Cold as Fire

Disclaimer: No owns on this one!

Jessie: Shake away!

Joh: Huh? I don't get it!

Jessie: It's a secret!

Joh: oh…tell?

Jessie: Nope!

Joh: Aw!

0o0o0o0

"Safe." I let my smile slide off my face. "You do not trust me?" I watched as Yoh struggled to answer that. Of course he had every right to distrust me, even fear me, but I knew what he was like, he wouldn't want to hurt my feelings by admitting he didn't trust me but then he wouldn't want to lie to me either.

I cocked an eyebrow and waited patiently for his response.

He stared at me then quickly ate the rest of his orange, a diversion to my question. Once he finished he was forced to look back at me. I could tell he was choosing his words carefully. "Should I trust you?"

I reached over the table and ran my fingers through his hair. A pleasant smile graced my lips as I shook my head. "No, you shouldn't."

0o0o0o0

I jerked back and fell flat on my back. I scrambled back upright and watched Hao warily. "What do you mean?"

He blinked. "I meant what I said." He smirked. "You can trust me if you want to, though."

I remained silent, staring at him with wide eyes. "Why…why can't I trust my own brother?"

He didn't answer my question; he just smirked wider at me and stood up. "You'll see." He whispered, striding out of the room.

Yoh sat at the table, staring into the bowl of oranges. What was Hao talking about? He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself, trying to block the cold.

I wonder why it's so cold suddenly. It was fine when Hao was with me…maybe it has something to do with his spirit…

I grinned to myself. That would make sense! A frown replaced my smile soon afterwards. Did this mean that if I wanted to stay warm I'd have to be always near Hao? There's was something about him that told me to stay away, far away.

Maybe it was the dark way he smiled at me, or the glint in his eyes, or maybe it was the way he watched me so intently. I shivered again, but not from the cold this time.

0o0o0o0

"Crap! He really is gone!" Horo yelled staring into Yoh's empty room. There were no sign of a struggle. No sign of anything.

Horo groaned and turned around to come face to face with Anna herself. "What's going on? Where is Yoh?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

"Yoh is gone." Ren answered her, coming up behind her.

"And we don't know where."

0o0o0o0o0

I sighed and watched my breath fog out before me. It was getting that cold. I shivered and stared out the window, trying not to think about how freezing I was.

Sudden warmth swept over me as arms wrapped around my waist and drew me against a warm body. I tensed up a bit, unsure of what to make of my brother's behavior, but I eventually relaxed and slumped against him.

I looked up into his face and fought back a tremble at the smirk on his lips. "When do I get to see your spirit?" I asked hastily.

"Someday." He replied evasively, whispering in my ear.

"Oh." That was all I could manage. He didn't feel like my brother. I wiggled in his hold but he didn't let go. "Hao?"

"Yoh?"

I tried to move away again but he held me against him.

"Let me go." I said that as calmly as I could muster, I knew he could feel me shaking though.

He nuzzled my neck earning a gasp from me. "No." he answered simply.

Maybe if I talked to him… "You're my brother, right?" I felt him murmur a 'yes' against my skin. "But then why did you have to kidnap me?"

He pulled away and let me go. I stepped back, out of arms reach from him. "If you wanted me to meet you then why couldn't you have showed up at home?"

"I wanted some time alone with you." Hao smiled.

I shook my head. "I don't understand." I took another step back; he had that strange look in his eyes again.

Suddenly, he grabbed me and crushed his lips against mine. I froze in shock, not reacting. What…what was happening?

Hao smiled into the kiss at Yoh's confused thoughts. He was too confused to resist.

After a long moment I finally seemed to feel his warm lips and pushed at him. He refused to let me go and I panicked. I began to squirm wildly in his arms and moved my head from his, escaping the kiss.

His eyes narrowed at me and he reached up to grab my chin between his hands and forced me to look at him. I bit my lip and told myself to stop shaking. He leaned forward so that when he spoke his breath blew across my lips.

"Do you understand now?"

I looked down. I couldn't answer. I was still trying to smooth out my thoughts.

"Look at me, otouto." He whispered huskily, his grip on my chin tightened almost painfully.

I winced and brought my eyes back up to look into his. I could see myself reflected in the shadows of his eyes. I looked small and vulnerable. I guess I looked how I felt. Nothing was making sense. He said he was my brother, but then he kissed me? Maybe he was just messing with me, but it didn't seem that way.

"But you're my brother." Was all I could manage to say.

Hao smiled at me then, an amused dark smile filled with promise. Right then I knew what I had to do. I had to get away from him.

"So?" he responded, stroking my cheek with his other hand.

"That's wrong."

"So?" he smirked at me and released my chin. With one last amused glance at me he swept out of the room, leaving a chill behind him.

I watched him leave, wondering if he was always so spontaneous. Probably. Now how would I get out of, wherever I was? Great, I didn't even know where I was. I sighed. Oh well, I'm sure I'll work it out somehow.

I just needed to get away from my brother then I could worry about the details later. I shivered. It really was that cold.

As I crept through the hallway to the room I had woken up in I shivered. Once I was in with the door closed firmly behind me I raced to the wardrobe and flung it open. It was even colder in here, maybe because I was even further away from Hao.

I pulled out a gray poncho, much like the one Hao wore often. I slipped it on but it was made of such a thin fabric that it hardly added any warmth. I walked over to the bed and pushed it forward so that it was placed directly under the window.

I then looked at the door once again just to make sure Hao wasn't there. I guess I would have felt it get warmer if he was close by. So I jumped onto the bed and struggled to reach the window. No use, it was still too high up.

With a sigh I jumped off the bed. Guess I would have to use the door.

Hao had probably locked it, but I could try anyway. You never know, I could be lucky. I smiled to myself and made my way out the door. It was still cold. Hao was nowhere near me then.

Good. I pulled the poncho around me tighter and snuck through the vast halls, searching. On the way through the halls I tried any other windows I could reach, but they were either locked or just high up enough that my fingertips barely brushed the sill.

How large was this place anyway? It seemed to go on and on. It was early afternoon and I still hadn't find the front door, or any door leading outside in fact. With a heavy groan I leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor.

I felt a tingle of warmth race up my spine, but instead of welcoming it I shivered. He was close. I stood up, thinking about how silly it was for me to fear my twin brother. Did I fear him?

I had only just met him so I didn't really know what to expect of him. Maybe I was simply wary of him…nervous. That was it. But I was nervous enough to try and get away from him.

Wasn't that fear, to run away from something?

I shook the thought out of my head and ran down the hall. I didn't stop running until I felt the cold return. A dull sunlight washed over me from the grimy window. I glanced out and realized how high up I still was.

Looking out of it I could see a forest landscape and a gray sky. It looked like I was still at least one story up.

I turned away from the window and continued down the hall. Stairs, where were the stairs? I wandered about aimlessly for hours it seemed, not really paying any attention to the things around me. I didn't even notice the heat embracing me.

"What are you up to, Yoh?"

I stopped walking and stared at the boy in front of me. How did he get there? I was so sure that there had been no one there before.

"Well?"

"I was looking around…" I trailed off with a shrug of my shoulders.

He looked at me with amused eyes. "Were you?"

I nodded slowly, hoping he wouldn't do anything. When he spoke again I was a little more then surprised.

"The way to the stairs is down this hall. Take a left then pass two doors and turn right. If you keep going that way you'll eventually come to the stairs." Hao offered me a closed eyed smile.

"Were you watching me?"

"No, I don't need to always watch you to know what you're thinking." He smirked.

I wasn't sure what he was pulling but I took his word for it and dashed down the hallway like he had instructed. 'Take a left…' I turned left as soon as a corner approached me. 'Pass two doors' I counted the first door as I whizzed by it. The second one. 'Now turn right.'

There was a junction that led off down two different halls. I took the right one and raced down them. I ran down this hall. It was dark seeing as how there were no windows but my eyes adjusted and it seemed that there was no furniture that would have tripped me anyway.

Near the end of the hall there was black spiral staircase descending down some ways. Relieved that Hao had been telling the truth I raced down them, sometimes skipping a step.

When I reached the bottom I glanced around. The first floor was a lot less complicated then the first. I was in a large room with a fireplace set in the middle and a few red and black couches placed here and there.

I walked slowly now, looking this way and that. I reached the doorway and peered into the next room, relieved that it wasn't a hallway. A kitchen. But didn't he have one upstairs? Two kitchens? Oh well…maybe it was because he didn't want to have to be bothered with coming all the way downstairs to eat in the mornings.

I walked through the kitchen and into another room. This room was empty. Nothing. The floorboards were dusty and the walls blank and dull white. But I didn't care. The door was here. I ran to the door and pulled at the handle. It slid open easily under my touch.

I was so surprised I stood there in the doorway for a long moment. Hao had told me how to get here and even left the door unlocked. Maybe he wasn't that bad…oh well. Anna and everyone are probably worried sick, in Anna's case angry.

I took a step outside. Then another. Soon I was walking, my feet crunching against the dead leaves. It was so cold! I wrapped my arms around myself from under the poncho and continued walking.

What would I tell them when I finally get back? They'll certainly want to know where 'd been. Could I tell them that I had a twin I had never known about and he had just kind of taken me away during the night? They wouldn't believe that. And Anna might slap me for making up 'lies'.

Ah…I'll see what I'll do when I get there. I smiled to myself and breathed in deeply. Maybe I could visit Hao, as long as he doesn't try anything like he did before. We could be brothers, I'm sure of it.

He was probably just trying to annoy me when he kissed me anyway, I heard people say siblings tease each other all the time.

I stopped walking. My wrists were tingling, a crawling sensation itching up my arms. I rubbed them unconsciously and kept moving, trying my best to ignore the feeling. It grew stronger, until suddenly I felt myself being pulled back by my wrists.

I was being dragged backwards at such strength that I fell to the ground, flat on my back.

With a groan I dug my heels into the soft Earth as my arms were yanked above my head by an invisible force. My arms cried out in protest as I struggled against whatever was dragging me back.

But it was nearly impossible to move when I was lying down and incapable of using my arms. With a sigh I relaxed my muscles once I realized that my struggle was no use and allowed myself to be thrown back several feet.

A groan escaped my lips as I sat up, wincing and wiping the dirt off my face. I rubbed my back, although I couldn't see it I knew that there was a bruise forming already. "What happened?" I muttered aloud.

Hao chuckled to himself from inside the house. He could hear Yoh's shock in his mind now. He smirked lazily when he heard Yoh consider trying again. He was so stupid. Another chuckle escaped the boy's lips. So stupid.

I was thrown back a second time. What was going on? I got up again and wondered if I should try and move around whatever was blocking the way. I walked to my left some ways before daring to try and move forward.

Again, I felt the strange feeling creeping through my arms, sending me sprawling. After a long minute I relented and made my way back to Hao. As I walked back I wondered if he knew that was going to happen.

0o0o0

"Yoh, you're back?"

I blinked. I had walked into the large room with the couches and fireplace. A gentle fire was lit up sending waves of light across the room. Hao was curled up on one of the couches, staring into the flames.

I slid down next to him. "Something strange happened."

He cocked an eyebrow at me. "Hm."

"It was like there was a barrier…maybe it was a barrier, but then other things could get past it. Just not me."

"How…strange." Hao smiled slightly.

I stared at him, understanding flooding through me. "You set that up, didn't you?"

Hao's smile widened.

"You…you did something to me expecting that I would try and leave?" I continued, eyes widening.

He waved a hand and the fire roared higher. "I always prepare." He drawled, eyeing me thoughtfully.

I stared at him blankly. "Why would you…?" I trailed off uncertainly. Everything about Hao confused me.

In a flash he was on me, pushing me down so that I was lying down. I fought to get back up but he had a firm hand pressed against my chest holding me down. I looked up at him with frightened eyes.

"Oh, are you scared otouto?" he teased, crawling on top of me.

"No." I answered, pushing at him.

Hao simply pinned my arms to my sides and leaned down over me to whisper in my ear.

"Because you're mine."

0o0o0o0

Joh: Oh I just had to end it there; do you not see the suspense?

Ti: You sadistic little girl!

Joh: You're more a sadist then I am!

Ti: You're point?

Joh: Ugh leave me alone...

Ti: -Snickers evilly- Never!

Joh: -Hides in closet-

Jessie: I know what to do! -Gets orange juice- Here Joh, good Joh!

Joh: -Peeks head out and grabs orange juice- mine!

Answers to my Reviews!

rachael

Of course I'll continue! Don't worry!

Did I update soon enough for you? I hope so!

Kairi922
I love making Hao a little psychotic…it's fun. And you're right, not that many stories portray him like that.

.Slithy
Yay! I did it! I updated! -Victory dance-

Deshi-sama
Oh no! No worries, you didn't rush me. I just like to update this one!

Alicia's Power
Sorry, it is a HaoxYoh…I guess it was hard to tell until I wrote in Hao's pov. Haha!

.xXxchiixXx
Aw thanks! I just got mad skills! Haha! Kidding, I'm not that self centered.

thoughtless dreamer
Aw my twin, I'm glad you liked it! I love you!

Kuroi Kitty
Of course! Hope you like it.

I do so love reviews!