[Fic] Fast Forward. Rewind
Title : Fast Forward. Rewind (Part 8)
Pairing : Ohno/Nino
Rating : PG
Summary : He’d been trying to uncover the truth about the events prior to their departure from Yamato for years, but all he could dig out from it was the same thing that had been reported repeatedly on national television, regarding the congregation’s involvement in the attack in Tokyo, and nothing more.
Warning : mentions of mass murder, religious cults
Note : crossposted in AO3 and in DW
Yamato, Early Spring 1995
“Something weird is going on,” he whispered in the dark, trusting Ohno could hear him. He knew neither of them should be here at this hour, especially not after the incident at the underground tank a couple of days ago, but he had to talk to Ohno or else he’d go mad.
The silence bothered him as much as Ohno’s proximity did, and he wondered if the other guy was aware of it.
“You noticed it too, didn’t you?” he added. It was at this point that Ohno chose to sidle even closer until their arms touched, and Kazunari couldn’t help the way he’d inhaled sharply in counter.
“Yes,” Ohno breathed, and startled Kazunari by reaching over to grab his hand. “For the first time in years, my dad allowed me to talk to my mother. And he was saying something about a big event happening soon. I have no idea what it is but I have a suspicion it has something to do with the Leader losing the election,”
Kazunari tried to focus on listening, on breathing, but it was difficult when his heart was beating a mile a minute and he was having trouble keeping still. He wanted to look at Ohno while he was talking but Kazunari was afraid Ohno would catch him.
“How about you? What made you think that something weird is happening?” Ohno asked, clearly unmindful of the way he was still holding Kazunari’s hand in his.
Kazunari cleared his throat. “It’s about my mother, too. She tugged me to the bathroom this morning while my father was asleep to tell me to be careful and patient, and then gave me money and told me to keep it, just in case. She didn’t say what I would use it for, just that it’s important that I keep it somewhere safe but easy to retrieve in case I have a need for it,”
Ohno didn’t speak for a moment, but when he did, Kazunari was certain that his voice was marred with emotion he was too afraid to acknowledge himself. Then Ohno shifted, pulled at their joined hands before Ohno reached out to settle his other hand against the side of Kazunari’s neck.
“Oh-chan?”
“Whatever happens, promise me you’ll save yourself,” Ohno whispered, “I might not be able to do it myself, because god knows something might happen to me first, but promise me, Kazu. Promise me you’re going to leave this place at the very first chance you get, you hear me?”
Kazunari wished he could tell Ohno no, that he had no plans of leaving Yamato without his family, without Ohno and Aiba and Jun and all the other kids he’d considered friends but he couldn’t. He couldn’t, because then Ohno was surging forward and kissing him so quick his mind couldn’t catch up so fast to the movement until Ohno was doing it again. Kazunari gasped, lips part under Ohno’s eager ones and effectively rocking Kazunari to the core as he gripped Ohno’s arms tightly.
His first kiss, he thought, reeling at the feel of it, was earth-shattering.
And it was perfect.
He wondered if it would also be his last.
-----
Tokyo, Early Spring 1995
The long drive would have normally left him sleepy, his sister too, but he guessed that was just understandable, given the circumstances. They were exhausted, yes, but it was difficult to shut their minds off if only for a little while, to rest, especially with the way things were at the moment.
His sister’s grip was a reminder that at least, despite the difficulties of what they had to endure from the moment they stepped foot out of Yamato, it was the fact that no matter what, he knew he didn’t have to do it alone. A part of him knew he should be grateful - he was safe now, he and his sister both, but even the thought of that only made him feel worse than he already were to begin with.
Opposite him, Aiba-kun struggled to keep quiet, muffling his cries against the back of his hand as Matsumoto-kun, who was sitting next to Aiba-kun, tried his very best to calm the older boy down. The sight of him only made the painful things in Kazunari’s chest worse.
As if on cue, Sakurai-san came out from the direction of the kitchen she’d disappeared into a little while ago, holding a tray filled with cups. Trailing behind her was a boy about their age, with bright, round eyes and looking unusually alert at this ungodly hour. He was also carrying a tray like Sakurai-san.
They were near enough when Kazunari realized there were biscuits too, senbeis, and familiar-looking individually-wrapped plum cookies. Kazunari’s stomach growled in hunger, a reminder that he wasn’t just exhausted, he was starving too.
His sister squeezed his hand when Sakurai boy came forward with the tray, offering Kazunari the contents of it. Kazunari bowed his head in quiet thanks and grabbed the first one his eyes caught - two packs of senbeis, his mother’s favorite - while resisting the urge to cry.
“Sho-chan, would you hand this over to them, please?” Sakurai-san asked her son, who obeyed without saying a word. He looked not much older than Kazunari, but there was something in his eyes that told Kazunari he’d understood the situation perfectly.
Two cups full of milk soon made their way on the table in front of Kazunari and his sister, and he looked up to see Sakurai-san’s boy staring kindly down at him.
“Drink it while it’s warm. It will help you relax,” the boy said. Kazunari smiled.
No one talked after that, as Sakurai-san stood by watching them. Her son had probably gone back to bed when Kazunari realized he was no longer there. He drank the remains of the milk in the cup he was offered, and was vaguely aware of his sister’s movements next to him.
She was speaking before Kazunari realized what she was going to do. “Sakurai-san, I don’t mean to be rude but, what exactly is going to happen to us now?” she asked, directing her gaze on the woman who’d saved the five of them tonight.
Kazunari lowered his head just as Sakurai-san approached. She looked exhausted too, but given the fact that none of them five children knew the extent of what she was willing to do for them after saving them, he guessed it was just normal to want to know that, right?
“I know this is probably not the right time to discuss this but I could understand why you want to know right away,” Sakurai-san murmured as she took a seat next to Matsumoto-kun, eyeing the five of them with something akin to tenderness behind her eyes.
“Tomorrow, the five of you are going to be meeting the families that are adopting you,” she said. Kazunari wondered if he was hearing her wrong, until she met his gaze and murmured, “I know this is sudden, I’m sorry, but that’s the only way we know we could do to protect you.”
----
Roppongi Hills Residence, Minato-ku
Tokyo, Present day
His head was throbbing when he came to, much like the rest of him really, but he was still so out of it to even tell the extent of his injuries. He tried to move his hands but he could barely feel them, and god, his head felt like it was going to crack in two.
“Ugh,” he groaned, or at least he did but he couldn’t hear himself through the annoying ringing in his ears, coughed when dust went straight to his nostrils when he inhaled.
“You’ll be fine,” a voice told him just as he felt himself being pushed onto his back, groaning once more when the movement jostled his obviously dislocated shoulder. He tried to open his eyes to see who was there - are the medics already here? - but he could barely see anything.
“W-Who…Who are y-you?”
Silence, but Nino could feel the uneven beat of the other person’s pulse through his hands touching Nino’s face. He still couldn’t see a damn thing, and he was pretty certain he was quickly losing the feeling on his lower half too.
“I’m here to help,” the voice added, and Nino could vaguely make out the words the other person was saying. There was another movement, and then Nino was certain it was because he was being dragged, out of the door or into safety, he couldn’t tell anymore. The person was still saying something, but it was hard to understand any of it when Nino was fastly losing his strength and his consciousness along with it.
He was out like a light the moment his shoulders hit something, groaning as the pain became so overwhelming he’d passed out before he could verbally complain about it.
----
Tokyo General Hospital
Tokyo, Present Day
When he woke up again, it was bright, almost too much so that he was groaning his complaint before he even realized he was doing it. Then there was the distinct sound of feet scraping across the floor followed by the feel of someone’s hand touching his face, and the memory of the same thing prompted Nino to open his eyes fully.
The sight of Takashina’s worried face as he loomed over Nino made him wince, but it was made worse by the proceeding sound of the door opening and closing, coupled with the familiar sounds of shuffling feet. Not even a minute later, he was surrounded by three grown men, all of them were simultaneously asking Nino if he was alright.
Nino closed his eyes and forced his hand up to silence them, regretting the action immediately after. Thankfully, they did.
He groaned when the room fell quiet once again, trying to remember why it felt like he’d been ran over by a speeding taxi after he’d been tossed out of a burning building.
“W-What happened?” he croaked, mentally cursing at the way his voice sounded like gyrating sandpapers.
“We should be asking you that, Sensei,” said Jun from somewhere near Nino’s head as Nino resisted the urge to roll his eyes in answer.
Takashina-sensei, however, was speaking before Nino could. “The medical team that brought him in said they found Tokai-sensei already out of his apartment when they arrived. There was an explosion coming from the direction of the kitchen, but until now, we still don’t know what caused it. I’ve been told that the police had been there to investigate,”
“According to the preliminary investigation, the cause of the explosion was from a homemade pipe bomb that had been setup at the scene earlier,” Aiba answered this time, gaze catching Nino’s from the opposite side of the hospital bed. “The explosion would have been enough to kill you, Tokai-sensei, but thankfully, you made it out before the blast hit you. Do you remember how it happened? Did you see anything before the explosion? Anything suspicious?”
Nino blinked. Then raised his head to meet his friends’ worried gaze, Takashina’s too. Sho-san wasn’t saying anything, but Nino could tell the older man was worried too, if not scared. He didn’t know how defend himself now that their fears had materialized, and almost killing Nino instantly. The dangers they’ve evaded years ago had come to hunt them again, and it was there, right at their doorstep, waiting.
“Yes,” he murmured, as the memory of the earlier incident came back to him in a rush. “But I’m not so sure it was what I think it was,”
Jun stepped forward this time. “What do you mean?”
“Someone was there in the apartment when I arrived,” he started, remembering the mutilated corpse lying on his living room floor, as was the man that saved him from ending up in pieces before the explosion. “and also a dead body. I saw it before the explosion. I was about to call 119 when someone caught me from behind and threw me on the floor, the explosion following after that.” He explained.
Aiba, Jun and Sho exchanged glances, but it was Aiba who said, “We found the dead body, but not the person you claimed saved your life,” Aiba informed him, “The test results came back this morning and it said that that man is none other than Takahashi Katsumi-san, one of the guys who allegedly found the Yamato grave site accidentally.”
Nino frowned. “Why would that guy’s dead body end up in my apartment?”
It was Jun who’d stepped forward this time. “That’s exactly what we’re trying to find out, Tokai-sensei,” he said, “But to be honest? It’s obvious this is intentional. Someone wants you dead, and they also want to frame you for Takahashi-san’s death.”
Pairing : Ohno/Nino
Rating : PG
Summary : He’d been trying to uncover the truth about the events prior to their departure from Yamato for years, but all he could dig out from it was the same thing that had been reported repeatedly on national television, regarding the congregation’s involvement in the attack in Tokyo, and nothing more.
Warning : mentions of mass murder, religious cults
Note : crossposted in AO3 and in DW
Yamato, Early Spring 1995
“Something weird is going on,” he whispered in the dark, trusting Ohno could hear him. He knew neither of them should be here at this hour, especially not after the incident at the underground tank a couple of days ago, but he had to talk to Ohno or else he’d go mad.
The silence bothered him as much as Ohno’s proximity did, and he wondered if the other guy was aware of it.
“You noticed it too, didn’t you?” he added. It was at this point that Ohno chose to sidle even closer until their arms touched, and Kazunari couldn’t help the way he’d inhaled sharply in counter.
“Yes,” Ohno breathed, and startled Kazunari by reaching over to grab his hand. “For the first time in years, my dad allowed me to talk to my mother. And he was saying something about a big event happening soon. I have no idea what it is but I have a suspicion it has something to do with the Leader losing the election,”
Kazunari tried to focus on listening, on breathing, but it was difficult when his heart was beating a mile a minute and he was having trouble keeping still. He wanted to look at Ohno while he was talking but Kazunari was afraid Ohno would catch him.
“How about you? What made you think that something weird is happening?” Ohno asked, clearly unmindful of the way he was still holding Kazunari’s hand in his.
Kazunari cleared his throat. “It’s about my mother, too. She tugged me to the bathroom this morning while my father was asleep to tell me to be careful and patient, and then gave me money and told me to keep it, just in case. She didn’t say what I would use it for, just that it’s important that I keep it somewhere safe but easy to retrieve in case I have a need for it,”
Ohno didn’t speak for a moment, but when he did, Kazunari was certain that his voice was marred with emotion he was too afraid to acknowledge himself. Then Ohno shifted, pulled at their joined hands before Ohno reached out to settle his other hand against the side of Kazunari’s neck.
“Oh-chan?”
“Whatever happens, promise me you’ll save yourself,” Ohno whispered, “I might not be able to do it myself, because god knows something might happen to me first, but promise me, Kazu. Promise me you’re going to leave this place at the very first chance you get, you hear me?”
Kazunari wished he could tell Ohno no, that he had no plans of leaving Yamato without his family, without Ohno and Aiba and Jun and all the other kids he’d considered friends but he couldn’t. He couldn’t, because then Ohno was surging forward and kissing him so quick his mind couldn’t catch up so fast to the movement until Ohno was doing it again. Kazunari gasped, lips part under Ohno’s eager ones and effectively rocking Kazunari to the core as he gripped Ohno’s arms tightly.
His first kiss, he thought, reeling at the feel of it, was earth-shattering.
And it was perfect.
He wondered if it would also be his last.
-----
Tokyo, Early Spring 1995
The long drive would have normally left him sleepy, his sister too, but he guessed that was just understandable, given the circumstances. They were exhausted, yes, but it was difficult to shut their minds off if only for a little while, to rest, especially with the way things were at the moment.
His sister’s grip was a reminder that at least, despite the difficulties of what they had to endure from the moment they stepped foot out of Yamato, it was the fact that no matter what, he knew he didn’t have to do it alone. A part of him knew he should be grateful - he was safe now, he and his sister both, but even the thought of that only made him feel worse than he already were to begin with.
Opposite him, Aiba-kun struggled to keep quiet, muffling his cries against the back of his hand as Matsumoto-kun, who was sitting next to Aiba-kun, tried his very best to calm the older boy down. The sight of him only made the painful things in Kazunari’s chest worse.
As if on cue, Sakurai-san came out from the direction of the kitchen she’d disappeared into a little while ago, holding a tray filled with cups. Trailing behind her was a boy about their age, with bright, round eyes and looking unusually alert at this ungodly hour. He was also carrying a tray like Sakurai-san.
They were near enough when Kazunari realized there were biscuits too, senbeis, and familiar-looking individually-wrapped plum cookies. Kazunari’s stomach growled in hunger, a reminder that he wasn’t just exhausted, he was starving too.
His sister squeezed his hand when Sakurai boy came forward with the tray, offering Kazunari the contents of it. Kazunari bowed his head in quiet thanks and grabbed the first one his eyes caught - two packs of senbeis, his mother’s favorite - while resisting the urge to cry.
“Sho-chan, would you hand this over to them, please?” Sakurai-san asked her son, who obeyed without saying a word. He looked not much older than Kazunari, but there was something in his eyes that told Kazunari he’d understood the situation perfectly.
Two cups full of milk soon made their way on the table in front of Kazunari and his sister, and he looked up to see Sakurai-san’s boy staring kindly down at him.
“Drink it while it’s warm. It will help you relax,” the boy said. Kazunari smiled.
No one talked after that, as Sakurai-san stood by watching them. Her son had probably gone back to bed when Kazunari realized he was no longer there. He drank the remains of the milk in the cup he was offered, and was vaguely aware of his sister’s movements next to him.
She was speaking before Kazunari realized what she was going to do. “Sakurai-san, I don’t mean to be rude but, what exactly is going to happen to us now?” she asked, directing her gaze on the woman who’d saved the five of them tonight.
Kazunari lowered his head just as Sakurai-san approached. She looked exhausted too, but given the fact that none of them five children knew the extent of what she was willing to do for them after saving them, he guessed it was just normal to want to know that, right?
“I know this is probably not the right time to discuss this but I could understand why you want to know right away,” Sakurai-san murmured as she took a seat next to Matsumoto-kun, eyeing the five of them with something akin to tenderness behind her eyes.
“Tomorrow, the five of you are going to be meeting the families that are adopting you,” she said. Kazunari wondered if he was hearing her wrong, until she met his gaze and murmured, “I know this is sudden, I’m sorry, but that’s the only way we know we could do to protect you.”
----
Roppongi Hills Residence, Minato-ku
Tokyo, Present day
His head was throbbing when he came to, much like the rest of him really, but he was still so out of it to even tell the extent of his injuries. He tried to move his hands but he could barely feel them, and god, his head felt like it was going to crack in two.
“Ugh,” he groaned, or at least he did but he couldn’t hear himself through the annoying ringing in his ears, coughed when dust went straight to his nostrils when he inhaled.
“You’ll be fine,” a voice told him just as he felt himself being pushed onto his back, groaning once more when the movement jostled his obviously dislocated shoulder. He tried to open his eyes to see who was there - are the medics already here? - but he could barely see anything.
“W-Who…Who are y-you?”
Silence, but Nino could feel the uneven beat of the other person’s pulse through his hands touching Nino’s face. He still couldn’t see a damn thing, and he was pretty certain he was quickly losing the feeling on his lower half too.
“I’m here to help,” the voice added, and Nino could vaguely make out the words the other person was saying. There was another movement, and then Nino was certain it was because he was being dragged, out of the door or into safety, he couldn’t tell anymore. The person was still saying something, but it was hard to understand any of it when Nino was fastly losing his strength and his consciousness along with it.
He was out like a light the moment his shoulders hit something, groaning as the pain became so overwhelming he’d passed out before he could verbally complain about it.
----
Tokyo General Hospital
Tokyo, Present Day
When he woke up again, it was bright, almost too much so that he was groaning his complaint before he even realized he was doing it. Then there was the distinct sound of feet scraping across the floor followed by the feel of someone’s hand touching his face, and the memory of the same thing prompted Nino to open his eyes fully.
The sight of Takashina’s worried face as he loomed over Nino made him wince, but it was made worse by the proceeding sound of the door opening and closing, coupled with the familiar sounds of shuffling feet. Not even a minute later, he was surrounded by three grown men, all of them were simultaneously asking Nino if he was alright.
Nino closed his eyes and forced his hand up to silence them, regretting the action immediately after. Thankfully, they did.
He groaned when the room fell quiet once again, trying to remember why it felt like he’d been ran over by a speeding taxi after he’d been tossed out of a burning building.
“W-What happened?” he croaked, mentally cursing at the way his voice sounded like gyrating sandpapers.
“We should be asking you that, Sensei,” said Jun from somewhere near Nino’s head as Nino resisted the urge to roll his eyes in answer.
Takashina-sensei, however, was speaking before Nino could. “The medical team that brought him in said they found Tokai-sensei already out of his apartment when they arrived. There was an explosion coming from the direction of the kitchen, but until now, we still don’t know what caused it. I’ve been told that the police had been there to investigate,”
“According to the preliminary investigation, the cause of the explosion was from a homemade pipe bomb that had been setup at the scene earlier,” Aiba answered this time, gaze catching Nino’s from the opposite side of the hospital bed. “The explosion would have been enough to kill you, Tokai-sensei, but thankfully, you made it out before the blast hit you. Do you remember how it happened? Did you see anything before the explosion? Anything suspicious?”
Nino blinked. Then raised his head to meet his friends’ worried gaze, Takashina’s too. Sho-san wasn’t saying anything, but Nino could tell the older man was worried too, if not scared. He didn’t know how defend himself now that their fears had materialized, and almost killing Nino instantly. The dangers they’ve evaded years ago had come to hunt them again, and it was there, right at their doorstep, waiting.
“Yes,” he murmured, as the memory of the earlier incident came back to him in a rush. “But I’m not so sure it was what I think it was,”
Jun stepped forward this time. “What do you mean?”
“Someone was there in the apartment when I arrived,” he started, remembering the mutilated corpse lying on his living room floor, as was the man that saved him from ending up in pieces before the explosion. “and also a dead body. I saw it before the explosion. I was about to call 119 when someone caught me from behind and threw me on the floor, the explosion following after that.” He explained.
Aiba, Jun and Sho exchanged glances, but it was Aiba who said, “We found the dead body, but not the person you claimed saved your life,” Aiba informed him, “The test results came back this morning and it said that that man is none other than Takahashi Katsumi-san, one of the guys who allegedly found the Yamato grave site accidentally.”
Nino frowned. “Why would that guy’s dead body end up in my apartment?”
It was Jun who’d stepped forward this time. “That’s exactly what we’re trying to find out, Tokai-sensei,” he said, “But to be honest? It’s obvious this is intentional. Someone wants you dead, and they also want to frame you for Takahashi-san’s death.”