Dedicated to the awesome panur links, who was kind enough to put up with my questions and made the posting of this fanfic possible!
I wrote this in just a few hours time. This is also my first attempt at Shaman King fanfiction. There may be some OOC, but hopefully not too terrible.
Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King, though I would LOVE to own Hao-sama...
Twins
The sound of crickets chirping seemed to fill the room. A gentle breeze blew in from the window, ruffling the thin curtains Anna had insisted upon.
The house was quiet, which was surreal in itself as the former inn was usually loud and lively. The light from the full moon added to the surrealism, as everything was either illuminated by pure white light or cast in shadow; nothing had color.
Yoh couldn't sleep.
It wasn't the temperature; it was a perfectly lovely spring night. Nights didn't yet have the sticky, suffocating heat of summer yet. It wasn't the hour; everyone else had long since fallen asleep and the sun would be up in four or five hours.
It wasn't even the other occupant of the room; Hao had his own futon on the other side of the room, and had been staying at Funbari Inn for several weeks now. Yoh had adjusted to Hao's presence, and in truth found the soft sound of Hao's breathing soothing to listen to as he fell asleep.
Yoh rolled over onto his side, now facing the long-haired shaman. To his surprise, Hao's large, dark eyes were staring back.
"Hao?" Yoh whispered, conscious that others were sleeping; rice paper and thin wood didn't make for great soundproofing.
"You're restless, otouto." Hao replied. Yoh grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry. Did I wake you?"
Hao shook his head, long hair gently following the motion.
"I was already awake."
Silence descended, broken only by the soft sound of crickets.
"I should probably try to get some sleep." Yoh said halfheartedly. "Anna will kill me if I don't wake up on time to make breakfast." Yoh shuddered at the thought of what punishments his fiancé would put him through if she woke up and Yoh didn't have breakfast ready.
Hao's lips quirked briefly in a smirk, well-aware of his brother's fear of the female shaman. The expression faded to a look Yoh would almost term 'concern'.
"What's keeping you awake, otouto?"
Yoh shrugged, still smiling.
"I just can't fall asleep, I guess. I'm not even thinking about anything - I just can't fall asleep."
Hao seemed to consider the statement for a moment.
"Shall we talk until you get sleepy, then?" the longer-haired shaman asked. Yoh's grin widened.
"That'd be great!" Yoh paused, thinking. Hao watched him, expression almost soft.
"Do you know any myths about twins?" Yoh asked after a minute. "Manta told me earlier that mythology has lots of twins. He said he'd bring a book by, but I figure you know a few, right?"
Hao almost smirked again.
"I do know a few, but it would be easier to tell the stories if we were closer." Hao pushed the blankets off of his body and stood. His bare chest caught the moonlight and for a moment Yoh stared.
Hao always slept in a simple pair of drawstring pants, unlike Yoh; the younger twin usually slept in a yukata. The drawstring pants hung low on Hao's hips, just like the jeans the older shaman wore during the day.
It showed off quite a lot of bare flesh and said bare flesh usually managed to capture Yoh's attention.
Hao moved; moonlight no longer illuminated his body, and Yoh glanced away. His face was burning a bit and he sincerely hoped that Hao hadn't noticed. The other shaman hadn't noticed any of the other times Yoh had been temporarily captivated, but Yoh did not want to get caught staring, especially because Yoh had yet to figure out why the captivation happened.
Hao could feel Yoh's eyes on his body; he allowed himself a wider smirk as he bent over and began dragging his futon across the floor.
Yoh heard the dragging sound and glanced back towards Hao. The long-haired teen dropped the futon next to Yoh's and sat upon it, cross-legged.
The shorter-haired shaman sat up. It just felt awkward to be lying down with Hao sitting next to him, staring down at him.
Yoh sat cross-legged on top of his futon as well, concentrating on keeping his trademark easy smile on his face.
"There are a lot of myths about twins. Some say that twins are deities and should be worshipped. Some believe that twins are a curse. Some myths hold that one twin is good-" Hao nodded slightly towards Yoh, smirk taking on a sardonic twist. "- and one is evil."
The shorter-haired shaman could tell that his brother was just being playful with the titles 'good' and 'evil', so he just smiled.
"The Huron tribe has a myth about twin boys. One of them, Ioskeha, was good and just, while his brother Tawiskara was evil. They fought over control of the world, Ioskeha using a stag's horn and Tawiskara using a twig. Ioskeha won and made the world a beautiful place where the Huron people could live in harmony with nature."
"I wonder why Tawiskara went evil, though." Yoh said, yawning. Hao's voice, when not issuing threats, was very soothing.
Hao shrugged.
"It's a myth; mythical figures don't need reasons."
"I know that." They both went quiet for a moment.
"I feel kinda bad for Ioskeha, though. Having to fight your twin brother isn't easy..." Yoh's voice trailed off, face unusually serious.
Hao was quiet, unsure of what to say. Apologies weren't in his nature and he didn't regret doing what he did, only that he had needed to fight Yoh and that Yoh had been hurt by the fighting.
Yoh's serious expression passed quickly, going back to a simple smile.
"Do you know other legends? Ones that don't have the twins fighting?" Yoh asked, quietly asking not to be reminded of the Shaman Fight that had almost resulted in both of them dying at one point or another.
Hao nodded, then smirked.
"Some cultures believe that twins are the reincarnated souls of lovers. There are plenty of myths that revolve around twins being the original humans and giving birth to the rest of humanity." Hao said. "In fact, an Egyptian creation myth revolves around the earth god Geb and sky goddess Nut being twins and lovers. Ra, the supreme god, separated them with air, forming the sky and the ground. Together, Geb and Nut form a whole; they're complete."
Yoh felt frozen with shock; what did Hao mean by telling this story? Was he... implying anything...?
Sure, he had requested a story that didn't bring up painful memories, but he hadn't expected to go from hearing stories about twins fighting each other to stories about twins... being together.
''Twins'... and 'lovers'.' Yoh thought, eyes involuntarily leaving Hao's face and traveling down Hao's chest.
Yoh looked away, almost certain that Hao had caught the glance but trying to pretend like it hadn't happened.
"That's pretty interesting, Hao." Yoh said, trying and failing to achieve his usual nonchalant tone. "Egyptians come up with some pretty wacky-"
Yoh was cut off as a hand pushed him backwards, the hand exerting gentle pressure on the bit of skin not covered by the yukata. The hand- Hao's hand- remained even after Yoh was lying flat on his back.
Yoh stared up at his brother as the other shaman straddled him, sitting comfortably on the shorter-haired shaman's hips and still pressing one hand on the center of Yoh's chest.
"H-Hao?" Yoh asked. "What are you doing?"
"Which myth did you like better, otouto?" Hao asked calmly, ignoring Yoh's question. "Myself..."
Hao leaned closer; Yoh's breath caught.
The long-haired shaman's mouth was right next to Yoh's ear.
"- I prefer the Egyptian myth." Hao's breath tickled his twin's ear, sending shivers through Yoh's body.
"Uh..." Yoh struggled to come up with a response, but for some reason his brain refused to work.
Hao moved so that his mouth was now just an inch or two from Yoh's mouth instead of Yoh's ear.
"Distracted, Yoh?" Hao asked, tone indicating that he already knew the answer.
"T-the Egyptian myth, I guess." Yoh replied, trying to move away from Hao; the sheer proximity was intimidating. He tried for a semblance of his normal smile, sweating; the room seemed to have become warmer. "Thanks for the stories, onii-chan. I'm actually feeling sleepy now."
It was an utter lie and Yoh knew it rang hollow. Hao's smirk widened.
"You look awake to me."
Hao's hand began to move, sliding under the material of Yoh's yukata and gently pulling the cloth open. Yoh felt his face heat and grabbed Hao's wrist, halting the motion.
"What are you doing, Hao?" Yoh asked, wishing his voice was more a demand and less a plea. A plea to stop, to continue, to stop confusing him, to explain... he wasn't sure which, but he didn't like the pleading note in his voice.
"Touching you." Hao replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Is it fair that you can stare at me, but I never get to see you shirtless?"
Yoh actually had to think about the question for a moment before coming up with an answer- Hao's hand was moving again, as though Hao couldn't feel Yoh's hands on his wrist.
"It's not the same thing at all! You're actually touching me! Besides, how can you even see anything from where you are?" Yoh realized a moment too late that, if he wanted Hao to get off of him and let him sleep in peace, that was probably not what he should have said. It almost sounded like an encouragement-
Hao straightened, a pseudo-thoughtful expression on his face.
"You may be right, otouto." Hao's words were slow, measured. With great deliberation, Hao moved both hands to the 'V' created by the yukata wrapping over itself and began tugging at the already-loosened fabric. Yoh froze for one bewildered second, then reacted.
He grabbed Hao's hands, trying to stop them from pulling his yukata open. He was wearing boxers underneath, but that definitely felt like too little at the moment.
"Hao! Stop!"
"Why?" Hao asked, amused. His hands did still, though, and Yoh mentally sighed in relief. His hands relaxed their grip on Hao's wrists.
"Well... ano, I should probably be going to sleep." Yoh said, though the excuse was only halfhearted. Some part of him was quite content to let Hao's hands roam and even eager for it, but another part was screaming that this was WRONG; Hao was his brother, had tried to kill him several times, had tried to kill his friends- besides, Yoh already had a fiancé.
Hao was silent for a few minutes, staring at Yoh. The shorter-haired shaman shifted uncomfortably, trying to avoid Hao's gaze.
The older shaman suddenly smirked.
"'Touching' isn't the same as 'looking', right?" Hao asked. Yoh looked back at Hao, brow furrowed and suspicious of where the question was leading.
"Yes..." he said slowly. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"I've looked-" Hao replied, eyes doing a leisurely scan of the skin he had managed to uncover while pulling at the yukata. Yoh swallowed heavily.
"- and I've touched-"
Hao easily shook off Yoh's slack grip and ran a finger down the center of Yoh's chest. The younger shaman shivered at the caress.
"- and I believe that you implied my looking and touching wasn't fair, since you only got to look. Well, otouto-" Hao grabbed one of Yoh's wrists, Yoh too stunned to react. "- would you like to touch too?"
With that, Hao placed the hand, palm flat, against his chest.
Yoh's hand had been placed directly above Hao's heart; the younger twin could feel the steady beat beneath his palm. Hao's skin was pleasantly warm, smooth and soft to the touch. Yoh was distantly aware of Hao moving the hand holding Yoh's wrist, instead using the hand to support his weight as he leaned over the younger twin.
Yoh's hand drifted along his brother's chest for a moment before he remembered himself and jerked his hand away as though burned by the fire Hao controlled.
Yoh turned his hand away, pulling his yukata closed again and keeping his hands over his chest to prevent Hao from tugging the sleeping kimono apart again.
"What do you want, Hao?" Yoh asked, tone communicating his need for an actual answer from Hao.
"To become one; to be complete."
Yoh tried to jerk away from Hao, one hand automatically moving down to grasp at his abdomen; the last time Hao had wanted to 'become one', Hao had reached into Yoh's body and forcibly removed his soul. Hao had eaten his spirit that time, and only hard efforts by Yoh's friends had brought the younger shaman back. He tensed up, certain that the same thing was about to happen; Hao must have only been distracting him with the touching.
Yoh opened his mouth to shout for Amidamaru, or Anna, or at least SOMEONE, but Hao placed a hand over Yoh's mouth, a silent plea to be quiet. Warily, Yoh watched his twin for any sign of trickery or bad intent.
Hao sighed.
"I know what that must have sounded like. 'Become one' has more than one meaning. I lost back then; you're your own person. I won't try to take that away from you again."
Hao's voice, while quiet, seemed sincere. Yoh relaxed. Hao moved his hand.
"You're not after my soul anymore?" Yoh asked cautiously, to confirm.
"I'm not after it so that I can consume it." Hao replied carefully. The careful phrasing sent a red flag up in Yoh's head.
"'But'?" he prompted.
"I still want to possess your heart. I still want your body, just not in the same way." Hao's voice lowered even further. "I want to be with you; become one in a way that involves both of us surviving with our own bodies afterwards."
Hao's stare was full of intensity and heat- Yoh could feel the strength of it boring holes in his eyes, but he couldn't look away.
"The type of completion that Geb and Nut found." Hao continued. "Do you understand, otouto?"
"Twins... and lovers..." Yoh managed to say. Hao nodded encouragingly.
Silence stretched- try as he might, Yoh could not look away from Hao.
"I have a fiancé." Yoh whispered. He had promised to marry Anna and he kept his word, even if the romantic feelings - if any- he had for her were completely drowned in the complex, confusing bundle of emotions he felt for Hao.
But he had promised.
"Do you love her?"
"What?" Yoh was certain he couldn't have heard the question right...
"Do you love her?" Hao's voice was controlled, even; it didn't betray the older twin's thoughts.
"I do... she's my fiancé." Yoh whispered, unnecessarily quiet and hesitant. "I should love her, since I'm going to marry her one day."
"But do you?"
"I-"
"Answer me honestly." Hao's voice was commanding, dark; and echo of the time he had been the unchallenged leader of hundreds of very powerful men and women.
"No." Yoh finally whispered, a pained expression on his face. "I want to protect her; she's one of my friends and she has been for a long time. I'll always help her if she's in trouble, but..."
Yoh's voice trailed off, knowing that his brother would be able to fill in what he didn't say.
Hao nodded in understanding.
"You didn't seem to mind me touching you. I've felt you staring at me." Hao fell silent, a question hanging in the air between them.
"I don't know." Yoh responded to the unasked question. "We're twins, we're brothers-"
"Does it feel wrong?" The dangerously controlled tone was back.
Yoh shook his head.
"I feel safe with you. It's dumb, since you tried to kill me before, but I never had any doubts about letting you stay." Yoh murmured, then broke into a weak smile. "Grandpa always said that only good people could see ghosts."
Yoh's eyes widened as Hao leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to Yoh's lips. Jaw muscles slackened, unintentionally allowing the older twin access to the younger's mouth.
Yoh's eyes slid shut; Hao's were already closed.
Hao's tongue boldly explored, Yoh's tongue tentatively reaching for a taste, then growing bolder as Hao's tongue brushed against it.
Yoh moaned lightly into the kiss, barely conscious of one of Hao's hands coming up to the nape of Yoh's neck, pulling the younger teen closer. Yoh's hands came up, sliding through long hair and tangling the strands as Yoh pulled Hao deeper into the kiss.
Air was still a necessity, however, and they broke apart. Yoh let his head fall back, dully 'thunking' on the futon while Hao sat back up. Both were breathing a bit heavily.
Yoh's hands had slipped out of Hao's hair when the older teen had sat up. The younger shaman lifted one of his hands to touched his lips.
"I-... ano..." Yoh seemed lost for words. Hao chuckled.
"I'm not expecting an answer right away. When you've figured out whether or not you want to pursue this, let me know. Good night-" Hao pressed a butterfly kiss to Yoh's lips, gone before Yoh had time to register the gentle pressure. "- otouto."
With that, the older shaman moved off of his twin brother, going back to his own futon and laying down as though nothing earth-shaking had happened.
Yoh was left staring at his brother's profile, wide awake. Hao hadn't bothered to move his futon back, so he lay just a foot or two away from Yoh.
Yoh could almost taste the other on his lips, and he could still feel phantom hands running gently over his chest.
A pang of guilt shot through him when he thought of Anna, the girl he had been promised to and who he had promised to marry, but...
'It will all work out.'
Almost shyly, Yoh scooted closer to his brother's futon. Hao had dragged his futon so that the two futons were almost overlapping- it was too easy to slip into Hao's bed.
Hao's eyes opened at the sensation of movement. He turned, surprised, to find Yoh snuggling up to him. The younger shaman's head rested on Hao's bare chest, one of Yoh's legs overlapping one of Hao's.
"Is this okay?" Yoh asked, the slightly sheepish grin on his face visible as he craned his neck to meet Hao's gaze.
Hao smiled and nodded, curling one arm around his brother.
Hao closed his eyes again, smile still on his face. Yoh's warmth was extraordinarily comfortable and Hao quickly drifted off to sleep, head lolling against Yoh's.
Yoh was certain that he hadn't been sleepy until he crawled into Hao's futon. Still, Hao's soft breath blew Yoh's bangs so gently and rhythmically, and the arm around his shoulders was a comforting weight, the body he was curled up against a comforting warmth...
Even though his ear was not pressed directly over Hao's heart, he could feel the beat.
Yoh could feel his eyelids getting heavier. He would have liked to enjoy being held by his twin a while longer, but he had the feeling that he would have plenty of time in the future to enjoy this closeness.
That happy thought in mind, Yoh drifted off into a restful, dreamless sleep.
END
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