Little Boy

Chapter 2 ~ The Next Morning


Morning came fairly quickly for the two boys. They were awakened by Amidamaru, who seemed desperate for their awakening.

“What is it, Amidamaru?” Yoh asked his samurai spirit partner.

“Anna-san is in a rather fowl mood, Yoh-dono,” he explained nervously. “It seems Tokagero and Mosuke were in another fight which awoken her.”

“Oh great,” Yoh muttered, then sighed as he gently shook Manta’s shoulder. “Manta-chan, it’s time to wake up,” he whispered softly.

“Hai,” he mumbled rather sleepily.

Soon, Anna looked at the bowl of rice that sat in front of her, one eyebrow cocked. She looked at Manta a moment later. “This rice was overcooked by at least two minutes,” she said icily.

“Huh? Oh... Gomen, Anna-san,” Manta said with an ashamed blush while looking at the table.

“It seems you have been slacking off a lot lately,” she stated, continuing to glare at him with a cocked eyebrow. “I want an explanation.”

“Um... Well... You see...” Manta stammered nervously while looking at the table. Before, explaining things would have been easy for him, but it seemed harder than usual for the past month.

“No. I don’t see. Why have you been slacking off?”

Yoh looked slightly at Anna with a frown. “Anna, don’t pick on Manta. He’s doing his best for you.”

“He is NOT doing his best,” she replied angrily. “Oyamada Manta, I’m beginning to find you to be useless! I want an explanation!”

Manta swallowed nervously while forcing himself to be strong. “I...” but before he could even try Anna spoke again.

“Manta, I think you are in desperate need of discipline. You are to do twenty laps around the premisses.”

“H-Hai,” Manta said nervously, then quickly got up and ran out.

“Anna, that was an awful thing to do to him!” Yoh cried.

Anna cocked an eyebrow. “I expect perfection from all that work for me, and you know that.”

Yoh looked angrily at her. “Anna, Manta hasn’t been well! He isn’t sleeping at night, and all you can do is give him heavier work loads and yell at him!”

“And how would you know he isn’t sleeping well at night? Last night was the first night he’s been over in almost a month. Unless you’re hiding something...”

Yoh looked at her angrily, not allowing himself to cringe. “I’m not hiding anything!” he replied.

Anna cocked an eyebrow. “Are you certain you’re hiding nothing? No little secrets regarding late night visits to certain little blonde boys?”

Yoh looked at her contemptuously. Normally he wouldn’t be so angry, but lately Anna had a talent for pushing his limit. “Anna, I don’t want you being so terrible to Manta! Even at school you order him around like a slave. He bends over backwards for you and you still mistreat him!”

A half smile crossed her face. “Makes one wonder.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Where do his loyalties lie? In me, or in you?”

Yoh cocked and eyebrow, then went back to eating his rice.

“When you finish, you are to do a hundred laps around the premisses,” she said as she stood while gathering her bowl, then took them to the kitchen. After a moment she called back, “And I had better not catch you and the water-meat-bun slacking off!”

Yoh groaned. “Yes, Anna,” he said, returning to one of his more normal moods.

Manta gasped as he came to a stop, then fell face first to the ground. For several minutes he lay there, gasping for air after finishing the twenty laps.

“If it isn’t short-stuff,” a familiar, Chinese-accented voice stated.

Slowly, Manta raised his gaze, only to find Tao Ren standing a few feet from him. “Ohayo... Ren... kun...” he said tiredly, then closed his eyes.

“Hmm... So messy at such an early hour,” Ren stated with distaste.

“H-Hai... Anna-san... was a little... angry...” Manta replied while beginning to calm down a little.

“So I see...” Ren knelt down and rolled Manta onto his back, then brushed the blonde hair from his eyes. “Manta. There is word that you found somebody you like.”

Manta opened his eyes half way and looked curiously at the Tao. “Um... Yeah...”

“Who?” he asked.

“Um... Uh...” Manta looked at him nervously, then blushed while looking away. “You have to promise not to tell anybody,” he replied in a small voice.

“I promise.”

Manta bit his lower lip for a moment, then slowly said, “It’s... Yoh-kun...”

“Just as I thought,” Ren muttered gently, then brushed the blonde hair from Manta’s eyes. “Manta, I’m having a party this weekend. Think you can come?”

“Huh? Uh... Well...” he stammered.

He smiled slightly. “It’s a surprise party for a certain shaman,” he said in persuasion.

Manta looked at him quietly, blushing a little at the thought of Yoh. “Uh... H-Hai... But... But what if Yoh...”

“Shh. Don’t worry. I’m taking care of all the loose ends. You just be at my place before nine on Saturday, okay?”

“H-Hai,” he replied quietly.

Ren smiled, then ran a hand through the blonde hair. “Has anybody ever told you what a sweet little boy you are?”

“Huh? I... Uh...” Manta turned beat red while looking away. “I, uh...”

Ren laughed as he stood up again and walked into the hotel.

Manta stared at the door in confusion, then looked at the ground while smiling weakly.

“Manta-dono,” Mosuke said as he appeared. “Are you okay?”

“Hai,” he replied quietly. “Mosu-san... Perhaps this is a second chance...”

“Second chance?” Mosuke looked at him curiously.

“To make Yoh-chan happy...”

The blacksmith frowned. “Manta-dono, you already make him happy.”

Manta looked at the ground quietly. “He... He wants to touch, though...”

Mosuke looked at him quietly. Even if he was a spirit, the innocent blue eyes of his master made him ache where his heart would be. He yearned to care for the boy as his own child, but knew that it would be impossible for him to play the role Manta’s true father didn’t provide. “Manta, you do note toe to do such things to prove to Yoh that you love him,” more than aware that the boy was nowhere near ready for such intimacy with anybody.

Manta sighed meekly. “Yoh-chan wants to, though... I don’t mind for him.”

Mosuke looked at his master sadly. “Very well, then. But please be sure you are ready before you do anything drastic.”

“Hai,” Manta replied as his attention turned to Yoh, who was running his laps.

“Manta, get to work!” Anna shrieked.

“H-Hai, Anna-san!” he cried as he jumped up and ran into the house.

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I promise the next chapter will have some action. I\'m sorry for taking so long to have any real stuff in it.