A powerful demon called Manjuku had for years plagued many villages. Many had tried to up rise against him, but he crushed them with one swipe of his hand. One large village had a different idea. After discussing a plan with the village elders, it was approved. The village mayor made a parlay with Manjuku. On neutral ground, a place in the surrounding forest at the Shrine of the Forest Spirit the mayor met to talk with Manjuku. He asked for Manjuku to stop destroying their village, and said if he would let them be, he could have a woman from the village. Any woman he wanted. But he would have to keep the same woman for her lifetime before he could choose another. Manjuku thought on the subject, he said to meet him again in three days for him to decide.
    In three days, the mayor met Manjuku again. He would accept their deal. So it was sealed. Manjuku instructed the mayor to meet him in three more days with decision as to which woman he wanted. So Manjuku would disguise himself to watch the women and make his decision. The mayor would meet with Manjuku, and bring him his desired woman. But it was also decided that this pact would be kept secret. And is has been for many years, and as the village grew, it kept it’s agreement with Manjuku, and remained safe from his wrath. At the sacrifice of a woman.
    That village grew to be one of Japan’s biggest cities, and was keeping it‘s bargain with Manjuku.

    Manko walked down the street to her high school. She hated her uniform, it was too uptight and the skirt was scratchy. But she had to bear it anyway. Her backpack bounced on her back as she trotted along. Amongst the familiar things she always saw Manko saw a hunched old man struggling down the street. She thought about her duties as a human being and spoke to him. “Do you need help?”
    The old man looked up. The girl had short spiky hair streaked with blonde, a round face and perfectly almond shaped eyes. “What’s your name?”
    “I’m Manko.” She said taking time to bow in respect to her elder.
    What a perfect bow, thought the old man. “I would really like some water.”
    Manko knew where there was a vending machine. “Wait here and I’ll be right back.” She hurried off down the street and around a corner. She stood in front of the machine and fumbled through her change purse until she dug out enough to buy a bottle of water. She went back down the street where the old man was still waiting for her. She opened it for him before giving it to him. “There you go, nice and cold.”
    The old man put the bottle to his wrinkled lips and drank. He gulped down half the bottle before stopping. Out of the corner of his eye he could still see Manko standing beside him, with her hands clasped in front of her. “Where are you going?”
    “I’m on my way to school.”
    “Oh well, I won’t keep you. Thank you for the water young lady.”
    Manko smiled sweetly at the man. “You’re welcome. My family would be disappointed me if I didn’t stop to help my elders.”
    “Run along now.”
    Manko bowed again and went off down the street, while the old man went in the other direction, a smile cracking his chapped lips.

    Tenko stood at the head of a long table. They were members of a secret board of the city of Tokyo, and he was the chairman. They acted under the ruse of a modeling agency, so the public wouldn’t figure out their real purpose. A buzz on his small intercom interrupted the talks. “Mr. Tenko, you have a Mr. Muju to see you. He say’s it’s of the utmost importance.”
    Tenko’s blood ran cold. He had been told the dark secret by the previous Chairman, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He cleared his throat. “Gentleman, if you will excuse me. I have an important visitor waiting for me that I cannot keep waiting. We will continue this discussion tomorrow, nine am sharp.” The other men nodded. They knew exactly who the important visitor was. He quickly took his briefcase and left the room. He went a short way down the hall to his office.
    A man dressed in an expensive suit was standing looking out the floor to ceiling windows. “You have an exquisite view.” The man turned. “Mr. Tenko.”
    “I was not expecting to see you during my term of service.” Tenko admitted.
    “Yes, well, Anji passed away. And it is time for Tokyo to pay it’s dues.” Mr. Muju twirled his mustache between two fingers. “And I have made my choice.”
    “I see.” Tanko said setting his case down on the floor and shutting the door. “Who have you chosen?”
    “She is a high school student. Her name is Manko.”
    Tenko thought for a moment, how was he going to find one high school student in the whole city? “How will I find her?”
    Mr. Muju waved his hand. A shimmering image appeared. It just so happened he recognized the young woman. “This will be simple. I know this young woman.” Tenko knew her because she had been photographed by his phony agency for a soda add earlier in the year.
    “I know.” Mr. Muju said with great confidence. “In this day and time I find it hard to look at every woman in this city, so I choose a woman the present Chairman knows. So I don’t have to give myself a headache trying to decide.”
    “Where shall I meet you to bring her to you?”
    “The Shrine of the Forest Spirit. In three days.”
    Tenko rubbed his face and sat down in his chair. “How will I get her to the shrine?” He asked through his hands. There was no answer. Tenko looked up, Mr. Muju was gone. He thought for a moment. How was he going to get a high school girl to the Shrine of the Forest Spirit? It wasn’t far away. In a park well within walking distance of her school. That was when the idea struck him. He picked up the phone and quickly dialed a number that had been written down for him when he took position as Chairman.

    Manko sat at her assigned desk, her friend Chiyo sat in front of her, but was turned around gossiping to her. Manko wasn’t really paying attention. Chiyo wasn’t as astute of a student as Manko. The instructor, Mr. Kogee walked into the room. Chiyo whipped around in her seat and the room fell silent. “Good morning students.” He said nodding to his class, his arms full of papers.
    “Good morning instructor Kogee.” The students chanted in unison.
    “I have good news!” He was more chipper this morning than usual. “The Chairman of the School Board has issued an academic challenge to all the schools in Tokyo.”
    Manko chewed on her pencil, as she listened closely to Instructor Kogee.
    “The challenge is, a report on the history of the Shrine of the Forest Spirit. The winner’s school will receive a grant of five thousand yen! I am going to strongly encourage everyone to participate! Especially you Manko.”
    Manko wanted to sink down in her seat, everyone turned and gave her that “teacher’s pet” look. She groaned.
    “As an added bonus,” Instructor Kogee continued, “Students wishing to visit the Shrine, will be allowed to do so during their thirty minute recess. If you wish to go, you will need to sign up and be outside the school at ten, where a bus will take you to the Shrine and back.”
    Chiyo turned around. “Are you going?”
    Manko shrugged. “I don’t know, I would relish the excuse to skip out on recess period though.”
    “I’m game if you are.”
    “Okay, let’s go.” Manko sat and listened to Instructor Kogee’s lecture, taking her pencil eraser out of her mouth to jot down a note or two every so often.
    After Instructor Kogee gave tomorrow’s assignment and dismissed class, to go to lunch Manko and Chiyo stopped at his desk and asked for the sign up sheet. “Manko! I am thrilled to see you taking an interest in this project There are many things this school could buy with that grant.”
    Manko smiled as she wrote her name down. Then she handed her pen to Chiyo. Instructor Kogee seemed surprised to see Chiyo. “Well, Miss Kamoto, I am surprised!” He said as he handed her the sheet and she wrote her name down also.
    They went down the now empty hall to the cafeteria. Chiyo loaded down her tray with one of everything. She ate to much to keep her skinny body for long. Manko just grabbed a bowl and filled it with white rice. She ate quickly in order to be at the gate in time. Manko sat and waited for Chiyo to finish her noodles. Then the pair were up and off to the gate.
    Manko stopped at her locker to stash her school books, and grab her purse and a clean notebook. She shut the door and sprinted off.
    Manko was the last one to get on the bus, there were only five students going. She plopped down next to Chiyo who was busy texting her boyfriend. He went to school in another district. She was telling him about getting out of recess period by volunteering for this project. The bus lurched foreword, and drove the ten short miles to the shrine.
    Before the driver opened the door He stood up and turned around to face the small group. He cleared his throat and straightened his tie. “Everyone has thirty minutes to do their research. Everyone needs to be back here at the park gate at,” He looked at his watch and counted the time to himself. “Ten forty-five.” He opened the door and the students got up and walked out into the fresh air.
    Chiyo took a deep breath. “This beats recess period by a long shot.” She looped her arm through Manko’s and the pair walked arm in arm into the heart of the park. Chiyo plopped down on a bench just outside the Shrine. She took her phone out and began texting her boyfriend again. “You aren’t going inside?” Manko asked.
    “Nope. I just didn’t want to go to recess period.” She didn’t look up as she spoke.
    “Well, I’m going inside. I’ll be back okay?” Manko was worried about leaving her friend alone, but, then again, she worried a lot about everything but herself. She got that from her Grandmother. She left Chiyo sitting and walked into the gate of the shrine. She looked around, jotting down notes. Observing the offerings some people had left. Little did she realize she was also being observed..
    Manko looked around. She didn’t see any of the students that had ridden down here. But then again she didn’t really expect to.  She saw a shadow come up behind her. She turned around to see a boy. She was almost shocked, he was very handsome. With smooth dark hair that fell gracefully to his shoulders. He smiled sweetly at her. “Hello.”
    “Hi.” Manko’s voice trembled with nerves. She was sure he wasn’t a student at her school. She would have remembered him.
    “I’m Muki.”
    “I’m Manko.” She bowed lightly.
    “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in school?” Muki said rocking back on his heels.
    Manko blushed. She should have known, he must be a college student. “I’m here on a school approved trip. I’m researching for a report.”
    “Alone?”
    “No, there were others but I don’t think they came to do research.” She chuckled.
    Muki laughed with her. “I don’t imagine your friend is using her phone to take notes.” He turned his head to look at Chiyo. Manko leaned over and looked behind him. “No,” She said, “She is using her study time to talk to her boyfriend.”
    “Well, shall we go inside?” Muki gestured  to the shrine.
    “I suppose so.” Muki let Manko go in front of him and he followed her inside. It was dark inside. It smelled like dirt, and the stone walls were crumbling. Manko jotted a few more things down. The size of the single chamber, the type of stone. She crouched down to look at the floor. She could see brush strokes from where a park attendant had swept the floor clean. Manko got up and went over to the heart of the shrine. It was a well. She stood by Muki and looked inside. There were flowers floating on the waters surface. The water was so still the flowers appeared to be sitting on a mirror. She leaned back and wrote some more things down.
    “What have you written?” Muki took the notebook out of Manko’s hands before she could react.
    “Hey!” She shrieked. “Give that back to me!” She tried to take it back but Muki stretched his slender arm upward holding her notebook out of her reach. He was much taller than she was so she had to jump, but she still couldn’t reach it. Muki meanwhile was laughing and gently pushed her away with his arm. “I just want to read your notes.” He held the notebook out and Manko watched as his dark eyes danced over her handwriting.
    Manko had never seen such a handsome man before. For a moment she imagined his hands dancing over her body the way his eyes danced over her paper. She sighed. Muki handed her notebook back to her. “You are very observant.”
    Manko flushed. “Thank you.”
    “I bet the library would have several books on this Shrine, if you wanted to go.” Muki leaned back against the well and crossed his arms.
    “I don’t have much time.” Manko looked down at her watch. She only had ten minutes until the bus would leave. “I will have to go there tomorrow after school.” She headed toward the door, but Muki grabbed her arm.
    “It’s only a short way away. I know a short cut.”
    Manko’s common sense told her to leave, but there was an untouched part of her that wanted to prolong this encounter. “Well, if we hurry.” Her heart started pounding, she had never done anything like this. But, against her better judgment she followed him. He led her out the door and behind the shrine. He jumped the wooden fence and beckoned her over. He held his arm out. “I’ll help you.” Clutching her notebook in one arm Manko lifted her foot and put it firmly on the bottom slat of the fence. She put her hand on Muki’s shoulder, and he held her underarm. She pushed herself up, and brought her other leg over the fence and it landed nicely. On top of Muki’s foot. She apologized as she brought her other leg over the fence.
    Muki simply smiled at her. But she saw something in his eyes that frightened her. She should turn back over that fence and go back at once. But her foolish female ways wanted so much for Muki to notice her, she pushed her fears down and trotted off behind him.
    “How far is it?” Manko asked pushing branches out of her way.
    “Not far.” Muki said holding a large vine down so she could cross. He passed in front of her and headed off deeper into the woods. Three minutes until the bus would leave. She had to go back.
    Manko cleared her throat. “Muki, I’m going back. I don’t have much time to spare and I’m going to get left behind.” She didn’t wait for a reply, she just turned around and bolted. She had been foolish to follow that stranger into the woods. He could have killed her or anything! Manko’s heart was pounding so loudly she thought it might scare the birds. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the fence. She slowed down to a walk and made her way up to the fence. She wiped the sweat off her face and could see the bus past the shrine. And she was positive that was Chiyo waiting for her. She put her foot on the bottom slat just like before.

    Chiyo jumped as a scream split the air. The bus driver ran towards the shrine. Chiyo ran after him. “Manko!” She called as she ran towards where the scream came from. The driver had circled the shrine once but didn’t see anyone. “Manko!” Chiyo leaned over the fence shouting into the woods. She started to climb over. The driver took hold of her arm. “You can’t go in there young lady.”
    “Some one has to go look for Manko!” She had tears in her eyes. She looked around, some park patrons and the other students were there now.
    The driver pulled her off the fence and took her phone out of her hand. “Even so, this is a job for the police. How do you work this thing?”
    Chiyo took her phone back out of the driver’s hand. “Let me do it.” She dialed the numbers as the driver gave them to her.

    Manko beat on Muki’s chest as they fell, her eyes were squeezed tightly shut. Afraid of what she might see. They never hit the ground, they just kept falling. She shrieked the whole way down. Pounding on Muki’s chest. He laughed, “Don’t be afraid, I won’t eat you.” Muki’s voice had changed, it had deepened, and almost sounded sinister. Manko bravely opened her eyes. She was looking into the face of a demon. She passed out.
    Muki, who was really the demon called Manjuku, held Manko’s limp body close to his chest as he landed on his feet in his territory. To some this would be paradise. It was lush, green and beautiful. You see, Manjuku wasn’t evil. Only greedy.  Hw walked up to the door of his home. The sliding door was pulled open by one of the female demons in his employ.
    There were two more kneeling on the floor with their heads bowed. At the entrance of their master they looked up in unison. They had round black eyes, like the eyes of a mouse, and small noses, but they had no mouths.  These were just shells, made of clay mixed with human blood instead of water. They were given life by attaching souls to the clay bodies. Usually the souls of children as they were easy to keep subservient. Then with the souls attached to the clay bodies, they were fired in an enchanted kiln. So they were called Clay Ghosts.
    They could be made male or female, but all of Manjuku’s servants were female. He didn’t like to look at males. He held Manko’s body out to them. “Say hello to your new mistress.”
    The two Clay women bowed their heads to the floor, then stood up and took her out of his arms. They carried her to a room that had already been prepared for her and laid her down on a soft mat, and covered her with a blanket of the finest wool. One of the Clay women knelt in the corner of the room to wait for Manko to wake up.

    Chiyo sat on the same bench where she had last spoken to Manko, She chewed on the antenna of her phone. The police wouldn’t let her do anything, so all she could do was sit. She watched as one officer was talking to the driver and one of the boys. He was writing things down and nodding as the driver spoke. Chiyo wondered what they were saying as the driver made gestures with his hands. The boy pointed to her. She sat up straighter as the officer came over to her.
    “Miss Chiyo Kamoto?” The officer said placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “My name is Sen. I need to ask you some questions if that’s okay?”
    Chiyo looked up at the officer with red rimmed eyes. He had a quality that reminded her of her brother who was ten years older than her. “I think I can, yes.”
    The officer sat down next to her. But surprisingly, put his pen away. “I hear from some of the other students that you and the other young lady are very close.”
    Chiyo nodded. “She was my best friend. Since we were babies.”
    “Do you know what happened?”
    Chiyo shook her head. She looked at the officer tears were brimming on her eyelids. “Is she dead?”
    “We can’t say for sure Miss Kamoto. Can you give us a really good description of your friend?”
    Chiyo brightened a bit. She could really help here. “I have a picture.”
    “That would really be helpful!” The officer said as Chiyo dug her wallet out of her large designer bag. She took out a picture they had taken together just before the semester. She froze as she looked at the picture. The severity of the situation hit her hard. Tears poured out of her, she started to tremble as she handed the picture to the officer. One of the boys came over and sat down next to her.
    The officer stood up to leave. “Don’t worry, we’ll find Manko. Your picture is going to be very helpful.”
    Chiyo nodded as she laid her head over on the boy’s shoulder. She felt a little better knowing that she had helped. Did Manko’s parents know yet. She still had her phone in her hand. She dialed Manko’s familiar number. Manko’s mother answered the phone. “Ms. Tanaka?”
    “Chiyo, is that you?”
    “Yes,”
    “My goodness dear what’s wrong?”
    Chiyo took a deep breath, “Manko is missing.”

    Manko’s eyes fluttered open. She stretched and sat up. Had everything been a dream? Then she realized she didn’t know where she was. She scanned the room. Nothing looked familiar, she froze when her eyes came to the woman sitting in the corner. The woman looked up at Manko, she pushed her long black hair out of her face, revealing her mouthless face and large black eyes. Manko screamed. She got up and tried to run.
    But the clay woman was much quicker. She shot up out of her seat and grabbed Manko around the waist. She pulled her back into the room. But Manko latched onto the door frame, holding tight. Then two more of the clay women can down the hall. Manko looked up at them, the same cold eyes greeted her. She screamed louder. The two women pried her fingers off the door  and the three of them carried her back into the room.
    Manko kicked and screamed and would have tried to hit them except for the two women holing her arms. The laid her back down on the mat, and she kept fighting. Her throat was hurting now, but she couldn’t stop screaming. The women had been through this before, with every woman that Manjuku had brought here. They would hold her long enough for her to calm down and then get her dressed in a traditional kimono to meet Manjuku formally.
    Manko stopped screaming. She submitted to her captors, and came to rest on her mat. She was breathing heavily now, and her throat was raw and hurting. Two of the women sat her up, the other left and was back quickly with a cup of tea. She knelt and held the cup out with  both hands to Manko. But she didn’t want to take it, she looked up to one of the other women. The woman patted her throat. Manko understood. The tea was meant to soothe her throat. Manko took the cup and thanked her. She sipped the tea, and the three clay women waited patiently for her to finish.
    Manko handed the cup back to the woman who handed it to her. “Thank you.” She bowed her head. The woman took the cup and left. The other two women helped Manko stand. One bent down to take off her shoes, and slid off her stockings as well. They fumbled with the tie of her school uniform before they finally got it off. They proceeded to undress her. The third woman returned finally, bearing a plain cotton robe. They put it on her, and Manko was relieved to be covered up again. Then they proceeded to lead her out of the room.
    They exited Manjuku’s home through a side door, and putting on slippers, walked down a neatly graveled path to a small bathhouse. Manko had some time to look around, the place was beautiful. The grass was lush and thick, she stopped a moment to reach down and touch it. The clay women waited patiently until she stood up. Manko continued to follow them. She took a deep breath. The air was so clean, it reminded her of a class trip when they went to a farm to see how vegetables were cultivated.
    They came to a small wooden hut, one of the women pulled back the door and stepped aside for Manko to get in. It was a bathhouse. Manko let the women take the robe off her and she sat down on a small seat in the middle of the house. She relaxed while the women bathed her. If she closed her eyes, she would have fallen asleep. After getting dried off the robe went back on and they walked down the same path, back into the house. Manko followed them back to her room. “Now what?” She thought to herself. The three women had left her standing alone. Manko looked around the room. The mat had been taken away, there was a dressing table with jars of makeup, and other toiletries. There was another door, a closet most likely. Her clothes were also gone.
    The three women returned, each of them bearing a lacquered wooden case. The opened the first case. It was just a plain while under robe. They took off the robe she was wearing and started wrapping her in the clean one. They opened the second case, and in this one was a gold robe, embroidered with a flower pattern in shimmering gold threads. Then she understood, they were putting an traditional Japanese Kimono on her. She held her arms out. She’d worn one once before, at her brother’s wedding. She stood still with her feet together while they wrapped and secured the second robe. The last case was opened, and the beauty of this last robe, nearly took Manko’s breath away. It was a deep purple, with an intricate pattern of dragons and flowers woven in silver thread.  
    After wrapping the final robe, the three women led her out of the room, this time down the other section of the hall. They led her to a door, and slid it open. She stepped inside and they shut it behind her. Manko turned and looked, she could see three sitting shadows. She looked into the room and sitting at a table set with tea and some small sweets, tapping his long fingernails was Manjuku.
    “Won’t you sit?” He gestured to the cushion placed on the floor beside him. She made her way awkwardly to the cushion and sat.
    “How has your welcome been?”
    Manko was holding back tears, but spoke through them instead. “I want to go home. I appreciate your hospitality, the maids, the bath, this beautiful kimono, but I would like to go home now.”
    Manjuku chuckled. “So eloquent. I am glad you are here.”
    “I would like to go home now please.” Manko thought if she were polite, Manjuku would release her from this captivity.
    “You can’t.” He said.
    Manko looked at him seriously for the first time in the conversation. He looked almost like a man, except for his snow white hair, neatly cut and gleaming. He had black horns, like those of a ram, they curled back, keeping his hair from covering his slightly pointed ears. His skin was red, which made his while mane appear to be shining. “Why not?” She said vehemently.
    “What if I told you your being here was keeping Tokyo safe?” Manjuku poured a cup of tea for Manko. He slid the cup over to where her hands were folded on the table.
    “How? How is my being here keeping Tokyo safe? Am I going to become a terrorist?”
    “No. But let me ask you a question. Why is Tokyo such a safe place to live?”
    Manko opened her mouth to answer, but she couldn’t think of anything to say. “I don’t think I ever really thought about it.” She stared into the murky mirror of her tea cup.
    Manjuku took a breath. “A long time ago when Japan was still a young country, I held my hand over many of the villages. They tried to rise up against me, but I would bring them down to submission again. One village however, tried a different approach.”
    Manko looked at Manjuku, listening intently as he spoke.  “They held a meeting with me at the Shrine of the Forest Spirit, ad the mayor of this village gave me an interesting proposition. I could have a woman, for her lifetime if I would let the village be.”
    Manko knew the ending of the story. “The village was Tokyo, wasn’t it?”
    “Yes, and this time I chose you.”
    “Why me?”
    “Because I wanted you.”
    Manko felt her self growing angry. “You couldn’t have chosen someone else?”
    “I could have.”
    “You’ve been doing this for centuries? Kidnapping innocent girls and bringing them here?” She stood up quickly, nearly knocking the table over. “You’re a monster! You are a vile thing! I hate what you have done to my life and I hate you!” Tears brimmed on her eyelids, she turned and stormed up to the door. She slid it open so hard the wooden frame made a bang that startled her. She slammed the door and stormed down the hall.
    She went down the hall to the side door  she went through with the clay women to the bathhouse. She tore the door open and stepped barefoot onto the path, but she started walking down the hillside. She walked faster, and faster, until she was running. It was hard to run in the kimono, so she pulled it up to her thighs and kept running. She ran until she reached the bottom of the hill, and came to rest on the banks of the clear blue river that ran through Manjuku’s property.
    Manko put her face in her hands and cried. “My mother, my father, my brother, my nephew, Chiyo, I’ll never see them again!” She said aloud to herself through sobs.  She sat on the riverbank and cried, she cried and cried. She cried until there no more tears left in her body. Her eyes felt raw and sore, the sleeves of her kimono were damp where she had used them to wipe her tears. She felt bad for ruining the kimono.
    “The kimono can be washed.” A voice behind her said.
    Manko whipped around, and standing there was one of the clay women. How had she spoken? “What?”
    The woman came over and sat down beside her. “I said the kimono can be washed.”
    Manko was shocked, all of a sudden this one could talk! “How are you talking?”
    “I am speaking because you wanted me to.” The woman said. “We would like it if you came back to the house.”
    “I don’t want to go back. I hate him.” Manko knew in her heart that she wasn’t going to sleep outside. “I can’t go back.”
    “If it will make you feel better, because you are here the people of Tokyo are going to safe for as long as you live.” The woman had a soft sweet voice which had the quality of a perfectly composed sonata. “Your family will never forget who you are, and they will still love you. And because you are here, they will be safe.”
    Manko thought about what the woman said to her. “Can we sit here for a little while longer?”
    “If you wish.”

    Manko and the woman walked back to the house a while later. They had talked about many things, and she understood the gravity of what fate had given her. Everyone who is born has their purpose, and hers was to be Tokyo’s assurance of safety. She went into her room where the other two women were waiting. Even though they had no mouths, Manko could feel them smiling, they were happy to see her safely home. “Home.” Manko thought, This place is where she would call home now, she could live here knowing that just by her existing, Tokyo would be safe from danger.
    The women had removed her kimono and put on a clean plain robe on her, and they led her into a room with a double sleeping mat, already made up. The women gently slid the door shut behind her, and Manko already knew what was expected of her, so she knelt down in one side of the mat and waited for Manjuku.
    After Manko felt her legs were going to fall asleep, the door slid open and Manjuku stepped in. He was fresh from the bathhouse, his hair was still wet and he was wearing a robe of his own. She was sure he would try and hurt her, but she wanted to make things right before it went any further. “I am sorry.” Manjuku was silent, so She continued. “I’m sorry for saying what I said. I understand now that because of me I am keeping Tokyo safe. I feel that it is a good trade. I won’t have to worry about anyone because I know they will be safe.”
    Manjuku took a breath and just looked at Manko. “I expected that reaction, it’s always the same. Now, you will never have a want for anything, I will take care of you.”
    Manko smiled, it was almost sweet how he was treating her, she even thought, she could grow to love Manjuku in time. She stood up wobbly, and Manjuku reached out and arm to steady her. Manko held his hand, and smiled at him. “This isn’t going to be so bad.” Manko thought as she looked up at Manjuku. Perhaps, this was for the best.
    Manko thought about her family often, and Manjuku even took her up to the human world every so often to just see her family. They were doing fine, getting along. Manko even took one of the “Missing” posters that had her picture on it.