Home Sweet Home

XI.

I don't think I ever ran as fast as I did right then. The rain seemed to fall even harder, making it almost impossible to see two feet in front of me. I got worried when Brago would run ahead of me too far and I didn't know which direction he was going in. It felt like we were running forever…

There was a painful stitch in my side that just wouldn't go away. My body was screaming at me to stop and breath, but I knew it would be hard to start again once I stopped. No, it would definitely be better if I thought about something else besides my aching ribs.

Like Koko. I was finally going to see her again. I wondered what she looked like. Did she change any? Did the evil invade her eyes? Did she…burn any other cities down?

My anxiety didn't do any good for my mind. If anything, it seemed to make me slower. I had to reach Koko, though…I couldn't stand the thought of leaving her with that damned mamodo for another hour.

I squinted my eyes through the rain, barely able to see Brago. I wanted to ask him how much further we had, but found it was very hard to speak. All that came out was a low groan, my lungs feeling as though they were being punctured by my ribs. My vision blurred.

Why am I so weak! I yelled at myself which brought tears to my eyes. My best friend's in danger and I'm going to rescue her, and I'm thinking about slowing down?

Would I be any good to her if I'm tired? No…but I knew as soon as I laid eyes on her, all other worries would disappear. I would use every last ounce of energy in my body if need be, plus Brago wouldn't let me give up that easy. He despised it when I ran out of energy in the middle of a battle.

I couldn't help it. My legs were beginning to feel like jell-o. I wouldn't be able to support myself pretty soon. To my relief, however, I saw Brago up ahead. He stopped and was waiting for me. I wanted to tell him to go on, but again, I couldn't speak. I was walking before I even reached him.

He was staring at me with that blank stare, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"We're not too far from them," he said, though the rain practically drowned out all his words. I was trying to ease my breath, even tilting my head back to allow some of the rain to fall into my mouth. Although rain was falling all around me, I felt so dehydrated.

He was walking now. I was unsure whether my legs were on fire or frozen solid. They were numb, either way, which made me feel like I was flying when I walked.

"We should sneak up on them from behind," he told me. I wanted to yell at him to speak louder. The more he spoke, the lower his voice got. "That way, we'll have the advantage."

I nodded, though he wasn't looking at me. He stopped abruptly, causing me to bump into him gently. He didn't seem to notice and I was too worn out to care. He pointed directly in front of us, my eyes following his finger. At first, I didn't see anything. I squinted, holding myself perfectly still. A small figure came into view. It looked like some sort of little…clownish creature.

My eyes widened. Zophise.

Upon seeing him, I automatically looked for Koko. She wasn't beside him, however. The mamodo was facing away from us, seeming to be content simply standing in the rain.

"What's he…doing?" I asked, gooseflesh coming to my skin. It was eerie to not see him doing anything. Besides fire, Zophise was my worst nightmare. I couldn't help but think he would turn around slowly, smirk, and then run toward us at faster speeds than should ever be possible.

That's not exactly how it happened.

There was a scream behind us. It was a spell, no doubt.

That voice…

I turn around slowly, seeing a figure. I didn't have to squint this time to know who it was.

"Watch out!" Before I knew it, Brago jumped on my back to send me to the ground. I caught myself with my hands before my face hit the cement, feeling his heavy arm around me. I felt the spell go over our heads before he found it safe to stand.

"Pay attention!" Brago screamed in my face after I stood up, "If you begin daydreaming now, it'll be almost impossible to beat them!"

I didn't even bother to holler back. I knew he was right.

"Who are you?" I heard Koko ask. I turned toward her again. That's when I remembered…

She thinks she killed me…she doesn't know I'm alive.

She stopped close enough so we could see each other through the rain. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw me. There was not a single flash of joy in her eyes, however. She quickly glared, giving an icy "I thought you were dead."

My heart sunk. She definitely didn't get any better. She was still the same height…still had the same short, brunette hair…she still was Koko.

"So you've been alive this whole time?" Her eyes turned to Brago, "I see you found yourself a mamodo, also. How fitting. Now we can have a real battle to the death."

This allowed my voice to come back, "No! Koko, death is unnecessary! There's no need for anyone to kill anyone else!"

"Aw…" she sounded genuinely downhearted about it, "that's no fun." She grinned, "I say we play it my way."

I swallowed roughly. Before I could say anymore to her, Brago interrupted, "Sherry, stop talking to her. It's not going to do any good and it's only going to get you upset. Focus on the spells and attacking."

"But…" I wanted to say I didn't want to fight. For an instant, I honestly believed I thought I could settle things through talking. Then I remembered I tried that method before. She only tried to kill me. And she seemed disappointed she didn't.

Not waiting for us to get done chatting, Koko yelled the same spell again. I turned toward the attack and opened the book, "Gravi-Ionshield!" The gravity beam circled around us, deflecting Zophise's attack back at him.

"Hm, pretty good, Sherry," Koko said in an eerily joyful tone, "But we're just getting started…"

The battle continued on for what seemed like forever. Koko's hatred must have given her strength. While I was beginning to lose my breath again, Koko was gaining power. If I didn't know better, I would say she was sucking the life right out of me.

Brago and Zophise were both injured, but neither one was backing down. They still attacked each other with all their force, dodging and defending themselves perfectly at the right moment.

It was heartbreaking that the whole time we were fighting, Koko was saying nasty things. Things she would have never said before. Things like, "You're pathetic, Sherry," or "You might as well surrender now. You always wanted to die anyway."

I definitely considered burying a grave for myself right then and there.

It seemed we were moving in one big circle, and before I knew it, Koko and Zophise were aiming their attacks at me as well. No doubt she was trying to kill two birds with one stone. If she killed me, most likely Brago's book would burn.

So Brago and I changed tactics also. Though I hated doing it, we began attacking Koko head on, also. I never knew she was so…nimble. It shouldn't have been that much of a surprise, I suppose. She was somewhat of a thief back before the mamodo's came. Thieves are known to be nimble. Koko wasn't the best one…she got caught a lot. But I bet if she was a thief now, she would be a pro.

Brago's training needed to take effect now more than ever. I had to allow my body to go into awareness mediation so I could react quicker.

But their team was…awesome. I don't know what other word there is to describe it. They had multiple spells under their belt and fed off of each other's abilities. I remember thinking the whole time…Brago and I are like that also. We should be able to beat them!

Truth be told, however, it was obvious that we were equal in power. We were just as strong as them and they were just as determined as us. Whoever won was going to be victorious due to pure luck.

Luck seemed to be a little more on their side.

Before I knew it, Zophise caught Brago off guard and he went down.

"Get up, get up…" I repeated under my breath, gritting my teeth in anticipation for him to stand up. The rain was still pounding, all of us wet and muddy. Brago pushed himself up with shaky arms before flipping himself over to up his defenses.

"Now!" Koko yelled, calling out another spell. I had been so preoccupied with making sure Brago got back up, I wasn't paying attention to what they were planning. A glowing light caught my eye through the rain. About time I spotted it, it was too close to dodge. The only choice I had was to turn my back to it and brace myself for a hard collision.

Indeed, it seared my back, pushing me to the ground with extreme force. I wasn't able to turn myself around to land on my back and hated my damn reflexes when I raised my hands to catch myself. Upon doing this, the book dropped from my grasp. A painful throb vibrated up my arm when I landed, and I knew instantly that I sprained my wrist.

I had to ignore it at the moment. I turned my head to the side to see the black book about two feet away from me. Out of anxiety, I turned myself so I could crawl over to it. The rain didn't help me slide any; it seemed to only slow me down.

My hand patted down on the book, thankful I had reached it. Not two seconds after, however, Koko's foot stamped down on my hand. My eyes widened. Because I was mostly pulling myself with my good hand, I had rested my sprained side atop the book. I heard a sickening crack. I thought that she may have possibly snapped it back in place. The pain would have been worse. I knew she broke it when my whole right side numbed.

"Oh, how clumsy of you, Sherry. You dropped your precious book," I heard laughter in her voice. I closed my eyes, realizing I couldn't move my broken hand from under her weight, "Here, let me pick it up for you."

"No…stop," I said; a pathetic attempt to freeze time. Her foot rose, but so did the book. My hand was now grasping nothing but little wet rocks on the ground.

Koko sighed as she began to walk away from me, "Poor Sherry. You only delayed the inevitable."

I raised my head and slowly opened my eyes to watch as Koko stopped about ten feet away from me. She dropped Brago's book uselessly on the ground, giving it a small kick as if showing it how much she despised it. I glanced over at Brago and Zophise. Because neither one of us was calling out any spells, they weren't attacking each other ruthlessly. But Brago depended on his brute strength as well, something Zophise didn't have all that much of.

Brago thinks I can handle her on my own while he fights Zophise. No…I couldn't do it. She got your book…Brago…

"Brago!" I yelled, not quite sure where my voice came from. He heard the desperation in my voice, therefore turned toward me. With his back toward him, I watched as Zophise kicked Brago in the back. It sent him down to his hands and knees. He caught Zophise off guard when he raised a leg behind him. Zophise got a boot right in his jaw, sending him down to the ground now.

"Zophise, stop playing around!" Koko yelled, sounding more demanding and malicious than I ever thought she could be.

"Brago, your book!" I screamed, pointing in front of me. Without hesitation, he began running toward it.

"Okay, this is it, Zophise! Let's get 'em!" Koko yelled, opening her book. Her eyes told all of us that she was positive she won. She called out a spell, the attack emitting from Zophise's mouth. I watched in horror as the spell aimed directly at Brago and the book.

While my mind was still lying on the ground, my body was running toward Brago. I had to prevent that spell from hitting him…I couldn't even imagine what his book would look like if it burnt. It seemed…invincible to me.

As soon as I reached him, I could tell he was formulating a plan. He now held his book, but when he saw me beside him, his look faltered. I ruined something…

"You idiot!" He screamed, doing the first thing that probably came to his mind. He grabbed my arm, the sprained one at that, and threw me down to the ground and in a random direction. Before I could fly away from him, I grabbed his hand. The force in which he threw me was too great for him to stop, so he ended up going with me. We hit the ground pretty hard, the vigor and the wet ground making us slide roughly against the earth.

Somehow, he threw me in Koko's direct direction, our bodies tumbling in a helpless heap beside her.

"What was that!" she asked incredulously. It probably was the weirdest save she ever saw.

It wasn't a complete save, however…

She had Zophise release the spell that didn't stop until it hit something with energy. Though the attack had been aimed at the ground where the book was, the book was, in fact, no longer there. Because of this, it bounced off the lifeless ground and ricocheted at an angle.

It hit Koko directly.

I gasped. I wish now I would have passed out when I hit my head on the ground. Instead, Fate decided to allow me to watch my best friend's demise. It looked unreal how her body seemed to absorb the attack. Zophise's book dropped to the ground, the cover bright with blue flames.

In the distance, I heard Zophise scream of his failure and how it shouldn't have ended this way.

I watched Koko drop to her knees, her body already looking lifeless. I agreed with Zophise on this one.

"It can't end this way…" I whispered, not believing my eyes when Koko fell forward, not even trying to protect her head from hitting the ground. I was unable to move, and felt a lump in my throat form when it became apparent that I was face to face with my dead best friend. My breath quickened when I saw how lifeless her open eyes were.

She must have died almost instantly…but I…

"I didn't get to say goodbye…" I'm not sure if it was a tear or just the rain slip down my cheek.

"Wake up…" I whispered, my voice harsh and raspy. The lump in my throat grew larger, "Wake up…you lied, Koko. This battle wasn't supposed to end with death…"

But she didn't wake up. Her mouth was permanently frozen in an opened mouth scream she never got to release.

I felt strong hands grip my shoulders and lift me off the ground. I was now sitting on my knees, unable to tear my gaze from her lifeless body.

I shook my head slowly, "I couldn't have waited all this time just for…this."

I felt so damned ashamed and I'm not even the one that killed her.

"I was supposed to be the one to die…"

"Sherry."

I heard my name being called. Who was calling me name?

"Sherry."

My eyes blinked slowly before I looked up with decreasing speed. Brago was standing there, looking just as beaten and bloody as I felt. I looked back down at Koko. This all wouldn't have happened if…

She would be graduating from college right now if…

We would still be friends if…

If…

"If you damn mamodo's didn't come into our world!" I screamed, my throat hoarse and emotionally distressed. I pounded my fists on the ground, a spray of water shooting into my face. I continued to stare at Koko as if she would come back to me, "All you damn mamodo's did this…separated us from each other…"

I sensed Brago still standing beside me, not speaking a word nor making a move. My anger boiled inside me and like always, I reacted before I thought. In one swift movement, I stood up, grabbed his book from him hands, and threw it down as hard as I could into a puddle. I screeched, and though I must have looked like I was throwing a temper tantrum, I didn't care. It went much deeper than that.

"All you mamodo's did this!" I yelled in his face. For no reason, I went and picked up his book, only to throw it down again.

"I hate you!" My voice echoed through the rain. I narrowed my eyes and began to walk away. I turned around to face him again, "I don't want to ever see you again!" Even though he didn't look like he was going to say anything, I spoke fast, "And don't even try to remind me of the promise I made to help you become king. I don't care anymore! You promised me you would bring Koko back to me." I pointed down at her body, "That's not bringing her back to me!" I walked in front of him again and screamed in his face, "You promised!"

My voice echoed through the rain. I narrowed my eyes and began to walk away. I turned around to face him again, "I don't want to see you again!" Even though he didn't look like he was going to say anything, I spoke fast, "And don't even try to remind me of the promise I made to help you become king. You promised me you would bring Koko back to me." I pointed down at her body, "not bringing her back to me!" I walked in front of him again and screamed in his face, "

A sob finally escaped my throat and my chest started to strain with everything I was building up. I'm not sure if I was angry at him for not saying anything or not. He just continued to stare at me, void of emotion. He didn't tell me to shut up…didn't tell me I had a duty to finish…didn't turn and walk away…didn't try to calm me down. Nothing.

I shook my head, giving a disgusted look, "To hell with the mamodo battle. I don't care anymore."

With that, I turned on my heel and ran away from the scene I wanted to erase from my memory forever.

Whoo…sorry for the angst there. I hope none of you minded Koko dying too much. . It was just how it happened. Hey, it's not my fault. It's Zophise's.

To Twilight Memories: Can I do a chapter like #9 but in Brago's POV? Well…I'm not so sure it'll fit in how the story's going. I have no idea what I'm going to write until I write it and whoever's POV the chapter's in falls randomly. I'll try to add something in, though.

And a lot of you asked where you could find the Zatch Bell cards. I found mine at Suncoast, so any store like that would probably have them. Once they become more popular, you'll be able to find them anywhere else you find card games. I assume, anyway.

A little teaser: Zatch makes his first appearance in Chapter 12!

Enula