Disclaimer: Hiroyuki Takei owns Shaman King! Not me and CERTAINLY not 4Kids!!
Author's Notes: Heh...yes, I have enough guts to stand up to Anna! It's about time someone id, too. About how this fic got started... I figured that since I torture anime charas, I might as well torture myself. I'm weird like that...
~***~
A Dream Come True?
Chapter Five
~***~
It took us a while to calm Manta down and explain everything. He gave me a trivia session of his own, except it had more questions about American government and political issues. Government never was my best subject...
Anyway, the reason the two-foot kid was there in the first place was that a ghost had followed him home. "I really wouldn't mind- -it helps to just have someone to talk to. But I've never seen its face. It's always in shadow."
"That's not good," said Yoh. "I think a dark spirit might have attached itself to you. Ever feel exhausted or depressed?"
Manta gave him a funny look. "I'm ALWAYS exhausted and depressed."
"More so than usual."
"Now that you mention it, yeah."
"Definitely spirit attachment. But it's unlikely that it has any hold of you outside your house or I would have sensed it. It has to be a spirit that's fixated in your house. Hear any stories?"
Manta shrugged. "I know that before we moved in there was a family with a little boy. I don't know what happened, though."
Yoh stood up and stretched. "What do you think, Amidamaru?"
The samurai ghost floated in through the wall. This was the first time I'd seen him since I'd been in Yoh's house, and I immediately froze. 'Damn! He's even cuter in person! Now I REALLY wish I was a girl again.'
Amidamaru shook his head. "I am not too sure of this, Lord Yoh. I will ask the other spirits in the graveyard for any information."
"Um..." I began. "I'll go with you."
Yoh grabbed my arm. "Hey! I need you to come with us."
"What for?!"
"You have Hao's empathy, right? You can probably sense who or what this entity is."
"But- -" I looked around. Amidamaru was already gone. "Oh, all right."
~***~
I can't exactly remember what Manta's dad does for a living, but DAMN that house is huge! Yoh, Manta and I arrived at about seven-thirty. Under the hope that we would be spending the night to corner the mysterious entity Yoh and I had brought over sleeping bags. Manta was still a little nervous around me, though, so I just prayed to God he wouldn't screw the whole thing up.
My belief that Oyamada Mansumi was a complete and total ass were confirmed when Manta asked him if we could sleep over. "Absolutely not. Your grades have been slipping lately."
"C'mon, Dad! It was a B on notes! The only reason I missed a few was because some kid shot a spit ball at me!"
"QUIET!!!"
Manta fell silent. I could feel his fear. And he knew it, too. His mind was begging me to help, just from the knowledge that I was in Hao's body and I had the power.
I stepped forward, not knowing exactly why I was so mad that strands of everybody's hair was sticking up from the buildup of energy in the room. "Mr. Oyamada sir, I wish you wouldn't be so hard on Manta. He works hard in school. He's in the top of his class and- -"
"I don't need your advice on how to raise my son."
My anger flared. I could feel every one of this guy's demented little thoughts. Then something else...the mysterious entity was in the room.
I jerked my hand out and caught Mansumi by the throat. Not only did I now possess Hao's abilities, but also his temper. "Listen, you little bastard," I hissed. "I'm tired of you using Manta for your own twisted little ends. He's your own son, dammit! Not a tool to further your career!"
"Hao!" Yoh protested.
I ignored him, instead allowing a bit of the sixth sense to flow into him. Then I yanked him around to face the entity.
"W-what is- -!"
"Do you see the thing that's eating away at Manta's soul?" I continued, trying to calm myself. The headache was starting up again. "It likes the taste of young souls. You may hate Manta, but once this dark spirit finishes with him, how are you so sure it won't go after Manuko?"
His eyes widened.
I finally released his throat. "I'm here to get rid of that dark spirit, got it? So back off, shut up and butt out."
With that I turned and left the room. It felt like something had finally broken, like my sudden outburst had been caused by a spell. I also felt the entity follow us.
""What was THAT?!!' Manta demanded. "It was like you were a completely different person."
"The rat bastard was pissing me off," I replied. "People like that really get on my nerves. He got what he deserved."
"So now what?" asked Yoh. "Did you get anything off this entity?"
"Only that it's a fixated ghost. Maybe not like that in life, but something must have happened to it to make it that way. I should stay up tonight and see what happens."
"I've returned, Lord Yoh!"
"EEEEK!!!"
Yoh stared oddly at Manta and I. "Okay, first off, I would expect you to be used to sudden appearances like hat. But as for you, Hao... It's scary."
"Give me a break!! I'm not Hao, remember?"
Amidamaru sighed in exasperation. "Can I relay this information or not?!!"
Author's Notes: Heh...yes, I have enough guts to stand up to Anna! It's about time someone id, too. About how this fic got started... I figured that since I torture anime charas, I might as well torture myself. I'm weird like that...
~***~
A Dream Come True?
Chapter Five
~***~
It took us a while to calm Manta down and explain everything. He gave me a trivia session of his own, except it had more questions about American government and political issues. Government never was my best subject...
Anyway, the reason the two-foot kid was there in the first place was that a ghost had followed him home. "I really wouldn't mind- -it helps to just have someone to talk to. But I've never seen its face. It's always in shadow."
"That's not good," said Yoh. "I think a dark spirit might have attached itself to you. Ever feel exhausted or depressed?"
Manta gave him a funny look. "I'm ALWAYS exhausted and depressed."
"More so than usual."
"Now that you mention it, yeah."
"Definitely spirit attachment. But it's unlikely that it has any hold of you outside your house or I would have sensed it. It has to be a spirit that's fixated in your house. Hear any stories?"
Manta shrugged. "I know that before we moved in there was a family with a little boy. I don't know what happened, though."
Yoh stood up and stretched. "What do you think, Amidamaru?"
The samurai ghost floated in through the wall. This was the first time I'd seen him since I'd been in Yoh's house, and I immediately froze. 'Damn! He's even cuter in person! Now I REALLY wish I was a girl again.'
Amidamaru shook his head. "I am not too sure of this, Lord Yoh. I will ask the other spirits in the graveyard for any information."
"Um..." I began. "I'll go with you."
Yoh grabbed my arm. "Hey! I need you to come with us."
"What for?!"
"You have Hao's empathy, right? You can probably sense who or what this entity is."
"But- -" I looked around. Amidamaru was already gone. "Oh, all right."
~***~
I can't exactly remember what Manta's dad does for a living, but DAMN that house is huge! Yoh, Manta and I arrived at about seven-thirty. Under the hope that we would be spending the night to corner the mysterious entity Yoh and I had brought over sleeping bags. Manta was still a little nervous around me, though, so I just prayed to God he wouldn't screw the whole thing up.
My belief that Oyamada Mansumi was a complete and total ass were confirmed when Manta asked him if we could sleep over. "Absolutely not. Your grades have been slipping lately."
"C'mon, Dad! It was a B on notes! The only reason I missed a few was because some kid shot a spit ball at me!"
"QUIET!!!"
Manta fell silent. I could feel his fear. And he knew it, too. His mind was begging me to help, just from the knowledge that I was in Hao's body and I had the power.
I stepped forward, not knowing exactly why I was so mad that strands of everybody's hair was sticking up from the buildup of energy in the room. "Mr. Oyamada sir, I wish you wouldn't be so hard on Manta. He works hard in school. He's in the top of his class and- -"
"I don't need your advice on how to raise my son."
My anger flared. I could feel every one of this guy's demented little thoughts. Then something else...the mysterious entity was in the room.
I jerked my hand out and caught Mansumi by the throat. Not only did I now possess Hao's abilities, but also his temper. "Listen, you little bastard," I hissed. "I'm tired of you using Manta for your own twisted little ends. He's your own son, dammit! Not a tool to further your career!"
"Hao!" Yoh protested.
I ignored him, instead allowing a bit of the sixth sense to flow into him. Then I yanked him around to face the entity.
"W-what is- -!"
"Do you see the thing that's eating away at Manta's soul?" I continued, trying to calm myself. The headache was starting up again. "It likes the taste of young souls. You may hate Manta, but once this dark spirit finishes with him, how are you so sure it won't go after Manuko?"
His eyes widened.
I finally released his throat. "I'm here to get rid of that dark spirit, got it? So back off, shut up and butt out."
With that I turned and left the room. It felt like something had finally broken, like my sudden outburst had been caused by a spell. I also felt the entity follow us.
""What was THAT?!!' Manta demanded. "It was like you were a completely different person."
"The rat bastard was pissing me off," I replied. "People like that really get on my nerves. He got what he deserved."
"So now what?" asked Yoh. "Did you get anything off this entity?"
"Only that it's a fixated ghost. Maybe not like that in life, but something must have happened to it to make it that way. I should stay up tonight and see what happens."
"I've returned, Lord Yoh!"
"EEEEK!!!"
Yoh stared oddly at Manta and I. "Okay, first off, I would expect you to be used to sudden appearances like hat. But as for you, Hao... It's scary."
"Give me a break!! I'm not Hao, remember?"
Amidamaru sighed in exasperation. "Can I relay this information or not?!!"