Thanks for the reviews as always. Hope you enjoy. Laters.
Yoh and Hao were both quiet throughout the evening meal, much to the confusion of everyone else. Kanna bluntly asked what had happened but Hao had brushed the mattered aside while Yoh had lowered his face to hide the blush that returned. They needed to talk about it; they both knew that, it was just trying to find the words.
Generally Ren and the girls had chosen to ignore the apparent awkwardness and chatted amongst themselves, presumably as they had been doing since they had split up earlier that afternoon. Yoh was glad for that much at least, he wasn't sure if they would all get along given the history, but everyone seemed to be intent on letting the past go and starting anew.
I don't know what to do, it won't be much longer until the door opens and we can go there but things are so uncomfortable between us right now it'll ruin it completely. How do we get over what happened though? If Hao is so bothered by this as well, does that mean he felt the same as I did, or is it that he felt my feelings because of the reishi and doesn't know to interact with me now?
This is the problem with empathy, you can never be sure of what they know or not and whether their reactions are because of their own thoughts and feelings or yours. Still, I can't leave things as they are, maybe I'll just have to be outright about the whole thing. It's not as if I've ever thought about anything like that, it was just a reaction because of the position, it doesn't necessarily mean anything.
I'm just not sure, I mean, I couldn't possibly want something like that from him, right? But those feelings…could it really be a misunderstanding when it was so strong? I just don't know, but I do know that I want us to get along and not spoil everything we've worked for so far. No matter what, things need to be okay between us before we go there.
Well, the meal is over and we've been left alone again. I'm not really sure that Hao wants me back in his room again but it can't be helped I don't suppose. I can't believe I was such a klutz in the first place, if I hadn't done something so stupid we wouldn't be in this mess. I don't want us to fall out…
Yoh sighed softly as he closed the door behind him; he still wasn't really sure what he could say. He turned to face Hao only to find himself pushed back against the door, lips on his own. Shock stopped him for a minute before he hungrily returned the kiss. Thought went out the window in favour of desire, though Hao eventually pulled back before it went too far.
Gently Hao took Yoh's hand and led him to sit on the bed, much as they had been earlier. "Well that answers that…"
"Mm. Are we okay now? I don't want us to fall out." Yoh asked, concern lacing his tone.
"I know you don't; if nothing else I could feel that clearly. We're interacting again, so I'm sure we'll be fine. It's strange to want something like that so suddenly, maybe it's nothing, but as long as we both feel the same way, there's nothing wrong."
"I don't think most people would agree with you on that, there's plenty wrong with making out with a close family member. Though I suppose society's laws aren't really going to mean a whole lot to us soon, right? We'll be making our own rules."
Hao grinned. "You certainly have changed Yoh, though not as much as they all think. Yes, we can walk our own path without fools bearing down on us. I can't comment on your friends, but I know the girls won't think anything of this."
"Hanagumi accept anything you do, I don't know about Ren and Jun, things have changed with them as well, they seem to be a lot more accepting of things now. We'll have to wait and see what happens I guess."
"It won't be much longer now until the gateway opens. Are you ready to go to your creation?"
Yoh smiled softly. "After all that hard work, of course I am."
Lips met lips again, though much gentler than the last time. This time it was more inquisitive, while being comforting and reassuring. Yoh thought maybe that should seem odd, but he had been physically close to Hao since to two of them had met up again. It was okay to be close, to find comfort in a physical connection. Of course that had just been leaning on him, not anything as deviant as this, it still felt the same as that though.
The boys pulled back slightly, Hao running a hand down the side of Yoh's face. It wasn't necessarily that type of love, he didn't know for sure, but it was a strong bond that bound them together. They were different from everyone else; there were too many complexities to be able to define their connection. It would be hard to understand or accept but it was what it was.
He didn't know if there was any lust or sexual impulses involved, he supposed it was too soon to understand this sudden and unusual need. All he knew for certain was that he wanted to be close to Hao, as he had done for a long time. Whether it had moved on to love and sexual interest, time would tell, but for now it didn't matter, as long as they were together, everything was fine.
Yoh smiled softly, laying down and bring Hao with him so he could cuddle into him. That was all either of them had ever really wanted, not to be alone, to have someone close by that they could always count on for love and support. No matter if this new interaction was real or a mistake, they had what their hearts had always desired.
"Maybe we should talk to the others? They're probably worried, given the way we were both acting." Yoh queried, voice muffled against Hao's chest.
"We'll talk to them later, once we get back. As long as they see that everything is fine between us, it should suffice." Hao replied, running his hand through Yoh's hair.
"Yeah, guess it's a little difficult to explain the situation when we're still unsure ourselves. Daijobu datte, nantoka naru."
Hao smiled at the response. "Some things never change then. It should all work out now though, regardless. Even if they do try to take action, in theory you should be able to close the link-way."
"Hopefully it will be that simple, I don't want to fight anymore."
"We can make it that simple; we've both achieved some amazing things, so finding some peace for ourselves shouldn't be that hard."
"Yeah, we can do that, after everything that's happened, it's about time something changed. There are enough people in the world who want change, who want to let go of their binds, just like us."
Yoh felt Hao smile and tighten his arms around him, one person was happy with him at least. He wasn't really sure what would happen from here on out, not that he was sure it really mattered. It wouldn't be as interesting or as much fun without other people around, but if it ended up being just Hao and him alone in that place it would be okay. As long as they were safe and the cycle ended, nothing else mattered.
The girls and the Tao siblings are here, they all want this too, so does Jian, so there will be a few of us living there, it's just whether anyone else joins us. It's hard to know how to go about it, whether to just let it spread through word-of-mouth or whether to invite people. I don't want people there who are going to ruin it but at the same time I don't want to deny people either.
I guess that's just another thing to add to the growing list of things to decide once the situation occurs. Nearly everything seems to be that way recently, well I suppose it's a bit too long a period to call recently but I know what I mean. Anyway, I'll deal with whatever as and when I need to, I'm not going to waste time worrying about any of it.
I can't decide between being overly excited and completely relaxed, how that works I don't know, but apparently it is possible. It's so close now, for us to be able to go there for real, not just in dreams, but it's so comfortable and secure being held by him. I'm thoroughly confused but I don't think it's in a bad way and there's not really a lot I can do about it anyway.
"Yoh, time to wake up." Hao stated gently.
"Wake up? I fell asleep?" Yoh asked, not aware he'd been asleep.
"Yes, you did. It's time now, whenever you're ready."
Yoh sat up and looked at the time and sure enough it was later than what he thought it should have been. He couldn't complain really, it meant that he didn't have to sit around waiting for the time to pass. Hao was clearly amused by his reaction but Yoh didn't mind that either, he much preferred the lighter, happier side of his brother.
Standing up, Yoh offered his hand to Hao, it was time to find a suitable place to open the gateway, though he expected Hao already had somewhere in mind. Hao nodded and accepted Yoh's offered appendage, taking the lead. Soon enough Yoh found himself outside by a small pool with a waterfall feeding it. The location was beautiful and definitely suitable. Yoh smiled and moved towards the water, ready to open the path to their new lives.
The gateway opened up behind the waterfall as Yoh had intended. He hoped that it wouldn't be so obvious to anyone passing by, not that he thought it was the kind of place people walked past regularly. Looking back at Hao, Yoh motioned for him to join him before stepping into the water and swimming towards the small rocky ledge behind the waterfall.
He wasn't really sure that Hao would be particularly thrilled by the prospect of getting wet, but he didn't mind swimming in a beautiful pool, fully clothed or not. Of course, it was quite feasible that Hao would just use his shaman abilities and not get wet at all. It wouldn't really surprise him if Hao did that but he rather hoped his brother would forgo pride and just do something more fun.
Yes he could ignore nature and the inconveniences she could cause but where was the fun in that? It was better to go along with nature and enjoy the gifts that it had to offer. Hao had lost the concept of fun a long time past, everything was about achieving his goals and any inconvenience was removed without consideration or hesitation.
Things were different now though; Hao had found himself again and had showed a happier and more playful side to himself. He was trying to really live, or so it seemed to Yoh, so hopefully he would consider things in a different light now. Really it was up to Hao and it didn't matter either way, Yoh just wanted to see Hao let go and enjoy himself.
Yoh jumped when he felt a pair of arms slide around his waist and turned to see Hao treading water behind him. Yoh smiled softly, while Hao had put his hair up out of the way beforehand, he had come into the pool willingly. Lips met again briefly and Yoh pouted when Hao pulled back so quickly, Hao simply smiled at the gesture and kissed his forehead instead.
Not being able to decide between smiling and continuing to pout, Yoh turned around and pulled himself up onto the ledge, moving aside to allow Hao to get out of the water as well. Hao took Yoh's hand as they stood in front of the portal. Both boys smiled and nodded before stepping through it.
Finally, I've got where I've wanted to be for so long and Hao is with me too. I never realised that things could feel so absolutely perfect but that's exactly how it is. I may have to give up a lot and as I'm responsible for this place things may get difficult but I'm not alone, any burdens I have to face will be shared, just as I'll help with any they have, everything is finally falling into place. Right now, I don't think I could be any happier.