Seductive Lies
Shadows: Mwhahahahahahahaha! Now to hold up my promise to bring my readers some Shaman King action…
Kitty: Who would you like me to bring from the dungeons? And Shadows does not own Shaman King. If so, the dub would be axed, and there would be a lot more yaoi action!
Shadows: Can anyone please tell me where I can download the original Japanese? I'd like to drop the dub if I can, but until then, it's all that I have to keep my sanity…Actually, scrap that…
I do what my Rice Krispies tell me to do!
Shadows: And bring me the entire Shaman King cast. Yes, that includes Anna and Hao. I have a little job for those two…
Entire Shaman King cast: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Shadows: Enough. Just for you little RenxPilika shippers who slipped in, I am a 100 yaoi shipper, and I can and will set the hounds on any flamers! The main pairings are RenxHoro, and Yoh x Hao x ? Heh, heh, I'm not telling the mysterious last pairing yet, but I will confirm that we will have a Love triangle going on here!
Kitty: For god's sake, type! On with the ficcie!
Shadows: It's a little hard. To be like Hao, one must think like Hao. And that, is a slightly difficult thing…
0o0o0o0o0o
He settled down to watch for a while, adjusting to his slightly uncomfortable position in the tree.
It wasn't that he was a firm supporter of voyeurism, but then, these things had to be used to one's advantages. If he didn't keep an eye on her, she would most certainly evade his gaze. And part of this whole scheme was for her to notice him.
She hesitated in the yard. He subconsciously made sure he had a good grip, watching intently with baited breath.
Oh she'd spotted him. Not long now, and she'd be over, once she had dismissed the faint minded around her. And then, then either she would win, or he would. Winning this battle was everything, he had been watching her for several weeks now, and he couldn't afford to lose this battle.
Not now. Not ever.
"It's about time you got here. I've been waiting for you." Her dark eyes stared intently up at him, he had been so busy thinking that he had not noticed her creep up.
"Ah, the lovely Miss Anna. I was a little busy, putting my brother's enemies out of commission." Cool as ever, the Asakura kept his tone level.
"Don't give me that bullshit Hao. You are one of his enemies. And I won't settle for it." Anna wasn't to be reasoned with today, Hao could see that.
" You won't settle for anything." He snarled, roughly pulling himself out of his cosy branches, and dropping to the ground. For once, there was a hint of anger in his eyes, something that disturbed Anna slightly.
" Only because Yoh…" She began.
"…Will be Shaman King, and you First Lady. Forget it my dear, you're living in a dream world. I will be Shaman King, and I don't call for First Ladies." To a certain extent Hao was playing games with Anna, and he turned to go with his eyes held closed, biting his bottom lip as he waited patiently for the reply.
"Hao, wait…" She called, voice softer than before.
"For what? You to snap out of dream land? I told you, I don't call for Shaman Queens." Hao turned around sharply.The anger was still there, but softer, Anna noticed.
"You know that will never happen. Yoh WILL be Shaman King, and you will just be left on the sidelines." With all the grace of her usual stubbornness, she turned to leave herself.
Anna was stopped when Hao grabbed her arm, and roughly pulled her around to face him. She was not going to win this time, Hao was determined to win this battle.
"Listen here, if you don't let go.."
"You listen…I'm not planning on letting go. I'm going to become Shaman King. And you are going to help me."
Anna's eyes widened, as Hao began to tell her his plan…
0o0o0
"So, what's the plan for this evening?" Yoh looked down at his short friend's comment, and shrugged.
"I dunno. It's nice just to get away from Anna for once. She's busy this evening, which means you and I can go, uh, do stuff together if you want." Yoh smiled lazily, holding his arms behind his head as he looked down at his shorter friend's smile.
"Well…we could go for cheeseburgers if you want…Or we could go back up onto Monument Hill and talk to some ghosts for a while…" Morty rambled on for a few minutes, whilst Yoh simply smiled. It was good to be back after the Shaman Tournament. Morty wasn't a shaman, but being able to just do 'normal' things with him was one of the greatest things that had ever happened to Yoh.
"Nah, I think we'll just grab cheeseburgers, and go back up on Monument Hill. Amidimaru said there would be loads of ghosts to talk to tonight. I'll tell you what, if you go get the cheeseburgers, I'll meet you up there once I've gone back to get Amidimaru."
"Good idea Yoh. Alright, I'll see you in, 15 minutes?" Morty smiled, in fact it was more of a grin, and ran off, leaving Yoh by himself for a little while.
It was only 15 minutes, but 15 minutes was long enough for Hao to talk to his little brother.
"Hello Yoh. " It wasn't so much a greeting, but more of a statement. And Hao was in a talkative mood.
"Hao." Yoh breathed lightly, but not bitterly. He didn't turn around to face his brother, he merely shut his eyes.
"You don't seem pleased to see me." With a smile, Hao began to make his advances. With the right tactics, this would be a piece of cake.
"You're supposed to be dead. How can I be pleased to see someone who's dead?" Yoh's tone had darkened, as he still refused to turn around.
"Because I'm never dead. I've recreated myself 3 times now, don't you think that's a little proof that I'm immortal? Come now, you and I are one in the same. I thought you'd realised by now that you can never escape your own flesh and blood." Hao's tactics were the same ones he'd always used, the shaman knew them like the back of his hand. But it would seem that Yoh wasn't to be fooled tonight.
"You're not my brother." It was completely out of Yoh's character, his tone was completely unnerving, and Hao wondered for a minute if Yoh was really hiding himself under that laid-back exterior.
"Of course I am. Perhaps you don't want me to be, but I am. Don't hate me Yoh, you're my little brother, and I want to make things right between us."
"Don't you understand me Hao? Nothing can ever be right between us. You tried to kill me, you tried to kill everyone around me. Do you think I'm going to suddenly forget that and forgive you!" Yoh was actually really agitated now, which was very unlike him, Hao noticed. The older shaman suddenly became very interested in the thought of what his brother's expression must be right now. Deciding to find out, he advanced on his little brother.
"Now, now, calm down. Trying to make this go away won't work. I'm here, I'm your twin brother. That makes us one in the same, and you're going to have to live with that. " Hao was so close, he could whisper into his brother's ear, and Yoh tensed at such close contact.
"What's the matter? It's only me. I'm you in the same way you're me." Hao was breathing every word into Yoh's ear, and the younger could feel his warm breath playing across his cheek.
"Get away from me." Yoh's words were quiet, but clearly understood.
"That's no way to talk to your brother." Hao's words were as equally low as before, and Yoh felt his arms slowly slip around his shoulders. He wanted to push him away, wanted to get away from the one who had caused him so much pain and suffering in the past- but he couldn't. He simply let Hao have his way, and slowly embrace the younger shaman in a slight hug. If this was what Hao actually called a hug.
Yoh allowed his eyes to shut, and he slumped back slightly against Hao.
0o0o0o0o0
"You're late."
"Sorry Morty. I, uh, got caught up. Couldn't find Amidimaru." A grin crept across Yoh's face, as he painfully remembered the real reason behind his lateness. He was himself again of course, laid-back, relaxed, as if nothing in the world could faze him.
Yoh allowed his gaze to slide slightly behind him, as he caught sight of Hao silently watching him from a nearby tree. His grin dropped a little bit, before he focused back on the task at hand.
You're slacking again Yoh. Concentrate. I'm only here to keep an eye on you… The shaman adjusted his seat in the leafy branches, before settling down to watch again. He was, naturally a watcher, it was the best way for him to keep a close profile on his victims…
"So, what are our plans for tomorrow? I guess Anna will be back on the scene, and then it'll be back to the training." Morty sighed. It was hard, Anna still insisted on Yoh's training. That meant that he and Yoh couldn't do all the things they'd promised they'd do, and that left them generally gutted.
"I dunno Morty. I guess, I'll train, and you and the others will sit on the sidelines. And then Horo will probably tease Ren at some point, and then they'll go at it…" Yoh trailed off for a minute, and they fell silent.
"The usual that happens at your house on a typical day." Morty interjected, breaking the silence.
Yoh laughed at that, his clear voice ringing out across the night sky. "Yeah, that will generally be what happens." His laughter died down for a minute, and they fell into stillness once more.
"Come on." Yoh suddenly commented. " Lets get back. Anna will be back at some point, and I don't want to be creeping round the house in the early hours of the morning."
"You wouldn't get that far! Anna would of caught you at the gates!" Morty laughed with Yoh this time, and the two friends set off down the track. Anyone would of thought they were slightly drunk, but both knew this was not the case. The night air was filled with the sounds of their voices and laughter, whilst a nearby figure watched in calm stillness.
Hao swung down from his tree to meet the person standing under it. She'd waited, hiding in the trees like he had done. The two had watched Yoh and Morty since the taller shaman had arrived. And left.
"Your plan is, working?" She asked, hesitantly.
"Yes, it would appear so. Yoh is not himself around me, and I'd like to know why. However, he was well aware of me watching him and his little friend." Hao replied, voice cool as ever.
"Perhaps it would do you good to watch that Tao, Ren for a while. He hides himself away behind walls, and maybe this is what you are inclining with Yoh?..." She abruptly broke off when he shot her a warning glance, turning away from those dark brown eyes.
"No, we will stick to the plans. If I want to know something, " Hao lowered his gaze, staring at the pathway Yoh had just gone down. "I'll get it out of him, somehow."
"Somehow? "She raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Somehow. What I want to know, I'll know. Now go, he'll be expecting you." Hao turned, letting his gaze fall once more on the route which Yoh had just disappeared down.
I'll be waiting for you Yoh…Just watch and learn little brother…
Anna simply walked on down the pathway, as the rain steadily started to fall, wishing it would wash away her problems. Her own salty tears fell to mingle with the cold droplets on the dusty pathway, which she wiped away hastily before walking on.
What have I gotten myself into? Please forgive me Yoh…
0o0o0o0o0o0
Shadows: A little boring in places, but generally good for a first chapter, in my opinion. However, it is your opinion I require, so please find your way to the little blue button at the bottom.
Kitty: We figured you'd guess who Hao was talking to, so we revealed Anna to you in all her glory at the ending. Shadows thought rain was, appropriate. As for what happened between Yoh and Hao, that's for us to know, and for you to find out in a flashback in the next chapter. But there will be no next chapter if you don't review. Please!
Shadows: Well, well, I shall leave you with theories as to who's loyalties lie where….
