黒色のフォンセ!

Kokushoku no Foncé!

I do not own Konjiki no Gash! Or Konjiki no Gash Bell! Or Zatch Bell! They belong to Makoto Raiku, Shuukan Shounen Sunday, Shougakukan, VIZ Media, Touei Animation, and Cartoon Network.

Level 21: 友情

Level 21: Friendship

"I'm related to you, but I'm not of Clan Ying!"

"Related to me, but not of Clan Ying? But that must mean—"

"We'll meet again in time, runt."

I'm sure we will, thought Foncé as she sat beside Ishtar's bed. They were back at il Castello Hotel. Foncé asked if she could watch over Ishtar until she woke up. Mistera agreed.

So Foncé sat next waiting next to Ishtar, wishing to talk with her when she woke up. Until then all she had was her thoughts to keep her company. Her thoughts were confused indeed. Something very strange had happened when Désaxé was trying to force a new spell out of her. What puzzled Foncé the most were the series of images that briefly flashed through her mind. They were like memories, but she could not remember actually experiencing them. There had been one "memory" of her making love to someone, and that was flat-out impossible.

Yet, Foncé had been experiencing what she could only describe as feelings of lust and sexual frustration, and that was impossible too, wasn't it? She knew that she was developing a sexual and emotional attachment to Ken, and sometimes she fantasized about becoming queen of the World of Devils and making Ken her king. She had felt a physical attraction to Zero as well, but no real emotional attraction—he had just been handsome and powerful to her, nothing more.

So what were those memories? Maybe they were really Désaxé's, and she was transmitting them, perhaps unwittingly, to her. It didn't any sense why Désaxé would do such a thing, but it was the only explanation Foncé could think of.

Désaxé. The markings on her finger joints made it all too clear that she was a relative, and now that Foncé reflected back on it she thought she could see some of her father's facial features in Désaxé. Could it be that Désaxé was an older sister she never knew about? It wasn't entirely far-fetched. The Ying Clan was very strict about "purity" and protecting its reputation. Children with mental or physical ailments might be cast out or even killed, preventing them from taking on the Ying name. If this were the case with Désaxé then that would certainly explain why she claimed not to be apart of their clan. If that were true and Désaxé was aware of all this then she might hold a deep hatred for those baring the Ying name. But she had aided her instead, albeit in an exceptionally brutal way.

Foncé shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Adult feelings, impossible memories, and Désaxé. It made no sense to her. Maybe the big family secret her father discovered was that the Ying clan went through puberty much earlier than other Devils. Wouldn't it be funny if that were the reason behind her sexual feelings?

That would be a real scream alright, she thought bitterly. Thank you so much, father.

It wasn't long before Ishtar stirred and opened her eyes. Foncé noticed she was awake and asked, "Are you alright?"

Ishtar rubbed the spot on her chin where Désaxé had given her an uppercut and winced. "Still tender," she replied.

"It sure was foolish of you to charge in like that," Foncé deadpanned. "It would've been smarter for you to have run away while she was distracted by me."

"But you were in trouble! I couldn't just leave you there."

"It all worked out regardless. They didn't really want to burn my book at all."

"But what if they did mean you real harm? Would you want me to run away then?"

"You don't owe me anything. It would be in your best interest to safe yourself and your partner instead."

Ishtar sat up and grabbed Foncé's hands. "But you're destined for something special! I saw it in my vision! You're different from any other Devil I've ever known. I have to know more about you, see what will happen to you." She squeezed Foncé's hands. "I'm…fascinated by you, Foncé. I want to help you, see you succeed. I want to be your friend."

Foncé looked from Ishtar to their hands to Ishtar again. "Ishtar, I…I didn't know you felt so strongly about me."

"Well…now you know!"

Foncé wasn't sure what to make of this situation. She was now convinced that Ishtar wanted to be more than friends with her, and Foncé didn't know if that were flattering or not. Foncé had always wanted a personal fawning lackey, and now that Ishtar had tried to help her back in the park she felt that she at least owed her a favor. It was only polite to do so, and the Ying clan was at the top of polite society.

"There's just something about you," Ishtar went on, "something that just draws me to you, like a star draws a planet."

"Alright, I believe you," Foncé quickly said with a weak smile. "To tell you the truth, it will be pleasant to have someone other than Ken to talk to now. Just keep me informed if you have any more visions about me."

Ishtar's eyes lit up. "Really? Oh yes, of course!" She released Foncé's hands to hug her. "This is going to be so much fun! We can be like sisters!"

Foncé's face turned beet-red at such an open display of affection. "Yes. Fun," she replied stiffly. "You can let go of me now, please."

To be continued...

Author's notes: So I didn't keep my promise. I just wanted to get this short chapter out. I don't normally like the really short chapters, but I had fun with this one. It at least answers and raises some questions.