Lost Souls
A Fanfic Series by Chibi Botan
Story One: Amaru
"Amaru Hideaki is a lively seven-year-old boy. He loves to play with friends during afternoons at the park. He loves to ride his father's motorcycle when he picks him up from school. He loves weekends when his mother would bake brownies and make the sweetest milkshake. He loves to attend school with children his age, and is very bright. He loves to make friends with everyone he meets…
"On the 5th day of May, 1996, Amaru and his father traveled to Kobe to visit an orphanage. On Route 23, they passed by two cars racing against each other. One of the cars suddenly swerved to their side, and they were not able to maneuver their motorcycle away from it. Toki, Amaru's father, died instantly, while Amaru was rushed to the hospital, and was in comatose state for six months..."
i
November 9, 1996
Botan scanned a page-long entry from Enma's Register silently. Six months ago, a fellow ferry girl had ferried Amaru's father. He asked the ferry girl to watch over his son for him. He had not known that his son will meet him soon in heaven. And now, Botan is on her way to the hospital. She was assigned to ferry Amaru to Reikai.
ii
Little Amaru sat at the edge of the bed. He wondered where he was. It wasn't his room, that's for sure. This room he's in was all white, while his room was painted a light shade of blue. He looked all around him. Everything seemed weird to him.
Mother? Father?
He wondered where his parents are. Why is he alone in this weird room?
His eyes darted to the door, which had two round glass windows. But he couldn't see through it. He heard a commotion outside. He couldn't make out what it's all about, but he's sure he heard his mother's voice.
He decided he should go outside. His mother's voice seemed frantic. He's going to know what this is all about.
A hand touched his shoulder.
Surprised, he looked back. He thought he was alone in the room.
"Hello there." The girl greeted him. His eyebrows furrowed. And then he shaked his head a bit. He felt light-headed, so that must be it. Surely the girl didn't have blue hair and pink eyes? Or maybe he was dreaming?
The girl smiled at him. "My name's Botan. And you're Amaru, right? Pleased to meet you." She smiled and offered a hand.
Amaru didn't speak.
The girl left her side of the bed and helped him up. She held her firm grip on his shoulders.
"What are you?" This girl looked like she came from comic books he loved to read. Before the blue-haired girl could answer, they heard a loud, heart-breaking wail outside.
Amaru instantly tried to leave, but Botan stopped him.
"Wait. You asked me what I am. Amaru," she stooped so they were at the same eye level, "Let's just say I'm an angel. And I'm here to guide you to heaven." She moved to his side so he would see what she tried to block from his view earlier.
At the center of the bed, covered with a white sheet, is Amaru's body. Though it was covered, Amaru was smart enough to know whose body it is. He looked away, unable to stare at it. Botan held his hand.
His lips were trembling when he mumbled, "I'm dead."
With this, Amaru's mother rushed inside the room, crying as she hugged the lifeless body on the bed.
iii
Amaru refused to leave.
Try as she might, Botan can't make him go with her. Although he accepted his death faster than she expected, the boy was too worried about his mom. He only just learned about his father's death. To him, that means his mother would be left all alone.
"You understand, right? I can't go with you," he repeated.
Her heart went out to him. It's hard to see a young child trying to be brave enough to face death. Of course, she understands.
"Alright, Amaru, but I will be back soon."
She pretended to leave, but in truth she watched over him for a while.
That first week, she went back almost every day, but he still refused. So she kept watch as Amaru follows his mother around, all the time trying to comfort her, but never able to touch or to talk to her.
All the while, Botan wrote about him on Enma's Register, where the records of everyone go on even as he moved on to the afterlife. On the seventh day, she wrote:
"Amaru has fairly adjusted himself as a non-living. But he feels the need to stay in Ningenkai now that no one looks after his mother. Today, his body was cremated and he watched as everyone he knew pay respect. When everyone left, he said that what bothers him is that his mother is now alone in their house."
iv
Two days after that, Botan went back to check on Amaru.
He found him on his room, staring at a picture on the side of the bed. On the picture was smiling faces of him and his parents, and a lovely little girl she hasn't seen before.
"I almost forgot…" Amaru said and looked back at her.
"What did you forget?"
"Mimi."
"Oh. You mean her?" She pointed at the girl in the picture.
"Yes. We were going to visit her that day, when we had an accident."
"I see. Would you like us to visit her?" she suggested and smiled at him.
He smiled, for the first time since… "Can we?"
"Of course." They stepped outside and she produced her oar. "Hop in and lead the way!"
"To the orphanage, please." He said and adjusted himself.
She glanced at him for a second but didn't say anything. In a few minutes, they arrived at the orphanage. It was a small, shabby building at the downtown area. They went straight to the headmistress' office, where, according to Amaru, visitors are accepted. They found the headmistress speaking to another kind-looking old lady. Amaru said the other is a cook.
"I see that the adoption permit for Mimi has arrived. But I can not contact Mr Hideaki on their phone number," the headmistress said.
"That's because the phone is not plugged since..." Amaru whispered, though he knew they wouldn't be heard.
The cook was worried, too. "I have not seen them visit. Little Mimi sure missed them. We have their home address; maybe we should send them a letter."
"I intend to do that. I haven't heard from them in a few months. Ah, they must be busy, too. They did say on their last visit that they will be busy."
Amaru tugged on the sleeve of Botan's kimono. "They didn't hear about the accident, Botan-san. But that means mother can adopt Mimi now, right?"
"Yes, I think that is what it means."
"Then let's go see Mimi. She must be at the garden. She likes it there."
v
And they did find Mimi at the garden table, coloring. She glanced at Amaru and smiled, and Botan wondered if the child can see them. But she looked back and saw several kids. Maybe Mimi was smiling at the kids and not them.
As Mimi set out a new sheet of paper and started to draw, Amaru sat beside her. He talked to her, and didn't mind if she can't hear them. He just went on talking.
"I'm really sorry, Mimi, we didn't visit you after I promised to. You see, we had an accident, and then I have to take care of our mother… I'm going with Botan-san soon, to Heaven, and I'll be with father there. Mother won't be lonely anymore, as soon as you're home with her. Take care of her, okay. And you can have my room and all my toys there. And I left home a gift for you; father forgot to bring it that day. It's just on my closet. I hope you will see it easily. Find it for me okay?" He leaned a bit and kissed her forehead. It was his silent goodbye.
Botan felt proud of this little boy, who died so young but cared so much more for other people than his own self. Amaru stood up and went to Botan's side. They left, aboard Botan's oar. Both didn't notice that Mimi looked on, clutching her drawing of a stick family towards her heart.
vi
Rina, Amaru's mother, received the letter from the orphanage in a few days after.
She thought of Mimi, who they decided to adopt and kept visiting a few months before Toki died. They both wanted a daughter, and can't wait, so they decided to visit that orphanage a few miles from their hometown. There, they met little Mimi. They knew instantly she's who they wanted to adopt. They visited often while waiting for the legal papers to be signed, and were like a real family.
Until that day, when Toki fetched Amaru from school to visit Mimi, and met an accident on their way. She hasn't visited their little girl since.
She misses Mimi, but wasn't sure she's ready to take her home. She just lost her husband and only son. Now she was afraid to be left again.
"At this rate…" Botan stopped and didn't say what she thought. She thought that if Rina wouldn't keep Mimi, then Amaru might never come with her.
"Botan-san, is there a way I can speak to mother?" Amaru suddenly asked.
Botan hesitated at first, and then nodded. "You can speak to her in a dream."
"Really?" Amaru wondered excitedly.
"Ah, yes. I think you're ready now." She smiled. "We'll wait until she sleeps."
vii
In Rina's dream, she went to her son's room and found him getting ready to leave. He was wearing his favorite hiking shirt. She asked him where he's going.
He smile at her and said, "But, you already know where I'm going."
"I don't want you to go. Toki has left, too." She said, trying not to cry.
"He's waiting for me up there."
She reached for him. "I don't think I can let you go. I'm alone here…"
"Mother, do you remember?" He stepped backwards so she'll see the badges he got from the previous father-and-son camp. "Father said he wanted to have Mimi here, so when we're away on camp, you'll have her with you. Father thinks she'll be a good company when we're gone. He said that again that day…"
That was when she let her tears fall. "I will miss you."
viii
December 24, 1996
A cab pulled over in front of the Hideaki residence. Rina emerged, and following her was six-year-old Mimi. They went upstairs and Rina showed her new room—the room that was once Amaru's.
Just outside, Botan and Amaru looks on. Both are happy that Rina took Mimi home.
"So, are you ready to go now?" Botan asked him, smiling.
"Yes." He smiled back.
They looked on for the last time, and saw Rina leave the room to prepare some cookies and milkshake. As soon as she left, Mimi opened the closet, and soon enough found a gift kept inside—the same one Amaru told her about. She opened it to find a framed drawing made by Amaru. There was the four of them, hand in hand, in front of their residence.
Mimi carefully placed the frame beside their picture, and looked outside the window. She waved goodbye to the two spirits outside.
Botan and Amaru waved back, and sped off to Reikai.
- end of story one -
Thank you for reading!
Author's Notes
This was inspired by the first few chapters of the Yu Yu Hakusho manga, when Yusuke tagged along as Botan ferries some souls. So here's the first story for my mini-fanfic series. Please leave a review, and if you liked it, please add this to your watch list because I'll be adding more stories soon. ^^ I hope it didn't come out very sad…