It has been a long while since being Hao's twin has been more than just being a nuisance. Yoh had forgotten just how much everyone had made such a big deal out of it. To that end though, they all did have a point. He and Hao were one in the same, weren't they? After all, that was the whole reason why Hao was able to send Yoh into the past—and why he had chosen Yoh in the first place. Of course, personality wise they couldn't be any more different, or at least on the surface. Sometimes, Yoh could feel himself reacting to things in the same way he imagined Hao would; he wondered if Hao had the same problem. That was another thing people tended to forget about them; if Yoh was half of Hao, Hao was half of Yoh, too. They had a way of balancing each other out.

They make it to the God-Level village easily enough. Yoh isn't too concerned by the inhabitants anymore, though his relatively good spirits are not shared by his companions.

When they get to the restaurant, Pino still manages to rile Ren up, no matter how much Yoh attempts to calm him down. Ren is still at a very difficult stage; insecure about himself and his abilities. And insecurity, however unfounded, always leads to recklessness—it comes to Yoh that Ren's recklessness might just lead him to the chance he needed. Ren bolts out the door of the restaurant, and Yoh is the first one to jump to his feet after him.

"You guys stay here," he reassures, seizing his chance. "I'll go after Ren."

Manta looks up, concerned. "But, Yoh-kun—

"It'll be fine!" He says over his shoulder, grinning, hoping events will go as he remembered.

When they exit the restaurant, he turns to Amidamaru. "Hey, Amidamaru," he begins, feeling a little bad for blatantly deceiving his ghost. "I got a bad feeling from that guy in there… would you mind watching over Manta and Anna for me?"

Which is completely and utterly false. The Icemen are practically the nicest team in the Shaman Fight. Well, that and the most prideful, but who's counting that?

The ghost blinks. "Yoh-dono…"

"Don't worry about me!" He waves off his spirit's concerns. "I'll be back in a second." And anyway, nothing on this planet has a chance of defeating him when he still claims ownership over the Spirit of Earth. Well, except perhaps for Hao, but he doubts he'll have to worry about that quite yet.

"If you wish, Yoh-dono." Amidamaru inclines his head, wary, before he drifts back into the restaurant.

He makes good timing catching up with his wayward friend, turning the corner just in time to see Hao standing still below a large, wan moon. He speaks quietly to Ren, but from Ren's expression it doesn't take a genius to know how this particular conversation is going down. Come to think of it, he doesn't remember if Ren ever told him what Hao had to say to him; he could make an accurate conjecture, though. As Hao had once told Yoh himself, once upon a time—there were two kinds of Shamans to him, those that were useful and those that weren't.

He decides to make his presence known before Hao can sense him first.

"Ren," He greets, walking out of the shadows.

Ren looks surprised to see him. Perhaps it really was strange that Yoh had offered to run after him and not his teammates, as had originally happened.

And then, because he's completely unable to pass up the opportunity, he smiles brightly in Hao's direction. "Onii-chan."

If there was any proof Yoh needed that this really was the Hao of the past this was it. Hao the Shaman King would have thrown fireballs at Yoh in irritation over his ongoing impertinence and complete lack of respect for Hao's position as god; the Hao in front of him only blinks, a dangerous smile tilting at his lips.

"Yoh," he looks rather surprised. "Have you come to help your friend?"

Ren grits his teeth, growling low in his throat. Yoh places a cautious hand on his friend's shoulder, stopping him from an attack that they'll all sorely regret.

"No, actually," he says, to the surprise of both of them. "I came for you."

Hao's brow raises. "Oh?" He tilts his head. "Have you finally decided to join me, then?"

And then, to both Hao and Ren's complete and total disbelief, he says: "Yes."

Ren's jaw drops; even Bason makes a shocked gasp. "Yoh…"

Yoh also has the distinct satisfaction of catching his twin by total surprise.

He laughs, then. "At least for the night, anyway. I wanted to talk to you, and I heard Opacho makes the best fish in the whole world."

Hao studies him closely, and Yoh feels his Reishi probe him like a burst of warm air; he hopes furiously that Ohachiyo is actually doing his what he's supposed to, and isn't sleeping on the job like usual. He must, because Hao grows confused, and then pensive.

"Ah, well, how can I deny you such a wondrous opportunity?" He returns, smile giving nothing away.

"Yoh…" Ren starts, low and grave. "You can't possibly be serious…"

"You're worrying too much!" He chuckles. "Don't worry about me, Ren. I'll be fine."

"Yoh, you—

But he waves him off, walking towards his brother. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

He studies his twin as he approaches, but it's impossible to read anything off his face. When he nears, he turns back to Ren, who in contrast is a completely open book, face white and drained of color. He tosses him a vague salute, before he's engulfed in a wall of flames and teleported away.

xx

"Opacho…" He says, with complete adoration, "Your cooking really is the best in the whole world!"

Opacho returns this with just as much enthusiasm. "Thank you, Yoh-sama! Hao-sama's otouto is just as kind as Hao-sama!"

He laughs lightly, genuinely happy to see the little shaman once again. It's impossible not to feel optimistic about the world when in her pure and kind presence. It's almost enough to make him forget about his twin next to him, silent to a point that almost approaches brooding.

"Ah," Yoh agrees, solemn but smiling. "Aniki is very kind, isn't he?" He shoots his brother a smile that Hao does not return.

Sometimes anyway, or when prompted by a solid hit to the head by his mother. There is most definitely kindness in his brother, no matter how vocal Hao is at denying it; otherwise, why would he have allowed humanity to live? He munches thoughtfully on his fish, careful of the bones. Why would he have so many followers who would truly follow him to the end of the Earth? Certainly a bunch of them were a lot of traitorous, power-hungry fools, but Hao had always assumed all his followers to be shallow and useless pawns. That many of them ended up being steadfast companions never ceased to amaze the Shaman King, even though Yoh didn't find it all that surprising. There definitely was something genuine to Hao, if one knew how to look past all the layers of indifference, anger and loneliness.

He's fortunate it's just the three of them at camp tonight; he has no idea where the rest of Hao's followers are and no real intention of ever finding out.

"Yoh,"

The boy looks up at this. Hao is staring down at him, expression indiscernible. "Why are you here?"

"Hmm?" Yoh replies, distracted by a fish bone stuck in his teeth. "What do you mean?"

"You're not here to join me." He states the obvious. "So why come at all?"

"Maybe I just wanted to spend time with you, Onii-chan," he says, not at all untruthful, either. His twin's presence is very reassuring, in contrast to how it should have been in this time. The Yoh of the past would be running for the fucking hills. And he'd have pretty good reason to.

A dark look passes his eyes, and Yoh blinks. "What?" He feigns total ignorance. "You don't like being called that?" Inwardly he wants to cry in happiness. He hopes Matamune and Ohachiyo are deriving just as much enjoyment out of this as he is.

"You're taking this very well," Hao notes, watching him observantly. Also, completely ignoring the question. Typical. Again, Yoh is impressed by his brother's self-restraint. It's probably taking a lot not to outright berate him.

Yoh shrugs, features breaking out into a sunny smile. "Ah, well, I've always wanted a brother!" He says, because Hao is a constant obstinate little fuck, and he finally has the opportunity to get back at him and there's no way he's not passing it up. His brother twitches visibly at the word; it must be some kind of subconscious Pavlovian response forever ingrained into him.

And then, laughing; "It's funny how these things work out, huh?"

Hao narrows his eyes. "You're far too naïve."

"Probably," Yoh agrees easily, turning again to Opacho. "You don't mind if I have seconds, right?"

"Not at all!" She enthuses, hopping to bring him another one from the fire pit. He thanks her profusely before he stuffs half of it into his mouth.

"You left your guardian ghost with your friends," Hao begins, slow. "And followed me to a location that you didn't know—this doesn't concern you at all?"

Yoh chews thoughtfully on his fish. "Should it?" He wonders aloud, curious.

Hao is still watching him with something that might even be considered concern as he dives in for another serving. It's been ages since he's had any of Opacho's cooking.

"You're not afraid?"

"Why would I be afraid?" Yoh counters, smiling as he lowers his food. "You're my onii-chan," he adds, because it's true but also because he finds dark satisfaction in his brother's annoyance.

He narrows his eyes. "You can't possibly be so foolish. Don't misunderstand me, Yoh. That body is mine. Of course I will take assurances to see it unharmed, but it would be remiss of you to assume I care at all about your safety."

He gives Yoh a level look; Yoh does not look away.

"I don't know what you think of my intentions, but don't forget that one day you will return that body to me."

"That may be true," he agrees, after a moment, tossing the remains of dinner into the fire and sprawling himself on the desert floor. "But you still make sure I'm okay; you don't let anyone really hurt me, you're constantly watching over me—you look out for me. Like a big brother, no?"

Hao flushes, before his expression turns absolutely murderous. He opens his mouth, but Yoh interrupts him.

"And I don't misunderstand you," he cuts him off, eyes somber but soft. "we'll always be enemies. I can never agree with you or what you want to do, and if I want to save the human race I'm going to have to defeat you."

He turns to his twin. "That doesn't mean you're not my brother, though."

Hao looks a mixture of stunned and furious. Yoh half expects to have to summon the Spirit of Earth to dodge a ball of fire to the face, but Hao closes his eyes and seems to consciously calm himself down.

"Believe what you want," he says, cold, looking away.

It's funny how quick Hao is to dismiss the best of himself. Even as Shaman King, he refuses to acknowledge any acts of kindness he does; especially when concerning Yoh. If he resurrects Hana, it's because Anna is somehow blackmailing him. If he's sending Matamune to watch over Yoh, it's only because he wants to know if his brother's finally keeled over. Yoh doesn't understand why it's so difficult for him to accept the fact that he cares and he does, indeed, have a heart.

Yoh catches Opacho's eye across the fire, and he grins. The little girl gives him a quick, small smile in return.

xx

"Do you ever think it was fate that you reincarnated into twins?" Yoh asks, into the silence.

Night has long since maundered over the horizon, draping blue tassels over the land. The night is shattered and blue stars shiver in the distance. The fire has burned to embers, and the everlasting quiet of the desert is only broken by Opacho's intermittent, sleepy murmurs.

Yoh, sprawled on the ground, turns slightly to look up at his brother. Hao's features are set with an almost determined impassivity. It breaks with the question, but Yoh can't decipher the look that drifts over his features. It's gone before he can take a closer look.

"I don't believe in fate," Hao says, a benign but indecipherable smile on his lips. "I control my own destiny."

"…But," he continues, not looking at Yoh. "I've always wanted a brother too."

Yoh finds a soft smile drifting over his face, and something warm and effervescent grow in his stomach. "Really?"

He can imagine little Asaha Douji, all alone, wishing for a friend. It's a sorrowful thought that lingers in his head; a little boy who lost both his mother and his only friend, so abruptly and suddenly thrust into the absurdity of the world. He can imagine him wishing for a brother, for anyone, to stop his loneliness.

But no one ever came.

Not until Yoh.

He thinks of the Hao he knows now—the future Hao, the Shaman King, the God of the earth—staring down upon him with an expression full of longing and regret. Of the distance between them that he can no longer close.

xx

"Until next time," Yoh calls in farewell, mimicking the words his brother had said to him before, "Aniki."

Hao's expression doesn't change as he studies his younger brother. The brief, dark look of anger that had crossed his features at night had long since dissipated into an expression of pensive deliberation. Yoh's not entirely sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, but he'll take what he can get.

"Until then," he agrees, softer than before.

"Yoh-kun!" Manta cries, racing towards him, looking haggard and as if he's lost a good chunk of years off his life in worry. "You're okay!"

"Of course I am!" Yoh laughs. "I said I would be, didn't I?"

"But—but!" He sputters. "You—and Hao—

"How was it?" Ren asks, with significantly less vigor but just as much concern.

"Ah, well, I think I annoyed him the whole night, but other than that I thought it went very well!"

His friends all wear identical visages of disbelief. "And… you're not dead?" HoroHoro asks, bewildered.

"Ah? Why would I be dead?" Yoh doesn't know what Hao's reaction would be to his death, but he can't imagine it being approving.

"Because—" HoroHoro sputtered wildly. "You—he, I mean—

"Yoh," Anna mercifully cuts him off, expression severe but also calculating. "You couldn't have left a note or something?"

Amidamaru materializes by her side, tears streaming down his face. "Yoh-dono… how could you leave without me…"

"I'm sorry for making you worry," he rubs the back of his head. "I didn't think it was that big of a deal—

"Big of a—?" HoroHoro cries, as Anna interrupts him by shoving him to the ground.

"Don't do that again." She commands, eyes narrowed.

"Yes, Anna-sama," he intones gravely, bowing low. HoroHoro snickers from the ground: Anna stomps on his hand.

xx

Sometime in the duration of his fight with the Icemen, Yoh decides that he's going to do more than save the Great Spirits.

He's going to save his brother too.

Hao might not like to think that he needs saving, and he is always quick to deny that he's sad or lonely (though all the cats that flock to him prove otherwise) but Yoh is not his other half for no reason; he understands Hao better than anyone else. He wishes he could change the brother he knows now; the solemn king of the world, all alone in his lonesome dynasty, unattainable, elusive and desolate. He knows better than anyone that Hao longs for company, even with Ohachiyo and Matamune once again by his side. Being God has driven him forever out of Yoh's reach, and sometimes he thinks that hurts Hao more than it hurts him. He knows Hao has visited Hana before; can feel his brothers eyes from the stars above, forever watching over him; knows he'd do the same with Anna if she didn't summon Shikigami to chase him (and anyone else he sends) away.

They're his family, after all, more than any other he's ever reincarnated himself into.

It's funny, even now Hao watches over him. He looked like he wanted to kill Yoh for pointing that out, but that only means that Yoh had been right. Hao only ever gets that angry when someone proves him wrong, and Hao is never wrong—except for when it comes to himself. In that, he appears incapable of ever finding the right answer.

I suppose that would be why I'm his other half, Yoh thinks brightly. Because Yoh is always wrong, except for when it comes to matters of the heart.

He shakes his head fondly. It never ceases to amaze him how absolutely polarizing they can be on everything, and yet deep down be so intrinsically similar.

He masters the double medium easily enough, making a conscious effort to keep his furyoku as low as possible for the duration of it. He never realized how weak he was until… well, he wasn't weak anymore. To be fair, he doubts even now he could take Hao on a fight, but he doesn't think there's any other person who could give him trouble.

He looks up after the Icemen have been defeated, directly towards where his brother lounges upon a water tank, observing. He smiles, and Hao disappears.

Probably doesn't want to get caught in the act, Yoh laughs. Too late.

He can hide it all he likes, but Yoh know he cares.

Now if only he could find a way to get the fire shaman to admit it.

xx

Yoh sincerely hopes Hao was lying about the fragility of the space time continuum. Yoh can never tell when his twin is fucking with him or being dead serious. It's unfortunate, really, especially considering the circumstances.

All the same, if Yoh's here to save the Great Spirits and all that jazz, he may as well save Hao, too. In all honesty he's not entirely sure which goal will prove to be more difficult; he knows nothing about what's really wrong with the Great Spirits, but he also doesn't really know how to go about saving Hao from himself, either. He supposes it doesn't really matter which one is more difficult; both of his goals still have more or less the same path to achieving them.

And Yoh decides to go with the path of least resistance.

Really, he's rather happy with his choice.

He can't say the same for anyone else he knows.

"I thought you said you weren't joining him," Anna says, despairingly.

Yoh just smiles at her. "I know it's hard to understand," he replies, placating, "but I really think this is the best choice."

By the window of his room, Anna gives out a long, aggrieved sigh. She's propped by the chair near the open window, staring out into the desert. Yoh turns to her, knowing very well she has some kind of response for him in mind.

"Why do you always think up dumb things and then decide to do them?" Anna asks, and beneath the level, even tone he can sense the boiling rage beneath. Yoh doesn't answer; he assumes it's rhetorical.

"Hehe~" Yoh rubs the back of his head, sheepishly. "It seems silly to drag your feet once you've made up your mind, you know?"

Anna just shakes her head. Her dark eyes are piercing and unwavering as she stares at him. "Do you know what you're doing, Yoh?"

This, Yoh can answer with utmost surety. "I do. I promise."

There must be something in his voice that makes her change her mind. The resolve, maybe, or the surety. Yoh knows perfectly well that the future will turn out okay, even if no one around him does. And he knows, with perfect clarity, that this is the path he must take.

At some point during his night on the desert floor staring at the stars, Yoh had come to a conclusion.

Shaman King Hao had made it out like Yoh couldn't make the tiniest misstep without catastrophically ruining the space time continuum, and yet Yoh was fairly sure he'd made plenty of them and nothing had happened thus far. Either Hao was exaggerating, or he was outright lying to Yoh's face— neither of which are all that surprising. But Hao is hardly deceptive. He's usually bluntly, viscerally honest. The only times he intentionally hides things from Yoh are when he thinks knowing the truth is more trouble than it's worth. In his words, anyway. But Yoh understands what he really means: sometimes, the truth hurts more than the lie.

But if that was the case, why was he lying? What truth was so terrible that he couldn't bring himself to tell Yoh, his other half?

Yoh mulled this question over and over in his head for days after he'd left Hao. He couldn't manage to come up with a good enough answer.

And then, just this morning, it hit him like a bolt of lightning.

"I've always wanted a brother, too."

Maybe Hao wasn't lying to Yoh: maybe he was lying to himself.

Shaman King Hao, Yoh has deduced, wants Yoh to change the future.

XX