DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GASH BELL! THOUGH IT WOULD ROCK IF I DID!
FULL SUMMERY: A gate to the Mamono World has opened, allowing all the Mamono who participated in the battle to be king to return. Now, all those Mamono are after Gash, Kiyomaro, and his friends. Will they defeat them all? Or will our heroes finally be eliminated? Read on and Find Out! Rated T For Blood and Mild Violence.
Fifteen year old Kiyomaro Takamine sat in his room tiredly. It was finally the weekend after a long and interesting week at school. Gash was out somewhere with Tio, Umagon, and Kyanchome, leaving the four book keepers to enjoy the day off. It was peaceful, all things considering. But he wasn't used to the calmness of a normal day, like he used to have before he got Gash one year ago.
Even so, he preferred not to remember those days; the days when he had no friends, when he could care less about his life. Somehow, having Gash around brought color to his life, got rid of the boring, black and white world he used to see.
"Is it really going to be like this when Gash is gone?" Kiyomaro asked himself. He actually hadn't really thought about what it would be like when the mamono were sent back. Would he remember Gash, or would the previous king erase his memory? So many questions, yet no way to answer them. He actually didn't want to see Gash leave. Even though the kid was annoying and sometimes obnoxious... and extremely gullible... he always had an adventure for Kiyomaro's life, and he was sure all the other bookkeepers felt the same. But why he was thinking about this was completely oblivious to the young teenager as he lay there. He had a while to go before Gash would leave; or so he hoped.
Kiyomaro got up, taking the red spell book in hand. The two had gone through a lot together, strengthening each other physically and mentally. Kiyomaro felt the need to protect Gash, as if the mamono were actually his brother. He had even gone out of his way to learn martial arts to help in the battles. He took a backpack in his hand and placed the book in it before stepping out of his bedroom.
"I'm going out for a while, I'll be back Ok?" Kiyomaro called to his mother as he put on his shoes. He heard footsteps walking down the kitchen hall and looked up to see his mother, who had several boxed lunches in her hands; one for each mamono and one for himself.
"Do me a favor and give these to Gash and the others if you see them." She said, handing him the Tupperware boxes. "There's one for you too."
"Yeah, alright." Kiyomaro replied, taking the boxes and carefully placing them into his backpack. He placed it on his back and stood up and opened the door to step out and stopped at the sound of his mothers voice once again.
"Be careful, Kiyomaro." She said, her eyes soft. "Try not to get hurt today, please."
Hana Takamine knew about the mamono battle to be king, she had known for quite some time. It slipped Kiyomaro's mind that she was actually aware of it, and surprised him occasionally.
"Yeah, I'll be careful, Mom." He said, closing the door behind him. He took several steps down the walkway, stopping when he heard a crunch sound. He looked down, seeing the Third Generation Vulcan 300. Gash hadn't touched that in a while now. He picked it up and placed it on Umagon's doghouse. The nameplate was faded, and there were spider webs in it. How long had it been since it was used? It must have been at lease five months. Either way, it was different. Gash had grown up a lot since it all started one year ago. The boy was only seven years old, but was considerably strong, and surprisingly smart now.
Kiyomaro left the yard and walked down the street slowly, examining the scenery. It was so peaceful it was hard to believe. There hadn't been a mamono attack in weeks. Nothing had happened. He knew there were still a lot left, the normal ones, and the millennium ones. He reached the Botanical Gardens and walked in, looking around the entrance. Gash and the others came here frequently. He'd seen them running around in the trees. He walked in further and sat down by a small pond, leaning against a nearby tree. Several fished jumped from the water, flipping in mid air and falling back in. Kiyomaro took out the spell book and opened it. Seven spells. He had no idea how many more he could get.
"Kiyomaro!" Gash's voice suddenly called. Kiyomaro looked over, his dark brown hair covering his eyes slightly. Gash had pushed through a bush, smelling the air.
"Gash, I'm glad I found you here," Kiyomaro replied, putting the book away.
"I smell Yellow tail!" Kyanchome announced, walking through behind Gash.
"Yellow tail? I want some!" Tio announced shortly after, pushing through.
"Meru Meru Me!" Umagon sang, jumping out next to Gash.
"Don't worry, I have enough for all of you." Kiyomaro said, placing the lunch boxes on the floor. He smiled a their silliness. The mamono always cheered him up, regardless of what mood he was in.
"Yay!" Tio exclaimed, running over and sitting down. Gash and the other two immediately followed, all crowding around the single teenager. Kiyomaro distributed the boxes to each one, opening Umagon's for him due to the fact that the horse mamono had no hands.
"So, what are you guys up to?" Kiyomaro asked, watching the mamono children eat.
"We were just coming to find you, Kiyomaro. We need Megumi and the others," Tio explained. Kiyomaro looked at her quizzically.
"Why? What's wrong?" He asked.
"I sensed two mamono near by, Kiyomaro," Gash stated. Kiyomaro had almost forgotten that Gash could sense energy now.
"How far?" He asked simply.
"I can't pinpoint it exactly, but they're somewhere in this area, not in the gardens yet, we checked."
"Tio, Megumi is somewhere in the city right?" Kiyomaro asked the female mamono calmly.
"Yeah, she is." Tio said in response.
"Kyanchome, what about Folgore." He asked the duckling mamono.
"Yeah I think he is. He's at the hospital doing some special performance." Kyanchome said. "Kafka is around too."
"Good, all we need to do is find them before the mamono find us." Kiyomaro said. He was amazed at how calm he was about these things now, how calm they all were. Before they were always jumpy, never knowing what to do. After a year of fighting though, you get the hang of it; understand how to handle various situations. But before battle, it's easy; it's when the battle actually begins that you start to panic. Their opponents were amazingly strong now. Sometimes, they barely escaped with their lives
"Can you tell how close they are?" Kiyomaro asked.
"I'm not sure, but they haven't found us yet." Gash replied. His eyes widened suddenly with surprise and he glanced around nervously. "Strike that, they're getting closer, Kiyomaro!"
"Yeah, I feel it too." Tio said with narrowed eyes. She took several steps closer to Gash, her brow furrowed a she strained to pinpoint the location.
"Me, Meru Me!" Umagon added in. His eyes seemed completely white as he stood on his hind legs, hooves up and ready to fight.
"I'm ready this time!" Kyanchome announced, his hands balled into fists. In their last battle, he was completely unprepared and had to be saved my Gash and Tio.
"Good, because we're not going easy on you!" A familiar voice said. Tio's eyes widened with surprise and she froze on the spot, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "That voice… I recognize it."
"Tio? Are you alright?" Gash asked, looking at her with worry.
"M-Marusu..." Tio said slowly.
"That's right, Tio." The voice said again. "Did you really think I'd let you get away with beating me?"
"But, how did you..."
"The same way all the other mamono did." Another voice said, this one female.
"P-Patie?" Gash stammered with equal surprise.
"That's right!" Patie announced, walking out to the group with Ururu next to her. Marusu followed right behind her with his book owner.
"So, you two are working together now." Kiyomaro said darkly, standing and holding his spell book close. The lunch boxes lay abandoned on the floor behind them.
"Yup. And we're not the only ones, either" Marusu said.
"We have an entire league of mamono who want to destroy you four!" Patie said. "But why give them a chance when we can just do it now!"
"Wait! You said all the other mamono came back! Are you serious?" Kyanchome interrupted.
"Of course I am! It took time for Marusu to do it, but it worked!" Patie said.
"What worked?" Kiyomaro demanded.
"We opened a portal to the mamono world you big silly." Patie said as if it were completely obvious.
"Renburanto, let's show Tio what happens when she gets me sent back to the mamono world." Marusu said coldly.
"Say behind me, Tio." Gash said protectively, moving in front of the pink haired girl. She took his hand softly and held it.
"AAAAAHHHHH! What do you think you're doing holding my beloveds hand?" Patie yelled fiercely. "You jerk! How could you do this to me! Ururu, cast the spell!" Patie cried angrily.
"Yeah, alright." Ururu said boredly. He opened his spell book and turned several pages, revealing a glowing page. "Akuru!" He called.
From Patie's hand flew a jet of water, directly to Gash and Tio. The two stood their ground, anticipating the hit. Kyanchome moved in front of the two, arms held out, and let the spell hit him.
"Aaaaahhhh!" He cried as the immense pressure hit him. He fell to the floor, breathing heavily.
"Kyanchome!" Gash yelled with surprise, looking down at his friend.
"Don't worry about me!" Kyanchome said, standing and holding out his arms. "Gash, you have to cast the signal!"
"Right!" Gash said in return. "Kiyomaro!"
"Alright, look up, Gash!" Kiyomaro said. Gash immediately did as he was told and looked up to the sky. "Zakeru!!!"
The lightning flew from Gash's mouth at an immense speed, ejecting into the sky. It was small, but large enough to be seen a few miles away.
"Akuru!" Ururu called again. The water hit Kyanchome again, knocking him to the ground.
"Hang on, Kyanchome!" Tio exclaimed, stepping forward. She knelt down and helped him up.
"Meru Meru Me!" Umagon cried, running toward Marusu and Patie. Renburanto opened his spell book quickly, turning to a glowing page.
"Garon!" He yelled loudly. A large, retractable, mace like object flew at Umagon, hitting him and knocking him away.
"Meru!" Umagon cried as he flew back. The mace retracted back into Marusu' hand, vanishing.
"Get out of my way you stupid..." Patie yelled at Kyanchome, who kept Gash covered.
"Akuru!" Again, the water flew from Patie hand, directly at Kyanchome. Tio pushed Kyanchome to the side, standing in front of the spell. She crossed her arms in front of her chest defensively and the spell hit her, knocking her back into Gash. The lightning immediately canceled out as Gash fell, Tio on top. The young girl quickly moved off, standing and holding her arm out to help Gash.
"Are you alright!" She asked him apologetically.
"Yeah, I'm fine. How about you and the others?" Gash asked in response. As experienced as he was, he was still unconscious when a spell was cast.
"I'm alright!" Kyanchome called, standing.
"Meru Meru Me!" Umagon announced, standing as well. The two walked to Gash, Kiyomaro and Tio, determined as ever.
"They should be here soon you guys, just hold on!" Kiyomaro said to them, closing the book and stepping forward. "For now, we'll use evasive measures and physical strength! I can't use all of Gash's powers because it's the only source of attack we have without Won-lei and Kafka."
"That's fine with me!" Tio and Kyanchome said simultaneously. They stood next to each other, ready to fight until their book owners arrived. Tio once again took Gash's hand and smiled.
"AARRGH! Get your hands off my beloved you WITCH!" Patie yelled angrily at Tio.
"Your beloved? He's my boyfriend!" Tio yelled back with equal rage.
"GRR! Let's see you be his girlfriend when you aren't around!"
"Bring it on!" Tio retorted, sticking her tongue out.
"Hey... relax Tio." Gash said, slightly anxious.
"Aren't you the lucky one, Gash. Two girls fighting over you." Kyanchome said playfully.
"I don't think it's lucky at all..." Gash muttered.
"Enough of this! Renburanto, cast the next spell!" Marusu yelled, fed up with the arguing.
"Right, Eijasu Garon!" A small mace flew from Marusu' hand, attached to a chain. It bounced on the ground at the mamono, waving up and down.
"Look out!" Kyanchome called.
"Zakeru!" Kiyomaro yelled. Gash's mouth opened and the lightning flew at Marusu' spell, the force of impact knocking them all away from each other as smoke erupted in the area.
"Gash, are you Ok?!" Kiyomaro called as the smoke began to clear. He stood slowly, ignoring the fact that his back just collided with a tree. "Gash!" He called again.
"I'm over here!" Gash called. His voice seemed distant, but Kiyomaro couldn't tell through the smoke.
"Tio?" Kiyomaro called.
"I'm alright too." Tio's voice said. She seemed closer than Gash, but not much.
"Kyanchome, Umagon?"
"Meru!" Umagon called.
"I'm fine." Kyanchome responded.
"Alright, let's fight back now!" Kiyomaro announced. The dust in front of him cleared, revealing the empty area in the Botanical Gardens. Gash was near a tree ten yards away, standing weakly. Kyanchome and Umagon were near each other, both a few yards away from Kiyomaro and standing as well. Tio was closest, a mere ten feet away and ready to fight. "Where are..." Kiyomaro started shortly after locating everyone.
"We?" Marusu' voice said from behind Kiyomaro. The teenagers eyes widened with surprise and he turned quickly, lashing out with his arm. The mamono ducked and threw a quick punch at Kiyomaro, which he sloppily dodged. Kiyomaro sent a punch of his own in return, missing by inches and earning himself a blow to the chin. He staggered back with surprise, recovering quickly and coming face to face with Marusu. The mamono's hand was pointed directly at Kiyomaro's stomach, a smirk spread across his face.
"Kiyomaro, move!" Tio yelled. Kiyomaro stood, frozen in shock.
"Garon!" Renburanto yelled. The large metal mace ejected from Marusu' hand growing in size instantly. It hit Kiyomaro hard, pushing him back several feet.
"Aargh!" He cried as the sharp points pierced his skin. The mace retracted and Kiyomaro landed on his back hard.
"Kiyomaro!" Gash called. He ran towards his book owner quickly, freezing as he saw Patie and Ururu hovering over him.
"Damn..." Kiyomaro muttered, turning on his stomach and lifting himself up on all fours. Drops of blood emitted from his stomach, staining the dirt floor. He looked up at Patie and Ururu, surprise apparent on his face. He stood, staggering back and holding the book tightly.
"Kiyomaro!" Gash yelled, continuing to move toward his book keeper.
"Why bother destroying your little friend when I could just destroy you now?" Patie asked, mockingly. It was directed to Gash, though she stared at Kiyomaro with a smirk on her face. "After all, a person who breaks the heart of someone as beautiful as me doesn't deserve to be king!" She said. "Isn't that right, Ururu?"
"Uh... yeah, sure. "Ururu said dully.
"So hand over the book!" Patie demanded, holding her hand out.
"No way!" Kiyomaro yelled to her. He winced slightly. The sudden burst of noise from his body was irritating his wounds.
"Ururu," Patie said.
"Akuru Kiror!" Ururu yelled. Patie threw her hands forward, one after the other. Each one shot a boomerang shaped blast at Kiyomaro. He managed to avoid all except one, which sliced into his right leg.
Kiyomaro clenched his teeth and fell to one knee. Blood seeped from the deep wound, disabling him.
"Did you see that, Gash? Take one more step and you can say goodbye to your book owner!" She glanced around at the other mamono. "That goes for you three as well!"
"Damn you..." Kiyomaro muttered, holding his injured leg.
"Marusu, get that stupid girl. What did you call her? Ted?" Patie said.
"My name's Tio you ugly jerk!" Tio yelled angrily. She stopped shortly after as Marusu grabbed her arms, holding them against her back.
"Did you miss me, Tio?" H asked, smirking as he twisted her arms. She winced.
"Yeah, missed you as much as a piece of trash." Tio said,
"Let her go!" Gash demanded, running toward Tio. "Kyanchome, Umagon, go find the others, quick!"
"Right!" Kyanchome said. "Come on Umagon!"
"Meru!" Umagon said. The two mamono quickly ran to the entrance of the gardens.
"I told you not to move!" Patie yelled.
"Akuroku!" Ururu said. Water formed around Patie's hands and feet, sharpening and freezing. She forced her right hand at Kiyomaro's left shoulder, avoiding a direct his but slicing the side open. He turned slightly from the impact, grunting in pain. Gash stopped, looking from Kiyomaro to Tio.
"Don't worry about me, Gash! You have to help Kiyomaro!" Tio yelled.
"Shut up!" Marusu said, annoyed. He hit her sharply in the back of the head, knocking her out.
"Tio!" Gash yelled, taking another step forward as Marusu let her fall. Patie's eyes narrowed and her forced her other hand at Kiyomaro's right shoulder, slicing deeply into it as well. He closed his eyes tightly, fighting back the urge to scream.
"I-I can take care of myself, Gash. Just get Tio! Megumi will never forgive me if something happens to her, hurry up!" Kiyomaro yelled, grabbing Patie's wrists. Gash kept still, hesitating.
"But Kiyomaro-" The mamono started.
"Listen to me, Gash!" I can handle this! It's only a few cuts." Kiyomaro said to his mamono. He stood up cautiously, blood pouring from his leg as he applied pressure. He kept a firm grip on Patie's wrists as he pushed them off his shoulders. "Go!"
Gash looked from Kiyomaro to Tio, unsure of what to do. At last he nodded. He had two yards between himself and Tio. The faster he ran, the less Kiyomaro would get hurt.
"Just a few cuts, huh? Let me show you what I can really do." Patie said, pulling back both her hands. She slashed at Kiyomaro's stomach, leaving two deep cuts across it. He staggered back, keeping his balance
"Ganzu Garon!" Renburanto yelled. Several small maces flew from Marusu' hands directly at Gash, who skillfully dodged each one. He rammed into Marusu, pushing him away from Tio and tackling him to the ground.
"You idiot! Why are you trying to hard to protect her?" Marusu asked, rolling and pinning Gash to the ground. Gash struggled for several seconds before managing to turn and pin Marusu.
"Because she's my friend." Gash declared, punching Marusu across the face.
"Gash, face-" Kiyomaro started, turning halfway. Patie kicked Kiyomaro's right leg, leaving a deep cut from the claws. "Face Renburanto!" The red spell book began to glow brightly, and without even opening it, he cast the spell. "Zakeru!" He heard the lightning, and than the crackling of fire.
"No!" Kiyomaro heard Marusu yell.
"Aaargh! You'll pay for that!" He heard Patie yell. Seconds later, the icy claw collided with the side of his face, cutting across it. She kicked him several times, cutting his legs more than they already were. He backed up, crossing his arms over his chest as she slashed at him. Deep cuts appeared on his arms, bleeding freely. He closed his eyes, panicking slightly.
"You just lost your book keeper, Gash!" Patie yelled to the blonde mamono. "What does she mean?" Kiyomaro asked himself. He opened his eyes and looked at Patie, her arm drawn back.
"Hyaa!" She yelled, jumping and forcing her hand through Kiyomaro's right shoulder.
"AAAH!" He cried, his eyes wide in pain. He was forced to his knees, Patie's hand still lodged into his arm.
"Kiyomaro! Hold on!" He heard Megumi's voice yell. He felt Patie's hand come out forcefully and looked up slowly. Kyanchome had tackled Patie, immediately canceling out the Ice claws. He held his shoulder tightly, hoping to slow down the bleeding.
"Time to retreat." Ururu announced, taking Patie's hand and turning.
"We'll come back! I will defeat you and your girlfriend, Gash!" Patie yelled to them as Ururu dragged her away quickly. "No one gets away with breaking my heart!"
Kiyomaro loosened his grip on his spell book and fell forward, letting it fall several inches away.
"Are you alright?" Foregore asked as he ran into the clearing after Kyanchome and Megumi.
"Meru Meru Me!" Umagon called, running through as well.
"We're here." Kafka said seemed to translate.
"Kiyomaro, are you alright!" Megumi cried, running to Kiyomaro and kneeling beside him. "Kiyomaro?" Foregore kneeled down next to them, turning him and moving him to a sitting position.
"Kiyomaro? Hey, get up." He urged, his tone of voice serious. Megumi placed her hands on his shoulders, ignoring the blood that quickly covered her hands.
"Kiyomaro, wake up." She urged, softly shaking him. Kiyomaro opened his eyes. He was obviously in pain.
"I'm... fine." He said softly. "But can you stop that... it hurts."
"You big idiot! Can't you ever walk away from a battle without injuries!?" She said, staring into his eyes.
"Megumi, calm down." Foregore said.
"Promise me, Kiyomaro, that you won't get hurt in the battles anymore." Megumi demanded, staring into Kiyomaro's eyes. The teenager's eyes softened slightly as he stared at Megumi.
"I can't promise that." He said, looking at the ground. Megumi looked at him, tears forming in her eyes. "I can't promise I won't get hurt defending Gash and the others. And I definitely can't promise that I won't get hurt for you." Megumi threw her arms around Kiyomaro's neck, leaning against him. He cringed in pain, stiffening slightly.
"Megumi! Tio's hurt!" Gash called, still sitting next to the pink haired mamono. Her head was rested on his lap, her breathing shallow.
"Tio...?" Megumi muttered. "Tio!" She let go of Kiyomaro and ran over to Tio, falling to her knees by her mamono.
"Gash, what happened to her?" Kyanchome asked.
"It was Marusu, he knocked her out." Gash replied. "She hasn't woken up yet."
"Meru Meru Me!" Umagon said.
"Yeah, she's right. I'm sure she'll wake up soon." Kafka said confidently.
Kiyomaro pushed himself up slowly, barely able to stay standing. He staggered slightly, nearly falling.
"Be careful." Foregore said, holding him up. He pulled Kiyomaro's arm around his shoulder and helped him walk, slowly, toward the group. Blood fell to the floor, leaving a small trail behind the two.
"Right here..." Kiyomaro said to Foregore once they were next to Tio. Foregore gently lowered himself to his knees, letting go of Kiyomaro. The teenager reached into his backpack, taking out a water bottle. He opened it and poured the cool, clear liquid on the pink haired mamono's head, waking her instantly. She sat up straight with surprise.
"Hey! That's cold!" Tio yelled, twisting her hair to get the water out.
"Kiyomaro, are you alright?" Gash asked Kiyomaro, who was having trouble keeping his eyes open.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine..." He lied.
"You don't look fine," Kafka pointed out.
"Maybe we should take you to the doctor." Kyanchome suggested.
"He won't last that long with the wounds he's got." Foregore said. "Megumi, don't you have a recovery spell?"
"Of course! I forgot about that!" Megumi said, taking out her spell book. "Tio, you up for it?"
"Of course!" Tio announced, standing.
"Hey, wait, maybe I should just-" Kiyomaro started.
"To late, Kiyomaro. You won't last long enough for us to take you anywhere, so the only option is to heal you." Megumi said opening the orange spell book.
"Megumi, do you know how much it hurts when that thing heals?" Kiyomaro complained in a barley audible voice.
"I doubt it hurts as much having a hand forced through your shoulder." Megumi pointed out. "Here we go. Saifojio!"
A large, pink, cross shaped sword appeared, hovering over Tio's hands. Kiyomaro pushed himself back slowly, hardly able to move.
"It can heal naturally, don't worry." Kiyomaro said, trying to get out of it.
"Kiyomaro, a wound like that won't heal. Stop complaining and let Megumi do this." Gash said.
"Damn it..." Kiyomaro muttered. "I don't need-" Before he could finish, the sword was forced down on him, piercing his stomach. He cried out slightly and nearly fell, holding himself up with his arms. He closed his eyes tightly as the sword began to glow, and slowly, the wounds began to fade. Minutes later, they were gone; leaving only stains on his shirt. He sat up, shaking his head, and looked at Megumi.
"Thanks..." He said to her. She held out her hand and he took it, lifting himself up and holding it. Megumi wrapped her arms around Kiyomaro's neck and kissed him softly on the cheek.
"I'm glad you're alright now." She said.
"Thanks for everything, Gash." Tio said, blushing.
"Always." Gash said, taking the pink haired mamono's hand.
"Let's get going guys. I have a bad feeling they'll be back." Kafka said, looking down at them.
"Yeah, I think you're right." Kiyomaro said, walking with his arm around Megumi. The eight exited the gardens, talking about the next plan.