Scabs
Disclaimer: Don't own it.
Joh: Wow I'm sleepy.
Jessie: You're always sleepy, sweetie.
Joh: Princess… -snicker-
Warnings: Yaoi, twincest, language
0o0o0o0o0
Yoh felt himself choke as he registered Hao's words.
"T-trade?" he exclaimed, eyes widening as he stared ahead at his friends anxiously. He felt Hao pull him closer so that his head fell limply against his shoulder, his hair falling across his face.
His friend's gaped at the Shaman King for a few minutes before slowly regaining their composure. Ren scowled and folded his arms, tilting his head up as he glared down at Hao. "We're not giving up Akito for you to kill him. And we don't trust you, anyway."
"That's unfortunate." Hao sighed and shook his head as he slowly got to his feet, holding Yoh up with him. "Well, for you mostly. This just means I get to keep Yoh all for myself."
Lyserg curled his hands into fists, taking a step forward. "We won't allow that!" he snarled.
"Oh?" Hao raised his eyebrows, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Are you going to fight me then?" He laughed softly, glancing down at Yoh who was hanging in his arms. "I don't think Yoh would like that very much."
The green-haired shaman glanced at Yoh then back at Hao, grinding his teeth together as he took a step back.
"Well if you're not interested in a trade then I suppose I'll leave."
"Wait!" Ren gripped his weapon tighter. "Why would you offer to trade Yoh for Akito? Why do you want to kill Akito so badly?"
"I have my reasons." Hao answered simply, fixing his dark eyes on Ren. "And don't you want Yoh back, Tao? He's an important friend to you, I know. I believe you even had feelings for him at some point." His lips curled. "Don't you want Yoh back safely? After all, you both must be aware of what torture it is for Yoh to be in my arms again."
Hao laid Yoh down on the ground before taking a few steps closer to Lyserg and Ren. "You have no connection to Akito, he's a stranger to you. Just hand him over and I guarantee I'll return Yoh, no tricks." He smiled, standing only a few feet from the two shamans. He smiled slightly, not at all intimidated by their guardian spirits hovering behind them menacingly.
Lyserg and Ren glanced at each other, clearly torn. "We…" Lyserg began, but Yoh cut him off.
"Stop it, Hao!" he shuddered as he struggled to stand up. His legs quivered as he forced himself to sit up, beads of sweat forming as he fought against the spell Hao had cast. "You w-won't touch Akito! And you won't manipulate…my f-f-friends!" Yoh spat out, breathing heavily as he grasped handfuls of grass to steady himself. His limbs trembled in protest before his body finally gave out and he collapsed back to the ground heavily.
"Yoh…" Lyserg and Ren both started forward as if to help their friend, but were held back when a gust of wind suddenly knocked them down.
Hao's smile never wavered. "Please stay where you are." He addressed them before turning to kneel down next to Yoh. "You shouldn't fight the spell too hard, otouto. It'll wear off by the end of the day so just be patient."
Yoh stared down at the ground, his eyes narrowed to slits as he sucked on his teeth. "I know what you're trying to do."
"Hm?"
"I understand… just leave Akito and my friends alone." Yoh squeezed his eyes shut miserably.
"Don't act like I'm forcing you into anything, because I'm not. I'm giving you a choice, a trade that you can make whenever you want. You or Akito. It's a fair trade in my opinion." Hao shrugged and spared a look over his shoulders at Yoh's two friends. They were struggling against the wind, hair whipping wildly about their faces.
"Enough… just take me back." Yoh said quietly in a defeated tone.
"As you wish." Hao scooped Yoh back into his arms, turning to send the two shamans one last smug smirk before disappearing in a curl of flames.
0o0
"I don't care what you say, we both know you're just forcing me to stay here." Yoh snapped, curling his fingers slowly as the spell began to wear off. "You haven't changed a bit." His angry voice seemed to echo off the walls of Hao's bedroom as he spoke.
The older twin shrugged, settling himself down at the low table where Opacho had set up his tea. "But I am giving you a choice. It's your own decision to stay with me." He carefully poured himself a cup and raised it to his lips.
"You're threatening to kill an innocent child if I don't stay!" Yoh growled, scraping his nails lightly across the surface of the table. "That does not count as giving me a choice."
"I really don't see why you get so worked up over him." Hao sighed, taking a long sip. "You barely know him."
"He's family."
Hao set down his cup and laughed. "So am I."
Yoh carefully lifted his arm, flicking his hand back and forth. "No, you're not. I no longer see you as my brother," he said coldly.
Hao set down the cup, the smile fading quickly. "Is that so?" He asked quietly, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. He was silent for a few moments before he suddenly stood, hair swishing with the movement. "I have matters to attend to. Help yourself to some tea." He gestured towards the teapot before spinning around and slipping out of the room.
0o0
Akito froze, head shooting up as he looked around the kitchen with wide gray eyes.
"What's wrong, kid?" Horo glanced over at him as he shut the fridge a soda clutched in one hand. He made his way over to the small table Akito was seating at and leaned back against it, reaching out to ruffle the child's hair.
The young Asakura looked down into his lap before looking back up at the blue-haired man. "It will be… my fault if Yoh gets hurt…" he trailed off, a small frown appearing.
Horo blinked then shook his head. "Don't say that. If anything happens then it's Hao's fault, not yours."
The young boy fidgeted in his seat, twisting a long lock of hair between his fingers. "Yoh shouldn't have come back to Japan…" he buried his face in his hands suddenly, shaking his head back and forth.
0o0o0o0o0
Joh: Yeah I know it's short but… oh well…
Jessie: Oh you…
Joh: Oh me…