Author's Note: This is basically the story of how Seitaro Takamine (Kiyo's father) and Zatch became aquainted in the first place. Of course, the book/show didn't show everything, so some of it was made up by me, but I tried to make it sound accurate.I'm keepingallthe basic 'finishing points', which were what appeared in the actual series.Thank you for reading!
:P
PART I:
The fresh greenery of the open fields rolled out all around Seitaro; down from the hills, stretching out far beyond what he could even see. The sun was smiling pleasantly from the serene cloudless sky, and the afternoon sunshine was shining tirelessly on the landscape below. The university was far behind him, and so were his agendas and papers to read over. This was what was ahead of him; a good solid three days of freedom. This day was the ideal one for a walk through the countryside. The other days could help him ensure his work would be set up for when he had to resume it. He took his time, marvelling thoughtlessly as he went. The fields in the countryside of England were lovely at this time of day... Taking a stroll like this reminded him of his dear wife at home in Japan. She enjoyed taking walks alone with him on the odd time he managed to make it back. Ah, the thought of her dear smile and her strict but caring voice. Seitaro smiled at the thought of her, imagining her standing in the kitchen wearing her tidy white apron. And another thought came to mind. His son.
Kiyo.
Without even thinking about it, he frowned slightly. He now wondered how the boy was faring. Kiyo had become decreasingly interested in school, and exceedingly uninterested in making friends or socializing. He was smart, but his intellect seemed to have spoiled him. Seitaro wished something could be done, but with the distance between himself and his son, there was little he could do on his own. He and his wife even avoided discussion of it on the phone. And Kiyo's bitterness towards others was just growing slowly all the while.
"Hmmmm... better not to think about that," he muttered quietly, walking on. "Not today." He squinted forward. A forest stood almost centered in the flatness of the land, thick and wild and bushy. Nonetheless, it was shade from the relentless sunshine, and so it would be a suitable place for a stroll. He hadn't heard an ill word about this countryside; it was almost like nothing could go wrong here, far from the bustle of London's busy streets. The forest neared; its lush shadiness was almost starting to become too tempting. Wearing his ridiculous suit, Seitaro had to admit it was growing much too hot for him to cope with. This forest would be a nice change of temperature, at the least, and the farmers in the area had never said a word about dangers creatures living in such a place. It didn't look much like a danger, anyway. A tad bit wild, but given it was part of nature, that was to be expected.
Wandering in, there appeared to be vague pathways. He suspected people had come through before. It didn't seem unlikely, as this seemed to be the type of place people would be keen on exploring. It wasn't quite as dense as he'd previously imagined from a distance. It was comfortable, really. Birds chirped above him, unseen in the tangle of branches overheard. Sunlight filtered through here and there, providing reasonable light, but the branches provided shade that fought the heat. Small animals were common. Several times, he turned to see squirrels scamper from sight, or a rabbit dart beneath a bush. This was the kind of thing the streets of London lacked. There was a serene feeling all throughout this forest, peaceful and gentle and old, like kind elderly woman. The trees themselves looked to be ancient, untouched by farmers or construction workers. This was untouched and beautiful. Even alone, he didn't feel concerned about walking through, and the forest seemed to welcome him more than hint at ominous presence.
Seitaro spent a good deal of time taking in the calming sights of nature. What a good way to spend a day away from that university! After a good while, though, he assumed it was probably reaching into the late afternoon, and he likely ought to head back into the city. At the very least, he had put his mind at complete ease. Reaching what he deemed to be a good stopping point, he decided to head back. It was fairly open here. Several particularly thick trees sat nearby, gnarled and tall. Another squirrel dashed nervously up a tree. He followed it with his eyes. Heh. Nervous little things... Taking a last look around, he decided he would head back. But...out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something red. The professor let his eyes move back to that spot. A book. A red book.
...In the middle of a forest?
However, it was not the book at was alarming, not in the slightest. Next to it lay a small figure, like a rumbled doll, unmoving. His senses snapped back into gear. Was that a kid? Here? He watched almost uncertainly for another few seconds. No visible sign of breathing. Instantly concerned at the strangeness of this random event, he rushed over. He had been right. It was a child. A small boy with blonde hair lay unmoving. He was hardly breathing. Alarmed at this, Seitaro fumbled to pick him up and feel for a pulse. One hardly exsisted and only a vague beat sounded against his waiting fingers. Bruised, scraped and just about dead, this kid was certainly in no shape to wait up for further help. The professor's heart drummed against his chest anxiously. He would have to deal with this on his own. He got a good hold on the boy in his arms, picked up the peculiar red book, and without another through to it, raced back from whence he'd come. The university was much closer than the hospital. They had a better chance just to get back there first, he convinced himself... if the boy could hold on for that long.
What had seemed like a good walk now seemed like a cruel run in his stiff clothing. If he could make it to the car within reasonable time, maybe things would work out. It was worth a try.
The university halls had rendered themselves as almost completely desolate. Slightly disheveled, Professor Takamine reached his office. This would have to do for now. He lived in an apartment complex not far away, but even that seemed like a stretch. Gently setting the boy down on the normally obscured sofa by the window, he considered what could be done. He could try to mend the child as best as he could on his own, as he was a professor of archeology, that might not amount to much. Still, with basic first-aid skills he managed to treat the kid for shock as well as bandage up some of his injuries. Seitaro considered that possibly, if this boy were to wake up, he could explain what he'd been doing in the forest in the first place. What on earth would attack such a small child? A truly awful thought. The thought of harm coming to his own son made him sick. Gently rubbing smudges from the blonde boy's face, he frowned. A black vertical line ran down each cheek from directly under each eye. What's more, the lines were irremovable. Silent sunbeams passed through the windows, and the lingering light played across the floor and over the strange little figure. Already, his condition seemed to have improved. He was breathing recognizably now. Maybe Seitaro could wait until the next morning before bringing him to a hospital, in case. He looked like he was recovering fairly well... It couldn't have been all that long, either, could it?
Seitaro rose to his feet almost hesitantly and moved toward his desk. He could begin putting day plans together for classes with this extra time. Despite, he couldn't help but glance up over his paperwork now and then, just to watch the strange boy. He was dressed a little funny, too. They were clothes he'd never seen anywhere else. Made of a dark bluish material, they ran right down to about his ankles. They weren't robes as they lacked sleeves of any kind, and almost seemed like some form of peculiar dress. There was a broad bow in the front as well. A dress for a boy? Hmm. Even still, the outfit suited him oddly well, and managed somehow to be devoid of extreme femininity. He recollected his thoughts, resuming the task at hand. He had intended to take his class up a notch; the students in it seemed to be more advanced than he'd thought they'd get in a semester. Maybe some more advanced lessons could be in order then.
As he considered this, the professor let his eyes wander around the room a little, across his bookshelves filled with texts, along the heiroglypic posters, and ultimately winding up set on the mysterious red book. He'd forgotten about it, in all earnest. With the whole rush of making sure that kid was alright, he hadn't cared much as to where he'd put the book. It lay on the floor by the foot of one of several bookshelves, staring at the ceiling with its bold red face. Now that he thought about it, maybe that book might give him a hint or two as to what that kid had been doing when he'd been... maimed. A good idea. Pushing himself back from the desk, Seitaro walked across the room and knelt down to pick it up. The cover bore a strange symbol. Five circles interconnected by a single line that bounced off into different angles just to touch all five. There was no legible title. In a decorative rectangle at the top, there appeared to be two words, written in some strange rune. He focused on it momentarily, trying to figure out what it looked like. Those certainly weren't runes he recognized just off the top of his head. He picked up the hard-bound volume and flipped through it. He recognized nothing. It was all just page after page of the same unreadable runes written in blue. "Hmmm," he said aloud.
Rising to his feet, Professor Takamine plucked a book off his shelf, and with both books in hand, returned to his desk. In the reference text, he could find nothing at looked even remotely like the unidentifiable runes in the peculiar red book. He wasn't even sure they could be called 'runes'. No exsisting language he was aware of looked like this, and he couldn't make out a single word of it. Could that child somehow be capable of reading these words..? Maybe he didn't even speak English... Not yet ready to give up, the professor ended up searching through several other reference books before ultimately concluding that he had never studied anything like this. Where could this book have come from? Surely runes of this sort had to be hundreds or even thousands of years old, didn't they? There couldn't be an exsisting society that still wrote by means such as this. But... this book didn't look old at all. In fact, it looked quite the opposite. It looked virtually untouched, for the exception of some scuffs. Pushing the red book to the corner of his desk, Seitaro resumed his work.
Over the next two days, Professor Takamine did the best he could to nurse the boy back to health by his own means. He recovered surprisingly well, especially considering the shape he'd been in when he'd been found back in the forest. However, the professor soon wouldn't be able to committ as much time to this good cause, because regular class times would resume after the break. He wouldn't be able to spend nearly as much time in his office. He felt bad about having to leave at night, but what else could be done? He was at the university late most of the time, staying in until early morning to fully complete lesson plans and revise material he planned to go over with his archeology class. And still, that strange red book sat on the corner of his desk, mysterious and unreadable. Occassionally, he'd spend a few minutes looking through it, studying the runes as if to distinguish some sort of pattern, but he could see none. Just a jumble of rune-like symbols filling page after page, staring at him in bold blue.
On the third day, another professor asked him to join him in his office for a bit of refreshing conversation and some coffee. Having been alone for the mostpart of the past several days, Professor Takamine agreed, leaving his office. And coincidentally, it was on this third day while the professor was out that the strange blonde haired boy awoke. He rubbed at his head, feeling groggy and a little bit strange, but fine other than that. Where was he..? As far as he could gather, he was in a large room. Wooden shelves lined the walls filled with countless books. A window just behind himself cast sunshine onto the polished tile floor. The place seemed tidy and cozy, but at the same time bore an air of strictness. It was quiet. Surveying the room again, the boy came to the conclusion that he was the only one here. But... what was he doing here? And how did he get there in the first place? He recognized nothing. As a matter of fact, he couldn't remember what he'd been doing prior to coming here. Funny. Getting up cautiously, he checked around again. Nobody at all. He wandered carefully around the room, not wanting to disturb anything. The desk was piled with several intermediate text books and a neat stack of paper. On the corner sat a misfit book, different than the others. The cover was red. Something about it was vaguely familiar... but...
Curious, the boy managed to get the book off the desk without disrupting its surroundings. Looking at it was like chasing a lost thought, as though he could remember and couldn't all at the same time. His head was overcome by a rush of confusion as his mind chased after anything that could be a fragment of memory pertaining to this funny book; as though it were on the tip of his tongue and yet he was still incapable of saying whether of not he recognized its strange cover. He could remember nothing. Maybe he'd just thought it looked familiar. Pushing it carefully back onto the desktop, he decided to leave it alone for now and continue investigating this new and unfamiliar scenery. He looked around. It was a very well-kept place. Nothing appeared to ever stray out of order. It had a distinctly intellectual feel to it, as well. The books, the posters, the globe... Everything seemed to have a proper place to be in, and everything seemed to follow a preference. Most of the furniture was varnished wood. The desk intruiged him the most, however. It had the most personality because it was the most cluttered thing in the entire room. The boy looked it over again, getting up on the chair to give himself a better view. Tucked under the edge of a text on heiroglyphs, the corner of a photo was just visible. He pushed the book aside carefully, looking at the picture. A dark haired man with glasss and ripple haired woman with what appeared to be their small son. He smiled a little at the picture. It was nice.
But the book caught his eye again. He picked it up in both hands, looking it over. Its funny design didn't even come remotely close to matching the other books on the desk. The others were so much more... uniform. This was not. But still, looking at it gave him a funny feeling, like the sensation of a fleeting memory. Engaged in staring at this confusing volume, the boy was unaware of approaching voices from just outside in the hall. They grew closer, and suddenly the door to the room was unlocked and opened. Startled, the boy snapped out of his void of thought and the red book slipped from his hands, landing loudly on the desktop again. He froze.
"I- I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" he blurted suddenly.
A man in glasses stood in the doorway. The boy recognized him immediatly as the man who had been in the photo. Behind him stood another man who appeared older. His hair was starting to grey. The dark haired man with the glasses didn't appear upset, however. He merely smiled. "I'll have to leave the rest of the conversation for another time, Hyato," he said to the man behind him. "It seems something has just come up with a friend here."
"Ah, very well," said the older gentleman with an understanding nod. "Have a nice day."
The glasses man returned his gaze to the boy, who realised now he was still standing on that chair. He immediatly tried to put the book back where he'd found it and hopped down. The man was watching him with intent interest. "You don't have to be afraid," he said reassuringly. "I brought you here. It's alright."
"Oh. I'm sorry about the book."
"Don't be!" said the man, smiling benevolently. "It's yours. I found it with you." He didn't explain further, and strode into the room. "I'm Professor Seitaro Takamine. Nice to meet you! What's your name, son?"
Feeling much better about the situation as a whole, the boy smiled widely back. "Me?" The was a small pause. "I'm... I'm Zatch Bell! Nice to meet you, professor!"
At least they had that much established. Seitaro gave a nod. This boy, Zatch Bell, seemed even more strange now that he was awake. However doll-like he had appeared before, the trait seemed much more emphasized with his eyes open. They were wide and curious, and also an alarmingly electric shade of orange. His smile was animate and sweet, filled with enthusiasm. "So, Zatch," said Professor Takamine, dragging his chair away from his desk and sitting down, still facing the child. "How do you feel?"
"Just fine sir," said Zatch. He certainly wasn't shy, but he didn't seem braisin, either. "I felt a little funny when I got up, but I'm okay now!"
"Well, that's good." The professor folded his hands serenely. "I found you three days ago in a forest not too far from here," he began, his tone becoming earnest. "You were dying. I brought you back here, and with a little help, you seem to have recovered remarkably fast. Do you remember why you were there in the first place?"
Zatch thought about this. There was a mysteriously large void in his memory. What was he doing in a forest? He didn't remember any forest. To be honest, he didn't remember much of anything. Suddenly the feeling he got when looking at that book became rather desirable. It would have been a decided improvement over the way he felt now. He couldn't remember a thing, and that's all there was to it. He shook his head. "I... no. I don't remember anything," he answered, although he almost didn't want to believe it himself. "All I can remember is my name."
Professor Takamine frowned slightly and picked the book up off the desk. "You're sure you don't remember this book?"
Zatch shook his head again. "Nope."
The man set it down on his lap and opened it to a random page near the middle. "It's strange. When I found you with this book, I thought that you might be able to read it. I study all sorts of things like this. I took archaeology in university and I study runes as a hobby sometimes, but this... This, I can't read. Do you recognise this language?" He held the book up so that its strange blue writing faced the blonde boy.
"I can't read any of it," replied Zatch honestly. "I don't even know where I came from."
"This isn't very good at all, then," Seitaro Takamine said. "I thought that possibly this book would help you to find your way home. However, I can't read it, and you can't read it either, nor can you remember anything about who you are or where you come from. Do you know your parents' names, perhaps?"
"Nothing, sir. I just don't remember."
"It sounds to me like when you got hurt, you must have hit your head or something." He sighed, pushing up his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I guess that means you'll have to stay with me, then. I could use some company." The professor smiled. If Zatch had nowhere to go, he could at least offer him a place to stay until the could think of some means by which to rectify the situation. "The semester will be resuming shortly, however," he added. "Hopefully we can figure out what to do with you before then, hmm?"
"Really? You'd let me stay with you?" Zatch looked genuinely surprised.
The professor smiled at him. He was reminded a little of his own son Kiyo, back when he was younger. "Yes, really. Somehow, you'll find your way home. And I mean it."
