Zatch Bell Fan Fiction ❯ The Suite Life ❯ Chapter 1

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

The Suite Life

A KNGB (Zatch Bell) fan fic by Wega the blue sun

No copyright infringement intended, these characters don't belong to me. This fic does belong to me.

An overnight stay in a nasty hotel room further strains already frazzled nerves.

"What a dump!" Brago said upon opening the door to the hotel room they'd just rented for the night. Sherry had to agree with his assessment. The furniture was rickety and mismatched and the carpet had long since given up trying to be a mere floor covering. It resembled an old topographical map, uneven colors and lumpy hills and valleys decorated the damp surface. God knows what lives underneath the filthy thing, most likely a million roaches, Sherry thought.

But it was late, she was tired and this was the only hotel in the tiny town they'd fought the most recent battle in. The opponents had been so weak that their passing went unnoticed. One more mamodo defeated, one more book destroyed meant that she and Brago were so much closer to the final goal.

Brago strode into the room, whipped off his cloak and tossed it onto the wide bed occupying most of the room. Two old chairs, a nightstand and an old TV on a wheeled cart made up the rest of the furnishings. Two hideous printed pictures in warped frames hung on the stained walls. A large mirror was strategically located across the bed. "You have got to be kidding me", Sherry whispered. "What?" Brago asked. She shook her head by way of a reply. How desperate did someone have to be to come to a place like this for sex, she wondered.

The room stank of stale beer, cigarettes and sweat. For a moment Sherry seriously considered leaving again. There was a nice bridge not too far away, they could camp out ...Then she walked to the window and began to struggle with the lock. A large collection of dead flies and cigarette butts decorated the window sill. The lock refused to open and Sherry wondered if the window had been screwed shut.

"Want to try your luck with this?" she asked her companion. "It won't open for me ..." Brago had been watching her futile attempts to get fresh air into the room, but he wasn't in any mood to be helpful. He had planted himself in the middle of the room. With his hands thrust into his pockets and a fierce scowl on his face he looked even more morose than usual. "We should have gone on further, there's no point in staying here" he snarled. Ever since the fight he'd been in a foul mood, frequently griping about the lack of opportunity to do serious battle. Sherry looked at the little mamodo and considered her next move carefully.

Maybe she should yell at him for his lack of consideration, that was a perennial favorite of hers, but sadly ineffective. Or maybe she should calmly explain that if she went another night without sleeping she'd either go berserk or die outright and either way he'd never become king. That would teach the little bastard, she thought. The image of Brago tearing out his hair by the fistful while standing over her dead body almost made her laugh out loud.

"I'm taking a bath", she finally announced. "Try to get some fresh air in here", she said over her shoulder as she walked into the bathroom. Brago's reply drifted in behind her. Where did he learn to curse like that, she wondered. Certainly not from her.
The bathroom was even more depressing than the room she'd just left. A mildewed shower curtain partially hid a sulfur yellow tub spotted with rust stains. The tiles and the linoleum floor (what was left of it) were also yellow. The toilet was the only bright spot in this jaundiced arrangement. Sherry craned her neck to check the status of the bowl. Wonder of wonders, it was flushed and clean and the corners of the room were mercifully free of lurking spiders.

Two thin towels of faded color and pattern adorned a saggy towel rack. She sniffed the towels, they were actually fresh. "Things are looking up", she said and began to undress. The mirror over the chipped porcelain sink was nearly blind but she was still able to make out the dark circles under her eyes and her stringy hair. Lovely, she thought, just lovely.

The shelf over the sink held several full-size bottles plastic bottles and she picked up each one to examine it carefully. Shampoo, conditioner and even a bottle of mouthwash were assembled and ready to serve. She unscrewed the top of each bottle and peeked at the contents. Everything seemed fresh and clean, but the brands were unknown to her. Most likely they were the cheapest the hotel management could find, she thought.

Sherry stepped into the yellow tub and promptly slipped on the slick floor. She banged her elbow and squealed in pain. "What's going on?" Brago yelled. He must be right outside the door, Sherry realized. "Nothing! I just slipped, that's all!" she replied. He retreated mumbling unkind things about her lack of coordination. Just great, Sherry thought. Maybe she could break her neck in this thing, that would be a fitting way to cap the day. "Millionaire's daughter found dead in love nest hotel room" she imaged the newspaper headlines. "Tiny furry monster seen leaving the scene and wanted for questioning", the less respectable papers would write.

She turned on both faucets and watched a thick stream of cloudy water rush out. After a few moments the water cleared and she stopped up the drain with her heel and sat in the rapidly filling tub. A very old specimen of a soap on a rope dangled melancholy from the shower head. The soap was grey and cracked and Sherry decided to use shampoo instead. There was no way she'd touch that fossilized cake to her skin.

A few minutes later she was lathered up and gently massaged her aching muscles. Bruises and small scars covered her arms and legs and her hands and feet were in desperate need of a salon service. But there was no time for such luxuries now, her waking moments were dedicated to the mamodo battles. When she and Brago weren't fighting another team they were looking to find one. It had been like this for some time now, ever since Brago had come to her on that fateful day when Coco and Zophise had tried to kill her. Coco, you're lucky I love you, Sherry thought and rubbed her burning eyes, only succeeding in making the shampoo suds sting even more.

If only Coco had been stronger and resisted Zophise's evil influence she could be back home and enjoying the good life now. But no, Coco had to work out her insecurities by torching a town and then taking off for parts unknown. Sherry had agreed to team up with Brago because he had a good chance at defeating the other aspirants to the crown and that meant Coco's evil sidekick would have to face them sooner or later. Sherry looked forward to this fight, not just to free Coco but also because Zophise would endure terrible pain and agony before being banished to the mamodo's world. The thought of Zophise's suffering never failed to cheer Sherry up.

Sherry stood up to rinse off. The water was turning cooler but she finished just before it became icy. She wrapped up her dripping hair in a towel and used the remaining one to dry off. Her dress hung from a hook on the door and she critically examined it. It wasn't petal fresh, but clean enough to wear another day. Although she always packed a fresh set of underwear she hadn't brought another dress. Jii wouldn't arrive until the next day and she had no choice but to wear the garment until then. Not surprisingly the hotel didn't provide courtesy robes.

When she opened the door a whiff of fresh, cool air greeted her. Brago had relocated to the bed and was examining a large TV remote. The TV was still dark and Sherry guessed that his clawed fingers weren't good at pushing the spongy buttons, besides, he most likely wasn't familiar with the appliance. Let's see how long it takes him to ask for help, she thought and sat down on the opposite side of the bed. Naturally the mattress was lumpy and the springs squeaked. For lack of anything better to do she examined the nightstand. Hideous lamp, rotary phone, dirty ashtray. There was probably a Gideon bible in the single drawer, but Sherry wasn't interested in devotional reading, at least not while a demon sat beside her. If nothing would doom her soul to eternal hellfire, that might.

Brago finally gave up and tossed the remote on the bed. "It's broken", he mumbled. Sherry picked up the remote and pointed it at the TV. An audible click was followed by a rush of voices from the flickering screen. She suppressed a grin and politely handed the remote to her partner. He took it without a word of thanks and began to try out the buttons. Sherry leaned back and closed her eyes. Nearly every muscle screamed in exhaustion. The TV screamed too because Brago had discovered the volume button.

"Keep it down!" she said and cracked a tired eye at her partner. He snorted disdainfully and continued to change the channels rapidly. The flickering made her head ache and she snatched the remote out of Brago's hand and turned down the volume. "Let's see what's on" she said and ran through the channel lineup. News, sports, movies ...One of the images peaked Brago's attention. "Go back!" he ordered. Sherry clicked until a wave of his hand indicated she'd found the right channel. An old samurai movie was playing. She'd seen this movie many years ago, in fact it was considered a classic.

Sherry leaned back and rested her head on the thin pillows. Brago was so absorbed into the bloody fight on screen that she was able to observe him without him noticing. He rested his chin in his sharply clawed hands which he propped up on his knees. Naturally he'd kept his boots on. The relaxed position almost made him look - well, human, she thought. If it weren't for the ash grey skin, the pointy teeth, the bluish black hair and the luminous eyes with their red irises he could be someone's bratty kid brother. An annoying teenager, hyper aggressive and deathly embarrassed by any show of emotion would find much in common with the young mamodo male.

Her attention was diverted back to the TV. One of the warriors wore a net shirt and a furry cape, an outfit similar to Brago's. "He's copying your style", she said. Brago looked at her with a total lack of comprehension. "What are you talking about?" he asked, none too friendly. "The outfit, didn't you see it?" Sherry insisted. He only rolled his eyes and turned back to the movie. What a humorless jerk, Sherry thought.

She rolled over to the other side and pulled the thin cover up to her chin. Something dark and bristly tickled her nose and she screamed and leapt out of bed. Brago had jumped in the opposite direction and now stood glaring at her as if she were a lunatic. "What is wrong with you, woman?" he shouted and jerked the covers off. There was his cloak scrunched up by her pillow. "Oh ...I thought it was a ...never mind." She climbed back into the bed and shoved the cloak over as far away from her as possible. "You should hang it over a chair" she said and wrinkled her nose. "What is it made of anyway, dog fur?" Brago flung the maligned garment towards a chair and threw himself back onto the bed. "I hate this world and everything in it!" he hissed. "Thanks a lot!" Sherry replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Although she was utterly exhausted sleep proved elusive. Brago tired of the movie and turned the TV off and Sherry was now able to make out the myriad noises coming from their surroundings. Not too far off people were arguing and music blared. "Just great!" she murmured and stuffed her index fingers into her ears. Brago got up and flung the door open. The noise increased and the neon lights of a police cruiser painted the walls.

"Get back in, I don't want the cops to see you!" she said. Brago only looked at her with a smug expression. "They aren't looking for me", he pointed out. "No, they probably aren't but ...just get back in here!" she snapped. He seemed blissfully unaware that his mere appearance might raise the suspicions of a nervous cop. Brago shrugged and pulled the door shut. "Looks like the people across are getting arrested", he volunteered. "Good, maybe I'll get some sleep tonight after all" Sherry said and flopped back down.

Brago remained in the middle of the floor, his arms resolutely crossed over his chest. "I'm hungry!" he announced. "There is a vending machine in the front office, get some money from my belt and ..." "I need meat, not junk!" the mamodo clarified. "There's a Burger King right up the road, try the whopper!" Sherry replied. If she weren't so tired his dogged insistence might seem hilarious, but Brago saw no humor in this situation at all.
"Well?" he insisted. "Well what?" Sherry said. "I can't get you anything substantial at this time, so you'll just have to wait. You won't starve until tomorrow." She looked at the little mamodo in amazement. He thought nothing of driving her on until she was ready to collapse but expected his needs to be met immediately.

Brago picked up his cloak and strode to the door again. Cool air and perfect silence streamed in as he stepped out. "Wait here!" he said over his shoulder and slammed the door shut. Sherry sat up and considered the situation. Surely he wouldn't go hunting now? The hotel was close to a busy road, there were a few houses not too far off...what kind of game could he possibly find here, she wondered. Maybe he'd catch a few stray pets. The thought was nauseating and she quickly dismissed it. Oh well, he was able to take care of himself and she was too tired to care. She flopped back on the bed and fell asleep.

The next morning she awoke with a start. Had she only dreamt that Brago had walked off? There he was, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking as morose as ever. "Did you leave last night?" she asked. "Do you know that you snore?" he replied. "Never mind!" she snapped, ignoring the insult. "You better get ready, it's getting late and we're supposed to meet the old man today" the mamodo stated flatly. "His name is Jii!" was her sharp reply as she pulled the bathroom door shut. Brago's refusal to give a straight answer was enraging, but he was right about the time. Jii would worry if they didn't show up as agreed.

A few minutes later she emerged from the bathroom. "Let's go!" she said. "You forgot something", Brago replied. Sherry checked her belt. Black book, money, dirty underwear tightly wrapped up in a plastic bag ...everything seemed to be in its place. "Nothing's missing" she said. Brago pointed at a small piece of paper on the floor. Someone had shoved an envelope under the door. "Please leave tip" was handwritten on the front. "I've got a tip, never travel with a mamodo!" Sherry snarled, fished a few bank notes out of her belt and stuffed them into the envelope. Then she strode out of the room without so much as a look at her smirking companion.