A/N:Okay, just so you know, things might get REALLY confusing in the chapter. You'll know what I mean by the end of this first one….
Servant of Evil: "A Perfect Imitation."
You're a princess, I'm a servant
Destiny separated pitiful twins
"Nii-chan…"
"Yes?"
Two brothers sat in the field. It was a beautiful, bright day. Clouds were thin wisps and the sun shone brightly. The field in which they sat in was lush with tall green grass. An occasional white daisy sprang up amongst the green.
"I made something for Nii-chan."
The older of the two brothers - twins - stood and came around to his younger brother. An innocent smile was on the face of the younger brother.
"This is for you!"
The younger boy help up a wreath of grasses tied together. Daisies were placed strategically around the wreath.
"Because Nii-Chan's going to become king one day. I made you a crown."
The younger boy smiled happily in innocent bliss. The older brother smiled back - albeit a little sadly- but happily received his gift. It was little things like this, the beautiful day, his brother's cheery mood, that brilliant smile, that made his life so blissful.
"Hao."
The brother who was standing turned around. The time of sibling bonding had been interrupted by the rest of the family.
"Come Hao, it's time for lessons."
"Yes Father."
At that, Hao turned from his brother and went towards the main house. His younger brother's smile
fell from his face.
"Nii-chan has to go again?"
"Yes Yoh. I'll come play with you again later, okay?"
"Mmm. Okay."
Once his brother was gone, Yoh sat alone. He fell backwards so that he was looking up at the sky. He enjoyed afternoons like this, where he could laze around and do nothing but watch the sky. But the activity seemed to have lost it's worth when Hao left. The brothers usually stared at the clouds together, watching the puffs of white travel across the sky.
He thought back to just a few minutes before Hao had been called away.
"Nii-Chan?"
The younger twin was busy fiddling with blades of grass. He wove them carefully into each other so that they would hold it's shape.
"Yes?"
The older twin did nothing but lie on his back and watch the clouds. His eyes traveled across the sky, following the movement of one particular cloud until it was out of sight before he watched another cloud.
"where do you think the clouds come from?"
The younger brother waited for a response. The only sound was the sound of the wind through the grass and the sound of his fingers working deftly at his little creation.
"I don't know. Maybe somewhere far, far away."
The answer seemed to be one very well thought out reply. Hao had once pondered the very same
question his brother was asking him now, but even then, he had not arrived to a conclusion. He thought for a moment longer, watching another cloud go by. 'what if others had seen the same cloud he had just been watching? Others… from all over the world?'
"Really?"
"Un."
"hmm… where do you think the clouds are going?"
Hao was stunned by his brother's second question.
"That's a good question… what do you think?"
"I don't know. I thought for a long time, but I don't know…"
So these were the kinds of things that Yoh thought about? Hao, too, thought for another moment. It
was a good question indeed, but Hao didn't like it when he didn't' have the answer to Yoh's questions. He liked being the older brother because that meant that he could protect his little brother, and that also meant that he should have the answer when Yoh asked him a question.
"You want to know what I think?
Hao seemed to have come up with an answer that he was satisfied with.
"what?"
"I think they're going towards their future."
Yoh had thought about Hao's words for awhile now, since he had spoken them. They were exactly the words that Hao would say. It was very… fitting of Hao to say something like that- vague, yet deep. There was meaning behind those words, though they only seemed to skim the surface of the topic, they were words that were carefully selected - chosen to make Yoh wonder about them.
A long time passed. The sun setting in the distance. Yoh had spent his entire afternoon watching clouds. Again, he enjoyed the activity, but less so because of the absence of his brother…
And then it seemed that Yoh's peace was disturbed.
Angry shouts erupted from the main house. Yoh could hear the distinct voice of, not only his brother, but his parents and grandparents too. Worried, he stood up, and carefully made his way back home. He was scared though, and so he crept through the door, subtly, trying to gain as little attention as possible. He was unnoticed as hoped.
"You can't do that to me! You can't do that to him!"
Him?
"You will do as we tell you! You're the next in line for king and you will become the head of this family!"
"You have no right to decide for me!"
"Yohmei- stop it. Hao-"
"Hao will be the heir and honor to our family!"
"No!"
"You should be honored at the very idea of this!"
The shouting frightened Yoh. He wasn't use to his family being at each other's necks. He didn't like it at all. What were his parent yelling about? His grandparents… and Hao?
"Yohmei."
"What!"
"I think I know how to ensure Hao becomes heir."
"I'm not going to do it, no matter what you say!"
"It's because Hao wants nothing more than to laze around like his brother."
It seemed his parents and grandparents were ignoring Hao's objections now.
"I see… I see what you're-"
"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO US!" Hao shouted. It seemed that everyone had caught on to the situation except Yoh, not that Yoh was even in the discussion, but he was an important part of it.
He didn't understand it then, but he was a very important part of the conversation at hand.
"A week from now. Keiko and I are leaving to America anyway, it may give Hao a chance to see international affairs at work, he'll be in charge of them one day anyway."
"Yes… you're smart Mikihisa. I didn't even think of that… it was smart. Keiko, you married well."
What? What was going to happen tomorrow?
A loud sound of foot steps were heard then, and Yoh quickly ducked out of the house, running for the spot he had been in before. He didn't quite make it, but he made it far enough that no one would be able to tell he had been eavesdropping on the conversation. He lay on the grass, panting, staring at the sky again. Clouds were no were to be seen, and the sky was now dotted by little white specks that shone. The stars.
"Otouto?" Hao's voice had softened considerably from the tone he had used to object their parents.
"Nii-chan?"
"Come here,Yoh."
Yoh stood up, trying to look as ignorant and relaxed as he could. He made his way to his brother. Hao turned and motioned for Yoh to follow him. They went up to their room and Hao locked their door. It seemed that they wouldn't be disturbed anyway, not with what their parents and grandparents were planning.
"Yoh, you have to listen to me, carefully, okay?"
A nod.
"How…. No…Can… um… wait.."
Yoh stared at his brother's strange behavior. It wasn't like his brother to be at a loss for words, to be unable to voice his thoughts.
"Okay… Yoh, how well can you pretend to be… me?"
Yoh's worried disappeared in an instant. As Hao playing a game with him? Oh joy, a game! Yoh loved
games, and Hao had promised that he would play with Yoh again after his lessons were done. Yoh thought for a moment. Hao's lessons were done for today. So they would play now?He was up for the game.
"What do you mean pretend?" Yoh gave Hao a neutral face that mirrored his own. For a moment, the innocence and laziness in Yoh's eyes disappeared and Hao truly thought his reflection had somehow pulled itself out of a mirror and into this world.
Then Yoh burst out laughing.
"Nii-chan was fooled!" Yoh laughed.
Hao was stunned. 'But it was a good thing. If even I can be fooled…'
There was hope yet.
"Otouto," Hao said to gain his brother's attention.
"Hm?" Yoh stopped laughing, his giggles dying away.
"Can you pretend to be me from now on?"
What had Hao meant by that?
"I need you to be me from now on."
Yoh wasn't quite sure what was going on. The argument that was downstairs, Hao's strange behavior, this strange new game they were playing… it hadn't clicked in Yoh's brain yet… and it wouldn't for a long time to come.
"When you hear Hao, you'll respond as if you were me. When you walk, you'll walk like me. You'll wear my clothes and you'll sleep in my bed. If I call "Nii-chan", you'll respond to me as "Otouto." If you see something you like, you won't do anything unless I like it. Can you do that for me?"
What was Hao asking from him exactly?
"Can you become me?"
Yoh didn't say anything. He didn't need to. All he did was close his eyes, and wait for a moment to pass. If Hao wanted Yoh to play this absurd game of charades, then Yoh would play, because Yoh loved nothing more than to play games with his brother.
When Yoh opened his eyes again, he wasn't Yoh anymore.
For a split second, the world contained two "Hao's."
And then Hao thought 'Maybe there's hope yet. Maybe Yoh won't have to suffer and I won't have to
become the heir.'
'Maybe Yoh wasn't as dumb and lazy as he let everyone believe he was.'
Hao closed his eyes as these thoughts went through his head. The real Hao then ceased to be in the world. He locked himself up in his mind. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer Hao.
And the world was right again, because there was one Hao, and one Yoh. Just the way it should be.
"Nii-chan."
"Otouto?"
"One more thing…"
"What it is?"
"I'll miss you."
Hao never found out what his brother meant by that. Yoh walked past Hao then, and closed the door behind him. Hao stood there, alone, and a moment of silence passed before he heard his brother calling to his parents.
" 'Ka-san! Why is Hao so angry? 'Ka-san?"
The sound of footsteps up the stairs, and he heard their mother come up and tell Yoh to hush.
Angry. Yoh wanted him to be angry.
So he would be angry.
"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" Hao burst through their door and grabbed Yoh's wrist. Their mother was shocked for a moment, but let the incident slip. The two didn't have much time anyway, and it's not like it was going to be a problem after next week. She left the two alone.
"Good job Hao."
"you shouldn't cause oka-san so much trouble all the time, Yoh."
'What a perfect imitation.'
A/N: What'd I tell you? Are you thoroughly confused now? Maybe, maybe not…. But tell me what you think, alright? Or I won't know where to go with this….Anyway, thanks for reading! And review if you have the heart to!
