Unmask Me (Prologue)
Title: Unmask Me
Pairing: Sakumiya
Rating: PG
Summary: In a world of masked faces, Sho struggles to overcome his trust issues from a previously failed relationship when he meets someone he never expected to fall for.
Warnings: none
Notes: I decided to post this as soon as the reveals are up. * ^ ^ * I wrote this series forsky_fish7 in shoexchange. Interestingly enough, she wrote me a Sakumiya fic in Arashi-Exchange 2016, so I basically wrote another Sakumiya fic for her in return. LOL
I had thought about writing a MaskAU fic for quite some time already, and seeing that sky_fish7 had requested for an AU fic, I decided to go right ahead with what I had in mind. Hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did writing it! = ^ ^ =
The unwelcome ringing of a digital alarm clock awoke Sho promptly from his bed. He quietly sat up and kicked off the covers of his futon, hitting the alarm button to switch it off. He then shuffled his way in the dark towards the bathroom, taking the alarm clock with him as it automatically switched on the radio a few seconds later. He sat the radio alarm clock on a bathroom counter as he started to brush his teeth.
"As of today, the Iris Recognition System has now been integrated into every service that requires verification of its users. Any kind of service from credit card transactions and biometric systems to immigration checkpoints in our airports will have iris scanners. This is to ensure that in accordance to the Privacy Protection Act, the public need not..."
Sho rolled his eyes in response at his reflection.
The Privacy Protection Act. The famous, most-talked about legislative measure that was proposed amidst Japan's previous election run three years ago by the opposition party. Its main focus was to ensure that privacy of the individual was of a higher priority than his or her beauty. When he first heard of it, he was not quite sure what to make of it.
Resumes were not to contain photographs of its candidates.
Heck, even identity cards and passports don't contain pictures anymore- soon after the opposition party had won, his identification documents were recalled back, destroyed, and replaced by a card that looks no different from a credit card, except that it showed his fingerprints, his name, identification number, blood type and address.
And then the day came when an official package from the government was delivered to him- a booklet explaining the Privacy Protection Act, its morale, legislated guidelines, exceptions and penalties.
Sho rinsed his mouth before looking up in the mirror at his reflection. His eyes ran over his mirror image in front of him- his own deep eyes, his high forehead, his plump lips now curved into a quiet frown. He wanted to remember at least a little bit about how he looked like, considering that he would have to wear a mask for the rest of the day.
He turned away from the mirror to look at his nightstand, where a plain white Columbina mask made of paper mache lay, its hollowed eyes staring up at the ceiling while waiting for its owner.
"In other news, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police has reported an increase in crime rates over the past three years- the top crime being surprise stabbings on the streets. Citizens are advised to remain vigilant at all times and stay close to well-lit areas where public security cameras could capture and track down any perpetrators."
Sho proceeded to get ready for work. He pulled on his suit and pants before heading to the mirror with a comb, softly running it through his hair.
Sho then walked over to the radio and turned it off. He reached over for his mask before standing in front of the mirror, holding it up in front of him. He placed the mask on his face, picking up the thick ribbon strips attached on the sides to tie it up behind him into a secure bow. The smooth, white mask framed his dark brown eyes, covering up more than half of his face from the top of his forehead down to just above the apples of his cheeks.
He walked out of his apartment block, his eyes looking ahead to see crowds of masked people going about their day. Some masks, like his, were plain. Others went for a more garish design of feathers and bright, metallic colours.
It was just another ordinary day for Sakurai Sho- a day in the life of an ordinary salaryman who can only be recognised by his voice, and never his face.
Chapter 1 here
Pairing: Sakumiya
Rating: PG
Summary: In a world of masked faces, Sho struggles to overcome his trust issues from a previously failed relationship when he meets someone he never expected to fall for.
Warnings: none
Notes: I decided to post this as soon as the reveals are up. * ^ ^ * I wrote this series forsky_fish7 in shoexchange. Interestingly enough, she wrote me a Sakumiya fic in Arashi-Exchange 2016, so I basically wrote another Sakumiya fic for her in return. LOL
I had thought about writing a MaskAU fic for quite some time already, and seeing that sky_fish7 had requested for an AU fic, I decided to go right ahead with what I had in mind. Hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did writing it! = ^ ^ =
The unwelcome ringing of a digital alarm clock awoke Sho promptly from his bed. He quietly sat up and kicked off the covers of his futon, hitting the alarm button to switch it off. He then shuffled his way in the dark towards the bathroom, taking the alarm clock with him as it automatically switched on the radio a few seconds later. He sat the radio alarm clock on a bathroom counter as he started to brush his teeth.
"As of today, the Iris Recognition System has now been integrated into every service that requires verification of its users. Any kind of service from credit card transactions and biometric systems to immigration checkpoints in our airports will have iris scanners. This is to ensure that in accordance to the Privacy Protection Act, the public need not..."
Sho rolled his eyes in response at his reflection.
The Privacy Protection Act. The famous, most-talked about legislative measure that was proposed amidst Japan's previous election run three years ago by the opposition party. Its main focus was to ensure that privacy of the individual was of a higher priority than his or her beauty. When he first heard of it, he was not quite sure what to make of it.
Resumes were not to contain photographs of its candidates.
Heck, even identity cards and passports don't contain pictures anymore- soon after the opposition party had won, his identification documents were recalled back, destroyed, and replaced by a card that looks no different from a credit card, except that it showed his fingerprints, his name, identification number, blood type and address.
And then the day came when an official package from the government was delivered to him- a booklet explaining the Privacy Protection Act, its morale, legislated guidelines, exceptions and penalties.
Sho rinsed his mouth before looking up in the mirror at his reflection. His eyes ran over his mirror image in front of him- his own deep eyes, his high forehead, his plump lips now curved into a quiet frown. He wanted to remember at least a little bit about how he looked like, considering that he would have to wear a mask for the rest of the day.
He turned away from the mirror to look at his nightstand, where a plain white Columbina mask made of paper mache lay, its hollowed eyes staring up at the ceiling while waiting for its owner.
"In other news, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police has reported an increase in crime rates over the past three years- the top crime being surprise stabbings on the streets. Citizens are advised to remain vigilant at all times and stay close to well-lit areas where public security cameras could capture and track down any perpetrators."
Sho proceeded to get ready for work. He pulled on his suit and pants before heading to the mirror with a comb, softly running it through his hair.
Sho then walked over to the radio and turned it off. He reached over for his mask before standing in front of the mirror, holding it up in front of him. He placed the mask on his face, picking up the thick ribbon strips attached on the sides to tie it up behind him into a secure bow. The smooth, white mask framed his dark brown eyes, covering up more than half of his face from the top of his forehead down to just above the apples of his cheeks.
He walked out of his apartment block, his eyes looking ahead to see crowds of masked people going about their day. Some masks, like his, were plain. Others went for a more garish design of feathers and bright, metallic colours.
It was just another ordinary day for Sakurai Sho- a day in the life of an ordinary salaryman who can only be recognised by his voice, and never his face.
Chapter 1 here