Little Boy

Chapter 13 ~ Divulgence

Faust shook his head quietly as he pulled the comforter to Manta’s shoulders, then looked up to the door. “You can come in, now.”

Yoh walked in and looked at Faust anxiously.

Faust cleared his throat and looked up. “Yoh-kun, we need to speak. But you have to promise no aco act before I finish.”

“What’s wrong?” Yoh asked, frowning.

Faust took a deep breath. “Yoh-kun . . . Manta was raped,” he said slowly.

“What?!” Yoh cried.

“This is at least the third time. And... people have been forcing him to do things...”

“What kind of things?!” Yoh demanded angrily.

He thought quietly, then looked up. “Oral intercourse,” he said quietly. “I had a confession from one of the guilty parties, but I do not yet know who the others are.”

Yoh’s eyes narrowed. “It’s that bitch Anna, isn’t it?”

Faust shook his head. “No... Anna is a guilty party, but so far she doesn’t seem to have made any sexual advances on him.”

“Then who?” Yoh asked.

“I don’t know if it would be wise, considering how you get when Manta’s well-being is concerned. However, the confessor is truly sorry for what he did.”

“If he’s so sorry, why did he do it?!” Yoh demanded.

“Yoh-kun, please listen. He said that before he could do anything Manta started crying for Hao to stop,” Faust said quickly. He watched as Yoh’s expression turned from angry to a mix of fear and confusion.

“Hao? But he’s been dead for over a year now,” Yoh said shakily.

“Yes... But that doesn’t mean something couldn’t have happened,” Faust said quietly. “There... are scars...”

Yoh looked at him shakily. “But... How could he have... ever...” The two looked up hearing Ryu clear his throat.

“I... I’m sorry for eavesdropping,” he said quietly. “I... I think I know when Hao could have gotten to Manta...”

Faust looked quietly at him as Yoh jumped up and said frantically, “Please tell me!”

Ryu was silent for several minutes. “The night Manta and I shared a room... I had left to get a drink, and when I came back he was gone. He didn’t come back until around six the next morning, and he was acting strangely and limping.”

Faust thought quietly. “The scarring looks about a year old . . . Unless somebody else got to him.”

Yoh looked back to Manta whoe sae sad moans of pain in his sleep while gasping silently. “Manta-chan...” He walked over and knelt next to the boy, then placed a hand on his forehead. “Faust, please tell me what all is wrong,” he whispered feeling Manta’s temperature was quite low.

“Major loss of blood, a developed heart murmur, mental and emotional trauma... ” Faust said quietly.

Yoh’s eyes filled with tears. “So... then... last night...” he whispered. “He... I... It made him worse?”

Faust looked over. “What do you mean?”

Ryu looked towards the clock and saw Anna would be arriving home soon, then quickly walked out to provide a distraction.

“Last night I slept with Manta,” he whispered.

Faust looked at him with little surprise. “It’s hard to say,” he said quietly.

“Faust? Manta never... uh... reacts... He never comes when we do things... Is that related to what’s been done to him?” Yoh asked after a few minutes.

Faust closed his eyes. “Most likely. If he had tried to defend himself at one point, his attacker may very well have injured him permanently for it.” He cleared his throat. “There is something else. His trachea and larynx aren’t what they should be. Somebody intentionally crushed them, most likely to keep him quiet, which would explain why he is so quiet whether he’s speaking, breathing or even crying. He’s having trouble breathing because whoever his attacker was, he placed too much pressure on Manta’s throat.”

“Daddy?” a soft murmur called.

The two looked down and saw Manta’s eyes were halfway open, then Faust yelped in surprise when Mosuke suddenly appeared.

“Don’t worry, Manta. I’m here,” the blacksmith said urgently.

“What makes you think he was speaking of you?” Faust demanded with annoyance. “I don’t believe you are his father.”

“Well who else would he be referring to?” Mosuke asked. “Obviously not his real father, considering how hard he is on Manta.”

“For all you know, he could have been referring to me!” Faust said angrily.

“Oh, boy,” Yoh said with a sigh, then he knelt down and scooped Manta into his arms with the blanket. “Manta? How do you feel?” he asked gently.

The blonde looked u Yoh Yoh shakily, then leaned his head against the firm shoulder while closing his eyes again.

Yoh looked up and saw Faust MosuMosuke were going to be arguing for a while, then sighed and walked out of the bedroom, cradling Manta. He soon laid him down on the couch against a pillow, wrapped the white, cotton blanket around him warmly, then smiled. “Manta, would you like something to eat?” he asked. His eyes widened, then he gave himself a slap upside the head when Manta flushed. He wondered how he could ask such a question after what Anna had made him eat earlier in the day, then sighed. “I mean, would you like something to drink?” He sighed when Manta shook his head lightly. “Well... Would you like to watch TV then? Or read a book?”

Manta looked up at Yoh quietly, then sighed while wriggling deeper under the cover. He whimpered when a pain shot through his backside, overcoming the painkiller Faust had given him earlier, then became still as he drifted to sleep again.

“Manta,” Yoh whispered, then he leaned down and kissed his love’s soft lips gently. He stood and turned, only to find Anna and Ren watching him. “What do you want?” he asked quietly.

“If you ever walk out of school like that again,” Anna growled, “You will regret it.”

“Anna, don’t you dare tell me what I can or cannot do! Thanks to your stunt, Manta got hurt!”

Ren looked at the small boy monotonously, then he walked over and knelt by the couch. “Little Manta,” he said gently.

“Let him sleep,” Yoh told him, then turned his attention back to Anna. “You are to stay away from Manta at all times. If you ever tell me or him what to do again, I will hurt you,” he growled.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Anna asked with a smirk. “If Manta’s daddy finds out about you two, it won’t be you who suffers the consequence, Yoh. And you know what? The thought of joining a bunch of girls in a gossip session is seeming quite appealing.”

“Do you even care that Manta’s hurt?!”

“No,” she replied icily. “In fact, I find it quite amusing.” She pushed past him while looking to the Tao, who was running a finger down Manta’s face. “Ren, come here.”

“Whatever,” he replied while rolling his eyes, then leaned forward and kissed the thin lips roughly, then stood up and followed Anna into the kitchen.

Ryu, who had just entered the room, saw the expression on Yoh’s face when Ren kissed Manta, then quickly grabbed his arm. “Big Brother, wait,” he said in a low voice.

“He touched Manta,” Yoh growled. “He knows Manta isn’t well and he touched him!”

Ryu looked at him pleadingly. “Please, Big Brother. I’m sure he meant no harm. But please listen to me. Fighting right now won’t do any good. We should focus on the recovery of Little Brother.”

Yoh looked quietly at Ryu then nodded slightly.

“What do you want, Witch?” Ren asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“Hmph. To get Yoh’s mind off that little brat,” Anna replied.

“So what do you want me to do about the little whore?”

“Go keep Yoh occupied for a bit. Let’s show him what a baby Manta really is,” she said with a smirk.

Ren’s expression became devious. “Very well then.”

Anna looked towards the door and called, “Oh, Ryu! We need a few containers of unsweetened apple juice.”

Ren cocked an eyebrow. “What exactly will apple juice accomplish?”

She looked at him with a smirk. “Tell your boyfriend to pickup some baby movie or something.”

“Fine. But what do you plan to do?”

“You’ll see,” she replied, smirking, then walked out of the kitchen, then Ren followed a few moments later.

Tokagero watched from the window with a scowl, then disappeared.

“You want me to what?” Horo asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“You heard me. I need you to go get me a tape of some little kiddy show,” Ren replied.

“What for?”

“For my project in sociology,” he replied with annoyance.

“Now what’s it really for? The last time you asked me to get something, you were using little girls’ panties to blackmail Manta and keep me from building an attraction for anybody else,” Horo replied angrily as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you the project description when we get to school tomorrow,” Ren said angrily.

“Show it to me now.”

“I would if the school wasn’t locked up for the night, which is where the sheet is!”

The two glared at each other, then slowly Horo gave in. “Fine. But if I find out you are using it for something else, there’s going to be hell to pay,” he said, then he turned and walked away.