest on his knees crossing his legs to get more comfortable. 'Why in the wold would I do something like that? Something so...so, affectionate?' as he thought he stared into the hearth of the crackling fire and inhaled deeply, soothing his thoughts. His entire body tensed when he felt another hand slip gently over his own and gripped it ever so slightly. His eyes darted to the hand that was being held to see a delicate looking hand with nimble looking fingers, a broken ring adorning the middle finger. His eyes widened a fraction before darting over to the one the hand belonged to and felt an amazing warmth spread through him. Sherry had the brightest smile he had ever seen her wear the entire time they had been partners, and could feel the emptiness he felt inside instantly be filled. He raised a dark eyebrow as if he didn't know what was going on.

"What?" her smile softened somewhat as she closed her eyes and gripped his hand ever so slightly before opening her eyes again, catching his gaze with her cool blue eyes.

"Thank you...Brago." And at that moment the entire world seemed to slow down as the two remained silent.

"Hmph...humans," huffing slightly in fake irritation and turning away--yet never once trying to remove her hand from his--he tried his best to tune out the very un-Sherry like giggle that she had emitted only moments after his comment. But to no avail. Not once did her hand leave his that night. And the next morning they left, like Brago had said, in the early afternoon, but now there was no longer an expression of contemplation or though on Sherry's face. Only a soft smile. And Brago, he turned to Sherry just as they were about to leave their camp site and gave her the smallest of smiles. With those eyes of his and his rough--yet handsome--facial features it looked almost like a smirk, but Sherry knew. And she was just glad to know he cared. And even though they were only small gestures, they were all that she needed to know, Brago did have a heart. And that it belonged to her.

Owari...

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AN/ I just had to write this and sorry if Brago and Sherry seem a little OOC or alot Im not sure, but I missed alot of the show since they took it off of TV for a while and started farther ahead than they were when they decided to air it again. I just love these two and you can so tell there is something going on between them! XD Anyway...

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