Zatch Bell Fan Fiction ❯ New Tomorrow ❯ Our First Challege! Malcolm and Imp! ( Chapter 2 )

The Japanese airport was crowded, which was highly annoying to the human and his strange looking companion.

“Can we please hurry and get out of here? I hate crowded places.” The smaller form said, pushing a leg away from him before it stepped on his tail.

The bigger shook his head. “What's the difference, Imp? It's just like being in America. The streets are just as busy.” Imp looked upset at this fact.

“Whatever, you know what I mean! Let's just find this damn demon and leave already. I've been itching for a fight.”

“Fine.”

- - - - - - - - - -

With an hour to go until school was over, the events during lunch seemed almost like a dream, if it wasn't for the yellow book he was currently holding.

And for the fact that Ikuto was sitting next to him. Just seconds after Satoshi and Ayumi had went inside, the child raced inside after him, telling the teen that he didn't want to stay outside by himself. After much pleading with the teacher asking if he could stay with him just for one day (“he's my cousin.” Satoshi said with his most believable face).

The teacher seemed to think about it for only a second, and he allowed Ikuto t stay. The girls cooed all over, which got some unwanted attention to Satoshi and giggles from the demon boy.

This attention did not go unnoticed by a certain person in the class, however. It didn't sit with him well that the class wallflower was getting all of the attention.

The bells that chimed singled that school was over and Ikuto raced out, Ayumi followed him to make sure he didn't get hurt. “Hurry up, slowpoke!” She called to Satoshi before she ran out. Managing to push in all of his books at one time, he ran to follow her..

Only to have his path blocked by no other than Uzamaki Taichi. With a sneer on his face, he placed the teen in a headlock. “I can't see why Ayumi hangs out with you. You about as weak as a baby mouse and you don't do anything useful. I bet you can't even tell me why Ayumi hangs out with you.”

Smirking, he answered. “I bet it's because I'm not a big of an asshole like you.”

This seemed to be the wrong thing to say as a fist connected to he stomach a second later. Taichi's grip on him, loosed on him as Satoshi fell to the ground on his knees, trying to get some air back in him.

“I bet you'd think next time about be so cheeky.” With those words, he left, passing Ayumi and Ikuto who came to see why he was taking so long. When they saw that Satoshi was on the floor, they rushed to his aid.

“Are you okay?” they both asked at the same thing, Ayumi helped him to his feet. Satoshi nodded. “Yeah. It was just Uzamaki being a jerk again.”

Ikuto looked at the two of them. “Who's that?” Ayumi shook her head. “He's no one, really important. He just picks on Satoshi-kun.” The demon boy muttered something under his breath.

Satoshi looked at Ikuto. “What?”

“That's why I have to become king.” He repeated, louder this time. “I don't want other to be bullied anymore. I want to become strong. If I'm strong, no one will pick on me, or call me weak, or a crybaby. If we work together, maybe you'll be strong with me, so you won't be bullied, either.”

Ayumi looked at the pair “Hey, Satoshi. I don't know if you thought about this, but how are you going to explain this to your mother?”

- -- - - - - - -

Satoshi stared at his mother, she looked back at him and Maya was busy playing with Ikuto. His mother, Keiko, took a deep breath.

“Okay, explain this to me again.” For the third time that day, Satoshi explain the details of what Ikuto was and why he brought him home. He told her the truth, he always did only because he wasn't a very good liar.

That, and when he told his mother a lie, it usually showed.

After an hour of explaining, Keiko finally agreed to house the young boy and futon was taken out for him.

The only problem now as explaining it again to his father when he got in from work. His father was a doctor at the local children hospital, but because of his profession and the long hours, he usually came home late.

Keiko promised she would tell her husband and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Ikuto choose this time to speak up. “Your mother's really nice.” He said, pausing his play with Maya. “You must be really luck to have her for a mother.”

Satoshi nodded, but didn't say anything, instead choosing to go upstairs and inside his room. The blond haired child followed, singing his name as he walked up each step. He squeezed inside the room before the door was closed on him.

The teen let out a sigh and fell down on his bed, determine to relax after day's events. But as soon as he closed his eyes, there was the sound of a window breaking and Satoshi felt himself being pulled off his bed just as a huge fireball crashed into the wall.

A voice outside caught their attention. “Hey, we know you're in there! So just come on out so we can burn your book already.”

Satoshi gritted his teeth and without a second thought ran downstairs with the book, Ikuto right on his heels. Keiko tried calling him back in, but he shook his head. “Just stay in here where it's safe, alright?”

Another fireball was launched at both Satoshi and Ikuto, which they both managed to avoid. The book holder was a dark-skinned teen around 17, the Mamono was similar looking to a miniature devil, except that it was dark purple with black eyes. A fireball danced on the demon's finger until he launched it at Ikuto, who fell down in surprise.

“You're still a weaklin'? You won't even be worth our time.” Imp had announced, then turned to the human companion. “Malcolm, this won't even be a battle. Trust me, he shakin' all over.”

Satoshi looked down at the child, true to the child demon's words, Ikuto could be seen shaking. Satoshi bent down and placed a comforting hand in Ikuto's shoulder. “It'll be okay, we just to try hard.”

The small demon nodded nervously, then turned to face their opponents, who seemed ready to fight. Without giving the two to ready themselves, Malcolm and Imp launched another attack.

“Fergia!” Two huge fireballs formed at Imp's hands and Ikuto barely avoided them. Opening up his book, Satoshi called out the first spell, as hr did the first time.

“Dokeru! “ Ikuto aimed himself at Imp right as the lighting bolt came out of his mouth. Imp dodged the attack right as Malcolm yelled out his spell again. It hit Ikuto in the chest, knocking back a few feet. Ikuto got to his feet again, but again, the attack him in the chest again, knocking him down.

Imp looked bored with the whole thing. He turned to face is bookkeeper. “I told you that this would be an easy battle.” Then to Satoshi. “It would have been easier on you to just give up your book, ya know. I guess some people like to do it the hard way.”

“Fergia!” Malcolm shouted, the attack was about to hit the weaken demon, but in a dangerous attempt to save the boy from further injury, Satoshi jumped in the way of the attack.

Ikuto's eyes widen at the sudden recklessness of the boy and even Malcolm and Imp looked shocked. “You dummy, what did you did do that for?” The boy asked, not trying any of the many emotion he was feeling.

“I'm trying to protect you. You can't become king if you're defeated, right? So I'm trying to prevent that from happening.” Ikuto shook his head. “All you have to do is prevent the book from burning! No one said you had kill yourself protecting me!”

Satoshi shook his head. “It's okay. After all, we need to protect each other right? So I'm protecting you.” Ikuto seemed to let the words sink in. “Yeah, and I'll protect you, right?”

A bright light shone, and both looked down to see that it was the book. Malcolm and Imp seemed to have seen it also, since they both had a nervous look on their face. “This isn't good.” Imp commented.

Satoshi smiled in delight as he saw that it was a new spell he was looking at. “You ready to give this another try, Ikuto?”

The small demon nodded. “Sure am.” Malcolm looked at the pair. “You guys may have a new spell, but you're not as strong as us! Fergia!”

“Dareido!” Ikuto stretched out his hands as lighting bolts were shot from them. They cut through Imp's Fergia attack and hit the demon child over and over. Their lucky break came when one hit the book, setting it on fire.

Knowing from Ikuto early that this meant the other team was defeated and Imp would be going back to the Makai, Satoshi let out a sigh of relief. Malcolm turned on his heels and left, afraid that they would turn their attacks in him.

Once Imp had disappeared all together, Ikuto and Satoshi collapsed on the ground. “Hey, Satoshi, we make a pretty good team, don't we?” Ikuto asked.

Satoshi nodded, enjoying the peace that they had. That was until..

“Get out of the street before you guys get ran over!” Maya screamed out the window. “Oh, dinner's ready too!”

- - - - - - - - -

Satoshi looked at the meal on the table and he could fell his eye twitch. “Mom, do we really need all of this food?” He asked.

“Well yeah. Since you and Iku-chan are going to be in a lot if battles now, I thought that a lot of food would give you a lot of energy.”

“It will!” Ikuto announced. “Thank you!” Satoshi watched the boy eat his meal in large bite, then started on his own.

“That's why I have to become king.”

The words from earlier rang through his mind. Satoshi wasn't sure if he wanted to be apart on this battle.

“I don't want other to be bullied anymore. I want to become strong.”

But Ikuto seemed like he was ready. It didn't matter how weak he was. All of this because he didn't want to be bullied anymore?

“If I'm strong, no one will pick on me, or call me weak, or a crybaby.”

Satoshi once held those same ideas, along time ago. He used to fight a lot, just to prove to others that he was strong. It was a simple idea to him. If he was strong, no one would pick on him. But it never worked out that way.

If we work together, maybe you'll be strong with me, so you won't be bullied, either.”

Satoshi took another bite of his rice. He really didn't like working with others, but Ikuto was different in many ways from the others at his school; he actually cared what he did.

“You dummy, what did you did do that for?”

“All you have to do is prevent the book from burning! No one said you had kill yourself protecting me!”

Satoshi looked at the demon child, who was laughing at something that Maya said. A loud, hyperactive kid was partner to a teen who didn't talked much and at most times would love to be by himself.

It wasn't exactly his cup of tea, but he would manage.