Chapter Text
If one were to ask Manta how he became friends with someone like Kuki, he would have a hard time explaining how it happened without sounding crazy. Or even explain when it happened.
He can only remember what it took to meet him and change his life completely.
He was late getting home, and decided to cut through the nearby cemetery. It was only the moment he entered that he realized he wasn't alone. A lonely boy was on the cemetery hill leaning against a tomb, looking up at the stars with a thoughtful, or perhaps contemplative, expression.
Manta blinked, rubbed his eyes, and then was sure there really was another boy in the cemetery.
He took a step back, was that a ghost? No, it cannot be. He wasn't very close, but he was sure that boy was human like him. But what was he doing there? Didn't he know this place could be haunted or a home for some gang? Manta glanced at the exit before turning back to the boy, torn between simply going home or satisfying his curiosity and maybe helping the boy.
“H-Hey! What are you doing here alone? It can be dangerous!” He decided to take a small leap of faith, approaching the boy and hoping he wasn't some sort of burglar.
Slowly, the boy turned to face Manta, a bored expression on his face as he stared at him. An awkward silence ensued, with the boy continuing to stare at him, not saying a word, and Manta starting to move restlessly, already regretting trying to talk to him.
“You should say something, Master Kuki. Staring like that is rude.” A voice spoke suddenly, startling Manta. It was coming from the boy's direction, but he hadn't opened his mouth at any time, so how...
The air above the tomb seemed to flutter for a second before a being became visible to Manta. He appeared to be a bipedal cat about his size, wearing a kimono and with a pipe in his mouth, two tails swung gently in his seated state.
Manta blinked before letting out a startled cry and taking a step back.
“Y-YOUKAI!!” He yelled, pointing to the feline creature right next to the boy. The boy blinked, in sync with the Youkai, his expression turning to surprise.
"Wait..." He pointed at the feline Youkai. "Can you... can you see him?"
“Of course I can! Quick! Get out of there before he does something to you!” Manta screamed, not understanding how that boy could be so calm when he was on the side of something that could haunt him for the rest of his life.
"But... You're a human..." The boy whispered, completely ignoring Manta's desperate cries. A serious expression came over his face as he took a step forward. "If you can see him, then you can see everyone else, can't you?" The question made Manta shut up for a moment, absorbing the sentence before breaking into a cold sweat.
"E... Everyone... Else...?"
"Yes." He motioned vaguely to the entire cemetery, and suddenly, Manta could see several translucent humans, floating around as they chatted with each other or stared at him openly. "I mean everyone here."
Manta did not directly answer the question.
The scream of terror, coupled with his desperate run out of the cemetery, however, was all the answer the boy needed.
And with his running, he never noticed how the boy and the feline creature had similar expressions of curiosity.
***
Manta thought he came out of that scary situation with nothing but a little trauma and a few colleagues thinking he was crazy.
He was wrong.
“We have a new transfer student. His name is Asakura Kuki, 11 years old. He is a young prodigy who came alone from Izumo to study here. So I don't want anyone disturbing him.”
Manta's jaw dropped in shock. The unkempt dark hair, the light gray sleeved shirt under a black hooded vest, the dark blue pants, the three-claw necklace he wore, and the look of pure boredom on his face. Without a doubt, he was the same boy from yesterday's cemetery!
And just like that, that weird kid from the cemetery became a routine part of him.
"It's him! The strange boy who was with the ghosts yesterday!” Manta shouted to his entire class. People looked partly amused and partly curious at the outburst, some switching between the rookie and Manta to see their reactions. Manta himself stared at the boy with fire in his eyes, daring him to deny or pretend he didn't know him.
To everyone's surprise, Kuki didn't even react to the explosion, he just stared at the shorter student for a few seconds, causing a chill down his spine. But then, he simply turned to the teacher and asked where he was going to sit, walking past the students and quickly picking up his notebook to jot down what the teacher had passed. Completely ignoring the rest of the class the whole time, even when someone tried to talk to him, he barely paid attention, the most he did was glance with a certain contempt.
As if everyone around him was nothing but insects.
For some reason, that thought caused more fear than outrage in Manta.
Especially when he was sure he sometimes felt his gaze, but he wasn't sure if the boy was really staring at him or it was just his frightening presence.
Even so, Manta would not be intimidated! He was going to show everyone his true nature and prove him right about that strange boy! It was with this determination that he decided to follow the boy after class, planning to take something from him as evidence.
It was a bad idea.
Manta became suspicious when the boy was walking for about thirty minutes, but decided to ignore it. Maybe his house was just a little far away and he didn't want to take the subway. Time kept passing, Kuki stopped at a small shop to buy something and continued walking, crossing a bridge and leaving him purchases leaning against one of the walls, but never losing him rhythm. He passed through the same park twice, looked in the windows of several stores, walked through several streets and avenues, arrived at an open place and stayed for a few minutes before walking again.
It took almost three hours for Manta to make sure the boy was walking with no direction in mind.
It nearly made him scream in frustration as he ducked into an alley. What the hell?! That boy had nothing to do but walk around?! What's the fun of going back and forth for no real reason?!
“…Seriously, how long are you going to keep following me?”
Manta nearly had a heart attack, turning towards the exit to find Kuki leaning against the wall, a slightly annoyed expression as he ate a popsicle. The short student tried to say something, but no sound came out of him except the sound of his bones shaking. The boy continued to stare at him, slowly chewing the last piece of his popsicle, then he sighed and left the toothpick in his mouth, turning to leave and making a motion with his hand to follow him.
Almost on autopilot, Manta did as he was told, following him until he sat on a lawn in front of a stream, beside a bridge. He soon noticed that it was the same bridge where he had left his purchases earlier, but he couldn't find the bag anywhere, maybe someone took it?
Why would he buy something only to drop it right away?
"So..." Kuki started in a serious voice, unconsciously making Manta straighten his posture. "Is there a reason you've been following me for so long?"
The short student turned to the boy, expecting anger or contempt on his face. To his surprise, the only thing he saw was curiosity, maybe a hint of irritation, but nothing more.
"Aren't you angry?" It was the first thing Manta asked, which made Kuki's brow rise a little.
“Troubled, perhaps. But I only know two people who wouldn't be bothered to be followed around for so long, whether out of laziness or incalculable self-confidence.” He lifted his gaze to the sky. “No, I'm not angry. Just curious as to why you decided to follow me when I didn't do anything for you other than asking if you could see what I see too."
“It's just… I…” Suddenly, Manta felt self-conscious. When Kuki put it that way, his actions seemed more petty than before. "... I wanted to prove to everyone that I was right."
"Why? Is it not enough to prove to yourself?”
The question was said simply, but somehow it struck deep inside Manta's soul. He turned to Kuki, who continued to look at the sky, watching the clouds pass by with a peaceful expression.
"You seem to be someone very intelligent and self-sufficient..." The boy turned to Manta, still with the same expression. "...Don't let the world try to convince you otherwise."
Somewhat overwhelmed, the only thing Manta could do was nod his head. A comfortable little silence settled over the place, the two of them watching a family of ducks swim in the river. However, it didn't take long for Manta to start squirming in place, memories of last night flooding his thoughts.
"So... Last night... What I saw... Were really..."
“Ghosts? Yes." Manta couldn't help but wince at the confirmation. “I'm as surprised as you are that you got to see them. Usually only people like me are capable of that.”
"People like you?"
Kuki was silent, closing his eyes as he shifted in place, seeming to think about something.
"... If I tell you something, will you promise to keep it a secret?" Manta, with just a little hesitation, agreed. “What you saw yesterday is something people like me have been able to see practically since we were born because of our gift.”
Kuki opened his eyes, standing up and turning to the short young man with a serious look. He took the toothpick out of his mouth and held his necklace of claws in his other hand.
“I am a shaman, the one who can join this world with the next. That's why we can see what others don't.” He looked again at the sky, the sun was almost setting. "... I gotta go. And I hope this time you don't follow me or tell anyone about it.”
“I-I won't! Promise!" Kuki stared at Manta for a few more seconds. Fortunately at this point, Manta has already started to get used to it.
"...You are definitely a very unusual human." He commented suddenly, confusing the shorter young man. He turned around, tossing the toothpick into the wastebasket. “If for any reason you are having problems, don't hesitate to call me. I will find a way to help.”
And just like that, he was gone, leaving Manta almost as lost and confused as when they'd first met.
***
“I don't know exactly what a shaman is, but he doesn't look like one! Ignoring the things people say about him, walking without any direction or concern, watching nature... I really want to do that.”
And in the end, wasn't that the point that made Manta so intrigued by that boy? He exuded a kind of confidence, a kind of way of life that Manta would have given anything to get even a fraction of that freedom. It made him want to be more, to try to do something more for himself, and maybe he'd get the satisfaction and pleasure that Kuki seemed to carry.
"The stars..." He stared up at the sky, managing to recognize some constellations from a book he'd read. “I wonder if he's there today as well...”
Curiosity again won Manta's will and, when he realized, he was again walking towards that cemetery, hoping to find the boy there. Maybe he could convince that boy to be a little clearer with him, Kuki seems to be the type of person who prefers to be straight to the point than stalling to have more to say. Are all shamans like this?
He entered the cemetery and walked silently through it, looking for the boy. What he didn't count was that the only thing he found there was a group of delinquents resting, the one he recognized, Ryu the Wooden Sword, just destroyed a tombstone with his weapon. This made Manta swallow hard, he had heard that some gangs were around that neighborhood, but he didn't imagine that among so many places, Ryu's gang would choose there as their meeting place.
The place where Kuki seems to like to stay.
Silently, Manta tried to get away from the gang, not wanting to get into any trouble. But to his misfortune, he ended up bumping into a can that made a little noise, catching the leader's attention.
"Who the hell are you?" He turned to where Manta was hiding, a cruel smile on his face. "I see... You must be that stupid brat!"
"N-Not me..." His pleas fell on deaf ears as the gang easily carried him away. Manta swallowed hard as he saw Ryu approach, snapping his fingers even as he held his wooden sword.
"I'll teach you what happens when you invade someone else's place!" Ryu raised his sword, and Manta closed his eyes, trying to brace himself for the pain that would hit him.
“Leave him alone.”
In sync, the group of delinquents stopped, blinked and turned towards the new voice. Manta also opened his eyes, letting out a small surprised sigh.
A few feet away from them, right next to the tombstone that Ryu had destroyed, was Kuki. He wore the same serious expression as ever, his hand resting on one of the wooden tributes, the other clenched. What really surprised Manta was seeing yesterday's Youkai cat there too, next to Kuki and adjusting his pipe with his paw.
"What? What did you say?" Ryu turned, pointing his wooden sword at Kuki aggressively. He didn't even react, he just let out an exacerbated snort.
“Aside from being a stupid human, are you still deaf?” The comment only increased the leader's anger, Kuki frowned more. “I said leave him alone, and take the opportunity to leave the place too. The people who rest here always say you are a nuisance.” This made some of the gang laugh derisively.
"Idiot! Ryu-San is not afraid of this ghost story!”
"Oh, that's great." For the first time, Manta saw Kuki's face change to an expression that wasn't neutral or annoyed. A sneer crept across his face, a cold, cruel one that promised a lot of pain, sending a shiver down the spines of everyone in the gang and Manta. "In that case, you won't mind me calling for a little help from the other side in this little humiliation I'm going to do to you, right?"
“Would you like my help, Master Kuki?” The cat asked softly, Kuki scoffed.
“Don't waste your energy, Matamune, they're not worth it. Also...” Suddenly, Manta saw a large orange flame appear behind Kuki. It started to squirm as if it were alive, and soon a ghostly form of a samurai with long silver hair appeared, looking extremely angry.“. .. I believe that there is already someone who wanted to do this. Isn’t that right, Amidamaru?”
Again, Manta can only gasp in shock. Amidamaru? The samurai spirit of 600 years ago that was so strong and powerful that he was considered a demon? That samurai that Ryu had just destroyed the tombstone?
“I thank you for this chance to repay him for my earlier humiliation, Kuki-Dono.” The ghost said, gripping his katana tightly, in an obvious attempt to calm himself.
“Don't thank me. I also have my selfish motivations for doing this.” Kuki looked at the Youkai cat and whispered something Manta didn't understand. He waved and disappeared, soon all the boy's attention was back on Ryu, who was now shaking with rage.
"Hey, hey, hey... You going on about that stupid Amidamaru guy too?" He grunted, which frightened Manta, and also confirmed that no one but him and Kuki seemed to be able to see the samurai's ghost. Ryu pointed his sword at Kuki, yelling, "Guys, kill him!"
Two of the gang members quickly charged towards Kuki, pocketknives in hand, ready to finish off the young boy. Manta screamed in terror, scared of what would happen to him, but all Kuki did was stretch his hand in front of him, his cruel smile widening.
“Very well, be careful, because I won't be nice… Amidamaru! Hitodama Mode!” Again, Amidamaru became orange flames, but this time they focused on Kuki's outstretched hand and it became a spirit sphere with Amidamaru's face. “Now, let's see what we're capable of! Hyoui-Gattai!”
Without hesitation, Kuki placed the spirit sphere on his chest, letting it enter his body. Before anyone could understand what had happened, the two members who had tried to attack him were now flying knocked out over his head, Kuki in an attack stance with his head down while using one of the tributes as a sword. The shock of what happened was such that the person who was holding Manta ended up dropping him, letting him fall free to the ground. However, something caught him at the last second and caused him to take a soft fall, quickly pulling him away from the gang.
Manta squirm and turn to face the person, but was again shocked to see the Youkai cat by his side, guiding him to hide behind one of the tombstones. The youkai cat, Matamune if he is correct, made a sign to be quiet and turned to battle. This made Manta come out of his shock and turn around also noticing that now Amidamaru didn't seem to be after Kuki, but rather coming out of him.
"Now it is your turn!" Kuki said at the same time as Amidamaru, Manta could even hear the echo of the samurai's voice in the boy's voice. In sync, the two turned around, the same posture and the same expression as they pointed their weapons towards Ryu. "Are you prepared?"
“W-What's going on? How are they doing the same thing at the same time?” Manta asked himself, extremely confused about what was going on.
"That's the Hyoui-Gattai." Matamune commented, making Manta look at him. “It is the act of allowing yourself be possessed by a spirit. This is a skill that all shamans have.”
"S-So... When he said he could join this world with the next..."
"What's wrong?" Again, the shaman and the spirit asked together, smirking as they noticed how Ryu took a step back. “Having witnessed a true killing technique, are you afraid to use your own sword? Pathetic kid."
"W-What did you call me, you samurai wannabe!?!?" Ryu yelled angrily, rushing to attack him with his sword.
Kuki quickly changed his grip with his weapon, using both hands to hold and also charging towards the leader. Manta couldn't help but admire it all with his mouth open, the seconds seeming to pass slowly as Kuki, in a movement so fluid and natural it almost felt like he'd been doing it all his life, dodged Ryu's blow and at the same time managed to approach and change the angle of his own blow, thrusting his weapon upwards and making a cut a few millimeters from Ryu's nose, who was paralyzed. All this in the equivalent of a blink of an eye.
“Do not be concerned, I will not kill you. It would be a big hassle to have people like you being one of us.” They said, Ryu's big pompadour falling to the ground along with him, obviously having fainted in fear after that blow. The gang, terrified, quickly picked up their fallen comrades and fled.
The shaman and the spirit continued to stare at the group to make sure they were far away, then the boy sighed, at the same time the samurai moved away from his body, undoing the possession. Amidamaru again thanked Kuki before disappearing, and Kuki soon approached Manta and Matamune.
"Then? How was I?” He asked Matamune, who gave a small nod of approval.
“You really are evolving very fast, Master Kuki. If you continue at this pace, you will reach the same level as he did in his first life in just a few years.” Kuki breathed a sigh of relief, lifting his gaze to the sky.
"That's great." Kuki soon turned to Manta, and he could have sworn he had a little worry in his eyes. “Are you okay, Little Nerd?”
It's not the first time someone has called Manta that way, but it's probably the first time someone has said it in such a light tone, sounding more like some kind of endearing nickname than an insult. That made Manta give an involuntary little smile.
"Yes! Thank you for everything, Kuki-Kun!”
Kuki blinked, looking a little startled, but he soon recovered and, for the second time, his face changed to a different expression than usual. A gentle little smile settled there, and he soon gave a small laugh, leaving him as young as his age befits him.
“You're definitely a pretty unusual human, aren't you, Manta? I like that." He commented laughing, and Manta noticed that his necklace was no longer around his neck. He tilted his head a little, still smiling. “Say, how do you feel about me walking you to the subway? So I can be sure those guys won't bother you.”
“I'm glad, Master Kuki. You've barely arrived and you're already making friends.” Matamune suddenly commented with a smile, causing Kuki to straighten him posture and blush. "I'm sure your mother will be proud to hear that."
“Shut up, stray cat!” He yelled in embarrassment to the Youkai cat, who just kept smiling quietly. “Where the hell have you been today anyway?! I walked all over town and at no point did I even see a single ghostly hair of yours! What kind of Spirit Guardian are you that leaves your shaman behind?!”
"I doubt you'd have any problems considering you're strong and Master Yoh keeps visiting you..."
“THIS IS NOT THE POINT, DAMMIT!!!”
Manta was quiet, watching Kuki angrily argue with the Youkai cat, who didn't seem the least bit shaken by the young shaman's outbursts. Manta still had a lot of doubts about what happened, what a shaman is, and his doubts only increased as those two kept talking about things that Manta didn't understand, like Spirit Guardian, Baikai, this boy named Yoh...
... But it's alright. He will learn with time.
Kuki let out an annoyed huff, glancing quickly at Manta and giving him a small reassuring smile, before going back to arguing with Matamune.
And he is sure that Kuki will help him with all this.