Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Episode Ten

“The Great Onmyoji: Asakura Hao”

(1)

Something was happening.

Something had changed.

Hao looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings. That strange yet comfortable feeling remained, one that he was finding somewhat addictive - but the darkness was somehow brighter, closer… all consuming.

Hao tightly closed his eyes and shook his head slightly as he tried to understand what was going on. When he opened them again he was stunned to find himself standing in an infinite cosmos of his own reflection branching out infinitely from him in all directions - like a crazy hall of mirrors.

He slowly turned around to observe his multiple reflections and appearance - his many, many copies of him mirrored his every subtle movement. He recognised his black and yellow tracksuit closest to him which seem to make up most of the mirrored pictures of himself - but some of the images he saw in the distance he began to notice seemed off. He caught the red matching tracksuit in the corner of his eye, as well as his “teenage dirt bag” outfit as his twin had affectionately dubbed it; the infamous orange floral shirt was somewhere out there (he could see it a mile away) even the troublesome school uniform was in the mix.

But that’s when a glint of something red caught his eye in the distance. He tried to focus on it, to move around to see if his mirrored movements would make it easier to see, but the more he moved, the harder it was to bring it into focus.

“You’re back again.” came the familiar friendly voice.

“Yes.” said Hao, sighing pleasantly when he realised he could speak more easily and lucidly. He noticed how his multiple reflections mirrored him perfectly and moved along to his mouth movements too - which for some reason he could not explain, made him feel more at ease.

“I see you are feeling more at home here?”

“It would seem that way.” replied Hao.

“That’s good. It’s so quiet here when you leave me.”

Hao felt a lump appear in his throat as he heard the genuine sadness tinged in the voice he was becoming more and more accustomed to.

“I’m sorry. I like being here with you but, I have to go home eventually.”

“I know.”

Hao lifted his hand and pressed it against the mirrored pane directly in front of him - the hand on the other side touched to his and fit perfectly. As he gazed deeply into the eyes of his own reflection, he could not shake the feeling like he had somehow been in this place before. The brown dark eyes looking back at him felt so familiar. Perhaps this was where he was born? Maybe that’s why he felt so at home.

At that moment, he experienced the overwhelming urge to run to Yoh and tell him all about this strange place. Maybe it was the key to understanding the strange circumstances that were happening to them in the outside world. Or maybe it was a gut feeling instead - his acutely sensitive instincts trying to warn him, trying to tell him get out and run.

“You want to leave again.”

“I have to. I need to get back to my brother and my friends.” gently replied Hao.

There was a pause as Hao waited for the voice to respond.

“Stay.” came the desperate response. “Just for a little longer. It’s been so long since I had a friend to talk to.”

Hao sighed deeply, allowing his arm to drop to his side.

“Alright.” sadly replied Hao, defeated. “I know all too well how heartbreaking crippling loneliness can be…”

(2)
Hao looked intensely at the blank screen of the bright yellow oracle pager in his hand. He could see his own eyes reflecting back at him in the darkened glass of the broken device. He noticed how he was midway through buckling the straps to his forearm, and for a moment - he froze.

“What?”

He lifted his head from the screen and observed the furnishings in the guest bedroom around him. He turned around to view his bed and immediately noticed the crumpled sheets. He took a step towards the bedside and began to straighten them before he looked down at himself - surprised to see he was fully dressed in his tracksuit, shoes and all.

Why could he not remember waking up that morning?

Hao slowly turned around to observe himself in the large mirror on the wall.

“Anything to declare?”

Hao’s eyes drifted from his own image on the grey pixelated security monitor and met the friendly face of the smartly dressed lady looking directly at him waiting for a response.

“Pardon?” muttered Hao, blinking back at the woman.

“In your party’s luggage, sir. Anything to declare?” repeated the Beijing airport check-in desk staff member.

“Actually yeah.” came the friendly voice of his twin. Yoh suddenly appeared by his side. “I’m transporting two antique collectible relics, one is a katana blade. They are properly packaged, Ma’am.”

The twins watched as the check-in lady began typing the information into her computer and then she printed out a label and attached it to the bags on the conveyor belt. She then handed two Japanese passports and two boarding passes to Yoh.

“All done. Have a great flight. Next please!”

Yoh nodded his head at the staff member and then put his arm around Hao’s waist. He began to push Hao along with him and out of the way of the other travellers in the busy Chinese airport check-in lobby.

“Nii-chan, are you okay? You seem a bit… not yourself today.” worriedly asked Yoh.

“Uh…” mumbled Hao. Before he could formulate an answer, Hao saw the faces of the others come into view. His eyes immediately locked onto Ren and Jeanne, who both looked back at the twins as they waited patiently for them to finish their check-in.

“Oh so, you both decided to… come along after all?” quietly muttered Hao, keeping his gaze firmly on the couple when he and Yoh reached their side.

Ren raised an eyebrow at the fire shaman’s question.

“I did not exactly get a say in the matter. You’re welcome, by the way.” scoffed Ren, crossing his arms and looking away from Hao’s blank expression.

“Excuse me?” muttered Hao.

“For the First Class upgrade - you ungrateful piece of sh -”

“- should we get moving through security so we have time to browse the duty-free stores?” interrupted Jeanne - shoving Ren along and away from the twins and towards the large moving escalator stair case in front of them. Manta and HoroHoro shared a nervous look with one another before they both looked at Hao’s perplexed expression.

Hao found himself intensely examining the faces of his two friends for any signs of something being off with them. His mind fell back on the revelations about his past from the previous night - and for some reason he was finding it difficult to shake the worrying feeling that perhaps they may be afraid of him now. Was that what he could see in their eyes? Fear?

“Are you okay dude? You seem off today.” asked HoroHoro, worriedly.

“Yeah.” agreed Manta.

“That’s what I said.” added Yoh, he raised his arm from Hao’s waist and began to reassuringly rub his brother’s shoulders. “Don’t let Ren get to you, Nii-chan. He’ll come around, you’ll see.”

“I’m fine.” firmly replied Hao. His eyes drifted towards the direction the other two from their party had gone - and without saying another word to the others - he began to follow in the same direction as well.

Yoh, Manta and HoroHoro all exchanged the same concerned look with one another before hurriedly following after him.

Stepping off the escalator, Hao began to notice how the bustling noise of the airport crowd began to sound like a badly tuned static radio. The noise momentarily affected his ability to concentrate - and he began to forget where he was and what he was doing. His eyes drifted towards the airport walls as he searched for a sign to tell him which way to go - then, feeling somewhat helpless, he cemented himself to the spot and froze.

As he laid eyes on his twin at the top of the moving staircase, Yoh noticed how his big brother seemed a bit lost. He calmly approached him and reached for his hand, gripping Hao’s fingers tightly in his.

“Come on. Let’s stick together. We’ll find our way.” softly said Yoh, tugging his twin by the arm and in the direction of airport security.

Hao’s eyes drifted to their interlocked hands and he briefly observed Yoh’s oracle pager. Then suddenly - something occurred to him. He lifted his own left arm and immediately realised that his pager was gone.

“Yoh, I - I’ve lost my pager!”

Yoh turned his head and looked at Hao’s bare forearm and then met his big brother’s alarmed eyes.

“I know, you left it back at Ren’s by mistake. Remember?” sighed Yoh with a slight pained smile.

“What? No - I - I distinctly remember putting it on!” argued Hao.

“Don’t worry. If we make it to the Village, then, I’m sure the Patch can get you a new one. It’s not like we needed it, or anything.” went on Yoh as he began to snake them both through the airport barricades to join the long security line.

“I know but… it was mine.” sadly whispered Hao.

Hao remained silent as he stuck close to his twin’s side in the busy crowd of travellers. He could not understand why he was feeling so anxious. He was certain he had his pager. Why would he leave it behind? Why could he not remember travelling to Beijing? Had he been feeling so spaced out that he dissociated completely from their reality for a while?

Before Hao could find the words to voice his concerns, he found himself moving effortlessly through the security checkpoint and emerging in the busy shopping district on the other side. He caught a glimpse of a short boy with a distinct pointy hairstyle walking along behind a delighted young woman as they entered an accessories store. Without giving his younger brother a second thought, he began to immediately make his way towards them.

Unfortunately, Yoh had forgotten to remove his headphones before he stepped through the metal detector and was finding himself getting the full security treatment from the guards. He watched on helplessly as his twin once again disappeared into the crowd.

Hao found himself wandering into the store and he hastily looked around for the warrior shaman. Then, something caught his eye. He lifted his hand towards an earring display and carefully caressed a large silver pair of star shaped earrings. As he admired them in his hand, they began to reflect the light into his eyes.

Hao’s hearing was suddenly overwhelmed by the recognisable white noise of a moving airplane. He blinked at his own reflection in the bathroom cubicle and froze. The mirrors. His reflection! That was the cause of this strange phenomenon! He quickly lowered his gaze and stared at the floor, moving slowly backwards and out of the cubicle, closing the door quickly as he did so. His mind became frantic as he began to consider the odd question - how many reflective surfaces could there be on an airplane??

“God dammit! Shit!”

Realising he had no idea where his seat was - Hao hesitantly began to make his way towards the front of the plane. As he shuffled down the cramped aisle with his head lowered, he examined each of his fellow traveller’s footwear as he did so. He considered summoning his Spirit Ally to act as a guide but reconsidered that option immediately. He had no idea why this strange experience was happening to him and he did not want to bring any unwanted attention to himself from any other potential shaman traveller.

Hao finally recognised a pair of large black ski boot sneakers and lifted his head.

“HoroHoro I - !” loudly began Hao, but cut off his words when he saw how HoroHoro was snoring quietly with his mouth gaped wide open. That was when he noticed the darkened night sky through the porthole window. How long had they been flying?

Confused and alarmed, the fire shaman noticed out of the corner of his eye a glint of something orange peeking over the seat infront of the ice shaman. Hao lowered his head once more and shuffled to the next aisle, relieved to see his little brother curled up in his large comfortable First Class beige-leather plane seat, sleeping safe and sound. Hao considered waking him, but instead, his instincts kicked in and he reached for the blanket that had fallen to the floor and wrapped it around his twin. He then carefully shuffled his way to the empty window seat beside him, relieved to see the porthole window was already closed and the small television screen on the back of the passenger seat in front of him had already been covered.

He decided to tell Yoh everything in the morning. As long as he didn’t look in any more mirrors, everything will be okay.

That’s what Hao told himself as he closed his eyes and drifted back into a deep, blissful, comfortable sleep.

(3)
Hao quickly opened his eyes, relieved to find himself back in the safety of his own personal bubble away from the terrifying reality on the outside world.

Had something happened to the fabric of the illusionary world? Was something going on in the real world that was causing this to happen?

His mind fell back on his most important and happiest memory of being back in his Yoh’s arms the day he was saved from the horrors of a true living nightmare. He wished something would come and save them both from this new nightmare they were living in now.

The guilt began to eat him up inside - he had brought this on Yoh. On them both. He was just an illusion, never meant to exist - this world was never meant to exist. Perhaps the warrior shaman was right. It was selfish, foolish - to believe he could be anything else but a monster. Only a monster would bring his innocent little brother into a world like this.

Hao put his face into his hands and he took a deep breath in. No. As soon as he woke up from his dream - he was going to tell Yoh everything. About this dream world. About the voice in his head. About his worrying negative thoughts. About the strange “gaps” in his memory. And they’d go to the Gods for help. That was their plan all along. To find the Village and seek answers from the King. Only now Hao was more desperate than ever to know: why did it feel like his whole world was falling apart?

As Hao slowly allowed his hands to fall to his sides, he opened his eyes and naturally looked down at his feet. He was stunned to see he was standing on a bright blue reflected crystal-like floor. The reflection he was seeing resembled the sky and created the illusion of him being upside down. On closer inspection, he saw a face reflecting back at him with long dark brown hair. Only, he noticed where his bare feet met his mirrored image, his reflection wore bright red block-like shoes instead.

Hao got down on one knee and placed one hand to the crystal floor. He began to recognise the attire of his reflection more and more. The hand that met his was gloved, and although Hao was fully dressed in his black and yellow battle clothes, his reflection was shirtless.

Leaning closer to his reflection’s face, allowing his long hair to droop across the shiny ground - his eyes were drawn to the large red and black circular earrings dangling from his mirrored image’s ears. Then - he finally locked eyes with his reflection. A pair of all black irises looked back at him - and a charming and delighted smile spread across the reflection’s face.

“I suppose that’s why we feel the same.” chuckled the familiar friendly voice of his reflection.

Hao let out a soft gentle laugh in response.

“”You’re me.””

(4)
“Are you still pining after him? Again?”

“Aw. Our little Tamao has a cute little crush.”

“How many days have they been gone now? Three? Four?”

“Six. And shut up! I’m trying to concentrate!” angrily snapped Tamao, her voice was raspy and cracked a little as she tried to reach a serious octave unsuccessfully.

“Oooh. Touchy.” teased the tanuki spirit.

“Getting a little “fired” up, are we?” chuckled the kitsune ghost.

“Must be serious!” laughed Ponchi, kicking his legs in front of him excitedly.

“Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up!” angrily yelled Tamao - shooting a cold glare at the two childish spirits. Ponchi and Conchi blinked, surprised to see such a serious look on their shaman’s delicate face.

Tamao puffed out her cheeks in frustration before she quickly looked back down at her Kokkuri board on the floor infront of her.

“If you must know,” she sighed with a hint of agitation, “Opacho is upset. She can feel something’s wrong. I’m doing this for her. And you’re not helping! So be quiet!”

The two Seirei Class spirits exchanged the same puzzled look with one another before they clumsily bounded behind Tamao in the air to try and get a look at her board too. Tamao closed her eyes and she took in a long deep breath.

A silence grew in the brightly lit room. However, elsewhere in the Onsen, the sound of a little girl quietly sobbing could be heard - followed by the pleasant sound of a young woman’s voice singing softly to try and soothe the child’s cries.

Tamao sighed, defeated. She slumped herself back onto the floor from her kneeling position.

“It’s no use. I can’t look that far.” she sighed, sadly. “They’re too far away for me to see…”

Tamao’s usually outlandish pair of Spirit Ally’s exchanged another concerned look with one another before they both looked back at the pink haired shaman’s face. They watched helplessly as Tamao’s eyes began to well up with tears.

There was an uncomfortable pause. Until, out of the corner of Tamao’s eye, she could have sworn she saw the coin she was using for her divination move on its own. She wiped her face with the back of her arm before blinking at the board once again. She stared intensely at the coin, examining its edges for movement. Then after a moment, it seemed to twitch again. Even the animal spirits took notice.

“Are you doing that?” asked Ponchi, alarmed.

“N-no.” softly replied Tamao.

The coin began to glide itself across the board and it began to spell out an incantation. Tamao desperately reached for her note book to try and note down the words, but she was not quick enough. The coin raced across the board, zig zagging back and forth like lightning. Tamao was stunned. She leapt to her feet - and just as she was about to call Anna’s name to come and see - a fracture in the air itself appeared above her board right before her eyes. She watched in amazement as radiant pink and violet light began to spill out it and swell all around the room.

Tamao gazed into the portal that had just opened in the middle of her own bedroom and froze. She saw the face of someone she vaguely recognised on the other side. A pair of glistening magenta eyes and a radiant warm smile looked back at her - which for some reason she could not explain - made her overwhelming fear and anxiety wash away.

Without saying a word, the strangely familiar woman reached her hand through the portal and Tamao noticed immediately how she was presenting her with something. Tamao recognised the black sheathed relic and red handle immediately. It was Yoh’s sword!

“What…?” breathed Tamao, unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

“Take it.” softly said the pink haired woman with a kind smile.

As Tamao hesitantly reached for Harasume, her two loyal spirits behind her looked almost fit to burst as they watched on in a stunned silence at the exciting but alarming scene. They were certain what they were witnessing was the most important moment of Tamao’s life.

Tamao firmly accepted the sword. As she did, she inhaled sharply as her mind became overwhelmed by a mass avalanche of memories and knowledge - and immense furyoku began to pulsate around her tiny skinny body.

Gasping for breath, Tamao momentarily felt her legs weaken from the intense rush of energy, though she managed to hold herself steady on her feet. After a moment or so, she lifted her head and looked back at the face of the one who had gifted her the sword and smiled.

“Thank you.” she sighed, nodding her head in gratitude.

“You know what to do.” replied the kind adult voice of Tamao’s true self, before the portal quickly vanished into thin air.

Downstairs, Anna had sensed something was happening - but had the spiritual intellect to not interfere. She had her hands full anyway, literally, with a very over tired Opacho - who had finally fallen asleep in her arms thanks to Anna’s hidden secret ability to sing like an angel.

Anna looked up and locked eyes with Tamao as she appeared in the room. The skilled Itako noticed immediately that something had dramatically changed in Tamao’s eyes the moment she saw her. Then she noticed the very recognisable item she was holding in her hand.

“I need to speak with Master Yohken. Now.” firmly said Tamao with a determined smile.

(5)

He had been born again before.

But this?

This was new.

The sunlight penetrating his eyelids was the first thing he saw. Red. Blood red.

His consciousness and wakefulness began to build. His mind returning. His life returning. Breath returning to his lungs.

The darkness had finally fallen away.

He slowly opened his eyes…

…and smiled.

He’d done it.

It had actually worked.

He sat up slowly from the mattress. He lifted both his hands to observe them in front of his eyes. An adolescent body. One that felt like his. He inhaled deeply and began to search his shamanic senses. Even his power felt the same. Immense bottomless power. Though there was something new there. Familiar but… different. He silently summoned it.

And there it was.

And it was all his.

The glowing little golden orb danced around his fingers, then it suddenly grew larger into the dazzling yellow sprite. Its red crystal-like eyes gazed curiously back at him. He smiled at his new spirit like he was greeting a very good friend.

“Hello.” he said, laughing a bit in his throat.

The little sprite swirled all around him like it was welcoming him into the world. He lifted his head and watched it play for a moment, smiling happily at its delightful fluid movements.

Then, something else caught his eye.

The shirtless long-haired shaman pulled back the covers and softly placed his bare feet to the floor. Standing up felt strange. Gravity felt strange. It was going to take a while to get used to this feeling again.

The feeling of being alive.

He took a brave stride towards the mahogany dresser and picked up the black neatly folded material. As he unravelled it, he let out an irritated sigh.

Yellow.

And why did it have to look exactly like his?

He begrudgingly dressed himself in the garish garment and slipped on the black sandals tucked away at the foot of the bed. He may not look like himself now, but that was fine. He’d only have to put up with these ridiculous fashion choices for a little while. He curiously picked up the useless bright yellow pager and began to buckle it to himself. Yet another glaring reminder of the fake imposter. Was it really broken? That mindless gullible idiot probably hadn’t even thought to try switching it on.  

Hao looked intensely at the blank screen of the bright yellow oracle pager in his hand. He could see his own eyes reflecting back at him in the darkened glass of the broken device. He noticed how he was midway through buckling the straps to his forearm, and for a moment - he froze.

“What?”

(6)
He lifted his head from the screen and observed the furnishings in the guest bedroom around him. He turned around to view his bed and immediately noticed the crumpled sheets. He took a step towards the bedside and began to straighten them before he looked down at himself - surprised to see he was fully dressed in his tracksuit, shoes and all.

Why could he not remember waking up that morning?

Hao slowly turned around to observe himself in the large mirror on the wall.

Blinking at his reflection, the sudden skip in his mind felt like a punch to the gut.

He swiftly turned his back to the mirror.

“God dammit. That little persistent bastard is still here!”

He cursed himself for being so careless. That thing might be a fake, but he was a clone of himself after all. Of course it wasn’t going to be that simple.

Mirrors. Reflections.

Shit, shit, shit.

There’s bound to be hundreds of them between China and the western desert.

Between keeping that thing under his control - avoiding seeing his own reflection during a cross-continent journey and convincing the clueless illusionary copy of his twin that he was his doting and fiercely protective big brother –

How hard could that possibly be?

“Nii-chan?”

The fire shaman turned to his elegant bedroom door. He quickly dismissed the glowing orb from view. The familiar concerned voice of his younger brother lingered in the air and in his mind.

“Even if you defeat me today, others will rise to fight you. You’re wrong Zeke! You’re the one who’s finished!”

“Hao? Are you okay?” came the concerned voice once again.

There was a short pause as he considered his options.

“I’ll meet you outside.” he replied, eventually.

He kept his gaze on the closed door. He knew the one who was standing on the other side of it was not his brother. But he was going to be an obstacle and a hindrance for him all the same. And he needed more time to prepare for that particular first encounter.

There was another short pause.

“Oh – okay. Sure.”

Maybe it was cowardice. Or maybe he wasn’t sure if he could supress the urge to just kill Yoh on sight. But that strange flip he felt in his stomach when he heard that voice confirmed something. Being in this particular body was going to have its advantages, but it was also going to have its draw backs.

He was going to have to hold that bastard back even when he was in control.

He just had to wait a little longer. Work a little harder to break down those walls. All that love he had. All his little friends. It was all built on lies. All he had to do was bide his time. And soon enough they’d all see the truth. All he had to do was play along.

Maybe it might actually be a little fun.

(7)
Making his way down the Tao’s grand staircase, his eyes were drawn to the open front door to the Castle. The vast outside world beyond those doors began to call to him. Beckoning him to step outside.

He knew this world was fake. But there was something really exciting about how convincingly real it was.

It was proof of The Shaman King’s incredible unlimited power.

He paused for a moment on the steps as he began to play out the next encounter in his mind.

A repulsed grimace flickered across his face.  

It would be extremely useful to be able to hear Yoh’s thoughts. He was going to have to tread very carefully. This Yoh had spent an imaginary lifetime with his fake twin brother. He even knew a real variant of him a little too well.

Though, admittedly – the silence was rather pleasant. It allowed him to think more clearly.

His power was simply dormant. He could feel it was still there, lingering in the background. Suppressed. Under used.

Just give it time.

He hesitantly stepped outside. The bright sunlight beating down on the rocky mountainous landscape momentarily blinded him. He lifted one hand towards the sky to block out the rays.

“Hao?”

Bringing himself into the present moment, Asakura Zeke smiled warmly at his little brother.

“Yoh.” he replied, taking a step towards him. He looked around at the empty barren outdoor space surrounding them. “Where are the others?”

“They’re having breakfast together.” softly replied Yoh with a notable hint of sadness. The long-haired twin raised an eyebrow.

“Are you not hungry?” he asked, curiously.

Yoh shook his head.

“No, not really.” sighed Yoh.

The fire shaman could see there was something bothering the illusion standing before him. He searched his dual mind for the right words to respond.

“Is there something on your mind?” he asked as gently as he could manage. A question he was not used to asking and truly meaning it.

Yoh shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

“It’s just…” began Yoh, hesitantly. “It’s all this… lying.”

The elder Asakura brother blinked at the word. Yoh sighed sadly and looked towards the ground briefly.

“I mean…” went on Yoh, “I know we haven’t exactly lied but… it just feels… wrong.”

A silence grew between them as Zeke watched the very familiar face before him crumple slightly.

“I know.” he replied.

Yoh lifted his gaze and locked eyes with his twin. It was at that moment Asakura Zeke noticed the golden and brown flecks in Yoh’s eyes. They were deeper, brighter… friendlier than he remembered.

Those were certainly not his brother’s eyes.

“It’s been hard for me too.” he lied. “I can see it’s taking its toll on you, as well.”

“Yeah.” agreed Yoh. “Last night was rough.”

The memories of the last 24 hours flashed before Zeke’s eyes. When he envisioned the enraged look on the warrior shaman’s face, he had to concentrate on holding back the corners of his lips from curving upwards.

“He just doesn’t understand.” sighed Zeke, forcing another reassuring smile. “If we make it to the Village, then… I am sure it will all work out.”

A kind smile appeared on Yoh’s face in response to his big brother’s reassuring words.

“Heh.” breathed Yoh, letting out a deep exhale as his shoulders relaxed. “You always know exactly what to say.”

(8)
It was that easy?

Just those five little words and all was well with the world again?

This mindless copy of his twin was just as much of a gullible amateur as the one in his head.

“Oh. You’re still here. And for a moment I was hoping it had all been a ridiculous dream.” came the sarcastic remark of the Chinese shaman.

“Darling, remember what we talked about. Positive energies.” sighed the voice of the Iron Maiden Jeanne.

Zeke watched as his pretend little brother beamed a welcoming smile over his shoulder at the two standing directly behind him.

“Good morning.” happily greeted Yoh.

“Not even going to grace me with a smart come back, your highness?” tauntingly scoffed Ren, he kept his glare firmly on the back of the long-haired shaman’s head. Jeanne rolled her eyes.

“Why do I even bother?” she huffed, shaking her head disapprovingly.

Yoh laughed awkwardly as he looked back at Hao, but gulped nervously when he saw an unfamiliar menacing smile on his twin’s face. He decided not to turn around to face the warrior shaman behind him.

“Be careful Tao Ren. I may actually grow to enjoy being addressed in that way.” replied Zeke, his tone somewhat hollow - though there was an inflection of amusement in his voice, too.

Ren sighed angrily.

“See what I mean?” he spat, looking intensely at the short haired maiden stood by his side as he gestured his hand towards the King’s identical counterpart.

“You asked for that, quite literally.” retorted Jeanne, taking several steps away from her hard-faced partner and towards the twins.

“Whose side are you on?!” angrily snapped Ren as he watched on in disbelief as Jeanne walked away from him.

Yoh chuckled slightly as Jeanne came near. She smiled warmly at the identical pair.

“We will be accompanying you on your quest. As long as you don’t mind, of course.” she declared with a sweet smile.

“Perfect.” nodded Zeke. He managed to hold back the sarcasm.

“That’s great!” cheerfully added Yoh. “And maybe we’ll get lucky - and bump into some of the other guys along the way!”

“I’m counting on it.” chuckled Zeke, earning him a happy smile from his fake twin in response.

“Are we gonna walk all that way - again?” came the whiny voice of the ice shaman as he stepped outside the join the others, followed immediately by the anxious-looking short human.

“We can go by horseback, it shortens the journey back to mainland by two days.” replied Ren.

“No need.” pleasantly sighed the fire wielding shaman as he immediately summoned the Spirit of Fire’s Ultimate Form right before their very eyes.

The group all transfixed their sights on the huge fire demon’s incredible glowing red frame towering above them.

“You have the Spirit of Fire?” spat Ren, coldly.

“It’s actually a really cool nature spirit.” awkwardly explained Yoh. “It just looks like the Spirit of Fire because it changes its form to adopt Nii-chan’s memories. He doesn’t actually use this form very much.”

“Yeah I’ll say!” laughed HoroHoro. “I didn’t even know it could grow that big!”

“It’s a little scary when it looks like that.” shakily added Manta.

“I can make it yellow if that helps.” chuckled Zeke, waving his hand. The Spirit of Onmyōdō’s giant body instantly became a radiant glowing yellow colour and its eyes dazzled like giant rubies in the sunlight. “There. Is that any less “scary” - Manta?”

“Actually yeah!” chuckled Manta.

“Wait are you saying we could have just flown here on that thing?” yelled HoroHoro.

The twins let out a mirrored laugh in response.

“Hao always says that long distance flying is unsafe.” chuckled Yoh, “But I must admit… flying back to Beijing sounds like a pretty good idea to me. I guess we are in a little bit of a hurry, too.”

Yoh beamed a smile at his big brother. Zeke smiled awkwardly back at him. Yoh’s grotesquely sweet confidence in his decision making did not go unnoticed by him.

“Hm.” mumbled Ren, crossing his arms and looking away from the rest of the group. “Well, some of us actually do have a High Demon Kami Class Spirit on their side.” he muttered under his breath.

“Is that so?” replied Zeke, now finally turning towards the disgruntled Chinese shaman. “Tell me, which one do you have?”

A smirk appeared on Ren‘s face.

“The Spirit of Thunder, if you must know.” confidently replied Ren.

Jeanne rolled her eyes once again as she observed Ren’s overly boastful attitude.

“Interesting.” quietly replied the fire shaman. “I’d love to see it.”

Tao Ren could not hide the delighted glint in his eye at the invitation to show off. He closed his eyes and calmly raised his hand above his head.

All began to look up and all around as they anticipated the giant demon’s sudden appearance.

When nothing happened, Ren opened his eyes.

“Ren?” muttered Jeanne, confused.

Yoh and Zeke exchanged an awkward glance with one another. HoroHoro let out a nervous laugh.

“Is it shy or something?” chuckled HoroHoro.

“Jeanne. It’s not here.” angrily muttered Ren.

Jeanne looked on in disbelief at Ren’s words. Without hesitation, the Iron Maiden Jeanne mentally summoned her own Kami Class spirit - which appeared immediately before them. When Jeanne laid eyes on Shamash - she let out a relieved sigh.

“Looks like the Spirit of Thunder did not come with you into this world.” explained Zeke, feigning a concerned expression and forcing a sorrowful tone.

But internally he was delightfully screaming.

“The same thing happened to Yoh too!” helpfully added HoroHoro. “He had to go find Amidamaru in our world all over again!”

HoroHoro’s words came down on Ren like a mighty invisible force and all the colour drained from his face.

Yoh looked on sadly at his inter-dimensional friend’s ghoulish expression,

“Oh Ren…” he sighed.

Not really paying attention to the others, Asakura Zeke took a moment to look back admiringly at his own giant spirit and he let out a soft sigh. Watching him closely with suspicious eyes, Ren could have sworn he saw a brief delighted and satisfied expression flicker across the fire shaman’s face.

“I knew this was going to be fun.”

(9)
Being in the air again was the most alive he had felt in a very, very long time.

He perched himself happily on the shoulder plate of his new Spirit Ally, watching the illusionary and yet breath-taking landscape of the earth pass by below. Closing his eyes, he embraced the pleasurable sensation of the air flowing over every inch of him. His hair danced all around him, gently caressing his face.

Notably, his mind was calmer. Clearer. Grounding him in the moment.

It was a welcome change from his never-ending crippling non-existence.

Though he was surrounded by faces, he would annoyingly have to talk to them to hear what was on their mind.

The familiar circumstances naturally made him think of the faces of the ones not in his travelling party. Most notably Opacho. Though he was reassured to know there was a safe and well version of her in this world, too.

It was also nice to know at least one of his royal godly variants had ensured she had remained unaltered. He smiled softly as he envisioned the moment he would see her again as him.

Suddenly, he was snapped awake from his daydream by the annoyed heightened pitch of the one who was going to be the most difficult to convince he was not to be feared.

Because the truth was quite of the contrary.

“What was all that you were blabbering on about yesterday, Yoh?”

“Mm?” mumbled Yoh, turning towards the one who had asked him a question.

“You said your “would-not-harm-a-fly” big brother over there… killed you?” pressed Ren, raising an eye brow.

Not turning around from his forward-facing position, Zeke also tuned himself in to hear what the illusion sitting behind him had to say in response to that question.

“Oh, um,” awkwardly began Yoh. “Hao sent me to hell to train with my ancestor, Yohken.” he answered, truthfully.

Interesting.

He had wondered what methods his esteemed other-worldly counterpart had used to see that Yoh achieved his potential.

And this Yoh most certainly had exceeded his.

“I see.” mumbled Ren. “A fun pass time for you, Hao? Committing murder in the pursuit of more power?”

“Ren! That’s enough.” hissed Jeanne.

Before Zeke could think of a cunning remark to respond, his little brother spoke up in his defence.

“Actually, training in hell is something I did lots of times growing up.” candidly went on Yoh, shrugging his shoulders.

There we go.

He wondered when the fabricated web of lies etched onto the inside of his illusionary twin’s skull would kick in.

“You are definitely not the Yoh that I know.” bitterly scoffed Ren, crossing his arms and looking away from the samurai shaman sitting opposite him.

When Zeke sensed the muted disappointment in the air emanating from the one sitting back-to-back with him, he felt that unusual flip in his stomach return.

“And you’re not the same Ren we know. Though you remain just as much of an asshole across realities, it seems.” coldly replied Asakura Zeke.

HoroHoro erupted into hysteria at his friend’s words as Ren’s face began to change a distinct shade of purple from holding his tongue. The more patient one sitting beside him whose patience was becoming a little thinner by the minute did her best to talk Ren through one of her mindfulness breathing exercises to calm him down.

Yoh did his best to wipe the amused smile off his face. He leaned back to try and catch a glimpse of his twin’s face behind him.

“Thanks Nii-chan…” whispered Yoh with a soft sigh.

Zeke turned his head and met those golden glistening irises of his little brother once more.

“Don’t mention it.” he muttered with an amused grin.

Yoh smiled warmly at his big brother in response, before his eyes drifted down to Zeke’s naked forearm.

“Hao. Your pager.” gasped Yoh, blinking.

Zeke lifted his left arm and feigned a surprised look.

“Oh! I must have left it back in my room. We should turn around - ”

“It’s okay. If there’s really a Village out there, I’m sure we can get you a new one.” sighed Yoh, reassuringly.

Yoh lifted his hand and placed it on his big brother’s shoulder and smiled his signature toothy grin at him. When Zeke saw that closed eyed smile, he saw his own brother’s face in the illusion’s expression for the very first time.

And when he felt that flip in his stomach return, Asakura Zeke felt something else for the very first time, too.

A strange tug in his heart.

(10)
For a brief moment, Yoh noticed the subtle change in his big brother’s eyes - but before he could ask him what was wrong, his twin forcefully shrugged his shoulder - causing Yoh to instantly respond by removing his hand. Zeke immediately looked away from the illusion’s gentle expression to hide the repulsion now on his face.

“God dammit.”

Yoh hesitated. But then he remembered where they were and who was listening. He decided to wait until he got a chance to speak to Hao alone to find out what was bothering him. Yoh turned himself back around, and to send his twin a silent message that he wasn’t going anywhere, he shuffled backwards slightly and gently leaned back against him.

For God’s sake.

This version of his twin was even more sickeningly sweet than the one he remembered.

Had the King put something in Yoh’s code to make him physically drawn to him at every possible opportunity? Sounds just like the sort of sick joke he would come up with.

These physical symptoms he was feeling was proof the consumption was still on-going. That thing was still near the surface, pining for his fake baby brother. That imposter may be completely mindless and clueless for now, but if anyone was going to figure out what was going on - it was going to be the one who knew that thing the best in the whole world.

To keep both of these mindless ghosts oblivious to his presence, he was going to have to work a little harder to act the part.

Zeke relaxed his shoulders and leaned back against Yoh. Unseen to the elder twin, a reassured smile appeared on the younger twin’s face.

“Idiot.”

****

Humans.

Lots of them.

And a busy, crowded, bustling indoor public space - with unlimited possible shiny surfaces.

Allowing his hair to fall in front of his eyes, he attempted to create as much of a blind spot in his peripheral vision as possible without appearing too much like a suspicious individual in an airport.

With a bit of persuasion from the ex-X-Law, the Chinese shaman had begrudgingly offered to foot the travelling bill. The Ainu shaman was delighted, which had earned the short pointy one some bonus points in his regard. He didn’t have to worry too much about the blue haired imbecile, he was more empty headed and gullible than the rest of them.

The familiar pretty face of the notorious Elite faction group was an interesting addition to their party, however.

Perhaps the effects of the spell went further than he imagined, removing her attuned instincts from her fabricated make-up. She seemed far too preoccupied with her other-worldly romantic pursuits to have even took a moment to consider what greater power was at play. Her curiosity only extended as far as seeking answers from the Patch. It had not even occurred to her that there was one standing in the room.

Lastly, there was the shortest one of them all. Perhaps the most delightful thing about Oyamada was his conviction he had two identical best friends.

It was, admittedly, a little adorable.

And made him just an accessory to the scenario. A perfect role for him.

With his twin glued to his side, there was one other thing he had to consider.

That thing was going to feel more at ease the closer it was to his other half. Making this uncomfortable unbearable process take even longer.

Without drawing too much attention to his increasing presence, if it manages to get back in the driving seat, he knew what he had to do:

He had to get that bastard away from Yoh.

Shuffling forward in the line as the happy couple finally finished their check in, Asakura Zeke turned on the charm for the human smiling in his direction.

“Good morning, sir. Passports please.” she began holding out her manicured hand to him.

Zeke gracefully handed over the documents whilst Yoh loaded their bags onto the scales.

“The gentleman in your travelling party has already completed your booking, two Air Dragon First Class seats to United States Denver International Airport, Colorado.”

“First Class?!” delightfully shrieked Yoh, looking over his shoulder and beaming a smile at Ren and the others.

“That is correct.” replied Zeke with an amused chuckle.

“If you wouldn’t mind just looking into the camera lens for me whilst I check your passports please.” instructed the Beijing airport check-in lady as she began to examine the twin’s travel documents.

Yoh happily followed the woman’s instructions before moving out of the way to allow his twin to have a turn.

Cameras? Monitors?

Does that count as a reflection?

“Anything to declare?”

Hao’s eyes drifted from his own image on the grey pixelated security monitor and met the friendly face of the smartly dressed lady looking directly at him waiting for a response.

“Pardon?” muttered Hao, blinking back at the woman.

“In your party’s luggage, sir. Anything to declare?” repeated the Beijing airport check-in desk staff member.

“Actually yeah.” came the friendly voice of his twin. Yoh suddenly appeared by his side. “I’m transporting two antique collectible relics, one is a katana blade. They are properly packaged, Ma’am.”

The twins watched as the check-in lady began typing the information into her computer and then she printed out a label and attached it to the bags on the conveyor belt. She then handed two Japanese passports and two boarding passes to Yoh.

“All done. Have a great flight. Next please!”

“God dammit. Shit!”

(11)
Yoh nodded his head at the staff member and then put his arm around Hao’s waist. He began to push Hao along with him and out of the way of the other travellers in the busy Chinese airport check-in lobby.

“Nii-chan, are you okay? You seem a bit… not yourself today.” worriedly asked Yoh.

“Uh…” mumbled Hao. Before he could formulate an answer, Hao saw the faces of the others come into view.

His eyes immediately locked onto Ren and Jeanne, who both looked back at the twins as they waited patiently for them to finish their check-in.

“Tao Ren. Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot. He is Yoh’s ally for a reason, after all. Maybe we could start over?”

“But then again, why would he want to be friends with someone like me?”

“Oh so, you both decided to… come along after all?” quietly muttered Hao, keeping his gaze firmly on the couple when he and Yoh reached their side.

Ren raised an eyebrow at the fire shaman’s question.

“I did not exactly get a say in the matter. You’re welcome, by the way.” scoffed Ren, crossing his arms and looking away from Hao’s blank expression.

“What? Did I miss something?”

“Probably.”

“Excuse me?” muttered Hao.

“For the First Class upgrade - you ungrateful piece of sh -”

“- should we get moving through security so we have time to browse the duty-free stores?” interrupted Jeanne - shoving Ren along and away from the twins and towards the large moving escalator stair case in front of them.

“First Class? He paid for my ticket? That was kind of him.”

“I thought he hated me.”

Manta and HoroHoro shared a nervous look with one another before they both looked at Hao’s perplexed expression.

Hao found himself intensely examining the faces of his two friends for any signs of something being off with them. His mind fell back on the revelations about his past from the previous night - and for some reason he was finding it difficult to shake the worrying feeling that perhaps they may be afraid of him now. Was that what he could see in their eyes? Fear?

“Shit – what do I say? Last night was so awkward. Do they think I’m dangerous too? Wait – were we even in Guizhou last night? How the hell did we get here? Just look at them – they can tell something’s wrong. Dammit. We should have just told them the truth from the start. Now look at the mess we’re in.”

“And it’s all my fault.”

“Are you okay dude? You seem off today.” asked HoroHoro, worriedly.

“Yeah.” agreed Manta.

“That’s what I said.” added Yoh, he raised his arm from Hao’s waist and began to reassuringly rub his brother’s shoulders. “Don’t let Ren get to you, Nii-chan. He’ll come around, you’ll see.”

“I’m fine.” firmly replied Hao.

“Where did Ren and Jeanne go? Don’t they know they shouldn’t just walk off like that? Who knows what could happen. We have no idea what unknown dangers exist in this world...”

“…like me.”

His eyes drifted towards the direction the other two from their party had gone - and without saying another word to the others - he began to follow in the same direction as well.

Yoh, Manta and HoroHoro all exchanged the same concerned look with one another before hurriedly following after him.

Stepping off the escalator, Hao began to notice how the bustling noise of the airport crowd began to sound like a badly tuned static radio.

“I hate flying.”
“My flight was cancelled – again?”
“I can’t wait for this vacation. I need a break.”
“I’m going to miss my flight!”
“I hope I make it to the connecting airport on time.”
“I shouldn’t have watched that movie about that plane crash last night.”

“Wait – which way is the security gate? I had better look for a sign…”

“…or a mirror.”

The noise momentarily affected his ability to concentrate - and he began to forget where he was and what he was doing. His eyes drifted towards the airport walls as he searched for a sign to tell him which way to go - then, feeling somewhat helpless, he cemented himself to the spot and froze.

As he laid eyes on his twin at the top of the moving staircase, Yoh noticed how his big brother seemed a bit lost. He calmly approached him and reached for his hand, gripping Hao’s fingers tightly in his.

“Come on. Let’s stick together. We’ll find our way.” softly said Yoh, tugging his twin by the arm and in the direction of airport security.

“I shouldn’t have left Yoh behind – what was I thinking?! He always knows what to do.”

“It’s such a shame that he has to put up with a brother like me.”

Hao’s eyes drifted to their interlocked hands and he briefly observed Yoh’s oracle pager. Then suddenly - something occurred to him. He lifted his own left arm and immediately realised that his pager was gone.

“Yoh, I - I’ve lost my pager!”

Yoh turned his head and looked at Hao’s bare forearm and then met his big brother’s alarmed eyes.

“I know, you left it back at Ren’s by mistake. Remember?” sighed Yoh with a slight pained smile.

“What? No - I - I distinctly remember putting it on!” argued Hao.

“Don’t worry. If we make it to the Village, then, I’m sure the Patch can get you a new one. It’s not like we needed it, or anything.” went on Yoh as he began to snake them both through the airport barricades to join the long security line.

“I know but… it was mine.” sadly whispered Hao.

Hao remained silent as he stuck close to his twin’s side in the busy crowd of travellers. He could not understand why he was feeling so anxious. He was certain he had his pager. Why would he leave it behind?

“How could I be so careless? That pager was mine. It meant a lot to me. Yoh and I worked hard to earn our pagers together. It’s like Yoh always says… we did it together. It might have been broken, but… I loved my pager.”

“Although, yellow was a ridiculous colour choice.”

Why could he not remember travelling to Beijing? Had he been feeling so spaced out that he dissociated completely from their reality for a while?

“What the hell is going on? I should tell Yoh.”

Before Hao could find the words to voice his concerns, he found himself moving effortlessly through the security checkpoint and emerging in the busy shopping district on the other side. He caught a glimpse of a short boy with a distinct pointy hairstyle walking along behind a delighted young woman as they entered an accessories store.

“There they are!”

“Better follow them before we lose them again. Quickly!”

Without giving his younger brother a second thought, he began to immediately make his way towards them.

Unfortunately, Yoh had forgotten to remove his headphones before he stepped through the metal detector and was finding himself getting the full security treatment from the guards. He watched on helplessly as his twin once again disappeared into the crowd.

Hao found himself wandering into the store and he hastily looked around for the warrior shaman.

“Where did they go?”

“Hey – what’s that?”

Then, something caught his eye. He lifted his hand towards an earring display and carefully caressed a large silver pair of star shaped earrings. As he admired them in his hand, they began to reflect the light into his eyes.

Blinking at the sparkly costume jewellery in his hand, Zeke snatched them from the display and shoved them into his tracksuit pocket. He hastily made his way out of the store and began to search the faces of the airport crowd.

From across the bustling airport shopping mall  – the Asakura twins finally found each other once again.

“Hao…” breathed Yoh with a relieved sigh.

(12)
That was close.

Any more mishaps like that, the imposter is bound to figure out what’s happening – and then he’s going to tell the others. And if that happens…

…it’s going to make the rest of this process a whole lot more complicated.

There’s nothing they can do to undo the spell now. What’s done is done.

But it would appear this illusionary thing is going to be a lot harder to control than first thought.

Perhaps switching tactics is wise. Get to know some more details from Yoh about what makes his fake twin tick. It’s bound to come in useful later on.

Maybe it might even let him in willingly, if he tried hard enough.

It was just a copy of himself, after all.

That strategy would also have the added benefit of throwing Yoh off the scent.

Fortunately, getting his chatty little brother to talk to him was extremely easy. It was just a matter of finding the right moment.

First Class lounge passengers were first to board the cross-continent flight. And before long, the painful awkward silences were over - and Zeke shared in Yoh’s satisfaction and relief when they reached their luxurious spacious seats for the next 15 hours.

And Asakura Zeke did not need to wait for very long before Yoh jumped at the chance to talk.

“It was so nice of Ren to upgrade everyone.” happily said Yoh as he flopped down into his seat and began playing with the multiple seat adjustment settings.

“Yeah. I half expected him to put me in the luggage compartment.” laughed Zeke as he fastened his seat belt, earning him a playful laugh from his twin.

“I would have joined you. It’s probably warmer down there compared to his frosty reception towards us.” giggled Yoh.

“He didn’t have to be such an asshole towards you. You are his friend.”

“He’s your friend too. He just doesn’t know it yet.” said Yoh with a reassuring smile.

“Oh? And what makes you say that?” curiously asked the elder twin, raising an eyebrow. Yoh sighed deeply.

“I mean, after everything we’ve all been through together… sure yeah, his experience with you was a lot different but – you are still the same person it’s just – things worked out differently for you in our world.”

Once again, Zeke searched his dual mind for the answers before he had to ask the question. But annoyingly, the gaps in that thing’s memory were like huge bottomless trenches – a reminder that the body he was adopting was a fake.

“Tell me again – about what happened in the final?” asked Zeke, as innocently as he could manage.

“Again?” laughed Yoh. “How many times are you going to make me tell you that story?”

Zeke forced an amused chuckle at Yoh’s words.

“It’s one of my favourite stories.” he quipped with a slight grin.

“Yeah.” sighed Yoh, beaming a happy smile at his twin once more. “It’s one of mine, too.”

Zeke blinked, unable to hide his astonishment.

“It is?”

“Of course. It’s one of the proudest moments of my life. And, I love that I can tell it to you now, and – you’re right here, by my side.”

The twins waited for the air hostesses to complete their in-flight safety demonstration and they were all finally in the air before settling in for the epic retelling of Yoh’s fateful final encounter with The Great Onmyoji: Asakura Hao.

Zeke realised fairly quickly he had made a mistake to sit himself on the left side window seat, between the window pane and the miniature monitor in front of him, Yoh’s incessant habit of waving his hands in front of him when he spoke meant he was basically waving a portal right in front of Zeke’s eyes for his big brother to come charging back into the world. Therefore, Zeke was forced to close his eyes as he listened to the whole story - which only made the visuals Yoh was painting in his mind all the more clearer.

Zeke’s brow furrowed when he heard the joy and laughter in Yoh’s voice as he recalled the way he purposely pushed Hao’s buttons during the fight to get him flustered enough to allow him to get a few hits on his big brother. It was certainly a surprise to him to learn that Yoh had found a way to use Reishi to his advantage, something no one had ever thought to do against him before. Zeke had to hold back a grimace on his face when Yoh described the relief he felt when his powered-up Na Avida ability was successful against Hao’s first blow. The “Black Raven” and “White Swan” armoured oversouls he was describing were ones Zeke had never seen before - which irked him. He didn’t like the not knowing and… he certainly did not like this story.

As Yoh went on, Zeke heard a strange crack in Yoh’s voice as he recalled the final moments of the battle - how he somehow survived a full-power close-ranged attack against the now King - and then surrendered, gifting his big brother the win and finally… had to say goodbye to him.

Zeke flinched and his soul almost left Hao’s body voluntarily when he felt the soft gentle touch of the illusion’s hand slip into his. He tightly screwed his closed eyelids in an attempt to hide his sudden onset of panic. He couldn’t just snatch his hand away, that would be too suspicious… but dear God, why was this Yoh like this? What made him behave this way towards him all the time?

“You know what? I’ve been thinking about Matamune a lot recently.” softly sighed Yoh before letting out a deep yawn.

“How come?” muttered Zeke.

“Well, it all started with him. Back when he helped me save Anna. The lessons he taught me then… they have always stayed with me. And… he had to lie for a little while too, but – in the end, it resulted in something remarkable. I saved you. And now – we’re together! Isn’t that amazing?”

“I’m stopping you right here Zeke - once and for all!”

Zeke cleared his throat as he tried to bat the unwanted memories away.

“But…” hesitantly began Zeke, being very careful in his choice of words, “Doesn’t it bother you that… if he hadn’t lied in the first place, all of it wouldn’t have happened? And we wouldn’t be in this situation? Worrying about all this stuff?”

“Even if you defeat me today - others will rise against you!”

“It sounds crazy but… after this experience, I now see why lying to protect those you care about can sometimes be necessary. I hate not telling the whole truth but, I would do this all over again, for you – Hao.”

“You’re wrong Zeke! You’re the one who’s finished!”

“But... why?”

“Because you’re my big brother, that’s why... and I love you.”

(13)
The sharp inhale of breath he took in at Yoh’s painful and intense outpouring of adoration stuck in his throat and almost made him pass out.

He disguised the exhale as a sigh, and just about recovered enough to appear like he was simply enjoying the moment.

But internally, he was micro seconds away from causing an “accidental explosion” in the jet engines, just as a means to escape the suffocating atmosphere created by this inter-dimensional illusionary cross-breed variant of his brother.

It was no accident that this disgustingly sweet creature was this way.

It proves the King must be just as twisted as he is.

This was his playground, after all. His own personal puppet show. Exercising his infinite power as a pathetic demonstration of control. A way to prove to everyone that he had done it: he had won.

And there was nothing anyone could do about it.

But that’s when a smirk appeared on his face, he turned his head to the side and allowed his hair to hide his features from any prying eyes.

That victorious bastard may have the upper hand now… but when he was finished, he was going to tear down this pathetic world. And any other wasteland the King had created during his short reign. Not to mention all the living worlds beyond with all the trillions perhaps even infinite numbers of humans who would not be spared.

They will all pay for what they did to him. All of those royal variants of him. Not to mention the little God puppet of his twin too.

Perhaps he may keep that one around… just to watch.

He gently let go of Yoh’s hand as he reached under the seat in front of him and pulled out the neatly folded blanket and handed it to his twin.

“Here, you feel cold.” he muttered, hoping his method to escape the physical contact would appear innocent enough.

“Thanks.” sighed Yoh, happily accepting the soft material and making himself more comfortable.

Zeke took his chance to close the window as the sky was darkening outside. He picked up a napkin and started to cover the monitor in front of him too.

“What’s that for?” curiously asked Yoh.

“Oh, I think it’s broken or something. It keeps flashing and it’s bugging me.” casually explained Zeke.

Yoh nodded his head in response and snuggled into his seat, pulling his blanket up to his chin and closing his eyes.

Zeke paused for a moment as he observed Yoh more closely. It was unnerving just how much more he resembled the twin he remembered when his eyelids were shut. He had been unable to examine his own face in a mirror to observe the differences in his own appearance, so Yoh’s face was the closest he got to seeing himself.

Perhaps it was a combination of the silence in his mind after only seeing blackness and darkness for an eternity that made the colours in this world pop all around him. But when he looked into Yoh’s eyes it was like looking into a portal to another world. A reminder once more that this Yoh was born of a different reality, and by the sounds of things, that reality had a much more colourful ending compared to the bleak end to his.

He realised he was now staring intensely at the illusion who was drifting off to sleep in front of him.

Then a new delicious idea came into his mind.

If he didn’t need Yoh as his ticket to the King’s Realm, he could just take all that power for himself. Right now.

This Yoh was a vessel that had been filled to the brim with power. Pure gifted power from the King himself. The furyoku he could sense emanating from him was electrifyingly beautiful.

It would be painless.

He wouldn’t even feel it.

And it could be argued that he would be doing these ghosts a favour, they could be together.

And be one whole soul.

Then suddenly. That strange flip in his stomach returned.

Only, it was less of a “flip” and more of a…

Oh god.

Zeke undid his seat belt and leapt to his feet, he shuffled around Yoh as quickly as possible to make his way to the nearest bathroom cubicle.

He may have accidentally trampled on Yoh’s blanket in his attempt to get away but he didn’t have time to pretend he cared.

It wasn’t like him to get sick when flying.

But then again, he wasn’t in his own body. And this new body was a lot more sensitive than his old one.

Zeke bolted for the handle and threw open the cubicle door.

Hao’s hearing was suddenly overwhelmed by the recognisable white noise of a moving airplane. He blinked at his own reflection in the bathroom cubicle and froze. The mirrors. His reflection! That was the cause of this strange phenomenon! He quickly lowered his gaze and stared at the floor, moving slowly backwards and out of the cubicle, closing the door quickly as he did so. His mind became frantic as he began to consider the odd question - how many reflective surfaces could there be on an airplane??

“God dammit! Shit!”

Realising he had no idea where his seat was - Hao hesitantly began to make his way towards the front of the plane. As he shuffled down the cramped aisle with his head lowered, he examined each of his fellow traveller’s footwear as he did so. He considered summoning his Spirit Ally to act as a guide but reconsidered that option immediately. He had no idea why this strange experience was happening to him and he did not want to bring any unwanted attention to himself from any other potential shaman traveller.

Hao finally recognised a pair of large black ski boot sneakers and lifted his head.

“HoroHoro I - !” loudly began Hao, but cut off his words when he saw how HoroHoro was snoring quietly with his mouth gaped wide open. That was when he noticed the darkened night sky through the porthole window. How long had they been flying?

Confused and alarmed, the fire shaman noticed out of the corner of his eye a glint of something orange peeking over the seat in front of the ice shaman. Hao lowered his head once more and shuffled to the next aisle, relieved to see his little brother curled up in his large comfortable First Class beige-leather plane seat, sleeping safe and sound. Hao considered waking him, but instead, his instincts kicked in and he reached for the blanket that had fallen to the floor and wrapped it around his twin. He then carefully shuffled his way to the empty window seat beside him, relieved to see the porthole window was already closed and the small television screen on the back of the passenger seat in front of him had already been covered.

He decided to tell Yoh everything in the morning. As long as he didn’t look in any more mirrors, everything will be okay.

“Hao?” mumbled Yoh, lifting his head slightly and peering at his big brother with sleepy eyes. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” softly sighed Hao, forcing a reassuring smile. He lifted his hand and gently caressed a strand of loose hair from his little brother’s face, before he slipped his hand under the blanket and gripped Yoh’s hand tightly in his. “Go back to sleep. You need to rest.”

“Okay…” whispered Yoh.

Everything will be okay.

It will all work out.

That’s what Hao told himself as he closed his eyes and drifted back into a deep, blissful, comfortable sleep.

End of Episode Ten

End of Phase Two

Welcome aboard the "Fractured Duality" Multi-verse!

More "Alt" Universe Episodes are planned for the future!

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