beyond-fd

[beyond-fd]

Shaman King - “Fractured Duality”

This Vol 3 scene is likely to be canon, though some writing/elements may change when published.

Alt Hao and Zeke character arc(s) test.

Spoilers for FD Vol 3

Not a direct continuation from the last “What Happens Next…?” storyline. Though events do happen chronologically after this scene.

“I couldn’t wait to come back to you, I wish I could sleep all day. Hah!”

“I know what you mean Hao, but I really think that - ”

“I wonder what else we can do in here? This is our world, after all. We can do what ever we want - ”

“Hao - ”

“I wonder if the dream environment is limited to places we’ve seen before, or if we can use our imagination. The possibilities could be endless!”

A ghostly hand reached for the fingers of the one who had finally penetrated his mirrored prison and returned to him. Zeke pulled his arm straight - stopping Hao in his excitable tracks. Those delighted brown eyes finally met the concerned piercing red gaze of his demonic other self.

“Can you please stop talking for a moment? I’ve wanted to talk to you face-to-face all evening.” he said calmly and firmly.

Hao blinked. He recognised the unfamiliar concern etched in his other’s face. He instinctively closed the gap between them.

“Is everything okay?” Hao asked, worriedly. He lifted his free hand and removed a stray thin strand from Zeke’s face as he spoke.

Zeke sighed deeply.

“I have noticed some odd things about our circumstances and I wanted to ensure you are aware of them too,” he began.

“Okay…”

“Earlier… at the cliff?”

“Yes?”

“Did it not strike you as strange?”

“What?”

“The things that Yoh was saying.” hesitantly explained the demon, “He said he’s “the same person as he was before”?”

Hao laughed a bit.

“He would say that, how would he know there’s a difference?”

“I think he was being genuine. Luchist’s recollections fit the exact same narrative,” Zeke went on, noticing how his alt’s eyes were already drifting from their locked gaze and another absentminded smile had reappeared on his lips. In response, Zeke lifted his cold thin digits to his other’s face, reconnecting their eyes with a gentle turn of his chin.

“Hao. I do not think the spell’s effect has had the same impact on all the others the way we first thought.” he finished. He then waited for his words to land with his identical second self.

A short silence grew between them.

“You saw the same thing I did.” muttered Hao, eventually. “Yoh has been corrupted, just like the rest of them. Why are you - ?”

Hao cut off his words as he felt the cold touch of the demon’s hands on both of his shoulders.

“All of this… change… that is happening to you all at once…” he said delicately, smoothing his reassuring touch down the arms of his other and then back up again, “…it’s bound to be… confusing.”

“I’m not confused.” quipped Hao with a shake of his head, “For the first time in my life I am thinking clearly.”

Asakura Zeke opened his mouth to argue, but was silenced when he felt a firm tug on his waist. Asakura Hao hooked his arms tightly around his alt and gazed deeply into his blazing alight irises.

“This feels right. This who I am meant to be.” he declared with a slight smile, “It’s like… now that I have found you, I have found my true self. You feel it too, don’t you?”

That unmistakable physical pull between them returned as Zeke absorbed Hao’s reassuring words. He slowly lowered his worried gaze.

“Yes. I feel it too.” he admitted with a soft sigh.

Hao leaned forward slightly, bringing their foreheads close. He smiled, taking notice of how well they both seemed to fit together.

“This is how it should be. I realise that now.” he whispered, echoing Zeke’s own repeated affirmation.

Unseen by the illusion, a look of uncertainty flickered across the demon’s face.

Hao’s mind fell back on Zeke’s earlier words of concern. He laughed a bit in his throat.

“It’s really not like you to worry about our little brother.” he mused with a grin.

Zeke let out a frustrated breath.

“I’m not worried about him. I’m worried about you.” he pushed, unable to drop the subject.

The mirrored pair simultaneously lifted their gaze and locked eyes once more.

“Me?” breathed Hao, confused.

“Your consistent refusal or… inability… to see the changing circumstances occurring in the outside world concerns me. I think that something may be happening here.” argued the demon.

Hao remained unfazed and unmoved. He smiled warmly at his concerned other self.

“You’re worrying too much. We’re going to win the Fight and put all the wrongs in the world right again, aren’t we?” he laughed with an innocent tone.

Zeke dropped his shoulders and sighed deeply once again.

“Yes. Of course we are.” he replied, firmly.

“Then, what’s the point in worrying? It will all work out. We might as well have some fun…”

Hao’s gentle hushed words trailed off into an inviting playful inflection. He leaned in, bringing his lips closer to the demon’s worried face - despite the exciting physical invitation - Zeke momentarily froze.

“There’s something you…” he whispered, his cold breath tickling the warm mouth of the illusion. Hao waited patiently for Zeke to close the small space between them.

“Mm?”

After a moment of hesitation, Zeke shook his head.

“Never mind. You’re right. We are going to win. I should stop worrying so much.” he sighed with a small smile, admitting defeat.

The illusion smiled as his demon finally brought their lips together. Starlight began to flood the darkness as the desolate endless world around them came to life - mirroring their ignited souls - enveloping them in their dazzling perfect never-ending escape once again.

“Careful, Zeke. You’re starting to sound like me.”

“Heh. Well, we are one now. I suppose that was inevitable.”

[beyond-fd]

“You’re real to me.”

Alt Hao/Zeke Content✨

Enter “Alt” Universe here.

Read “Fractured Duality” here.

Read “Making Your Heart Stop” Mini Ep here.

Read “From The Inside” Mini Ep here.

Read “What Happens Next…?” Post Series End here.

Read @ivycorp’s amazing NSFW Alt Hao/Zeke fic here.

Read/See Alt Hao’s Character Profile here.

Read/See Zeke’s Character Profile here.

Watch Zeke’s Antagonist AMV here.

See “The Demon and the Illusion” full art piece here.

See NSFW “The Demon and Illusion” art on DA here.

Read “Our Own World” NSFW Mini Ep here.

[beyond-fd]

Shaman King - “Fractured Duality”

Asakura Hao and Asakura Zeke are attempting to live a ��normal” existence in the real world, but some old habits die hard.

Spoilers for one of the “Multi-verse” endings of FD Vol 3.

Dialogue spoilers for FD Vol 3.

Words: 3700

Characters: Alt Hao/Zeke

This Mini Ep is Rated Mature | NSFW 18+ | M/M

Mini Episode - “Our Own World”

“I’ve been thinking about getting a hair cut.”

“Mm?”

The troubled looking long-haired shaman tugged at his bangs, one long strand in each hand, before fixating his brown sparkling eyes back on the dresser mirror in front of him. He sighed deeply as he dropped his arms down to his sides.

“Don’t tell me what that ancient human said in the store yesterday is still bothering you?” came the amused voice from the one perched on the bed behind him. The identical pair locked eyes in the mirror, something they often did without noticing.

“I was thinking maybe going short?” he muttered with an inflection that was seeking the other’s opinion.

The one in the mirror pulled a disapproving face.

“Surely you see the irony in that? That would not rectify the situation I assume you’re seeking to resolve.”

“Really short.”

Zeke tilted his head to the side, examining his identical partner’s long mane very closely as he tried to envision the idea,

“I do not like the sound of this.” he replied, his tone laced with scepticism.

“It’s only hair.” came a forced tone of optimism in response. “If I hate it, I can just grow it out again.”

Zeke clicked his tongue.

“That’ll take years.” he argued, “It took more than a decade to grow mine this length.”

“It only took Yoh seven years to grow his past his waist. Maybe my hair will grow faster than yours?”

The one sitting cross legged on the bed rolled his head back, allowing his long strands to fall freely to the mattress.

“His hair was already shoulder length before he grew it out.” he went on, lifting his head once more and shooting a concerned look at the other, “And, in case you have forgotten, we are the same person. Your logic needs a little work, Hao.”

There was a short silence before Hao’s shoulders dropped. He looked solemnly back at his own mirrored face.

“You think it’ll look bad?” he mumbled, sadly.

Zeke blinked hard in response to Hao’s sorrowful tone. Without hesitation, he quickly got to his feet and strode towards the one sitting at the dresser. He stood behind him for a moment, locking his gaze on his other’s reflected face, who looked back at him in the mirror with worried eyes.

“I didn’t say that,” Zeke gently replied, he placed both of his hands on the other’s naked shoulders and smiled reassuringly at their shared reflection. “It is your reasoning for this decision that I am questioning.”

“Mm,” Hao mumbled in reluctant agreement, he leaned back slightly to make skin contact with the one behind him, before he lifted his hands to caress the thin digits resting by his own neck.

“The ridiculous part is… I actually do have an identical twin. We both do. But try explaining his non-identical appearance to - ”

“So this really is about what happened yesterday.” interrupted Asakura Zeke.

Asakura Hao sighed deeply, defeated.

“Yes.” he muttered, eventually.

“Hao.”

Zeke snaked his bare arms around the worried shaman’s neck, bringing his face level with his other. The identical duo observed their reflected features in the mirror for a moment.

“You care far too much about what other people think.” gently soothed Zeke, “We have never, in all of our lives, experienced a normal existence. I would have thought you would have gotten used to it, by now.”

“I’ve never been in a relationship with myself.” chuckled Hao with a slight smile.

“I suppose that just depends on what constitutes a “relationship”.” joked the other.

“We do look like twins.” hastily went on Hao, “Even though there are minor differences between us. Maybe if I just cut my hair, people would be less likely to stare… or make unsolicited comments.”

“We could look completely different, and people will still stare. There’s always going to be animosity in the world, Hao. You know this.”

Hao lifted one hand from Zeke’s fingers and tugged at his long bangs once again,

“It’s only hair…” he whispered, sadly.

Zeke stood up straight and raked his fingers through the worried shaman’s long mane, gripping a hand full in each hand and stepping back slightly - opening his arms wide and admiring the length.

“What a pity.” he sighed, “I will miss it. But if that is what you want, then…”

Allowing the long soft strands to fall back into place, Hao watched as Zeke leaned across him and opened the top dresser drawer, taking out a large pair of scissors. Hao gulped nervously as he hurriedly began to try to imagine himself with the new style - but his racing thoughts abruptly stopped when the scissors in Zeke’s hand came no closer to him as he brought them to his own thick head of hair, readying to snip off one of his long chocolate-brown strands.

“Wait! What are you doing?!” cried Hao, alarmed.

“I’m cutting mine so you don’t have to.” chuckled Zeke with a cheeky grin, “It still serves the same purpose, doesn’t it?”

“No! You can’t do that! What if you hate it?!”

“It will grow back.”

“That will take years!”

“I am very patient.”

“Zeke! Don’t!“

“It’s only hair.”

“Please! Don’t do it!”

“Why does it bother you so much?”

“Because I love your long hair!” screamed Hao with wide desperate eyes. Though it took him a second or so to realise Zeke had already lowered the scissors from his head. A satisfied smirk began to spread across his face.

“How sweet.” he quipped as he carefully placed the tool in his hand onto the dresser’s surface, locking his scheming and menacing gaze on his alarmed other’s face.

Realising the whole debacle was a trick, Hao’s brow furrowed a bit.

“You’re such a prick.” whined Hao, crossing his arms.

“I know,” laughed Asakura Zeke, “But I am you, so - I suppose that means you are one too.”

“Ha ha. Very funny. Never heard that one before.” sarcastically teased Hao. His sharp mind quickly analysed his significant other’s intent, “Was this your way of telling me that… you don’t want me to cut my hair… because you like it long?”

Zeke grinned.

“I cannot control what you do. Well… not anymore.” he chuckled. His playful yet truthful words earned him a genuine laugh from his other in response, “However, if you had legitimately sought my feelings on the matter, then of course I would have voiced my protest.”

Hao’s earlier irked demeanour softened completely. He smiled warmly, getting to his feet.

“If you don’t want me to cut it then, I won’t.” he said softly, lifting one hand to Zeke’s own long bangs, weaving the soft strands between his fingers.

The pair gazed at one another for a moment. Then Zeke’s all-black eyes began to examine the naked frame stood in front of him,

“You will look amazing no matter what you decide,” he quietly said, before locking his wandering gaze back on his other’s thick brown mane, “Though… it would be a lot harder to pull at your head in bed with less material to grab on to.”

Hao’s cheeks flushed pink in response to the flirtatious suggestion,

“I suppose that’s a good enough reason to keep it long.” he chuckled softly, admitting defeat.

Zeke smiled.

“I am glad you think so.”

A sense of tantalising excitement began to radiate inside Hao’s chest as the subject shifted in a new direction,

“Do you… have any other reasons?” he asked, curiously.

Zeke thought about it for a moment, “When you’re on top of me,” he placed both of his hands flat upon the chest of his identical other, smoothing them up to his shoulders and then allowing his fingers to venture into the thick dark “material” by his neck, “- and your hair falls from your shoulders and seals us within our own cocoon,” he pushed his hands through the strands to the other side, closing the gap between, bringing their bare abdomens together, “- it transports me back to that special place of ours - just you and me, cut off from the rest of the universe.”

Hao’s hands fell to the hips touching his. He looked away slightly from the intense eyes of his lover as the mention of their shared immaterial experience flooded exciting memories into his mind - and flooded blood into another part of his anatomy, too.

“Mm… yeah. I do miss that place sometimes.” he muttered, sheepishly.

“Me too.”

“I wouldn’t trade this though.” Hao reminded, locking eyes once more with the bottomless dark voids directly in front of his, “A chance to be with you in the real world,” he reassured, but then his eyes fell away once again as his mind recalled the immense pleasure Zeke created just for him within their own secret escape, “But the sex… really was…”

“…out of this world.” completed Zeke.

Hao nodded a bit.

“You’re very good at transporting me there too.” Hao whispered, biting his lip.

Seeing and feeling the excitement building in his other, Zeke leaned in, bringing his lips close to Hao’s ear.

“Would you like to go there now?” he purred softly.

Hao instinctively pushed his hips slightly into the real body he was embracing in his hands.

“Yes.” he begged in reply, his body buckling as a wave of desire spread from the warmth by his ear and began to flow through every inch of him.

Zeke’s hands fell to the fingers by his sides, he gripped both hands and began to stride backwards, pulling the other along with him.

“Do you miss my powers that were reserved for only you?” he asked with a genuine inflection, tilting his head to the side to examine Hao’s face as he awaited a truthful response.

“Maybe a little.” admitted Hao with a playful sulk.

“Well,” remarked Zeke as they reached the bedside, “You may be pleased to know that some of that wasn’t me. It was you.”

Hao’s breath hitched a bit at the revelation,

“What?” he gasped softly, amazed.

“You listened to my words, you trusted me, and you gave yourself to me. We do not need those “powers” for that to be true in the real world, too.”

Hao’s mouth gaped open at the words, stunned by the amazing explanation. Their interlocked hands fell away as Zeke gestured for Hao to sit on the mattress. Following his silent instructions, Hao’s eyes followed his mysterious partner’s movements as he gracefully moved across the room back towards the dresser, opening yet another drawer and revealing a suitable garment for his intention. Zeke then approached the bed once more and began to blindfold his excited partner.

“What are you…?” muttered Hao, though he did not resist this new exciting venture,

“Listen to my commands and do not question them. You are in a safe place, Hao. You are with me.” came the firm yet gentle reply.

“Okay.”

Hao lay back on the bed, shifting himself until his head met the pillow. He sprawled a bit to find the centre, then he waited with bated breath for the voice to return.

A long silence grew in the room. As the seconds slowly passed, the anticipation within Hao’s chest began to build, which ultimately had the same effect on his ready erection.

A new sensation began to build too. A soft warmth, beginning from his feet and slowly moving across his legs, tickling his abdomen, his chest, radiating down his arms to the tips of his fingers. The new sensation felt strange and yet very, very familiar.

“This is new.” mused Hao with a grin.

A low rumbling laugh echoed through the air in response.

“I may have a real body again, but I still have one or two tricks at my disposal.”

“Have you ever done this before?” Hao asked with genuine curiosity, he turned his head as he tried to ascertain which direction Zeke’s voice was coming from.

“That would be telling.” came the amused reply.

Hao’s attention spiked as the voice teased him.

“Have you?” he pushed, “I mean… there obviously were… others.”

A short silence grew again as Hao awaited a response.

“Perhaps.” replied the voice, eventually, “But, has it not crossed your mind that I know exactly how to please you because you are me?”

“Oh.” mumbled Hao, though his somewhat worried mind began to melt away as the waves across his body intensified, building a pattern that he recognised, flowing in perfect precision with his accelerating breaths. The comforting pulses embraced every part of him, though there was a notable cold space below his abdomen. Hao tried to inch himself towards the pleasurable pulsating sensation, but he quickly realised there was a force holding him down.

“Relax. Don’t try to move. Give me full control.” commanded the voice.

“Zeke…” he softly cried.

“Shh. I am here.” came the soothing gentle response. “Just listen to my voice.”

“But I want to see you.” whined his restrained partner. Hao once again tried to move his head to locate Zeke’s presence in the darkness.

“Use your imagination, Hao.” commanded the voice once more. “Think about all those incredible times we spent together in our own world.”

Hao’s chest fluttered at the idea. Soon new images began to form behind the blindfold as vivid memories began a dazzling play back across his mind,

“The first time you heard my voice…” came a subdued seductive suggestion,

“The first time I saw you…” whispered Hao in reply.

“Yes. That’s it…” said the one in control.

“The first time I touched you…” whined Hao, he craned his head once more, still searching for the body of his other in the space, his skin burning at the desire to be touched again,

“The first time you felt my lips on yours…” replied the voice. A soft moan left Hao’s mouth as the memory of that very moment surged through his mind and body, leaving him wanting, leaving him needing more,

“The first time we - ”

Hao’s breath left his lungs accompanied by a loud cursed moan as a lubricated warm hand gripped his hard on. His back buckled beneath his invisible constraints as the sudden and unexpected touch sent a jolt of immense pleasure and excitement throughout his real human body.

“The first time I made love to you.” the voice of his dominant lover teared through his mind, teared through his limbs. The warm pulsating waves across every inch of his skin flowed in tandem to the gentle rythmn holding his erection, the urge to thrust into the touch was overwhelming, though he cursed aloud once more at his restricted limbs.

“This… this is just like -“ he panted, desperately.

“I know.” came the delighted playful response.

“I want you to kiss me.” moaned Hao.

“Ah. That was something we couldn’t do for a while. You want this to be like the real thing, don’t you?”

“That will - that will drive me crazy…” he softly replied, he twisted and buckled once more beneath his partner’s incredible power, becoming increasingly desperate for more.

“Imagine how it felt for me. To be without a body to touch you with.” came the soft reply from the blackness. There was a hint of genuine frustration in his words as he recalled the experience.

“I couldn’t touch you either. Ha… Not - not at first…” panted Hao, he tried to focus on his other’s words, his mind and body at war with itself - pulling him in two completely opposite pleasurable directions.

“Then we became one. Think about how that felt. Remember that feeling.” purred the voice, a smile could be heard in his inflection. Hao smiled too, his soul aching for his other half as he recalled the immense memories of their shared unique experience,

“Mm… it felt so… right.” Hao replied, softly.

“It was perfect. A perfect fit.” said the voice.

“A perfect match.” he agreed.

The edge of his climax inched away from him as the hold around his cock softened, then after a moment or so, he was released completely. The cold air below his abdomen rushed back in. His body instinctively tried to move, yearning to be touched again. The abrupt end to the perfect rhythm leaving him bare and wanting.

“But then I lost you…” said a soft sad voice in the endless space, the words almost trailing away, leaving Hao alone and exposed.

Hao opened his eyes wide behind the blindfold. He tried to crane his head to remove the blasted covering, to wiggle free from his entrapment.

“Zeke, I’m right here! Come back!” he cried desperately. The intensity of his words proof that he had forgotten he was in fact in their shared bedroom and not really in that endless, empty place the two of them shared at one time instead.

The silence his identical lover’s absence left behind was all consuming.

Hao never knew how loud his own breathing could sound to him before.

The blackness in front of his eyes seemed endless.

The soft warmth radiating across his naked skin slowly faded away.

“Zeke…” he called softly.

The invisible bind on his body abruptly ceased, releasing him from Zeke’s pleasurable yet slightly torturous hold.

He instantly ripped the blindfold from his face, pulling himself slightly upright with his other free arm.

Blinking as the morning sunlight momentarily blinded him, he briefly caught the painful look in the all-black eyes coming towards him before the sudden force of Zeke’s mouth on his own pushed him hard back onto the mattress.

This was new too.

Zeke had never looked at him like that when making love to him before.

Hao reached his hands into his other’s thick dark strands and held on tightly as their bodies fell perfectly into each other, like always. Zeke retaliated with one forceful thrust - pushing Hao closer to the headboard. The brown-eyed one parted their mouths for a moment, to try and get a look at those onyx-coloured eyes once more.

“Zeke? Are you alright?” he softly panted. He brought one hand to the side of his other’s face, brushing the stray offending strands from his eyes before cupping the face above him in both hands.

The brooding dark irises looking back at him glistened delicately, but not a word passed Zeke’s lips. The identical pair remained frozen for a moment - their bodies intertwined - lost in their own world - cut off from the rest of the universe.

Hao could see clearly that the teasing and the games were already over. He sighed deeply as a gentle smile appeared on his face.

“It’s okay.” he soothed softly, “I’m right here. I’ll always be right here.”

A possessive hiss passed the clenched teeth of the one on top of him. Hao could almost see the flickers of moving images in Zeke’s eyes as his mind raced with the painful memories of a time they were together, but at the exact same time, ripped away from one another. Hao smoothed his palms down Zeke’s neck, moving slowly across his thin shoulders and toned arms. He gently squeezed the tense muscles in his grip as he did so.

Hao let out a soft sigh.

“All this anger, mm?” muttered Hao, “Still?”

Zeke lowered his gaze slightly in response. His other could read every subtle message his lover’s body was telling him, almost as though Hao could read his mind word for word.

“It wasn’t your fault.“ he whispered, gently.

“I know.” Zeke growled in reply.

Hao smiled. After a moment, a small devilish glint appeared in his eye as a new idea came into his mind,

“You know I can take you in every way that you are, don’t you?” he said, his tone lowered and lavishly inviting.

His attention revitalised by his identical partner’s suggestive words, those all-black eyes met golden brown once more.

“I am you.” Hao reassured. He tentatively lifted one hand back to the face above him, resting the backs of his fingers affectionately against one cheek, “Your anger, your pain, is mine to hold too.”

A smirk appeared on Zeke’s lips at the idea. His hips immediately responded to the invitation with one singular forceful draw back, the new intensity of his re-entry rewarding him with an instinctual loud delighted moan from the one under him.

“Are you sure?” Zeke asked, seeking his verbal permission. Hao’s fingers reached around the other’s neck, pulling him closer and bringing his lips close to Zeke’s ear.

“Yes.” he breathed, adopting a tone of unmistakable obedience the pair were very familiar with.

There was barely a second of hesitation as Hao found himself forced onto his back once more. A firm hand pressed down his collar bone, another hand lifted his left thigh in an awkward twist - as Zeke began to exercise his internalised rage into extraordinary exploding sexual passion upon his consenting receiving partner. The bed rocked and shuddered, as did Hao’s breath - his mind began to blur into nothingness as he succumbed to every inch of the intense wrath being ripped throughout his real body of flesh, taking in all of it, accepting all of the intoxicating addictive sensation conjured by his other self just for him and only him.

Their loud voices of extreme unified pleasure merged seamlessly together, and as they both simultaneously reached the peak of climax, for a very brief moment - their mirrored reflected souls were whole once again.

Hao found the strength to open his arms wide and accept his out-of-breath partner into his embrace as Zeke collapsed into his tight hold.

Hao pulled him close.

Zeke sighed softly.

A peaceful silence grew in the room as a sense of calm returned to their minds, their breathlessness in rhythm, their hearts slowing and beating in tandem.

“Feeling better?” Hao whispered.

“Mhm.” came the mumbled reply.

Hao smiled softly and closed his eyes. His muscles throbbed, his neck felt sore, he could hardly feel the lower half of his body…

…but his soul felt rejuvenated, his heart whole…

…his mind at peace and completely silent.

The arms wrapped around him tightened slightly.

Hao sighed happily,

“It’s okay, I’m here…” he gently whispered to the one in his arms,

“Just rest.”

[beyond-fd]

[beyond-fd]

“You’re real to me.”

Alt Hao/Zeke Content✨

Enter “Alt” Universe here.

Read “Fractured Duality” here.

Read “Making Your Heart Stop” Mini Ep here.

Read “From The Inside” Mini Ep here.

Read “What Happens Next…?” Post Series End here.

Read @ivycorp’s amazing NSFW Alt Hao/Zeke fic here.

Read/See Alt Hao’s Character Profile here.

Read/See Zeke’s Character Profile here.

Watch Zeke’s Antagonist AMV here.

See “The Demon and the Illusion” full art piece here.

See NSFW “The Demon and Illusion” art on DA here.

[beyond-fd]

Shaman King - “Fractured Duality”

This fanfic test is canon in FD. Though the writing may vary when published.

Antagonist dynamic test.

Protagonist(s) motivation test.

Spoilers for FD Vol 3 Chapter 9 “The Emptiness Machine”

Characters: Hana, Manta, Alt Hao/Zeke, Yoh

Word count: 4000 words (2 scenes in 1)

Continued from here.

What happened next…? (Part Seven)

“Wow. You’ve really been through a lot, huh?”

“You don’t even know the half of it.”

The fair haired boy picked up a thin slate from the cobbled river’s edge and forcefully skipped it hard across the water. Before the stone had come to a halt the young teen had already skipped a second pebble along the water’s surface. His perfect precision and smooth aim was notable as the second stone followed the exact same path as the first, almost making it to the other side.

The short one perched on the large boulder beside him watched on at the impressive display. His large wide eyes seemed to perfectly reflect the sparkling river as the pseudo moonlight flooded the space surrounding the pair.

“It’s sorta becoming “normal” around here to meet people from other worlds but… I never thought I’d meet someone from, you know… the future”. softly chuckled Manta.

“Hah! I’m not from the “future”.” spat Asakura Hana. “I’m from the present. It’s all of you that are stuck in some weird time loop or something. This is Hell.”

Manta flinched slightly at the boy’s harsh words.

“Yeah… so you keep reminding me…” he muttered, sadly.

Hana sighed angrily. He picked up a handful of stones and threw them all aimlessly into the water with some force.

“If I ever see my stupid “God-uncle” again, I’m going to kick him even harder than I did last time.” angrily snapped the teen.

“Last time?” mumbled Manta.

“Well, I don’t meet the criteria for the “God” part - but perhaps I can assist with your violent impulses reserved for members of our complex cross-dimensional family.”

Hana did not bother to turn around to face their unwanted intruder. Manta, on the other hand, almost fell backwards from his elevated seat when the familiar voice behind him broke the night’s still atmosphere.

The boy let out a sarcastic laugh as he confidently turned to confront his uncle’s illusion and pulled a disgusted grimace.

“You? Don’t make me puke. You’re not my family. You’re not even real!” he snarled, angrily.

Asakura Hao observed the pair in front of him in silence for a moment. He then locked his deep dark eyes on the familiar face of his friend who was gazing desperately back at him.

“Good to see you Manta. I trust you are keeping well?” he politely greeted with a kind smile.

“H-Hao… I - I - I’m fine. But - but - are you alright?” stammered the small human in reply.

Hao’s eyes flickered slightly as an invisible wave of intense fear swirled in the air and crashed all around him. He paused for a moment, but then he smiled softly.

“No need to be afraid.” he began, reassuringly, “I am simply here to assist with a certain little… issue.”

There was a subtle notable change in the kind black eyes of the long-haired shaman as he fixated his intense glare on the putrid expression of the other. The creases in his face deepened as a scowl formed on his friendly features.

“Hey, I have an idea! Why don’t you go fuck yourself?” harshly remarked the sharped tongued shaman.

Momentarily taken aback, Hao paused once again. But after a moment - he let out an extended amused laugh at the teen’s humorous choice of words.

“How charming!” he mused happily with a closed eyed grin. “This is going to be fun!”

“Fun?” breathed Hana, blinking.

The fire shaman calmly approached the large rock to join his bewildered small friend. He was mindful to not sit uncomfortably on his new draped attire as he swished it out from under him as he happily perched himself beside Manta. Not wasting any time, he swiftly swung an outstretched arm out by his side - conjuring a strong wind that swooped Hana off his feet and threw him into the open clearing before them. The sudden unexpected force caused the boy to almost fall flat on his front as he tried to keep himself upright. Before Hana could react, he was alarmed to find himself surrounded by a wall of tall hot burning flames.

“What the - ?”

“Yoh hated this training exercise as a child. So there’s a good chance you will hate it too.” delightfully mused the copy of the Shaman King.

“What are you doing?!” angrily yelled the boy.

“Though we called it the “Fire Ring of Hell” because touching the flames would result in him spending another night in Hell. Motivating him to stay in the circle for as long as possible. However… since that technically never actually happened, I am not entirely sure what will occur if you get scorched in this realm, Hana. Best case scenario: you’ll just find yourself in another commune but - I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see and find out together!”

Finishing his explanation, Hao began to laugh happily.

“Uh…” mumbled Manta.

“Fuck this! I’m not playing your stupid game! Let me out - NOW!” loudly demanded the teen.

Hao sighed deeply with a soft smile, his eyes began to examine the scene in front of him, satisfied with his work.

“So, you’re an oni user thanks to my God self’s little gift, mm?” he gleefully continued.

“I said - LET ME OUT!!” screamed Hana.

“It’s nice to know I have something in common with my nephew.”

“I am not your nephew!”

“I also have my own demons lurking on the inside.” chuckled the one pulling all the strings.

“Yeah no shit!” came the disgruntled response.

“You should try getting along with them better. I can promise you the results are… very satisfying.” he continued with a devilish smirk.

“Arghhh!! Shut up you asshole! I don’t care!!”

Unmoved by his trainee’s reluctant attitude and angry words, Hao slowly brought his left arm out from beneath his poncho.

“Yoh’s longest endurance record was 8 hours.” firmly stated Hao. He candidly observed his oracle pager as he spoke.

“What?” breathed Hana, his eyes wide.

“Eventually he realised there was a method that could get this over with much faster.” he continued as he absentmindedly tapped the pager’s screen. A little beep sounded out from the small device as he did so.

“What are you…?”

“Let’s see if you can do better than your father.”

Asakura Hao waved his hand. A small gruesome shikigami emerged out of the ground within the circle and instantly leapt towards the startled shaman. Hana demonstrated his lightning fast ability to conjure his demonic blade from thin air and he vanquished it immediately.

“Wait - wait a sec - are you saying that because I’m already in Hell, touching the fire might actually… kill me? As in, for good?” babbled Hana, now shooting an alarmed stare at the inter-dimensional variant of his uncle sitting calmly on the other side of his fiery prison.

Hao let out another amused chortle in response.

“Who knows?! That’s the fun part!” he replied cheerfully.

“Uh… Hao?” muttered the worried human by his side. “Wouldn’t that… um, break the King’s deal?”

Hao smirked. He turned his head slightly towards his small friend. Manta gulped as an unfamiliar demonic glint appeared in Hao’s eye.

“The deal was I must train him. I don’t recall the King saying I cannot kill him.” he coldly replied.

Manta’s blood ran cold and his face turned a ghostly white as Hao began to let out an uncharacteristic twisted laugh at his own words. Without hesitation, Manta leapt to the ground and began to sprint towards the urban Patch buildings in the distance. Hao watched him go for a moment, but then he shrugged his shoulders - turning his attention back to scene he had created in front of him.

Asakura Hana continued his desperate pursuit to keep himself within his confinement as the monsters surrounding him relentlessly set upon him one by one. He didn’t spare a moment to observe the calm and amused expression of the one watching him.

Hao brought his hands to his face in an effort to make his voice carry louder to his trainee.

“You’re doing a great job Hana!” he delightfully called.

“Fuck you!”

“Just another 7 hours and 50 minutes to go and you can officially say you’re better than your father at something!” he joked with a grin.

“Stop talking about my Dad! That fake bastard is NOT MY FATHER!”

The pulsating anger surging from deep within him radiated to the end of his weapon as Hana skilfully swung his blade in quick succession, slaying several of the small beasts with ease.

“Impressive!” chimed Hao, “Channeling your anger like that boosts your strength, but unfortunately, the draw back is - ”

Hao cut off his words as his inter-dimensional nephew found himself flat on his back as one of his monsters successfully pinned him to floor. A flick of Hana’s hair found itself singed by the fire’s burning heat directly behind him. Hao flinched, pulling an exaggerated wince at the close call,

“ - you lose your focus.” he completed.

“Arghhhh!!!” screamed Hana as he leapt to his feet and furiously continued his aggressive onslaught against the demonic mob.

Hao watched on in silence for a few minutes, carefully observing the teen’s technique.

“I can feel your furyoku levels building Hana,” came his voiced instruction once more, “but you don’t actually need that much to fight these things. Don’t over do it. We don’t want you killing yourself by mistake again, do we?”

Surprised by his fake uncle’s familiarity of his personal circumstances, Hana momentarily looked towards his trainer,

“What?” he breathed with wide eyes.

His lapse of focus allowed one of the monsters to leap onto his back. He immediately spun himself around and impaled it within moments.

“Concentrate.” quipped his trainer.

“I AM FUCKING CONCENTRATING! I don’t want to DIE!”

Hao chuckled softly. He briefly looked down to his pager once more before elevating himself from his seat. He calmly approached his make-shift training ground and fixated his eyes on the events happening within.

“It’s interesting isn’t it?” he mused after a moment of contemplated thought, “When we consider how our birth given nature plays a role in our behaviour and natural instincts combined with the nurturing experience from our care givers.”

His words were returned by an agitated grunt from the one trapped within the flames.

“You may only be a single minded individual,” he continued, “but your core is shaped by two people in the same way all of us are.”

“What are you on about now?!” came the loud angered response of his reluctant listener,

“Your core nature is made up by your mother’s rage, which shines through in your aggressive fighting style.” went on Hao, he began to calmly walk around the ring, keeping his eyes on the one within it, “But somewhere under there is your father’s calm nature. Bringing those two qualities together would ensure you become the shaman you are meant to be.”

“I AM NOTHING LIKE MY FATHER! STOP - TALKING - ABOUT - MY DAD!!!!”

“Perhaps that’s something I cannot help you with.” chuckled the King’s identical counterpart. “I can fine tune your natural skills, boost your furyoku, shape, strengthen and mould your oversoul, teach you new techniques, unlock your inner potential - make you powerful enough to have a shot at surviving this fake tournament and the one occurring in the real world. I can only assume that is my forced responsibility in this very inconvenient shared task.”

“You know listening to your bullshit would be a lot easier if I wasn’t FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE!!”

“However… all this anger, this putrid hatred towards your father - knowing myself as well as I do - I imagine must be Yoh’s nurturing task to remedy.”

The fire shaman stopped walking and turned towards the centre of the circle, crossing his arms beneath his poncho as he did so,

“I don’t know about you - but I think it’s obvious who has gotten off with the easier role in this little arrangement!” he laughed, throwing his head back in a closed-eyed amused manner.

Hana swung his impressive blade in a crescent motion once more, killing each one of the monsters surrounding him instantly. He sighed loudly and angrily.

“You know what - fuck this! Fuck you! Fuck that demon inside you - and fuck that fake copy of my Dad! I’ll take my chances! FUCK ALL OF THIS!”

Asakura Hana dematerialised his oversoul and leapt towards the fire. He tightly closed his eyes and clenched his fists as he braced himself for the searing pain.

When nothing happened as he stood within the flickering flames, he hesitantly opened his eyes. He flinched a bit as he came face-to-face with a pair of all-black amused irises. He watched in a stunned silence as his odd trainer casually lifted his hand and spread his fingers within the flicks of the fire. Hao then swiftly took care of a shikigami leaping towards him with a simple flick of his fingers.

“What?” breathed Hana, stunned.

The shikigami horde disappeared.

“The fire… did… nothing?”

A delighted yet devilish knowing smile spread across the fire shaman’s face.

“You bastard - you tricked me! What - what was the point of all that?!” angrily babbled the teen.

Hao’s eyes then drifted back down to his blood red pager.

“14 minutes and 21 seconds. A lot faster than I expected. I’m impressed.”

Amazed by his fake uncle’s words of approval and genuine tone, Asakura Hana found himself lost for words. He watched in a stunned silence as his trainer tapped the screen of the small device to observe his trainee’s furyoku numbers.

“Good.” muttered Hao with nod of his head. Without looking back at the bewildered face of the oni-wielding shaman, he calmly began to walk away from him.

Keeping his eyes fixated on the back profile of his strange trainer, the young teen felt an unfamiliar sense of overpowering pride begin to spread within his chest. A cautious small smile appeared on his face.

“Same time and place tomorrow, Hana. Don’t make me come find you!” called the amused voice of Asakura Hao as he began to follow along the river’s edge and make his way towards the rural side of the Village.

At that moment, the silent air was disturbed by the arrival of yet another illusionary being. Asakura Yoh watched with wide eyes as the red burning flames surrounding Hana burnt out and faded away, giving him a clear view of his brother on the opposite side making his exit from the scene. His eyes momentarily scanned the boy up and down, before his frantic gaze fixated back on his twin casually walking away in the distance.

“Hao! Wait!” he called, desperately.

When his words fell on deaf ears, Yoh’s shoulders dropped. Unable to hide his disappointment, he slowly looked back towards the frozen profile of his inter-dimensional son.

“So… uh, the “Fire Ring of Hell”, huh?” muttered Yoh. “How long did you - ?“

“Shut up!” snapped the boy, hastily stomping away and making his way back towards the nearby Patch buildings.

Manta hurriedly appeared by Yoh’s side, gasping for breath.

“He - he - wasn’t really going to die if he - ?“

“Of course not.” interrupted Yoh, solemnly, “Hao never did anything to hurt me. He never would have allowed any harm come to Hana, either.”

A short silence grew between the two friends.

“Yoh… he’s… not the same person now. You can’t be sure about that.”

“You don’t know him like I do.” snapped back Yoh, “I know he’s still here, Manta.”

Manta sighed heavily, he recalled the earlier harrowing expression he saw on his good friend’s face.

“But…” hesitantly began the small human, “…Zeke…is here too, Yoh. You can’t just… ignore that.”

“You think I’m ignoring that?!” loudly cried Yoh, “It’s all I can think about!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to - !” babbled his short best friend - though he cut off his words as he watched Yoh slump to the ground, defeated.

“I’m the one who should be sorry.” sadly muttered Yoh, bringing his knees up to rest against. “I’m the one who got us all into this mess in the first place. This is all my fault. I can’t believe I didn’t see it…” Yoh locked his eyes on his friend as he sat himself beside him, “He was possessed by a demon Manta! For days!” he stressed, screwing his eyes tightly closed, “I screwed up. I let him down. And now…” he trailed off, lowering his head, “I’m losing him all over again…”

Manta sighed sadly, he placed a reassuring hand on Yoh’s knee,

“Yoh…” he whispered, eyes glistening.

Another solemn silence grew.

“Anna and Tamao think this whole thing was a trap…” whispered Yoh, lifting his head slightly. His eyes showed an unfamiliar glint of anger and genuine pain. “Orchestrated by the Gods… to force me and Hao to train the King’s champion. All this time… I truly believed this world was a gift for me and my brother. I should have known it was too good to be true. I am so naïve…”

Manta thought about it for a moment before responding,

“If that means that you and Hao are the reason I have a life in this world, then… I just want you both to know how grateful I am.”

Surprised by his friend’s comforting declaration, Yoh sat up straight and met the genuine expression of the one sat beside him,

“What?” he breathed, astonished.

Manta smiled.

“The past few days travelling with you and meeting all of you guys has been the most incredible experience of my entire life.” he continued, “And… being here by your side feels right. From the bottom of my heart Yoh… Thank you.”

Yoh’s eyes glazed over in response. He paused for a moment as he absorbed Manta’s gentle words,

“Manta…” he choked out.

A determined expression appeared on the kind human’s face.

“Hao said this was my destiny. And I still believe him.” he declared, firmly, “I know things look bad right now, but at the very least… we are all here together. I know I’m not a shaman. But being your best friend means everything to me. I am here for you, Yoh. Every step of the way. Until the very end.”

A greatful smile appeared on the face of the samurai shaman. He immediately threw his arms around his friend, squeezing him tightly.

“Thank you Manta. You have no idea how much that means to me.”

The friends remained there in one another’s tight embrace for a little while,

“There’s got to be a way we can fix this.” sighed Manta as the friends let go of one another, “I mean… isn’t Zeke just another version of Hao? How bad can he be?”

Yoh froze for a moment. Then he sighed deeply.

“Manta...” he said, cautiously, “I hate to tell you this but… there’s an awful lot you don’t know about my brother.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve heard the stories about King from the others. My brother was on a dark path like that once too. I was lucky. I had a chance to see a new path before it was too late. It was all thanks to Hao - the same one that you know in this world. He was the one who opened my eyes to the good that existed in my real brother.”

“Oh…” sadly muttered Manta.

Another foreboding silence grew as a flicker of hatred appeared in Yoh’s eye,

“Zeke is nothing like Hao.” he spat, coldly, “He’s a cancer. A virus. I am not so sure I…”

“It’s like you said.” interrupted Manta, his earlier determined tone unshaken, “Hao is still here. I believe you. I have faith we can figure this out, Yoh. We’ll do it together.”

Blinking at Manta’s choice of words, the unwavering confidence radiating from his friend began to take effect on him once more,

“What would I do without you?”

The best friend duo shared a short peaceful unspoken exchange. Then, Manta’s mind fell back on another urgent issue,

“Looks like Hao did a good job training Hana today but uh, I guess it doesn’t count unless you train him too, eh?” he said with a slight smile.

“Don’t remind me…” sadly replied Yoh, “If he won’t listen to me, we might not even get a chance to save Hao. Because we won’t even exist…”

“He seems like a good kid, you know.”

“Good kid?!” he loudly repeated, “In the last 24 hours, he broke into a Patch store, practically tried to kill me, and has told me to “fuck off” at least half a dozen times.”

Manta laughed.

“You might have met your match, then. And… it’s kinda funny, when you think about it.”

“Oh yeah. It’s hilarious.” Yoh replied, his tone laced with thick sarcasm, “Turns out the shaman I have to train hates my guts because to him I’m his good-for-nothing “dead beat” fake teenage father from an alternate universe. And if I fail it will literally be the end of our world as we know it. Yeah… very funny.”

There was a pause. But after a moment, the pair began to snicker a little bit.

“Okay. Maybe it is a little bit funny…” softly chucked Yoh.

Yoh quickly caught himself. He felt an acute twinge of guilt in his heart for laughing under his worrying circumstances.

Seeing the sudden change in Yoh’s expression, Manta sighed sadly once more,

“Hao wouldn’t want you to be sad, Yoh. It’s okay…”

Yoh let out a frustrated breath of air from his lungs as his frantic anxious thoughts immediately returned to his mind,

“I can’t stop thinking about how he went above and beyond to help me find all of you again. And now… he’s…”

“Yoh…”

“Fake memories or not,” he hastily went on, “I remember everything we did together growing up in our new life. He trained me to win the Shaman Fight. We were supposed to be a team in this. And now… we’re not even on the same side anymore. It’s breaking my heart…”

Mulling over Yoh’s worried words, a thought occurred to his human companion once again,

“If Hao was the one who trained you, then - surely that means he prepared you for anything.”

Astonished by his friend’s unmovable positive outlook, Yoh remained transfixed on Manta’s voice of reason, curious to hear more,

“What?”

“Well - think about it. The other guys… they all had to fight Hao in their world, right?”

Yoh laughed a bit,

“Technically… I fought him my old world too. Hah…”

“Well,” stated Manta, “Perhaps that’s the missing piece from this world, Yoh. It sounds to me like that this your destiny. And who better to prepare you for fighting Hao… than Hao?”

Yoh blinked.

“Huh. I never thought of it like that before…” muttered Yoh, looking away from Manta’s determined eyes for a moment as he spoke.

A toothy smile spread across the short human’s face.

“Hey - I’m your best friend for a reason!” he chuckled, happily.

Manta watched as a grin slowly appeared on Yoh’s lips. A new hopeful expression appeared on his face as he locked himself back on his best friend’s kind face,

“Manta. You’re right. You’re absolutely right! I can do this! I will bring him back to me again!” Yoh leapt to his feet. He looked towards the direction he last saw his twin. “He has always had faith in me. I just have to hold onto my faith in him, too!”

“That’s great Yoh!” cheerfully replied Manta as he too climbed to his feet. “But uh - we still have one teeny tiny problem…”

“What’s that?” blinked Yoh, looking back down at the shorter one stood beside him.

Manta raised an eyebrow in response.

“Oh yeah… shit.”

[beyond-fd]

Shaman King - “Fractured Duality”

This fanfic test is canon in FD - though the writing may vary when published.

"Duality Villian" character development/personality development test

Spoilers for FD Vol 3

Spoilers for the ending of "Alt" Universe

Characters: Alt Hao/Zeke M/M

Continued from here.

“What happened next...?" (Part Five)

“The Illusion and the Demon”

The flustered fire shaman covered his face with both of his hands in an effort to suppress the ridiculous grin on his face and hide his red burning cheeks from the mirror on the opposite side of the room.

“You’re adorable when you try to act serious. When underneath - you’re just a big sensitive softy.”

Hao allowed his hands to fall to his sides. He threw his head back in a defeated frustrated manner.

“Underneath - I have you!” he yelled at the ceiling. He lulled his head forward and shot an aspirated look at the mirror, before his eyes drifted towards the single futon by the window. He began to make his way towards it.

“What… what are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m going to take a nap.” chuckled Hao.

“Why?”

Hao paused in the centre of the room. He couldn’t help looking back at his mirrored image in the broken frame.

“Why do you think? I want to see you.“

There was a silence in Hao’s mind for the first time in a while. Hao’s brow furrowed.

“Zeke?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Hao.”

Stunned by his second self’s words, Hao laughed nervously.

“What? What are you - ?”

“- we can have fun together in the outside world now. Wouldn’t you rather be awake?”

Hao could feel a familiar sense of dread beginning to spread within his chest.

“I just wanted to see you. Is something wrong?”

When Hao’s question went unanswered, he quickly threw the satchel in his hand to the dresser and swiftly made his way towards the free standing mirror and gripped ahold of the frame, he leaned in and gazed intensely at his own face.

“Zeke? What is it?” he pleaded.

“I think from now on… dreamless sleep… is probably for the best.” sadly replied the reflection. “But we can still be together when you’re awake, Hao.”

“What? I’m confused. Are you… choosing not to see me in our world - on purpose?” hesitantly asked Hao.

The reflection did not respond.

“Zeke?”

Hao noticed how his broken reflected face behaved exactly how a reflection should. There was not a single slight difference in his movements, expression, or black glistening eyes.

“Zeke!”

Hao stepped back slowly from the mirror in complete disbelief. He spun around on the spot, observing the empty room around him.

For the first time in a very long time, Asakura Hao was completely alone.

Cementing himself to the spot, Hao could feel his heart beginning to quicken within his chest. His mind began to race with worries and questions. The fluttering radiating anxiety emanating from within made his new poncho feel like it was suffocating him. He quickly removed the thick garment and threw it to the floor. He then turned around and took a few long strides towards the futon and climbed into it.

Screwing his eyes closed, he brought his knees up to his chest in an effort to bring himself some comfort. He knew he hadn’t slept much in the last 24 hours. He hoped that his body would relax enough to fall asleep quickly, though he knew that was unlikely due to his racing mind and heart.

“Zeke.” he gently called out in his mind - hoping that perhaps that would elicit a silent response.

Nothing.

He tried to push the rising anger down that began to bubble up from within. He knew that was not going to help matters, so instead he tried taking in a slow deep breath.

Alone with his thoughts, flashes of the harrowing events of the day began to creep in. Soon after, the officiant’s message came to the surface. And for the first time in a little while, an image of his brother’s face appeared in his mind.

Asakura Hao felt his bottom lip quiver involuntarily.

“What ever it is - we can figure it out! Zeke. Please. Just answer me!”

Hao snapped opened his eyes.

He saw nothing but blankness.

He tried to look around to see if he could see something. Anything.

He attempted to bring his hands in front of his face. But his body would not obey him.

“Zeke!” he called, desperately.

The sound of his own voice in his empty mind world began to echo around him. The noise became distorted, stretching out - becoming louder and louder. Overwhelming his head. Overwhelming his soul.

The noise was deafening. It began to consume his only remaining senses.

“No! Please! Stop!”

The noise abruptly ceased.

The blankness remained still and silent.

Asakura Hao concentrated hard on his only remaining sense.

His acute, powerful, sharp shamanic sense.

He reached out into the empty void. As far as he could.

“I can feel you.” he called softly.

The blackness began to feel closer.

“It’s okay.” he called gently again.

A new sensation began ripple from within the void.

“I’m here.” he called a third time.

Something began to build. Something began to appear in the darkness.

Hao could feel his visual sense returning. He blinked slowly as a familiar sight came into view.

A never-ending mirror that scaled the space infinitely in every direction.

Hao’s own reflection finally materialised before him.

A yellow and black tracksuit.

A pair of brown and golden irises.

But that was not the reflection he wanted to see.

“Zeke…” he sighed softly. “Please.”

“You should wake up, Hao.”

“Zeke, what is it? Why won’t you show yourself to me?”

“It’s not going to be the same in here anymore.” came the sad reply.

“What? What do you mean?”

“I can’t use my powers here now. I can’t make this a comfortable place for you anymore. It’s best if we just talk when you’re awake.”

“I didn’t ask you to use your powers! I just want to see you!”

Hao’s own reflection once again did not change. He gazed desperately at his own eyes.

“Zeke. It’s okay. Just… tell me what’s wrong. What ever it is, we’ll face it together.”

“Hao. I…”

Sensing a genuine ache in his other’s voice, Hao brought one hand up to the glass pane in front of him. His reflection copied him, mirroring his every subtle movement, and he touched palms with his own mirrored hand.

A long silence grew once more.

Asakura Hao took in a slow deep breath.

He recalled his earlier ability to change this plain to his will.

Then he remembered…

This was not Zeke’s realm.

It was his.

“You’re not the only one with powers in this place. Have you forgotten what I am?”

Hao began to gently push his palm against the glass. He smiled as he watched his fingers begin to sink into the mirror.

“Hao! Don’t!”

Ignoring his other’s words, the illusion pulled himself through the infinite mirror until he emerged completely on the other side.

His vision became blurred once more. It took a moment for the figure in front of him to come into view.

He reached a hand towards the face of the one he was searching for.

A pair of piercing eyes began to appear.

But they weren’t those black onyx sparkling irises that Hao adored.

They were like fire.

Alight.

Blood red.

The cheek in his hand was ice cold to the touch.

But Hao did not pull his hand away.

Instead, he lifted his other hand and gently embraced the face of the being in front of him with both hands, as though to bring him some warmth.

The freezing rigid hands of the other returned the touch and gently gripped a hold of the inside of Hao’s forearms.

Asakura Hao smiled.

“There you are.” he breathed, gently.

“This is the real me.” sadly whispered the demon. “I didn’t want you to see me this way.”

Hao took a moment to absorb what he was seeing. Zeke’s frame was like skin and bone. His long hair resembled black ebony straw - and his complexion appeared ghostly and greyed. Then Hao’s gaze drifted to the distinct clean vertical scar between Zeke’s eyes. He noticed how it almost seemed to split his face perfectly in two.

Then Hao realised,

“It was you, wasn’t it?” gently asked Hao. “The vision was you.”

Zeke looked away from Hao’s reassuring gaze. He dropped his arms down to his sides and did not move.

Another silence grew.

“You really did have a twin, didn’t you?” softly asked the illusion.

There was a pause as Hao awaited an answer.

“Yes.” Zeke whispered.

Hao sighed deeply, he tilted his head to the side slightly, as though he was trying to meet Zeke’s eyes.

“All this time… why didn’t you just tell me?”

“I didn’t think you would understand.” muttered Zeke. “You had such a beautiful relationship with your brother. My…”

“It’s okay. I understand now.” gently soothed Asakura Hao.

Zeke finally met his alt’s soft kind eyes once again.

“You’re not angry that I lied?” he asked, curiously.

“My whole existence is a lie.” candidly replied Hao. “If anything, out of the both of us, you’re actually more real than I am.”

Zeke chuckled a bit.

“You’re real to me.” softly replied the demon.

Hao smiled warmly in response.

The seal had ensured they could remain together in some way as separate minds in this realm, but the properties of the binding spell had stripped them both completely bare.

A real soul and a fabricated soul were meeting each other for the very first time.

Hao gently pulled the worried face he was holding in his hands closer to him.

“I never thanked you properly for saving me today.” tenderly whispered Hao.

Zeke let out a soft short breath as Hao brought one hand from the side of his face under his chin and tilted his head. The illusion and the demon locked eyes briefly - and despite the restricted powers of the one responsible for their usual cocoon of comfort, they experienced the exact same overwhelming wave of pleasure they were both so familiar with - as Hao’s soft warm mouth touched to Zeke’s ice cold lips.

Hao reached his other hand around the back of the other’s head and pulled him in deeper. Zeke’s lips parted, and they both sank into one another like perfect harmony. An electric unbreakable shockwave flared between them as a cross-dimensional pulsating force ignited within their mirrored reflected cores.

Asakura Zeke lowered his hands to the small of his alt’s back and harshly pulled him closer, earning him a murmured moan from the illusion within his own throat. Hao ringed his fingers through Zeke’s brittle hair and gripped a handful tightly in his fist. Hao pulled them apart for a moment and gazed deeply into Zeke’s bright burning eyes, allowing them both to momentarily gasp for air.

“Don’t ever, ever - leave me all alone like that again.” firmly demanded Asakura Hao.

“I won’t. Hao. I promise.”

Continue here.

[beyond-fd]

Shaman King “Fractured Duality” - “Just for Fun” Chat

Author: So uh, I noticed I didn’t get a call inviting me for a new “podcast” or what ever since the latest instalment of FD. So I just thought I’d check in. Is everything okay?

The King:

ROTSK Yoh:

Author: Uh. Okay… So um, how is life in the Realm of the Kings?

The King: Are we really doing this?

Author: What?

The King: You have got some nerve showing your face in here.

ROTSK Yoh: Nii-chan…

The King: 🙄

Author: You can’t blame me for all of it, your majesty. I wasn’t the one who created all of you. Your Canon stories are one thing. Flowers is another thing entirely.

The King: I don’t recall there being a certain “variant” in “Flowers”.

Author: Hao, whether you like it or not, he does exist in this universe.

The King: Yes! And he was DEAD. IMPRISONED. For a REASON!

ROTSK Yoh: The story isn’t over yet, right?

Author: Of course not Yoh. You know I don’t do unhappy endings.

ROTSK Yoh: See Nii-chan? There’s still hope! It will all work out.

The King: She doesn’t understand what she’s done, Yoh.

Author: On the plus side, at least it will be fun to watch, right? Weren’t they your exact words, your majesty?

The King: I will NOT be watching some of it!!

Author:

ROTSK Yoh:

Alt Hao:

The King: Wait. Who let him in - again?

Alt Hao: No one, I let myself in.

The King: What?

Author: Ah ha ha…

The King: You are not welcome here.

Alt Hao: Hm, that’s not very kind of you, your majesty. We are the same, does that not mean anything to you?

The King: We are definitely NOT the same. Especially not now!

Alt Hao: Sounds to me like my original duality reflected self is a bit… jealous.

The King: JEALOUS?!

Author: Alt Hao, Zeke, I really don’t think that -

The King: How exactly can I be jealous of two failure variants of MYSELF?!

Alt Hao/Zeke: I thought you just said we are not same?

The King: WE ARE NOT THE SAME. I am the SHAMAN KING!

Zeke: For now.

Alt Hao: ??

ROTSK Yoh: Alt Hao, you do realise that Zeke is trying to kill my brother and take over his throne, right?

Alt Hao: Hm. Well he is only claiming what is rightfully his.

Author: Oh shit.

The King: Have you got these two under control?

Author: Uh, well. I thought I did. But sometimes they even surprise me with what they come out with.

Zeke: Actually. That surprised me too.

Alt Hao: :)

Zeke: Hao are you… okay?

Alt Hao: Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?

The King:

ROTSK Yoh:

Author:

Zeke: What exactly have you got planned for this new “trajectory” of yours?

Author: Oh Zeke. I know you’re new around here, so… let’s just say it’s going to be “fun to watch”.

The King: Zeke, I can’t believe I’m saying this but - I don’t think you’re the most evil one in this room.

Zeke: No seriously, Author - what do you mean? Is something wrong with -

Alt Hao: *yawns* I’m feeling extra tired today. Can we go home now?

Zeke: I swear to God if anything happens to -

Author: Welcome to Fractured Duality, Zeke.

The King: Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Zeke: 😳

[beyond-fd]

Zeke:

Me:

Zeke:

Me:

Zeke: Hm.

Me: Yeah, we have got work to do.

Zeke: ???

Me: You want your cake and you want to eat it too. That creates a bit of problem for me.

Zeke: I really don’t care.

Me: You should care, cause you don’t get to win and take the protagonist of this story with you to the Realm of the Kings forever to do with what you please.

Zeke: Says who?

Me: Says me. I’m the author. I’m in charge here.

Zeke: I seem to recall you are already changing the “trajectory” of this thing or something.

Me: What that roughly translates to Zeke is you need to be “saved”, just like your royal variant.

Zeke: ha ha ha. Yeah ok. Sure. Let’s do that.

Me: I’m serious.

Zeke: And how the f**k do you plan to do that?

Alt Hao: :)

Zeke:

Me: :)

Zeke: Oh no.

the thing about hao becoming the shaman king is that it IS an interesting subversion of shonen tropes to have the antagonist win, it's ALSO the only case I can think of where the protagonist winning would have been more depressing

[beyond-fd]

“You’re real to me.”

Alt Hao/Zeke Content✨

Enter “Alt” Universe here.

Read “Fractured Duality” here.

Read “Making Your Heart Stop” Mini Ep here.

Read “From The Inside” Mini Ep here.

Read “What Happens Next…?” Post Series End here.

Read @ivycorp’s amazing NSFW Alt Hao/Zeke fic here.

Read/See Alt Hao’s Character Profile here.

Read/See Zeke’s Character Profile here.

Watch Zeke’s Antagonist AMV here.

[beyond-fd]

Shaman King - "Fractured Duality"

This is a fanfic test and is currently not "canon" in FD

"Duality Villain" character development/personality development test

Possible Spoilers for FD Vol 3

Spoilers for the ending of "Alt" Universe

Characters: Duality Villain (Alt Hao/Zeke), Yoh, Amidamaru

Continued from here.

"What happened next...?" (Part Six)

“Yoh-dono. It has been quite some time. I don’t think Hao is coming.”

“He’ll be here Amidamaru. I know he will.”

“Yoh-dono…” hesitantly began the loyal samurai spirit. “Hao is…”

“Don’t.”

Asakura Yoh shot a desperate and agitated look at the ghostly apparition beside him. He paused for a moment before his eyes drifted back to the view of the Patch Village below them.

“He’s not gone.” firmly stated Yoh. “I can still feel him. My heart knows, Amidamaru. Hao is still here.”

Amidamaru watched on at his master brooding quietly beside him. He sighed sadly when a flicker of pain appeared on his shaman’s face once more.

“The child could sense it, Yoh-dono. You saw what happened.” gently went on the samurai.

“Opacho can read minds.” argued Yoh. “I can feel my brother’s heart. Zeke is not inside Hao’s heart. He’s inside his head. I won’t - ”

“ - it’s a little more “complicated” than that.”

Yoh spun himself around at the sound of his twin’s voice behind him. Amidamaru took that as his cue and swiftly disappeared from sight.

“Hao!” cried Yoh, alarmed.

Asakura Hao remained perfectly still and composed as he observed his little brother standing by the cliff side wall. Yoh’s eyes frantically examined his big brother up and down. Asakura Yoh momentarily forgot which of his dual worlds he was standing in, as his twin’s attire resembled another version of his brother he knew very well in his heart too.

“You’re familiar with the nature of dual mind, Yoh. So I do not need to explain the complexity to you. You are one person. So am I.” candidly explained Hao. His expressionless face did not change as he spoke.

Yoh blinked as he absorbed Hao’s words. He could feel a twinge of anger within him already rising to the surface. Something about hearing his brother’s new candid and nonchalant tone disturbed him.

“No you’re not!” snapped Yoh. “You’re two completely different people stuck together in one body!” Yoh threw up his hands in front of him as he spoke, gesturing aimlessly towards his twin. Then suddenly, he finally caught on - “Wait. Are you… wearing Silva’s poncho?”

A delighted closed eyed smile spread across Hao’s face in response.

“Good of you to notice. Yes. He was kind enough to gift it to me. All I had to do was ask him nicely.” happily mused Hao. “Being kind can be very rewarding.”

“That’s because that’s who you are! You’re not evil!” yelled Yoh, a little too loud.

Hao’s smiling face fell. He opened his darkened eyes and locked his glare back on Yoh’s desperate face.

“I never said I was. But thank you for implying it.” coldly replied the elder twin.

Yoh blinked.

“No, that’s - that’s not what I - !”

“Silva said you wanted to see me.” interrupted Hao. “What can I do for you?”

“What…?” breathed Yoh, amazed. “Hao - I don’t understand. Can you not see that it’s me?”

Hao nodded his head a bit in response.

“I see you, Yoh. Yes. Is that all you wanted from me?”

Yoh’s brow furrowed. A suspicious look appeared in his eye.

“Am I talking to Hao… or am I talking to Zeke?” he asked, coldly.

“Am I talking to Yoh from our old world, or am I talking to Yoh from this one?” quipped Hao.

“I am both!”

“Well then. You have your answer.”

“No!” angrily argued the younger twin. “Stop twisting things! That’s not the same thing! Zeke is a demon! He infected you! I chose this. I wanted to be this version of me!”

Unmoved by Yoh’s rising angry tone, Hao’s calm and quiet demeanour remained unshaken.

“You’re suggesting I don’t want to be this version of me?”

“Of course you don’t!” pleaded Yoh. “You don’t know what you’re saying! Zeke has twisted your mind! He’s turned you against me!”

Hao chuckled.

“I am not against you, Yoh. It sounds to me like you are making a lot of assumptions about me.”

Yoh froze.

After an uncomfortable silence, Yoh’s shoulders dropped.

“You… really can’t see that I am the same person as I was before?” whispered Yoh, sadly.

“I know that you’re not.” he calmly replied. “My little brother would never assume I am “evil”, assume I am somehow “against him”, assume I am unable to make a choice.”

“It’s more complicated than that Hao! You’ve been corrupted, manipulated… changed! This isn’t you!”

“And I could say the same thing about you.”

“What…?” breathed Yoh, stunned.

Yoh watched in disbelief as another carefree smile appeared on his big brother’s face.

“But don’t worry. Everything will turn out all right in the end. We’re all just fake illusions anyway. None of this is real. So who cares?!”

Hao let out an amused chortle at his own words. Yoh’s face turned a ghostly white in response and tears began to glisten in his eyes.

“I do! I care!”

Hao could sense the genuine pain and sadness emanating from the shaman in front of him. At that moment, his mind fell back on another pressing issue.

“I made an assumption about you myself.” went on Hao. “I assumed you wanted to discuss another matter.”

Yoh inhaled sharply before he let out a desperate and angry sigh.

“What else would I possibly want to talk about?! I wanted to see you! I’ve been worried sick about you!”

“Your concern is unnecessary. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” calmly replied Asakura Hao. “However, I think we both have a more serious matter to worry about. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Yoh found himself lost for words once more. He tried to hide his heartbroken expression and looked towards the ground.

“There’s the issue with the one and only real soul in this entire Village.” went on Hao. “And our shared duty to the King. We won’t have a world to argue in if we do not meet the terms you agreed.”

Yoh shifted uncomfortably on his feet. He absentmindedly kicked a loose piece of gravel and shoved his hands into his tracksuit pockets.

“He won’t listen to me.” quietly muttered Yoh. “He hates me.”

Hao grinned.

“Well then. Looks like I can be of some assistance to you after all.”

Continue here.

[beyond-fd]

Shaman King - “Fractured Duality”

This fanfic test is canon in FD - though the writing may vary when published.

"Duality Villian" character development/personality development test

Spoilers for FD Vol 3

Spoilers for the ending of "Alt" Universe

Characters: Alt Hao/Zeke M/M

Continued from here.

“What happened next...?" (Part Five)

“The Illusion and the Demon”

The flustered fire shaman covered his face with both of his hands in an effort to suppress the ridiculous grin on his face and hide his red burning cheeks from the mirror on the opposite side of the room.

“You’re adorable when you try to act serious. When underneath - you’re just a big sensitive softy.”

Hao allowed his hands to fall to his sides. He threw his head back in a defeated frustrated manner.

“Underneath - I have you!” he yelled at the ceiling. He lulled his head forward and shot an aspirated look at the mirror, before his eyes drifted towards the single futon by the window. He began to make his way towards it.

“What… what are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m going to take a nap.” chuckled Hao.

“Why?”

Hao paused in the centre of the room. He couldn’t help looking back at his mirrored image in the broken frame.

“Why do you think? I want to see you.“

There was a silence in Hao’s mind for the first time in a while. Hao’s brow furrowed.

“Zeke?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Hao.”

Stunned by his second self’s words, Hao laughed nervously.

“What? What are you - ?”

“- we can have fun together in the outside world now. Wouldn’t you rather be awake?”

Hao could feel a familiar sense of dread beginning to spread within his chest.

“I just wanted to see you. Is something wrong?”

When Hao’s question went unanswered, he quickly threw the satchel in his hand to the dresser and swiftly made his way towards the free standing mirror and gripped ahold of the frame, he leaned in and gazed intensely at his own face.

“Zeke? What is it?” he pleaded.

“I think from now on… dreamless sleep… is probably for the best.” sadly replied the reflection. “But we can still be together when you’re awake, Hao.”

“What? I’m confused. Are you… choosing not to see me in our world - on purpose?” hesitantly asked Hao.

The reflection did not respond.

“Zeke?”

Hao noticed how his broken reflected face behaved exactly how a reflection should. There was not a single slight difference in his movements, expression, or black glistening eyes.

“Zeke!”

Hao stepped back slowly from the mirror in complete disbelief. He spun around on the spot, observing the empty room around him.

For the first time in a very long time, Asakura Hao was completely alone.

Cementing himself to the spot, Hao could feel his heart beginning to quicken within his chest. His mind began to race with worries and questions. The fluttering radiating anxiety emanating from within made his new poncho feel like it was suffocating him. He quickly removed the thick garment and threw it to the floor. He then turned around and took a few long strides towards the futon and climbed into it.

Screwing his eyes closed, he brought his knees up to his chest in an effort to bring himself some comfort. He knew he hadn’t slept much in the last 24 hours. He hoped that his body would relax enough to fall asleep quickly, though he knew that was unlikely due to his racing mind and heart.

“Zeke.” he gently called out in his mind - hoping that perhaps that would elicit a silent response.

Nothing.

He tried to push the rising anger down that began to bubble up from within. He knew that was not going to help matters, so instead he tried taking in a slow deep breath.

Alone with his thoughts, flashes of the harrowing events of the day began to creep in. Soon after, the officiant’s message came to the surface. And for the first time in a little while, an image of his brother’s face appeared in his mind.

Asakura Hao felt his bottom lip quiver involuntarily.

“What ever it is - we can figure it out! Zeke. Please. Just answer me!”

Hao snapped opened his eyes.

He saw nothing but blankness.

He tried to look around to see if he could see something. Anything.

He attempted to bring his hands in front of his face. But his body would not obey him.

“Zeke!” he called, desperately.

The sound of his own voice in his empty mind world began to echo around him. The noise became distorted, stretching out - becoming louder and louder. Overwhelming his head. Overwhelming his soul.

The noise was deafening. It began to consume his only remaining senses.

“No! Please! Stop!”

The noise abruptly ceased.

The blankness remained still and silent.

Asakura Hao concentrated hard on his only remaining sense.

His acute, powerful, sharp shamanic sense.

He reached out into the empty void. As far as he could.

“I can feel you.” he called softly.

The blackness began to feel closer.

“It’s okay.” he called gently again.

A new sensation began ripple from within the void.

“I’m here.” he called a third time.

Something began to build. Something began to appear in the darkness.

Hao could feel his visual sense returning. He blinked slowly as a familiar sight came into view.

A never-ending mirror that scaled the space infinitely in every direction.

Hao’s own reflection finally materialised before him.

A yellow and black tracksuit.

A pair of brown and golden irises.

But that was not the reflection he wanted to see.

“Zeke…” he sighed softly. “Please.”

“You should wake up, Hao.”

“Zeke, what is it? Why won’t you show yourself to me?”

“It’s not going to be the same in here anymore.” came the sad reply.

“What? What do you mean?”

“I can’t use my powers here now. I can’t make this a comfortable place for you anymore. It’s best if we just talk when you’re awake.”

“I didn’t ask you to use your powers! I just want to see you!”

Hao’s own reflection once again did not change. He gazed desperately at his own eyes.

“Zeke. It’s okay. Just… tell me what’s wrong. What ever it is, we’ll face it together.”

“Hao. I…”

Sensing a genuine ache in his other’s voice, Hao brought one hand up to the glass pane in front of him. His reflection copied him, mirroring his every subtle movement, and he touched palms with his own mirrored hand.

A long silence grew once more.

Asakura Hao took in a slow deep breath.

He recalled his earlier ability to change this plain to his will.

Then he remembered…

This was not Zeke’s realm.

It was his.

“You’re not the only one with powers in this place. Have you forgotten what I am?”

Hao began to gently push his palm against the glass. He smiled as he watched his fingers begin to sink into the mirror.

“Hao! Don’t!”

Ignoring his other’s words, the illusion pulled himself through the infinite mirror until he emerged completely on the other side.

His vision became blurred once more. It took a moment for the figure in front of him to come into view.

He reached a hand towards the face of the one he was searching for.

A pair of piercing eyes began to appear.

But they weren’t those black onyx sparkling irises that Hao adored.

They were like fire.

Alight.

Blood red.

The cheek in his hand was ice cold to the touch.

But Hao did not pull his hand away.

Instead, he lifted his other hand and gently embraced the face of the being in front of him with both hands, as though to bring him some warmth.

The freezing rigid hands of the other returned the touch and gently gripped a hold of the inside of Hao’s forearms.

Asakura Hao smiled.

“There you are.” he breathed, gently.

“This is the real me.” sadly whispered the demon. “I didn’t want you to see me this way.”

Hao took a moment to absorb what he was seeing. Zeke’s frame was like skin and bone. His long hair resembled black ebony straw - and his complexion appeared ghostly and greyed. Then Hao’s gaze drifted to the distinct clean vertical scar between Zeke’s eyes. He noticed how it almost seemed to split his face perfectly in two.

Then Hao realised,

“It was you, wasn’t it?” gently asked Hao. “The vision was you.”

Zeke looked away from Hao’s reassuring gaze. He dropped his arms down to his sides and did not move.

Another silence grew.

“You really did have a twin, didn’t you?” softly asked the illusion.

There was a pause as Hao awaited an answer.

“Yes.” Zeke whispered.

Hao sighed deeply, he tilted his head to the side slightly, as though he was trying to meet Zeke’s eyes.

“All this time… why didn’t you just tell me?”

“I didn’t think you would understand.” muttered Zeke. “You had such a beautiful relationship with your brother. My…”

“It’s okay. I understand now.” gently soothed Asakura Hao.

Zeke finally met his alt’s soft kind eyes once again.

“You’re not angry that I lied?” he asked, curiously.

“My whole existence is a lie.” candidly replied Hao. “If anything, out of the both of us, you’re actually more real than I am.”

Zeke chuckled a bit.

“You’re real to me.” softly replied the demon.

Hao smiled warmly in response.

The seal had ensured they could remain together in some way as separate minds in this realm, but the properties of the binding spell had stripped them both completely bare.

A real soul and a fabricated soul were meeting each other for the very first time.

Hao gently pulled the worried face he was holding in his hands closer to him.

“I never thanked you properly for saving me today.” tenderly whispered Hao.

Zeke let out a soft short breath as Hao brought one hand from the side of his face under his chin and tilted his head. The illusion and the demon locked eyes briefly - and despite the restricted powers of the one responsible for their usual cocoon of comfort, they experienced the exact same overwhelming wave of pleasure they were both so familiar with - as Hao’s soft warm mouth touched to Zeke’s ice cold lips.

Hao reached his other hand around the back of the other’s head and pulled him in deeper. Zeke’s lips parted, and they both sank into one another like perfect harmony. An electric unbreakable shockwave flared between them as a cross-dimensional pulsating force ignited within their mirrored reflected cores.

Asakura Zeke lowered his hands to the small of his alt’s back and harshly pulled him closer, earning him a murmured moan from the illusion within his own throat. Hao ringed his fingers through Zeke’s brittle hair and gripped a handful tightly in his fist. Hao pulled them apart for a moment and gazed deeply into Zeke’s bright burning eyes, allowing them both to momentarily gasp for air.

“Don’t ever, ever - leave me all alone like that again.” firmly demanded Asakura Hao.

“I won’t. Hao. I promise.”

Continue here.

[beyond-fd]

Shaman King - “Fractured Duality”

This is a fanfic test and is currently not "canon" in FD

Possible Spoilers for FD Vol 3

Spoilers for the ending of "Alt" Universe

Characters: Silva, Alt Hao

Continued from here.

"What happened next...?" (Part Four)

There may only be twelve shaman occupants in the Village at present, thirteen if a demonic presence were to be considered a legitimate contestant and not fall under the same umbrella as a guardian ghost, yet the tired and overworked officiant found himself just as busy in this fabricated realm as he did in any of his past living variations.

Circling himself back to the forest-ends of the Village’s outside perimeter, he reluctantly arrived back at the modest dwellings of the small hut sheltered by the meadow’s trees. Remembering the King’s strict instructions “no matter what happens, do not interfere” - he hoped that getting himself involved in a relationship breakdown did not fall within that category.

Silva approached the small wooden door once again, certain that the strange shaman that dwelled within was likely still admiring himself, and he decided he’d save himself another awkward encounter and knock this time.

Moments later, the door swiftly opened, and that over-friendly smile greeted him once more.

The strikingly similar in appearance pair did not exchange a word at first as the small satchel was swiftly handed over. The shorter one instantly opened the bag to inspect its contents, immediately pulling out the clinking metal plated belt in his fist.

Hao looked up and met Silva’s expressionless eyes and smiled warmly at him in genuine gratitude.

“I have a message to pass on.” firmly stated the Patch officiant.

“Oh?”

“Yoh wishes for you to meet him at the “usual spot” this evening.”

Silva watched as Hao stared blankly at him for a few moments, then he blinked as his expression seemed to flicker to life once again.

“I see.” replied Asakura Hao. “Thank you Silva. And thank you for coming so quickly.”

Silva nodded his head, but was alarmed to see Hao’s face suddenly flush a bright red. Before Silva could respond, the mortified shaman rudely and abruptly slammed the door closed in his face.

“You asshole!! You’re so embarrassing!!!”

Silva froze for a moment, then he sighed deeply and shook his head.

No matter what happens - do not interfere?

He most certainly did not want to interfere with what ever the hell was happening here.

Continue here

[beyond-fd]

Shaman King - “Fractured Duality”

This is a fanfic test and is currently not "canon" in FD

"Duality Villian" character development/personality development test

Possible Spoilers for FD Vol 3

Spoilers for the ending of "Alt" Universe

Characters: Alt Hao/Zeke M/M

Continued from here.

"What happened next...?" (Part Three)

Asakura Hao felt his face flush in response to his internal second self’s words. He knew his thoughts, like his body, were also shared with his other half - and there was no point in trying to deny or hide the intense excitement Zeke’s words had induced in him. Feeling somewhat vulnerable, he shifted himself on the mirror, as he attempted to get away from the eyes that were staring intensely into his own.

The reflection clicked his tongue in response.

“You’re trying to hide from me?” he chuckled. “How cute.”

Hao allowed his hair and the collar of his new poncho to fall in front of his face, obscuring the glass plain from view. He smirked behind his make shift hiding place as he waited for the inevitable follow up,

“You’re going to drive me crazy, aren’t you?”

Hao let out a playful laugh in response.

“Aren’t I the one with a voice in my head? Who is the crazy one here?”

“Is that all I am? A voice?”

Hao peered over the poncho and met his own eyes in the mirror once again. He watched as they glistened gently, as though there was a genuine sense of disappointment shown in his reflection’s expression.

Hao’s playful smile dropped.

He leaned in closer to his mirrored face.

“Of course not. I was just teasing you.” softly soothed Hao.

The one in the mirror smirked in response.

“I know. I just wanted you to show me your handsome face again.”

Hao blushed fiercely in response to the demon’s flirtatious words. Then he chuckled a bit.

“It’s your face too, you vain bastard.” he quipped with a grin.

Zeke let out a genuine laugh in response to his other’s remark.

There was a pause as the reflected mirrored pair gazed at themselves for a little while. Until eventually, Hao finally climbed back to his feet. He picked up the broken mirror and stood it up back in its original place. He smiled warmly at himself once again before he turned around and observed the small plain single-occupant room surrounding him.

He quietly considered how the ordinary indoor lodgings offered more privacy than a traditional tent.

“I was thinking the same thing.”

Hao took in a short inhale of breath. He felt an internal tingling sensation radiating below his abdomen, though he was unsure if that was just his own adolescent body reacting to the gentle purring tone in his head, or if it were the ethereal powers of the one occupying his mind.

“The officiant should be back soon.” he muttered, he craned his head back slightly, bringing one hand to his neck beneath the poncho, as though to try and hold himself back from the temptation. “They have a habit of letting themselves in without announcing themselves.”

“I have that in common with them, then.”

Hao chuckled a bit.

“In more ways than one. Yes.”

“It just makes it more exciting.”

“You’re not the one who has the deal with the embarrassment of getting caught.”

“What’s to be embarrassed about? Touching yourself is natural.”

“He is well aware I am not alone.”

“Then you can blame me for being a naughty influence on you.”

Hao ran both of his hands through his hair as his body began to involuntarily respond to the nature of his silent conversation. He let out an aspirated and frustrated sigh.

A silence in his mind followed.

“You know, if you had called Nichrom, he would have been back by now.” teased Asakura Zeke.

Asakura Hao let out an amused laugh and shook his head. He turned back around and shot a devilish smirk at the mirror behind him.

“You’re such a prick.”

Continue here.

[beyond-fd]

My heart of hearts true love will always always be angsty twins. 🔥

It’s why I’m in this hole.

This fic is a core memory too.

For @hao-and-yoh

I told you I cannot ever be allowed in FD, it would not end well - now you have written proof (I am so sorry)

Warnings: angst, hurt/comfort(?), self-injury, not compliant with main/alt FD timeline

(Please check out @hao-and-yoh 's Fractured Duality, it's magnificent!!)

Yoh sat on the bench, the hum of the ice machine nearby keeping him company as the model's neon flickered on and off irregularly, and let out a long, long sigh.

This wasn't supposed to go this way.

Their adventure in the western desert was supposed to be exactly that - an adventure!

They were going to enjoy each other's company, find his friends, get the gang all together and have a generally nice time in this reality, one made especially for them.

So why…

Why had it gone so wrong?

He let his head bump against the wall behind him.

Hao had been acting a bit strange lately, the lapses of memory and occasional disorientation spell coming out of nowhere, but he wouldn't have ever guessed that there had been something masquerading as his brother right in front of him and he wouldn't have the slightest clue.

Hell, when they had a moment to themselves as they got into this motel room - paid by Ren, a fact they were reminded quite often - if his twin wouldn't have let it slip about the many worries and self-deprecating remarks that seemed to be going around his mind, he wouldn't have demanded they dug deeper.

He wouldn't have learned about Zeke.

Hao tried to calm him down, at first; he had explained the sense of peace that the other presence had given him, how much clarity had he gained about his deficiencies - he needed to be aware of his faults and limitations, what he was responsible for, really, there was nothing untrue being said-

Yoh thought otherwise.

Nothing that made his brother feel like this - think of himself like this - could be truly friendly.

He dragged out of Hao everything he could: he learned about the loss of time, the lack of memories that seemed to have shaped his twin's interactions with others without his knowledge, the blasted yellow pager getting lost despite knowing he had it on…

As they went on, he could see that Hao was starting to find the holes in his self-normalised deception; his expression began to fall before his eyes widened as he rejected the whispers inside his head aloud, leading to Yoh having to hold him down until he calmed down - enough so that he could tell his younger brother more about that presence, one to even have its own name.

The most startling was the revelation that the reflections seemed to be the triggers - while his twin had no memories of what happened when he wasn't in control of his body, he could only suspect something else had to take the lead, or his loss of consciousness would have been much easier to spot by anyone.

That someone had to know him well - had to know what he was, what he did, what he could do - and was clearly familiar with information only they and the King knew.

Since there was only one possible culprit at hand…

Yoh really wanted to be wrong, to give Hao a reassurance, but if he did so, he would have lied to himself just like his twin was up till now.

How many times had he spoken to the imposter thinking it was his dearest brother, though? 

Hao's story made it sound much too often…

The conversation left them both drained; for Yoh it was because he had to process so much information on top of the mess they were already in, and for Hao…

The unveiling of the depth of his willing ignorance of all the warning signs was a massive blow to his already weakened psyche.

Yoh urged him to try to sleep, to try to tackle it again after some rest - to which his brother only laughed at him hysterically.

Dreams weren't safe anymore.

He wasn't safe anywhere.

Neither of them was safe, now that he suspected Zeke - it would take one lapse and the other could show his true colors, knowing that the cover had been blown.

Yoh didn't know what to do, honestly: his brother had to sleep from time to time or he would go mad, which would not be helpful; they had no idea where did the intruder come from nor how intertwined he was into Hao's mind. 

By backtracking through the few memories his brother had, he could see warning signs in Zeke now that he allowed himself to look without the filter of the love for his sibling; the flashes of cruelty, the confidence that went above the one Hao had intrinsically, the willingness to lie to them both in the face…

He needed to get some air.

He offered the same to his brother, but Hao had rejected the option, curling down on the bed.

“I'm going to think here,” his older twin explained, looking at the wall intently, but when he turned with his shoulders dropping towards the door, he looked back and offered a soft smile, attempting a cheer.

“Take all the time you need - I'm sure it will all sort itself out anyway in the end.” 

Yoh smiled back, as usual at those words, and promised to be back soon.

It's been a while now.

He was nowhere closer to finding a way, but he would ask his friends for help - in the meantime he would need to guard his brother in his sleep, to make sure Zeke does not get out when they're not looking…

He got up from the bench.

That was enough moping - he had a twin that needed him right now.

“Hao?” he called out, knocking on the door as not to startle the other with his sudden entrance, but when there was no answer he decided to apologize later; when he pulled on the handle, the unoiled hinges creaked as the door opened, revealing dark room lit by the bright light coming from the ensuite bathroom.

Did he forget to turn off the light?

Actually… had he turned the lights off when he left the room?

Odd…

Yoh went inside, looking for signs of his brother among the mess on the bed and the floor, but nothing looked to be the right shape in the shadows, so he kept on walking until his hand fell beside the light switch. “Is everything okay?” he asked, before he peeked inside.

His twin was standing in front of the sink mirror, one hand gripping on the edges of the ceramic tightly, face obscured by his long hair, but at the sound of another voice he looked around, smiling.

“Look, Yoh,” his brother said, lowering his other hand from his head, blood staining his arm, “he won't be able to deceive us anymore.”

Yoh needed a couple of seconds to truly take in what he was seeing, but the moment he did, he rushed in, assessing the damage.

Hao had blood all over himself, the deep red under his fingernails spreading to the wrist like ink, but Yoh focused more on his face - or rather, his eyes.

The eyes that sparkled with emotion whenever his brother was excited.

The eyes that looked at him with fondness and adoration.

The eyes that rolled when Hao huffed at a particularly bad joke he had made.

Those eyes… 

Those beautiful, familiar eyes…

They were gone.

“Hao, what have you done?” he whispered, tracing over the edges of the still bleeding sockets, the tears clogging up his throat as Hao leaned into the touch, nuzzling against his palm.

“What good is a reflection without eyes to see it?” his brother replied with satisfaction, a cheeky grin on his lips, but when Yoh let out a sob he reached back, using the hand on his cheek as a guidance to place his own on his twin's face, the other blindly, hesitantly landing on the side of the other's neck.

“It's alright, Yoh, it's alright,” he assured, sliding the palm down to squeeze on the shoulder instead, but his gentle words fell on deaf ears as his younger twin leaned away, hands falling away as he dug nails deep into his skin in hopeless anger.

“How is it alright?!” Yoh cried out, the frustration making him shake; yet, when he saw Hao try to find him again, fingers missing him narrowly, movements uncharacteristically graceless, he didn't wait to join their hands again.

When his brother leaned forward, he mirrored him at once, foreheads touching as they slid to the floor.

“I did it to myself, didn't I?” Hao's soft voice rang across the tiny bathroom, his hair falling around him like curtains, cutting them both from the rest of the world. “I did it for us…”

In this little cocoon of safety, the cold of the tiles didn't seem to reach Yoh; longing to be closer, he slid their foreheads apart as he looped his arms around his brother's torso, burying himself in the nook of his neck.

“We could have found a way…” he mumbled, the warmth of his twin's body helping to begin to ground him, leading him away from the bitterness that threatened to take over.

A touch on his back made him squeeze his arms, tightening the hug, while his brother's soothing voice hummed along the circles he was rubbing with his bloody hand.

Right now, Yoh didn't care about the stains.

“Maybe we could,” Hao began to list, “maybe we couldn't have,” he added, a twinge of sadness soon turning into that of anxiety, “maybe the way out would have shown itself after he's already hurt you and our friends-”

He stopped, both words and motions ceasing; Yoh felt the chest below him expand as his twin took in a deep breath, and the hand on his back moved to his hair, tousling it gently.

“I couldn't take this risk,” Hao murmured, pulling him closer, halfway onto his lap, “not when I could have prevented it at a small cost.”

Yoh bit his own lip, crushing the complaints of the universe's unfairness when it came to his older brother; he wouldn't undo Hao's sacrifice, he had to acknowledge it without belittling the end result - but by the stars, it was breaking his heart.

“This wasn't a small cost.”

A chuckle made it out of the other's ribcage, shaking him a little; the arms that cradled him moved him up, the long hair tickling him as he was shifted.

A moment later, he sat with his back pressed firmly against his brother's chest, Hao's breath tickling him as his twin laid his chin down by his neck.

“For you? I would've done it over and over again,” came the late reply, accompanied by two arms moving to loop around his chest this time around.

He looked down, Hao's fingers suddenly looking more vulnerable than ever, despite still being covered in the rusty twinges of blood, and placed his own hand on top of them, sighing in resignation.

“Please, don't scare me like that again,” Yoh pleaded quietly, the futility of this request already apparent to him, and, judging by the twitch of these thin digits, Hao knew it too.

Still, right now, he just needed to hear those words.

He closed his eyes, trying to not think how he most likely would never get to see his brother's again.

Hao had bought them time.

They could fix it.

They would find a way.

It would all work itself out in the end.

He repeated that to himself as the embrace around him tightened, and, unbeknownst to him, a cruel smirk stretched itself on the other boy's mutilated face.

“I promise,” Zeke purred into his ear, the lie sliding off his tongue with ease as he held this fake Yoh close, delighted in hearing his little disgustingly positive mantra.

It really did work itself out in the end for him, didn't it?

[beyond-fd]

Shaman King - “Fractured Duality”

My response to @ivycorp’s absolutely out of this world NSFW Alt Hao/Zeke fic. Find it here. 🔥

FD “Alt” Universe - This Mini Ep is canon

Rated Teen - Mature. M/M | Adult language.

One Character POV - Events take place at the start of Episode 13 (Final Episode)

“Making Your Heart Stop”

It was one of the longest and most uncomfortable nights he could remember in his long, tangible, complicated memory.

The atmosphere in the room almost resembled the crippling infinite lonely void. In fact, at one point, he almost wished he could be back there, just to escape the intense awkwardness and relentless suffocation created by all the bodies in the tiny cramped room.

Especially by the one glued to his side.

His pretend brother had kept his concerned firm gaze on his closed eyelids for hours. He could tell every subtle rising movement of his rib cage was being monitored too - like an anxious new mother watching their newborn sleep in their crib.

His more exercised yet still pathetically weak power was the only means to make him certain the other seven exhausted illusions in the room had all finally succumbed to sleep.

He didn’t know how long he had.

But he had to get out of that damn cabin.

Carefully elevating himself from the uncomfortable hard floor, his sudden shift from his cramped position echoed an unwanted creak in the boards beneath him. He froze - quickly looking down at the identical one’s face. Seeing no change, he was careful to ensure his long stray hairs did nothing to disturb those closest to him as he managed to silently climb to his feet. Opting to step over the one behind him who was the least likely to stir - the ice wielder’s amazing ability to sleep so heavily and without a care despite their circumstances assured him he was the safest route out.

Reaching his exit, his final mission was to escape out of the cabin door unheard and unseen. He glanced over his shoulder and briefly observed the green-haired culprit sleeping peacefully by the foot of the couple’s bed.

“Yes. Sleep you whiny little piece of shit. This was all your fucking fault.”

He momentarily considered scalping him. The raw events from just a few hours before were sitting right below the surface. He literally could feel the freshly healed layers under his skin. The excruciating physical pain he had to endure whilst his alt intensely panicked-

Zeke felt a wave of panic himself when he saw the X law turn over on the mattress to face his direction. But seeing her big closed eyelids made him remember what he was trying to do.

He was also trying to escape.

He gently and carefully unlocked the door and decided the next few movements would be best done as fast as possible…

He pulled opened the door and hopped outside, closing it quickly but then softly at the hatch. He even left it the tiniest bit ajar to make his return as quiet as possible too.

Holding his breath, he reached out mentally and did a sweep of the sleeping minds inside.

Success.

The skyline was starting to become a faint white as dawn approached. He scanned his surroundings, taking notice of the beauty of the forest and the neighbouring mountainous landscape beyond the lake.

It still continued to amaze him how real this world seemed. Seeing it through another’s eyes made him wonder if that was why he noticed more details, more colours. Was it Hao’s pure nature that made him see the world around him in such technicolour, or was it the fact he had been without a world to see for so long?

Then his mind returned to him.

He felt an unusual little skip in his chest cavity.

A new symptom. Elicited by the thought of his other, whilst he was the one alert and in control.

Interesting.

He decided quickly he needed to find refuge in case one of the others were to come looking for him. He made a barefoot dash to some nearby dense trees. It would be best not to go too far, so he could be found if necessary - and not rouse too much suspicion of his intent.

He could make up some excuse about doing a sweep of the perimeter, to check for any more dangers.

Secure in the fact that the one behind the unwanted hell borne visitors was safely tucked away.

He found a giant sycamore. He obscured himself behind it and threw his back against it.

He knew he didn’t have long. The others were all keen to leave this place. They were going to reach their final destination. He knew today was the day.

His mind raced, as did his heart.

The consumption was still incomplete.

That was not ideal.

He had an opportunity now, but it was risky.

Granted, the body had unfortunately undergone very little sleep. It probably wouldn’t take too long to fall back into REM.

But he would be vulnerable in this scenario.

Yoh was already suspicious of his night time affairs.

Hao’s sweet little freudian slip did not go unnoticed by him.

Then something else occurred to him.

If he were to slip back into their shared realm now, back to his resting second consciousness, chances are - he would succeed.

Easily.

So why did that option feel so…

…wrong?

That skip in his chest instantly returned.

Was that a sign, a symptom, that Hao… really, truly… wanted this?

Zeke knocked his head back against the acre.

His mind fell back on his last unsuccessful merge attempt.

He thought he had learned from his mistakes.

He had tried to rush things at the last minute.

He had allowed his real other half to fester.

Take his time to grow his strength.

This time, he allowed things to build up slowly again. It served his goal in the exact same way.

Looking back now, was he also delaying the inevitable last time too?

Was he going to end up in the same situation all over again?

Desperate?

Would Hao be somehow…

…taken from him?

The idea caused another skip in his chest, except this time a pull in his stomach accompanied it. The idea of them being ripped apart literally turned his stomach.

But what options did he have?

Delay the merge just one more night - and risk everything falling apart at the Village.

Complete the merge right now. Become one whole person. One whole soul.

Forever.

And never hear the other’s voice again.

He wrapped his arms around himself. He gently caressed his smooth soft arms with his fingertips.

This body belonged to the other.

But it was his too.

And somehow, the acceptance he was feeling, in his soul, in his heart, was telling him something significant.

Perhaps it was just his twisted possessive wishful thinking.

But this time, the other half was willing.

Obedient.

Trusting.

Natural.

Because Hao was him.

He allowed his legs to succumb underneath him and he slid down the woodland giant until his rump hit the earth.

He pulled his knees up close to his chest.

Sometimes he wished he could talk to the illusion when he was the one in control. Their relationship likely would not allow it. He was the virus. He was the one on the inside, not the other way around.

But what did Hao want?

There was no way of truly knowing without asking him.

But he couldn’t risk that.

Not just because of his fear of rejection. Especially if he removed all of his methods to keep Hao comfortable during this unbearable process.

Without that, Hao would see him for what he really was.

An evil monster.

A demonic invader.

But what if he consented. What then?

Hao wouldn’t be truly “gone” - they’d just be one being. At peace. Working in tandem. Blissfully unaware anything was different.

But that realm they shared would cease. Their ability to become themselves in what ever immaterial fashion would no longer be possible. Their conversations - as ridiculous as they can be - would stop…

…for good.

They were the same person.

But they were also two very different half souls.

Born from two very different worlds.

They were “meant to be.” The ex-King had told him exactly that.

Yet thinking about that twisted scheming God now made his skin crawl. The emotional torture he watched that bastard put Hao through was excruciatingly painful to experience second hand.

Though he knew he wouldn’t be here, in this dilemma, or even in some way physically without the external helping hand.

Was he supposed to be fucking grateful?

Asakura Zeke put his head between his knees.

He never expected it to be this hard.

All he had to do was close his eyes.

Breathe slowly.

And within a minute or so, he would have Hao back in his arms.

They could be together one final time.

It would be short.

It would be painless.

It would be over in moments.

He could even ensure it was rather pleasurable.

That was when another new symptom became aroused within his adopted form.

He lifted his head from his knees, a little alarmed.

Is that… what these symptoms were?

Desire?

Wanting?

Yearning?

A small devilish smirk appeared on his face.

If that’s what this confusion meant, it took him an embarrassingly long time to figure it out.

Hao wanted him.

“Heh.” he muttered with a grin,

“Why didn’t you just say so?”

[beyond-fd]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Shaman King (Anime & Manga) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Asskura Hao/Asakura Zeke Characters: Asakura Hao, Asakura Zeke Additional Tags: Masturbation, in more than one sense of the word, Choking, Teasing, non-canon event within Fractured Duality universum created by Hao_and_Yoh Summary:

Sometimes the only one who can bring you satisfaction is ‘you’

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