Friend
By: Aviantei
[Twelve Shots of Summer: Another D8 9/12]
[Parameters: "Substitute" + "Appreciated in Absence"]
"Bunny!"
"No, I'm not a rabbit!"
"Bunny!"
Ohachiyo huffed, losing his temper with the failed conversation he'd been stuck in for the past few minutes with the small child that had come to visit Hao in the Great Spirit. He couldn't fault the girl, no, not when she hadn't even lived half a decade yet. But the fact remained that he was a demon of sorts, not a rabbit, a fact that she refused to accept.
"Look, kid," Ohachiyo said, trying to not lose his temper since he knew this girl was important to Hao, "at least call me by name if you gotta call me something. It's Ohachiyo, okay. Say it with me—"
"Opacho?" the girl asked with a tilt of her head. "That's Opacho's name!"
"No, I said—wait, what?" Ohachiyo paused, squinting at the girl before him. He'd known her name, of course—Hao had mentioned her several times as they had worked on catching up. But it was the first time that Ohachiyo had considered that their names were more than just somewhat similar.
Did Hao…?
"There you are, Opacho." The voice cut off his thoughts, and Ivy—who was another frequent subject of conversation with Hao—wandered over. Opacho, excited, launched herself into the older girl's arms with an excited squeal. "She wasn't bothering you, now was she, Ohachiyo?"
"Other than goin' and thinkin' I'm a rabbit, she wasn't much of a hassle." Ivy smiled, and Ohachiyo took a minute before going ahead and asking what he was considering. "Hey, you were around when he picked this kid up, right?" Ivy nodded, looking over Ohachiyo with a sharp gaze. No wonder she could keep up with Hao; this girl was just as scary. "Relax. I just wanted to know about how she got her name."
Ivy softened in an instant, having not deemed the question a threat, Ohachiyo supposed. Considering that Hao had trained this girl, she had to be a forced to be reckoned with, considering how fond he was of her. "Hao tried to name her Ohachiyo," Ivy said, confirming the demon's suspicions, "but she couldn't pronounce it, so she became Opacho instead."
"That's me!" Opacho cheered, tossing her arms up.
Ivy dropped a quick kiss on her forehead before continuing, "I didn't realize it at the time, but I suppose he was trying to name her after you."
Ohachiyo felt—uncertain. He knew well enough everything that Hao had done over the years, trying to claim a position of power for himself. In many ways, the Asakura Hao that had become the Shaman King was a whole new person in comparison to the Asaha Dōji that Ohachiyo had known. But even through all that, in the near one-thousand years, he hadn't forgotten him—
"Hao-onii-chan loves O'chiyo," Opacho said. It didn't matter that she stumbled the pronunciation of his name; the sentiment was still there. "Best friends!"
Well, then, Ohachiyo thought, but he couldn't help but grin.
It didn't matter how long he lived; little Asaha Dōji was as much of a handful as ever.
[Author's Notes]
I originally thought I'd do a one shot about Matamune as a reflection on Hao's past, but Opacho and Ohachiyo in one place was too good to pass up. Maybe I'll do more with out cat friend later, but for now, we have this! It's another one of these pieces that takes place not too long after canon.
Thanks to maximilianoismiranda and She Who Loves Pineapples for the favorite, follow, and review! Cheers as we move into the final section of summer.
Next week's prompts will be "The Will of the World" and "Doubt." Please look forward to it!
-Avi
[07.31.2021]