"Oh yes you're right!" agreed Yoh.
"One quick lap though? I haven't been ice skating in ages."
"Alright." smiled Yoh swaying with his hands behind his back.
"I like this."
"Me too." laughed Yoh. "Me too..."
Walking back out side was like stepping from a freezer into an oven. Everyone covered their eyes and moaned.
"Ah! My eyes!" yelled Yoh.
"I'm melting!" screamed HoroHoro.
"Good grief! It's boiling!" added Ren.
"Let's get to the bus stop quick. The buses have AC." said Ryu.
"Opacho too hot!" whined Opacho.
"Hmmm. You said you like ice right?" said HoroHoro looking down at her.
"Yes. Opacho said that." she answered looking up at him.
"Hold your hands out." Opacho held her hands in front of her. HoroHoro hovered his hand above hers and a slate of ice appeared on her hands.
"Thank you Horo-kun!"
"Hey can I have one of those?" asked Yoh.
"Sure." said HoroHoro, a slate appearing in Yoh's hands too.
"And may I have one?"
"Sure Anna." said HoroHoro handing one to her.
...
"Anna!" they all yelled.
"How dare you all leave without me!" she shrieked smacking Yoh over the head.
"Ow!" he shouted rubbing his skull.
"S-Sorry Anna! We didn't want you to come." stammered HoroHoro. He suddenly blinked. "Wait! That didn't come out right-" he yelled as he encounter a slap as well.
"We didn't want you to get hurt. That's why we kept it quiet!" said Yoh covering his head with both his arms. Anna lowered her fist and suddenly realized. Why wasn't he acting like he was before? Why is he suddenly afraid again?
"Hey everyone the bus is here." said Ryu pointing the way.
"Hmm...I will not mention this again. As long as you make no attempt to keep me away from this little trip of yours understand Yoh?" she said approaching the edge of the road.
"Yeah, yeah sure." He replied smiling. Yoh suddenly felt really cold. His entire body felt numb and weak. Yoh fell to his knees and coughed a few times.
"Yoh are you okay dude!" gasped HoroHoro.
"Yoh-Sama?" whispered Opacho. Yoh didn't open his eyes he was concentrating so hard on something in his mind. "Yoh-Sama..."
"Yoh-Sama?" her voice rang and echoed his whole head.
"Hao..."
"Yoh?"
"What you are doing is wrong."
"How are you talking to me, you should be gone by now."
"How can I be gone, when I am you."
"No..."
"I am you and you are me. You can not escape that fact...my brother."
"You are gone! I killed you!"
"No you didn't."
"Yes I did!"
"Look at yourself."
"Yoh..."
"I am you and you are me you can not escape that fact...my brother."
"Stop saying that!"
"I am you..."
"Stop!"
"And you are me..."
"Yoh-Sama!"
"Wake up Yoh-Sama! Wake up!" Opacho screamed shaking him.
"Yoh!" yelled Anna.
"Hey is the kid okay?" called the bus driver. Yoh opened his eyes and blinked really hard. He slowly got to his feet. He staggered slightly but Anna grabbed his arm holding him upright.
"Yoh! Get a grip!" she screamed smacking him again. His eyes hardly changing, Yoh looked like he felt no impact what so ever. He boarded the bus and sat down. Opacho sat next to him.
"Yoh-Sama?" she whimpered. "Is Yoh okay?"
"Yoh is okay." he whispered. "But Hao isn't..."
"Yoh-sama, tell Opacho what is wrong! Opacho is worried."
"I … I just spoke to my brother."
"Opacho thought he was gone."
"So did I." Yoh shook his head, trying not to relive the moment he had just experienced.
I am you…"Yoh, you don't look very well at all…" Ren said, passing Yoh a bag of ice. Yoh gladly accepted it and put it on his forehead.
And you are me…"Thanks, Ren. I don't know what came over me…"
"Dude, you sure? Maybe you should rest… we can stop if you want."
"I'm fine… Don't worry!"
"Master Yoh, what was going on in your head? You looked as if you were about to pass out."
You can not escape that fact…"Something I never want to hear again." Yoh finished, closing his eyes. Anna held his hand gently. "Yoh…"
"Ahh…" he strained, shaking his head, thinking that that would make these horrible thoughts leave his mind.
My brother …"I … I thought he was dead…" he whispered. Anna looked at him sadly. "No, Yoh… Hao is alive, remember? You must have been so scared you forgot…"
"Yeah… you're right. Thanks…" he said, though this didn't help in the least. Everyone sat away from Yoh and gave him room to spread out on the seat. He yawned and was soon fell asleep. HoroHoro kept glancing over at Yoh, making sure that he didn't have another panic attack. Opacho was crying quietly and being comforted by Ren. "Opacho… we are all worried. Please don't cry. When he wakes up he'll feel better, just you wait."
"Okay… but Opacho is worried for Yoh-sama."
"Yoh?" called Hao wondering through the middle of nowhere. It was foggy and dark. Hao rubbed his bare arms from the cold. He was back in his original body, but wasn't wearing his cloak. His earrings and hair swayed even though there wasn't any wind. He looked around circling on the spot as he walked. "Yoh?" he called again. As he walked deeper into the darkness, he could see not too far away, a boy sat on the ground cross-legged. Hao sped up and approached his brother. Yoh was holding onto his knees and was swaying backwards and forwards. His eyes were wide and white; his skin was as pale as snow. He didn't look up at his twin. "Yoh..."
"Look...look over there..." whimpered Yoh pointing in front of him. Hao turned around to see a little purple flower in the center of all of the darkness. It was only small, but it was beautiful and it was glowing a bright yellow light. Hao walked up to it and knelt beside it.
"What is this?" he asked.
"That...that...is what you created..." Yoh said quietly. Not moving from his position. "I had a beautiful soul once..."
"But...how can I have made this? It is just a flower."
"Just a flower?" cried Yoh. "You are having an easy life now. I used to have one of those and my soul was covered in the most beautiful flowers and nature there ever was. Just like -Just like -"
"Just like I want the world to be." Hao stood up and walked to his younger brother.
"What you are doing is wrong."
"I know."
"How can I be gone when I am you?"
"Yoh you've said this already."
"I am you and you are me. You can not escape that fact...my brother."
"No! Stop saying that!"
"No you didn't."
"Huh?"
"Look at yourself."
"Yoh! I mean it! Stop putting me through this!"
"I am you and you are me. You can not escape that fact...my brother."
"If you don't stop saying that!"
"I am you..."
"No..."
"And you are me..."
"Stop it!" Hao lifted his hand summoning the hottest flames and wiped Yoh across the face. Yoh fell on his side and just lay there, not moving. Hao was gasping for breath and then he looked at his flamed hand and gasped. The fire disappeared and Hao knelt down beside Yoh. "Get up Yoh." he said touching his face. Yoh had his eyes closed and wasn't breathing. "Get up Yoh!" Hao began to shake his twin violently. "Get up Yoh! Get up! Get up Yoh! Get up Yoh!"
"Get up Yoh! Get up!"
"We're there!"
"Wake up Yoh!" shouted Anna shaking him. Yoh opened his eyes and looked Anna in the face. He blinked a few times and then sat up. "There. Are you awake now?" Yoh rubbed his eyes and the blinked at Anna. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah...yeah I'm fine." said Yoh getting on his feet.
"Dude? Do you feel better now? What happened to you before?" said HoroHoro patting him on the shoulder.
"It...it was probably just the heat. Yeah. That's all." he said yawning and the smiling down at Opacho who had come to see him.
"Yoh-Sama okay?" she asked. Yoh drifted his look to out the front window of the bus, like staring into nothing-ness. Opacho pulled down on Yoh's trouser-leg. "Yoh?" she said again. Yoh didn't reply to her and then slowly walked to the door and onto the path out side. Everyone looked at one another, worried about their friend.
You can not escape that fact...
"Yoh..."
My brother...