Disclaimer: Although the severely warped and twisted imagination is my own, Shaman King and its characters are the property of Hiroyuki Takei.
Author's Notes: I realize this is kind of short compared to the other stories I have posted here, but it was just so cute I had to share.
After a surprisingly sophisticated party at Funbari Onsen, especially when considering Anna's stringent control over the household budget, Yoh and Hao eventually decided to slip out for a quick walk so that they might be able to spend a little quality time together. It had been a fun party that had taken up most of the afternoon and Yoh was already becoming apprehensive of the amount of cleaning up this would undoubtedly entail on the following day. This was less of a concern for Hao because unlike his brother he wasn't at all obligated to demonstrate obedience to Anna even if he did attempt to be nice to her for Yoh's sake.
"I think that went well," Yoh decided to be the one to break the silence that had fallen between them. The evening was warm and peaceful. The sun had already set, but there was still a dull glow hanging over the horizon as if the day was reluctant to be over so soon. This just made it even easier to tell that Yoh was in a particularly good mood.
Hao sounded satisfied as he voiced his approval, "Your friends certainly know how to have a good time."
"Don't forget," Yoh started, "they're your friends now too."
"I haven't forgotten," Hao smiled thoughtfully. "It's just taking some getting used to."
"Good," Yoh could respect that. He skillfully grabbed Hao around the shoulders with a wide grin on his face, "Because we're not letting you go."
Hao chuckled and let himself sink into Yoh's embrace, "I guess I can't really complain about that." After all, when Yoh was happy, it was difficult not to be happy too. Hao smiled appreciatively and slipped an arm around Yoh's waist, "I don't think I could have asked for a better brother."
Yoh couldn't possibly have kept his smile from brightening at this compliment even if he tried, "Me neither."
"Happy Birthday Yoh," Hao definitely enjoyed his brother's company.
"Happy Birthday to you too Hao," Yoh could certainly attest that the feeling was mutual.