Chapter: 12

Kept Apart

Don't Stop Me

A simple word here, or a simple smile there, and you are driving me crazy. Closer, I want to feel you closer…I want you to come closer so that I can whisper into your ear.

"Remind me again why I am here surrounded by humans," Hao said to his twin as he glared distastefully at all the said humans whom were currently having lunch. Yoh was seated next to him, watching the clouds. He chuckled when Hao hissed and turned to see what had disturbed his twin so much that it would cause him to his. He was a little startled to see Manta walking their way with an odd expression on his face.

"Do you think he remembers?" Yoh quietly asked.

"Don't be so dense Yoh; of course he remembers" Hao answered him, "After all, we messed so much with his mind that it would be impossible to simply erase it." By now Manta was standing before them looking like he wanted to say something but no words would fall from his mouth. Hao huffed in frustration after a minute and turned towards Yoh, "Remind me again why I am here surrounded by incompetent humans," he practically begged his twin this time.

"Cause you asked me if I had any ideas on where to go"

"And you thought a mortal school was the way to go…" Hao looked like he could murder his twin, but Yoh simply smiled at him.

"I thought you might like the experience,"

"What experience" Hao growled, "There's like a over a hundred people here just asking me to take their blood," Hao bared his fangs to his twin as he got close to him. He wondered what it would be like to bite into Yoh's skin, and take his blood. It almost seemed way to interment, and by the sudden blushed on Yoh's cheek, he thought so as well.

"Can't you just not worry about that, and just enjoy this," Yoh gave him his best pleading look.

"Hn" Hao said, and hid his fangs again, moving away from his brother. He turned his attention back to the gapping Manta and narrowed his eyes. "Either say something or scram, you are starting to piss me off."

Manta swallowed hard, "What are you two doing here?"

"What, just because you know what we are we can come to your lame little school, I see how it is," Hao said and brought a fist up to his hand, "I should just mess you up here and now," Before Hao could do anything he froze when he felt Yoh leaning into him. His twin was threading on thin ice as he snuggle into him. "Yoh," he said in a warning tone.

"Yes Hao-nii," Yoh intentionally purred into his ear. Hao growled, and in the blink of an eye had his brother pinned to the soft grass with him on top of him, and with a sharp glare in his eyes. Yoh just ended up laughing, the little shit never took anything seriously. Hao wanted nothing more than to make his twin take this very seriously, and using his thumb and index finger he forced Yoh to tilt his head upwards. He could see that beautiful neck and just picture the way the blood traveled through it-and smirked when he felt Yoh's breath caught. He started to slowly lean closer to him. Manta on the other hand was scared that Hao was going to do something drastic as harm Yoh.

Instead of taking in the whole intimate situation, he jumped and threw his small body at Hao, effectively pushing him away from Yoh's flustered form. Yoh was startled out of his haze when Hao was suddenly thrown off of him and he felt a rising disappointment in his chest. He was sure Hao was going to kiss him and now he was never going to know if he was correct or not. He watched as Hao rubbed his face angrily, he had hit himself hard seeing as he was so caught up in the fact that he was about to kiss Yoh.

"Don't you dare hurt Yoh!" Manta suddenly snapped, and Hao turned to look at him. His gaze was angry for one second, and then an amused look crossed it. The small boy was shaking from head to toe with fear and perhaps anger, but Hao could have rolled his eyes at him coming down to that conclusion. Before Manta had any time to react, Hao's hand had caught his face, and squeezed it brutally.

"Next time you stop me midget, I won't hesitate to kill you," Hao threatened, his eyes flashing, and then he pushed Manta away. Hao stood up.

"Come on Yoh, let's go,"

Yoh turned to Manta and smiled at him, "Don't mind him. I think he just isn't used to be around humans, but why don't we meet up afterschool? Same place I always lived," Yoh said as he stood up and turned to catch up with his brother, "Hao, wait for me damnit," Yoh said as he rushed over to his brother.

"Why should I wait for someone as slow as you?"

Manta stared off after the two twins as Yoh pouted at his brother for being mean to him. It was not what he expected.

Yoh was awestruck.

Before he had lived under a roof with a single bed and nothing else, enter his brother and Opacho, and they turned it homey. There was furniture, kitchen materials, and even a large bed in the only bedroom there. Still, Yoh sat on the coffee table while watching Hao lounge on the sofa. "It's good to be away from those humans," he muttered delightfully.

Yoh smiled, "Manta might come over, a heads up so your good mood doesn't get ruined."

"Hn," Hao turned away from his brother giving him his back, "I'm going to sleep. Don't let the human do anything stupid."

"Hai," Yoh readily agreed with him. When ten minutes of silence passed, he moved forward and peeked over to see if Hao was truly sleeping. His brother had his eyes close, but he wasn't sure if Hao was sleeping. He moved away when he heard a knock at the door and he decided to go answer it. It would seem like he was the only one awake as Opacho was taking a nap after working all day to make their house actually look like a warm home.

Once he opened the door, Manta stood there.

Yoh walked out and closed the door behind himself, "Hey Manta. Let's go out on the veranda. Hao and Opacho are sleeping right now," Manta nodded his head at his friend and the two of them headed on the outer side of the house. They both walked over to the patio and sat next to a tree, leaning their backs into it. There was comfortable silence between them, but it was starting to get to Manta.

"What happened? I don't remember much, other than I thought you and your brother were going to have to fight to the death." Manta quickly said. "But he's here with you instead, and neither of you seem to be killing each other,"

Yoh chuckled, "We came to a conclusion that." Yoh hummed and shrugged, "I was named to be the next heir even though Hao is the older twin and should have easily been given the title of heir. But I guess since we're twins the order we were born in doesn't matter," Yoh sighed, shrugging his shoulders helplessly.

"Guess you still didn't escape the life of being a named king,"

Yoh chuckled again, "No, I didn't. But then again it would make sense why Hao would give me the title instead; Hao doesn't seem to like being told what to do, or where to live." Yoh shrugged again, "Or basically anything that goes against what he wants or believes."

"Almost the complete opposite of you,"

"Eh, probably," Yoh said, "Hao thinks I don't worry enough about what happens around me and tells me that even though I believe things will happen as they happen, he says I have to take control of my own. I'd agree with him, if only he said I could do that and watch the clouds all day and the stars all night,"

Manta shook his head, "Maybe you are a little too lay back." He said, a smile going over his face. "Although no one is like you,"

"Guess no, just like no one is like you," Yoh sighed, "Besides, I kind of have a problem to deal of my own."

"What do you mean?" Manta asked, looking at Yoh with confused eyes.

"I've kind of developed a crush on Hao…at least I think it's a crush," Yoh said very quietly and Manta's eyes widened.

"What?" The short boy screeched, "You…you have a crush on your own brother? Are you listening to yourself? You're both twins!"

Yoh blinked at Manta confused. "I know,"

"Besides being brothers you look alike,"

"Well not really," Yoh disagreed, "Hao looks different to me."

"He does?" Manta looked at him like he didn't believe him.

"Yeah,"

Manta tried to think. Yoh was a vampire, he wasn't human. Maybe this was something normal for him. "Would you liking Hao be accepted by your family?" Manta decided to ask. Yoh looked like he was thinking about it for a minute before shrugging, and crossing his arms over his chest. Manta sighed, apparently Yoh didn't know. "How can you not know?" Manta yelled causing Yoh to jump and place his hands over his sensitive ears.

"You don't have to yell Manta," he said and Manta gave him an apologetic look before glaring again.

"Well?" he said.

Yoh sighed, "I don't know what anyone else would say. No one ever thought Hao would actually be with us, and I was already set up with Anna, There are no doubts that if Hao were to be king he'd be set up with someone as well. I am not even sure if we are allowed to choose the person we want, and all that-I haven't learned all the rules." Yoh lowered his gaze down to the grass under him, "But if I had to, then I would break all the rules just for a chance to be with him. That is why I am back here in Tokyo, a part of me couldn't see Hao leave without me" Yoh curled his fingers over a few blades of grass, "and when he allowed me to come with him, that made me so happy,"

Manta looked at his friend with concern, "I guess I get your feelings towards him…in a way. I wouldn't know why you like him so much in the first place to be beyond brotherly, but what'll happen if you tell him and he rejects you?"

"I wouldn't know how to explain it either," Yoh admitted after a while. "And as for Hao rejecting me, well I never plan to tell him what I feel. It would be hurt to get rejected, and if Hao is happy with his own choice that isn't me, then I'll be happy for him. You can't force things into happening,"

"But doesn't it also hurt to keep your feelings to yourself," Manta asked in a low tone and Yoh looked at him with a small smile.

"Yeah, but sometimes the one you love will never know just how much you love them" Yoh answered him, "After all, the world isn't perfect."

Manta puffed his cheeks out angrily, "And neither is confessing your feelings for your brother!" Manta knew that somehow didn't sound right in his own ears, "But if you love him already shouldn't Hao at least know that you feel something strong for him?"

"It's just easier if he doesn't know, you know, no one gets hurt,"

"No one except you"

"But because of my own choice."

"And if he doesn't reject you, you would always think what if I had just said something, what if I had confessed, what if!" Manta interjected and Yoh looked towards his determined friend. "Do you want to spend eternity in that uncertainty; of what if you had only just said something?" Manta was now on his feet looking like he was preaching something great to Yoh and Yoh was looking at him with a torn expression.

He'd love to tell Hao how he felt.

Although, he never planned to fall for someone-he couldn't fathom why it had to be his twin brother.

But when he was with Hao, he felt so complete.

"What are the chances he even likes me that way at all," Yoh asked.

"You can never know!" Manta preached, "All you have to do is go to him and tell him, and not be scared that it could ruin your relationship as simply being brothers." At that, Yoh's eyes widened in fear.

"I would never jeopardize that!"

"Yoh," Manta looked at him with concern.

"I'm sorry Manta, I can't. I can't lose my brother to something as a crush,"

Hao listened intently as his brother shifted and moved closer to him. He was curious as to what Yoh wanted when there was a knock at the door and his brother went to open it. He heard him telling the small human that they should talk out by the porch and he sat up, narrowing his eyes at the fact that his brother was going to be alone with that human. It shouldn't have bothered him, after all Yoh had been living with humans for a long time, and that kid was his friend.

Hao crossed his arms and decided he could find something to eat while he waited for Yoh to return from his little talk with his friend. No, he did not feel the urge to go and eaves drop on his brother, even if he could do it from where he had once sat! He could even do it from the kitchen; all he had to do was concentrate.

Trying hard to find anything in the kitchen to distract himself, Hao ended up pulling out a few chilled blood bags from the refrigerator. He looked at one bag distastefully, but brought it over to himself and popped his fangs into it, taking in the blood. For a moment, his mind flashed back to the fact that he had once licked blood from Yoh's cheek, and he knew he wouldn't mind placing blood on Yoh's body until it warmed and he could drink it up.

Although when you were out in the world the best you could get was bagged blood, instead of from a human's neck. The taste for some reason was not the same when it came from a bag. Before Hao knew it he found himself closing his eyes and searching for Yoh's voice. He was more than startled when he found it.

"I don't know what anyone else would say. No one ever thought Hao would actually be with us, and I was already set up with Anna, There are no doubts that if Hao were to be king he'd be set up with someone as well. I am not even sure if we are allowed to choose the person we want, and all that-I haven't learned all the rules.But if I had to, then I would break all the rules just for a chance to be with him. That is why I am back here in Tokyo, a part of me couldn't see Hao leave without me, and when he allowed me to come with him, that made me so happy,"

"I guess I get your feelings towards him…in a way. I wouldn't know why you like him so much in the first place to be beyond brotherly, but what'll happen if you tell him and he rejects you?"

Hao ripped the blood bag from his teeth with his jaw line hard. 'I shouldn't be listening in on him and his friend,' he thought. The fact remained though that he had listened in on Yoh now and his curiosity was peaked. Did Yoh like him? Reaching for the other blood bag, Hao tried not to think about it, but his mind kept going back to it and he had to listen in again.

"And as for Hao rejecting me, well I never plan to tell him what I feel. It would be hurt to get rejected, and if Hao is happy with his own choice that isn't me, then I'll be happy for him. You can't force things into happening,"

Hao sighed. 'You truly are way to laid back brother, for you to just let yourself not to feel happiness and just want things to happen.' Hao could have smacked his brother upside the head, but he knew that Yoh was also scared. He too would have to admit that he didn't plan on telling Yoh that he liked him a lot, despite his possessive and jealousy streak-that would have been widely noted by anyone. That feeling, he had never felt it for anyone before. He was already possessive of things that belong to him, but he had never claimed another to belong to him.

He couldn't help but to think that about Yoh.

Well, if Yoh was going to let something as simple as fear actually get in the way then he was going to have to be the one to confess it all. It might as well be his doing as the older twin. He chuckled quietly to himself as he disposed of the bags and headed out of the kitchen and back into the living room. He couldn't wait for Yoh to return.

No one was going to stop him.

"I'll see you tomorrow then Yoh," Manta said as he stood up. It was already dark. Yoh nodded his head.

"Yeah," he agreed. "We can keep talking then,"

"Alright," Manta said, and looked at Yoh directly, "There is just one last thing I want to know,"

"What's that?"

"How come when I woke up, everything was as if it was back to the day we left, as if we never left and time never moved,"

Yoh was not sure what Manta was talking about, but he guessed that was a question better suited to Anna. "I wouldn't know how to answer that actually, but if I had to guess it would be that time moves at a different pace in every other dimension. Either that, like one day here on earth could probably be more than a month in Izumo, you never know." Yoh shrugged, "Or Anna used her magic to do something about the time to return you so your parent's wouldn't worry,"

"That would make sense," Manta muttered and seemed to accept Yoh's explanation. "Well, bye Yoh,"

"By Manta,"

Yoh watched the small boy run and when he was about a block away, he turned towards the house and walked back inside. He was startled though when he entered and in a blink of an eye he found himself pulled into the living room, and onto the couch. All of his sense were then aware that the one pushing him face down on the couch, and the one sitting on him was no one else than his twin brother, "Hao?"

Hao darkly chuckled.

He leaned down to his brother, and Yoh's head moved under his hand and turned to look at him with confused eyes. That just caused him to widely smirk as he looked at the pathetic look his brother wore. "Yoh, you and I need to have a really serious talk" Hao said in a drolly as he leaned in and licked the outer shell of his brother's ear, making Yoh shiver under him. "Why don't we start with this," Hao hotly whispered into Yoh's ear, as he moved his hand on Yoh's back, all the down to the erratic pulse on his neck.

"What-what are you talking about Hao…" Yoh managed and started to squirm under his brother. He stopped though when he felt Hao's teeth run up the side of his throat and he swallowed hard at how sensual that move was. It sent tendrils of pleasure run all through his skin. Hao was pleased when he felt Yoh relax under him.

"This afternoon, while we were at lunch" Hao still had a hard time believing that humans had such timing for lunch, "There was something I wanted to do," He moved off of Yoh, just a little to have him turned around to face him. Yoh blushed at the intense look Hao was giving him, and gasped a little when Hao grasped his chin with his thumb and index finger.

"And, what is that you wanted to do?" he asked, trying to figure his twin out.

Hao leaned closer and Yoh felt his breath hitch, his heart was literally pounding in his ears as Hao's nose touched his and their lips were just about a centimeter from touching. When Hao felt Yoh's hands come up to press against his chest, he tightened his hold on his twin's chin. "Don't stop me," he murmured, his lips lightly brushing Yoh's.

Yoh whimpered.

Hao sealed the deal.

Yes, gasp, i know! Another update. See you guys around.

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