As per usual, I don't own Shaman King!
****Meanwhile, three blocks from the cemetary****
"I'm most worried, Lord Yoh. We've searched all day and we still haven't found Lord Manta!"
Yoh, who himself was beginning to suspect something was wrong, responded.
"It is weird how he wasn't at any of his usual haunts..."
Just then, an idea struck Yoh.
"I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier! Amidamaru, do a fly-by of the city. You'll be able to find him from up there!"
The spirit nodded and jumped into flight. But before he even started off in a direction, he sensed an accumulation of spirits. Looking in the direction of the force, he saw the cemetary that neither he nor Yoh had known of.
"Lord Yoh! It appears this city has another cemetary we didn't know of!"
Yoh looked surprised, then answered.
"Let's head over there...maybe one of the spirits has seen him!"
"It's just a bit north of here, on the next street on the left."
Amidamaru landed besides Yoh and both took off in the direction of the cemetary.
Yoh began thinking to himself.
::I wish I hadn't done that stupid joke this morning. I didn't know Manta would take it so hard...::
They reached the entrance to the cemetary just as the full moon began to rise, bathing the area in a ghostly pale light. Just then, a specter of a middle-aged samurai appeared from behind a gravestone.
"What do you want?", asked Yoh.
"You-you can see me?!"
"Lord Yoh is a shaman, one who can manipulate ghost spirits."
The middle-aged samurai looked up at the taller ghost, then screamed:
"You! The fiend Amidamaru, the same that took my life! Do you come to leave me no rest in the afterlife as well?!"
Amidamaru looked pale, even for a ghost. He sighed, then replied:
"I have no time to act as the hero."
Amidamaru dropped to his knees and bowed.
"I beg your forgiveness...I had no choice."
The other ghost was taken aback at the fierce warrior's sorrow, but was pleased by this, so Yoh asked:
"Now that that's settled, we need to know if you've seen our friend."
"Depends...we've only had one visitor today, and he looks to become a resident fairly soon."
"What do you mean?!"
"Go see for yourself. He lies on the gravestone at the far end of the cemetary, under that tree."
The ghost pointed to a gnarled cherry blossom about two hundred feet away.
Yoh and Amidamaru thanked the ghost for his help, then took off.
What they saw when they looked behind the tree was a memory permanently burned into their minds.
Lying face-down in a puddle of his own tears, Manta looked terrible. His arms and head sat on the ground in front of a tombstone that read "Keiko Oyamada".
::Who could this woman be? Manta never mentioned a deceased female relative...::
"Manta!"
"Lord Manta!"
Yoh ran to him and shook his shoulders.
"Hey, wake up, Manta! I'm sorry about how we acted. It was just a stupid joke, okay? We're sorry."
"Lord Yoh talked me into it, Lord Manta. I apologize for my behavior."
Manta didn't respond.
"Wake up, Manta. This isn't funny."
As Yoh started shaking Manta again, he noticed something fall out of Manta's hand.
"A bottle?"
He read the label.
"Painkillers?! What was Manta doing with painkillers?"
"What are these 'painkillers', Lord Yoh?"
"They're drugs that dull the nervous system and the brain so you won't feel pain."
Then, Yoh realized something that made his blood run cold. Something that the ghost they'd met earlier had said struck his mind.
"...he looks to become a resident fairly soon."
Yoh put his ear to Manta's chest.
He couldn't hear a heartbeat.
"Amidamaru! Find the nearest phone!"
"What's wrong, Lord Yoh?"
"Manta's dying! I need to call an ambulance!"
Yoh picked Manta up and carried him to a phone just half a block from the cemetary. He proceeded to call for an ambulance
"How could this have happened, Lord Yoh?" Amidamaru looked as sad as he'd ever been.
Yoh had been very quiet.
"Lord Yoh?"
"My fault..."
"What?"
"Manta tried to kill himself with those painkillers...because of my joke. My god-damned joke is going to kill my best friend!"
"We're both to blame, Lord -"
"Stop calling me that, Amidamaru! I don't deserve any title. Never call me 'Lord' again."
Before the conversation could continue, the shriek of the ambulance siren was heard rapidly approaching.
As the crew loaded Manta into the ambulance, Yoh made a request:
"Please take me with you...I...need to make peace with him."
The ambulance crew, not wanting to squander time with an argument allowed Yoh, as well as his ghost they couldn't see, on.
The ambulance screamed to the hospital, and for the first night in memory, the crickets were silent.
Again, I'm really sorry about the delay! Please R+R, I promise the next part will be even more Yoh-angsty!
****Meanwhile, three blocks from the cemetary****
"I'm most worried, Lord Yoh. We've searched all day and we still haven't found Lord Manta!"
Yoh, who himself was beginning to suspect something was wrong, responded.
"It is weird how he wasn't at any of his usual haunts..."
Just then, an idea struck Yoh.
"I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier! Amidamaru, do a fly-by of the city. You'll be able to find him from up there!"
The spirit nodded and jumped into flight. But before he even started off in a direction, he sensed an accumulation of spirits. Looking in the direction of the force, he saw the cemetary that neither he nor Yoh had known of.
"Lord Yoh! It appears this city has another cemetary we didn't know of!"
Yoh looked surprised, then answered.
"Let's head over there...maybe one of the spirits has seen him!"
"It's just a bit north of here, on the next street on the left."
Amidamaru landed besides Yoh and both took off in the direction of the cemetary.
Yoh began thinking to himself.
::I wish I hadn't done that stupid joke this morning. I didn't know Manta would take it so hard...::
They reached the entrance to the cemetary just as the full moon began to rise, bathing the area in a ghostly pale light. Just then, a specter of a middle-aged samurai appeared from behind a gravestone.
"What do you want?", asked Yoh.
"You-you can see me?!"
"Lord Yoh is a shaman, one who can manipulate ghost spirits."
The middle-aged samurai looked up at the taller ghost, then screamed:
"You! The fiend Amidamaru, the same that took my life! Do you come to leave me no rest in the afterlife as well?!"
Amidamaru looked pale, even for a ghost. He sighed, then replied:
"I have no time to act as the hero."
Amidamaru dropped to his knees and bowed.
"I beg your forgiveness...I had no choice."
The other ghost was taken aback at the fierce warrior's sorrow, but was pleased by this, so Yoh asked:
"Now that that's settled, we need to know if you've seen our friend."
"Depends...we've only had one visitor today, and he looks to become a resident fairly soon."
"What do you mean?!"
"Go see for yourself. He lies on the gravestone at the far end of the cemetary, under that tree."
The ghost pointed to a gnarled cherry blossom about two hundred feet away.
Yoh and Amidamaru thanked the ghost for his help, then took off.
What they saw when they looked behind the tree was a memory permanently burned into their minds.
Lying face-down in a puddle of his own tears, Manta looked terrible. His arms and head sat on the ground in front of a tombstone that read "Keiko Oyamada".
::Who could this woman be? Manta never mentioned a deceased female relative...::
"Manta!"
"Lord Manta!"
Yoh ran to him and shook his shoulders.
"Hey, wake up, Manta! I'm sorry about how we acted. It was just a stupid joke, okay? We're sorry."
"Lord Yoh talked me into it, Lord Manta. I apologize for my behavior."
Manta didn't respond.
"Wake up, Manta. This isn't funny."
As Yoh started shaking Manta again, he noticed something fall out of Manta's hand.
"A bottle?"
He read the label.
"Painkillers?! What was Manta doing with painkillers?"
"What are these 'painkillers', Lord Yoh?"
"They're drugs that dull the nervous system and the brain so you won't feel pain."
Then, Yoh realized something that made his blood run cold. Something that the ghost they'd met earlier had said struck his mind.
"...he looks to become a resident fairly soon."
Yoh put his ear to Manta's chest.
He couldn't hear a heartbeat.
"Amidamaru! Find the nearest phone!"
"What's wrong, Lord Yoh?"
"Manta's dying! I need to call an ambulance!"
Yoh picked Manta up and carried him to a phone just half a block from the cemetary. He proceeded to call for an ambulance
"How could this have happened, Lord Yoh?" Amidamaru looked as sad as he'd ever been.
Yoh had been very quiet.
"Lord Yoh?"
"My fault..."
"What?"
"Manta tried to kill himself with those painkillers...because of my joke. My god-damned joke is going to kill my best friend!"
"We're both to blame, Lord -"
"Stop calling me that, Amidamaru! I don't deserve any title. Never call me 'Lord' again."
Before the conversation could continue, the shriek of the ambulance siren was heard rapidly approaching.
As the crew loaded Manta into the ambulance, Yoh made a request:
"Please take me with you...I...need to make peace with him."
The ambulance crew, not wanting to squander time with an argument allowed Yoh, as well as his ghost they couldn't see, on.
The ambulance screamed to the hospital, and for the first night in memory, the crickets were silent.
Again, I'm really sorry about the delay! Please R+R, I promise the next part will be even more Yoh-angsty!
