Little Boy

Chapter 7 ~ Threats

Manta’s eyes fluttered open.

“It’s about time you woke up,” Ren’s voice muttered.

Manta looked over, then began to tremble, finding Ren sitting next to the futon, watching him intently. “R-Ren . . . ” he murmured nervously.

“I told you not to tell anybody,” he said cooly.

Manta shook his head. “I didn’t say what happened. Honest.”

“Hmph. Sure. That’s why he’s paying so much attention to you.”

Manta shook his head. “N-No. I didn’t tell him about last night. Honest.”

“Last night? I think you mean Saturday night. This is Monday,” he said cooly.

“Ren, I swear. I didn’t tell him it was you.” Manta looked at him with teary eyes. “Honest.”

Ren cocked an eyebrow. “Hmm... Very well then. Oh, Manta. I have a favour to ask you.”

“A... A favour?”

“Yes. Since Horo Horo and I don’t have the same gym class, I need you to keep his attention from wandering to others,” he quietly.

Manta blinked. “Um... Okay... But how...”

“Simple.” He smirked some. “The necessary items are in the bottom of the drawer your spare hes hes are in,” he said quietly. “And you had better wear them every day, or else my tongue may slip a bit of love gossip around certain families.”

Manta swallowed nervously. “H-Hai...” He looked up quickly hearing a soft knock at the door.

“Come in,” Ren called,

Yoh stepped in quietly, then brightened up seeing Manta had propped himself up on his elbows. “Manta, you’re awake!” He blinked, then frowned. “You’re gonna stay awake now, right?”

Manta blinked in confusion. “Uh... I think so,” he said quietly.

Yoh rushed over and fell to his knees and quickly hugged the small boy. “Manta, I’m so glad you’re getting better.” He looked up towards the door. “Ryu, prepare some rice and juice for Manta!”

“You coulda had me ask him,” Ren said while rolling his eyes as he walked out of the room.

Yoh looked at Manta and hugged him again. “How do you feel?” he asked.

Manta groaned as a dull pain momentarily shot through his backside as he sat up. “I’ll live,” he replied.

“Oh!” Yoh stood up quickly and retrieved a bottle from the dresser, then came back to Manta and knelt down while opening it. “You’re supposed to take one of these with each meal,” he instructed, remembering what Faust had told him. “There’s ten, and so far you’ve only had one, since you only woke up once yesterday, so that’s nine left.”

Manta blinked. “Yoh... I can count,” he said with a bit of confusion.

Yoh smiled nervously. “I just wanted to make sure your brain was still functioning properly.” He hugged Manta yet again. “Manta... Could you please tell me what happened?”

Manta was quiet for a few moments, then sighed. “Nothing happened, Yoh-chan,” he whispered softly.

“Chan?”

The two looked up quickly and saw Ryu standing there, smiling.

“Please don’t tell anybody!” Yoh said quickly.

Ryu smiled. “I won’t.” he walked over and gave the tray to Yoh. “Is there anything else?”

“I think that’s it,” Yoh replied.

“Um... Ryu?” Manta said quietly.

“Hmm? Yes?”

Manta blushed embarrassedly. “Do you think you could get my teddy bear, Sakura, from my place?”

“Um... Sure. No problem. I’ll need Mosuke to come, though.”

“Okay.”

Yoh smiled at his little love, then looked up at Ryu. “Do you think you could pick up some orange juice while you’re out?”

“Of course,” Ryu replied, his friendly smile never fading. “I’ll get to it right now.”

Meanwhile, Tokagero was watching Mosuke intensely.

“Would you stop that,” the blacksmith complained.

“Why should I?” Tokagero snickered. “You’re so beautiful.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “And quit calling me beautiful. I’m a guy, and I’m a long ways from matching Amidamaru’s charisma.”

Tokagero tilted his head. “Is that so?” He began to chuckle. “I find you quite appealing.”

Mosuke glared at him. “Stop it.”

“Stop what? A spirit is free to look at whomever he wishes.” He blinked and looked back towards Manta’s room, then smirked. “The little boy is awake.”

Mosuke looked angrily at him. “What do you care?”

“Hmm?” The bandit looked at Mosuke with a smirk. “I wonder. If his physical body is so small... then...”

“Then what?” Mosuke asked after a silent moment.

“Then does that mean his spirit is as small?”

Mosuke’s eyes widened slightly. “Stay away from Manta-dono!”

He continued to smirk. “Mosuke, I suggest if you want that to happen, you not leave him alone. I’m quite interested to see what that boy’s spirit is like. Almost as interested as I am to finish our first encounter. What was it? 621 years ago?”

Mosuke floated back in discomfort.

“Yes, about that. Then that pest of a samurai interrupted.” He smirked at the change in Mosuke’s aura. “Am I frightening you?”

“You most certainly aren’t!” he said angrily, then turned and floated out of the room.

“The first time he’s left alohe’she’s mine Mosuke!” Tokagero declared with a snicker.

Ryu looked at Mosuke quietly. “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing,” he replied immediately.

Ryu chuckled. “Like shaman like spirit.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you’re as stubborn as Little Brother.” Ryu looked up at the mansion that he and Mosuke had stopped outside of. “Quite the spread. So how do we get in?”

“There’s a ladder at the side of the house, hidden behind the large pine tree against the house. Manta-dono’s window is unlocked.”

Ryu nodded slightly.

Minutes later he found himself in Manta’s bedroom for the first time. He looked around with a bit of surprise. It certainly didn’t look like the bedroom of a fourteen-year-old boy. Everything was so tidy, and a bookshelf full of advanced books rested against one wall.

“He keeps Sakura in the closet when he’s gone so his father doesn’t find it,” Mosuke said as he appeared.

Ryu nodded and walked over to the closet. He flipped on the light and peered into the closet. The wardrobe consisted mainly of dress pantd bld blouses, but one end held a bit of a variety of jeans, shorts and shirts. He chuckled softly noticing a couple of pink and yellow shirts, finding the idea of Manta in pink quite adorable. His gaze fell down to the floor and he smiled seeing the bear hidden behind a stack of notebooks, then reached down and lifted it.

He smiled at it. “This was well made. Where’d he get it?”

“Yoh-dono made it for him.”

Ryu chuckled. “Yoh? Well that explains the attachment.” He turned off the light, then turned around. He yelped finding a man looking at him with narrowed eyes.

“What do you think you are doing in Manta-san’s room?”

Ryu stammered for a moment. “I.. Uh... I’m Umemiya Ryu,” he said nervously. “I’m a friend of Manta’s. He asked me to get this for him.”

The man cocked an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you just knock on the front door?”

“Eh...” Ryu blushed a little in embarrassment. “Well, you see... Manta was worried that if his father found out about this, he’s be angry. So.... Waitaminute! Who are you?” he demanded.

“My name is Tamura. I am his caretaker. And I don’t appreciate you coming in, uninvited. Had Mansumi-san found you instead of me, there would have been a great deal of trouble, not only for us, but for Manta-san. Now I suggest you leave before you are discovered by anybody else.”

Ryu nodded quickly. “H-Hai. Gomen!” He quickly climbed out the window and down the ladder, placed it back where it had originated from, then ran down the street, followed by Mosuke.

Tamura shook his head. “Kids these days.”