Disclaimer: Zatch Bell is copyrighted to Makoto Raiku (characters, series, and concepts). I only claim ownership to the story and the original concepts present within it.

Chapter 2: Winds of Destiny

Kiyo Takamine paced around his room. The trip to South America was soon. They discovered the hideout of Zofis and the Millennium Mamodo, Devolo Ruins, so it was time to act. But he still had his concerns. Kiyo stopped in the middle of his room and cupped his chin, glancing out of his window. "Do we have enough people? Are we really prepared for this?"

"Kiyooooo!"

Zatch came crashing into Kiyo's room, shattering his train of thoughts. His body inside his green bag, the blond boy jumped all over the place, waving Vulcan around. "Kiyo, Kiyo, Kiyo. Ki-yoooooo!"

Kiyo ever so slowly turned to Zatch, who immediately stopped as fear invaded his face. "Zaaaaaatch." His drone was low like a growling predator. Kiyo's visage warped into that of a demon, the air around him turning black from malevolence. Zatch shook, teeth chattering, and sweating bullets. "What do you want?"

Zatch swallowed the lump in his throat, managing to answer. "U-U-Uh… C-Can we play?"

With a long, drawn-out sigh, Kiyo returned to normal. He caressed his forehead, trying to stave off the oncoming headache. "Zatch, I'm busy trying to get things together for our trip to South America. I don't have time to play. If you're bored, go to the park."

The young boy breathed a sigh of relief. He was spared from his partner's wrath for once. "Fiiiine."

"AHH! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Zatch ran as fast as he could around the playground of Mochinoki Park. His blue mantle flailed in the rushing wind. Behind him, a girl with a serious case of overbite in her whole mouth drove a toy vehicle after him. "Come on, Naomi! Quit doing this to me and Vulcan!" His pleas fell on deaf ears, for Naomi accelerated, laughing maniacally all the while.

Out of nowhere, a stone whizzed nailed the front left wheel, causing Naomi to flip over and crash. Zatch whirled around to see Naomi stuck in the sand, kicking her feet. "Wh-Whoa." Then he heard a sound, a mix of a growl and groan. Naomi corrected herself and glared at Zatch. The boy's blood ran cold, his wonder replaced with fear. "W-W-Wait!" He shook his hands and head as Naomi got back in her car. "I-I didn't do it! Please spare me!"

Just then, someone snatched Zatch up, zipping into the bushes where Naomi couldn't see or find them. Inside cover, Zatch squirmed, his yelling muffling by a hand. "You want her to leave you alone, right? Stop that," his savior demanded. The blond boy ceased, paralyzed by the sight of Naomi's enraged face as she looked around for him. Eventually, she decided to check another part of the park and rode away.

The two left the bush. The blonde checked out his hero, a – for lack of a better word – person floating off the ground wearing a domineering trench coat. He looked back at him. "There. You're safe now, Zatch."

"Oh, thank you so much! Naomi always does that to me, but boy, I'm glad you got here before Vulcan and I got hurt!" Zatch held up his rather slipshod but simple toy friend for the other to see. For a moment, his expression was unreadable. Then he shook his head slightly and said nothing else. "Wait a minute. How do you know my name?" Zatch asked, titling his head. "Do we know each other?"

"You don't remember me, Zatch? It's me, E."

Zatch looked at the sky and fingered his chin thoughtfully. "E…E…E…" After searching through his memory banks, he found his answer. "Nope! Never heard of you!"

E felt a nerve snap inside of him, but he remained calm. "I'm from the Mamodo World, Zatch. We ate yellowtail by the river days before we were sent here. Don't you remember?"

Now that he mentioned the Mamodo World, Zatch was able to give him a proper response. "If it's the Mamodo World you're talking about, I lost my memories about there. Maybe that's why I can't remember you."

The Mind Colonist nodded his head. "That explains everything." His gaze dropped. "The first friend I ever made and now he can't even remember me…"

Far off, a black figure landed atop a light-pole and watched the two Mamodo, green eyes as piercing as a hawk. "Two enemy Mamodo spotted." His orange cape flowed and blended into the sun bearing down from behind. He stood up straight, his whole body covered by either dark purple armor or orange fabric. "Milordo-Z ordered to seek out and eliminate as many enemies as possible buuuut..." A smile broke out, revealing his sharp canines. "He never said how or that I couldn't have some fun doing it."

After listening to Zatch prattle about matters he cared little about, E cleared his throat to stop him. "I'd best be on my way. I promised someone I'd only be away for a little while."

"A-ha! I knew you were still around here, Zatch!" The telltale lisp made the blonde wither like a dying flower. Much to both Mamodos' dismay, Naomi returned, raring for some payback. She blew steam from her nose, revving up her toy vehicle, her gleaming eyes set on the two of them. Zatch shook like a leaf, almost like Kanchome, while E stared back without expression.

Right when Naomi floored the pedals, someone grabbed her by the head and lifted her into the air. Immediately feeling the pressure around her skull, she screamed in pain, startling both Zatch and E. The dark Mamodo stood here, threatening to squash Naomi's head like a grapefruit. Almost as an afterthought, he stomped his armored boot on the toy car and crushed it. "Peons," he spoke,"where are your books?"

"H-Hey!" Zatch ran over, but the enemy flexing his claws around Naomi's head stopped him dead in his tracks. He gritted his teeth. "Put her down!"

"That's not an acceptable answer."

E floated over to the blonde's side, head lulling to the side. "It is only common etiquette to tell us your name before demanding things."

"If you must know, my name is Jizuro," the tall, armored Mamodo said, voice as gravelly as sandpaper, "Now I repeat, where are your books?" He held out a struggling, crying Naomi as far out as he could. "I'll kill her otherwise."

Zatch wanted to say more much to Jizuro, but his words got caught up in his throat at the sound of Naomi's hiccups and sobs. E peered at the boy from the corner of his featureless eyes. "My, Zatch, that girl heckled you so badly I thought you'd appreciate this unexpected boon."

The blonde shot a glare at the psychic. "E, get serious! He's hurting her!"

A frustrated snarl recaptured their attention. "My patience wears thin." Jizuro tightened his grip, forcing out a shrill scream from Naomi.

Zatch's blood ran cold, his whole facing blanching. "N-No! I don't have it with me!"

"Me either obviously." E outstretched his arms to confirm his lack of possessions. "Our partners keep up with that, not us."

Jizuro let out a sigh. He relaxed his grip on Naomi's head but not enough to actually drop her. "Well, no use not making the best out of this situation." At this point, the wind blew, causing his cape to billow, revealing a brunette behind him. She bore the same vacant eyes as most humans enlisted under Zofis. "Tool, the spell."

A glow lit up that part of the playground. "Kizaru."

Jizuro's free hand spawned glowing claws made of light. He then shot them at Zatch and E, who both sidestepped the attack. Focusing on Naomi, Zatch sprinted at Jizuro, but he saw him coming. He raised his still-glowing claws to her. "Ah, ah, ah. Fight back, the girl dies." A small grin formed when the threat stopped him cold.

Taking Naomi's ride as cover, E groaned, resisting the oncoming headache. "So what do you want us to do? Stand still and be your punching bags?"

"That's the idea," Jizuro replied in a tone suggesting the answer was obvious.

"I have an even better idea. Zakeruga!"

Jizuro turned his head to see another human approaching, but when he did, Zatch fired a concentrated beam of electricity at his shoulder. The armored Mamodo exclaimed in pain, forcing him to let go of Naomi. When she hit the ground, E scooped her up and took her to a safe location. Kiyo ran up to Zatch's side, red spellbook in hand. "I see now what was taking you so long to come back,' he remarked, eyes fixated into a glare.

Jizuro rotated his shoulder several times until it cracked. His green eyes locked onto the book, but unfortunately for him, he wasn't going to get it without a fight. "Hmph. Oh, well. Nothing ventured, nothing gain. This little modicum of conflict adds to the drama." He bared his sharp teeth at the two. "All right, you peons, show me your worth."

Kiyo scanned the area, his brain going right to work. The playground still looked fine, so that meant he arrived just in time. His eyes landed on Jizuro's partners, and he recognized the distinct look in her eyes. He gasped. "Do you work for Milordo-Z?!"

Jizuro relaxed out of his stance a little. "You… How did you figure that out?"

Kiyo gritted his teeth, a fire brewing his brown eyes. "We know all about that monster. Now what are you doing here?!"

"If you must know, Milordo-Z appointed me as 'exterminator.' A behind-the-scenes assassin if you will," Jizuro explained, holding up his gleaming claws, sharp enough to rend flesh if given the chance, "I'm here to eliminate whoever I find however I desire. You are next on my list."

"Ganzu Kizaru."

Both sets of claw grew out of Jizuro's gauntlets. In a sudden burst of speed, he closed the gap between himself and Zatch, slashing at the boy with a volley of light blades. Zatch gritted his teeth and screwed one eye shut to suppress the pain, standing his ground.

"Straight ahead, Zatch!" Kiyo called out, keeping his cool, "Zakeruga!"

Their patience was rewarded with a direct hit to Jizuro's solar plexus. The armored Mamodo's eyes bulged out as the beam of lightning forced him backwards. He dug his feet into the ground, leaving tracks, before he stopped where his bookkeeper was. He placed a hand on his midsection, coughing a little. "He aimed at the solar plexus, the weakest part of the center of the body. Why that little…" The corner of his lips twitched, a tinge of excitement coursing through him. "He'd make a great opponent if I was little more prepared for one-on-one combat."

"Had enough yet?" Kiyo had the next spell in mind, but that could change anytime Jizuro revealed more of his repertoire. Just then, he saw a figure behind Jizuro, ready to attack. Taking it in stride, Kiyo grinned.

Then came a puce light. "Aiga!"

A force hit Jizuro dead in his back, blowing him and his bookkeeper into the air and sending them meters away. From Kiyo's point of view, a purple and pink force-field was responsible. Zatch smiled at the sight of E floating where Jizuro once stood. "E! Thanks for the assist!"

E let his arm drop. "Please don't mention it." Beside him was a 16-year-old girl with long, dark brown hair and lighter brown eyes. Her biker jacket matching her hair color, she also wore a pink undershirt, dark blue pants, and matching shoes. "Gentlemen, this is my partner, Anjiru Tsukoro, who's taken time out of her not-so-busy schedule to assist us."

Anjiru gave him an offhanded glance. "E?"

He returned the look. "Yes?"

"Will you please start calling me 'Anj?!'"

The ground rumbled a little, everyone whipping around to see Jizuro back on his feet carrying his mind-controlled partner. "I suppose I'll quietly back out now," he said, grabbing his cape and tossing it around them. "Do remember this won't be our last encounter." The cape swirled into a focal point until it disappeared entirely, taking the duo with them.

Kiyo straightened up, snapping the book close. "Man, I was really hoping we wouldn't have to deal with him again."

Zatch rushed over to his two new comrades. "Thanks for helping us, you two."

Anjiru kneeled down and petted Zatch, smiling. "No trouble. Just be glad I was still around."

Kiyo walked over, putting the red book away. "I guess nothing left to do but introduce myself. My name is Kiyo Takamine, and this is my partner Zatch. I already caught your names. Nobody got hurt, r—"

His question died quickly as Anjiru stepped forward, eyes fixated on his. Her gaze was as striking as Jizuro's, lips pursed in a thin line of indifference. Kiyo's face grew hot. "H-hey, hey, hey! Anj, can you—" Without an announcement, she reached up and fixed Kiyo's blazer, dusting it off. "There." She backed away, bowing apologetically afterwards. "I'm sorry, I had to fix your state of undress. It was bothering me."

Kiyo took some paces back. "Um, right. Thanks, I guess?"

E's focus drifted to where Jizuro disappeared. "Been a while since we've been ambushed. Hopefully that was just some regular thug who will get comeuppance soon enough."

"Actually, I wanted to talk about that," Kiyo said in a serious tone. Zatch matched his expression with a fervent nod. Understanding, Anjiru and E gestured to the nearest bench, and they all sat down. "I don't know if either of you caught a good look at Jizuro's partner, but she wasn't in the right mind. She was mind-controlled by an evil Mamodo named Milordo-Z. He's using an army of Mamodo from one thousand years ago, all of their partners under the same fate."

Zatch nodded again. "Yeah! We got to stop them! Me and the rest of my friends!"

"Tragic," E said, sinking into Anjiru's lap. "I offer my condolences."

"I wish you good luck," Anjiru said, "You have my support."

Zatch looked at the psychic Mamodo with hopeful eyes and a smile. "Hey! You're a Mamodo, too, right? Why don't you come help us?"

E tensed up. He had to ask the same question running through his mind. However, Anjiru beat him to the punch. "We're not all that strong at this point in the battle." She avoided eye contact with either of them. "We'd just get in the way."

Although Kiyo knew better than to pester a stranger into jumping into the fray, his previous feelings stopped him from leaving it at that. 'Do we have enough' continued to be asked by his conscience. More firmly, he finally spoke, "Milordo-Z is just plain evil, forcing Mamodo from one thousand years ago to fight for his own purposes. He doesn't even care what happens to them or their hypnotized bookkeepers!" He put a hand on Anijru's shoulder, but that didn't make her look at him. "A guy like him can't be king! Help us beat him!"

Anjiru gently took Kiyo's hand by the wrist and removed it off her. She finally looked at him, but through lidded eyes, with an empty smile. "Sorry, Kiyo. Like I said, we'd just get in the way. I'm not ready for that kind of responsibility." She stood up, carrying E in her arms like a plush toy so no one would question his presence. "It was nice meeting you guys."

Kiyo watched them leave, sinking into his seat with a sigh when they did. "Dang, I might have come off too strong."

Zatch jumped up to take over the seat. "Kiyo? Are you really that bothered?"

Kiyo figured he might as well come clean to his partner. "Zatch, I know we have plenty of friends coming along, but I'm…" He balled his fists but kept a calm tone of voice. "I'm not sure if that's enough. Nothing's guaranteed. I just want to make sure we're as prepared as possible."

"Don't worry, Kiyo," the blond Mamodo said with a smile, "Just believe. It'll all turn out fine."

Kiyo shared a smile of his own, but he wished he shared Zatch's optimism.

The bus ride home to Odaiba was quiet and long. Anijru passed the time watching the buildings, people, and cars come and go in the window. E stayed in her lap in peaceful, soundless rest. She petted his oblong head all the while. Her thoughts returned to the offer Kiyo made earlier in the day. Her conscience battled. On one side, her human decency wanted to put Milordo-Z out of his misery. The other, her cynicism, told her there was no point and that she said the right thing. Anjiru laid her head back, drifting off to sleep herself.

"Can anyone explain to me the theory of relativity?"

Seconds after the question was asked, nobody spoke up, either because they never reviewed the material or showed no interest in the topic. Seated in the middle of the classroom, Anjiru raised her hand, waving it to get her teacher's attention. "Miss Tsukoro?"

Anijru stood up from her seat, clearing her throat. "The theory of relativity explains how to interpret motion between different inertial frames of reference. That is, places that are moving at constant speeds relative to each other-"

The teacher nodded, satisfied with just that. "Very nice. Now-"

"-The theory is based on two key principles: the principle of relativity in which the laws of physics don't change, even for objects moving in inertial frames of reference, and the principle of the speed of light, which is constant for all observers, regardless of their motion relative to the light source."

"I see someone went above and beyond," the teacher commented in an impressed tone, gesturing her to sit down.

A bright, toothy smile was on her face as she did so. "I knew reading on ahead would pay off." Taking out her notebook, a chill then ran down her neck. She glimpsed around and noticed quite a few of her classmates glaring at her. She forced herself at pay attention to the teacher but still felt them boring holes into her body. "W-Was it something I said?"

...

Anjiru's back hit the fence on her school's rooftop. She slumped down, gripping her arm to cut off the flow of pain. She forced one eye open to see one of her own classmates standing before her. The book in his hand glowed brightly as a younger child stepped forward.

"Finally, I get a chance to humble you, you know-it-all brat." The classmate gripped the book tighter, the light flaring up. "Best grades and best student three years running… Always overachieving, sucking up to the teachers like some pet! You think that stuff is cute? Makes you special? Well, guess what, here's a reality check!"

He shouted out a spell, the child firing some sort of magic. Anjiru moved out of the way, but the attack grazed her back. A cry of pain escaped as she landed flat on the concrete. Feeling the stone heat up, she crawled away to the best of her ability. Even though it was a mere two wounds, her whole body burned. Collapsing, she gazed up to her classmate. "W-Why? Why didn't you just-"

"Talk? It wouldn't work. Once a pretentious brat, always a pretentious brat. You love it, don't you deny it. It's disgusting." The student locked on to Anjiru's legs, leafing through the book until the right spell showed up. "I'd be doing us all a favor putting you out a semester or two. Maybe then the rest of us could have a chance to shine ourselves."

Her brain had shut down. She was clammy and there was the glisten of a cold sweat. Her watery eyes enlarged and the hairs on the nape of her neck bristled. A classmate, one she thought she never wronged, was about to seriously hurt her. "N-No…" She trembled at the very thought. She held her breath and ducked her head, preparing herself.

Before the student read the spell, a fire extinguisher struck the enemy Mamodo in the back of its head. "W-What the!" The bookkeeper kneeled down to check the blindsided Mamodo.

"Usually, teams gang up on a Mamodo. A defenseless human? Even I can't stand idle." At the voice, they looked to see a small, floating creature in a black trenchcoat, wraps, and an oblong hat. He had their book in his hand. Quickly, he floated over to the smoldering stone and pressed the book into it. It caught fire. "Behold, karma in motion." The Mamodo began to disappear as E threw the burning book at the human's face. Then, he heard the sounds of footsteps bursting out from the door, faculty coming to check on the noise. E hid before they saw him.

If she weren't in so much pain, Anjiru would have thanked the little guy. Blackness began to cloud her tear-filled vision. "Great. My savior isn't even remotely human."

Ending Author Notes

I deliberately kept the gender and identity of Anj's assailants ambiguous. You're welcome to use your imagination.

Readers of the original Another Story should be seeing differences already. Angelica had abusive parents whereupon E used a memory wipe technique to turn them to normal. I thought that was insensitive to people going through that issue (a major problem like that erased no sweat is a no-no, I've learned). So, now, Anjiru has her intelligence be both a gift and a curse. Hopefully this'll all make her a good foil to Kiyo.

Also, this chapter will be the last time you'll see me describe E wearing a trenchcoat, yadda, yadda. You get the idea now, and you know who he is.