Little Boy

Chapter 18 ~ One Moment

Tamura sat quietly at the end of Manta’s bed, staring at the floor and his hands clasped.

“Tamura, we should check on him,” Mosuke said quietly.

“No. The last time I tried to go in there when he wasn’t ready.... It wasn’t good... We’ll put it at that.”

Mosuke looked towards the closet quietly. “He’s been in there for two days. He will need eat or drink soon.”

Tamura shook his head. “Mosuke, that crawl space may seem like a bad place for him to be, but you have to remember that for twelve years that’s been his one place where he could be safe. You can’t take that from him.”

Mosuke looked at Tamura silently. “What if he never comes out?”

Tamura closed his eyes with a sigh. “When he was five, Mansumi hurt him badly. I tried to go in with him to comfort him. All he did was stop crying and crawl out. Ten minutes later I found him in the bathroom, barely alive...”

The spir eye eyes widened a bit. “What?”

“He felt there was no place he could hide. So he cut himself.” Tamura closed his eyes with a slight groan.

“Five years old?!” Mosuke cried.

Tamura nodded, then looked up to the practically invisible door in the closet that lead to the crawlspace, then sighed.

Manta lay on the bare floor, staring at the ceiling. The bleeding welts on his back ached terribly and his lungs felt like they were burning each time he inhaled. Every inch of his body was sore, and the combined stress and pain were sending his mind whirling. Tears flowed down his face into the floor, and his blue eyes had become dilated. After a moment he hiccoughed, then his eyes closed as his tears ceased to flow and his body became completely limp.

Tamura looked up, recognizing the hiccough, then walked over t the closet and knelt by the door.

“Tamura?”

“He’s finished,” Tamura replied to the blacksmith, then opened the door and carefully peered in at Manta. His expression saddened at the sight of the suffering boy, then carefully lifted Manta into his arms.

Mosuke watched sadly as Tamura took great care of Manta, from washing the wounds to placing him in warm pyjamas, and even to letting the bo rest on his chest while he read a story, despite the fact that Manta remained unconscious.

“Will Mansumi not be angry?” Mosuke asked quietly.

“He won’t be home for a week.,” Tamura sai he he stroked the blonde hair gently.

A week had passed since Anna was kicked out of the hotel. Things had been pretty quiet, and even Tokagero found it hard not to be saddened by the recent events. Saturday morning was sunny and the air was tinted with a slight chill.

“I don’t know how Manta could take it,” Yoh said quietly to Faust. “I mean... I was getting physical pleasure out of it, and I just about lost it. But Manta...” Yoh’s eyes filled with tears. “Manta... never got to feel pleasure... And you say he never will...”

Faust looked quietly at Yoh, then rest a hand a Yoh’s shoulder. “I know. It’s hard. It must be hard to talk right now.”

Yoh shook his head. “I don’t mind talking to you... It’s just that I don’t know what to say first.... How to word what I say... It’s so confusing.”

“Well . . . If you want to wait a bit to talk, you can. You seem to be mentally stable.”

Yoh thought, then sighed. “Yeah...”

“Yoh-kun... I think you should inform your parents of this. That way they may be able to...”

“Faust, Manta-chan can’t protect himself,” Yoh said suddenly.

“Hmm?”

“I’ve seen his dad get angry before. Manta-chan can’t protect himself if Mansloseloses it. What if he kills Manta-chan?!”

Faust became worried. He knew Yoh could be overly protective of Manta at times, but he had heard the man’s incredible rage when he had last been there. He closed his eyes tho thought. “Mansumi is in Hiroshima until Tuesday. Why don’t you go check on Manta?”

Yoh looked at him with a smile upon receiving the unrequested permission, then hugged Faust. “Sankyuu!” With that he ran out the door.

Manta coughed as he made his wawn twn the stairs. In his weakened state, he had quite easily caught a cold and wasn’t very thrilled that there was company. Slowly he opened the front door, then looked up with teary eyes finding Yoh standing th


The shaman’s eyes widened in disbelief. Manta’s left eyelid was puffed out about half an inch, swollen shut and sickening colours of black and purple. A welt across his right cheek bone stood out against his porcelain skin, and his hair was limp and seemed tattered. A moment later he noticed a bruise that went completely around the small neck. “Manta...” he whispered in shock.

“Huh?” Quickly Manta looked away, shaking slightly. “Y-Yoh-chan...” he murmured.

Yoh quickly knelt down and placed a hand gently against the childlike face. “Manta, he did this to you, didn’t he?”

“No,” Manta whispered. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m fine...”

“Manta!” Yoh cried as he hugged the small body, then quickly released him when he felt Manta gasp painfully. “Oh no! Manta,” Yoh cried, then quickly closed the door and knelt down and worked at opening the robe.

Manta watched shakily, then his muscles slackened while his head drooped, his eyes closed.

“Manta, your dad did this, didn’t he?” Yoh asked after he removed the robe and pyjama shirt, then studied the raw wounds.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Manta repeated sadly, waiting for what had always come before when his clothes were removed by somebody other than himself.

“Manta, why didn’t you tell me to stop?” Yoh asked as he looked at the blonde. Tears filled his eyes when Manta made no response. “Manta, are you scared of me?”

“N-No, Yoh-chan,” he said quickly while looking up, his eyes filling with tears. “I love you, Yoh-chan! Honest!”

“Manta, I know you love me. But do you love me because you’re scared of me?” Yoh asked reluctantly.

“No! You don’t scare me, Yoh-chan! Honest!” Manta cried, then he hugged Yoh tightly. “I love you...”

Yoh looked quietly at his beloved, then helped him to put the shirt and robe back on. Carefully he scooped his tiny angel into his arms, then found his way to the couch and sat down, holding Manta on his lap in a warm embrace.

For a long time, the two were quiet as Manta sat on Yoh’s lap, leaning head ead against the stronger chest while Yoh’s hand ran through the blonde hair. Manta’s eyes fluttered shut as the world seemed to fade away, replaced with darkness and the numbness that had somehow kept him alive since he was very young.

Yoh looked down at Manta quietly. The smaller boy’s face didn’t seem to be the norm. Usually there was a slight froeveneven when he slept, but now Manta’s expression was emotionless. Finally Yoh built up enough courage to gently shake boy’boy’s shoulder. “Manta? Can we talk about something?” he said gently. He blinked, then frowned when his beloved didn’t answer. “Manta?”

The darkness began to fade away with everything else. The security Manta felt now was different from security that numbness had always protected him with. The warmth he felt was the first that didn\'t hurt. He no longer heard or felt Yoh, or anything else. Then, for a brief moment, a true safety washed over him. There were no demons. There was no pain. There was no fear. Only contentment.

Contentment, which was so brief, that he never felt it. He merely slipped into the void that would destroy his existance. The void his soul longed for. The only longing that competed with his need for Yoh\'s love.








“MANTA!!!”