Work Text:
Since the penguin show they attended a week ago, courtesy of Manta, Yoh has been obsessed with those black and white birds that couldn’t fly and instead lived in water. It reached a point where Yoh wouldn’t shut up about them and it was driving him nuts.
“Did you see them waddle across the ice in groups and huddling together for warmth? It was so cute…”
Hao was half listening and half imagining how to shut Yoh and that penguin obsession of his. Of all animals Yoh could took a fancy at, it just happened to be penguins, the hardest to find and take care of because of their living conditions.
If it was just a cat, he would just go and find some stray, or strays, and fill the inn with them so Yoh could gush about them all he wanted, that would be the perfect excuse to get Anna to approve, but not, his little brother had to be difficult and like penguins of all things.
“They were all so chubby and feathery, and their dance was so cheerful, it just brings a smile to your face…”
Anna was ignoring him, focusing instead on her telenovela, and letting him be the recipient of Yoh overwhelmed enthusiasm. Hao thought Yoh would forget about the show after the week, but he underestimated how obsessed Yoh could be with the silliest things. The worst was that he couldn’t just leave because Yoh would start giving him that sad look, the one an abandoned puppy would use, and he would feel a heaviness in his chest.
Everybody thought Yoh was the naïve and innocent brother, but he was every bit a manipulative as Hao himself, but of course, nobody saw that, and instead Hao would take all the blame. Not that he minded.
“Alright, that’s it.” Hao said, stopping whatever Yoh was saying.
“What do you mean, Nii-chan?”
The look Anna was giving him said all loud “If you make Yoh cry, there will be hell to pay” and Hao had to roll his eyes. Like he could hurt Yoh in any way or form.
“Nothing, I just remember I promised Opacho I’d take her to the zoo.”
“You’re taking Opacho to the zoo?”
The hurt in Yoh’s eyes and the suspicious in Anna’s stare almost make him sigh. Sometimes he thought they teamed up just to drive him up the wall.
“Stop that, Yoh, you’re not five,” Hao told him. “Besides, you already went with Anna yesterday!”
“Oh, that’s right.” In the span of a second, Yoh was all smile and cheerful air again.
“See you later, little brother, Anna.” Hao bid them goodbye and went out the inn with a show of flames.
“Bring me something!”
“You’re cleaning that ash, Hao!”
The voices of Yoh and Anna faded away as he got away from the inn. Now he just had to put his plan into motion, and hopefully Yoh will stop his endless chatter.
Appearing a few blocks away, Hao made his way to the hut in the middle of some woods where he was staying with Opacho and Luchist; not that he spent much time there, what with his little brother constantly asking him to the inn, even going so far as to plead with him to move with them. Of course, with the silly friends of Yoh always hanging around, and Anna’s silent death glares because she wanted their little private space without his loitering self, there was no way for him to agree.
“Hao-sama!” Opacho greeted him with enthusiasm, running to him with a big smile.
“Hao-sama,” Luchist nodded in his direction before returning to the reading of some black book which name he didn’t care to find out.
“Let’s go, Opacho, we are going to the zoo.”
“Opacho is going to the zoo with Hao-sama!”
Hao just smile at the happiness of the little kid, picking her up to let her sit on his shoulders.
“I need your help with something.”
He didn’t actually need the help for what he was planning, but he thought that Opacho could get some fun out of this little plan he concocted in the spun of the moment after hearing Yoh go on and on about those cute little things penguins.
Of course, Opacho was happy to be of help. She was a pure child with a heart of gold, and he would make sure she stayed that way.
Luchist didn’t say anything when they left. That was the good thing about him, he understood him in ways his other followers could never do.
It didn’t take them long to reach their destination, appearing close to the place he thought the penguins could be. They lived mostly in cool climate and near water, so he only had to find the place adapted to those conditions.
Meanwhile, Hao walked with Opacho, letting her watch in awe at some of those animals. He didn’t really agree with the way humans caged them, but Yoh wouldn’t let him go around freeing them when he first learned about those places, and Anna beat the outrage out of him really quick with her legendary left, not that he would ever admit it, he just saw some sense in their words, that was all.
Thinking about the things he had to tolerate because of his little brother, Hao sighed at his luck in this life. Yoh better be grateful that he has been on his best behavior with the humans. He only set one dumb human’s pants on fire in the whole month, and that was because he was saying something about his poncho!
“BIG PANDA!” Opacho shouted, and Hao watched out of the corner of his eyes the panda Opacho was pointing at. “Like Ching’s Xiong Xiong!”
Thinking about it, didn’t Hang Zang-Ching meet his guardian spirit at a zoo, too?
“Opacho likes fluffy kitty!”
After hearing Opacho’s words, Hao surveyed their surroundings, trying to locate the kitty that Opacho took a liking to. Now that he thought about it, why he didn’t get a kitty for Opacho before? Maybe a yellow one with black stripes. Opacho would love it, he was sure.
“Where is the kitty, Opacho?”
“There!”
Opacho was still pointing at the giant panda when he looked at the direction she was signaling. When Hao was about to ask again, he saw movement behind the panda. Squinting his eyes for a while, he finally found what looked like a baby panda at the back.
There was some resemblance, he had to admit. Maybe that was the reason they were called cat-bears in some countries.
“Do you want a kitty, Opacho?”
“Opacho wants little kitty!”
Hao smirked, that could easily be arranged.
“This is what we are going to do, Opacho.” Hao whispered some words into her ears, and she nodded in understanding.
“Opacho helps Hao-sama!”
Hao let her go running, to create havoc while he got himself inside the place where the penguins were being held. It didn’t take long for him to find them, they were tobogganing on their belly and doing happy dances amid the cheers from some spectators.
Soon he started hearing shouts and running feet from the outside.
“THE PANDAS BROKE FREE!”
“RUN!”
“A TIGER!”
When the news of the mysterious breakout of the animals reached the ears of those inside, panic immediately set in, and an evacuation order was spread from the zoo’ staff.
Finding himself alone, Hao looked closely to each penguin to find one that Yoh would like. One gazed at him while he was in the middle of his inspection, and started singing and dancing, trying to catch his attention.
“I supposed you would do.”
If it wasn’t such a hassle, he would take them all, but he very much doubted they would resist travelling on Spirit of Fire.
Quickly taking the penguin under an arm, Hao made his way to the outside, where pandemonium seemed to break loose.
He promised Yoh he wouldn’t go freeing the animals of the zoo, but he never said anything about not asking other people to do it in his stead.
“Opacho good job?”
Finding Opacho in the middle of the chaos, hugging the baby panda that was almost her size in her arms, Hao laughed out loud.
“Opacho did an excellent job!”
Opacho beamed at him full of happiness, and Hao ruffled her hair with pride with his free hand. Thanks to her he managed to kill two birds with one stone.
“Let’s go.”
If Opacho was curious about the penguin he was taking with him, she didn’t show it, instead she said that it was cute and asked if it was related to the panda because they shared the same color pattern.
“This is a penguin and is for Yoh.” Hao explained while they left. “But this is a surprise. Can you help me keep the secret, Opacho?”
“Opacho keeps secret!”
“Thank you, Opacho.”
Hao took Opacho to the hut before going back to the inn, but instead of going through the front door, he sensed where his little brother was and appeared directly there. Luck seemed to be on his side because Yoh was alone on his room listening to Soul Bob.
“Nii-chan!” Yoh exclaimed in surprise when he saw him. “What’s under your arm?”
“Look for yourself.”
When Hao finally release the penguin and let it stand on is own feet, he saw Yoh’s eyes widening in surprise.
“A PENGUIN!”
“You told me to bring you something, didn’t you?”
“A PENGUIN!”
Yoh immediately got up and hugged the penguin like it was the most sacred thing of the world. For some reason, the penguin seemed very happy with all the attention, not even bothered by the rough trip it had.
“YOU BROUGH ME A PENGUIN.” Yoh’s excitement could easily rival a five-year-old’s one. “You are the best brother of the world.”
Hao let the praise wash over him. He would never admit it, but those words made him feel warm all over with an indescribable joy filling his being.
“HAO ASAKURA, WHAT DID YOU DO?!” Anna’s voice rang through the house promising retribution.
Hao blinked in surprise at the speed in which Anna realized he was in the inn. Maybe he underestimated her a little when he chose to sneak into Yoh’s room to give him the penguin.
The rice paper door was slid open a few seconds later, revealing a very angry Anna standing on the other side.
“Look what Nii-chan got me, Anna!” Said Yoh as soon as he saw her, bringing the penguin to her.
Anna only raised a brow when she saw the penguin, but didn’t comment anything about it. When she looked at Hao, there was a fire in her eyes that spoke of danger.
“I just saw the news,” Anna started saying sweetling after telling Yoh to wait for her downstairs. “Someone set all the animals of the local zoo free. Care to explain?”
“I didn’t do it.” Hao said, shrugging, and it was the truth, he didn’t set them free.
“And the penguin?”
“I found it.”
Anna looked at him suspiciously, not believing a word he said. Too bad, he was saying the truth, he didn’t set the animals of the zoo free, and he found the penguin, neverminded that he orchestrated the whole thing.
He gave her the most charming smile he could put off, channeling his inner Yoh, but that only made her rolled her eyes in annoyance.
“You’re lucky Yoh is so happy.”
As long as Yoh was happy, Anna would turn a blind eye to almost everything, and Hao knew this very well. But that was good, he wouldn’t want it any other way.
His brother happiness was the most important thing of all.