I don't own Shaman King, Hao, Yoh, Anna, or HoroHoro. warning: this chapter involves incest.
Rose 1: For Love
Passions are blinding to any and all to fall under their spell. A passion for another living being is the most hypnotic of all. But he could never be pulled under. Never brought to his knees for someone. There was no one to be dragged down for. No one he loved or cared about in all the world. Throughout all time.
Through three life times he went on, unloving and unloved. Until he was born beside another. Upon their first several meetings he had no interest in Yoh except for their eventual union for his rule of the world. But when the time came, to take his soul and make himself whole once more, for total domination, he found himself unable.
He had fallen captive to his brother, and his heart, when all thought it to be charred, cold and dark, suddenly burned for Yoh's touch. And Hao let it all go.
He gave up his quest to destroy all humanity for his brother, wondering and hoping if this decision could somehow bring them together while knowing that it never could and that a relationship between them would be considered an atrocity. Hao watched Yoh and the others from a distance, far from them, his heart yearning to be nearer.
Every time Hao saw Yoh smile at the others, his heart seemed to bleed a little. And whenever that smile was for Anna, tears began to well in his eyes. Hao knew he had no chance that Yoh would ever come to him. To hold and love him. Hao knew it was all a fantasy when, as he lay awake in bed late into the night, he imagined Yoh's knock at the door, his voice in the house, his lips against Hao's chest.
But he was blinded by his passion for Yoh. And he hated the fact. He hated any inkling that he had an emotional chain to the world. He considered, several times, of ending his life and reincarnating himself once more. To pass on to the next tournament and begin his reign in another five hundred years. But he couldn't bear the thought to leave while Yoh was on the earth, whether he was with Hao or not.
And so the months became years, and Hao continued to watch. His twentieth birthday dawned, and he expected to find nothing to remind him of the fact. But when he opened his door to look out at the mess of a lawn he kept, he found a single rose on the doorstep. He stared down at it before crouching and picking it up, examining it carefully.
The stem was a simple green with the thorns customary to all roses sticking off it in uneven spacing. The petals were large and had a velvet feeling to them as they gently brushed his cheek. They were a deep red, like fresh blood, and a dew drop slipped off of one, landing with a small 'plip' on the doorstep.
Hao looked at it in wonder, not knowing who could have put it here. He carefully removed the small tag on the stem and read it: "For Love" was all it said, and Hao scanned the street, looking for whomever could have left it. He saw no signs of anyone, and slowly turned around and back into his house, closing the door softly behind him. He put the rose into a glass of water, dressed, and went out to find a proper vase.
Hao returned home, a thin, crystal vase in hand that, supposedly, would keep any plant alive for months. Reaching the steps, he saw two more roses, both as red as the first. He lifted them from the concrete stoop and read the notes attached to these.
"Love Outlives Everything", said the first. Hao smiled slightly, wondering who these flowers could be coming from. The third rose made his heart stop momentarily. "Meet Me at the Park at Midnight".
Hao hurried into the house and quickly put the flowers away. Glancing at the clock, he saw he had nine hours. So he started getting busy.
Hao showered for the first time in days, washed his pants and cloak and then sat, watching the clock for three hours before drifting to sleep.
When he woke up, everything was pitch black. He jumped up and grabbed the nearest clock. It was eleven fifty-four. Hao raced out of the house and towards town, knowing there was no way he could make it in six minutes.
He raced up to the park, breathing heavily, as another figure stood from a bench and began to walk away.
"Wait!" Hao called out, his voice slightly strangled by his gasps for air, as he tripped over a swing, ending up on his head. He heard a quiet snort, and the figure walked towards him as Hao tried to correct himself.
Hao got onto his back and found himself looking up into their face. A hand was stretched out to him and he took it, getting himself to his feet.
The first thing Hao noticed was that this person was much shorter than he was. They looked at one another a moment, Hao unsure who this person was, until they spoke.
"Did you like them?" a young, male voice asked.
"Yes," Hao said, uncertain. The boy chuckled.
"I thought you would. It's your favorite, right?" Hao nodded numbly. "You don't know who I am, do you?"
"No," Hao whispered. He laughed again, pulling back the hood of the jacket he was wearing. Powder blue hair hung around his eyes. Hao gasped sharply. The young shaman smiled.
"How about now?"
"HoroHoro…right?" The boy nodded.
"Yeah. You were a little late. I thought you were world renowned for your punctuality," HoroHoro joked.
"No, it was because of my vow to destroy the earth. But, yes, I'm usually more punctual than I was tonight," Hao answered. "I fell asleep."
"Ah. Of course. Well, what did you think of your gifts?"
"I thought they were nice. The notes were cute. Did you come up with those yourself?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. But I could tell by your reaction, I'm not who you hoped was sending them, am I right?" Hao nodded reluctantly, not wanting to hurt the young ice shaman. HoroHoro smiled brightly. "Good. Maybe you'll appreciate the one who got notes for twelve-thirty more." HoroHoro glanced at his watch as Hao stared in wonder. "I'm going to go. He should be here soon, but knowing him, he'll be late." Hao watched as he walked away, calling over his shoulder, "Good luck!"
Hao sat on the swing he had fallen over and began wringing his hands and silently praying that HoroHoro knew what he was doing for once in his life. Forty minutes later, a fog was beginning to rise around Hao's ankles, and there was still no sign of the other person. Hao was getting tired of waiting and starting to shiver, his teeth chattering quietly, when the mystery person HoroHoro had promised walked up.
Hao looked up into his eyes, both of them seeing a set of chocolate irises. They both looked at the other, until the newcomer whispered so softly that Hao nearly didn't catch it.
"Hao?" He nodded, a smile on his face. Yoh bent down, throwing his arms around his brother. "Oh, I knew it was you. I knew it just had to be!" He gently kissed Hao's cheek, and Hao returned it, thinking that it was unimportant for him to know who had really set this up, as their lips met one another's.
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