Disclaimer:::
Must I state the obvious? I do not own SK. =P
Warning:::
Spoilers on Hao's identity. Written based on the anime only. I have not read the manga at all.
Legend:::
(.…bla bla….) Is thoughts
"….bla bla…." Is normal speech
{….bla bla….} Is notes/signs/etc.
Summary:::
**AU-ish** What if Hao and Yoh weren't separated since birth, but only 5 years after. But due to certain reasons, Yoh doesn't remember this.
~¤~ I dedicate this chapter to Kitsune Asakura for being my first reviewer! Thank You! ~¤~
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Chapter 2
"Yoh……"
Asakura Keiko called out to her five-year-old son softly. She had been overwhelmed with joy when the clan returned with Yoh in their midst. She had wept when she saw the state of which he was in.
Yoh had lay limp in his father's arms almost lifeless. His forehead had been matted with blood. Suffering from a concussion to the skull, it was a miracle for a mere child to survive such a fall. Keiko was furious when she heard that it was her very own husband who had fired the shot that caused Yoh's fall and subsequent injury. However she was also relieved that after 5 long years Yoh was finally home where he belonged.
Keiko called her son again as she had done for the past 7 days. With the help of a healer, Yoh slowly recovered but not once had he awakened. They said he was in a kind of coma due to the hit to his head. Keiko sighed sadly. Stroking the cheek of her sleeping child with gentle hands, her mind wandered.
The members of the clan who had been at the battle told her about it. How Yoh had actually insisted on staying with Hao. It confused Keiko to no end. Since Yoh had been taken from her, she had been stricken with grief and worry. She always believed that Hao would mistreat and abuse the boy. But this was clearly not the case. Besides the present injuries, he was in perfect health and his body held no scars.
Yoh seemed very attached to Hao. Such affection could only come from love.
Could the warmth of the bond between twins have melted a cold heart? Or is Hao merely bringing up Yoh to be his helper, to use him in the years to come in obtaining the Great Spirit?
No. Hao had said, "I will never give up my only brother." He had clearly stated, be it consciously or subconsciously, that he saw Yoh as a brother; neither as a tool nor as a helper.
Her thoughts made her smile. For the first time since his birth, she had faith in Hao. Her distraught ancestor, her estranged son. If he could learn to love, perhaps the world had hope. Keiko had always regretted the years that Yoh was missing from her life but now she was glad that Yoh had provided Hao with love those few years.
"Thinking about Hao?"
Keiko's thoughts were cut short when she heard the deep voice of her husband.
"Hai."
Asakura Mikishka sat down beside his wife and pondered about the strange expression on her face. For some reason she looked worried about something. He was about to ask her when she suddenly said in a soft voice,
"Ne, anata? Did we do the right thing by bringing Yoh back? What if we merely worsened things?"
Mikishka looked down at his son with unwavering eyes and thought about the present situation. The tone of his wife's voice hid feelings of dread and of guilt. Perhaps she had thought as he did. The problem of separating the twins is a worrying problem indeed. Mikishka let out a tired sigh.
"I am not sure. If you had asked me those questions weeks ago, then without a doubt I would have told you that yes, we did indeed do the right thing. That things would turn out for the better. But now I am simply not sure."
"Of course you are."
Keiko and Mikishka looked up as Asakura Yohmei, head of the clan walked into the room accommodated by his grandchild and sat down across his son. Lowering his head, his old but wise voice reassured them of their actions.
"It had to be done. Hao could have been filling his heart with hatred for the human race. Who knows how much he had learned from his brother's ways. Could you imagine a future with two of the most powerful shamans trying to destroy the present world just because they want to change it according to what they see as right? That's what would have happened if we left Yoh with him."
"But Chichihue.."
"It was by mere chance we were able to find out about his location at that time. We should treat that as a blessing and not regret what has taken place. Yoh is where he belongs now, with his family and with people who will love him."
Keiko and Mikishka looked downcast but otherwise said nothing. Yohmei's words had its logic.
"Get some rest both of you. The child Tamao has predicted Yoh's awakening tomorrow. And I trust her foresight."
"Is that true? Yoh's waking up? That's great news otõsama!" Keiko said overjoyed.
Yohmei nodded as he stood up and left the room soundlessly. For a while there was silence, but Mikishka added in a weary voice.
"Chichihue may be right. But you didn't see the desperate look on Hao's face nor did you hear his horrified shout when Yoh fell that day. I fear things aren't as simple as we think."
Keiko said nothing but embraced her beloved husband nevertheless, not knowing how to react to his words. The two sat together silently contemplating how this significant event would affect the future.
All the while, Yoh slept on unaware about the debate that had happened.
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Yoh woke up the next day as predicted. The healer was immediately summoned again and she did a full body check up on the five-year-old boy. Yoh was announced in perfect health and that he had no trace of injuries left on him. Keiko and Mikishka who were waiting on the sidelines rushed to hug their son as soon as the other clan members left to give them the privacy.
All this while, Yoh had been looking around with a gaze of wonder and an expression of amazement on his young face. When all of a sudden two of the strangers he had been observing enveloped him with huge hugs, he was pleasantly surprised and a bit embarrassed.
"Ano..Who are you? Where am I?" he managed to stammer out grinning sheepishly.
"Oh dear, we are sorry. We didn't mean to rush things. We just forgot that you don't know us. Because we are so happy you're finally awake and.." Keiko said hurriedly.
"Maa, anata. Slow down. You're confusing the poor kid."
"Oh dear. I-I suppose you should do the explaining."
Yoh looked at the man expectedly waiting for him to explain.
"Firstly let me introduce myself. I am Asakura Mikishka and this is my wife Asakura Keiko. We are your parents."
Keiko nodded her head nervously at her son. Yoh was blinking in confusion and he seemed like he wanted to say something. But he had remained silent and there was an air of calm around him. He seemed much older and wiser than a mere 5 year old. Keiko wondered why he wasn't screaming his head off like any other child would if they found out that they suddenly had parents. Instead he offered a tiny smile as if to encourage his father to continue.
Gulping, Mikishka added on.
"Years ago, you were taken from us when you were a mere baby by an evil man. We spent those few years searching for you. Then at last, we were granted a chance to save you and we did. A week ago, the whole Asakura clan gathered and fought the evil man to bring you back to us. And we succeeded. But you were seriously injured from the battle and it took you this long to recover. Unfortunately the evil man got away."
Yoh looked down away from his parents' faces. "Sou kaa." He said softly and stayed silent.
Mikishka studied his son's reactions. What surprised him was that there was a lack of it. There were no bursts of denial that the man who took him away was not evil. Yoh did not even utter a word of relief when he told him that the evil man had gotten away. Perhaps Yohmei was right. Perhaps he had been overoptimistic of the relationship between Hao and Yoh.
After a moment of silence which seemed to drag on into eternity, Yoh gazed at them with a troubled look in his black-obsidian eyes.
Then, he asked something that shocked them both,
"Ore wa dare?"
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Glossary::
1) Aniki = brother
2) Hai = yes.
3) Anata = beloved
4) Chichihue = father
5) Otõsama = father
6) Sou kaa = is that so? // really?
7) Ore wa dare? = who am I?
Ahh Watashi wa ureshii desu! Minna-san honto ni ii!
Reviewer Response::
Kitsune Asakura:: Yup! You have the honor of being my first reviewer! Thanx!
unpredictable.l:: I really wanted to describe the battles more.(even though I'm not very good at it. Hehe .) That's why I asked about the over-soul thing. One cannot write about something if they don't know about it at all. @___@;;But I'll try next time. I've been rewatching the anime again and I'm beginning to understand a bit. Also Jessica explained it to me. Anyway, thanx!
piti opacho:: It's okay. Your English is pretty good. Thanx for reviewing!!
Chibi Dragon:: Here's the next chap! ^___^Thanx!
Jenny:: Thanx 4 the e-mail you sent me! I appreciate the effort and I hope you'll keep on reviewing!
Baka-Cupid:: Aah, you flatter me. It's not THAT good. I can't wait for you to write your story though. Tell me if you put it up. ^___^ And blabber as much as you want! I don't mind. Hehehe. Thanx!
Jessica:: Thanx so much 4 the explanation! I guess I understand more of it now. I'll dedicate my next battle scene 2 you! Promise! And as I told Baka-Cupid, write as much as you want. I love it when people share their opinions! I also love long reviews. I hope the shop stock comes soon! You'll enjoy the last few episodes.
NickeyWhite2:: Thank you very much! ^__^
Cessniper23:: I have continued! Thanx 4 reviewing!
Hikaru:: I agree, poor Hao-sama . I just love him and I'll try to treat him better in this fic. Thanx 4 the review!
ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU to my wonderful reviewers! You're all so nice! I've decided to keep writing and I hope you'll keep reviewing!
P/S::
(1) Ano, what is Yoh's father's name?
Just some random ramblings:::
I saw the anime in original Japanese vocals with English subtitles. So my whole comprehension of SK is based on those subtitles. Unfortunately, I think those 'baka' production people (for the VCD) used at least 3 translators for the whole series. So you can imagine my confusion.
For example:: Over-Soul is sometimes called Super Spirit. Asakura Yoh is sometimes called Macangye (I don't know how the hell they came up with this! Must be a direct Chinese translation..). Tao Ren is sometimes called Dao Lian. And get this, Hao is also sometimes called Yoh. Excuse me while I go kill myself so that I can haunt those production people ^_____^.
Thus, I had to either guess what they are actually saying or listen very carefully to what they say. It's so frustrating! It's also why I don't know the actual names of the minor characters and as I said a limited comprehension of the Over-Soul principle.
Okay enough of my rambling. ^___^
Again, REVIEW REVIEW DESU!!!