A.N. Hello people! Here I am, writing my third Zatch Bell story. They say the third time is a charm, right? Yeah, well I guess we'll see...Anyways. This story obviously takes place after Zatch becomes king. But you already knew that if you read the summary. Some characters may be a bit out-of-character, most notably Brago. I think. Erm, well then again I don't know, you tell me if he is. Or if any are for that matter. I really don't have much more to say here. Haha. On with it!
Disclaimer: Of course, as you may already know, I do not own Zatch Bell.
It was just too big.
The small blonde-haired Mamodo boy fidgeted in his seat. It wasn't a normal seat—not by far. It was the Royal Throne, a seat reserved for only the Ruler of the Mamodo World. It was large, bejeweled, cushioned, and would have been plenty comfortable if the young Mamodo was just a bit bigger.
He sighed and finally gave up. He placed his hand under his chin and let his elbow rest on the arm of the throne. He stared at a blue-haired man that was approaching him. He knew who it was, of course; it was Rein. He had kept his promise that he had made and devoted his power to the 'Kind King.' Rein was head of the Royal Guard, a task befitting of his strength. He stopped before Zatch and bowed.
"You have a visitor, my liege. Shall I let her in?" Rein asked his question without ever lifting his head to look at Zatch. Everyone in the palace seemed to do that. Supposedly it was a 'respect' thing, but either way, it was something Zatch had become to hate ever since he became king not even a month ago.
Zatch sighed. "There's no need to be so formal." He stated with an irritated voice. Rein didn't respond, nor did he lift his head in recognition of what Zatch had just said. There was a short pause, but then Zatch spoke again. "Nevermind. Let her in."
The man rose, and with a small bow, proceeded down the long stretch of rug that led to the throne room doors. They soon opened. A familiar face began to approach Zatch. Red hair, ruby eyes, and a matching red dress...
"Tia!" The boy Mamodo exclaimed happily. He smiled brightly and as she stopped in front of his throne, he stood up and hugged her. She was a bit startled.
"I'm glad to see you too, Zatch." She managed to get out as the boy tightly hugged her. She was blushing lightly as Zatch finally released her.
"How is everyone doing? It's been so long since I've seen anyone..."
It was true; he had been very busy ever since he became king. So many changes had to be made and Zatch had to learn about 'being a king' and all that. He wished he had more free time so that he could hang out with his friends. In fact, they weren't all that far away. Most of them were staying in the palace. It was something Zatch had urged them to do the minute he became king. Tia, Kanchomé, Ponygon, Ted, Kolulu—all of them had their very own room in the palace. Even so, he had just been so busy lately that he couldn't see any of them. But things were finally starting to settle down.
"Well, Kanchomé has become so much like Folgore that it's almost scary..." She began. Thoughts of Kanchomé singing suddenly came to mind. She shook her head to get the creepy images out of her mind. "...Ponygon hasn't changed much. He's still his usual self—lazy, but fun to be around. It's funny, because even though he has such a nice room and all, he still requested a dog house to be built for him. You should have seen how long it took him to get his message through!" She began laughing. Zatch joined in too as he pictured Ponygon screaming "Meru meru-mei" at one of the guards in a desperate attempt to convey his message.
Zatch stopped laughing and suddenly asked, "What about Kolulu?"
Tia felt a tinge of jealousy bite at her. He specifically asked about Kolulu...
She looked down. She felt a bit embarrassed because she didn't really know. She tended to avoid Kolulu. She thought of her as more of a rival than a friend, even though Kolulu probably didn't think that way.
"I'm not really sure." She replied.
Zatch stared at her for what seemed like eternity. "Oh." He said, finally breaking the silence. He sat down in his big throne and gestured for Tia to sit also. "There's plenty of room." He told her.
She smiled and sat down on the large throne. It seemed to fit the two perfectly. She lay back, letting herself sink in the near-endless amounts of cushions. It was so comfortable to her.
"I could get used to this." She blurted out. Her face reddened as Zatch looked down at her. He was staring at her rather curiously.
"Y-yeah." He replied with a slight stutter. They locked eyes for a brief moment, but then Zatch suddenly looked away.
"Hey Tia," Zatch began, "I think I actually have some free time today." He looked back down at her, "Would you like to go into town with me?" He asked, his voice seemingly full of hope.
She smiled again, "Sure." She replied as she sat up. He stood up and gave out a sudden cheer.
He removed his crown and examined it briefly, and then placed it on Tia's head.
"Today I am not King Zatch." He stated. He seemed somewhat relieved at that comment. He bowed, "Let us be off, your majesty." He said teasingly.
Queen Tia, she thought, now I like the sound of that.
----
Zatch was thrilled to be outside of the palace. He was so energetic. He held his hands out towards the sun and took in the warm rays. It was as if he hadn't seen the sun for...wait, he probably hadn't. He took deep breaths, letting the fresh air fill his lungs.
"Ah, it feels so nice to be out for once!" He exclaimed cheerfully as he examined the town around him. It would seem that they were near the markets. There were many small shops, as well as a large fountain in the center of the marketplace. He could smell something rather good. It was a familiar scent, but somehow different. Yellowtail, perhaps? He followed his nose and entered the nearby bakery. He glued himself to a display cabinet that was showing a new kind of cookie in two different shapes. One was shaped like Zatch's face, and the other was of a fish—a yellowtail, to be exact.
His mouth began to water as he stared at the cookies. "Wow...they look so good..." He murmured. Tia was soon behind him, glancing curiously over his shoulder at the display.
"King Zatch!"
The two turned to the sudden voice. The baker was looking straight at them. He seemed somewhat nervous.
"What are these?" Zatch asked curiously as his gaze drifted back to the two cookies. He pressed his face up against the glass.
"Th-they're my new specialty. I m-made them in honor of you becoming k-king. They are yellowtail cookies, my lord!" The baker bowed his head as he said this.
Zatch's eyes widened in awe. "Y-yellowtail cookies?!" He shouted in amazement.
"Yellowtail...cookies?" Tia repeated in disgust. Could such a thing even be tasty?
The baker removed a fresh batch from the oven, and as he did a pungent smell filled the room. It made Tia's eyes water, and made Zatch begin to drool.
"Would you like to try one, King Zatch?" The baker asked. Zatch nodded frantically and immediately grabbed one of the steaming hot cookies from the tray. Crumbs went flying as he devoured the cookie that was shaped like his face. It was gone in mere seconds.
Zatch suddenly paused after he ate it. He stood there motionless. The baker stared at him, awaiting Zatch's response. Tia too stared at him curiously. Suddenly, satisfaction plastered itself across Zatch's face. He began to cry tears of joy.
"These are the best cookies ever!" He shouted. He began to snatch the remaining ones from the tray. He was eating them extremely fast and was making a rather large mess.
"My, what an appetite! Is he always like this?" The baker asked.
Tia nodded, "Uh-huh..."
Tia dragged the boy Mamodo from the bakery. He was having a fit, but soon gave up. He had practically eaten every cookie there. They could hear the baker yelling as they walked away, saying that 'it was on the house.'
Zatch's face was a mess. He had crumbs all over his face and hands too. They sat down by the fountain in the center of the marketplace. He bent over the railing and rinsed his hands in the crisp water, and then splashed some onto his face as well. He was soon cleaned up. He leaned back against the railing.
"I never thought being king could be so great." He stated. He looked at Tia, but squinted as the crown she was wearing reflected the sun into his eyes.
She looked at him. "Zatch, you can't just go out and do whatever you want just because you're king." She told him with concern. He frowned.
"I know, but just this one time...I haven't been out of that palace in forever. And remember, Queen Tia, you have that power for today too!" He smiled brightly as he said this. She blushed a little. She liked that more every time she heard it.
Queen Tia and King Zatch...
Her blush reddened as she thought that.
Zatch blinked in confusion. "What is it, Tia?" He asked curiously.
She suddenly gasped as she snapped back into reality. "Huh? Oh, uhm, n-nothing." She looked away nervously. There was an awkward silence in which Zatch stared at her. Tia kept looking back to see if he was still staring at her, and every time she did her face got redder. She began to whistle suddenly, as if trying to ease the intensity of the moment. Her eyes now locked with his as she whistled. She stopped whistling and soon found herself unable to look away. It was as if Zatch was peering into her soul, into her mind, into her heart...
She could feel her heart racing. She gulped as he kept his deep stare.
What's he doing?
What's he looking at?
Oh, I'm probably so red right now!
Zatch studied her carefully.
Her face is like a cherry...
"Tia's face looks like a cherry." He bluntly stated, breaking the awkward silence. Tia's blush faded almost instantly.
"That's...it?" She asked disappointedly. She sighed and then stood up. She should have expected this. After all, it was Zatch she was dealing with.
Zatch noticed something in the distance. "Hey, what's that?" He asked aloud. He broke into a small run. As he got closer, he realized that it was a giant statue of himself. It was rather large, about the height of a small building. It was heavily detailed as well, and posed Zatch as staring off into the distance with confident eyes and his hands on his hips. "Whoa! I even have a statue! I'm like a super-hero!" He mimicked the pose that the statue had by placing his hands on his hips and tilting his head to make it seem as if he were looking far into the distance. Tia soon caught up with him, as did two other lively characters...
A horse-like creature suddenly pounced at Zatch, knocking him from his heroic pose and onto the ground. It began to lick his face in a friendly manner, all while shouting, "Meru-meru-mie!"
"Ponygon!" Zatch shouted happily.
"Don't forget about me..."
Zatch sat up as he heard yet another familiar voice. He lifted Ponygon off, and turned to face the white-clothed duck-faced boy that was standing near him with the same pose as the statue.
"...Ironman Kanchomé!" The duck-boy shouted heroically.
Zatch blinked in a perplexed manner. That sounded vaguely familiar. Ironman...Ironman...
"Hey," Zatch started, "Wasn't that Folgore's name?" He asked. Kanchomé began to laugh nervously as his eyes wandered back and forth.
"Ha...ha...what are you talking about? Ha..."
It fell silent. Everyone's eyes were on Kanchomé. Soon Tia was next to Zatch, whispering into his ear, "Like I said, he's become so much like Folgore that it's scary." Zatch nodded in agreement.
Kanchomé noticed the shining crown that Tia was wearing. He studied it carefully, and then felt the urge to try it on.
"Hey Tia," he began as he drew closer to her, "Can I try on Zatch's crown?" His eyes were sparkling in the bright reflection of the crown.
Tia placed her hands on her hips. "No you cannot. And that's Queen Tia to you!" She stated in a noble manner with a smug expression. Kanchomé was taken aback by her response, but he quickly recovered and began to laugh—a hissing laugh—as a teasing smile appeared on his face. He pointed at her.
"Doesn't that mean you're married to Zatch then?" He pointed out as he broke into full laughter. Tia's smug expression was replaced by a mad blush. She turned away in embarrassment.
"Mar...ried?" Zatch repeated the word in confusion. He tilted his head. He didn't get it.
Kanchomé suddenly began dancing around Tia in a circle. Ponygon quickly joined in, and soon they were both chanting:
"Tia likes Zatch!"
"Meru-meru-mie!
"Tia likes Zatch!"
"Meru-meru-mie!"
"Tia likes Za—!"
"Meru-meru-m—!"
They came to a sudden halt as Tia began to mercilessly strangle both of them.
"Just shut up!" She shouted in their agonized faces. She began to strangle them harder, their necks stretching to absurd lengths.
Suddenly Zatch spoke up. "That's okay," he started with a smile, "Because Zatch likes Tia." He closed his eyes and let his smile brighten.
Tia felt her heart skip a beat. She immediately released her two victims.
"Run away!" Kanchomé shouted.
"Meru-meru-mie~!" Ponygon cried.
The two ran off, kicking up a large dust cloud as they went.
Tia ran up to Zatch and grasped his wrists gently. His eyes opened as she did, and she gazed deeply into them, her own eyes sparkling with hope.
"R-really Zatch?" She asked with her hopes soaring. A bright smile appeared on her lips.
Zatch nodded. "Mhmm. Tia's my friend, so of course I like her." He responded.
The red-head Mamodo girl felt like she was being crushed to death under the weight of her own hopes as they came crashing down. The sparkle left her eyes and her gleeful face became full of disappointment. She released Zatch's wrists as she sighed. She removed the crown from her head and pushed it into Zatch's chest.
"Here..."
She turned and began to walk away, sulking. The boy peered down at the crown in his arms, and then looked up at the girl Mamodo that was slowly drifting away from him.
"Is something wrong, Tia?" He called out to her.
"It's nothing, Zatch." She responded in a low voice.
It was always nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing. But he knew it was something.
He ran up to her and placed the crown back on her head. He then spun her around and placed his hands on her shoulders. She was looking down and averting his eyes.
"Aw, come-on Tia. What's wrong?" The boy Mamodo asked. He was determined to find out. She didn't respond, and instead sighed. "Tell me." He said demandingly. She suddenly broke free of Zatch's hold and began to walk away.
"Let's just go..." She told him. Zatch stood there for a moment, still wondering what was wrong with her. He soon caught up with her.
----
Zatch walked with his hands folded behind his head. He periodically glanced over at the sulking girl Mamodo that walked next to him, checking to see if her mood had improved; it barely seemed to be.
They were headed back to the palace. Zatch was rather annoyed that his day of freedom was ending after such a short trip, but he understood that Tia just wasn't in the mood. Why she was, however, was something he didn't understand. He just wanted to cheer her up. He suddenly began to hold her hand. He remembered that it always made her smile. It also always made her face look like a cherry. Like always, it worked. She began to smile softly as her cheeks turned rosy.
"How come your face always looks like a cherry?" Zatch asked innocently. The way he worded the question was awkward, and it made Tia laugh slightly.
She's laughing. That's good!
She swallowed hard. She was going to say it this time. No more running away or hiding it. She bit her lip nervously and wondered if Zatch would even understand what she was about to confess.
"Well you see, Zatch, I uh, I sort of—"
"Zatch Bell."
An annoyed expression found its way onto Tia's face as this sudden deep voice interrupted her. She had finally gathered enough courage to tell Zatch how she felt, but this guy had to butt in. She turned, as did Zatch, to face the black-garbed figure that stood not far from them.
"Brago!" Zatch exclaimed.
Indeed it was Brago. However, he didn't seem too happy to see Zatch. Tia was even more unhappy to see Brago.
"What are you doing here?" She asked with much emphasis on the 'you.' She folded her arms over her chest in a frustrated manner. Brago didn't seem to hear her; either that or he was just ignoring her. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" She shouted.
"Shut up." Brago murmured.
Tia exploded.
"Don't you tell me to shut up! How dare you even say that!" She was screaming at the top of her lungs with her arms flailing about angrily. Brago ignored her rampage and instead walked forward and grasped her by the throat. He held her in the air, choking her. (A.N. Someone choking Tia. This is ironic, no?)
"You're annoying." He commented as he watched her struggle to get free.
Zatch was shocked by Brago's action. "Brago, what are you doing?" He asked worriedly. He didn't get a response. "Let her go!" He shouted suddenly. Brago tilted his head to look at the small boy Mamodo. He smirked.
"Why don't you make me?"
Zatch took a step back, surprised at Brago's statement. He clenched his fists and then repeated his words with more authority, "Let her go."
Brago chuckled, tightened his grip for a moment, but then released the red-haired Mamodo girl. She landed on her feet, but then collapsed to her knees, gasping for air.
"You're still weak, Zatch." Brago stated as he began to walk away. "There's no way I will let someone like you be King of the Mamodo World."
Zatch stared at him as he walked away, unsure if what Brago had just said was a threat. Tia's sudden coughing brought Zatch to her side. He helped her stand.
"The nerve of that guy..." She murmured. "If he ever comes around here again, I'll show him whose boss!" She coughed again.
"Are you okay?" Zatch asked with concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied with a nod.
There was a long pause, but then Zatch finally spoke.
"So Tia..." He began calmly, "...What was it you were going to tell me?"
She sighed disappointedly and was unable to re-summon the courage that she had before this incident.
"It's nothing, Zatch."
A.N. And that's it for now. Not much plot takes place in this first chapter, but I'll get more into that next time. Expect slow updates probably. I'm rather lazy. Tell me if it was great, good, average, bad, horrible, terrible--whatever. Any criticism is welcome.
