Now and Forever...Itsumademo... - Chapter 18D

[unare_haineko]

Title: Now and Forever…いつまでも…

Author: Mayonaka no Taiyou/Unare Haineko

Pairing: [Juntoshi] Matsumoto Jun x Ohno Satoshi

Rating:  R-ish, but NC-17 for this chapter.

Summary: This story follows Ayumu, a more or less normal child born in 2012, three years after the ending of ‘Kodoku kara Umareta Ai’ (which you can read here).  His parents, Jun

Comments

[salwaphoenix]

*kiss*

*waves*

*runs*

[unare_haineko]

Three words?! That's it? I like how none of those three words included anything about having read the story or what you thought about it. I know the global economy is in a slump, but did you really have to be stingy with the comments too? *pouts*

[salwaphoenix]

and u still don't understand me after all these chapters? *pout* *sit beside ayumu and pout together*

that's the code for 'i'm coming back and give you a proper comment'

[unare_haineko]

I know. I just wanted to poke you and see if you would react. You know me, the DoS, that wanted to see if she could squeeze an extra comment out of you XDDDD

[madisonfink]

AHHHHHH!!!!!

I screamed and jumped around in happiness when I saw that you had updated!

I love you...*cough* this story, I mean I love this story XD

I am gonna go die now though cos you haven't been around to be the DoS Cliffhanger Queen so I'm a bit overwhelmed again. ^ o ^ V

[unare_haineko]

Ohohohohohohoho!!! I know you love me and my story because we are so awesome (just not always operating at optimum efficiency which explains the lag in between). There are lots of fun things in between the lines, read again and again. You never know when something will come back to bite a certain hero in the ass! XDDDD

[madisonfink]

XDDDD

I want to marry you and this story ^//^

*Gets on one knee*
Unare_Haineko-san, would you allow me to marry you and this story?

XD

And I am! I am rere-rere-rere-reading it! T V T Ohhh the torture, it hurts soo good.

BUT I DO HAVE AN EXTRA COMMENT.

OHNO HOW COULD YOU!!

[unare_haineko]

OHOHOHOHO! A suitor! *takes out her fan and hides behind coyly*

Sweet torture, my sweet. *cracks her whip on NaSA!Ohno* Welcome to Haineko S&M where your pain is my pleasure, how may I service you today? XDDDD

Ohno can because he's NaSA (narcissistic sex addict) Ohno. Don't you just love how he sinks farther into depravity? (*＇∇＇)ｳﾌﾌﾌﾌ

[mmestrange]

Commentary will likely be delayed and spread over a few days as I'm in the midst of a new ghostwriting project (*points to latest LJ entry*). However, I am working on it and dissecting everything I can, even though my mind probably stuck in the years 1587-1617. There's quite a bit to cover, such as Julie (why does that remind me of the play Miss Julie) and even Ohno-papa getting lost in the ICU, and things to do with Gima, Daisuke,and even my darling truffle. I'll try to throw in something about Hubby assuming I can figure out that part out vis-a-vis the larger plot.

[unare_haineko]

Well, work is work. At least you have a source of income. I'm in boring classes right now...I'm reading your comments while the prof is rattling on about statistical residuals....*sigh* I'm no good at this sort of thing. Too much numbers and too complicated for my simple brain.

I'm glad you're going to town with the commentary. I missed you terribly and it's lovely to be able to read your analysis again.

[mmestrange]

It's not a stable source of income by any means. We freelancers are the scourge of humanity (or say some of my clients, especially my current Tsukishima Hideaki of a young 22 year old pup who wants me to cough up an entire MA dissertation for him

[unare_haineko]

What are your hours of productivity? I notice that the last bit of commentary usually comes up at around what is it 5am your time? Are you nocturnal or diurnal? Personally, I work best around 8pm to 3am, but that's just me. Unfortunately, classes are generally scheduled between my most unproductive (i.e. 5am to 11am and 1pm to 5pm) hours of the day. They wonder why I can't ever stay awake...heh

Commentary Ch 18, Sho and Aiba, part 1

[mmestrange]

On Sho and AibaThe present Sakuraiba and current Juntoshi relationships have come to mirror each other, and share the common themes of misdirection and distrust. Indeed, the themes of ‘mistrust’ and ‘misdirection’ pervade Chapter 18 from the very opening

Commentary Ch 18, Sho and Aiba, part 2

[mmestrange]

In turn, this leads to Aiba’s internal monologue in which the two halves of his brain parlay with one another. One half of the brain is more rational and more conscious of the things around Aiba. This half of the brain believes that the truth - no matter how unpalatable - must be revealed if ambiguity is to be avoided and everything is to be made clear. This half of Aiba’s brain realises that failure to put down all the cards on the table (even the hideous ones) will result in the same ambiguity and willy-washy behaviour we’ve seen in Sho throughout ‘Itsumademo’. The other half of Aiba’s brain though no less reflective is more cautious. This second half of Aiba’s brain doesn’t just deal with cold, hard, unadorned facts. This second half of Aiba’s brain weighs the pros and cons of the suggestions of the 1st half of the brain. Interestingly, Aiba fears that telling Sho the truth of that which conspired at the drug party would mean Sho would leave him. This supposition ties up with (i) his own mistrust of Sho, and (ii) the significance

Commentary Ch 18, Sho and Aiba, part 3

[mmestrange]

We know the sparrow reference isn’t just for show because the manner in which Aiba fell was reminiscence of Perdix and of Icarus. [Cf. my previous commentaries for Chs 16 and 17 for details] Moreover, in Hamlet, Act V, scene 5, there’s this line

Commentary Ch 18, Sho and Aiba, part 4

[mmestrange]

Residual questions on the Sho and Aiba subsection

01) Those people chasing Aiba in the poppy room - what were they getting Aiba to agree to? Are we to know? Will Aiba remember?

02) Will Aiba’s escape and presence at the drug party be relayed to Iago? How will Iago react and what will Iago do vis-à-vis Aiba and his drug suppliers?

03) Aiba has been going on about why Sho didn’t ask him what he has been up to &ca, but Aiba hasn’t asked Sho what he has been up to. Will Aiba ever ask what was Sho doing near the fancy hotel of the drug party in the middle of the night while he was hanging on a branch for dear life? Why didn’t Aiba ask Sho? What’s he so afraid of triggering that he doesn’t ask Sho?

04) Also when Aiba says he wants to talk, Sho doesn’t reciprocate. Yes, he does says he will listen to whatever Aiba wants to say, yet Sho himself makes no effort to tell Aiba anything about what he (Sho) has been up to. All of which leads me to ask:
(a) Will Sho find out the drug party and the JE connexion? How will he find out and

Commentary Ch 18, Jun, part 1

[mmestrange]

The Juntoshi relationship looks like its going forward with the new set of domestic rules, Jun making some income through his real estate efforts, and preparing Ayu for school. But it just LOOKS that way. It’s actually in stalemate, and growing staler by the minute because of Ohno’s misdirection and Jun’s mistrust of Ohno.

I picked this up because it LOOKS as though Jun and Ohno are committed to moving forward in their domestic arrangement, and they are committed as parents to making something of their lives and raising their son. However, it only looks like they are committed to it. Jun is of course dead serious about this. But Ohno is a Min worshipping NaSA that he doesn’t even make any demur or suggestion to the plan. The flashy attempt at commitment is interesting because it draws attention to the word ‘commit’.

Commit comes from the Latin com and mittere meaning ‘together’ and ‘send off’ respectively. This neatly reminds careful readers of the significance of the sparrow and the objects the fridge in the Sakuraiba flat. The

Commentary Ch 18, Jun, part 2

[mmestrange]

What Jun doesn’t know that the first kick in the head is often right. That first gut instinct was right. Rationalisations that come after the instinct only disguise the unadorned and unpalatable truth. Because Jun has rationalised away his so-called unjust accusations on Ohno’s head, he can’t pinpoint why he’s suspicious of Ohno. However, in so doing, the suspicions don’t disappear, they’re festering and bubbling and watching. And sooner or later, Jun will catch Ohno at it and all Jun’s previous suspicious will be proven right

Commentary Ch 18, Jun, part 3

[mmestrange]

The oatmeal and aloe bath soap was a pretty message for Jun. It’s telling him: “Beware of the betrayer’s guilt”. This explains why Ohno was backing away and refusing to meet Jun’ gaze when questioned. Ohno practically reeks of guilt and Jun can smell it, just like he can smell the oatmeal and aloe soap (indeed it would even be apropos to say that the oatmeal and aloe soap amplified Ohno’s guilt to Jun with flashy neon lights pointing to Ohno saying “beware”).

Fifth, the ‘apology’ gifts of the trilogy ring and roses are out of character for Ohno. Even Jun thinks that this is out of character for Ohno. Through Jun’s internal monologue, we know that Ohno used to give small random gifts like preserved plums, umeboyoshi, but now… he gives you coral roses.
Plums stand for ‘fidelity’ in the language of flowers

Commentary Ch 18, Jun, part 4

[mmestrange]

Residual questions on Jun section (more to come in later subsections)

01) While Jun is pondering over why he fins Ohno’s behaviour dodgy, it struck me that he hasn’t asked Ayu what exactly happened that rendered him so frightened of Ohno. Knowing Jun’s anal and obsessive need to know everything, as well as his mounting suspicious of Ohno, it’s unlikely that he would give up on that train of thought. So, my question is - will Jun ask Ayu what happened between him and Ohno that made the boy so frightened?

02) Jun knows Ohno is hiding something. We know from the descriptions in the narrative of CH 18 that Jun can tell Ohno is verbally hedging with him. Will Jun dig to uncover why Ohno is behaving so oddly?

03) Will Jun make the connection between that odd behaviour of Ohno with that which Ohno’s really doing behind his back?

04) A point of interest to me is Jun’s thought that he had a facsimile Ohno Satoshi at home. He briefly entertained the notion that the man was a doppelganger and not the real Ohno Satoshi. This gives rise to