School Daze

By: KonpeitouChan

"Ya-ha!" Manta cried as he patted his convexed belly. He began to sway happily as he sucked on his spoon. He intended to take in all the food he could.

"It's good, ne?" smiled Yoh, relieved to get a good reaction.

"Yeah, it is," Manta said. "It's been a while since I've had real food."

"You eat crap," Anna pointed out. "That's why, Manju."

Manta hung his head. "Aw, what's with the nickname. I thought I got rid of that a long time ago."

"Hey, now, that's nothing to be depressed about. I could be genes. You're dad is pretty teeny, too," Yoh comforted Manta.

"Uh, thank you, Yoh," Manta frowned.

"Anyways, I'm glad you like my cooking. Anna says she likes it but I wasn't sure if she was just trying to be nice." Yoh continued. "I am pretty sensitive, you know."

At this Anna rolled her eyes.

"But you should have a taste of some of the new stuff Ryu's cooking. He can make a whole lot of things," Yoh swung his chopsticks with his hand. "When was the last time you saw the guy, anyway?"

Manta paused. "A couple of weeks before exams, I think. I guess I've been pretty isolated since they came around." He walked over to the sink, after Yoh. "And Cram School isn't getting any easier, either. It's so depressing."

Yoh pulled out a chair next to him for Manta to stand on. They both reached for plates and began washing. At the same time, Anna wrapped an apron around her waist, tied up her hair, and slipped on a pair of orange rubber gloves.

"You two," she uttered behind them. "Scram."

Manta looked at her, confused. Never before had he skipped out on washing the dished after eating. It was literally routine for Yoh and him.

"I thought you hated it when we don't wash the dishes after dinner," Manta said cautiously. "Or… or after any meal, actually."

"What's the shaking for? If you don't appreciate it then at least don't ruin it for Yoh," she scowled. She lifted him off the chair like a child and set him put him on the ground.

Manta looked up at her, still confused. "Huh?"

"Hm," Anna crinkled her nose. "You aren't very heavy." She tossed him an apple. "Eat more."

Manta's jaw dropped to the clean kitchen floor. He squinted up at her, and then he looked at Yoh, who shrugged and smiled. Manta pushed the seat back and exited the kitchen.

"What was that all about," Anna asked herself as cool water ran out of the faucet while Yoh just laughed.

Anna was already picking up rhythm when moments later, Manta walked back into the kitchen and laughed nervously. "Anna-san, is this some kind of test?"

She didn't look up or stopped. "Test?"

Manta laughed loudly. "I'm sorry… but for some reason my mind created the illusion that Anna lifted me up and patted me on the head. Am I losing it, or what?" He began to laugh even louder and made the couple feel a little uncomfortable.

"If this is going to happen every time we feed you, then don't come back here," Anna said. "What's wrong with you?"

"What?"

"Look, I'm just doing Yoh a favour. Now get out of here," she shooed him away.

As Manta went out the door he squinted his eyes once more before disappearing. Yoh, on the other hand, remained in the kitchen.

"Maybe you should've done something less extreme. The poor guy can only take so much teasing," Yoh touched Anna's shoulder and laughed. "You'll look deep inside your heart to forgive him, ne?"

Anna ignored him. She turned the faucet on and warm water began to pour out softly. "I try to do you a favour but no, I just have to look like an ass."

"Nuh uh." Yoh shook his finger. "Besides, it has been a while since he had observed us in our natural environment. We did nothing but study the last times he was here."

"Yeah, yeah," she said absent-mindedly. Anna picked up bowl and wiped it inside and out.

Yoh laughed and patted her on the head. "How come you never pat me on the head, huh?"

"It's shameful for both you and me, whether or not you enjoy that degrading way of affection," she said in a matter-of-factly tone.

Yoh's eyes widened. Anna's only rolled.

"Manta's probably in shock," she pulled out another plate from the sink. "Hurry up already. We have enough ghosts around here as it is."

Yoh apologized and left the kitchen. He found Manta still looking bamboozled. He sat himself next to him and flipped the television on to one of Anna's soaps.

Up until recently, both Yoh and Manta decided to watch an episode of Heat and Tragedy with Anna out of pure curiosity. By the end of the show they had become hooked on to the eccentric characters and twisted storyline.

Finally Manta jumped up and dwn, tugging his hair. "Is this some kind of joke? 'Cause I don't get it."

Yoh looked down at Manta, who looked at Yoh. "Manta…?"

"She picked me up, Yoh," Manta reminded him as if he forgot. "Nobody's picked me up since I was three. And it was Anna. She didn't even make us do the dishes. What's going to happen to me?"

"Nothing's gonna happen to you, Manta. Relax," Yoh laughed. "Point is, Anna can change once in a while, you know. And like she said, she was just doing me a favour. Nothing to be traumatized about."

"… Yeah, I guess I did over-exaggerate a bit," Manta admitted. "It's weird what she does to me. Just a second ago I saw a broom and I immediately reached for it on an impulse."

"She's something, isn't she?" laughed Yoh. "Two years living with me would make anybody a little more tolerant."

"Love," Manta said shyly. "Maybe?

"What?"

"Love," he repeated. Manta cracked open his encyclopedia. Yoh already noticed dog ears on several pages and creases on the cover.

"'One. A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.'"

"Is that right…?"

"Two," Manta continued. "A feeling of intense desire and attraction toward a person with whom one is disposed to make a pair. For example, the emotion of romance."

"Hm," Yoh tried to absorb the definitions in his head. He scratched his chin. "I don't get what you're trying to say."

"I guess I still don't understand this," Manta concluded as he snapped his book closed. "It's just one of those things I'm going to have to experience on my own. Definitions won't help me at all."

"Hey," Yoh looked at his friend. "Cheer up. You know, I still don't get it, either."

"Really?"

"Really really," Yoh tilted his head back into the couch. "I am so clueless about this relationship stuff. All I know is that at first it feels really painful in your stomach and no amount of oranges can heal it. But really, it feels really good. Too good. That's why it feels so foreign to me."

"Sounds kind of scary."

"It is. No doubt about it," Yoh said. He studied his palm above him, "I know I've changed a great deal. I'm scared Anna might change too much. I'll still like her, though. But it'd be like falling in love with a different person."

Manta smiled. "Lucky you."

"Heh."

Manta sighed and sat back into the couch. Manta knew very well how naïve Yoh is about this very topic. Anytime there ever was a discussion about this in class, Yoh seldom said anything, but anybody would notice that this was about the only time Yoh would ever pay attention. Apparently, he had given in the best essay in the Love and Relationship course. Even Yoh looked surprised to see such a pleasing mark.

But despite this, Yoh was incredibly sensitive about the topic. Manta was so convinced that it was because of his ignorance of the whole thing, but then again it could be a little more uncomfortable to talk about it because unlike most teens, he had a real relationship to learn from.

Yoh was now drawn into the last of the show while Manta looked around the room. Not much had changed in the last three years but he did notice a framed drawing of a young child's art work on the wall.

"Who drew this?" he asked.

Yoh laughed and stood up to admire the work. "Horo sent that to us with gifts for New Years. Isn't it nice?"

"Uh…" Manta started as he studied the picture beside Yoh. "It looks like a child drew it. But I guess it's a nice, uh, tree."

"Tree?" said Yoh in surprise. "No, no, it's a car."

"What? No, it's a tree."

"See, look, these blue things are wheels…"

Manta made an 'o' with his mouth. "Ah, I see it now."

Yoh smiled. "Ha! And you thought it was a tree."

The smaller of the two pointed to a brown spot. "Well, doesn't this look like a trunk? And this, these are the branches. There, you see?"

"What the-?" Yoh widened his eyes. "My car disappeared. Whoa. That was weird."

"Yeah, it is."

The boys continued to look at the drawing for another few minutes. Yoh nodded his head once in a while and Manta bit his lip.

"Hey, Yoh?"

"Mhm?"

"Do you see it?"

"The dolphin?" he asked without his eyes leaving the drawing. "Yeah, I see it."

"This is getting really weird," Manta said as he wiped his forehead. "How did it do that? A tree? A car? Now a dolphin? It's like… It's like…"

"Magical?"

"Yeah."

Yoh and Manta sat back down. Both of them had surprised looks on their faces.

"So," Manta started. "How is Horo Horo? Anything new from Hokkaido?"

Yoh paused for a second. "No. Come to think of it, I haven't heard anything from Horo Horo since they sent us the gifts."

"Horo was probably busy taking his Finals, too," Manta said. "I think the educational program in Hokkaido is similar to ours."

"Yeah, probably," Yoh replied. Suddenly he remembered something. "Oh right, I haven't heard from Ren, either. But I don't think he'd have exams to be busy with. Isn't he a year younger than us?"

"Right. But I think the curriculum may be different in China," Manta said. "Hey, remember the first time we met him? When he wanted Amidamaru?"

Yoh nodded. "Yeah."

"I really wouldn't of known he was an elementary kid back then. He's as violent as a sixteen-year-old teenage girl during a sale. It's scary," Manta reminisced. "His family was pretty tough on him. Elementary children are supposed to be sparkly-eyed and spend countless hours on their game boys and stuff."

Yoh laughed. "I agree. He did look pretty funny in those short shorts, though," he slapped his forehead, amused. "Oh wow, we're going to be high school first years. It still feels like yesterday we were in the seventh grade, and Ren was still in those shorts."

Manta looked at Yoh. "Man, that was fast."

Yoh paused. "Where was I these past two years?"

Manta massaged his thighs, thinking. Yoh was right. It was only now that Manta he had really realized how long it has been. "Sooner or later we'll be graduating, and the we're off to college. We'll get jobs and then you and Anna are going to get married, and have kids-"

"Whoa, slow down, Manta. You're going though half our lives two words per second," Yoh laughed nervously. "Let's watch some dramatic day time television to calm you down, okay?"

Manta breathed out slowly. He laughed apologetically, "Sounds good."

"Well, just because you brought it up," Yoh started. "Do you think I'll be good enough? For, you know, when we're older?"

Manta choked on his saliva. "For like… college, right?"

"Uh… a little further."

"Are you… are you kidding me?"

Yoh laughed. "Why, do you want me to be?"

"Well..."

"Uh, well, now that the whole Shaman business is over the only thing I'm interested in next is just growing up," Yoh said. "I guess that's next on my agenda. And… Anna's my fiancée. I'm going to eventually marry her."

"Oh, right," Manta realized. "Wait. Yoh, does that mean you still have to propose to her?"

Yoh scratched his nose. "No idea. We'll just have to wait and see." Suddenly, Yoh's eyes widened. "Ohmigosh! Dean knows about Vanessa! Don't go in there, Vanessa!"

"I thought we were supposed to watch this to calm me down? It looks like it's just making you more excited," Manta said. "While I'm here why don't we hang out with Amidamaru? He's never here when I come over and you haven't brought him to school anymore. You stopped relying on him to get you good marks, huh?"

Yoh grinned. "Well, Anna wouldn't let me bring him anymore because she said it was pitiful and told me to stop depending on ghosts to do things I'm capable of doing on my own," he said. "It's all good, though. See, I'm a super athlete and my marks couldn't get any better for me."

"Anna? Oh, and I thought you stopped because you became responsible," Manta shook his head with disappointment. "I guess I expected too much of you too fast."

"That hurts."

"Hahaha…ha."

Yoh stood up suddenly. "Anyways! Let's go see Amidamaru. Although, I can't guarantee he'll be there. He really likes exploring the city."

At the same time Manta hopped off the couch, the telephone rang.

Yoh looked down at Manta and grinned apologetically. "I'll get that. Just sit down for a sec."

"Yeah, sure," Manta answered as he sat back down.

Yoh hollered, "I got it, Anna!" He picked up the receiver and answered. "Moshi moshi."

"Yoh?" asked a voice on the other end of the line.

"Speak of the devil," Yoh's face lit up. "Ren?"

"Yeah."

"How're you doing, buddy?"

"I can't say anything has changed. However, I do have a favou I need," he answered. "Oh, but before that, how's everything?"

"Oh, we're all good here. Manta's over right now for a post-examination dinner," announced the brunette. "Oh, oh! Guess where we'll be going to study! Go on, ask!"

There was a slight pause before Ren answered. "Er, yes. So, Yoh, where are you three--?"

"Tokyo High!" Yoh squealed before Ren had finished his question. Reflexively, Yoh gasped and clamped his hand over his mouth. Manta silently screamed into the couch and ran to the kitchen.

Ren paused. "Yoh?"

"Sh," he quieted him harshly.

Manta came back from the kitchen and hung his head with relief. "She's out drinking tea."

Yoh hadn't realized he had been holding breath until he felt almost suffocated and released a very grateful breath. He smiled again. "Sorry about that Ren."

"It's alright," he answered. "I, too, will study in Japan this April. Tokyo High."

"No kidding?"

"I was accepted into their Foreign Exchange Program."

"Sounds exciting!"

"I guess."

Yoh paused. "What am I supposed to say now?

Ren cleared his throat. "Yes, well, I-"

"Hold on a sec," Yoh interrupted. "How are you…? Aren't you a year younger than us?"

"Am I?"

"Are you?"

"Honestly, this wasn't the conversation I was expecting," Ren breathed out loudly. "Right now I'm in need of a favour."

"But you didn't answer my question."

"I'll answer your damn questions later." There was a pause. "Sorry. I just need you to hear me out."

"Yeah, go for it."

"Well, the exchange program is giving us an option of our home stay. And since your house in literally full of vacant room, I hoped you wouldn't mind lending me a room for a year, or two," he explained. "Rent money is no problem."

"Uh, well, I guess it's fine with me. A lot of the rooms are used for storage and I haven't gotten around to cleaning them out. And Ryu's boys crash here once in a while so we have a couple of ready rooms," Yoh said. "But I gotta ask-"

"Anna? Yes, about her," interrupted Ren. "Tell her I'll offer my service of housework if she agrees to let me stay."

"Ren, it's really unnecessary for you to offer something in exchange for a place to stay. I just have to tell Anna and I'm sure she'd be more than happy to--"

"Yes, well, just to be on the safe side. I might as well get on her good side now," Ren cut in again. "I don't know very many people in Tokyo and you two are the only ones with their own place. If I can't find a place to stay the school's going to arrange a host family for me."

"What's wrong with that?"

"I'll be damned to live with strangers in some cramped Tokyo apartment. The air is so thick in the city."

"True," Yoh laughed. "Hold on a sec. I'll go tell Anna."

Yoh set the receiver down and asked Manta to retrieve Anna from her tea.

He heard the kitchen door slide open and eventually there were two footsteps heading towards Yoh.

Manta came out of the kitchen and sat back down on the couch.

Anna appeared from the kitchen. "What?"

"Ren's on the phone," he smiled.

"So?"

"He's in that that Foreign Exchange Program at Tokyo High," he announced. "Says he's going to be starting there this semester, as well."

"Yoh, what's your point?"

"Oh, and he's ask if it's be cool with you if he could stay here since we've got room to spare," he continued. "You know Ren and strangers together. He's kind of socially-challenged. "

"Why bother asking me anymore? You own this place, too." Anna untied her apron and slipped out of it. She walked back into the kitchen.

"So it's OK with you?" Yoh asked once more.

She walked out, apronless and leaned against the kitchen door's frame. "If I say no your homeless friends always end up staying, anyway." Then she turned her attention to a piece of dirt on the wall and picked it off with her nail. "I don't mind the extra company once in a while. As long as you get his room ready, knock yourself out.

"Manta, wipe the walls. Yoh did a horrible job today," she commented. But instead of heading back into the kitchen she walked up to Yoh. She cringed as she observed Yoh's red stained bandages. "Yoh, you're bleeding again. I told you not to move around too much. See, you opened up your wounds again."

"What?" Yoh looked down to see that Anna was right. "Oh no, I'm sorry."

Anna breathed out in frustration. "When you're done, come outside. I'll fix you up again." Anna walked back into the kitchen. "Now excuse me. I'll be returning to my tea."

There was a whine in the next room and Manta walked into the cleaning closet.

Yoh raised the phone's mouth piece to his lips as Manta entered the hall and shot Yoh a vicious look. Manta hair was held up with an orange bandana and tossed in two washcloths into the soapy bucket.

"Damn it, Yoh. Do your job right."

"Ren?" Yoh stuck his tongue out at his friend. "Yeah, Anna says it's cool."

"Really?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah, okay, so when'll you be arriving? Do you want me to go to the airport and pick you up or something?"

"Please, Yoh. How insulting." Yoh could feel a smile on Ren's face through the phone. "I am Tao Ren. I knew you wouldn't let me down. I'm actually calling you on my personal plane and will get to your house by my own transportation. Just have my room ready."

Impressed, Yoh laughed apologetically, "Of course, of course. I'll see you in a couple of hours."

"Right, see you soon."

There was a click and Ren hung up. Yoh put the phone back down.

"So Ren's going to be studying in Japan, huh? That's going to be fun," Manta said as he returned the bucket into the cleaning closet.

Yoh laughed. "So Amidamaru can wait, right?"

Manta came back out with a white mask and goggles. In his hands were two bottles of newly bought Fobreeze. "It can't be helped."

"Hey, what're you doing? Anna just said to wash the wall."

"Oh, no. That's what your ears heard," he began to walk up the stairs, grabbing a garbage bag, too. "You have to read between the lines, Yoh."

"What?"

Manta disappeared. Several minutes later, he returned downstairs and headed straight into the cleaning closet. He came out with three towels, more garbage bags, and tongs.

"Whoa, what's with all the equipment? It looks like you're going to war," Yoh frowned. "Where are you going?"

"Do you know nothing?" Manta asked as he stuffed a pack of incense into his apron pocket. "I'm starting to clean up the rooms before Anna tells me to. I actually want to go home tonight."

"Oh, well, Tamao's room can't be that bad."

"Oh yeah, that's the thing, Tamao's room was already cleaned up. She must've done it herself before she left so I went by Ryu's rooms just to clean the futons. I was at the room Ball Boy was using and checked the closet. Ah, there was this really foul smell so I looked around and found this mushy grey thing at the corner."

Yoh cringed. "In Ball Boy's closet?"

"Yup," Manta said, making his way to the stairs again. "I don't what it is and I don't want to take any chances. If you don't hear anything in ten minutes then come and fetch me."

"Hey, man, I'm there for you," said Yoh as he swiped a pair of pink rubber gloves from Manta's pockets.

But Manta swiped them back. "No, no. You'd better get your bandages fixed. They're starting to leak. And Anna's going to make me wipe the blood off the floors."

Yoh paused. "Manta, stop."

Manta stopped.

"You've got to give it up. No more lying," Yoh said. "It's okay, you know."

Manta dropped the tongs and the garbage bags and fell to his knees. "Oh, God, Yoh, I think I have a problem."

"No, no. Being tidy is a very good quality. If you want to be alone when you clean all you have to do is say so," Yoh patted Manta on the head. "I won't mind."

Manta stood up and picked everything up again. "Thank you."

Yoh smiled and turned to the kitchen.

"Yoh?" Manta asked.

"Yeah?"

"You won't tell anybody will you?" asked Manta. "About my tidiness?"

"If you don't want me to, no."

"Oh, and you know I lied, right?" he continued. "About the grey thing in Ball Boy's room?"

"Yeah," Yoh admitted. "I kinda did."

"Okay."

When Yoh saw that Manta had disappeared up the stairs he went out to Anna, with all the bandage wraps he could find. If they sat together quiet enough they could hear Manta singing as he folded the futons upstairs.

HOLYFREAKINGWOWOMFGROTLMAOBBQ! I don't know, guys, I swear I already uploaded this chapter before... I don't know if I had deleted when the chapters screwed up or not. Please be patient if you've already read this chapter. Please. I don't need naggy reviews. Anyhoo, I've got a lot to say here.

1. Writing longer chapters are hard ( I'm not that creative. Haha. So please bare with me if my next few chapters are fairly shorter than the previous ones.

2. Yes. I have new chapters. One of them is actually on paper. Woot woot.

3. I finally watched the entire series in Japanese and I have to say that I prefer it. Anna's voice is cool, not shrilly. Manta is so cute. Ren has a far more better character portrayal. He is my favourite character now. Yeah... and it occurred to me that he has a striking resemblance to Hitsugaya from Bleach. The only downside, I think, is that Yoh is kind of... girly in the Japanese one. Personally, I like the English version of Yoh. Keep these in mind when these characters come up, okay?

4.I did not rip off this story. Nor did I steal the story's title. School Daze? I mean honestly, could I BE anymore cliche. Get over it, buddy. Obviously there's bound to be another story like this.

5. I was so blown away by all the reviews. Seriously. 184? That's amazing. See, the other day I was sitting here in the summer heat when I noticed my MSN window popping up for a new review. I was like Holy Crap. It was all I needed to get cracking again. Thank you for all of your support!

6. Please don't leave me, guys (