A.N.: Finally...I have updated. Well, actually, I had this typed about a week ago, just never posted it...dunno why (don't hate me). I will be posting one more chapter after this, then I think I will call it finished. But I will write more. Maybe a cross-over next...hmm...

Megumi awoke that morning, still a bit tired from staying up so late. She gave a long yawn, and slipped out of bed. She slammed her fist on the beeping alarm clock, breaking the annoyance. She walked around the house calling out Tia's name. Still, the red head Mamodo wasn't back.

This isn't like Tia. Why isn't she home?

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-Ring- -ring-

Those were the noises that woke Kiyo from his dreams. He groggily reached for the phone, not moving from his position at all.

"…-Yawn-…Hello…?

"KIYOTIAISN'TBACKYET!"

Kiyo was startled and fell right out of the chair from the loud scream.

"Ow…Whoa slow down, now what was it you were trying to tell me?"

"Tia is not back! And her spell book has been glowing for some time now! Is Zatch there!"

"Hold on…"

Kiyo set down the phone and searched the house. "Zatch!...Hello!" He waited for a response, but never got one. He grabbed the phone again.

"No, he is not."

"Hello…?"

Kiyo heard the humming of the phone. He hung it up, sighing.

He walked to the door, he needed some fresh air. He opened the door slowly.

"Kiyo!" Megumi busted through the half open door. "Kiyo we have to go search for them!" Kiyo backed up. "Whoa whoa whoa!" Kiyo tried to stop her frantic rampage, but she grabbed his arm and dragged him with her. Kiyo had time only to grab the red spell book.

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Zatch ran through the trees until he came to a clearing. He froze as his eyes filled with shock. There she was, covered in cuts and bruises. It looked as if she had been fighting for life for some time now. She took a small shaky step forward and reached her hand out half way. "Z…Za…tch…" She called out as she fell forward.

"TIA!" Zatch ran towards the falling Mamodo, but stopped in his tracks, for behind Tia was his dark look-alike…Zeno.

"Heh heh heh" The dark Mamodo laughed. He had his hand spread out, and it looked as if he just got done using his Zaker spell. (A.N.: Zeno can cast his own spells...right?) "My my, how weak all these pathetic Mamodo are without their bookkeepers." He said. "Ah Zatch, how nice of you to come." Zeno began slowly walking towards Zatch, who began backing up. Zeno was now only a few feet away from Zatch. Zatch glanced over at Tia. Zeno turned his head to the side. "Hm? That was a friend of yours…how pathetic…she was hardly even worth the time." Zeno returned his focus onto Zatch. He pointed the palm of his hand at Zatch. "I hope you put up a more…electrifying fight than that worthless Mamodo over there!" As Zeno said these words, a small orb formed in his palm, and he then released his Zaker spell. It hit Zatch dead on, and sent him backwards skidding against the ground.

The boy stood up. This isn't good! I…I can't do anything, I mean, he can cast his OWN spells, without his bookkeeper! Or maybe his bookkeeper his hidden Zatch peered around. No, I would have heard the spell.…Tia… Zeno began an onslaught of attacks that the poor blonde haired Mamodo couldn't even defend against. Zatch was being mercilessly slaughtered by Zeno, who fired the Zaker spell over and over again. The evil Mamodo knocked Zatch off balance, and then fired yet another Zaker spell at him. Zatch was sent flying backwards, and landed next to Tia. The boy winced in pain. "Ahh…!"He cried out in pain. He looked up to see Zeno walking towards him.

"Well well well,such a pity…it seems youare weaker than I ever imagined! You don't deserve the chance to be king…" Zeno spoke as he once again pointed the palm of his hand towards Zatch.

Just then, Tia swiftly rose and with the strength she had left, she delivered a strong punch into the side of Zeno's face. It only set the Mamodo off balance, however. "Why you little brat!" The Zatch look-alike shouted. Tia stood on front of Zatch and spread her arms out, defending him. "Tia! What are you doing! Run!" He pleaded to her. He tried to get up, but his body told him otherwise. She turned her head to the side. She gave a small smile as tears started to slide down her cheeks. "Zatch, promise me something. You'll become the kind king you said you would. And you'll put an end to this fighting!"

Zeno laughed. "hahaha, fine, if you want to die first then so be it!" He held out his hand. "But about Zatch becoming king…" He started as he charged his stronger version of the Zaker spell. "That won't be happening…because I'm becoming king!" he shouted as he fired the Teo Zaker spell from his palm. The lightning spell tore up the ground as it traveled, "TIA!" Zatch cried out. He could do nothing but watch in horror. It hit Tia with a great force. Zatch's eyes filled with shock. There was an explosion and Zeno laughed. The smoke cleared. Zeno's eyes widened. What! Impossible! How can she still be standing?

Tia stood there, shakily, but soon slowly fell on the ground, lying on her side. That's better… Zeno thought. "What a worthless Mamodo! Sacrificing her life for a weakling like you! She never deserved to live!" "Tia..."

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"Kiyo…Tia's spell book. It, it stopped glowing." Megumi stated. "That could be bad, we should move faster." Kiyo stated. There was a blinding red flash from Zatch's red spell book. Kiyo opened it. "Wh-what the? All the spells, they're disappearing. I can't read them!" Kiyo exclaimed.

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Zatch's mouth opened, and out from it fired the Zaker spell. He fired it without Kiyo reading the spell, nor did he become unconscious during the spell. The lightning hit Zeno, knocking the Mamodo into a tree. He left a deep imprint in the tree. Zatch had his head down, and his shoulders were rising up and down from his breathing.

How did he… The grey haired Mamodo's thoughts were cut off by Zatch.

"Tia…she was kind…friendly…and caring…but most of all…" Zatch lifted his head and faced Zeno. "…she was my friend!" Zatch shouted with tears forming in his eyes. "The only worthless Mamodo is you!"

Lightning shot down from the sky and hit Zatch. Memories came to him, the Mamodo World, what it was like, and everything he had forgotten, had rushed into his mind. "You were always like this! You only think of yourself, destroying to please your boredom. You've gone too far, Zeno!" He began to glow in a rainbow colored aura. "You don't understand what it MEANS to be King!" The blonde boy shouted. Zatch opened his mouth, and a yellow orb formed. Zatch aimed at Zeno and fired his Zakerga spell. The concentrated lightning beam headed at high speeds towards the grey hairedMamodo. Zeno jumped out of the way and skidded on one knee to the side, but his eyes widened as Zatch was already charging at him, surrounded by his multi-colored aura. He's faster than normal… Zeno thought, and he jumped backjust in the nix of time. He grinned as the heavy punched missed him. But the wave of air followed by the punch knocked Zeno off balance, and Zatch fired another Zaker spell at him, knocking him back into a tree.

Zatch threw a strong punch into the grey haired Mamodo's stomach. Zeno gagged up blood. "You're the pathetic one…" Zatch murmured just loud enough for the grey haired Mamodo to hear.

Zeno opened his fist, and was readying to shoot his Zakeruga spell. The blonde haired Mamodo jumped backwards at Zeno's action, and defended against the attack with Ra-Shield. The lightning blast barely scratched the giant shield. The shield disappeared, along with Zatch.

Zeno peered around for the boy. "Coward…show yourself!" The dark Mamodo exclaimed. He heard a small rustle from behind him, and quickly turned around and fired the Zaker spell. It was only a bush. He thought…

He felt something grab him from behind. The dark Mamodo slowly turned his head, and as he did so, he saw his look-alike firing the Zaker spell. He was pushed forward by the force of the lightning and almost lost his balance, but the grey-haired Mamodo with-stood the attack. Zatch landed on his feet. "Enough games!" Zeno yelled. "This….ends…NOW!" the grey-haired Mamodo yelled. He held his hand into the air, as lightning swirled in the sky, forming a huge lightning pillar. Zeno released the Barugirudo Zakeruga spell, and the giant bolt struck Zatch. The area around the boy incinerated into ashes.

"-Huff- -huff- -huff- heh…" Zeno caught his breath and smirked as he saw the bright pillar/bolt strike Zatch. Then, Zeno heard thatvoice…the voice of his look-alike. "You…Zeno…Do not know what it means…to fight for the ones you care about!" The pillar of white lightning turned into yellow lightning. "N-no! H-h-h-how…can this be!" Zeno backed up frightened. He never knew what it meant to be scared, but now he felt it. "S-stay away!" Zeno pleaded, he kept backing up as Zatch walked towards him. Zatch had absorbed the energy from Zeno's attack, and converted it into his own power. He was emitting a strong energy, and lightning was flying out of the energy around him. "Zeno! It's over!" Zatch yelled, as his mouth opened and the orb formed. The energy around his body was being transferred to the orb, and it grew in size and power. "This is for Tia!" Zatch shouted. He fired the Zakerga spell, only it was stronger than normal. Zeno was frozen in fear; his eyes were locked onto the energy-swirling lightning beam heading straight for him. He was nailed right in the stomach, and the beam tore right through him, and carried him through the bases of trees. "Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" The grey haired Mamodo screamed in agony. The scream faded.Zatch ended the spell, and fell down on one knee.

"Gah…-huff- -huff-" Zatch swallowed hard and took deep breaths. I…I did it…I beat… Zatch couldn't remember the Mamodo's name, and all the memories that had come back to him, once again vanished. The aura around him disappeared. "-Gasp- Tia!" He stood up shakily, but regained his balance and ran towards the red-head Mamodo.

Kiyo and Megumi rushed from the trees. "There he is!" Kiyo pointed out. They began running towards him, but stopped. "Zatch…?" Kiyo heard the boy crying.

"Tia…please, Tia, say something…!" Zatch pleaded. Streams of tears fell from his eyes. He scooped the girl's seemingly lifeless body into his arms and held her close. "No…" Zatch murmured. Kiyo and Megumi drew closer, Megumi faster than Kiyo. "Tia!" Megumi screamed. "Zatch! What happened here!" Kiyo questioned loudly as he examined the scene. There were scorch marks everywhere, and an incredibly large one in one spot. The trees were either burnedto the ground or had large imprints in them.Zatch didn't reply. He began to cry harder. To Zatch, it was like they weren't even there. He stood, and walked away carrying Tia's body in his arms as he cried. Megumi and Kiyo exchanged glances, andfollowed them with worried expressions on their faces.

Zatch…I can hear you crying, but…where are you? I feel so warm and content…where am I?

Tia flinched and slowly opened her eyes. "Za…tch…? The girl's vision was blurry. The boy stopped in his tracks. "T-Tia!" Zatch held her closer to his face, and smiled. She weakly gave him a hug, and she began to regain her vision. "I thought you were-" Zatch didn't finish; he was stopped by Tia placing her lips on his. She kissed him tenderly. Zatch's eyes widened. It lasted about twenty seconds, and then Tia softly broke the kiss. She gazed at him. But then Zatch set her on her own feet, and started spitting onto the ground. "-blah- -spit- Tia, what was that for?" He asked spitting unto the ground. "WHAT!" Tia became infuriated. She punched him about three times as hard has she punched Zeno. Zatch went flying into a large rock, and cracks shot throughout the boulder as Zatch hit it. He left a large imprint. "You idiot! Don't you know anything about love?" she screamed at him. Kiyo and Megumi, who were watching from a distance, had sweat drops on the back of their heads.

A.N.: Well, there's CH3. Hoped ya liked it. Review...reviewreviewREVIEW! heh.