Disclaimer: Shaman King is the property of Hiroyuki Takei!
4Kids guy: *ahem*
GS: AUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! How did you escape??!!
4Kids guy: Sore wa himitsu desu!
GS: *sweetly* Hao-kun, will you take care of him for me?
Hao: *cracks knuckles* With pleasure.
Author's Notes: *looks up at disclaimer* Get them before they dub you...that's probably Hao's personal philosophy right now. Anyway, that whole thing about Shiro turning out to be a demon is a major part of the plot. How, you say? Keep reading to find out! Oh, and to Kian the Spaz...I wasn't being mean to Horo! I was just trying to get him to breathe! You know that if you laugh a long time you can't breathe? That's what it was.
~***~ A Dream Come True?
Chapter Nine ~***~
Of course, I could be nice to all the fangirls out there and describe every square inch of Hao's body. But I think I'll just be mean (and kind to all the male readers) by keeping it all to myself. Tee hee, I'm so evil... (And/or an angel, if you're a guy.)
Anyway, I was out of the shower getting dressed when I heard people shouting at each other outside. So I finished pulling my cloak on and opened the door. "What the hell is- -"
I stopped short. "Ooookay..."
Opacho the babbling moron was there, looking both frantic and confused. Mari had Anna in a headlock, and Anna in turn had a grip on Mari's hair. Macchi had Yoh trapped in a corner with her broom in his face. Amidamaru stood gawking at the whole scene. Obviously we both had just stumbled in on it.
Macchi stared at me. "Lord Hao..."
"You're okay!" exclaimed Mari, releasing Anna.
"Of course I'm okay! I shouted. "Why wouldn't I be okay?!"
"O-Opacho said that you left and never came back," Macchi explained. "We thought you'd been hurt."
"Unless you call slipping and hitting my head, being scratched half to death by a demon, and being hit in the head with a frying pan hurt, I'm okay. And the reason I left in the first place was to get away from Opacho."
Macchi blinked. "THAT explains everything..."
I sighed. "Now would you please get your broom out of Yoh's face?"
She did so. "Sorry about that."
Anna was right in front of me in a split second. I backed up in shock. She then grabbed me by the arm and dragged me into Yoh's bedroom. "What is the matter with you?!"
"What do you mean?"
"You didn't even tell them that you're not Hao! Why didn't you?!"
I glared at her. "Because these people are insane, that's why! If I told them I wasn't Hao they'd kill me! What's been making you bitchier than ever, anyway?!"
She sighed. Was she worried? Nah, no way...
"I'm worried about what might be happening to you."
I blinked. "You? Caring about what happens to other people? Scary..."
"Just hear me out. After you and Yoh left to help Manta I called Kino. There's something you should know about this whole body-switching thing."
"What?"
She looked uncertain. "If you don't switch back with Hao within two weeks, his personality will take over your own."
Talk about dropping a brick on someone's head. "W-what are you saying?"
"In a sense, you're becoming Hao. You already have his powers. Not to mention that Yoh told me what happened when you encountered Mansumi."
I remembered. That really hadn't been me...it felt like something had gripped me and taken over for a split second. Now that I really thought about it, I realized that it was still there. It was lying at the bottom of my chest, waiting for the right moment to surface again.
The headache began to pound away again. "My God...what do I do?"
"We have to get you back to America so you can switch back with Hao. Only problem is, we don't have that kind of money."
My headache was getting even worse. I rubbed my temples and then half- frantically dug in my pockets. "I think I still have most of Hao's money..."
I held it out shakily to her. "Hope this gives you a head start."
She looked at me with eyes nearly bugging out. "I don't know how you got this money... Never mind. Just calm down."
Up until that moment I'd never though much about Hao's ability. But now I didn't have much choice- -it was happening to me. And it was only then that I knew what it was like to be Hao.
I won't tell you all that I heard and felt during those three seconds of hell. I'll give you just enough for you to get an idea. A man being ruthlessly murdered in a dark alley...a girl about my age debating whether or not to end her life...a little boy whimpering from hunger and neglect.
When it was over I was crumpled on the floor gasping for breath. With my head pounding like it was it felt like I had a hangover, without the pleasure of getting drunk first. Mari and Yoh helped me to my feet.
"Are you okay?" asked Yoh.
I opened my eyes slightly. The sun coming in through the window was just too bright...
"I think I know why your brother is the way he is."
Author's Notes: *looks up at disclaimer* Get them before they dub you...that's probably Hao's personal philosophy right now. Anyway, that whole thing about Shiro turning out to be a demon is a major part of the plot. How, you say? Keep reading to find out! Oh, and to Kian the Spaz...I wasn't being mean to Horo! I was just trying to get him to breathe! You know that if you laugh a long time you can't breathe? That's what it was.
~***~ A Dream Come True?
Chapter Nine ~***~
Of course, I could be nice to all the fangirls out there and describe every square inch of Hao's body. But I think I'll just be mean (and kind to all the male readers) by keeping it all to myself. Tee hee, I'm so evil... (And/or an angel, if you're a guy.)
Anyway, I was out of the shower getting dressed when I heard people shouting at each other outside. So I finished pulling my cloak on and opened the door. "What the hell is- -"
I stopped short. "Ooookay..."
Opacho the babbling moron was there, looking both frantic and confused. Mari had Anna in a headlock, and Anna in turn had a grip on Mari's hair. Macchi had Yoh trapped in a corner with her broom in his face. Amidamaru stood gawking at the whole scene. Obviously we both had just stumbled in on it.
Macchi stared at me. "Lord Hao..."
"You're okay!" exclaimed Mari, releasing Anna.
"Of course I'm okay! I shouted. "Why wouldn't I be okay?!"
"O-Opacho said that you left and never came back," Macchi explained. "We thought you'd been hurt."
"Unless you call slipping and hitting my head, being scratched half to death by a demon, and being hit in the head with a frying pan hurt, I'm okay. And the reason I left in the first place was to get away from Opacho."
Macchi blinked. "THAT explains everything..."
I sighed. "Now would you please get your broom out of Yoh's face?"
She did so. "Sorry about that."
Anna was right in front of me in a split second. I backed up in shock. She then grabbed me by the arm and dragged me into Yoh's bedroom. "What is the matter with you?!"
"What do you mean?"
"You didn't even tell them that you're not Hao! Why didn't you?!"
I glared at her. "Because these people are insane, that's why! If I told them I wasn't Hao they'd kill me! What's been making you bitchier than ever, anyway?!"
She sighed. Was she worried? Nah, no way...
"I'm worried about what might be happening to you."
I blinked. "You? Caring about what happens to other people? Scary..."
"Just hear me out. After you and Yoh left to help Manta I called Kino. There's something you should know about this whole body-switching thing."
"What?"
She looked uncertain. "If you don't switch back with Hao within two weeks, his personality will take over your own."
Talk about dropping a brick on someone's head. "W-what are you saying?"
"In a sense, you're becoming Hao. You already have his powers. Not to mention that Yoh told me what happened when you encountered Mansumi."
I remembered. That really hadn't been me...it felt like something had gripped me and taken over for a split second. Now that I really thought about it, I realized that it was still there. It was lying at the bottom of my chest, waiting for the right moment to surface again.
The headache began to pound away again. "My God...what do I do?"
"We have to get you back to America so you can switch back with Hao. Only problem is, we don't have that kind of money."
My headache was getting even worse. I rubbed my temples and then half- frantically dug in my pockets. "I think I still have most of Hao's money..."
I held it out shakily to her. "Hope this gives you a head start."
She looked at me with eyes nearly bugging out. "I don't know how you got this money... Never mind. Just calm down."
Up until that moment I'd never though much about Hao's ability. But now I didn't have much choice- -it was happening to me. And it was only then that I knew what it was like to be Hao.
I won't tell you all that I heard and felt during those three seconds of hell. I'll give you just enough for you to get an idea. A man being ruthlessly murdered in a dark alley...a girl about my age debating whether or not to end her life...a little boy whimpering from hunger and neglect.
When it was over I was crumpled on the floor gasping for breath. With my head pounding like it was it felt like I had a hangover, without the pleasure of getting drunk first. Mari and Yoh helped me to my feet.
"Are you okay?" asked Yoh.
I opened my eyes slightly. The sun coming in through the window was just too bright...
"I think I know why your brother is the way he is."