Whether you want to or not
Summary: Horo loves Ren, but he thinks Ren has feelings for Yoh. Horo steps aside, thinking of doing what's best for them. That's all about to change when Ren comes home one night. Yaoi and implied rape. Horo/Ren
Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King.
Yoh stood in the doorway and fidgeted with his sleeves. A blush burned on his cheeks as he took a deep breath.
"Um… Horo?" He muttered, finally working up the courage to speak. Horo looked up, half-way through his ramen, noodles hanging out of his mouth.
"Hn?" Yoh's mouth formed into a straight line as he thought. He was thinking of the best way to begin. Horo, sensing the serious atmosphere, stared curiously.
"I'm in love with someone," Yoh stated finally, "And I need advice on asking them out." Horo slurped the rest of his ramen and flashed him a sly smirk.
"Finally gunna ask out Ren, huh?" Yoh smiled sheepishly.
"Is it that obvious?" Horo nodded.
"You'd have to be an idiot not to notice you two staring at each other." Horo spat bitterly. Yoh didn't notice his harsh tone.
"Ren stares at me?" He prodded. Horo tried his best to keep his voice from breaking.
"Yeah. You two would be perfect for each other." He tried to hide the sadness in his voice.
The truth was, Horo loved Ren too. He loved Ren more than anything in the world. Ever since they were on the same team in the Shaman tournament, the Chinese boy had his heart.
Horo knew better than that, though. He could tell that Ren loved Yoh, not him. Ren never looked him in the eye anymore, and when he did, he would always quickly look away and back at Yoh, as if giving him some kind of hint.
He had come to terms with his feelings a long time ago, and cast them aside almost as soon as they'd come. He didn't care whether Ren never became his, as long as Ren was happy without him.
"So you'd think he'd say yes?" Yoh was getting more confident and excited at Horo's encouraging remarks. Noticing, Horo shrugged, trying not to get him too hyped up.
"Well, you know how stubborn Ren can be. Sometimes when he says 'No' it means 'Yes'." Yoh nodded, thoughtfully. Without warning, he leaped out of his seat.
"I'm going to do it tonight." He said, determined. Horo faked a smile, fooling Yoh once again.
"Great! I wish you luck!" Yoh grinned.
"Thanks!" Yoh rushed out the door. Horo watched him leave, a knot tying itself up in his stomach.
He slumped down in his seat and let the depression rush over him.
Ren bolted through the door, slamming it as hard as it would without breaking off its hinges. Trembling, he made sure that it was securely locked.
The little pieces of misery still left over from that morning washed away at the mere sight of him.
"What's the matter with you?" Horo shouted from the living room. Ren stomped into the room, his aura emitting pure fury.
"If you see Asakura I want you to kill him on sight." Ren growled. Horo blinked.
"Did it not go well?" Ren whipped around and looked him directly in the eyes. Horo's heart skipped a beat, savoring the moment. Ren never looked at him like that anymore.
"Did what not go well?"
"Yoh said he liked you and I know you like him too, no matter how much you deny it," Horo said, accusingly, sighing and shaking his head, "So I encouraged him to tell you." Ren stared at him, dumbstruck.
"You WHAT?" He exploded, making his tongari seem to grow twice its size.
"I told him to ask you out," Horo sweatdropped, "'Cause there was really nothing to loose, since you both like each other." Ren ground his teeth together in annoyance.
"What gave you that idea, baka Ainu?" Ren snapped.
"You're always staring at him and you two get along so well compared to how you're always picking fights with me." Horo pouted.
"So you just told him to ask me out right?" Ren asked cautiously. Horo raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, of course." Ren stayed silent. "Why?"
"Asakura didn't exactly stop at that…" Ren wrapped his arms around himself self-consciously.
"Why? What did he do?" Ren was never like this. Horo's eyes filled with concern.
"HE RAPED ME, DAMMIT!" He choked. Horo was horrorstruck.
"WHAT!" Ren got out his Kwan Do, muttering something about finding a sharpener.
"He must have thought you wanted... maybe he didn't know you-"
"He told me I was going to love him back whether I wanted to or not. He said we could do it 'the easy way or the hard way'. When I still didn't give in, well, I think you know the rest." Something flashed in Horo's eyes that Ren couldn't identify.
"I'm sure he has a good excuse, now hand me your Kwan Do." Horo's voice became all of a sudden very even.
"What could possibly be a good excuse for raping the unwilling!" Ren shouted bitterly. He had noticed this sudden chance in Horo's behavior, but he didn't remark on it.
"Let me talk to him at least and then, depending on what he says, you can kill him, ok?" Ren didn't say anything. "I'll take that as a yes."
Horo swiftly got off the couch before heading towards the door. Before he opened it, he looked at Ren's trembling form again. Resisting the urge to swoop over him and kiss him, he cleared his throat.
"Don't worry." He said strongly. "I'll straighten this up." Horo beamed at him, faking another smile. Ren didn't buy it like Yoh did but, again, he didn't say anything about it.
Horo shut the door and cracked his knuckles, menacingly. Now that no one was watching his expression completely changed from the smiling one he was using only a moment ago. His face twisted into a grimace.
Glaring down at his feet, he willed them to move. Even if Ren didn't return his feelings for him, he still couldn't let go. Right now Ren needed his help, and whether as just friends or more he'd be there.
Only one thing was for certain, though: tonight Asakura Yoh was going to die.
How do you like my new fic? R&R Please! I appreciate it!
Whoa… I just now realized that I always make Yoh the bad guy. I feel so bad about it! T.T
I think I need to write a fic all about him or something to make it up to him. You think so? Maybe I should write another Hao/Yoh; a happy one this time. O.O;
Well, stay tuned for my other stories and the next chapter of this one.