For SK-fan7's Contest

Entry Category IV: Alternate Universe

Curse

"Hao is trying to kill me."

Yoh knew she was serious. His mother's frail hand trembled as he held it, and her eyes teared quickly as she whispered the words. He didn't know what to say to her; this had become routine. His parents' bedroom was dark since heavy drapes covered the windows. Keiko was afraid of trolls coming in to eat her rotting flesh after the being burned alive by the sunlight. She was frightened of the dark as well, since Hao was the only one in the house whose eyes would glow bright red at night. It would be easy for him to enter her room to devour her soul.

Her delusions were out of control. Yoh knew this, but he was unsure of how to help her. He remembered the first time Mikihisa called a meeting with the family concerning Keiko's health. His grandparents were there, and he could see the worry in their eyes. At the time he was too young to fully comprehend what his father was explaining to them. Paranoid Schizophrenia was a mouth full, and at seven years old he couldn't even spell the name. It would have been impossible to understand what this actually meant. Hao never said a word during this meeting, but Yoh remembered asking so many questions of his father. He wanted to know why his mother always talked about trolls and demons. Why she would violently wake the entire house in the middle of the night with her hysterical screaming. Why she felt the need to throw anything heavy she could get her hands on at Hao's head.

It had been six years, and he still didn't understand.

He leaned closer against the bed and softly picked a few loose strands of her hair away from her face. His gentle touch always calmed her. She closed her eyes and smiled.

"It's okay, Mom," he said. "I won't let him hurt you."

Yoh learned long ago denying her delusions only made them worse. She had the tendency to become violent when she sensed no one was listening to her. Although he played along, her words were always disturbing. He never understood why she had so much hatred for his brother. That one theme was always consistent.

A soft knock on the door disturbed his thoughts. Hao entered the room very slowly. He carried a small, metal tray holding a tea cup, a glass filled with clear liquid and a plastic bottle of white pills. Fear flashed in his mother's eyes when she discovered him, but he didn't say a word as he walked toward the bed.

"It's time for your medicine," Yoh said. "We made tea to help you sleep too."

"No! He's trying to poison me! Get that thing away from me!"

Yoh grabbed her wrists firmly as she tried swinging her arms and quickly wrapped his arms around her to limit her movement. Hao calmly placed the tray on the nightstand nearby. He stood near the bed staring at her for a few moments as her erratic breathing slowed.

"It's just tea, Mom. Come on. It's okay."

He pulled away from her and lifted the tea cup delicately from the tray. As he held it in his hands she smiled at him warmly and allowed him to hand it over to her. Yoh blew against the liquid, creating a soft ripple against the surface then stood from the bed as she held the cup in her hands.

"See? It's okay," he said. "You should drink it; you'll feel better. And then you can take your medicine."

Hao continued staring at her with blank eyes. His brother nearly forgot he was standing in the room. Yoh decided as Keiko began slowly sipping the tea that he would give Hao time to talk with her. He walked slowly toward the bedroom door but decided as he held the handle to stay in the room. She would definitely be spooked if left alone with Hao, and he didn't want to upset her any further. He leaned his back against the wall near the door and folded his arms over his stomach.

Keiko finished the tea without a fuss and dropped the cup in her lap. Hao placed it onto the tray and sat on the bed while silently watching her. His enigmatic expression increased her fear, and she looked away.

"You're not my son."

He ran his fingers through her soft, long hair without a response. As the strands fell against her arm a chill ran down her spine, and she closed her eyes.

"Don't touch me with those filthy hands, you unclean beast."

Yoh looked away and glanced at the dark curtain with nervous discomfort.

"You're a demon. A curse of this family."

"Did you like the tea?" Hao's expression didn't change, and this increased her anger.

"What did you put in it?"

She glanced at him briefly but quickly looked away. He leaned closer, and her hands trembled.

"What was it?" she demanded with a whisper.

Hao pushed the hair behind her ear and kissed her neck. Her body shivered as the warmth of his lips made contact, and she opened her eyes when he whispered in her ear.

"The same as always, Keiko. Arsenic."

Keiko kicked her legs and flailed her arms as she screamed at the top of her lungs. She was hitting him with wild fists, but he didn't resist her. Yoh ran to the bed and restrained her arms momentarily, but her movements were so erratic he couldn't keep her secure. The door burst open as their father entered, and Hao took the opportunity to leave the bed.

"Yoh, take your brother outside," he said.

Yoh obeyed the request immediately. He led Hao into the dining room, but they couldn't escape the sound of their mother's blood curdling howls. They sat at the table without speaking. The background noise was bothersome, and Yoh was unable to calm himself. He glanced briefly at his brother who was sitting directly across from him and slightly clenched his teeth. Hao had no reaction whatsoever. His expression was always vague when dealing with their mother, and nothing she did or said seemed to bother him. It wasn't normal in Yoh's mind.

"How can you just sit there like that?" he asked with mild anger and pointed at him.

"She's insane," Hao replied. "I've accepted it, and you haven't."

"She doesn't really hate you," Yoh sighed. "She's just sick."

"Keiko has always hated me."

Her screams faded into weak crying as they sat silently staring at the table. Yoh took a deep breath and scratched his neck.

"You shouldn't call her that. She's your mother too."

"Did you know she tried to burn me alive when I was an infant?" Hao's cheerful tone was uncomfortable, and Yoh shifted quietly in his chair.

"How would you know something like that?"

"I overheard Kino and Yohmei talking about it once."

"They're your grandparents," Yoh mumbled. "Why would you call them—"

"She hasn't always been insane, but her hatred for me is unrelated to that."

"I don't understand. Why would she hate you for no reason?"

Mikihisa entered the dining room slowly with utter exhaustion flushing his face. He sat in one of the vacant chairs and clasped his hands loosely against the table.

"What happened?" The question was directed to Hao. There was no way Keiko would react in such a way with Yoh's presence.

"Hao kissed her after she drank her tea," Yoh said, "and she went ballistic."

"That's all?" Mikihisa replied. "You didn't say anything to her, Hao?"

"She asked me what I put in the tea," he answered. "I told her it was the same as every day."

"Dad, he didn't do anything," Yoh added. "He really didn't."

"...I know."

Silence filled the air quickly as he paused. Yoh knew seeing his mother that hysterical was painful for his father, but there was no way he could ease his suffering.

"Go to bed," he said. "I don't want either of you late for school in the morning."

"Okay." Yoh stood from the table and awkwardly walked away.

Hao didn't move from the table and waited for Yoh to disappear down the hallway before leaning back into his chair.

"You should keep your distance for a while. She won't take her medication as long as she's agitated like this."

He didn't respond.

"This isn't a punishment, Hao. I'm not blaming you. I just want her to calm down."

The silence was uncomfortable. Hao had to feel like an outcast in his mind. His wife wouldn't even acknowledge Yoh had a brother and for years refused to address his presence. He didn't know how to deal with her illness and was certain his sons noticed.

"Do you...want to talk about this?"

"What is there to talk about?" Hao asked with stern apathy.

"You're a very important part of this family, Hao. I need you to understand that."

"It's late," he said and stood abruptly from his chair. "Good night."

Mikihisa allowed him to leave without a reply. He stared at the table as sadness overwhelmed him. Hao's emotionless demeanor was nothing new. The boy never reacted to anything Keiko ever did to him. Maybe it was a defense mechanism to shield himself from trauma. Maybe he was pretending to be unaffected to make things easier for Yoh. Or perhaps the kid just didn't care.

"No way," he grumbled and rubbed the back of his neck with both hands. Of course he cared. Although they were twins Hao was never really able to be a child. He spent twelve years fighting to stay alive. His body was covered with battle wounds that would never heal. There had to be trauma. There had to be fear and anger.

Tears filled his eyes as he became lost in his thoughts. If only he noticed sooner that something was wrong he would have been able to protect him. Things would be different. There would be no guilt or sadness. And perhaps he wouldn't have a son who was impossible to reach.

Yoh was sitting on the floor in his bedroom staring out of the window into the night sky. Admittedly, he lingered in the hallway long enough to hear the conversation, but he didn't want to be discovered. He didn't spend many nights in his own bedroom. Yoh had an annoying habit of sleeping in his brother's room, wrapping himself in the blankets like a cocoon and forcing Hao to sleep with shivering feet. Hao never said anything negative about it, but Yoh knew he was being a nuisance.

But this evening was different. He decided Hao wouldn't want to be disturbed. Yoh wanted to give him space and time to calm down in case he was angry. He scratched his ear as he contemplated the thought and was startled when hearing his door slowly open.

"Are you coming to bed?" Hao asked with an even tone. The hallway was dark; his body was hidden beneath the shadow.

"You don't want to..." His voice trailed of as he attempted to respond, and he nervously bit his bottom lip.

He left the door open and walked away. Yoh hesitated as the sound of light footsteps filled his ears, but after several moments he followed. Anxiety overwhelmed him as he reached the end of the hallway, and his mind raced with random thoughts as he entered Hao's bedroom. He was already lying on his back against the mattress with the blankets rolled over to one side. Yoh was going to steal them anyway, and he reasoned he'd save the energy.

"Does it bother you?" Yoh asked. "I mean...am I bothering you?"

"No."

"Um...are you mad?" He began rolling the hem of his t-shirt with one of his fingers as he tiptoed quietly toward the bed.

"Why would I be angry?" Hao asked and closed his eyes.

Yoh lay beside him on the bed, pinning the blankets under his body, and propped his head up with his hand as he rested his elbow beneath him. His reached out his free hand to rest it on Hao's stomach but quickly retracted it into a loose fist against his hair that covered the mattress.

"You don't have to pretend you don't care," he said. "You have to care, Hao."

He didn't respond and loosely clasped his hands together against his torso.

"I remember that night a few months ago I came home from Manta's birthday party." Yoh lightly rubbed the hair with his finger. "You were bleeding but wouldn't tell me what happened. Even when Dad took you to the hospital, he said you wouldn't talk to any of the nurses or the doctor. He still doesn't know what happened. They all thought you were trying to kill yourself and...maybe you were too embarrassed to say."

Hao continued his silence and softly exhaled.

"I don't want you to do something like that," he said as his eyes filled with thin tears. "I don't want you to leave me here all alone."

"I wasn't trying to kill myself," Hao responded. "Keiko was trying to kill the demon."

Yoh rolled over onto his stomach and rested his hands against the pillow with a frown.

"I told her she couldn't kill me because demons don't die. She wanted to put it to the test."

"That's why she didn't want Dad to take you to the hospital?"

"She was afraid I would survive."

"I don't understand." Yoh clutched his hands tightly against the pillow as a nervous chill ran down his spine. "Why would you say something like that to her?"

"She said it was the only way to break the curse."

"Come on, Hao," he said with frustration. "She's sick. You know she believes that. Why would you push her?"

"Delusions aren't always false."

"You're not a demon, and you're not trying to kill Mom," Yoh said angrily. "You're not evil, Hao."

"Do you really think that woman is my mother?"

"Yeah, Hao, I do. She's our mother. Stop saying things like that."

"How can she be? I don't feel any attachment to her."

"A lot of crappy stuff happened. She's sick, and she was doing crazy things. That's why."

"It won't matter soon anyway."

"What?" Yoh whimpered the question quietly and stared at him with great discomfort. "What...does that mean?"

"I want you to make me a promise, Yoh," he said as he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. "No matter what happens, you won't abandon me."

"What are you talking about?" Yoh asked fearfully. "I don't understand."

"You'll stay by my side no matter what. Promise me."

"Hao," he whined.

"I'm serious," he said with mild anger. "You have to say it."

"...I'll stay. I'll stay no matter what."

"Get some rest. We'll talk more in the morning."

His words were very scary. Yoh wasn't sure why he was making such a promise. He loved his brother very much, and he couldn't imagine turning his back on him. But this seemed very specific. Hao was always mature for his age, but sometimes he said things that were confusing. His behavior often made no sense. Yoh knew they were nothing alike. He loved his parents very much, but Hao didn't seem to share the sentiment. The detachment was obvious to everyone, but he didn't know how to bridge the gap.

For several minutes Yoh stared at his face until he was unable to keep his eyes open. Exhaustion ravaged his body mercilessly, and he knew he could no longer fight it off. Hao waited until he could hear his brother's light snoring before quietly leaving the bed. He walked slowly down the hallway and into the kitchen in total darkness. There was no need to turn on a light; he memorized the path after repeating it every single night. He opened the refrigerator door, and as the small bulb inside illuminated the space around him, he noticed the sudden change in the air.

"It's late, Keiko," he said without turning around.

"Why won't you...die?" Her voice revealed desperation as she took a few steps forward. "Why won't you just die?"

He left the door open and stared at her. The pale light outlined her body and softly illuminated her pained expression. She was holding a large knife firmly in her hand, and although he noticed the weapon he didn't address it.

"You can't kill me," he answered.

"There has to be a way," she said eagerly and stepped closer. "You have to die."

She clutched the knife with a tighter grip. His blank demeanor was frightening and frustrating, and she clenched her teeth.

"You can't kill me, Keiko," he repeated and slowly walked toward her.

Keiko backed away, but he jerked the knife out of her hand abruptly before she could retreat.

"Get back," she whispered. "Don't come near me!"

"I want to help you break the curse, Mother."

His tone was artificial and rehearsed. Having him call her by that name was repulsive. She couldn't control the pangs that rose in the pit of her stomach. He was staring at her with a dark and menacing calmness that shook her to the core.

"Don't worry. Yoh will be safe. I would never harm your precious son."

She covered her mouth with one of her shaking hands as he smiled at her.

"What are you going to do?" The anger in her voice was absent now that the fear was more dominant, and she held her breath for an answer.

"They don't believe you," Hao said. "They don't listen to a word you say. There's nothing you can do to stop me."

"What...will you do?" she repeated with a whimper.

"You're going to die, Mother."