Chapter 2

"Wow!"

Tia and Kolulu both clapped after seeing Zeno walk over to the ball, pick it up with one hand, and toss it effortlessly in the basket's direction without any hesitation. The ball made it smoothly through the basket and landed on the grass.

Zeno turned to the girls, confused. "What are you doing?"

"That was impressive, Prince Zeno."

Zeno was baffled at Kolulu's compliment. "You're impressed by something like that? It wasn't a big deal."

"Well, you made it look like it was nothing."

"That's because it was." He was starting to add annoyance to his voice. "Can you all not do something as menial as this?"

"Zatch can't." Tia teased. "He can't throw very well."

Zatch growled. "I so can! Let me try again!"

Zeno raised a brow at his brother. "I don't think your problem is throwing. You're very strong. You just have bad aim. You always had to have your human aim for you during battles."

"That's because…Kiyo, he…"

Zatch could not finish his sentence. He looked at the ground and turned away from the others. "Kiyo was just trying to help me. He would tell me to face a certain direction and…"

Zeno noticed Zatch facing the basket. "Wait, Zatch! Don't-"

"Zaker!"

A flash of gold lightning emitted from Zatch and struck the tree, making shards of bark fly. Habitually, Zeno covered himself with his mantle while Tia summoned a Seoshi spell to cover herself and Kolulu.

When the debris settled and the smoke cleared, Tia released her spell, making her bubble shield fade. "Watch it, Zatch!"

Zeno's mantle returned to its normal size. "Zatch, what the hell? You still haven't got over that bad habit of yours?"

"I'm sorry, you guys," Zatch said as he clutched the sides of his mantle. "I can't help but summon a spell whenever I think of Kiyo."

Zeno sighed. Of course, his brother couldn't help it. It was almost automatic for Zatch to summon a spell whenever he thought of his human partner. After all, Kiyo was the one who assisted in drawing out Zatch's inner strength, which led to the ultimate goal of obtaining the throne; however, drawing such inner strength also meant that Zatch could now use spells without falling unconscious. While this in itself was a benefit, as it saved a few seconds of time during battle, it did not excuse the fact that Zatch could toss spells whenever he pleased, even if he was the king. Zeno knew that Zatch was aware of this, but did not know if Zatch was seriously taking his actions into account.

Seconds passed. Tia still looked a bit irritated, and Zeno was approaching Zatch, seemingly ready to scold him. As Zeno grabbed Zatch's brooch, Kolulu spoke up to try and alleviate the sharp tension in the atmosphere. "Hey, I have an idea!"

Everyone turned to Kolulu.

"Let's play a different game," she continued. "I'm sure that'll take our minds off things."

Zatch brightened, bouncing back as if nothing happened. "Oh! Good idea, Kolulu!"

Zeno let go of Zatch's brooch. "This is ridiculous. I'm going back to work."

"But you promised you'd play with us!" Zatch begged.

"I didn't promise you anything," Zeno jabbed a finger at Zatch. "I said that I'll play your little game. Since said game is destroyed by you, my service here is done."

"Please, Prince Zeno?"

Zeno turned to Kolulu who was standing just a few inches in front of Tia.

"I'd really like it if you played with us today."

Zeno took a moment to observe her from top to bottom and back up. She had on fuchsia shoes and a long-sleeve button down pink dress that matched her pink eyes and hair. Even the ends of her curved smile had a rose-colored blush to them.

Too much pink, he thought.

However, he also took into consideration her abilities. He had witnessed her Shin Raifojio spell during the battle with Clear Note, which meant she should also have a basic level Raifojio spell aside from her shin-class level one. That was at least two spells, but that was all Zeno knew she could do. He also took into account how she didn't try to defend herself from the earlier debris, which either meant she trusted Tia enough to know that she would shield her, or she didn't have any sort of defense spells. Considering the two spells he knew she had, and how neither of them were combat or self-defense related, he concluded that she was amongst one of the most vulnerable demons in Makai. Demons of this caliber usually do not even stand in the presence of Zeno's shadow, yet she was not afraid of him and consistently asked for him to play with her and her friends.

What is she thinking? Does she even know who I really am?

"Kolulu." Never before had he said her name until today. He never had a reason to do so. She was completely innocent; ignorant to be exact, but that wasn't her fault. Zeno was curious as to how she would react if she were to discover his ruthless nature. Would she fear and despise him like Tia and the rest of Makai, or would she offer an outstretched hand like Zatch? "Alright. I'll play with you since you're the only one who addresses me properly."

Kolulu's smile grew wider. "Really?"

"More importantly…" Zeno gestured towards Zatch. "I might as well stay with you all in case my idiot brother here blows something up again."

"Hey! Who are you calling an idiom?" Zatch asked.

"I said idiot!" Zeno corrected.

"Okay, we get it!" Tia interrupted with her arms crossed. "So, what are we playing now?"

Kolulu giggled as she inched her way towards Zeno. She lightly shoved him. "Tag! You're it!"

Zatch, Tia, and Kolulu all ran in different directions and disappeared behind bushes and trees. Zeno stood dumbfounded at Kolulu's action and looked around. "Hey! Why did you push me?"

All three kids who went to hide came from behind their spots. Tia looked at Zatch with her arms in the air, a confused look on her face. Kolulu was also confused and slowly approached Zeno, unsure if he was joking and ready to tag her back; but if he genuinely wasn't lying, he'd be pissed at the gesture she performed earlier. "Um, Prince Zeno?"

"What?" He snapped at her.

"We're playing tag."

"What is this tag you speak of?"

Kolulu stared at him for a moment, surprised that he was unfamiliar with the game. "Um, can you excuse us for a little bit?"

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Kolulu went to find Tia and Zatch until all three of them were crouched in a circle behind a bush that was several feet away from Zeno. Kolulu started the conversation. "Zatch, is your brother, um…challenged?"

"I heard that!" Zeno shouted from his spot.

All three of them froze and moved further away to try and not get within Zeno's hearing range. Once they settled on another area of the courtyard, Kolulu resumed the conversation. "He has good hearing."

"Yeah." Zatch agreed.

"Anyway, Zatch, does he not know how to play?" Kolulu asked.

"Well, he hasn't really had the opportunity to play with others. Remember, he had to spend long days training and…" Zatch trailed off, realizing what he had just said. "Oh…"

"Oh?!" Tia threw her hands in the air until they slapped down on her knees. "Are you serious? Zatch, haven't you thought of that before?"

"Now, hold on, Tia." Kolulu stopped Tia from grabbing on to Zatch again. "This might be a great opportunity for us to show Zeno how to play with other kids. I don't think tag would be a good first game though. Let's try other games with him."

"Like what?" Tia asked.

After several moments of brainstorming, they eventually came from their hiding spot and offered alternative games to Zeno. Albeit, they all deemed unsuccessful.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors?"

Zeno deemed the game boring and nonstrategic.

"Jump rope?"

The rope ended up hitting Zeno in the face, which only ticked him off, making him burn the rope with a Zaker spell.

"Simon Says?"

"Who is this Simon?" Zeno questioned. "I refuse to submit to his will."

After several other suggestions, Zatch, Tia, and Kolulu returned to their spot. Tia kicked a rock into a nearby lake. "None of these are working!"

"Well, he's defiantly not challenged," said Kolulu.

"He's actually very gifted," Zatch added.

Tia grabbed another rock and threw it in the lake before turning to the others. "If he's so gifted, why can't he make sense of all these games?"

"I heard that!"

All three of them stiffened when they heard Zeno's voice again, but instead of moving to a different spot, they formed a huddle and spoke softly.

"Zatch, what does Zeno like to do for fun?"

"Huh?" Zatch turned to Kolulu who asked the question. "How should I know?"

"You're his brother," Tia said.

Zatch looked at the ground and made small circles in the grass with his finger. "Well, yeah, but we don't really hang out much. We've only started living together recently, and he's been busy with work while I've been busy with my studies. I really don't know what he's into."

"I kind of don't want to know what he's into," Tia said.

After Kolulu gave Tia a quick glance from her comment, she tuned to Zatch. "Well, now's a good time. Why don't you go up to him and ask what he likes to do?"

"Okay!" Zatch took no time to break their huddle and waltzed up to Zeno with a cheerful smile while the girls stayed in their spot to watch from a distance.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"Hey, Zeno! What do you like to do for fun?"

"Me?" Zeno's eyes grew wide as he watched Zatch approach him. Never before had anyone asked him what he liked to do for fun. It was always training and working; one difficult and hellish task on top of another that having spare time was nearly impossible, but it would sometimes cross his mind as to what he would do if he was ever given the opportunity. Since that opportunity never came, the thought and desire to play with other children eventually faded away. Even now, with work, and Zatch having his king studies, playtime was out of the question. He would always reject Zatch's requests to play for the sake of his educational wellbeing. Yet, when Zatch asked his question just now, it's as if that faded desire was starting to churn up again.

Zeno's eyes glinted and he showed his fangs as he smiled. "I'm glad you asked." Zeno lunged for Zatch, pinned him to the ground, and held him in a headlock. He jammed his knuckles against the top of Zatch's head and chuckled. "I like torturing you. This is for not listening to me earlier."

Zatch kicked along the ground as he gripped Zeno's arm that was around his neck. "Ah! Stop! Stop it! It hurts!"

Tia went over to the wrestling boys, but kept a short distance to avoid Zatch's flail kicks. "Let him go, Zeno!"

Zeno snickered. "Why should I listen to you?"

Kolulu came up from behind Tia. "Please, Prince Zeno? We just wanted to know what games you want to play instead."

Zeno glanced at her. She looked the same except her rosy smile was replaced with an opened mouth frown. Her sullen face didn't suit her; it was pathetic, and the fact that he was the cause of her pathetic expression made him feel as if he was actually the pathetic one. He released Zatch who ended up coughing and gasping for air while rubbing his head. Zeno folded his arms and turned his face away. "So…you want to know what I want to do? Follow me."

Zeno started walking towards the castle and felt the presence of the other three kids silently following him. After Zatch commented on entering through the window of Zeno's office, Zeno glared at him, made a remark about how improper that was, and processed to walk around the castle to get to the front entrance. He could have teleported, and Zatch would have followed him, but it would have been trouble for the girls to follow since they did not have mantles made of magical cloth, so the best solution was to walk.

Once inside, the girls marveled at the polished marble floors and walls. Stone pillars embroidered with red and gold jewels stretched from floor to ceiling, and a lightning bolt symbol was engraved at the middle of almost every pillar.

The castle was brightly lit with chandeliers that hung low from the ceiling; their reflections seen on the glossed floor. The girls decided to make it a game to not step on the titles that had a chandelier reflection. Zatch noticed what they were doing and eventually joined them, their giggles entwining and echoing down the halls. Such noise only made Zeno sigh in annoyance.

They all started to see several servants approach them and bow. "Good day, your majesties."

Zatch and Zeno both nodded silently at every servant who addressed them. The girls, who were not acknowledged at all, quietly followed the boys once Zatch stopped playing their tile-chandelier game and started addressing his servants. They seemed nervous when Zatch adopted a different countenance. They were used to seeing him playful and cheerful that it was both surprising and admirable to see Zatch suddenly change into his kingly visage.

"We're here."

Zeno stopped in front of a large door with a silver lightning bolt in the middle. The bolt had a glistening amethyst at its center. "This is my room," he said.

"And that's my room," Zatch said as he pointed down the hall towards a door identical to Zeno's, except it had a gold lightning bolt with a shining ruby at its center instead.

Zeno pushed the door open and both girls gasped. The room was large, even for an adult demon. The tiles that were in the halls filled this room as well. A king-sized bed was in the corner, its sides draped with white curtains that fell from the top of the bed's pillars to allow for privacy. A large white desk and chairs were against a window that oversaw the royal garden with a large greenhouse erected in the distance. There was also another door against the wall opposite of the bed, presumably to be Zeno's private bath. Yet, despite the largeness of the room, with all its glory and brightness, there was an overhanging feel of lonesomeness to it.

"Wow! This room is so big!" Kolulu couldn't stop gaping and seemed as if she wanted to touch everything.

"But where are all your toys?" Tia asked.

"Shut up. I'm getting to that." Zeno went to his desk to open his drawer and pulled out a folded board and a small box. Once he unfolded the board on his desk, it showed a pattern of small black and white tiles. He opened the box and started placing smaller black and white pieces on opposite ends of the board.

"What kind of game is this?" Kolulu asked.

"It's Chess," Zeno answered.

"Oh, I've never played it before."

"Sit." Zeno gestured towards the seat opposite of him. "I will teach you."

Kolulu took a seat across from Zeno while Zatch and Tia watched and listened as Zeno explained how to play. The first game was a practice run, which Zeno naturally won, but once Kolulu understood the game, she wanted to play another round to make sure she fully grasped everything correctly. A few minutes in to the second game, Zatch yawned, which only attracted a glower from Zeno. "If you don't appreciate this, then do something else."

Zatch winced at Zeno's comment, internally complaining that there was nothing else to do in this room. Unlike his own room, which had toys splayed on the floor, Zeno's room was kept tidy everyday by the servants. The servants also tried to clean Zatch's room, but Zatch insisted that they didn't work so hard for his sake, especially since he'll end up playing with everything again the next day. Another reason was that it pleased Zatch to have a vivacious room. This was most likely due to him playing alone all the time. If he saw how empty his room was every day, it would surely remind him that there would be no time for playdates and to resume his royal studies. Seeing the toys on the floor would take his mind off work and prompt him to have some playtime. The servants had no choice but to oblige to the young king. Yet, despite the lively and colorful room of a child, there was still a pendulous feel of loneliness to it.

The silence broke when Zatch's stomach growled. Everyone turned to him as he brought a hand to his stomach. "I'm hungry."

"Me too," said Tia.

Kolulu moved one of her pieces on the board. "I could go for a snack."

Zeno looked out the window and observed the position of the sun. "It's about lunch time anyway. Zatch, why don't you call one of the maids to bring us lunch for us and our guests?"

"Oh! Can we eat out in the garden?" Kolulu asked. "I love flowers."

Zatch and Tia were thrilled at the idea of having a picnic and sided with her, but Zeno was against it. "I don't have a problem with you girls going, but once lunch arrives, Zatch and I must go back to work."

"What?" The other three cried in unison.

Zatch brought his hands together in a begging gesture. "Please, let's play a little bit longer?"

"No."

"Please, Prince Zeno?"

There it was again. Prince Zeno. The words only coming from Kolulu to emphasize her respect for him. She stated earlier that she would have liked it if all four of them played today and even agreed to a game of chess with him. Zeno was starting to think that she was intelligent for her age due to both quickly understanding a game of chess whilst appreciating its aesthetics enough to play another round.

Zeno took a short pause to contemplate. "I suppose."

Kolulu brightened, cheeks turning rosy again. "Really? Thank you!"

"Besides, you played at least one game of chess with me. I don't mind accommodating to your request."

Kolulu's smile grew wider and her entire countenance expressed indescribable gratitude. "Thank you, Prince Zeno! Thank you!"

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

…unless someone other than Zatch shows kindness to him.

Kiyo was just leaving the restroom and heading back to class as he was pondering on the last sentence he read from his letter. "Someone other than Zatch to show Zeno some kindness, huh?" He said out loud to himself. For a moment, he laughed at the thought. The first few images he had of Zeno were not pleasant depictions of the small demon. He remembered that Zeno was the one who stole Zatch's memories, stalked them for months, and threatened to destroy Kiyo's homeland once Faudo was obtained.

Nevertheless, Kiyo's laugh was short-lived when his thoughts were overtaken by flashes of their final battle and Zeno returning Zatch's memories to him. Kiyo knew that it was possible for someone like Zeno to change, and Zatch was the perfect stepping-stone for Zeno to start opening up to others. He just needed another kind-hearted friend.

Once he got back to class, he took out the letter from under his notebook and continued reading as the teacher was lecturing.

During my time with Zeno, I haven't encountered any demon who was disinterested in fighting for the throne. Then again, I wasn't paying too much attention to the opposing demon as Zeno usually handled them quickly. Additionally, he would always lead us in the direction of a fight with a few exceptions where we would accidentally encounter one. I use the term 'accidentally' in the lightest sense as Zeno is usually exceptional when it comes to sensing another demon's presence. If we ever ran into a demon on 'accident' or 'by chance' it was due to the demon's power being too weak for Zeno to care to notice. For instance, we came upon a pair when we were in Holland. They didn't look to be the type Zeno would hunt down, but he still wanted to battle with them. Knowing Zeno, they must have insulted him somehow for him to have the desire to fight someone with weak energy. There have only been a few fights where I had to seriously use spells. Our battle on Faudo was the first and last real fight I've had with another human-demon pair.

Kiyo immediately thought of Apollo and Ropes at the mention of "Holland" and how Apollo visited him at his middle school to inform him about Zeno. Connecting the two accounts – the first he heard directly from Apollo and the second being from this letter – everything made sense. Apollo and Ropes were strong, but not strong enough for Zeno to deliberately bother with them. From what Apollo had told him, they did mistaken Zeno for Zatch at the time, and considering how bitter Zeno was towards Zatch, that alone was reason enough for him to want to burn their book.

But I digress. Despite his aggressive nature, it can still be quelled as shown after our fight atop Faudo. As I said, there was no demon we have come across who did not want to fight. I'm sure some of them exist, but with Zatch's demeanor, not only would strong demons hunt him to try for a quick win, but he would have attracted more gentle demons as well, hence his alliance with so many others. I'm sure you must have encountered some who matches my description. If so, perhaps all is not lost for Zeno. In other words, if Zatch knows anyone with a kind deportment who's willing to open their heart to anyone, and Zatch and Zeno now live together, it's only a matter of time until Zeno meets Zatch's caring friend. How Zeno would react to said friend remains a conundrum.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

During lunch, the demon children talked amongst themselves. Zeno wanted to eat away from the group, but was rooted due to Zatch's and Kolulu's insistence. Zeno was mostly quiet and only spoke when someone asked him a question, which wasn't often. For the few times he did speak, he said very little and only listened to their idle chatting. At one point, Zatch pointed at the sky and created a game where everyone had to guess the shape of the clouds. Whenever it was Zeno's turn, he would either give a quick response before resuming his meal, or not answer at all.

After the food had settled, and the servants came to take away their trays, Zatch wanted to play on the swing-set that was placed behind the greenhouse. It wasn't noticeable before when they were all in Zeno's room since it was hidden behind the greenhouse. Zatch, however, knew it was there since he played on it alone often.

The swing-set was only meant for two since it was originally made for Zatch and Zeno. Zatch and Tia went first while Zeno and Kolulu sat on a bench, their backs touching the walls of the greenhouse. Kolulu observed Zeno as he took out a Yo-yo from his mantle and started playing with it. Kolulu marveled at the many looping tricks he was silently performing with such smooth and flawless movements.

Zeno noticed her staring and brought the Yo-yo back to his hand. He stared back at her.

Kolulu noticed him staring. Other than Zatch's and Tia's playful cries in the background, there was awkward silence between them. She decided to break the ice. "Uh, that looks really cool," she said. "I've never seen anyone do tricks like you do."

He started doing his tricks again and looped the strings around his fingers without getting them entangled. "I have a unique spell that functions as a giant Yo-yo, but all of my spells come forth through my hands. This is merely an exercise, but I've grown to be very good with my hands."

"Can I try?"

Zeno brought the Yo-yo to his hand. He removed the string from his finger and looped it around Kolulu's right middle finger. She held the Yo-yo for a moment only to admire it for a bit. She soon opened her palm and the toy fell to the ground without returning to her. She blinked a few times, wondering if she broke it, but she pulled her hand up. The Yo-yo ended up flying back and hitting her square in the nose.

"Ow!" She cried and held her nose.

Zeno laughed. "It's not easy for someone like you, is it?"

"Hey!"

With Kolulu still holding her nose, both she and Zeno turned to the direction of the voice. They saw Zatch standing by the swings and waving at them. "Zeno! Kolulu! Watch this!"

Zatch stood on one of the swing seats and used his weight to gain momentum. Tia sat on the swing next to him and watched with a raised brow. "Zatch, what are you doing?"

Zatch counted, saying each number whenever he swung forward. "One…two…three!"

At "three", Zatch jumped off and landed several feet from the swing-set. He turned to Tia, fists on either side of his hips. "I bet you can't jump farther than me, Tia!"

"Oh, yeah?" Tia gripped the sides of the swing and started swinging. She gained momentum faster than Zatch and swung higher. When it seemed like she was about to loop around the entire swing-set, she started counting. She jumped at "three" and landed past Zatch's spot. "Ha! I win!"

"Not yet!" Zatch pointed at the pink and silver pair on the bench. "You still have to beat Zeno and Kolulu."

"I'm not interested," Zeno said as he took the Yo-yo from Kolulu and put it in his mantle.

"That looks like a lot of fun," Kolulu said before looking down at the ground. "But I don't think I can do it."

She murmured that last part, which meant that only Zeno heard it. "Are you afraid?"

"What?" She looked up at him, blushing with embarrassment. "Uh…"

Zeno grabbed her hand and walked over to the now empty swing-set, swings still swaying slightly from Zatch's and Tia's recent jumps. Kolulu tried to pull her hand away, but his grip remained firm as he exceeded her in strength, making her attempts fail.

"Wait! What are you doing?"

Zeno pushed her down on one of the seats and he jumped behind her on the same seat. As she gripped the sides of the swing, he tightened his hands over hers, so she wouldn't run off. He placed weight on his feet and started swinging with Kolulu.

"What are you doing?" She asked again.

"We're going to jump," Zeno said.

"What?" Kolulu noticed they were starting to swing higher and faster. She tried to pull away, but to no avail as Zeno only tightened his grip.

Zeno started to count. "One."

"I don't want to!"

"Two."

"Stop!"

"Three."

"NO!"

Zeno jumped off the swing once they reached their peak height, pushing Kolulu off with his body weight in the process since he was directly behind her. Kolulu screamed as she flew through the air. She flailed to try and grab something, but could only hold on to Zeno's mantle as he held her in midair.

The moment was too quick. Zeno flew over Zatch and Tia and landed without stumbling with his arms outstretched on either side of him. He looked back at Zatch and Tia who were gaping. "We win," Zeno said with a cheeky smile.

With his arms still outstretched, he looked down at the pink haired girl who wrapped herself around Zeno. "You can let go now," he told her.

Kolulu didn't say a word. She continued gripping Zeno's being as if her life depended on it. He started to push her off. "Get off of me!"

He was a tad bit too forceful. Kolulu fell hard on the ground and started to cry. Her wails beckoned Zatch and Tia to her side, and they helped her up from the ground. "Kolulu, are you okay?" Zatch asked.

"Stupid! Why did you do that? I said I didn't want to!"

Zeno saw her red face and teary eyes, but was more annoyed at her loud cries. "You're so noisy," he said.

This only made Kolulu bawl harder. She ran into the greenhouse, which was tall and large enough for adult demons, making the greenhouse seem like a small forest for children their size.

"She'll get lost in there!" Tia exclaimed.

Zatch ran after her, calling her name over and over.

Zeno crossed his arms. "Whatever. At least this way I can finally go back to work."

Tia walked past him towards the greenhouse. She paused before speaking, her back towards him. "I never liked you anyway."

Zeno snorted. "Like I care about what you think of me."

Tia slightly turned her head, but still refused to face him directly. She ran after Zatch, also calling Kolulu's name.

Zeno was left standing alone with only occasional shouts from Zatch and Tia calling for Kolulu until their voices trailed off, signifying that they were deep inside the greenhouse. Zeno started to walk in the opposite direction towards the castle, wanting to get back to what he was doing earlier. He stopped when he started hearing Zatch and Tia crying for Kolulu again, each cry emphasizing that they were unsuccessful in their search. He looked back at the greenhouse and thought of their chess game, her attempting to play with the Yo-yo, and her offering to share her sweet tarts with him during lunch. He despised sweet things, but didn't know why he still accepted her offer. He slowly closed his eyes and sighed.

He started to run towards the greenhouse. "Dammit."