Little Boy

Chapter 8 ~ Exile


Yoh yawned sleepily.

“Yoh-dono,” Mosuke said as he floated into the room. “Ryu-san will be here in a few minutes. Why don’t you go to bed?”

Yoh blinked, trying to stay awake, then sighed while looking down at Manta, who slept peacefully while holding on to Yoh’s thumb like a young child would hold their mother’s thumb for comfort. “Thanks, Mosuke.” Slowly he drew his hand from Manta, smiling as the blonde turned over with a groan, then he leaned down and kissed Manta softly. “Goodnight, my chibi tenchi,” he whispered, then stood up and stretched. “Arigato, Mosuke.”

“No problem,” he replied with a smile, then sat on the floor next to Manta.

Minutes after Yoh walked out, Tokagero appeared while snickering. “How’s the little one?”

“Go away, Tokagero,” Mosuke said with annoyance.

“Or what?” the bandit asked. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Yet,” Mosuke replied. “I do not wish for you to be near my master when he’s weak. Now leave.”

“Well that wasn’t very friendly. How am I ever supposed to see him if I’m not allowed to see him when he’s weak?”

Mosuke’s eyes narrowed. “Manta-dono is not weak.”

“Actually, he’s quite weak. He couldn’t even defeat Ryu if you two merged,” he coaxed. “Hmm... I think I’d like to see the boy now, rather than wait.”

Mosuke’s eyes widened when Tokagero shot for his young master, then shot ahead of him and entered the small body.

Tokagero smirked and did a u-turn as Ryu walked in, then slammed into his shaman, causing him to silently cry out.

Manta gasped and his eyes shot open. “Wh-What’s going on?” he murmured.

“Spirit rope, bound him!” Tokagero hissed in Ryu’s voice as he placed a charm on Manta, paralyzing both Manta and Mosuke.

“Mosuke, what’s happening?” Manta whimpered in his mind.

“Tokagero, what are you doing?!” Mosuke demanded.

“What I didn’t get to finish 620 years ago,” he replied with a laugh, then he closed the door. He cursed finding no lock on the door, then sighed. After a moment he looked back over and grinned seeing the mix of Manta’s fear and Mosuke’s dread in the blue eyes. “Well, well, well. A two for one deal. How appealing.”

“Tokagero, stop it!” Mosuke yelled. “Leave Manta-dono out of this!”

The bandit approached slowly.

“Mosuke, what’s going on?” Manta whimpered again in his mind. “Why can’t I move?”

The blacksmith cringed. “Manta-dono, go back to sleep. I’ll handle this.”

“Mosuke...” Manta whimpered, recognizing the look in the dark eyes that, for the moment, belonged to Tokagero. “Mosuke, make him go away.”

Tokagero knelt down and carelessly pulled the shirt of Manta’s pyjamas open, then grinned at the sight of the small body. “My, Mosuke. You would almost think the boy was related to you,” he said as he ran a hand over the soft, pale flesh. “Before you grew, that is.” He leaned down and locked his lips over Manta’s and let his tongue invade the smaller mouth while caressing the small chest. “Mm... So tender,” he sneered as he lifted his head, then became more satisfied at the sight of tears.

“Tokagero, knock it off! Don’t do this to Manta!” Mosuke yelled.

“Or you’ll what? Tell everybody how the best friend of a samurai demon was reduced to a whimpering little boy by a bandit?” he sneered. “My, won’t Amidamaru think highly of you.”

Mosuke growled, then yelled, “Amidamaru help!”

“He won’t hear you,” the bandit said boredly. “I was very careful in placing the other charms.”

“Mosuke,” Manta whimpered desperately. “Please make him stop it.”

Mosuke shuddered some, Manta’s pleas creating guilt in him for placing Manta in such danger. He wondered how he could have fallen for an obvious trap, then began concentrating. “I’ll try,” he said, then he and Manta cried out in unison, each receiving pain as Tokagero squeezed between the small legs.

“My, you are tender,” Tokagero laughed.

“Dammit,” Mosuke thought. He knew he had enough strength to get past the charm that bound him to Manta, but a sense of duty made it impossible for him to leave his master. “If only there was some way to...” A groan interrupted his thoughts. He blinked, then through Manta’s eyes saw Tokagero holding his head.

“Somebody...” Ryu said, first in a low voice, then he became louder. “Somebody get in here!” he yelled, then lost control to Tokagero again.

Mosuke brightened up. “Don’t worry, Manta-chan,” he said gently. “Somebody’s going to come and help.”

“Oh, I doubt anybody heard,” Tokagero said as he slipped his hand down the pyjama bottoms and began to fondle Manta.

Mosuke cringed, waiting to feel the unwanted pleasure that normally accompanied such actions, then blinked in confusion. “Manta?”

“Mosuke, make him stop touching me,” Manta sobbed silently, both in mind and body. “Make him stop.”

“Manta-chan...” Mosuke whispered.

“Manta-chan?” Tokagero sneered. “How sweet. A 629 year old blacksmith wanting to call a 14 year old cry-baby his son.”

“Take that back!” Mosuke yelled.

“I don’t think so.”

“What the hell is going on here?!” Horo’s voice demanded angrily.

Tokagero looked up with annoyance and found the Ainu standing in the doorway, glaring angrily. “What do wantwant?”

“Get the hell away from Manta!” he yelled as he was joined by the others. He ran past the bandit, followed by Faust and Yoh, and knelt down quickly next to Manta and pulled the charm off him.

Immediately Mosuke shot out of Manta’s body and over to Amidamaru.

“Mosuke, are you alright?” the samurai asked frantically. “What on earth was going on?!”

Faust scooped a trembling Manta into his arms and held him protectively. “Shh... It’s okay. We’re here now,” he said gently.

“Manta...” Yoh looked at him with worried eyes, then glared at Ryu. “Ryu, what do you think you were doing?!”

“Ryu’s innocent,” Mosuke said angrily while looking over. “Come on out, Tokagero. You can’t hide in your shaman forever.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tokagero muttered as he left Ryu, who fell shakily too his knees.

“Ryu-san, are you alright?” faust asked.

Ryu groaned and looked up at Tokagero with confusion. “What on earth were you doing?”

Tokagero rolled his eyes.

“The bastard decided to trap me in Manta so he could, as he so bluntly put it, ‘finish our first encounter’,” Mosuke said angrily.

Amidamaru stared. “You were going to use Manta and Ryu to rape Mosuke?!” he demanded.

Tokagero shrugged. “Call it what you like,” he said monotonously.

Ren watched quietly from the door. “Hmph. You aughta be more careful of how you do your dirty work,” he muttered. “I’m going back to bed.”

“It wasn’t just me,” Mosuke said angrily. If not for the simple fact that they couldn’t touch, Mosuke would have been unconsciously clinging to the samurai’s arm. “He also mentioned he was going to attack his spirit the first time Manta was alone.”

Yoh glared at the bandit. “How could you do such a thing?! We’re all supposed to be friends!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tokagero muttered again.

Ryu groaned as he looked down. “I feel like... such a pedofile...”

Yoh looked quietly at Tokagero. “Do you have no remorse for such a deed?”

“Remorse? Never heard of it.”

Yoh sighed sadly and looked at Manta, who was silently sobbing as Faust cradled him. He looked back to Tokagero. “I don’t like to say such a thing... But you are not welcome here until you truly are sorry for what you did.”

The spirit looked quickly to Yoh in shock. “Excuse me?”

“Please leave,” Yoh said as he looked away quietly. “Ryu, I understand any protests, but n’t n’t allow him to stay hef thf there’s a chance he’ll do it again...”

“Hmph. What about all that crap you gave me about friendship?” Tokagero demanded.

Yoh shook his head. “It’s different when you deliberately try to hurt your friends and then won’t apologize for it.”

“Hmph. Fine. Let’s go, Ryu.”

Ryu sighed. “No, Tokagero...”

“Huh? What?!” He turned and stared at the shaman.

Ryu looked at him. “Tokagero, you used me to harm my friends. For all you know, you may have ruined my friendship with Little Brother. And how am I to know if you will or won’t use me that way again?” He closed his eyes. “I’m sorry...”

Tokagero glared at Ryu. “And you’re supposed to be my best friend? Hmph. With friends like you, who needs enemies?” he said angrily, then shot out and away from the hotel.

Everybody was quiet for a while, then finally Faust cleared his throat. “I think... we should all get back to bed.”

Yoh nodded, then walked over. “Manta? Are you okay?” He was answered with a little whimper as Manta nuzzled his face into Faust’s lderlder. Yoh sighed and looked at Faust. “Um... Faust? Do you think you could let Manta stay with you? He seems to feel safest with you.”

“Of course. It’s no problem,” Faust said as he rubbed Manta’s back.

“If you don’t mind... I think I’m going to find somewhere else to stay tonight,” Ryu said quietly, then walked out quietly.

Amidamaru shook his head quietly. “What a mess.”