Age: 18

Flames blown out: 14

Marco started to wake up as the sunlight started to pour in through the window. He groaned a bit before he got up and stretched. His head felt awful because after his conversation with Heckapoo he spent the rest of the day trying to pronounce the words in the spell books he brought in yesterday. Just trying to keep his mind distracted from her answer. It did work to some extent though he started thinking back on the time he traded one of them for a quick heal.

I'm going to have to go get that one back, he imagined before recounting the time he spent last night reading one of the tomes. Through practice he was able to blink into another dimension he had never seen before. An it was freezing! Where he ended up was the roof of a train bolting through a blizzard at high speeds. Marco nearly lost his grip of the book before he uttered the same line of text again. Then his body felt the warmth of Heckapoo's estate again as he was back in his room shivering.

After a moment he ran into the bathroom for a hot shower. While in there he couldn't help but remember her answer about being more open with each other again. Tomorrow then, he sighed in relief as he wiped his wet hair out of his face. Tomorrow I'll face her too if I'm lucky, the idea of having a actual match against her made him a bit excited after all the time that has past.

Now here he was in the backyard with her, Clover, Kur, and surprisingly Highmon. Who was sitting in a lounge chair with a orange foam finger titled '#1 Madam'. Next to him was a cooler, along with a small woman who he couldn't remember. Though her outfit was ridiculous since she dressed in some noble clothes but wore a viking helmet he saw his father wear once. I miss him and mom, he shook it off as he tried to warm himself up for the lesson with some quick stretches.

"So why are we here instead of like sitting there and drinking whatever the hell's in Highmon's cooler?" Kur asked pointing his thumb over his shoulder as the old man cheered back, "Break a leg!"

Kur looked annoyed as Clover explained to him, "Simple, our brilliant master has asked us to help out in training Marco here on how to deal with a variety of magical attacks by attacking him with said magic of course."

"That plan sounded needlessly dangerous and a waste of time can't we just teach this whole thing out in like at the study instead of trying to kill him?" Kur's skeptic looks didn't seem to phase her.

Though she snapped right into action as soon as Marco looked at her an said, "Brilliant master, you do mean her right?" He pointed to Heckapoo who gave him a thumb down, signaling Clover to fire some warning shots.

*BOOM*

*BANNGG*

Her face was red as she tried her best to fake a innocent smile as Marco stood between two giant smoking holes in the ground. She asked him, "What was that?"

"Nothing."

Meanwhile Heckapoo was fishing a drink out the cooler as she started a conversation with Highmon and Ms. Bootchu, "So who wants to make a bet?"

"Depends, who do you think will survive because my money is on the chef." Her guest answered.

Highmon added, "Well I can understand why you would say that but I'm putting money on maid Clover. Despite what you have seen of her, she can prove to be quite resourceful with her spells."

"I'm going with Clover too. She'll give Marco a good idea of the uphill battle hes going to be facing. If that 'little' demonstration wasn't enough." Heckapoo joined in. Hopefully he'll still be alive to talk after this... hopefully. Though Ms. Bootchu seemed to just scoff at the both of them.

"Well you both are right, keep in mind this a war of attrition and Mr. Kur has this in the bag since magic doesn't effect his type at all. Even that young man your trying teach might put up a good fight but he'll go down before either of your faculty members do." She then jugged her soft drink before crushing it on her forehead and tossed it away. Despite her behavior Ms. Bootchu was apart of high society ironically. This was how she normally acted unless she was surrounded by other more 'politely inclined individuals'. What always disturbed Heckapoo though was how she always had information on everyone in town but lacked the brains to use it.

She would be ten times worse than the other aristocrats if she didn't spend her time looking for underground fight rings, she mused before seeing Marco receive his sword back. The blade wasn't fixed since most of the pieces had been melted into the ground after his fight with Big the Blue. Though replacing the blade with something that had more durability wasn't impossible to do this time around.

What she didn't think about was that Marco heard them talking about him an was pretty annoyed at their little 'prediction'.

Meanwhile

Mind Marco Number 13 looked up at the screen grinning wickedly, "Oh your going to learn today."

Then the rest of the crew looked worried at what their leader meant. Though Monster Arm joyously cheered him.

Marco gripped his katana hilt in one hand and the sheath in the other. Today he wasn't in the mood to keep it tied to his person as he fought. Next thing on his list was seizing up his teachers by reviewing some mental notes he had on each of them. The spells he has seen Clover perform are pretty limited to what he has dealt with before back when he was living with Star. He frowned a bit when he remembered his best friend, I hope one day I get to see her and everyone else again...

For the moment

In the deeper parts of his mind.

Sangre was rereading another book about Marco's childhood memories when he suddenly felt compelled to shut the book an leave his cell. Unable to control himself he made his way to the door before the voice started to chuckle at him.

"You can't even help yourself whenever he thinks about her, can you?"

The embodiment of the Blood Moon's mark stopped itself from leaving the room. Then slowly Sangre told the voice, "Thanks. If I hadn't heard your beautiful vocals I wouldn't be able to control myself."

The voice fell silent again before he heard the sound of a page turning again. "Fine keep reading but one day they will know you exist."

"Oh, I can't wait." It hummed.

Kur started up with some light stretching careful to not open his stitches on his arm. He mumbled to himself about how rough it was going to be when he took them out today. Though the one saving grace was that he wasn't going to get his pay docked for destroying another outfit.

"So we starting this thing or what?" He asked them.

Clover just shrugged, "I was kinda of hoping you would go first seeing as your magic takes the longest to prepare."

"Fine." He replied before stepping toward Marco telling him, "Okay so today's first lesson in the magic art is the power of transformation."

He fixed his grip on his sword as Kur continued, "So yeah, it's just what you'd think it means. Magic can give a person the power to effect ones environment and vice versa."

Kur crouched down into what looked like a stance that football player would make. The one hand that was touching the ground began to glow a intense orange aura. Then his body began to grow as his clothes tighten up an tore from his expanding size. A large grey tail sprouted out from behind his waist while a pair of leathery bat wings grew from his back. His head got so big that his eye patch snapped off revealing a eye that burned with a orange power inside it.

Last his mouth grew wider as it started to look more and more like that of a shark's maw. Marco just tilted his head up as Kur's size seemed to even triple his own height while his stitches popped out as his arm began to heal and grow with his new form. His short black hair started to grow into a wild mane that flowed over his stretched out neck as spikes started to poke out along his spine.

Once it stopped he asked the young man in-front of him in a snarling voice, "So what do you think?"

"Can you breath fire now?" Marco replied.

"What?"

"You know fire, didn't you turn into a dragon now?"

"No! Well my name means dragon but I'm actually a gargoyle." He hissed.

Marco just shrugged, "Eh, then you should of called yourself Goliath."

Kur rolled his eyes, "Ya I'm just going to smash you into the dirt now, okay?"

*KRACK*

BGM: Sweet - Ballroom Blitz

His tree trunk sized arm crashed into the spot where Marco was standing. As the smoke cleared he just stood next to Kur's fist saying, "Nah you look a bit more like Hudson with that eye." Kur bent his arm and leaned down as he side swiped the other one at Marco. He rolled forward dodging the attack before running under the hulking lizard's legs. Once there he drew his blade, cutting into the ankles of the monstrous chef to throw him off balance. Kur flinched at the sudden slash and on instinct raised his foot to squish him like a bug.

Marco's eyes widen as his mind screamed at him to run! Which he did, running out from underneath the large gargoyle to behind a tree. Once his foot came down the ground shook causing a couple of the people who were watching to have their drinks slush out on to their clothes.

Heckapoo yelled, "Your doing laundry duty for a month you dick!"

Kur sighed like a mad bull with hot steam jetting out from his nostrils at the idea of him having less time to prepare more 'elaborate' meals. Damn it I wanted to try fresh deer meat 'n' taco's next. Then he latched onto the tree Marco was hiding behind and uprooted it in one grunt as held it over his head like a picked flower. Though he didn't see the red hooded boy anywhere?

Suddenly something dropped from the tree to cover his eyes with a shade of red. Marco tied his jacket around Kur's head to keep him blind as he sat down on the chef's head as he dug heels into his sides as if he was riding a horse.

"Yee haw!" He hollered as he held onto the grey lizard's head when it started to swing left and right to get him off. Til he decided to toss the tree away and bring both of his hands on top of Marco. Only to have his palms get cut up by the sword making him hiss at the pain.

He roared at Clover, "Are you going to join in or what?!"

"Nah you got this!" She giggled while he struggled to get the young man off of him. Stumbling around in circles as the monster felt confused at to where he was heading. Until he heard Heckapoo shout at him, "DON'T YOU DARE!"

Meanwhile Marco just smiled at her innocently before he dropped down off of Kur's head before he was nearly a giant step away from the porch. He lifted the jacket off his eyes to peek down at his boss's annoyed glare. Though Ms. Bootchu looked disappointed that he stopped while Highmon moved his chair a couple yards away. Then he realized that she wasn't looking at him but at Marco who in mid sword swing yelled, "TIMBER!"

After that the sword sliced so far into him, he raised his leg up to yelp in agony only to loose his balance an fall back first onto the cooler.

*CRASH*

BGM: END

Luckily Heckapoo pulled Ms. Bootchu out of the way though she wished she saved her drink instead. All the while the poorly dressed woman complained that it was just getting good.

While she told her, "Looks like you lost the bet."

"Maybe but it's not over just yet, double or nothing on him taking out Clover next." Ms. Bootchu smiled as Heckapoo made her shake on it. Wait what did we even bet on again? She wondered.

Marco pointed his sword at Clover seeing how Kur wasn't moving anymore after the fall.

"Your next."

BGM: Paramore - Misery Business

She looked to Heckapoo who said, "Sick 'em girl!"

An with that she started to fire off spells left and right at Marco. Still he was learning quite a bit from all this, like how he could dodge a swarm of bowling balls if he kept his distance. Based on what he could tell, almost all her spells lacked the magical creature variety he was used to seeing. The mix of dodging a bunch of heavy objects, laser beams, and the occasional talking car showed him that diversity was definitely valuable in the magical arts. He already knew this, but felt like he just wasn't prepared for being on the receiving end in actual combat.

Marco started to get the timing down for her firing rate as he moved in closer and closer. Though something felt a bit off as he made a glance every so often at Heckapoo. Who just stood there looking at her nails comfortably as the lady with the viking helmet chanted, "Fight fight fight!" Making sure to fist pump the air at the two while sitting on a picnic blanket out on the backyard away from their previously destroyed spot.

When he paid more attention to Clover again as he stepped a bit further towards her she changed to her measuring tape spell. Marco discovered quickly that it wasn't the same one she used to find his size for his clothes as a dozen more strips came out to get him. He cut to pieces all the ones that tried to wrap around his body except for one that snagged his ankle.

"If you wanted to know my shoe size all you had to do was ask." Making her smile before pulling back on the tape to make him trip up.

Next thing he did was sever it's connection before he lost balance. Trying his best to keep self steady til he realized she had him in point blank range now.

"Bowling Ball BASH!"

The world started to feel like it was in slow motion as he dived below the spell as he rolled out from under it. Slowly Clover one handed her wand when she saw him step up just three feet in front of her. Then as Marco was about to make the move to knock her out she pulled out, a second wand.

Oh Shit! He yelled to himself!

"Oh Shit!" Number 13 shouted with him!

Clover smiled as she unleashed another measuring tape swarm upon him. Tying him up on the spot as Heckapoo looked back it smugly admiring her won bet, even if she didn't win anything. Marco found himself yet again in another cocoon, completely at Clover's mercy til he came up with a idea.

"Oh Clover before you blast me into next week or most likely through of the mansion's window. Could I ask you something?"

She thought about it for second before replying, "Nope."

"Awww but it was about what me and Heckapoo were talking about yesterday. I thought you of all people would like to know how our relationship was going." He snickered as Clover stopped an began to look at him with stars in her eyes, ready to hear more. Heckapoo look at him alarmed.

BGM: END

"No no no no!" She yelled but she was too late as he began to explain to Clover about how he tried her advice last evening. Giving all the details about how she was making him wait til today and how she felt insecure about looking weak.

Though after that last part she looked at him puzzled, "Wait, wait, wait she said that?"

"Yep."

"But that isn't true. I mean yeah she has had her moments when she isn't at her best but I don't think that being weak for appearance sake is her real reason. It was just her trying to change the subject." She said.

Now it was Marco's turn to ask, "Okay what do you mean?"

"Well she may have not of told you but your like her first boyfriend in five years."

"Oh! So shes afraid of being rusty?" He replied.

"No more like sh-" before Clover could finish, Heckapoo knocked her out with a swift chop to the head. She passed out as Ms. Bootchu just looked stumped as she asked, "So who won the bet?"

At the time Marco felt the measuring tape prison he was in fall apart around him. After pulling a couple of lingering strands off of him he stared back at Heckapoo. The two began to walk away from the passed out servants as he asked her, "So there were others besides me?"

"Well I've been around for a while so of course I've dated some people here and there."

Marco just nodded, "Yeah I understand that though what was Clover trying to say before you cut here off."

"Beat me and find out." She bluntly said before the two stopped walking.

"Well technically I already defeated two people today so why don't we just talk this out?"

She chuckled at him, "Not a chance also I took one of them out, remember?"

He smiled back, "But I knew you would intervene to make her shut up or something along those lines so it's my win really."

"Ugh fine fleshbag, you just won't take no for a answer will you?"

"Hey, got to make you say yes even when we aren't in the bedroom somehow, right?" He winked.

Ms. Bootchu hollered, "HHOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"I LIKE THIS GUY!"

He looked over at the woman and told her, "Your too kind!"

"Knock it off!" Heckapoo shouted to her as the woman stuck her tongue out at the demoness in response. Adding to it by telling Heckapoo to just fight already.

Marco looks back at her with his sword ready, "Okay so it's your turn."

"Pssh like I'll end up like the last two." She pointed to Kur and Clover on the ground behind him. Heckapoo cracked her neck before turning her scissors into a pair of short swords. "This is my house!"

An with that she dashed straight at him while his guard was up. The force of her momentum crashing into him caused his heels to dig into the ground as he was pushed further back. Still he didn't struggle under her strength like he did in the past and grunted, "I'm happy you came to me for once."

"Think you can handle it?" She said with her blades pinning his katana in place during the clash. He tried his best to push them away but even after all the training he had gone through in the last dimension, it wasn't enough to push her back. Though he was at least able to hold at bay as he thought up a plan as the sweat dripped down his face. Damn her face can be so hot sometimes when she gets worked up.

Marco smiled back at her, "I'll take a rain check on that." She raised an eyebrow at him as she felt his arms start to slack up as she started to press him further. Once their face were so close he told her, "You got a nice flame there."

Quickly she broke away from him as he took in a deep breath. He gave her a mischievous look, "Never said I wasn't going to try, so be careful."

The demoness didn't like his cocky attitude an dashed behind him to give a old smack to the head. He ducked out of reflex before he stabbed his weapon through the space between his arm and chest. His blade just inches away from her hand. She pulled it back just in time but he already held his sword in place with arm pressing the flat surface against his side. Then as he was crouched down he shifted his weight to his free hand as he pushed his whole body behind it. Giving the the leverage to deliver a swift somersault kick to her chest.

She stepped back a bit as Marco followed into a roll away from the blow. Heckapoo wiped his footprint off her dress as he said, "Sorry about that but your kinda of predictable sometimes."

"Aren't you the one whose suppose to be learning here?"

He shrugged, "Hey don't tell me your at your best right now Hpoo, cause we both know that right now your not even trying."

Marco stood up as he dusted himself before continuing, "If you plan to fight with only your speed, and swords. Then you better start using your head with them cause anyone with battle tenacity will pick them apart."

She rolled her eyes at his lecture while he told her, "I may sound like I'm kidding around out there but really I'm just making you shift your attention so I can get past your guard. So look I know I don't have to tell you how to fight but right now your taking this way too lightly and your making mistakes."

"Well duh, I'm not doing this seriously. If I wanted you would already be on your knees begging for me to stop so I just choose not to humiliate you again." He looked at her in disbelief before he started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" She went after him as he replied, "I'm calling it a day if your going to be like this."

Heckapoo rushed past him to stand in his way, "But I'm doing all of this for you!"

"There isn't a point to it if you don't put your heart into it. Heckapoo you wanted to do this cause you thought I was weak and that might be true." His grip tighten up on his sword, "But I wasn't taking this lightly. I saw this as a chance to not just get some practice, or some answer but to see if I had actually gotten anywhere closer to your level."

Marco looked down away from her gaze, "I want to be strong enough so I could find the real Heckapoo one day..."

He pointed his sword at her holding back a tear as he lifted his eyes back at hers, his voice was laced with frustration, "Cause the thought of meeting you at the end of all this, is what drives me. I can learn to love any version of you but at some point we need to get serous about all of this!"

She stood silently, thinking about everything he had just said. How he was still thinking about the real her. The fact he didn't seem to care about the trial anymore. Am I really the problem here? Heckapoo gritted her teeth before she said, "Okay fine! Let's do this right!"

BGM: Howl - Florence and The Machines

Making sure no one but Ms. Bootchu was watching, because after all she could keep a secret surprisingly. Heckapoo opened a portal and pulled out a bone colored staff. She holstered her second sword before changing her stance with her other blade drawn as the staff ignited a fireball at the tip of it.

Marco got ready and switched up his grip on his sheath by gripping it like a second sword.

He stepped forward, instantly side stepping a fireball before he felt a stink on his arm. Looking to see he had just been cut an Heckapoo was behind him now, causing him to sweat from the passing her passing heat. Once he tried to turn, Marco found another ball of fire headed his way. Rather than dodging it he squinted his eyes before ducking underneath it as he saw a fast moving figure behind it. Suddenly Heckapoo hit his katana as he held up his block against her strike.

Unfortunately for him it didn't stop there. The fire might have gone over him but the demoness who spawned it was still there attacking from all fronts now. He struggled to keep up with her as their blades clanked violently upon each other. She tried to aim another spell at him but every time he swatted her staff in another direction with his sheath. During one of her attempt a rouge fire ball exploded behind him as felt it burn his shirt and scald his back.

As much as he tried the pain from it was starting to become too much. He needed distance from her and he needed it now, even if it lasted for just a second. In the middle of her next attack Marco tried to sweep her legs by delivering a low kick. Unfortunately he ended up nearly loosing his own limb when she dodged it for a second to swing at it.

When she dug her blade into the ground after missing his leg, he tried to pull off another kick only to see her glare at him as her staff's fire intensified. Lighting up the shadow over her face before he pushed his hand into his demi-bag.

*BOOM*

BGM: END

Another hole was made in her backyard as she slowly snapped out of her anger. Oh my god I didn't just!? She began to panic at the thought she went too far and killed Marco! I didn't mean for this to happen, I just wanted to give him what he wanted damn it! Looking at the smoking crater where he once stood had started to make her eyes water.

*cough*

She turned around to see him behind her looking back while telling her, "Yeah that was a close one."

He rubbed the back of his head at his bald spot, "I'm sorry if I made things a bit intense bu-" Heckapoo tackled him to the ground, pinning him down as she yelled at him.

"DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!"

Marco knew he messed up big time when he saw her crying over him. Fuck I didn't mean to do that to her also... OW! We're on my burns! The two just held their place a bit before he started to pull out some tissues from his bag. She gladly took them before she blew her nose.

"You feel better?"

Heckapoo nodded as she sat back on him. "Look I'm just not that open about things all the time because sometimes when I get very passionate about the crap I like, it just hurts me a lot when I feel that one day they'll just be gone. I've lived a long time okay, and that is a lot of people who I've seen die."

"So I'm crap now?" Well I do feel like it. Before she shook her head, "No your more than that at least."

"Thank you.. I'm sorry I put you through that." They fell silent a bit as there head's slowly started to move close to each other.

Then they heard a low, "Yeessssss..."

Marco and Heckapoo spotted Clover who peeking at them while trying to pretend to be passed out. She quickly closed her eye as soon as they spotted her. Though Ms. Bootchu was clapping excitedly at them, "Encore!" While Kur just stretched his neck over his giant body to see them, not even hiding his interest.

Heckapoo pushed off him quickly, crossing her arms as she stared daggers at the peanut gallery.

Kur quickly shrunk back into his normal size as he ran back into the mansion covered in tattered clothes. Though not before dragging Clover by the foot with him as she hissed, "Noooo! I wanna stay!"

"No! Your suppose to be out of the way!" An after that he yanked through the doorway causing her head to bump on the frame, making her grip the back of it in pain. "I hate you!"

"Whatever."

Ms. Bootchu soon followed after them telling Heckapoo, "We'll talk about the reason you called me here today later, yes!?"

She nodded as the lady joyfully entered her house shouting at Kur it's time for lunch. Leaving just Heckapoo and Marco alone again.

"I'm sorry again." He started.

She sighed, "I know, but how the hell did you dodge that at point blank range?"

Marco pulled out a old spell book from his demi-bag, "I memorized one of the verse to do a quick dimensional hop, pretty cool right?"

"Oh it was one of those." She took the book from him and began to flip through the pages, "Yaaa... I remember these. Almost decided to use them instead of scissors with how fast you could get to another plane of existence, but I scrapped the idea because the location were set to a random place that made no sense at all and I couldn't rewrite them."

"Yep that explains why I ended up on top of a train bolting through a blizzard all the time. Who in world sets those destinations?" He asked after taking the book back.

"I don't know since you need to use a magic incantation to spellbound this junk. Though the verse is what sets up it's location bizarrely. With no alteration or it just doesn't work even though it won't send you to the place you want to go. It's really just fancy firewood in my opinion." Before shrugging.

Marco looked over the worn out book cover before he stuffed back into his bag, "Well at least I have a way to keep dodging even if I'm arms reach."

"Also if you'd like, wanna go out for dinner tonight just the two of us no bullshit?"

Heckapoo nodded, "It would be a nice change, so okay, but your buying."

"Great! I've still got some funds left." He pulled out a pouch from his bag, "I'm glad I saved some of old war funds before coming here."

"Did you embezzle your own army?" She looked at him a bit impressed.

He shook his head, "No way but there was a time I was sent as a spy to another kingdom so they might miss it."

"I like how you turned out." She snicker before adding, "Granted you still act like that boy you were sometimes."

"I do not." As he went to collect his jacket, dusting off the dirt before neatly folding it before carrying it in his arms.

As the two continued to talk they forgot that Highmon was still there til he cheered at them for making up. Then he was sent inside, through a window.

Author's Confessions: Well this is going to be my last fast update for awhile seeing as the third season is going to start soon. I'm totally going to watch it because I'd like to learn about the two characters an see if any of my own theories actually happen. An on that note, I'd like to thank you for reading.

P.S. All Marco has to do to teleport is touch the book and say the verse to pop in and out of the place. So if you wanted a DBZ super well... I think instant transmission esk looking power covers the bill.

P.P.S. I'll be revisiting this page to edit out spelling problems periodically so there might be some word fluctuations.

Episode 12: Let Them Fight