Little Boy

Chapter 29 ~ Biri>

Faust knelt next to Manta and gently stroked the blonde, silky hair as his son, or temporary daughter, awoke. “MorniBabyBaby-Angel,” he said gently.

Manta looked up quietly, then sighed sadly while looking away.

“Manta, please don’t be sad. Everything is going to work out,” Faust said quietly. “Shizuka is going to bring Kibo back tomorrow, and when you are ready, you and Yoh can get married.”

“Daddy, it’s my fault Kibo died,” Manta whispered sadly. ade ade her go away...”

Faust shook his head. “It’s not your fault, Baby-Angel. Don’t b”
”

“Don’t call me that,” he whimpered while rolling onto his side. “I’m no angel...”

Faust sighed, then gently lifted Manta into his arms. “Yes you are. Manta, are you ready for this?”

Manta sighed sadly while closing his eyes. “Anything for Kibo and Yoh-chan...” he whispered.

Faust sighed, then walked out of the room.

A week had passed since they had arrived at the shrine, and as Shizuka predicted, she was ready to cast the next spell. A room had been set for the family, consisting of a soft, warm bed for Manta and Yoh, a strong and also soft and warm crib for Kibo, and a window that allowed the best view of the night sky. One corner had a shelf that held the things that would be needed for Kibo, and another shelf not too far from it rest, containing books of various levels.

Faust came to a stop in the room and looked at the groupo wao was waiting quietly for him and Manta. “I think he’s as ready as he’s going to be,” he said quietly.

Carefully Faust lay Manta on a futon that was temporarily set up, then let Yoh take a seat next to Manta and hold one tiny hand.

“Manta-chan, are you sure you’re ready?” Yoh asked gently. Upon receiving a nod in response, he looked up to Shizuka. “When you’re ready,” he said quietly.

“Hai,” she replied while nodding, then carefully turned to one of the pages and read over it. Then she cleared her throat, and slowly began to speak. “Kyo se lata, tre seema ni hoyarik messa kaddana. Hoyiihim afree kalame. Emetoy afree onsal ma rikoma. Plomakor kan tomota iijero. Plomakor hoyarik ra hoyiihim emetoy!”

Yoh watched as a light appeared above Manta’s stomach, then shot into him, causing the small body to convulse for a moment, then Manta became still while whimpering painfully. “Mantan?”an?”

The blonde looked up uncomfortablyoh-coh-chan... it hurts...”

“No wonder,” Faust said while blinking. “The force seems to have put you into labor quicker than expected. Manta, I know that it’s going to be hard, but I need you to do as I tell you.”

Hours passed as Faust, Shizuka, Ryu and the Asakuras tried to help Manta be more comfortable. Yoh refused to leave his little love’s side, letting Manta hold his thumb tightly, while he whispered gentle encouragement to the blonde.

The hours of waiting sorew rew to days. On the ninety-eighth hour, though, he finally began to deliver. Keiko kept a special mix of herbal tea nearby to help sooth Manta’s pain some, while Yoh continued to stay be his beloved’s side, allowing him to hold his thumb tightly while Faust did his part to help deliver the baby.

“Come on, Manta,” Yoh said softly after nearly two hours. “Don’t fall asleep, Manta-chan. Just one more push.” He frowned some seeing Manta was quickly losing consciousness, then gently shook his shoulder. “Manta-chan, for Kibo’s sake, stay awake,” he said quietly.

Slowly Manta looked up at Yoh, then his eyes fluttered shut with a whimper. He smiled as Manta tried one last time, only to be followed by a happy cry from Faust.

“It’s okay,” he declared. “A baby girl.”

Yoh looked up with happy tears as the fluids that covered Kibo were carefully washed away and the umbilical cord was carefully removed, then after Shizuka had wrapped the newborn girl in a soft quilt, she placed Kibo Yoh Yoh’s arms. “Congratulations,” she said with a huge grin.

Yoh nodded while smiling at his newborn daughter, who slept quietly with tiny fists clenched. Fine strands of dark mahogany hair covered the top of her head, but her skin was a softer colour resembling Manta’s.

“If your grin gets any bigger, you’re going to cause a fault in the Earth,” Kino warned with a chuckle.

“She looks just like both of you,” Shizuka said with a smile.

“But with my strength, of course,” Mikihisa said idiotically.

“Can it, Miki,” Shizuka snapped.

“Our little miracle, Manta,” Yoh said with a smile as he looked to his beloved, then frowned. “Manta?”

woulwould be weeks before Manta awoke.

The blonde boy slowly opened his eyes, then winced at the painful sunlight that seemed to blind him. He therthere, slowly adjusting to the brightness of the room, then looked around in confusion. He stopped when his gaze fell on the nearby crib, then slowly slid off the bed and made his way over He looked quietly at the small, sleeping figure, confused.

“Manta-chan, you’re awake,” Yoh’s voice cried happily.

Manookeooked up as Yoh rushed over and hugged him carefully, then looked at him in confusion.

“Manta, how do you feel? Does anything hurt? Are you hungry? Or thirsty?” He blinked finally realizing the confu Man Manta felt, then watched as Manta looked back and forth between him and the crib. Yoh smiled, then carefully lift Manta and placed him back in the bed, covered him, then went over to the crib. “Kibo is beautiful, just like you,” he said happily as he lift the sleeping baby from her crib, then walked over and sat on the other side of the bed.

Carefully Manta moved over to Yoh and looked curiously at their daughter, then looked up at Yoh quietly.

“What is it, Manta?” he asked. When he received no answer, he thought. “Hmm... Hey, do you want to hold her?”

Manta blinked, then with incredible caution, he allowed Yoh to place Kibo into his arms. He looked at the infant quietly, then after a while tears began to roll down his face.

“Manta-chan?” Yoh asked worriedly.

Manta looked up with a smile, tears continuing to flow. “Kibo?” he asked, though no sound came from him.

“Yeah. It’s Kibo,” Yoh said with a smile. “She’ll be a month old tomorrow.”

After a while, Manta leaned against Yoh while carefully holding Kibo close to them.

“Ryu said he’s going to come and visit every weekend,” Yoh said after a while. “And Horo Horo, Raijin and Marcus are coming for sit sit next week.”

Manta nodded slightly.

“Faust is going to stay here with us, though. Same with Shizuka,” Yoh continued, then smiled. “Shizuka is right, about Kibo, though.”

The blonde looked up curiously. Though he said nothing, his eyes told Yoh what he was thinking.

Yoh chuckled. “It was kind of odd that you weren’t able to give birntilntil the moon was aligned with the star of Mujitsu and the star of Shizen. And on top of that, it was on the first day of spring. Since she was born, you wouldn’t believe how the gardens have been flourishing despite the remaining snow.” Yoh looked to Manta with a smile. “Shi’s s’s still trying to find why it was important for her to be alive in this time frame, but it’s pretty obvious that Kibo has something to do with it.”

Manta looked at Yoh quietly, then smiled while resting his head against the brunette and looking down to his daughter. “I love you both,” he whispered weakly, then closed his eyes and drifted to sleep again.

Yoh looked curiously at Manta, wondering how he could sleep after practically being in a coma for a month, then shook his head, deciding not to jinx it when he saw Manta was smiling in his sleep. Carefully he helped Manta to lay down, then took Kibo and walked towards the door, knowing she would be waking up soon, then looked back to the sleeping Manta.

“Daijobu,” Yoh said quietly.