Home Sweet Home

II.

"It's been over a week since our last battle. Are you sure there's another mamodo out here?" Sherry asked, trying her best to keep her exhaustion out of her voice.

It was true; we had been walking for a long time now and had not come across another opponent. But I knew there was another one. I could sense it's strong presence. I told her this, but she still seemed unsatisfied.

"Do you think they'll come looking for us?" She asked, switching the book from hand to hand.

"It's possible," I responded, wondering why she was asking such questions today, "The power I sense isn't exactly weak."

She flashed me a quick smirk, "Oh, so our work might be cut out for us this time, huh?"

I didn't even twitch my lips when she made this joke, "Doubtful. It'll probably end up being a disappointment just like all the others."

We continued forward in silence after this, getting lost in our own thoughts. We both stopped in unison, however, when we noticed someone running toward us at top speed…for a human, anyway. Keeping calm, we waited until she reached us. Her dark complexioned skin was shiny with sweat, her dark eyes wild with fright. I'm sure she would have continued to run past us if her eyes didn't fall directly on me.

She stopped in front of us, her chest rising and falling heavily as she tried to catch her breath. She turned to Sherry but pointed at me, "This your mamodo?"

Sherry glanced at me then raised her eyebrow. I agreed silently that it was a stupid question to ask. Nonetheless, she turned back to the girl and nodded, "What's it to you?"

The girl's eyes widened even more, "There's a mamodo out there…a powerful one. I…" her voice cracked as a tear slid down her cheek. I rolled my eyes slightly. Not another crybaby. "I just lost my mamodo to it." She sobbed, clenching her fists. She took a large step closer and got right in Sherry's face, "If you deeply care for your mamodo, don't make him go into battle against this one! You'll regret it!"

"Where is this mamodo located?" I asked, the mentioning of this powerful source perking my interest.

Turning away from Sherry, the girl glared down at me with pity, "God, you're so stupid!" And with that, she went around us and broke into her run again.

I was thinking about stopping her and forcing her to speak, but I decided against it. I was capable enough to find this mamodo on my own.

We continued walking as though we never ran into the frantic girl. Silence echoed around us once again, until Sherry asked another one of her infamous questions for the day.

"Did you want to train for awhile, Brago?"

I turned my eyes toward her, but she was facing ahead with no emotion crossing her features. She left my gaze, "That won't be necessary. I have confidence that that girl should have been warning the other mamodo about us. That is…" I glanced back over to her, "as long as you don't feel weak."

"Of course not," she shot back indignantly, her eyes narrowing, "I've been--."

"Good," I cut her off short, not needing for her to go into explanation. She didn't try fighting back to finish her sentence, but instead become solemn and mellow. Her blue eyes took on a hazy look and she seemed to be struggling against something within herself.

I turned away from her quickly, "If you have something to say, then say it."

She gave me that look she always gives me when she wonders how I knew something was on her mind. It wasn't that hard to figure out; her emotions showed like an open book. She sighed irritably.

"I just don't want to rush into anything we're not ready to face yet. It'll be a shame if we lose now after all we've been though." She switched the book to her other hand.

This statement annoyed me, "Are you saying you have no faith in my abilities?"

"That's not what I'm saying at all, Brago," she answered with equal annoyance, "I'm just saying that perhaps we should take precautions with this one."

I didn't respond to this, but instead thought about it. I didn't have anything telling me to take extra precautions, so why did she? Was she feeling less confident in herself? If so, maybe I did have something to be worried about. Without Sherry, I wouldn't be able to carry out even half of the battle.

Before I could voice my concern for her, a loud pitched scream from another girl echoed off all the surrounding trees. Instantly, Sherry and I broke into a run. I knew what was on both our minds: this could be the work of the mamodo we were looking for.

It didn't take us long to reach a large clearing. The first thing I spotted was a young girl and her mamodo trying to put out the fire on their book. The second and most important thing I spotted was a man holding open a spell book with his mamodo beside him, draped in a big red cloak that concealed him.

The firing book disappeared along with the small mamodo that claimed it. The mamodo that remained turned in our direction, one evil eye glaring at us through the cloak. The look didn't intimidate me in the least. I took a confident step forward, only to see the man and the mamodo turn and run in the opposite direction.

I smirked, "If they're so strong, why are they running away?" Upon saying that, I broke into a sprint, hearing Sherry begin to run after me also.

They were fast, but I was able to keep an eye on them the whole time. That is, until they slid down the side of a semi-large cliff. I stopped at the top, waiting to see if they were able to make it to the bottom without any problem from the human. To my slight amazement, they almost began running again before they even reached the bottom.

No bother. I can do that, too. I jumped over the side, free-falling a few feet before my feet smacked against the steep cliff. The rocks and dirt helped me slide down all the way easily, my land just as perfect as theirs. It only took me a few more feet of running before I remembered Sherry.

Hating to stop my chase, I turned around, hoping to see her at least half way down the cliff. But of course, she was at the very top, looking over the side as though it was the fall to her death.

I didn't yell for her to hurry, nor for her to simply jump. Looking up at how exhausted she was, allowing her to attempt the cliff could indeed end in disaster. I looked over my shoulder, but I knew the mamodo I had been looking for was long gone. I would just have to wait for another time.

I walked away from the cliff a little more before running toward it. With as much muscle and speed as I could accumulate, I ran straight up the cliff, using the bigger rocks for some support. Soon enough, I was back atop the hill beside Sherry.

"I lost them," I said, leaving my voice emotionless.

Breathing hard for a long moment, Sherry looked away from me, "Sorry…"

I wanted to tell her that she shouldn't be, for it wasn't her fault she was a weak female human and couldn't slide down the side of a cliff. Instead, I turned and began heading back in the direction in which we came.

"We should get you back into the city," I told her, though I hated the idea of leaving that mamodo out here unbeaten, "You can recuperate better and faster there."

"No!" She yelled, anger very apparent in her tone. I stopped and turned to her, spotting that certain fire in her eyes. I have to admit to myself that I love seeing that, for it makes her look more raw…more determined. It's something I don't see in every passing ningen.

"I can make it just fine! I just need to…take a break," her breathing suddenly became heavier rather than regular and she fell forward. I watched her go the ground, waiting to see if she would pick herself back up. When she made no other movement, I called out to her. When she didn't answer, that's when I knew I would have to carry her for awhile.

Walking over to her, I picked up on the slight scent of blood. I leaned closer to her, trying to figure out where it was coming from. It came from near her feet. I rolled her over onto her stomach and lifted her dress slightly. On her left shin was a large open wound. How did she get that? And why hadn't she mentioned it? By the look of it, it wasn't that new, but it didn't look as though it was healing properly.

"Stupid girl…" I mumbled under my breath before ripping a large chunk of cloth from her dress. Hope she didn't mind. I lifted her left leg slightly so as to drape the cloth around her shin a few times. When I felt the bandage was thick enough where the blood shouldn't seep all the way through, I tied a tight knot to keep it in place.

"Brago…" I heard her whisper harshly. I looked up to her face, her eyes barely able to stay open. The blue that shown through the slits were amazingly bright, "I'm…fine."

Sighing as she reached a single hand up, for her other hand was busy grasping my book, I grasped it in my own hand. Turning around, I pulled her weight off the ground until I was able to wrap both her arms around my neck. From there, my hands held her firmly on the back of her thighs so I could lift her effortlessly onto my back.

"Hai…you're fine," I reassured her.

Before the sun set, I was able to make it to the city. The city…where everyone stared at Sherry and I, no doubt wondering with their nosey minds why someone not human was carrying a passed out girl. Like always, however, I ignored them. They weren't worth my time.

I searched for the nearest hotel. If it was one thing Sherry had to make sure to teach me, it was looking for "the perfect hotel that makes the woods look like hell".

"What if I prefer hell?" I had asked her, but she had only shook her head as if she had expected no other answer from me.

When I saw a fairly small hotel, I settled for that instead of looking for one that she would like better. Even though the sign said motel instead of hotel, it seemed close enough. I entered in through the front doors where there was an old man standing behind the counter. It looked like he had been standing there all his life, just waiting for someone to walk through those doors.

A shaky smile crinkled his face even more, "How may I help you, young man?"

"I need a room," I said bluntly, not looking for any small talk.

"Ah, of course," he bowed, but seemed to not be able to stand up straight again. I stared at him, waiting for him to make a move. I was just getting impatient when he slowly recovered. "Would you like one room or two rooms?"

"If I said I need a room, that means one," I said, hoping he would just give me the damn key.

"Ah…" he looked up at the ceiling before looking back at me, "What do you need again?"

I closed my eyes and squeezed Sherry's thighs a little tighter than I intended, "I need a room."

"Eh?" he opened his eyes a little more to get a better look at me, "Are you in the show?"

"No, now just give me a key to a room!" Raising my voice so he could maybe hear me better.

He gave me an odd look, "Give a kiss to a broom?"

I gritted my teeth. I clenched my fists as best as I could, stirring the sleeping Sherry into consciousness. She mumbled something incoherent, but I didn't bother to find out what it was.

"Never mind…I guess a motel's not a hotel," I grumbled and turned to leave before the old man made me even angrier.

Just as I was about to go back out the door, the man yelled in realization, "Oh, you're here for a room? Well, why didn't you say so. Here, let me get you a key."

My hand was on the door when he said this. I almost wanted to ignore him all together and just find someplace else. But Sherry was heating up and I needed to lay her down. I turned to see him looking for a key. Slowly, I walked back over to the desk.

He turned to me again, "Now, would you like a room with one bed or two?"

"One would be sufficient," I said. After all, I wasn't really planning on sleeping.

As if a transformation took place before my eyes, the man's eyes lit up and a sly grin spread his thin lips, "Ah yes…of course. I see you already swept her off her feet." he chuckled, throwing his head back so quickly I thought it would roll right off his neck.

I raised a brow as he continued to laugh on. I really didn't get what was so funny, but he obviously thought that whatever it was, was hilarious.

Finally, he quieted down and reached behind him to grab a key. He tossed it to me. I caught it with ease and watched as he pointed a finger at me, "Go get her, Tiger."

"Whatever." I walked toward the hallway as soon as I could, hearing him mumble a low, "Did I forget something…?" I didn't bother to go back and tell him that he forgot to charge us.

Once inside the room, I slid Sherry off my back and onto the bed. She fell limply, hardly making a sound when she was transferred. How could she be this worn out? We didn't do that much, did we? We stayed up the whole night before and half the night before that, but she didn't show any immediate signs of slowing down.

I turned away from her after I realized I had been staring, when she finally spoke, "You saved me once again, Brago."

"I wouldn't exactly call it a rescue," I said dully, walking over to the couch by the window and sitting down. I stared across the room at her and she stared back at me. I could tell she was fighting to keep her eyes open.

She smiled slightly, "Being modest now?"

I humph-ed and crossed my arms, "There's nothing to be modest or arrogant about."

Finally, she closed her eyes but she moved her hand every once in awhile to tell me she was still awake. It was annoying me that she slept that whole time on my back and when I bring her to one of her comfy beds, she keeps herself awake.

"Are you hungry?" I asked her, thinking maybe that was the problem.

"No," she responded lowly, in a voice I almost didn't recognize. I blamed it on her drowsiness.

"Are you comfortable?"

"Yes." She responded in the same voice.

I kept a straight face but happened to look down at her legs and remembered her wound.

"Are you in pain?"

As if my question made her remember the scratch, she twitched her leg, "A little."

"Do you want a wet towel?"

"No."

I paused and stared at her harder before she opened her eyes once again. We stared at each other for a long moment, the silence in the room comforting.

"Do you want to take one of your extra long baths?"

Her lips formed a big, genuine smile and she let out a small laugh, "Yes."

Without even thinking about it, I stood and went into the bathroom. Why did motel or hotel bathrooms always have to be so small? It was hardly possible to move. Sherry's mansion bathroom was the size of a park.

I remembered watching her closely before, as she got ready for a bath. She hummed a certain haunting tune as she turned the faucet on and ran hot water into the tub. The tune played in my mind as I mocked what she did. I watched the water begin to build before I turned to the sink. Still humming, she would walk over to her fancy cabinet and grab many bottles of bath stuff. The bottles here weren't as large as hers, but I still grabbed them and put them on the edge of the tub. Her voice was still echoing in my mind as I laid a towel on the floor beside the tub and put another on the sink.

When I watched her do it, I found this action to be my cue to leave. I exited the bathroom to see her sitting up in bed.

"It's ready," I went back to sit on the couch. I looked all around the room before my eyes finally fell on her. I was wondering why she was still sitting there and why…she was giving me an odd look.

"It's ready," I told her again, basically telling her to go.

She smiled gently and slowly stood, walking toward the bathroom. Before she closed the door, she turned back to me and said, "Thanks for everything, Brago." The door between us closed.

I stared at the closed door for a long moment, not exactly sure what I was thinking.

I'm not exactly sure I wanted to know.

Due to popular demand…I'm writing more and making this into a story! Yipee! Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews. You have no idea how much that meant to me. Actually, I had this chapter written even before I posted Chapter 1, so…yeah, either way it was gonna be a multi-chapter thing.

As of right now, I'm working on part 3. Thanks again!

Enula