The school bell rang loudly for recess, and as usual, the building was emptied at near sonic speed.
"Ah~" Kyle sighed, stretching. "Can you believe the half-term break starts tomorrow? An entire week free of school!"
He, Nat and Takato were sitting on the bench under the tree, Nat's spot, which was where they hung out during recess. Takato, as usual, had his head in a book, seemingly ignoring the other two. Nat grinned.
"Yeah," he said. "I'm pretty surprised too. Time sure flies by, doesn't it?"
Six days had passed since Nat and Dante's battle with Tim and Ragnärok, and the half-term was coming to a close. This was the last school day before the week-long midterm break.
"So what are you guys gonna do?" Kyle asked. "Oh! Dysfunktional's playing down at the Kosame Stadium on Thursday! Why don't you guys come? I can get you backstage passes and everything!"
Takato scoffed quietly, and Nat and Kyle looked over at him, Kyle with an annoyed look on his face.
"It's not like I'm forcing you …" he muttered. Nat chuckled.
"Well, thanks for the offer, Kyle, but I wouldn't be able to make it," he said. "Dante won this raffle draw thing, so we're gonna go to the USA for the week."
"EHH?" Kyle cried. "But that means you're leaving me alone with Mizuno!"
"I take offense at that," Takato muttered, without looking up. Kyle raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, you were the one who said I didn't have the 'intelligence' to use your first name –"
"No," Takato interrupted, "I take offense because you seem to think…" He looked up disdainfully at Kyle. "…that I have nothing better to do with my week than spend it with a pea-brained monkey like you."
"HEY!" Kyle yelled. "THAT WAS CRUEL!" Takato ignored him and went back to reading.
"See?" Kyle said, turning to Nat. "You can't go off and leave me with him! It isn't fair!"
"Ha ha, sorry, Kyle," Nat said, scratching the back of his head. He looked up to the sky. "To tell the truth, I've always wanted to travel to America… Although anywhere would have been good. I've always wondered what travelling's like…"
"Eh?" Kyle said, and Takato looked up from his book. The two gave him surprised looks. "You've never travelled before?"
"Nope," Nat said. "I could never afford it."
"You're not missing out on much, though," Takato said. "It only takes a few seconds to port over."
"Yeah, but then you have the registration, check-in before you go, check out after…"
"Sounds fun," Nat said, smiling. Kyle and Takato stared at him again.
"Fun…?" Kyle muttered.
Yep, he definitely hasn't travelled before… the two thought.
"Well, you should make sure to get up early, 'cause there are only a few pads available, and those things take hours to charge back up again," Kyle said. "And don't forget to get lots of souvenirs!"
"Hahaha, got it!" Nat said, grinning.
"Travelling?" Jiko said.
"To America?" Austin said.
Dante nodded. "Yup." The three were sitting in the sandbox at the park, making a large sandcastle.
"Lucky~" Austin said. "I'll be lucky if Takato lets me out of the house…" He poked at the sand with his finger. "Although he has been more… human recently…"
Dante smiled and shook his head, then noticed the slightly downcast look on Jiko's face.
"Something wrong?" he asked. Jiko looked up and shook her head.
"N-no, I'm really happy for you, but… It's just that there might be no-one to play with… Since Austin may not always be able to come…" Jiko explained. "I really like playing with you guys, so…"
"Don't worry, Jiko!" Dante said, grinning. "I'll bring back lots of stuff for you guys!"
"Amen to that!" Austin said, raising a fist. Jiko smiled a bit. "Oh, and you better not forget to tell us about your awesome adventures in the US!"
"Heh." Dante grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it!"
The next morning, Nat and Dante made their way to the Mizashi International Terminal, a huge, complex building made of tough, transparent material similar to glass in appearance. There was a large globe on the tip of the tower that topped it. Nat and Dante entered the building and looked around, awed at the polished marble floor and beautiful architectural structures.
A receptionist waved from behind a large, brown mahogany desk, and Nat and Dante made their way over.
"Ohayo," the receptionist greeted, with a warm smile. "May I help you?"
"Um, yes, please," Nat said. "We're here for the 9:30 trip to America." He showed the receptionist their tickets, and she nodded.
"Ah, yes," she said, "right this way, please." She led them to the check-in counter for their trip and guided them through the necessary procedures.
Checking in was quite a hassle, with people yelling at officers and being checked over and waiting in long lines amidst shouts of, "That's my spot, you bastard!", "Mom, I need to go potty…", and "What do you freaking MEAN I didn't pay?! I have the receipt right here!" (Some things never change…) Eventually, Nat's and Dante's boxes were taken care of, and they sat in the waiting area, which was surrounded by large, circular blue pads with screens above each. The officer in charge of the ports cleared his throat and asked everyone to please get on a pad in an orderly fashion. Nat and Dante ended up sharing a pad with an old couple.
"Here we go!" Nat said.
"Yeah!" Dante said. The pads glowed, bathing their occupants in soft blue light, and they all vanished in a flash.
A moment later, Nat, Dante and the old couple they were with appeared on a blue pad in the American International Terminal in California. Nat shook his head.
"Wow, that was something…" he said.
After getting their luggage and checking out, Nat and Dante walked out of the airport to meet a dimly lit sky as the sun slowly disappeared.
"Whoa!" Dante exclaimed. "I thought it only took a few seconds to travel!"
"Yeah, but the US is in a different time zone," Nat said. He started to walk forward. "Come on, let's find the place where we're staying."
After Nat got directions from a helpful local, the two walked down the path, heading towards the cottage they were to stay in. Nat was looking at the yellow book as they walked.
Hmm… Now we have four spells, huh… Nat thought. The fourth spell, Excelles Farga… That's a pretty powerful one. It feels like we're catching up to everyone, somehow… Although the letters on the first page seem to be changing colour a bit… They look darker, somehow… I wonder why?
He was so busy staring at the book that he bumped right into someone else. They both fell over, and Dante looked over at them, confused. He froze and his eyes widened.
"Owww…" Nat muttered, getting up.
"Watch where you're going, asshole!" the other person yelled. "You defective or something?"
Nat looked at the person he had bumped into. It was a girl about thirteen years old, with short red hair and crystal blue eyes, wearing an unzipped red hoodie over a black shirt, khaki capris and black converse. The hood had fallen off her head when she bumped into him, and rage veins decorated her forehead.
"Um, sorry…" Nat said apologetically. He offered his hand, but the girl smacked it away.
"Get the fuck away from me, shithead!" she yelled. "Like I'd need the help of an idiot like you." She got up and dusted herself off, showing that she was almost a head shorter than Nat, and walked off disdainfully.
"Ah…" Nat said, sweat dropping. What an interesting place…
"Come on, Dante, let's go," he said, looking over to Dante, who shook himself.
"R-right…" Dante replied, and the two started walking again.
That feeling… Dante thought. Could she have been… a mamodo…? He looked back at the girl's retreating figure.
The girl in question walked quickly, taking a few turns here and there, until she arrived in an alley lined with doors. She knocked on the second door on the left and waited impatiently, tapping her foot, until the door slid open.
"Took you long enough," she muttered.
"Welcome back, Kira," greeted another girl, smiling. She was about fifteen, with short, straight white hair and violet eyes and wore a white T-shirt and black shorts.
"I'm starving," Kira declared, walking in to the small three-room apartment. "Gimme something to eat." The other girl sweat dropped.
"Pushy as always…" she said, letting out a sigh. "Fine, I'll get you something to eat." She went into the kitchen while Kira crashed on the big couch to the left of the room, right beside a light red book with the hourglass and five circles on the cover. There was a smaller chair to the left of it, which she wasn't allowed to sit in (but usually did anyway), as well as a faded green rug in the center of the carpeted room. The door leading to the kitchen was on the left wall beside her, right beside the door leading to the bedroom on the far wall.
The other girl came back from the kitchen carrying a tray with white rice covered with fish sauce and a large salmon and put it on Kira's lap, and Kira immediately started devouring it. The other girl sat on the smaller chair.
"So how was your day today?" she asked.
"Boring!" Kira said, with her mouth full of rice. "I couldn't find anything to do! And there was all these pedos all over the place… You should have followed me so I wouldn't be so bored!"
"Hm," the other girl hummed, shaking her head in amusement.
"No, seriously, Jo!" Kira said. "You need to get out more! You're always shutting yourself in and being boring and stuff." Jo frowned at that. "Live a little!"
"Staying in can be fun, too," she said. Kira stopped and stared at her for a second, then burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Good one, Jo!" she guffawed, wiping a tear from her eye. She ate the last spoonful of rice and wolfed down the salmon, then let out a loud burp.
"Oh, yuck!" Jo cried, waving the burped gas away. Kira sighed contentedly and rubbed her belly.
"So we've agreed that you're following me out tomorrow!" she beamed.
"Wait, what? When did we agree on that?"
"Doesn't matter anyway, I said so, you have to do it," Kira replied. "It's not like you can stop me from dragging you out anyways…"
Jo sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Aw, come on! It'll be so much fun if you come, I promise!" Kira said. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaaase?"
Jo looked at her making big round puppy dog eyes and gave in.
"Fine."
"AWESOME!" Kira shouted. "I promise, you won't regret it! We can go to the amusement park and to the mall and to the museum and to the arcade and the pet store and Disneyland and –"
"Hey, hey, calm down," Jo said, giggling a little. "I'm the one paying, remember? Money doesn't just grow on trees, you know."
"It doesn't?" Kira said. Jo shook her head. "Aw, man. And here I was burying your wallet in the park outside…"
Jo looked up. "YOU DID WHAT?"
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Kira said quickly. She didn't want to get JO of all people pissed off. "It was just a penny or two. Or four. Or ten or twenty dollars."
"Twenty –" Jo sighed and rubbed her forehead. "You know what, it doesn't matter. I'll come with you tomorrow, alright?"
"Yay!" Kira said, grinning. "Oh, and don't forget to bring the book."
Jo smiled and looked at the book on the couch beside Kira. "Yeah…" A slightly sadistic look came onto her face. "You never know when one of those bastards will try to bother us."
Kira grinned sadistically. "Yeah…"
"Um, Nat, where exactly are we going?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out…"
The next day, Nat and Dante had decided to go for a walk and explore the area their cottage was in. Nat was wearing an open blue jacket over a plain white T-shirt, black jeans and trainers, and was holding up a map of the area.
"Oh, there's a park a few minutes' walk from here!" he said, pointing at the map. "Wanna go check that out?"
"O.K.!"
Kira and Jo were also making their way to that park, from an opposite direction. They were already pretty close to it, and didn't need a map, since they were used to the layout. Jo was wearing a long-sleeved green shirt and jean capris, as well as brown sandals.
What a beautiful day it is today, she thought, as she walked along, appreciating the nice weather. Couldn't have been a better day to go out. Maybe Kira was right about me needing to get out more…
"OUT OF THE WAY! ONE SIDE! COMIN' THROUGH!" Kira was blazing off in front of her, kicking everyone out of her way. She even pushed an elderly lady in a wheelchair off the sidewalk and into the road.
Now if only she wouldn't do that… Jo thought, sweat dropping.
Jo and Kira soon got to the park. A group of thugs walked towards them.
"Well, well, look what the dog dragged in," the one in the front said. "I thought I told you to stay away from here."
Jo sighed. "Look, I don't want any trouble, you guys. We just came here for relax –"
"I don't remember asking you what you came here for, street rat," the thug said, cutting her off. "Stop acting like you have rights like a normal person. Scum like you should just crawl up and die."
"Get the fuck out of our way, asswipe," Kira growled.
"Hmph." The thug sneered. "Why should we listen to shits like you?"
"Seriously, move," Jo said. "Or else…"
"Or else what?" the thug said. "You want us to move so badly, why don't you try and make us?" The group of thugs leered at them menacingly.
Jo looked at them for a moment, and then a sadistic grin spread on her face. She brought out the light red spellbook, which started glowing. Kira also grinned and put out her hands.
"Okay, then," Jo said. "Don't say we didn't warn you…"
Nat and Dante were almost at the park when they spotted people running out of it in all directions, screaming in fear. Nat raised an eyebrow.
"What the…" he said. Dante's eyes widened.
Mamodo! he thought. And it's the same presence as yesterday!
"Nat, come on!" he yelled, running to the park. "There's a hostile mamodo nearby!"
Nat's eyes widened, and he ran after Dante, taking out the yellow book.
When the two reached the park, they were met with quite a sight. Two girls were standing in the middle, with badly burned bodies strewn all around them. The taller of the two was holding a glowing light red spellbook, and the shorter one had smoke coming out of her hands. Dante gasped when he saw the smaller girl.
"That's the girl from yesterday!" he said.
"That's what you get," Jo said.
"Hey, how about another one for good luck?" Kira suggested, bringing her hands up and pointing at some of the thugs.
"Sure, why not," Jo said. She began to chant a spell. "Jo-"
"FARGA!" Four beams shot forward at Kira and Jo, and Kira pushed Jo out of the way. They both landed on the floor, and Jo slowly got up.
"What the…" she muttered.
"You're the one who did this?"
Jo and Kira turned to see Nat and Dante walking towards them, Nat holding out the yellow spellbook.
"Yeah," Jo said. "What's it to you?"
"I see…" Nat muttered. "Well, in that case…" The book in his hand shone brightly, and Jo cringed at the looks on his and Dante's faces. "It looks like we've found a new opponent."
Mamodo team debut: Kira and Jo
Submitted by Tsuki6047