Home Sweet Home

VII.

I was scared to move. I was terrified that if I did so, he would tell me to stop touching him. I didn't want that at all…it was like a Christmas gift to be able to lean against Brago. Too bad my legs weren't exactly agreeing with me.

I had been sitting on my knees for over an hour. They were beginning to get very cramped and sore, and although I thought I could get my mind off it, the discomfort was becoming unbearable.

I raised my head slowly off his shoulder, bracing myself for him to say something. He didn't. I kept my hands where they were, but I leaned over to my right just enough to slide my legs out from under me. I winced, but the relief of stretching my legs out was terrific. Letting out a low sigh, I then realized my upper body was twisted to the side due to my obsession of not wanting to remove my hands from his shoulders.

Why couldn't I just get comfortable to enjoy this as much as I should? Brago was most likely awake, though he appeared to be asleep, and wondering why I wouldn't hold still. Scrunching up my face, I looked around the forest as though it would give me an answer to my dilemma.

My eyes fell on the bucket of water with a piece of my dress in it. It gave me an idea, though it seemed a bit risqué.

Slowly taking a single hand away, I reached over for the bucket. I dipped my hand into the cold water, feeling for the heavy rag. I wringed the excess water from it before spreading it open and lying it on the ground beside me.

I sucked in a deep breath and held it. I moved my hands down to his upper arms, gently pushing him back. To my surprise, he didn't put up any resistance. I don't think he even noticed. I slid myself a couple inches away, so his head would rest comfortably in my lap. So his back wouldn't be on the ground, I put the damp rag down on the other side of me before lying him down all the way.

I looked down at him, and only then did I release the breath I had been holding. He really was asleep. I couldn't imagine him allowing this if he wasn't.

This was definitely much more comfortable. I figured my back would eventually get tired of staying erect with nothing supporting it, but Brago would most likely wake up before then. It was best not to think about it.

Though I wish I could say Brago looked so at peace asleep, it turned out that he still looked as rough-around-the-edges as usual. His eyes were narrowed, a glaring determination forever imprinted in his features. It made me smile, nonetheless. At least I could always count on him never changing.

Not that I knew what he was exactly like when he wasn't in the middle of a war. Maybe he finds some time to just relax…have fun. Did Brago have fun when he wasn't fighting? Does he stop and talk to other mamodo's? Does he have any friends in the Makai? I know he said he's a loner, but…he must have at least one friend.

Or maybe he really was just like me.

That's when I realized…despite the large amount of time we spend together, I didn't know all that much about him. Would I ever?

The thought made me upset. I studied his face further, once again taking notice to the small scars. His skin was gray, and though it wasn't a normal skin color (for those who weren't deathly sick), it suited him. I couldn't imagine his skin as any other color. The black marks around his eyes gave him character, and his dark hair defied gravity. That's like saying he defies himself. I laughed silently at the thought.

When I first met him, I remembered thinking he had to have been the Death Mamodo. That would have been ironic…Death saving me. I find myself thinking that a lot, however.

I gained him when I lost Koko. I said that I hated mamodo's with every fiber of my body. When they came to the Ningenkai, it was the worst thing to ever happen to our world, as far as I was concerned. And yet…to get rid of them, I paired up with one. And now I found myself wishing to extend my time with Brago.

Yet…not all mamodo's are bad, I realized. Brago's not. I paused my thinking upon this. Brago's not…bad. Is he? He's just…a little rough.

What would I be thinking of him right now if he wasn't my partner, though? What if he chose Koko instead of me? What if he was the one that turned her against me? Thinking about it now, I couldn't say that he wouldn't do such a thing. We would have been on different sides…it wouldn't matter. If Koko had Brago, I would probably have Zophise.

I scrunched my face up. No way would I be pleased with an ugly little thing like that. Not to mention how annoying his voice was. Yes…because I had to get involved in this mamodo war, it makes me happy that I got paired up with Brago.

A mamodo…one of the few things I hated with a passion. A mamodo…the one thing I--.

I stopped. Thinking about it would only get me emotional all over again. I had to keep ignoring the feeling.

I felt the back of my fingers brush down his cheek gently. Kami, what did you do to me?

Pulling my hand away as soon as I realized what I was doing, I forced myself to keep my hands to myself. I only laid him down so he would be more comfortable, after all…

I felt that certain stinging sensation starting at the top of my nose. I lowered my head, my bangs shielding my eyes. My two strands of curls that were separated from my braid hung down, the tips barely touching Brago's face.

Don't think about it…do not cry…you've done enough crying…

"Sherry?"

His tired voice made me raise my head. He was rubbing his hands over his face, and I realized my hair must have tickled his skin.

I forced a small smile, "You actually fell asleep."

"I didn't fall asleep," he protested, but I didn't argue with him.

He sat up quickly as soon as he became aware of where he was. When he removed himself from my lap, I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs. I was left staring at his back again, not too surprised that it looked a lot better than it did an hour ago.

"I forgot to say it before," I started, my voice in the tone of how one would talk to another when they were in the same room as a sleeping person, "but thanks for saving me before…against the Light Mamodo and the fire."

"You didn't have to say it at all," he responded impassively, folding himself into the same position as me.

"Gratitude should always be voiced," I told him, roughening my voice to tell him to just accept it.

He didn't say anything else. Although what I said was basically an ending point, I was sort of hoping he would say something more. Start another conversation like the one we had earlier before the stupid fire came.

Another reason for me to hate fire.

"You took that well," the words slipped out of my mouth, "you have great instinctive defenses."

Again, he didn't say anything for so long, I was sure it was just another thing he was choosing to ignore. He responded a few minutes later, "I trained myself to take pain. Pain is only mental. If you believe it'll hurt, it's going to hurt. I was able to teach my mind to block it out."

I thought about it, "I remember seeing something like that on TV before. In a certain part of India, that sort of meditation is popular. I saw guys do a lot of crazy things."

"It might seem crazy to you, but it's nothing to them."

"But why do they do it in the first place…try to hurt themselves?"

"To test their abilities, most likely. You can't simply train and not try what you were aiming toward."

I smirked, "I think they just do it for the publicity."

Brago didn't respond. I really got to learn what to say to get him to talk and what not to say. Though, it seemed as though I was getting better…I was getting him to talk more.

Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "Will you train me?"

He raised his head, but didn't turn around. The tenseness in the air was so tight, I actually found myself counting how many times I blinked. I opened and shut my eyes a total of thirteen times before he answered.

"Why should training you be necessary?"

I answered immediately, "To help both of us. If I was able to bear through the pain, you wouldn't have to come to my aid so much. You could focus on more important matters. I wouldn't slow you down as much, either." When he didn't say anything, I went on, "Battles are getting tougher. To insure I can actually help you end this battle once and for all, training might be the best option."

I saw his shoulders shake when he released a small chuckle, "You sure do have a way with words." He made me wait awhile for his answer, "Yes, I will train you."

I'm not sure why exactly, but him saying that made me as happy as a bride hearing her new husband say "I do". I stood up quickly, also picking up the book that had been lying against my side. I clenched my free hand, "Great, let's get started."

This time, he looked at me, shock clearly written in his eyes. It slowly disappeared, and it was my turn to be shocked at the pleased look he gave me. He turned himself around to face me.

"Sit down."

My face dropped. I leaned over him, giving him my best scowl, "Sit down? I just stood up! I told you I want to start now!"

He blinked slowly, "Sit down."

I opened my mouth to argue some more, but decided against it. Sighing loudly, I sat down in front of him against my will.

"Cross your legs like mine," he said. I looked from his legs to his small red eyes. Which reminded me…could he see clearly again? I didn't bother asking, but instead did what he said.

"To begin, you must know how to meditate in the first place. I'm assuming you don't, since I never saw you do it. Those who meditate do it at least once a day or the effect isn't as great."

I nodded and put my arms to my sides, pressing my index fingers to my thumbs. I erected my back as straight as possible, but kept my eyes open for him to give me more lectures.

He stared at me before shaking his head, "Your position is good, but you don't need to keep your hands like that…unless it feels really comfortable for you. I prefer keeping them on my knees."

I tried it because he mentioned it. It was much more comfortable.

He nodded this time, "Now, you got to think about something that makes you happy or nothing at all. You probably won't be able to think about nothing right now, it takes more practice to let your mind go."

Even though he said this, I tried it. He was right…it was hard. I only ended up thinking about what I should think about that would leave me thinking about nothing.

I knew right from the beginning that I shouldn't question anything he tells me.

I was surprised when Brago suggested we take a break from searching for other mamodo's so my training would go smoother. He was an excellent teacher, explaining things shortly but accurately. While I was practicing mediating, he knew when I was too tense or when I was about to fall asleep. Sometimes a lesson was so long, I couldn't help but begin to drift. I thought that would be good, but he said they were two very different things.

With his help, it wasn't long before I was able to go long hours in meditation. I was surprised to find how rejuvenated I felt afterward, not even feeling that sleepiness one gets right after they wake up.

After the first step, things began moving much more quickly. He taught me how to dodge an attack numerous times without wearing myself out. I gained a couple bruises when he threw a punch at me and I wasn't able to step to the side quick enough. His hits hurt like hell, but that's when he told me how instinctive mediation worked. It was complicated, something that should be on the advanced level. But I stuck through it, determined not to give up.

Brago also taught me how to sense an attack. The air around me was to change, and he said it was even possible to smell the attack. Dodging him was much more difficult when he blinded me, for I was simply guessing which way to go. The guessing game wasn't much help. Meditation was also required for this; it was to help strengthen my awareness.

We moved onto speed. I was getting better at moving from side to side when he threw his fist at me, but he thought it would be best to also know when to react. For this, he took me to the lake. I was to catch fast swimming fish with my bare hands. It was actually a lot harder than it originally sounded. Awareness mediation was heavily entailed, for I was to rightfully assume where a fish would be and when to heave my hand under the water and catch it.

When I caught my first fish, I held it high in the air and posed a victory sign. I was laughing more than I ever did, feeling proud of myself for once in my life.

There was a lot of things about my training experience that gave me a whole new outlook. One, of course, was the training itself. I felt much more confident and comfortable with my body. The second and third reasons deal with Brago. During the time he spent training with me, I felt us get just a little bit closer as each lesson came. He talked more and gained emotion like I never seen when he was yelling at me to continue.

It was so much different from when my mother taught me, however. When she was trying to teach me how to play the piano or do anything else she thought I should know how to do, she only criticized me. She screamed and yelled endlessly about how useless I was and how I would never be able to accomplish anything in life. Her ways only left me nervous and unable to concentrate to even try to achieve her demands.

Brago…he only screamed words of encouragement. He understood that I wouldn't get it on the first or second or third try. When I fell, he only told me to get back up. A few times, I recall hearing him tell me he knew I could do it. That was the line I kept in my mind. Brago had faith in me…the one important factor my mother didn't have.

After my long training, which I later found out lasted about a month (time sure did fly), I wasn't able to deny how much I fell in love with Brago.

When he felt I had done enough to get me through, we started on our travels again. Come to think of it, I was surprised we never got bothered. It's like the whole rest of the world disappeared and left the two of us to do what we wanted to do. Though it was tough at times, it was a nice break from the usual. I couldn't wait to see how I would be in battle. I found myself wishing we would run into a mamodo to test out my new skills.

Be careful what you wish for…sometimes, it's better to be happy with what you have…or don't have…

don't

It was only a day after we began moving again. I wasn't expecting anything right away, but when Brago stopped instantly, I sensed a strong, unsteady presence nearby. I'm sure we both felt the same thing.

Instantly, I heard a spell being screamed from ahead of us and a long flame of fire heading our way.

The Fire Mamodo was attacking us head on.