Family Affair

Chapter 10 ~ Dreams and Shadows

“You’ve grown very beautiful.”

Manta looked around frantically, hearing the voice, and then covered his ears with a silent
whimper. He didn’t like that tone. Bad things happened when people talked like that. If he was
dreaming, then maybe he could block the voice out and then he wouldn’t have a bad dream. Slowly he
opened his eyes and glanced around him. It was still the same. Nice and dark and nobody around.
Proof that he was asleep. He smiled weakly, finding some comfort in the revelation, and then hugged
himself.

Now he just wished he hadn’t heard that voice. He couldn’t fully sleep now, in case a bad
dream did stir, and he knew they would pick on him if he let them win even once. He wondered why
they hadn’t been threatening lately, but then dismissed it. It could be a sign that Yoh was coming home
soon. Maybe, he thought, he should wake up now. If that was the case, Yoh might want to see him.
And it might upset Yoh if he found out Manta was having trouble with sleeping again.

He squeezed his eyes shut, and began counting to ten, but when he reached six a familiar shape
formed in his mind, making his stomach churn. He bolted into an upright position, breathing quickly, but
calmed after a moment.

“Manta, are you alright?” Mosuke asked gently while appearing next to his master.

Slowly the boy looked up, and then smiled weakly at Mosuke. A moment later he attempted to
snuggle against the blacksmith when Mosuke embraced him lightly.

“Don’t worry,” Mosuke said quietly. “I won’t let the shadows harm you.” He smiled a bit when
he felt Manta nod, and then glanced worriedly to the door. Unlike Faust, Mosuke knew a great deal
about the ‘shadows’ Manta would sometimes dream about. They took various forms, from inanimate
objects to their own friends (not to mention, former friends). Every now and then he would enter
Manta’s body when the blonde was sleeping, and he had learned that a number of the shadows
comforted him. Those of Funbari Hill and a select few of their friends including Ryu, Amidamaru,
himself and Tamao were of particular comfort to the blonde. Now and then Mosuke would notice
hesitant comfort in shadows of Faust, Yoh and Horo, as well as the estate, but most times the hesitation
would disappear.

Not all of the shadows were comforting, though. And while most were silent, two of them were
not without words. The first Mosuke could only recognize because of the similarity to Manta. Oyamada
Mansumi. Though it had been quite some time since that shadow last appeared, it was still threatening.
It often used deception, giving Manta words of encouragement, and then striking him harshly. It also
attempted to break his growing esteem, putting him down. The second did not strike Manta, however.
Instead, that shadow of one, Tao Ren, would bring about memories that would often make Manta’s
emotional health slow in its healing process. The shadow would call Manta a ‘thing’, and many times it
would feed one of Manta’s worst fears. A fear that Yoh would stop loving him.

Mosuke looked down quietly at Manta, and then smiled. The things that Ren had trained into
Manta’s thoughts were fading now. In contrast to Faust’s feelings, Mosuke found Manta’s behavior in
the last month quite normal. Yoh had never been away so long, so it was natural that Manta would be
worried. He couldn’t understand why the doctor was so worried over natural reactions. He smiled as
Manta looked up at him, his eyes asking what was asked each morning. A moment later Mosuke
smiled. “It’s alright,” he said quietly. “Yoh-kun will be home in the next couple of days.”

Manta was still for a moment, unsure if he believed the blacksmith, and then glanced up
towards the door that led into the back gardens. He stared quietly at the door for a moment, and then
smiled brightly while getting to his feet.

“Hmm? Manta, don’t go out without a jacket,” Mosuke said when the blonde opened the door,
and then groaned while shaking his head.

Mantra ran through the garden, the new snow crunching under his socked feet. He could easily
feel a strong spirit in the area, and was searching desperately for it. No spirit in the area was as strong
as Amidamaru, and if he found the samurai, then it only made sense that Yoh would be with him. As he
neared the side of the estate, he frowned slightly. It was strong, but somehow it felt wrong. He rounded
a corner, and then hit a patch of ice and slipped. After a moment of struggling to keep his balance, he
finally fell, landing on his bottom with a wince, and then looked up. A moment later he stared with
confusion at the huge spirit that had turned to him in surprise. He recognized the golden armor and the
red, tattered cape.

Bason stared down with as much silence as Manta. The blonde seemed smaller than he
remembered, but he decided it was to be expected if his own master had caused enough damage when
they were younger. A moment later his eyes widened when Manta began backing up with nervous
eyes. “Wait. Manta-san,” the warlord said quickly. “Manta-san, I won’t harm you.” His expression
saddened when a fearful expression formed on Manta’s face, and then he took spirit ball mode. A
moment later he floated over to Manta and nuzzled him a bit. “Manta-san, it’s okay,” he said quickly.
After several minutes he sighed in relief, allowing Manta to first inspect him, and then hold him. He
smiled a bit, being reminded of when Ren was very young and would hold him the way Manta was
now.

Manta continued to looked down at Bason quietly, and then smiled weakly. He became
curious, wondering if Bason had come to visit Mosuke and Amidamaru, and then stood up shakily on
the ice. After slowly escaping the ice, he ran back towards his room, and then stepped in lightly and
closed the door. After removing his wet socks, he slipped into his slippers and walked out of the room
quickly, looking for Mosuke. He came to a stop in the living room, and then smiled brightly when he
saw Ryu sitting, talking to Kibo. He ran over quickly and tugged at Ryu’s pant leg to get his attention,
and then smiled happily when the brunette looked at him.

“Little Brother,” Ryu said cheerfully. “You’re awake.” A moment later his cheerful expression
faded when he saw Bason snuggled in Manta’s arms. He was quiet for a moment, giving Bason a
suspicious look, and then the expression disappeared as Manta climbed into his lap. He smiled while
hugging the blonde, and then tilted his head up. “And how is the sweety of the house?” he cooed while
tickling Manta’s neck, and then chuckled when Manta began fidgeting, trying to escape the pleasant
torture.

“Oh, please,” Kibo said while rolling her eyes, and then stood up and left the room, but glanced
back with a small smile when she saw her mom silently laughing as Ryu tickled him.

“And what have we got here?” Ryu asked full-heartedly while lifting Bason from Manta’s gasp
and looked down at Manta. “A friend?”

Manta smiled while nodding, and then caught Bason from Ryu and began hugging him again.

Ryu watched unsurely as Manta hugged Bason happily, and then sighed as a smile reformed.
“Bason came to visit Mosuke and Amidamaru,” Ryu said with a smile, and then frowned when he
remembered Ren was lurking about somewhere in the estate. The younger shaman wasn’t stupid, and
Ryu decided Ren would probably be in his room, reading or whatever the Tao did in his spare time.
“Aa. Manta,” he said while tilting the small head to look at him. “Look, I brought home some Christmas
presents, but I haven’t been able to wrap them,” he explained. “So make sure you don’t go into my
room, okay?” When he received a nod, he grinned. “Now I believe Mosuke went to find Faust. Could
you go get him, and Tokagero and I can get reaquainted with your friend?”

Manta was still, and then smiled with a nod. With that, he slid off of Ryu’s lap and ran out of the
room.

“I swear, he found me,” Bason said as Tokagero appeared behind him.

“He found you?” Ryu demanded. “Why didn’t you get away from him?”

“Don’t treat me like a criminal,” Bason said quietly. “Buchama did terrible things. I admit that. I
was not involved, though. As for Buchama, he has changed. He means no harm.”

“Doesn’t answer Ryu’s question,” Tokagero said with a frown. “Why didn’t you get away from
the kid?”

Bason looked at him quietly, and then looked down. “I would have, but he was going to panic.
I didn’t want him to believe I was here to harm him, and it made more sense to let him know he was
safe, rather than to let him go around, thinking that he is in danger.”

Ryu watched him silently, and then frowned. “I suppose... But make sure Ren doesn’t get it in
his head that he can just waltz on up to Manta.”

Bason nodded. “I know. I had no intention of going near him until Yoh-san gave permission,
Ryu, and I apologize.”

Ryu watched the red spirit ball, and then smiled a bit. “Forgiven. But... Try not to make
reference to the past.”

“Yes,” Bason said with a quick nod.

Meanwhile, Manta was searching the estate for Mosuke, looking back and forth. He became a
little frustrated when he didn’t find Mosuke with Faust, and began searching room by room for the spirit
before he could interrupt Faust, who had been busy reading something titled, “The Secret to Youth”.
He smiled when he found Kibo in her room, watching cartoons, and then continued on. He finally came
to a stop and peered in the kitchen, and then frowned when he saw the fridge door open. How could
anybody have gone into the kitchen without him noticing? After thinking for a moment, he wondered if
Shizuka had stayed in from training that day, and then he smiled brightly while running over to the fridge.
He skidded to a stop, however, when he realized it wasn’t Shizuka’s voice.

“Why the devil would the put the milk at the back?” came the mutter.

Manta was still, an unsure frown pasted on his face, and then he frowned when the man stood
up straight while closing the fridge. A moment later his eyes widened, suddenly hit with recognition.

“Hmm?” Ren glanced down at the blonde, and then smiled a bit when he spotted Manta. “Oh.
Hello, Manta. You’re looking well,” he said in a somewhat pleasant tone, and then frowned with a bit
of curiosity. “Manta?”

Manta hugged himself while shaking his head, tears forming and a tight pain in his chest. He was
awake, wasn’t he? Bad dreams don’t come when you’re awake. So why was he having one?

“Manta, don’t you recognize me?” Ren asked, and then smiled a bit. “It’s Ren.” He frowned
when Manta began gasping lightly, and then his eyes widened when he remembered the action. “Hey...
Manta, calm down. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Manta stood frozen in place and trembling, everything around him fading out of his vision
except for the Tao. He then remembered being told to count. That’s it. If you count, the bad dream will
go away and you can sleep again. So he began counting. And after what seemed like forever, the pain
in his chest disappeared and breathing no longer seemed difficult. And to his relief the image of Tao Ren
disappeared, and he became safe again in a deep slumber. The dream was over now, and he knew
when he awoke, Faust, Shizuka, Kibo, Daddy, and possibly Yoh and Ryu would be there, waiting for
him.