Run - Chapter 6

[icedragontmr]

Title: Run
Author: Juri
Pairing: Ohmiya, hint of Sakumiya
Rating: R
Beta: shardaunei
Genre: AU, Romance, Mystery
Summary: After a night of drinking, Ohno finds himself 100 years in the past staring at a person who looks exactly like Ninomiya. Looks are deceiving though; This Ninomiya is hardened by war and has wounds deeper than can be seen. Ohno tries his best to fit in and get along with this new Ninomiya, but he's reminded every so often that reality is harsh.

Holding Ninomiya Kazuoki's hand, disregarding everything, I ran with all my might into the woods nearby. If someone was following us, I wouldn't know, I didn't care. The cold air is excruciating when I try to breathe. I cough and catch my breath against a tree. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I look back to see Ninomiya doing the same, only on the ground.
"What the hell happened?" Ninomiya says through huffs.
"I don't know, but I'm not in the mood to find out if anyone is coming for us! Come on!"
I grab Ninomiya's hand once again, pulling him up and taking off into the woods. Ninomiya stops me at one point to say he knew the area and proceeded to take me in the correct direction. Something was wrong with Ninomiya though; he was in pain.
Limping to a halt, we set up a camp for the night. I push my body to its limits gathering firewood and climbing over fallen trees just to find something to eat or drink. I walk back to camp, unable to find any source of nourishment. I half want to collapse. Ninomiya sets up the fire. Ninomiya plagues half of my thoughts. The more I watch him, the more pain I can see he is in. He massages his leg when he thinks I am not looking, only to show pain on his face when he stops.
   As I sit next to the fire blazing before us, I feel an awkwardness around the two of us. Ninomiya Kazuoki strokes the fire with a branch and sighs. I curl my legs to my body and watch him. Ninomiya had said that it was at least a day's walk back to the village. I was thankful he knew this area. But I'm afraid of what he is currently thinking. I'm afraid that he heard everything that Evil Me had to say.
"Your leg," I start to say. "...Does it hurt?"
"Only a little. Don't worry about it. I'm sure you are hurt worse though," he replies.
"I'm sorry I pushed you so far when we were running."
"Don't worry about it. Let's have a look at you though. I know it's cold, but bear with me, okay?"
We scoot closer to the fire and Ninomiya helps me undress the upper half of my body. He lightly runs a hand along my side under my arm and I wince. Even this light a touch and I'm in so much pain. I must have broken something.
"Sorry," he apologizes. "You are really bruised here. I can't really treat it until we get back to Manami either... Keep breathing and try not to push yourself much more." He then proceeded to check my shoulder, gingerly unwrapping the bandage, only to wrap it back up again a few moments later. "Your shoulder looks fine. Bleeding a little bit, but overall okay. None of your stitches came out."
I chuckle, sorely. "Okay, Dr. Ninomiya."
After a short pause, I ask, "Was he really...Shota's killer?"
Ninomiya pokes at the fire as best he can. "That was him. I wouldn't mistake someone like him. A cold blooded killer." Ninomiya picks up leaves from around him on the ground and throws them into the fire without remorse.
I wince. That man...was unmistakably me... But why hasn't he said anything to me about what that man looked like? Shouldn't Ninomiya hate me? I open my mouth to ask him what the killer looked like to him, but I close it a second later, averting my eyes.
I am unable to think of anything intelligent to say, so I laid myself on the ground only to feel something sharp poke into my leg. I sat back up and searched my hakama. The wooden cat charm attached to a thin rope gleamed back at me.
"What's that?" Ninomiya asks.
"Some girl gave it to me in your village after I arrived. She told me it was a good luck charm but so far it's only brought me bad luck," I say with a sigh and toss the small piece of wood near the fire. It fell just short of the flames.
Ninomiya quickly grabs it and uses the fire's light to examine it. "I think it's kinda cute. It's pretty lucky actually, if you think about it."
"How so?"
"Well, it seems to have saved your ass quite a few times. You've had it in your pocket this whole time, right?"
"I don't get it."
Ninomiya sighs. "You've been cut, you've been arrested and thrown into a cold prison. Not to mention that whole ordeal we just went through and yet somehow, you've survived it all. You're still alive. We keep finding each other. It keeps bringing us together. But somehow..." he pauses. "It seems...I really don't know anything about you other than your name..." he says with a sad tone in his voice.
I pause for a moment. "I'm found out, huh..." I sigh. It was only a matter of time after all.
"That man...everything he was saying... It's true? You're not from this time?"
My thoughts were an absolute nightmare. "I wasn't sure whether I should tell you or not. This is actually... I guess... Almost 100 years before I was born. You are my past and I'm your future."
"How is that possible? That's absurd. Time travel isn't possible!"
"It's still not possible in the future, not yet at least."
His brow furrows but then he's back to having more energy and more questions. "So, for starters, who are you? It's really rude to live in my house for six months and not tell me about yourself! Do you have a family? Friends? Lover? Or lovers, I won't judge!"
I feel overwhelmed by the questions he asking, no matter how simple they are.  "Well... My name is Ohno Satoshi. My birthday is November 26, 1980. I'm a person who can sleep anywhere and I love food."
"You can sleep anywhere? You don't have to worry about being killed?" he questions.
"No, no," I laugh. "It's a world where no one carries a sword and guns are only owned by a small number of very specific people. There is still war but it's different now," I explain.
"This time travel stuff is too much for me..."
"How do you think I feel?!!!" I retort emphasis. "You nearly killed me when we first met. You shoved your katana in my face when I arrived!"
"Sorry, I'm sorry!!"
We both pause to laugh. Telling Ninomiya about myself, spilling all the secrets that I kept within myself, for fear that I was meddling with the future, feels very similar to a weight being lifted off of me.
Ninomiya continues, "Do you have anyone at home? A girlfriend or wife? Children?"
"No. No, I don't. I'm not married. But there's someone that I like." I look to Ninomiya. This entire time is a tease. I'm with my friends and yet I'm not. I can't tell jokes or behave the way I normally would. Especially with Ninomiya. My heart pounds in my chest.
"Nino." Ninomiya says. "It's that guy Nino." Ninomiya, Edo Ninomiya or Tokyo Ninomiya, no matter which one it was, has always been observant. He points to himself. "You called me that when we first met, remember? Well maybe you weren't calling me."
"Ninomiya Kazunari." The name is almost stuck in my throat.
"What's so special about him? It sounds to me like he hasn't even looked at you...well, like that if you know what I mean..."
A small chuckle escapes me. "There's nothing 'special' about him... I met him when I was 18 and ever since then I've kind of been pining after him, unrequitedly."
"What did he do? He must have done something to make you notice him, at least!" Ninomiya pries.
"I was going to quit my job at the time. I dropped out of high school, but I was a good singer and a good dancer. Everyone said I had talent and I let the praise go to my head. I thought I'd be able to get by on my talents alone and that I didn't need someone to tell me what I could and could not do. The day I was going to quit, Nino talked me out of it. He told me that I was running from my future, a successful future. That the people who think they can get by on pure talent alone are fools. He is three years younger than me. It's funny to think how smart and insightful he is. I'm grateful he stopped me that day. If I had quit, I would be nobody. I would probably be an unemployed loser living paycheck to paycheck, waiting for a big break that was never going to come."
"So, moral of the story: You owe him your life."
"I guess you could say that." I couldn't hide it anymore. "You've saved me so many times. You remind me of him. You look just like him." I reach out and caress his chin where his freckle was strategically placed and he just lets me. "Nino...miya." There's something melancholy about my meeting Ninomiya in this time period.
"Nino is fine," he says.
I close the distance between us and brush my lips on his. He catches my hand before I can remove it and whispers my name, "Satoshi."
It feels like a dream. It cannot be anything more than a dream.
He kisses my forehead, the side of my mouth and then finally kisses me fully and wholly on my lips. They are such simple kisses and yet I feel my heart breaking, falling into desolation. I find it hard to breathe and I have to stop him to catch my breath. Tears were trying to form but I hold them back as best as I can. Without having to say anything, Ninomiya held me close.
"You can cry. I'm not looking," he tells me. With that, the tears stream down. I sob into his shoulder and grip tightly to his body.
*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*
When I woke in the early morning, our fingers are entwined and I snuggle closely to Ninomiya. I close my eyes a second time and move as close and comfortably as I can to his body, mindful of the pain my body is in when I move. Our body heat is much more comfortable than the freezing cold around us. Unconsciously, Ninomiya wraps his free arm around my shoulder and pulls me close. The only thing that made me sad was him uttering "Shota."
I move my head to look at him. A sad smile graces my face as I'm bitterly reminded that I am not from this time. I'm not as wanted like I think I am. I desperately miss Kazunari. I didn't tell him anything.
I didn't tell him anything.
*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*
I help Ninomiya dispose of our campsite once we were up and moving. We had about half a day's walk back, according to Ninomiya. Anything was better than being where we were, that was for sure, and the more we moved, the warmer we would be.
The arduous trip took a toll on my entire being. The energy I replenished the night before was draining right from me. We took constant breaks, walking as far as we could until we had to stop.
"We don't have much further. We're maybe...two or three hours away," Ninomiya smiles.
"Good, because I don't know how much longer I can last."
Ninomiya shakes his head. "You really aren't from this time, are you? Any normal person would be able to hike three times as much as us and get to their destination in half the time."
I argue with Ninomiya. "Then what is stopping you? You can go on ahead if you would like. I'm only holding you back, obviously."
Childishly, Ninomiya grins then hides his face from me. My guess is to hide the blush that spread from ear to ear on his face. "My leg is bothering me. And I need to make sure you get home."
How thoughtful of you, I think to myself with a smile.
*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*
We finally arrive at an area I recognize, surprisingly enough. I wanted to cry I was so happy. I was glad to be back in an area in which I could let my guard down. But I was still weary of the townsfolk we passed as we made our way back to the Ninomiya's. All the uneasiness I felt melted away when we saw Manami. She ran to us and wrapped her arms tightly around our necks, crying in joy that we were home.
"Oh, Kazuoki! You're safe! You too, Ohno-san!" she cries.
"Manami..." Ninomiya says. "It's okay."
"I'm so sorry, Ohno-san. I'm so sorry..." she sobs.
I am not sure what to tell her. Should I tell her everything is alright now, or should I remain quiet, never really reassuring her that the evil man we thwarted was behind it all. True, the incident was far from being her fault. It was that Evil me who was the root cause. "I-it's okay," I tell her. "You were doing it for the baby, it's okay."
Manami releases us and focuses her attention on Ninomiya once she dries her tears.
"H-he's back." Manami's face lights up. At first, Ninomiya is confused. Manami repeats the words and immediately after, Ninomiya sprints into his home.
I try to follow closely behind, I'm so weak. I catch up with him only to come to a halt right behind him.
Was I seeing this correctly?
My eyes gaze at a man sitting in on the floor, happily rocking the baby Souji. He looks older than Kazuoki and I. He had brown hair styled in a half-up, half-down fashion similar to Ninomiya's. He looks like war aged him greatly but somehow managed to maintain a light hearted, gentle smile. He stops and looks right at the two of us. I can hear Ninomiya swallow. He has a look on his face that is very similar to seeing a ghost.
Is this Shota? No... It can't be. He doesn't look like Sho. Who is this person?
"Taisuke," Ninomiya mutters. My eyes widen and take a second glance.
As if he was there the entire time, the man named Taisuke nods his head and gives a greeting. "Kazuoki!"
Manami takes the baby from his arms. Taisuke approaches Ninomiya and gives him a strong hug.
"You're alive..." Ninomiya says in disbelief.
"I'm home! I'm home and I'm staying home. I plan to marry Manami. I'll take responsibility for your leg and all the hardship I've caused you--"
Ninomiya holds up a hand to silence him. Quietly, he asks, "Where were you?"
"I had business to take care of. That's all I have to say."
Ninomiya nods, then turns and walks away. None of us says anything to stop him or make him turn around.
I chase after him, up the hill and to a tree. He begins to kick the strongly rooted, unmoving tree, over and over and over, the kicks intensifying as he carried on. Each kick is a plea.
"That bastard! That godforsaken bastard! He runs away from his duties. He leaves Manami pregnant and disappears for almost a year! He wasn't there to protect Shota! It's because of him my leg is messed up!"
I try to make him stop but he wouldn't listen.
"That son of a bitch shows up and that's all Manami cares about! She didn't care that we disappeared for days or hiked back here over twenty-four hours! We could have died and it wouldn't matter because that mongrel came back to her!"
"Nino, that's enough!" I put a hand on his shoulder only to be pushed away. I see white when he shoves me and I wince. My arm reactively reaches across my body and I'm bent over.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Ninomiya, as a sign of concern, slowly lowers his body to the ground next to me and allows me to use him as a crutch to lower myself to his level.
"Look at us," I wince with a smile. "We're so broken, physically, mentally..."
"But we're alive..." Ninomiya confirms.
In a lifeless tone, I reply. "That we are..."
*~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~*
  Another month passed us by. My shoulder injury healed and my rib cage felt better. Taisuke waited on Manami and the baby hand and foot. Ninomiya returned to his old self, the person I met when I first arrived. A person closed off and unwilling to expose himself.
If I hadn't known any better, I'd say that he turned in a rather pensive person, and if I had one guess as to what it was about, it was undoubtedly Shota. It was a given that right after he ran off, Ninomiya never forgave Taisuke for abandoning Manami and ultimately blamed him for Shota's death. Even after his return and pledge to make things better, I can tell that Ninomiya couldn't (or wouldn't) forgive or forget.
One night, I separate myself from the merriment of the household and walk up to the hill. The evening sun was setting, the city illuminated by the light glows as if on fire. A sight like this was certainly something I didn't see back in Tokyo. You would have to find very specific buildings and stand in specific spots to catch the best glimpse of the sunset in the urban jungle. I smile to myself. I think to myself, I'm happy in this time.
"So this is where you went?"
I turn and see Ninomiya standing behind me with a smile on his face. After a long time, I was finally able to see the new Kazouki make a reappearance.
"Got a problem with that?" I snap back at him.
"No, not really."
A pregnant pause comes between us. I attempt to start a conversation.
"So... Taisuke is home..." 
"Ohno... Let's not talk about that."
Shot down........
He speaks again. "When are you going back to your time?"
I smirk, but sadness intervenes. "Never,...probably. I think you're stuck with me, Nino."
Ninomiya looks like he wants to say something but stops himself. Giving it a second though, he says, "I think that's fine. You don't have to go back. You can stay here with me..."
I tease him. "Where did selfish Kazuoki come from?"
"Stop making fun of me, alright?! I just... I don't want to see you go. That stupid wooden cat keeps bringing us back together anyway. It's hard to get rid of you. Besides, I can't send you home to someone who doesn't...l-love you," he stutters
I see him try to hide his blushing face and I laugh. "Alright," I tell him and after a moment I say, "I guess I don't mind staying here. I would have liked to go home; you can be quite a pain in the ass--"
"That's uncalled for!!" he interrupts.
I laugh trying to finish my sentence. I find it difficult to be serious. "If I can be with you, I think I can live out the rest of my days here."
He frowns for a second but then happily agrees.
We spent the next hour watching the rest of the sunset before standing to return for dinner.
"I'm sure Manami is waiting for us," Ninomiya says.
The two of us turn. Five gunshots ring in my ears and it isn't a moment later that I don't realize I'm falling backwards alongside Ninomiya. My breath hitches when my body hits the ground trying to breathe. I feel cold. I turn my attention to Ninomiya. Ninomiya is face down, eyes closed, not breathing. I can't call to him. I ache too much and I feel my strength draining, quickly. A hand comes and forces my chin upward. I come into eye contact with myself, my evil self from before. Tears began to form in my eyes.
"You can't escape your fate. You could have changed it, but ah... Life can be cruel if you don't act," he said.
He removes his hand. My head flops to the side, giving me a momentary glance at Ninomiya Kazuoki as my vision darkens. Residual tears fall across my face. I lose all feeling and fade from existence.
A jolt caused me to jump from my seat. Like receiving a serious shock, I looked around to notice I was sitting on the train.
"What the heck? That hurt..." Ninomiya Kazunari rubbed his head and clicked his tongue.
"...That...was a dream..." My eyes widened taking in the scene of sitting inside modern transportation. Impossible!
"Warn me next time if you have a nightmare. It hurts to smack your head against something, seriously..." Ninomiya said then smacked me in the arm without warning. He rubbed his head again and checked for blood.
"What's the date? What time is it?!"
Ninomiya raised an eyebrow then checked his watch. "It's December XX, 2011, and it's currently, 11:43 p.m."
I'm home?

________________
OOC: Again, the formatting is all weird. I'm sorry. I'm also really sorry this update is so late! I meant to get it out earlier in the week but I've been swamped with work and then a series of really bad storms that spawned some tornadoes O,o
Anyway, one more chapter after this!