[Arashi] Anti-Rain: Chapter Four
[Title] Anti-Rain
[Author] aatash
[Rating] PG-13
[Notes] Beta by the lovely inuhariko. ♥ N-N-Nino in the house~! Find out how this sly thing is related to the Prince of Thieves and his gang. Machida/Ohno/Nino undertones, mild Aiba/Jun if you really want to squint? I've never worked this hard on a fic before, 'cept for a collaboration I did with a good friend a few years back. :D;; Hope you like? ♥
Ohno, much to Aiba's horror, lashed out with his walking stick.
However, instead of being used as a human shield as he had predicted, Nino chose to fling him bodily to the side, dodge the butt of the stick, and without missing a single beat, lunge towards Ohno.
Reacting instantly, the Prince took a step back and drew his fist back, more than ready for a full swing at Nino's face. His eyes widened, just a little, when Nino dove to the ground instead, landing on his palms, before turning his body in a wide arc for a low swipe at Ohno's ankles.
As Ohno fell -- the length of his stick somehow managing to strike out at Nino's jaw -- Aiba looked about the street, only just realising that it was now completely deserted. It was as though the people recognized the brewings of a fight before it even began.
Idly, he wondered if Nino knew who he was really attacking, or if the wiry man was just performing his duty as one of Sakurai's men.
"What can I do to help?" Aiba asked, hopping up and down like a mad hare.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" Ohno yelled back, before he ducked Nino's uppercut with a side-step and twirled round to deal a nasty roundhouse kick.
"Not the neck, not the neck!" Nino yelped.
Smoothly, Ohno's foot angled just a tad lower and smashed into Nino's bony shoulder instead.
Aiba blinked. Did the Prince just submit to the enemy's pleas?
Crumpled on the ground, Nino grasped at his shoulder, rolling about in silent pain. This was it, Aiba thought with excitement, this was when Ohno would say something real cool, and then they would walk away together into the sunset together, leaving Nino in the dust.
"Sorry about that," Ohno said, his expression looking almost sheepish, "At least it wasn't the neck."
Aiba's jaw fell open.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
"Cheers~!"
Aiba sat between the representatives of the two supposedly conflicting gangs, looking thoroughly perplexed. Sakurai's henchman was still rubbing at his sore shoulder while the Prince of Thieves had a gash across his forehead, but both were acting as though the little barehanded, power scuffle they had earlier had never happened.
"So how long has it been?" Nino said cheerfully, after a long chug of his cider.
Ohno shrugged, letting out a tiny burp. "A month? Two?"
"That long?" Nino laughed, his voice high but distinctly masculine. "You should come visit more often."
"Thieves' code," Ohno stated firmly.
"What, you let your men run wild and you're still following that stupid code? Besides, there's nothing in the code that says, 'Thou shalt not visit thine friends'."
"I don't think the code talks funny like that."
"You're an idiot," Nino said in a tone so affectionate that Aiba couldn't stand it any longer.
"WHAT IS GOING ON!?" he exclaimed, rising to his feet. "One minute you're both trying to claw each other's eyes out on the street, and the next you're drinking like the oldest of buddies!? I'm not completely stupid you know!"
A beat, then Nino stamped his feet, guffawing.
"I'm not completely stupid!" Aiba repeated, though he now looked a tad confused by the reaction.
"Sure," Nino said, still giggling, "Sure you're not. Satoshi, you haven't taught this guy a single thing, have you?"
Ohno raised his tankard proudly. "Not a thing."
Just as Aiba opened his mouth to object, Nino slammed a palm on the table, startling the taller youth. "First mistake: even if you've never been to a whorehouse, act like you're an experienced, high-paying patron."
Aiba blinked. "I--"
"Second mistake: never start off a conversation with, 'I was told that you work for the Prince of Thieves.' Not only does that alert Satoshi's enemies, but you're damn lucky Ueto trusted you enough to help you out. And then there's that knife she always hides in those rags of hers, but I'm sure you knew about that."
"Kn-knife?"
Nino ignored the squeak. "Third mistake: if you have a partner waiting for you within radius of the infiltration area, never approach him. Always walk away as though you're alone; Satoshi would've followed right after once he has deemed it safe."
Aiba opened and closed his mouth for a few minutes, his brain working around the critiques, before he finally settled on what he thought was a good retort. "Ueto told you all that, didn't she?"
Grinning, Nino leaned on Ohno's shoulder like a resting board. "Fourth mistake: always check for a shadow, you never know who's watching you."
Knowing fully well a statement like, 'Well I'm new to this whole thing!' would only elicit further amusement from Nino, Aiba floundered for a bit. "Even... even so, that, that doesn't answer my question!" he pointed out triumphantly.
"Oh, that little fight? We just like to spar once in a while, spice life up with a little charade. And," Nino winked. "We're lovers."
Beside him, Ohno drank noisily at his beer.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
Machida was beyond furious.
Aiba hid behind Ohno, who quelled just a little, when the dark-haired man came storming down the passageway towards them, eyes blazing with murder. He idly wondered how Nino could possibly look so calm in the face of such rage, even when it was literally a hair's breadth away from his own.
It stood to reason why Machida would be mad. Not only was a henchman ("And deputy," Nino added) of Sakurai standing in their hideout, but this youth was also -- as Aiba found out along their route back -- a former follower of the Prince. According to Nino, he had left, not because he didn't trust Ohno, but because Sakurai's methods had a certain edge to them that he would never find with the Prince. Add that with the strange relationship that he shared with Ohno, one that the latter didn't bother to deny, it was a sure-fire way to fuel Machida's volatile temper.
"Get. Out," Machida hissed.
Nino smiled angelically. "Machida, you can't expect me to ignore an invitation from the Prince, can you?"
"You know what I do to traitors, Ninomiya."
To Aiba's amazement, Nino actually rolled his eyes. "Don't be a drama queen, I didn't betray anyone. Satoshi knew fully well of my intentions, in fact, he approved of it."
Before anyone could even blink, Machida had the other boy pinned to the wall, a fist tightly clenched round the collar of his tunic. "Stop bringing Ohno into this," Machida said, low and vicious.
It was the first time, Aiba realised, that Machida had ever called his boss by name.
"Isn't this what it's all about?" Nino continued, completely unfazed. "Our inability to share?"
Instantly, Machida reacted.
"Don't," Ohno said suddenly, miraculously causing Machida's fist to jerk to a halt, inches before Nino's nose. "Nino has information, that's all there is to it."
"On Sho," Nino confirmed.
"What's there about Sho that we don't already know?" Machida snarled.
"He likes spicy food?"
"You--"
"OH MY GOD IT'S NINO," Yokoyama shrieked.
Aiba winced. Yokoyama truly had the worst timing, if Machida looking as though he was ready to disembowel the other boy on the spot was any indication. Silently, Aiba tried his best to communicate the situation with his eyes - danger, danger, go, away.
Unfortunately, his eye communication was clearly not strong enough, for Yokoyama ploughed right on. "What're you doing here? Starting your daily spar with Machida already?"
"Just here to tell Satoshi about Sho being blackmailed by Governor Johnny," Nino said nonchalantly.
Immediately, four voices chimed in simultaneously.
"He's being what by wha-?"
"He's what?"
"By who?"
"And Secretary Mary too!"
Aiba smiled nervously as all three heads turned to him. "That's what I heard in the whorehouse."
"The whorehouse?" Machida hissed. "You said you were going to the town square!"
"The whorehouse is in the town square," Ohno explained innocently.
Machida looked as though he had something rude to say about that, but chose to bite down on his lip instead. "Alright. So Sho is being blackmailed." His eyes narrowed into slits. "Why?"
"That's what we're trying to find out," Nino said, his shoulders lifting up and down against the wall in a shrug. "But we're not getting anything out of the secretary... or our hostage."
"Ju-- I mean, the hostage," Aiba said, perking up considerably. "The hostage is okay?"
"The prissy's doing fine," Nino snorted. "Had to nip away an order of roast duck for him just the other night."
"Why don't we get roast duck?" Yokoyama demanded, before he immediately wilted under Machida's piercing glare.
Aiba felt his entire being relax. His best friend was all right. What the Governor wanted with Jun, Aiba wasn't clear at all, but at least he was well and alive, and that was all that mattered.
"I guess Sakurai really isn't familiar with hostages huh," Ohno chuckled.
"Should be obvious enough that he would never devise a ransom plan, shouldn't it." Nino raised his chin to stare down defiantly at Machida. "That's why I'm here. Because Sho's too proud to ask for help, and Satoshi's too stiff about the stupid thief codex to offer help."
There followed a tense pause, Ohno watching the two of them carefully, before Machida finally released the smaller youth, shoving him hard into the wall with the same motion.
"Once a traitor, always a traitor," he snarled, then spun and stalked down the passageway. Men cleared his path without hesitation, Yokoyama himself practically leaping into the nearest room.
"Same old Machida," Nino chuckled as he waved away Ohno's offered hand.
It was there for just a split second, but Aiba was almost certain that he saw a hint of bitter sorrow flashing in those hooded eyes.
"Sleep well tonight, Aiba," Ohno said, appearing not to have noticed anything different in Nino, though his arm round the other's shoulders was gentle. "We visit your friend tomorrow."
Jun.
It had barely been two days, and he was already on his way to meet Jun.
Despite being surrounded by cutthroats, despite knowing that he had successfully included himself into this mesh of corrupt men and their confusing politics, Aiba had never felt more delighted in his life.
[Author] aatash
[Rating] PG-13
[Notes] Beta by the lovely inuhariko. ♥ N-N-Nino in the house~! Find out how this sly thing is related to the Prince of Thieves and his gang. Machida/Ohno/Nino undertones, mild Aiba/Jun if you really want to squint? I've never worked this hard on a fic before, 'cept for a collaboration I did with a good friend a few years back. :D;; Hope you like? ♥
Ohno, much to Aiba's horror, lashed out with his walking stick.
However, instead of being used as a human shield as he had predicted, Nino chose to fling him bodily to the side, dodge the butt of the stick, and without missing a single beat, lunge towards Ohno.
Reacting instantly, the Prince took a step back and drew his fist back, more than ready for a full swing at Nino's face. His eyes widened, just a little, when Nino dove to the ground instead, landing on his palms, before turning his body in a wide arc for a low swipe at Ohno's ankles.
As Ohno fell -- the length of his stick somehow managing to strike out at Nino's jaw -- Aiba looked about the street, only just realising that it was now completely deserted. It was as though the people recognized the brewings of a fight before it even began.
Idly, he wondered if Nino knew who he was really attacking, or if the wiry man was just performing his duty as one of Sakurai's men.
"What can I do to help?" Aiba asked, hopping up and down like a mad hare.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" Ohno yelled back, before he ducked Nino's uppercut with a side-step and twirled round to deal a nasty roundhouse kick.
"Not the neck, not the neck!" Nino yelped.
Smoothly, Ohno's foot angled just a tad lower and smashed into Nino's bony shoulder instead.
Aiba blinked. Did the Prince just submit to the enemy's pleas?
Crumpled on the ground, Nino grasped at his shoulder, rolling about in silent pain. This was it, Aiba thought with excitement, this was when Ohno would say something real cool, and then they would walk away together into the sunset together, leaving Nino in the dust.
"Sorry about that," Ohno said, his expression looking almost sheepish, "At least it wasn't the neck."
Aiba's jaw fell open.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
"Cheers~!"
Aiba sat between the representatives of the two supposedly conflicting gangs, looking thoroughly perplexed. Sakurai's henchman was still rubbing at his sore shoulder while the Prince of Thieves had a gash across his forehead, but both were acting as though the little barehanded, power scuffle they had earlier had never happened.
"So how long has it been?" Nino said cheerfully, after a long chug of his cider.
Ohno shrugged, letting out a tiny burp. "A month? Two?"
"That long?" Nino laughed, his voice high but distinctly masculine. "You should come visit more often."
"Thieves' code," Ohno stated firmly.
"What, you let your men run wild and you're still following that stupid code? Besides, there's nothing in the code that says, 'Thou shalt not visit thine friends'."
"I don't think the code talks funny like that."
"You're an idiot," Nino said in a tone so affectionate that Aiba couldn't stand it any longer.
"WHAT IS GOING ON!?" he exclaimed, rising to his feet. "One minute you're both trying to claw each other's eyes out on the street, and the next you're drinking like the oldest of buddies!? I'm not completely stupid you know!"
A beat, then Nino stamped his feet, guffawing.
"I'm not completely stupid!" Aiba repeated, though he now looked a tad confused by the reaction.
"Sure," Nino said, still giggling, "Sure you're not. Satoshi, you haven't taught this guy a single thing, have you?"
Ohno raised his tankard proudly. "Not a thing."
Just as Aiba opened his mouth to object, Nino slammed a palm on the table, startling the taller youth. "First mistake: even if you've never been to a whorehouse, act like you're an experienced, high-paying patron."
Aiba blinked. "I--"
"Second mistake: never start off a conversation with, 'I was told that you work for the Prince of Thieves.' Not only does that alert Satoshi's enemies, but you're damn lucky Ueto trusted you enough to help you out. And then there's that knife she always hides in those rags of hers, but I'm sure you knew about that."
"Kn-knife?"
Nino ignored the squeak. "Third mistake: if you have a partner waiting for you within radius of the infiltration area, never approach him. Always walk away as though you're alone; Satoshi would've followed right after once he has deemed it safe."
Aiba opened and closed his mouth for a few minutes, his brain working around the critiques, before he finally settled on what he thought was a good retort. "Ueto told you all that, didn't she?"
Grinning, Nino leaned on Ohno's shoulder like a resting board. "Fourth mistake: always check for a shadow, you never know who's watching you."
Knowing fully well a statement like, 'Well I'm new to this whole thing!' would only elicit further amusement from Nino, Aiba floundered for a bit. "Even... even so, that, that doesn't answer my question!" he pointed out triumphantly.
"Oh, that little fight? We just like to spar once in a while, spice life up with a little charade. And," Nino winked. "We're lovers."
Beside him, Ohno drank noisily at his beer.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
Machida was beyond furious.
Aiba hid behind Ohno, who quelled just a little, when the dark-haired man came storming down the passageway towards them, eyes blazing with murder. He idly wondered how Nino could possibly look so calm in the face of such rage, even when it was literally a hair's breadth away from his own.
It stood to reason why Machida would be mad. Not only was a henchman ("And deputy," Nino added) of Sakurai standing in their hideout, but this youth was also -- as Aiba found out along their route back -- a former follower of the Prince. According to Nino, he had left, not because he didn't trust Ohno, but because Sakurai's methods had a certain edge to them that he would never find with the Prince. Add that with the strange relationship that he shared with Ohno, one that the latter didn't bother to deny, it was a sure-fire way to fuel Machida's volatile temper.
"Get. Out," Machida hissed.
Nino smiled angelically. "Machida, you can't expect me to ignore an invitation from the Prince, can you?"
"You know what I do to traitors, Ninomiya."
To Aiba's amazement, Nino actually rolled his eyes. "Don't be a drama queen, I didn't betray anyone. Satoshi knew fully well of my intentions, in fact, he approved of it."
Before anyone could even blink, Machida had the other boy pinned to the wall, a fist tightly clenched round the collar of his tunic. "Stop bringing Ohno into this," Machida said, low and vicious.
It was the first time, Aiba realised, that Machida had ever called his boss by name.
"Isn't this what it's all about?" Nino continued, completely unfazed. "Our inability to share?"
Instantly, Machida reacted.
"Don't," Ohno said suddenly, miraculously causing Machida's fist to jerk to a halt, inches before Nino's nose. "Nino has information, that's all there is to it."
"On Sho," Nino confirmed.
"What's there about Sho that we don't already know?" Machida snarled.
"He likes spicy food?"
"You--"
"OH MY GOD IT'S NINO," Yokoyama shrieked.
Aiba winced. Yokoyama truly had the worst timing, if Machida looking as though he was ready to disembowel the other boy on the spot was any indication. Silently, Aiba tried his best to communicate the situation with his eyes - danger, danger, go, away.
Unfortunately, his eye communication was clearly not strong enough, for Yokoyama ploughed right on. "What're you doing here? Starting your daily spar with Machida already?"
"Just here to tell Satoshi about Sho being blackmailed by Governor Johnny," Nino said nonchalantly.
Immediately, four voices chimed in simultaneously.
"He's being what by wha-?"
"He's what?"
"By who?"
"And Secretary Mary too!"
Aiba smiled nervously as all three heads turned to him. "That's what I heard in the whorehouse."
"The whorehouse?" Machida hissed. "You said you were going to the town square!"
"The whorehouse is in the town square," Ohno explained innocently.
Machida looked as though he had something rude to say about that, but chose to bite down on his lip instead. "Alright. So Sho is being blackmailed." His eyes narrowed into slits. "Why?"
"That's what we're trying to find out," Nino said, his shoulders lifting up and down against the wall in a shrug. "But we're not getting anything out of the secretary... or our hostage."
"Ju-- I mean, the hostage," Aiba said, perking up considerably. "The hostage is okay?"
"The prissy's doing fine," Nino snorted. "Had to nip away an order of roast duck for him just the other night."
"Why don't we get roast duck?" Yokoyama demanded, before he immediately wilted under Machida's piercing glare.
Aiba felt his entire being relax. His best friend was all right. What the Governor wanted with Jun, Aiba wasn't clear at all, but at least he was well and alive, and that was all that mattered.
"I guess Sakurai really isn't familiar with hostages huh," Ohno chuckled.
"Should be obvious enough that he would never devise a ransom plan, shouldn't it." Nino raised his chin to stare down defiantly at Machida. "That's why I'm here. Because Sho's too proud to ask for help, and Satoshi's too stiff about the stupid thief codex to offer help."
There followed a tense pause, Ohno watching the two of them carefully, before Machida finally released the smaller youth, shoving him hard into the wall with the same motion.
"Once a traitor, always a traitor," he snarled, then spun and stalked down the passageway. Men cleared his path without hesitation, Yokoyama himself practically leaping into the nearest room.
"Same old Machida," Nino chuckled as he waved away Ohno's offered hand.
It was there for just a split second, but Aiba was almost certain that he saw a hint of bitter sorrow flashing in those hooded eyes.
"Sleep well tonight, Aiba," Ohno said, appearing not to have noticed anything different in Nino, though his arm round the other's shoulders was gentle. "We visit your friend tomorrow."
Jun.
It had barely been two days, and he was already on his way to meet Jun.
Despite being surrounded by cutthroats, despite knowing that he had successfully included himself into this mesh of corrupt men and their confusing politics, Aiba had never felt more delighted in his life.