[Shaman King] Hoshi ga Hoshii desu * chapter 23: revelations

[lucathia]

Title: Hoshi - ga - Hoshii - desu
Chapter: 23/45

Author: lucathia_rykatu
Email: rykatu@yahoo.com
Series: Shaman King
Rating: PG
Genre: General
Feedback: will be highly appreciated
Spoilers: end of anime
Disclaimer: Shaman King belongs to its rightful owners (which does not include me!)
Archive: livejournal / fanfiction.net

Summary: "I want the stars" -- An amnesic Hao only remembers that the word "Hoshi" is special to him. Found unconscious in America, Hao takes on the name of Hoshi and eventually returns to Japan. This is his story after the anime.

-----chapter 23: revelations-----

They all grouped together in the small living room. After all those days of meeting one person and not the other, they were finally united in the same place. All except the very person who had brought them together.

Asakura Hao, or dear Hoshi-niichan for Tsuki.

Sora routinely began serving tea for her visitors and for her son, Tsuki. She placed down seven cups for the seven people present. She didn’t know all of their names yet. Out of the five strangers that she met today, she only knew the names of Asakura Yoh and Oyamada Manta. The other three hadn’t introduced themselves yet. She began studying each of her guests as she poured the tea.

First was the young lady that had informed Sora of Yoh’s whereabouts. Sora’s first impression of the young girl was that she wasn’t someone you would want to mess with. Right now, just as before, she had that annoyed expression that said, “Don’t you dare mess with me.” Sora immediately knew that the young girl would be a very dominating wife.

The short boy, Oyamada Manta, thanked Sora as she poured him his tea. Sora had thought that Manta had been a friend he brought home, but maybe that wasn’t the case. It didn’t matter to her anymore now anyway. Sora noticed Manta’s nervous smile as he dropped his large book on the ground to help him reach the sofa.

On the other side stood a boy who didn’t look as if he were Japanese. He had surprisingly golden eyes that reminded her of a calculating feline about to pounce. His hairstyle was very surprising as well, since his violet hair stood up in one, stiff spike. Sora slowly poured him his tea, noting his attire. Maybe he was Chinese?

Next to him sat a boy who tied a towel around his forehead. His hair was equally surprising, maybe even more...since it was sky blue and stood in several spikes rather than one. She had seen people with purple hair before. Those were rare, but they were out there. But blue? That wasn’t natural. Nevertheless, she poured him his tea.

Her eyes went to her nephew last. He had medium-length hair up to his shoulders. The way his hair draped down strangely reminded her of a willow tree. His eyes were dark but kind...they were eyes that one could easily drown in. His appearance reminded her so much of him that she couldn’t tear her eyes away. She forced her eyes to travel up to the blindingly orange headphones behind his ears. It would have been very unlike him to wear something like that. It was then that Sora was finally able to take her eyes off of him.

After pouring the warm tea into each person’s cup, Sora set down the tea kettle. She took her spot next to Tsuki. Each of them was strangely fascinating in their own sense. All of them were here because of him.

What was their connection with him?

Sora wanted to know...yet at the same time, she didn’t want to know.

She glanced at Tsuki and hugged him. Gently, she whispered in his ears to be a good boy and wait in his room.

Tsuki glanced up, angry that she was going to keep him out of this conversation. Sora’s mind remained firm despite her son’s protest.

Tsuki glumly left for his room.

Sora watched Tsuki’s lingering form. When she was absolutely sure that Tsuki was out of hearing range, she took in a deep breath and began talking. They had to start somewhere, after all.

-----0-----

They listened to the woman, who introduced herself as Asakura Sora and her son as Asakura Tsuki, quite intently. When she had told them her name and her place in the Asakura family, they had all been shocked.

Tsuki really was related to Yoh, and to think that Yoh had been joking about it earlier! Yoh even had an aunt that he never knew about.

They had looked at Yoh inquiringly, who had shrugged to show his ignorance of that fact. He hadn’t known. None of them had known, beforehand, except for Manta who had heard a little about it from Sora a few hours ago.

Then, each of them had introduced themselves, telling her their names and their relationship with Yoh. Sora nodded, glad to know the information.

After that, Sora continued with her explanations about her background. She told these near strangers everything she had told him. From how she was a shame to her family, to how she had left with her husband to America, to how her husband and her son had died, to how she finally decided to come back for Tsuki to be acknowledged as an Asakura.

They wanted to know everything of course, and her background interested them, but what they really wanted to know was her connection with Hao.

She couldn’t sidestep that part forever.

She closed her eyes and continued her narration.

-----0-----

“I found him outside on the grass one morning. He had been unconscious, so I took him in and tended to his injuries. When he woke up, he told me his name was Hoshi.”

Why had he done that? From the very start...he had been lying to her.

“Since then, it has been a year. He lived with us all that time...as such an unassuming boy, such a good brother to Tsuki and a good son...”

Sora’s voice broke.

“I wouldn’t have even suspected him...to be...to be such a monster! I...only found out because I saw you...and I know that you are Hao’s twin.”

She turned towards Yoh, her hands almost covering her mouth, almost muffling her next words.

“And Hao...he is the one who murdered my husband and my son.”

-----0-----

Manta’s eyes widened. Hao was the murderer of Sora’s husband and son? That...that must have been what he meant when he said “She knows.” Hoshi had left...all the while laughing that maniacal laugh, all because he discovered that she must had found out.

Didn’t that mean something?

Hoshi had cared...about how she thought. The boy that Manta had met was Hao, that was true, but at the same time, he wasn’t exactly Hao. He was Hoshi.

And Hoshi wasn’t the one who was a murderer.

The Hoshi that Manta knew...was an extremely smart student...a genius even, that smiled warmly at his loyal spirit. Sometimes, he was cocky, and gave those infuriating smirks. And he was overly obsessed with stars. He, just like Yoh, could stand for hours admiring the outdoors. That was the Hoshi that Manta knew.

Manta wished that it were as simple as that...that the fact that Hao was a murderer was in the past. Hoshi was not the same Hao as before...but his past couldn’t be entirely ignored either.

But condemning Hoshi for that was the same as condemning a new born baby. Hoshi didn’t even remember anything about his past. His life with Sora and Tsuki had been the only thing he knew. People weren’t born evil...and the same applied to Hoshi.

The more Manta thought about it, the more he sided with Hoshi, despite what he had thought about him earlier.

“He’s not like that!” burst Manta suddenly, unable to withhold his thoughts any longer.

All eyes landed on him. It strangely reminded him of the time he had tried to defend Hoshi in cram school. But this time, it was different, wasn’t it? The people he was trying to convince right now were his friends. Surely they would understand.

“And he hasn’t been lying to you...” continued Manta as he firmly stared at Sora.

Sora’s eyes demanded him to continue.

“He truly didn’t know.”

Sora remained patient. “What do you mean?” She thought back to the time he had picked up her husband and son’s photo...hadn’t he shown more than passing interest in that photo?

Manta shook his head to indicate his disagreement. Hoshi hadn’t been lying at all, and he was the only one who knew that. Because...

“He has amnesia.”

Someone who had been drinking their tea choked.

------to be continued-----

Next chapter: in the dark