Wow if anyone was actually looking forward to this chapter and reading further, I apologize for the wait. School and life have proven to be hell this week, so I haven't gotten a chance to even write this for myself.

Guess that's what happens when you fail a Trigonometry class LOL oops.

I didn't know what had happened to Brago and me over the past few months. I didn't know what this overwhelming sense of fear was that had taken over my mind and body. It was as if some type of ice had spread beneath my skin and over my skeleton and made me immotile.

Everything was masked by a cloud of uncertainty, doubt and sorrow. I didn't know how it got there, I didn't know why it was there, but it was; it was time for me to search deep and find the answers I had so desperately been searching for.

I loved him.

I knew I loved him, but I didn't know how much or which type of love it was. I could feel every fiber of my being attaching itself to his. I could smell every scent that came off of him.

It was like this love had pushed my senses into overdrive. Like…like I was pregnant or something! Scandalous!

I hated it. I hated every single thing I felt and I didn't know what to do. Every day it felt like there was some type of war raging on inside of me. As if something had broken free and was now running rampant inside myself: it was something I had yet to figure out how to control.

You don't know what it's like. You can never know what it's like.

To feel pain towards someone who you know feels nothing at all; to feel as if your heart is ripping in two, slowly but surely, with the knowledge of his departure being absolute and budding quite rapidly.

No. No one knew. No one would ever know, and that's how I liked it. I'm sure part of Brago had figured it out- ha, I'm almost positive he had figured it out.

"You're acting weird," he had said to me as I kept extremely close to him while we searched through the forest for the castle, having been dropped off only a few meters from its base.

I simply laughed and tossed my ringlets over my right shoulder, keeping his book glued to my left hand and between our two bodies as we walked.

It was odd walking through this forest. There was something so…so dangerously eerie about it, and I didn't like it. It was as if…the more we walked, the more I could almost feel the fire from a few days ago singing into my skin.

True, the scars had healed quite nicely…but it was still there. There was a pinkish tone to my skin and I abhorred it with all of my being.

My figure was repugnant enough as is; I didn't need these burns scarring it more than needed.

Though, it did prove to add to the collection of lacerations that danced over my body in seemingly disorganized and scattered ribbons.

They were from all of those times with mother; all of those times she had hit me, smacked me across the face, dug her nails down my shoulder- that's what they were from.

It was not only a physically abusive relationship, but mentally as well. Every day she would tell me how much of a failure I was, how much of a disappointment to the family name I was; after someone tells you something enough, you start to believe it.

I began to believe it. I found little motivation to do anything, minus fear of being smacked around by my mother. It was a…sad…existence, to say the least.

But that was my story in the beginning, and I'm still writing, and here I am now. I am determined to change the path I am on, and I am determined to do that through Brago.

My eyes shifted to him for a short moment, looking out at the corner of his eyes where those dark marks gashed out on his face.

I smiled faintly. There was something so familiar and so nice about those marks…I couldn't put my finger on it.

But my train of thought was quickly disrupted by an explosion from ahead. Brago and I looked at each other at the same time communicating the words we didn't need to say, before both of us were running.

I didn't know I could run this fast, especially in boots. I didn't know I was capable of propelling myself so far ahead in such little time, but I was.

I think it was the fear that motivated me. That chilling grip it had upon my heart, leering, threatening to take me over and paralyze me from the inside out.

But I pushed it out of my mind; like pain, fear was only there if you believe it was there.

It didn't take us long to get into the castle and then follow the trail of unconscious humans and crumbling cement.

We raced up those destroyed stairs, hearing screams on the top and pushing ourselves faster.

When we got to the top I was stunned. There was Zatch and Kiyo, surrounded by all his weak little friends. Some of them were missing their mamodo and I figured it had gotten to the end point for many of them.

And then there was Koko. Flying high in the sky with Zophis was Koko, levitating for a moment before perching herself on a high roof top. Her book was glowing for a moment before it ceased, a dozen ancient mamodo flying down towards Kiyo and his friends.

That's when we lunged. Brago and I ran, letting off a Gigano Reis into the air and distracting them all for a moment.

A few attacks were shot at us: a multitude of green arrows, a few blinding red ones and some metal chains of sorts.

I danced around them with ease, the back of my dress flying up as my hands came down with the book, calling out with Brago's back to mine.

"Bidom Gravirei!" And then all of the air-born mamodo were smashed down into the ground, cracking it beneath them. I smiled. That would take care of a few of them.

"Sherry! Come back for more fun have we!" I heard Zophis' voice before Koko's.

"Rond Radom!" And as I turned around to whip out an attack, I saw another flurry of spells coming towards me from the right.

"Saoshi!" And just like that the pink barrier was cast around me, and the attacks clashed and broke it, leaving Brago and I just enough time to dodge the remaining ones and counter.

"Ion Gravirei!" The high frequency gravity smashed into a mamodo in front of Zophis, taking the hit as their book began to burn. I heard Zophis cackle from behind him and grit my teeth, turning o Tia and her partner.

"We don't need your help. Leave this to us." I glared and saw the human nod before I turned my attention back to Zophis, who had grabbed Koko and was now on her way out.

"Sorry I don't have time to play with you Sherry, but the real fun is just getting started!"

"Digan Teoradom!" I watched as a multitude of larger, more destructive versions of Zophis' teoradom were shot down and scattered at us and the ancient mamodo, a few of them even destroying some of Zophis' own drones.

"Ma Se Shield!" The pink shield launched and absorbed the attack for most of the group, whereas Brago and I simply dodged the attack and flew onto the edge, leaping after Zophis.

"I'm not done yet!" I cried out, stamping my feet into a pillar of the castle and calling out.

"Baber Gravidon!" Brago lunged out and overtook the whole side of the castle and some of Zophis' body within the spell. His shrill scream made me smile; it was good to know he could feel pain.

"Ah! You'll pay for that! Koko!"

"Teoradom!" His mistake was aiming at me. I simply whipped around and avoided the attack, watching as he growled and hissed at me.

"You insolent rat! Let me go or say goodbye to your precious Koko!" I grinned.

"You won't."

I guess that was a mistake.

I saw him match my grin before letting go of Koko, my eyes widening as she began to free-fall down through the air.

The spell disappeared as I lunged for Koko off of the pillar, flying down towards her. Just before I could get my arms around her, I heard Zophis laugh before appearing behind her and grabbing Koko and disappearing.

I felt the color in my body drain. I heard Koko call out a spell, but it was followed by another one from the Tia girl and a shrill yell from Zophis.

I was still falling, the wind whipping at my face violently- maliciously, even.

I could feel my whole body going numb, and yet in the back of my mind I made sure that I still had a grip on Brago's book, and that it wouldn't be hurt in my death.

It was funny, really, how I still thought of Brago even in death.

But it seemed like Death was taking an awfully long time to come pay me a visit; that was when I realized my own personal Death had come instead.

I felt Brago's arms around me before he shifted me close to his chest. He hissed my name and grabbed the jewel-topped cane from me, before whipping it out.

It flew around a high tree branch and attached itself to the thickest part of it. I screamed a bit as we swung around the branch but didn't hit anything- Brago seemed to have prevented that.

We swung for a few more moments before Brago hit the button and we dropped down to another branch. He seemed to hold me as he jumped from branch to branch, only letting me on my feet when we reached the ground.

I was just about to open up my mouth to apologize to him when I heard Koko instead.

"Dioga Teoradom!" I whipped myself around and pointed towards the oncoming attack, calling out.

"Dioga Gravidon!"

Our two attacks smashed into each other before I heard Zophis laugh.

"You really think you can beat me, Sherry? You're nothing but a coward, hiding behind a mamodo for strength!" I growled beneath my breath at this, stepping forward a bit.

"Seems like you're the coward here Zophis, not even having enough balls to come down here and say that to my face, huh?" I saw Brago smirk as I stepped back, opening up the book.

There was a vain that pulsed in Zophis' head after that.

"That's it! I'm done with the games! Koko, finish them off!"

"Digan Teoradom!" I watched as even more of those giant fireballs were let off into the air, having to dodge one of them as more crashed into the ground.

There was a deep rumbling beneath the ground, and that's when I realized something.

We were on top of a volcano. I growled before dashing back as a piece of earth overturned in front of me, and a geyser of lava erupted from it.

There was Zophis' evil laughter again.

"See Sherry! Not even you can defeat me!"

I growled audibly now.

"Rond Radom!" Then there was a spell, and I whirled around, seeing the green laser being launched at me.

I felt myself tense for a moment, and then I remembered Brago's words, his face, clear as day.

"Never close your eyes, and never fear fear."

I quickly dodged the oncoming attack, smiling at Zophis' scowl.

"Koko!" He darted away, flying into the air as yet another pool of magma shot after him.

It seemed like he was trying so much more than Brago and I, and that made smile.

There was a glimmer of hope…a small little shinning ray that gouged its way through me at that moment. I felt almost…almost like we couldn't lose; as if nothing Zophis could do at this point would make us lose.

"Oruga Radom!" I can't say I wasn't a little surprised when dragons made of the volcano's lava began to form in front of me and rush us. I opened up the book to our latest spell and smiled at Zophis, whose expression seemed to sink down to a glare as I did.

"Nyuuborutsu Shin Gurabirei!"

I saw Zophis pale as the large sphere was cast around him, keeping him from running. The gravity began to suck in everything else around him like a black hole- including his own spell.

The dragons came flying into him as Koko tried to read their defense spell, but that too imploded on itself.

I heard Zophis scream for the first time before the black hole of our spell foundered and then shattered outward, knocking Zophis down to the ground, unconscious surely.

Koko fell face down into the dirt soon after.

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief- it was over. It was finally, finally, over. I gripped Brago's book in my hands roughly and began to take a few steps forward, fumbling while Brago walked calmly and controlled at my side.

I knew we would have to take care of this at home.

And so we would.

I met up with Zatch and Kiyo before a helicopter had come to pick us up. Kiyo and I met face to face halfway across the field.

"How did you make out?" He asked me first with a light smile.

"Perfect. You?" He hesitated, and when I looked behind him, I saw the Tia girl was no longer around. I nodded to Kiyo before walking around him and up to Tia's old partner.

"You fought well. Tia should have been proud to have you as a partner; never forget that." And with a small smile and nod, I saw the girl's eyes begin to water as she nodded.

I turned around and went back to Kiyo, standing shoulder to shoulder with him and speaking up.

"Three weeks." My voice was final, but when the boy spoke up he sounded confused.

"What's in three weeks?"

"You have three weeks to tie up loose ends before Brago and I end this war."

I saw a small smirk come to his face before nodding.

"All right, we'll be ready, will you?"

I had begun walking away at this point before stopping at the helicopter. I turned my head slightly and spoke over my shoulder.

"As always."

And then we were gone.

Wow all right if someone still reads this or likes it or ya'know thinks it was horrible let me know~*~*

Also, please tell me if I'm still rushing or what not. Be honest. Be brutal. I'm a bitchy homosexual- I can handle it.

Also, let me know if you'd like anything to be changed or altered or if I'm not keeping them in character as best as you think I can.

I honestly adore suggestions haha and feedback because I don't write anywhere else anymore really, so tips on getting better would be fabulicious~

Love,

Bryan~ c: