The Worst Hair Day

Standard disclaimers applied.

Summary: Sometimes, losing your hair is like losing your will to live, especially when you've kept it for more than a millennium! What happens when the gang had to chop Hao's hair off from getting more infested by-ARGH!!-hair fleas!!!!

AN: My first HaoYoh two-part fic. Hints of shonen-ai later on, and OOCness. Please don't hurt me!!!! -.-;;

On with the story, shall we??

The Worst Hair Day

Part 1

"No way…"

"Sorry, Aniki, but I'm afraid so. You have to lose it…"

"NO!! I can't!! I won't!!! Isn't there any other way???"

"Nope…this is the only way we could think of…"

"What???"

"Sorry, Aniki…" Yoh turned away with a sad frown. And with a sigh he said, "Off with his hair!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

-Snip, snip, snip…-

X0x0x0x0x0x

It happened a few days ago. For some unknown reason, Hao's hair (and head) was infested by-AAGH!!!-hair fleas!!! He kept scratching his head too often, even when he washed it almost every 15 minutes!!! Yoh got a little concerned at this, of course. He was just as aghast as his brother when he found out that his hair (and almost the whole head) was attacked by-GYAAH!!-hair fleas!!! They tried anything and everything, and some worked more or less. But the itching wouldn't stop at all. Then it occurred to Horo that Hao should just cut it off from getting it even worse (earning him a scorched butt in the process).

Sadly for Hao, Yoh had to agree with the Ainu. He thought that cutting his hair probably three quarters shorter might 'scare' off those pests off of Hao's scalp, and with more cures and anti-fleas hair care stuffs, they might be able to exterminate them all.

So they chopped Hao's hair off so it looked a little shorter than Yoh's hair (to differentiate the twins, though they can still tell them apart because Hao wears earrings). Three days had passed and Hao's hair was 99.5 percent pest-free. But the effect on Hao was a little…extreme. Ever since he had to say goodbye to ¾ of his hair, Hao was almost…subdued. He would sit in his room staring through the window with a sad distant look on his face. He wouldn't come out unless if it was time to eat or for personal things. Ren's constant taunts and remarks wouldn't perk him up at all, frustrating the Tao instead. Even the idea of setting something (preferably Horo) on fire wouldn't get him started. Once, Yoh could've sworn he heard sniffling sounds coming from Hao's room, and when he came in, he found Hao's face marred with tears, or was it just his wild imagination?

After a few days…

"I can't take it anymore!!! It's too depressing!!!" Horo finally bawled. As much as he hated getting torched by the older Asakura, he hated seeing him overly gloomy and dejected as well. "It might be impossible for him to get his hair back in a few days, but isn't there any way that can lighten his mood??? Even the idea of setting something on fire wouldn't get him started!!!!"

Yoh sighed. For some reason, Hao's sad vibes got to him bit by bit. "He had been keeping his hair for a long time; somehow I could understand how he felt. It's like losing your will to live." He sighed again, this time sounding a little sad. "I can't help feeling bad for him. I feel like I'm responsible for his sad state!" Somehow he felt like crying right then. But the moment Horo said, "Can't he just get over it or something?? It's not like the end of the world!!!" Yoh suddenly snapped, "Say that again and I'll tell the Spirit of Fire to turn you into fried ice cream!!!" Horo was oddly quiet for the whole day after that.

Yoh was so sure Hao would never forgive him after he decided to chop his twin's hair off. He decided he would go up to his brother and apologize, even if it means he had to get on his knees to do it.

-TBC