Shaman King and its characters are © Hiroyuki Takei.
Chapter One
Tao Ren stood with his arms crossed, a scowl pasted on his face as he watched the Oyamada family jet land. A moment later he glanced to the warlord spirit that had appeared next to him minutes earlier. "I thought I told you to keep an eye on her, Bason," he muttered. "The other Oyamadas do not have sixth sense. They won't see you, much less acknowledge you."
"Miss Jun requested I accompany you, Master," Bason replied. "She and Pailong are with Lady Manta."
Ren snorted, amused with the tone of Bason's voice. Calm and formal, but obviously nervous. A moment later he turned his attention back to the group that had left the jet and was walking towards him in a diamond formation. Leading the group was a formally dressed man measuring at about 4'8". Though in his late 50's, his greying hair still showed strong reddish-blonde highlights and was slightly messy, compared to that of his company. With chestnut eyes and an expression to match Ren's, the short man known as Oyamada Mansumi was definitely intimidating.
Behind him was a woman(also dressed formally) in her early 40's, though her appearance made her look younger. She was about 5'4" with shoulder-length, black hair and blue eyes. Despite her respectable appearance, Ren couldn't help but to mutter about Oyamada Keiko's mixed heritage.
Next to Keiko was their daughter, Mannoko. Although she was eight, the dwarf gene made her appear as a three year old with shoulder-length, reddish hair, which was tied back with two pink bows, which complimented his rose-colored dress. Her expression was sinister with chestnut eyes and thin lips forming a smirk. Ren decided he would have to keep a close eye on this one.
At the back of the group was a tall man, about 6'3". His expression was friendly but formal and framed with black hair, which was gelled back, and decorated with chocolate eyes and silver-rimmed glasses. He certainly wasn't built for battle like the servants of the Tao family, but he appeared to be the perfect candidate for his job as caretaker of the Oyamada children. Ren smirked slightly, thinking about how Manta must have thought he was her daddy. The teen didn't have the same personality as her family, and if he knew her, she had spent more time with Tamura than she did with her biological family.
Mansumi came to a stop, signaling his company to stop as well, and then he looked up at Ren with a frown. "Where is my daughter?"
"Manta is at the mansion, preparing for tonight," the violet-eyed teen replied.
Mansumi nodded after thinking for a moment, and then began walking, Ren joining his side while his family and employee followed. "I presume your father made it clear what will be going on tonight?"
Ren rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."
Mansumi came to a stop and glared at the teen. "Show more respect. This is the first generation in which the Tao and Oyamada families did not both bear sons. Do you have any clue what the union of our clans would mean?"
"Total domination?" Ren asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"You are as malevolent as that daughter of mine," he muttered, and then turned and began walking.
"Uh huh," Ren replied while rolling his eyes yet again, and then followed close behind.
"Today is her sixteenth birthday," Mansumi stated while walking. "This will be her last chance to prove her worth. If she fails that test, it will be your duty to bring her into our world."
"She fails, I bite. What's the big deal?" the young Tao demanded, and then froze with a frown when Mansumi turned back towards him.
"You watch your tongue, boy," he said icily. "I may be short, but I am powerful for a human-type."
Ren glared at him silently.
"If she fails, you will begin the next generation tonight," he said cooly, and then turned and began walking.
Ren was still for a moment, and then growled while following once again, the rest of the Oyamada family and Tamura trailing a safe distance behind. "She's barely developed. She just started ovulating four months ago. And even if it wasn't so recent, she won't let me near her."
"I don't care. If you have to damn near kill her to do it, than so be it," Mansumi snapped.
"She fails, I'll bloody well smash her," Ren snarled in his mind.
-
Manta sighed sadly, her face buried in her arms, which rest on the oak vanity of her bedroom. The presence of Tao Jun and the zombie, Li Pailong, had dragged the blonde from her state of id, signaling that her family had arrived. Why did they do this? She was practically imprisoned in the Tao family's mansion. Was it really necessary for her family to show up and make her even more miserable than she already was?
"Pailong, wait outside," Jun said quietly while looking to her bodyguard. When he had left, she ensured the door was locked, and then walked over to Manta. "Your family has arrived."
Manta was silent for a long time, contemplating her response. She strongly disliked the Tao family, but Jun had been considerably kind to her, compared to the other members of the family. Jun often made attempts to comfort Manta, whom had never been without Tamura's support. When she remembered this, Manta decided against being mean towards the green-haired girl. "I know..." she whispered softly.
Jun watched with a worried frown, and then pulled a chair over, retrieved a hair brush, and began brushing through the shoulder-length, mandarin locks. Manta had become a little sister for Jun. Often Jun would sit for hours with Manta in her bedroom, doing anything from teaching Manta her own family's customs, to talking about their pasts. She remembered one evening during the last winter when Manta broke down. It had been during the Christmas dinner party, which her own family hosted for the Oyamadas, as well as the Fahs, the family which Jun was due to marry into this upcoming winter. Jun had never been sure what caused Manta to break down, but she remembered clearly that the girl had begun begging her father to let her go home to somebody she called 'Yoh-kun'.
Manta of course received punishment for her behavior, but that didn't stop her from talking to Jun later that night when Jun pressured her to talk about what had happened. Jun soon found herself listening to Manta's story, which seemed somewhat like a cliché romance novel. She was almost jealous that Manta had the fortune to find her true love, so to speak. She wasn't one for spitefulness, though, and since that night she found herself becoming closer to Manta, trying to give her courage, which she had never received from her own family. Now that she thought of it, though, the two were a lot alike. They were born and raised in families that were less than nurturing, engaged to men they didn't love, and loved men who they could never be with (not that Jun would admit, even to Manta, her feelings for Pailong).
With this in mind, she let out a sigh, continuing to brush Manta's hair. "You should know something. Tonight's dinner is more than just a dinner party."
"I figured as much," Manta replied quietly. "Dad always has some other reason for being here..."
Jun stopped and turned Manta to face her. Her own sapphire eyes stared into the younger, aquamarine eyes with concern. "Manta, tonight is an examination. It's extremely important that you pass it."
"I don't see why," she said quietly while looking away. "I've failed every other examination. Why is this one any different?"
"Because today you're old enough to be married and begin bearing children," Jun said gently. "You aren't supposed to know this, but if you fail tonight's examination, you will have to marry Ren."
"What?" Manta cried while looking up quickly. She had learned to fear the Tao son the day she met him, but since she had begun living with him and his family some three years ago, she had grown to fear him more than Tao En himself. He had developed a fixation in mentally tormenting her. She wasn't sure if it was another method he used to gain control over something, or if it was because he hated her as much as she hated him, but it was certainly not a case of, "You hurt the one you love." And it wasn't just mental torture he was good at. She had been trying since she learned of their engagement to figure some way out of it. The thought of marrying Ren that night almost caused her to faint in shock.
"I said, if you fail you will be married to Ren," Jun said a little more firmly. "And impregnated tonight." She groaned when Manta gave her a somewhat confused expression. The girl had done a good job at keeping her mind somewhat innocent. "He'll make you have sex," she explained, and then bit her lower lip when Manta paled.
"Wh-what! I don't want to be married to him!" she cried.
"Shh!" Jun hissed. "You aren't supposed to know."
"Then why did you tell me?" Manta demanded, tears forming.
Jun was silent for some time, and then looked away with a sigh. "Manta... Before you came here, I never would have dreamed of removing the charm from Pailong. After what you told me about your friendship with Yoh, I got jealous. It took awhile, but Pailong and I became friends." She looked to Manta. "But... I know exactly how you feel. I have to marry Fah Chi next year, but I don't love him." She looked away some. "I love Ren and know he's not all that terrible, but I completely understand that you couldn't love somebody like him if you found the one you truly love..."
"How could you understand?" Manta asked sadly while looking down. "How do I know this isn't some mean trick Ren put you up to?"
Jun looked back quietly, wondering how she could prove her honesty. After several long minutes, she finally decided to admit what would surely cause the disappearance of her bodyguard if her family found it. "Because I am in love with Li Pailong," she said quietly.
Manta looked up quickly, shaking lightly. "Wh-what?"
"I am in love with Pailong," she repeated. "And in the time you've been here, you've become like a little sister to me. There isn't much I can do for myself, but you are too young to be involved with a family such as mine."
Manta stared shakily at her, and then looking down while covering her mouth, fighting tears. "Jun-san..." After several more long minutes, she looked up. "What difference does it make? I'll still be stuck here." She looked away. "It makes no difference..."
"If you pass, your family will allow you to return to Tokyo," Jun replied, and wondered how the girl didn't suffer from whiplash, considering how quickly her head snapped up at her latest words. "Tamura will of course live with you, but your family has agreed to let you stay in Tokyo again if you pass."
Manta swallowed hard, and then looked away while thinking. After a long time, she returned her gaze to Jun. "Why would you tell me that if you think of me as your sister?"
"Because big sisters look out for their little brothers and sisters," she replied with a smile. "Even if a certain little brother can be a prick at times."
"Jun-san..." Manta said quietly, and then lunged forward and hugged her tightly. "Th-thank you!" she cried, allowing tears to escape, and then let out a sigh when Jun returned the hug.
"I'm going to see if I can accompany you," she said quietly.
Manta stood up straight and looked up to the greenette, her posture straight and respectful. Am... Am I to dress as an Oyamada or a Tao?" she asked nervously.
Jun smiled at Manta, and then stood up. "I will get everything for you. In the meantime, review your lessons on etiquette."
"Okay," Manta said with a nod, and stood still until Jun had excused herself from the room. Once alone, a sad but hopeful smile formed, and then she found her books and began reviewing as Jun had instructed her.
Meanwhile, Bason had appeared next to Jun and was following as she and Pailong walked towards what would supposedly be Ren and Manta's bedroom when they married. "Miss Jun, Lady Manta's family has arrived," he explained.
"I am well aware of that, Bason," she replied, now composed for presentation to the families.
"Do you think Lady Manta is ready for tonight?" Bason asked worriedly. Perhaps he was Ren's partner spirit, but he certainly wasn't as cold-hearted as his master.
"I have spoken to her. She is ready and willing to attend tonight's dinner," she replied sternly.
"That's what we thought last winter, and then again this past spring," Bason mentioned.
"If I remember correctly, I was the one who said she wasn't willing to attend those dinners," Jun said icily while looking to the spirit. "The girl has come to her senses and is willing to follow the expectations of her own family, as well as her future family."
"But how can you be sure?" Bason asked with exasperation. "Master Ren has just learned what will happen if Lady Manta fails, and is very angry. She may not last the night if she fails."
"Bason, she is my student," Jun snapped. "She is ready and willing to accept the social customs of our families. She is ready for this evening. Now if you will excuse me, I have to retrieve appropriate attire for her for this evening."
Bason came to a stop and watched worriedly as Jun turned down another hall, and then sighed.
"Ready AND willing?" Ren snorted, causing the spirit to jump, and then he smirked at Bason when the spirit turned back to him. "For a warlord, your senses are poor."
"Master Ren," he replied while bowing some. "Excuse me." He frowned when he noticed Ren held a material bag. "Master Ren?"
"Hmph. Tell Jun I'll take care of dressing Manta."
Bason stared with a twitching eye as Ren turned and walked away, and then he sighed. While letting his head droop.
Meanwhile, Ren had been quick to return to Manta's room, and without a thought or a knock, he walked in, locking the door behind him. He smirked when he found the blonde snuggled in a yukata on her bed, studying her lessons.
Manta looked up from the book she currently held, and then paled while scrambling off the bed. "R-Ren..." she said nervously. "What are you doing in here?"
"It's my home. I can go where I wish," was his reply, and then he studied her for some time. The smirk returned when he saw her begin to fidget uncomfortably. Finally he walked over to her, placing the bag on her bed with care, and then he turned his attention back to her. "Remove your robe," he ordered.
"Wh-what?" she asked shakily.
"Do I have to spell it out for you?" he demanded angrily. "Remove your robe!" He watched with a fierce expression as Manta reluctantly began to remove the yukata, and then his smirk returned when she looked away, her eyes squeezed shut and her body exposed, with the exception of what her bra and underpants hid. Ren studied her body for some time, and then frowned some. "You need to put some weight on," he muttered, and then walked over and removed the bra, causing her to squeak in fear. With a chuckle, he returned to the bed and took out a set of juban, and then walked over. "Lift your arms," he commanded, and then once she had, he pulled the cotton top over her head. After adjusting it, he retrieved the accompanying white slip and had her step into it, and then he pulled the band to her waist.
"Wh... What are you doing?" Manta whispered nervously.
"You're my fiancee. I want to see you wearing something nice for a change," he snapped while looking down to her, his hands resting lightly on her hips.
"Shouldn't I wear a..." she began, and then let out a squeak when one hand came to a rest on her chest.
"These are too small to need covering," he replied while squeezing one breast lightly. "Don't question me again."
She swallowed nervously, and then looked away. It wasn't the first time Ren had seen her with such minimal clothing, but it was the first time he had touched her in such a way. She wondered if he knew what would happen if she failed the examination, and then gave herself a mental slap. Of course he would know. She and her mother were the only ones who were never allowed information on what went on with the families. She sighed in relief when Ren released her, and then looked at the ground quietly.
"Sit down," Ren commanded while retrieving a pair of odori tabi, and then pulled them onto her feet with care. "How do they feel?" he asked, not bothering to look up.
Manta stared down confusedly at Ren, and then looked away with an embarrassed blush. "They're fine..."
"Good," Ren replied, and then stood up and helped her to her feet. He inspected her once again, and then retrieved a silk furisode, which had been carefully folded, and then opened it. Manta looked curiously at the ocean-blue material, decorated with sakura blossoms and what appeared to be a snow pattern from the left waist area to about six inches above the bottom right side.
"Ren, why are you dressing me?" Manta asked meekly, and then flinched when Ren glared at her.
"I thought I told you not to question me," he said irritably. "If I want to dress my future wife, I will. Now lift your arms."
Hesitantly she did as she was told, and then held her breath as Ren moved around her, bringing her right arm into the kimono first, and then the left. Once it was on, he ensured that the seam was centered on her back, and then moved in front of her again and wrapped the right side of her kimono around her body, and then wrapped the left side over top of that. After adjusting the kimono, he looked up to her. "Hold it in place," he commanded, and then once she held the kimono secured, he fixed the juban top underneath.
A moment later he returned to the bag and retrieved a navy obi belt made of brocade and a moss-green butterfly obi. Once he checked the adjustments he had made on the kimono, he spent the next ten minutes attempting to tie a butterfly bow and cursing each time the attempt failed, until finally it was tied correctly, and then he grinned. "Nothing to it."
Manta rolled her eyes, and then froze when he moved in front of her again.
"Hold on," he said while retrieving a set of wooden geta sandals, and then positioned them on the ground so that Manta could step into them. Once Manta had done so, he ordered her to sit down at the vanity. Before long, he had brushed her hair out and tied it back in a bun, allowing just a small amount of hair to hang down over her left eye. He turned her around, and then helped her to stand up again. A moment later he stepped back and studied her carefully, and then nodded in approval. "You look good," he stated, though it was more of an egotistical thought on his work at preparing her for the dinner.
"Thank you," she said quietly while averting her gaze to the floor, and then her eyes widened when his hand came to rest on her shoulder. She looked up nervously at Ren, who stared down at her with a gentle smile, something that somewhat scared the girl. Why would he be smiling like that? He had never been kind to her, so why now?
"You make up quite well," he stated while placing a hand on the side of her face, and then ran his thumb over her cheekbone. "So well that I'm almost tempted to take Father's advice."
"Advice," she asked nervously, and then shut up quickly when he caught her chin.
"It would do you good to behave tonight," he said quietly to her. "Our parents are expecting to see improvement in you. We wouldn't want to disappoint them, now would we?"
Her breathing shook and more tears formed when he leaned forward and caught her lips in a rough kiss and had to fight down a sob when his tongue entered her mouth. He knew she still hadn't gotten over their first kiss, and she wished desperately for a way to repay him for the grief he constantly inflicted on her. She let out a sigh of relief when he finally moved his head away from hers.
"Now," he said while staring into her soft blue eyes, "you are a very beautiful young lady. If you behave, I'll let you change alone tonight, but if you don't behave, I will be the one to follow you tonight." He smirked at the fearful expression on her face. "Unless of course you wish for me to undress you." When she paled three shades, he let out a laugh. "I thought you might feel that way." He turned and walked to the door, pausing momentarily while looking back. "Jun won't be able to protect you this time, Manta. You are alone on this one, whether or not you like it. You fail, and you'll regret it."
Manta watched shakily as he turned and opened the door.
Ren turned, and then smiled when he saw Jun standing there with a mix of confusion and worry. "Don't worry, Nee-san. I didn't harm her," he said with a bit of a sneer, and then walked past her.
Jun watched with confusion as Ren walked away, and then looked inside and found Manta standing still, staring at the ground and trembling. "Manta?" A moment later her eyes widened as Manta collapsed to her knees and began to sob, burying her face into her hands. Quickly Jun ran to her side and knelt down. "Manta, are you alright? Manta?"
"I can't do this," she cried. "I hate these families. This life... I just can't do it!"
Jun watched with a worried expression as Manta continued to cry, and then sighed while beginning to pray for Manta to pass the examination.
-kun - Often added at the end of a name of somebody familiar, such as a coworker or a friend.
-san - More formal than 'kun'. Often used when speaking to elders, teachers, etc.
Juban - White, cotton undergarments worn with a kimono
Odori tabi - Traditional cotton socks with a vinyl sole, designed to be comfortably worn with sandals.
Furisode - A kimono worn by young, unmarried women, often decorated with bright colors and patterns.
Obi - A broad sash which is usually worn with a kimono.
Nee-san - The respectful form of "older sister".
Well, what do you think? Like it? Hate it? I would really appreciate feedback on the story itself, and not on the pairings. Constructive criticism is everybody's best friend. I will update again as soon as possible. Thank you for reading.