Refrain ~Bokutachi No Monogatari~ - Chapter 9
Title : Refrain ~Bokutachi No Monogatari~
Author :
zeon_avalanthe
Rating : PG
Genre : AU ; Angst ; Friendship
Fandom : Arashi
Pairing : Sakuraiba (Friendship)
Disclaimer : Everyone knows that I don't own any of those boys, sadly.. The title, is again, shamelessly taken from one of my favorite Arashi's song, Refrain..
Summary : Sho had been living a normal college life with his roommate slash bestfriend, Masaki.. Until he found out the dark secret lies behind those smiles..
Chapter 9
Kazama has just finished his visit when Sho came, and they exchanged small greetings before Kazama excused himself. Sho watched his back until it disappeared before making his entry to Masaki’s ward.
The tall man hasn’t changed at all over the year. Except for the now overgrown hair and the paler features. Sho traced his fingers on Masaki’s cold hand, scrunitizing his nails with a frown at seeing that they had grown again. He asked for a nail-clipper to a passing nurse who smiled knowingly at him before handing him the said item a moment later. Sho gave her a curt thanks before working on Masaki’s nails, clipping them carefully with tender care.
It’s thirty minutes later when Sho get up from his seat, after so much staring at the sleeping man, to take his leave for the day.
“I will return tomorrow, Masaki.” Sho whispered softly to Masaki’s ears, suppressed tears catching up on him. “Please wake up soon. We miss you.” Sho almost choked on his words. “I miss you. When you wake up, let’s go to that amusement park, okay ? The free tickets has expired, but I promise I will treat you there.”
Sho planted a gentle kiss on Masaki’s forehead, caressing his hair one last time, before he walked out. He gave a bow to the attending nurse who come to check on Masaki just as he was about leave.
Sho hasn’t even take five steps when he heard a squeal from the nurse he just passed by and he immediately rushed back to where Masaki is. In his panicked state, he managed to stop the woman to ask what’s happening when she said,
“Aiba-san opened his eyes !”
And when Sho cast a look at Masaki’s figure, he was met with a pair of chocolate eyes he longed to see finally open.
***
“We cannot say for sure as of now, since Aiba-san was unconscious for a very long time, but at the very least, we found his vital functions just fine. We will commence further test when Aiba-san has regained his full consciousness.” The doctor explained as soon as he’s done with the check-up.
“You mean he has yet to regain his full consciousness now ?” Sho asked, face full with concern.
The man nodded his head.
“Aiba-san might have opened his eyes, but his brain was in a deep sleep for a year, so it will take sometimes before his brain will function properly again. It is better if we don’t push him though. Let him do things in his own pace.” The doctor gave him a smile. “Would you like to see him again ? But please don’t be surprised if he doesn’t recognize you or even won’t talk to you. His brain needed time to process things, and even talking will be difficult after the long sleep.”
“Please allow me to see him !” Sho almost yelled, and the man only chuckled at him.
“Please help yourself. But I advise you to not stay too long. Aiba-san still need his rest.” The man gave a bow before leaving.
Sho took a deep breath before he slides through the veil which separated him from Masaki. There, he found the man staring at nothing in the ceiling. Masaki seemed to acknowledged his presence though, because he turned to look at Sho when Sho came closer. Those two brown orbs seemed dull as Sho stared at Masaki’s questioning eyes, until they widened and it might have been Sho’s imagination, but he saw light coming back to those two eyes.
“Sho-chan ?”
How Sho missed that voice who always called him by that scandalous yet endearing nickname. Before he could stop himself, Sho found himself crying as things finally settled now. Masaki is awake now. Masaki is awake now, and he’s okay. Masaki is awake now, and he remembers Sho.
“Masaki...” Sho wailed as he buried his face on the taller guy’s lap who seemed to be confused by his sudden burst of emotion.
“Sho-chan ?” Masaki called again, and Sho cried harder.
“Welcome back, Masaki.” Sho said in between his sobs. “Welcome back.”
***
It took Masaki two days to speak words other than ‘Sho-chan’, and it took him a week to move his arms and legs not so awkwardly. He has yet to be able to walk again, but Sho is all grinning to know that Masaki is okay. That’s what it matters, Sho told himself.
But one day, when his Uncle suddenly came into Masaki’s ward (a private one this time, with proper wall to separate Masaki and the other patients), realization came back at Sho that the case has yet to be closed. His Uncle didn’t push more than Masaki is willing to say himself, offering him smiles and the many ‘Get well soon’ regards instead, but Sho know he will start asking when Masaki has stabilized enough.
That’s why it surprised Sho, and perhaps even Sho’s Uncle as well, when Masaki told them that he has prepared himself for this day, and thus start telling them his stories. After one hour later, Masaki is stopped by the doctor who told him that visiting hour is over and that it’s time for Masaki’s routine check-up.
Masaki told Sho’s Uncle to return tomorrow so he could finish his testiment, and so when tomorrow comes, Sho is too eager that he actually came half an hour earlier than visiting hour. Fortunately for him, the nurse has known him all to well so she let him enter Masaki’s room before the time.
The man smiled as he recognized Sho’s face by the doorway, calling out a sweet ‘Sho-chan !’ while signaling him to come inside already. Masaki quickly blabbered about his morning in the hospital, whining about how he wants to go back already in which Sho just chuckled and told him to not rush things up.
Thirty minutes or over later, Sho’s Uncle comes as promised, and Masaki resumed his story. The other day, Masaki started at how he and his family were captured and tortured in a small cave Masaki didn’t even want to remember. He stopped his story when Ninomiya found and saved him from that cell and took care of him under his wing, as if he were his own son.
Masaki continued from where he left off yesterday and told both Sho and his Uncle on how Ninomiya trained him for a reason he has yet to know when he’s ten years old. At age thirteen, he was shown a scene where one of Ninomiya’s man killed a person brutally, right in front of his eyes. It was then when Ninomiya explained the purpose of their existence, that is to erase one being who is deemed as darkness which stained this world. Masaki did his first killing when he’s fourteen, and he confessed how the guilt is killing him. Ninomiya told him then, that he could erase someone without having the need to touch them at all, and that is by feeding them with words which will eventually brought their victims to their end themselves.
Masaki confessed that he believed in those beliefs Ninomiya told him about. Until Ninomiya enrolled him to a high school and Masaki began his new life as another persona. From his school life, Masaki learnt to view the world from a different perspective -he came to know that life is not all black and grey like Ninomiya always told him. But he was confused at what to do, because he can’t just simply leave Ninomiya and start anew. As years passed by and Masaki adapted to the outer world more and more, his doubts toward the things he has been doing under Ninomiya’s order grew. He tried defying Ninomiya once, only to receive harsh punishment later on. And from then on he learnt to obey Ninomiya without fail, eventhough the guilt of having someone’s life died before him is killing him inside.
One day though, when Ninomiya told him to erase Matsuoka, Masaki can’t bring himself to do so. In the end, instead of having Matsuoka killed himself as planned, Masaki broke down in front of him. The older man had pitied him, and after figuring that Masaki is having a fever, he offered Masaki a ride home. That’s why, the next morning when Sho’s Uncle came and announced Matsuoka’s death, Masaki was beyond surprised. He couldn’t help but to blame himself for what had happened towards the older man. Masaki had seen Matsuoka as his own brother, so the news had been quite a shock.
It was then when Masaki decided that he won’t let Ninomiya have his own ways any longer. Masaki began to defy Ninomiya’s orders behind his back, ignoring the punishments he might received later. Ninomiya might have sniffed his doing, and that’s why one day, he invited Masaki to his mansion, and told him not to leave until he said so. Masaki knew that he was doomed the moment Ninomiya gave that order, but he never expected Ninomiya to used Masaki’s sudden disappearance to lull Sho into his trap. He had been confined inside his room for days, until one afternoon, Ninomiya’s private guard came and knocked him off.
“And you know the rest.” Masaki finished his story with a tired sigh. “I’ve told you everything I know. I have no regret.”
Sho looked up and see Masaki flashing a meaningful smile at them. It was Sho’s assumption, but perhaps what Masaki meant by his last words was that he will accept every punishments for his actions.
“I see.” His Uncle said after a while, hands putting back his notes inside his pocket. “So you’re saying that everything you did were under Ninomiya’s order, right ?”
“Yes.” Masaki consented.
“Very well, then.” Sho’s Uncle smiled as he stood up. “I will take my leave then. I will tell you later on about this, okay ? Get well soon, Masaki-kun.”
Masaki only nodded his head as he let the man ruffled his hair before leaving.
“Sho-chan ? You’re staying ?” He asked after a while, pointing his gaze at Sho fully now.
“I’ll stay some more.” Sho told him softly, a small smile grazing his lips. “I will wait here until you fall asleep, Masaki.”
The taller boy smiled gratefully, knowing full well that Sho stayed because he knows that Masaki had wanted him to stay, to give him assurance that everything will be okay by staying by his side. And so without further words, Masaki closed his eyes.
“Oyasumi, Sho-chan.”
***
Sho is now walking through the all too familiar hallway, an old jacket on his hands, and a wide grin on his face. He took the turn before entering the room where someone is already waiting for him, a dreamy look on his face as he stared out of the window.
“Masaki.” Sho called out, and grinned wider as the man turned to face him with that smile he adore.
“Sho-chan !” Masaki called back excitingly as he almost jumped from his seat and approach Sho. “You come !”
“Of course I’d come.” Sho said with a chuckle, and for a moment, the both of them said nothing as they felt content just by staring at each other.
It’d been ten years after that fateful day. Ten years since Masaki walked out of their shared-apartment right after he was released from the hospital, muttering to Sho to take care of things while he’s away. Ten years since Masaki has to undergo his prison sentence. Ten long years, and yet Masaki hasn’t changed at all. For all Sho knows, Masaki is still the bright, pushy and giggly Masaki he adored.
“Are you ready to go home ?” Sho said after a while, the jacket he’s holding outheld for Masaki to take.
Sho could see Masaki tearing up at seeing the fabric before taking the jacket and held it close.
“Yeah. Let’s go home, Sho-chan.”
~~~End~~~
I'm sorry for the long delay! >,<
I was doing on a project and it consumed my time because I needed to catch the deadline.. But now it's over so I could finally worked on this last chapter and end the story properly.. I do apologize if this seems rushed or something.. I swear I gave my best to put things into it's own pace! >,<
Anyway, please enjoy and tell me your thoughts of this!
I'll see you guys soon!
Author :
zeon_avalanthe
Rating : PG
Genre : AU ; Angst ; Friendship
Fandom : Arashi
Pairing : Sakuraiba (Friendship)
Disclaimer : Everyone knows that I don't own any of those boys, sadly.. The title, is again, shamelessly taken from one of my favorite Arashi's song, Refrain..
Summary : Sho had been living a normal college life with his roommate slash bestfriend, Masaki.. Until he found out the dark secret lies behind those smiles..
Chapter 9
Kazama has just finished his visit when Sho came, and they exchanged small greetings before Kazama excused himself. Sho watched his back until it disappeared before making his entry to Masaki’s ward.
The tall man hasn’t changed at all over the year. Except for the now overgrown hair and the paler features. Sho traced his fingers on Masaki’s cold hand, scrunitizing his nails with a frown at seeing that they had grown again. He asked for a nail-clipper to a passing nurse who smiled knowingly at him before handing him the said item a moment later. Sho gave her a curt thanks before working on Masaki’s nails, clipping them carefully with tender care.
It’s thirty minutes later when Sho get up from his seat, after so much staring at the sleeping man, to take his leave for the day.
“I will return tomorrow, Masaki.” Sho whispered softly to Masaki’s ears, suppressed tears catching up on him. “Please wake up soon. We miss you.” Sho almost choked on his words. “I miss you. When you wake up, let’s go to that amusement park, okay ? The free tickets has expired, but I promise I will treat you there.”
Sho planted a gentle kiss on Masaki’s forehead, caressing his hair one last time, before he walked out. He gave a bow to the attending nurse who come to check on Masaki just as he was about leave.
Sho hasn’t even take five steps when he heard a squeal from the nurse he just passed by and he immediately rushed back to where Masaki is. In his panicked state, he managed to stop the woman to ask what’s happening when she said,
“Aiba-san opened his eyes !”
And when Sho cast a look at Masaki’s figure, he was met with a pair of chocolate eyes he longed to see finally open.
***
“We cannot say for sure as of now, since Aiba-san was unconscious for a very long time, but at the very least, we found his vital functions just fine. We will commence further test when Aiba-san has regained his full consciousness.” The doctor explained as soon as he’s done with the check-up.
“You mean he has yet to regain his full consciousness now ?” Sho asked, face full with concern.
The man nodded his head.
“Aiba-san might have opened his eyes, but his brain was in a deep sleep for a year, so it will take sometimes before his brain will function properly again. It is better if we don’t push him though. Let him do things in his own pace.” The doctor gave him a smile. “Would you like to see him again ? But please don’t be surprised if he doesn’t recognize you or even won’t talk to you. His brain needed time to process things, and even talking will be difficult after the long sleep.”
“Please allow me to see him !” Sho almost yelled, and the man only chuckled at him.
“Please help yourself. But I advise you to not stay too long. Aiba-san still need his rest.” The man gave a bow before leaving.
Sho took a deep breath before he slides through the veil which separated him from Masaki. There, he found the man staring at nothing in the ceiling. Masaki seemed to acknowledged his presence though, because he turned to look at Sho when Sho came closer. Those two brown orbs seemed dull as Sho stared at Masaki’s questioning eyes, until they widened and it might have been Sho’s imagination, but he saw light coming back to those two eyes.
“Sho-chan ?”
How Sho missed that voice who always called him by that scandalous yet endearing nickname. Before he could stop himself, Sho found himself crying as things finally settled now. Masaki is awake now. Masaki is awake now, and he’s okay. Masaki is awake now, and he remembers Sho.
“Masaki...” Sho wailed as he buried his face on the taller guy’s lap who seemed to be confused by his sudden burst of emotion.
“Sho-chan ?” Masaki called again, and Sho cried harder.
“Welcome back, Masaki.” Sho said in between his sobs. “Welcome back.”
***
It took Masaki two days to speak words other than ‘Sho-chan’, and it took him a week to move his arms and legs not so awkwardly. He has yet to be able to walk again, but Sho is all grinning to know that Masaki is okay. That’s what it matters, Sho told himself.
But one day, when his Uncle suddenly came into Masaki’s ward (a private one this time, with proper wall to separate Masaki and the other patients), realization came back at Sho that the case has yet to be closed. His Uncle didn’t push more than Masaki is willing to say himself, offering him smiles and the many ‘Get well soon’ regards instead, but Sho know he will start asking when Masaki has stabilized enough.
That’s why it surprised Sho, and perhaps even Sho’s Uncle as well, when Masaki told them that he has prepared himself for this day, and thus start telling them his stories. After one hour later, Masaki is stopped by the doctor who told him that visiting hour is over and that it’s time for Masaki’s routine check-up.
Masaki told Sho’s Uncle to return tomorrow so he could finish his testiment, and so when tomorrow comes, Sho is too eager that he actually came half an hour earlier than visiting hour. Fortunately for him, the nurse has known him all to well so she let him enter Masaki’s room before the time.
The man smiled as he recognized Sho’s face by the doorway, calling out a sweet ‘Sho-chan !’ while signaling him to come inside already. Masaki quickly blabbered about his morning in the hospital, whining about how he wants to go back already in which Sho just chuckled and told him to not rush things up.
Thirty minutes or over later, Sho’s Uncle comes as promised, and Masaki resumed his story. The other day, Masaki started at how he and his family were captured and tortured in a small cave Masaki didn’t even want to remember. He stopped his story when Ninomiya found and saved him from that cell and took care of him under his wing, as if he were his own son.
Masaki continued from where he left off yesterday and told both Sho and his Uncle on how Ninomiya trained him for a reason he has yet to know when he’s ten years old. At age thirteen, he was shown a scene where one of Ninomiya’s man killed a person brutally, right in front of his eyes. It was then when Ninomiya explained the purpose of their existence, that is to erase one being who is deemed as darkness which stained this world. Masaki did his first killing when he’s fourteen, and he confessed how the guilt is killing him. Ninomiya told him then, that he could erase someone without having the need to touch them at all, and that is by feeding them with words which will eventually brought their victims to their end themselves.
Masaki confessed that he believed in those beliefs Ninomiya told him about. Until Ninomiya enrolled him to a high school and Masaki began his new life as another persona. From his school life, Masaki learnt to view the world from a different perspective -he came to know that life is not all black and grey like Ninomiya always told him. But he was confused at what to do, because he can’t just simply leave Ninomiya and start anew. As years passed by and Masaki adapted to the outer world more and more, his doubts toward the things he has been doing under Ninomiya’s order grew. He tried defying Ninomiya once, only to receive harsh punishment later on. And from then on he learnt to obey Ninomiya without fail, eventhough the guilt of having someone’s life died before him is killing him inside.
One day though, when Ninomiya told him to erase Matsuoka, Masaki can’t bring himself to do so. In the end, instead of having Matsuoka killed himself as planned, Masaki broke down in front of him. The older man had pitied him, and after figuring that Masaki is having a fever, he offered Masaki a ride home. That’s why, the next morning when Sho’s Uncle came and announced Matsuoka’s death, Masaki was beyond surprised. He couldn’t help but to blame himself for what had happened towards the older man. Masaki had seen Matsuoka as his own brother, so the news had been quite a shock.
It was then when Masaki decided that he won’t let Ninomiya have his own ways any longer. Masaki began to defy Ninomiya’s orders behind his back, ignoring the punishments he might received later. Ninomiya might have sniffed his doing, and that’s why one day, he invited Masaki to his mansion, and told him not to leave until he said so. Masaki knew that he was doomed the moment Ninomiya gave that order, but he never expected Ninomiya to used Masaki’s sudden disappearance to lull Sho into his trap. He had been confined inside his room for days, until one afternoon, Ninomiya’s private guard came and knocked him off.
“And you know the rest.” Masaki finished his story with a tired sigh. “I’ve told you everything I know. I have no regret.”
Sho looked up and see Masaki flashing a meaningful smile at them. It was Sho’s assumption, but perhaps what Masaki meant by his last words was that he will accept every punishments for his actions.
“I see.” His Uncle said after a while, hands putting back his notes inside his pocket. “So you’re saying that everything you did were under Ninomiya’s order, right ?”
“Yes.” Masaki consented.
“Very well, then.” Sho’s Uncle smiled as he stood up. “I will take my leave then. I will tell you later on about this, okay ? Get well soon, Masaki-kun.”
Masaki only nodded his head as he let the man ruffled his hair before leaving.
“Sho-chan ? You’re staying ?” He asked after a while, pointing his gaze at Sho fully now.
“I’ll stay some more.” Sho told him softly, a small smile grazing his lips. “I will wait here until you fall asleep, Masaki.”
The taller boy smiled gratefully, knowing full well that Sho stayed because he knows that Masaki had wanted him to stay, to give him assurance that everything will be okay by staying by his side. And so without further words, Masaki closed his eyes.
“Oyasumi, Sho-chan.”
***
Sho is now walking through the all too familiar hallway, an old jacket on his hands, and a wide grin on his face. He took the turn before entering the room where someone is already waiting for him, a dreamy look on his face as he stared out of the window.
“Masaki.” Sho called out, and grinned wider as the man turned to face him with that smile he adore.
“Sho-chan !” Masaki called back excitingly as he almost jumped from his seat and approach Sho. “You come !”
“Of course I’d come.” Sho said with a chuckle, and for a moment, the both of them said nothing as they felt content just by staring at each other.
It’d been ten years after that fateful day. Ten years since Masaki walked out of their shared-apartment right after he was released from the hospital, muttering to Sho to take care of things while he’s away. Ten years since Masaki has to undergo his prison sentence. Ten long years, and yet Masaki hasn’t changed at all. For all Sho knows, Masaki is still the bright, pushy and giggly Masaki he adored.
“Are you ready to go home ?” Sho said after a while, the jacket he’s holding outheld for Masaki to take.
Sho could see Masaki tearing up at seeing the fabric before taking the jacket and held it close.
“Yeah. Let’s go home, Sho-chan.”
~~~End~~~
I'm sorry for the long delay! >,<
I was doing on a project and it consumed my time because I needed to catch the deadline.. But now it's over so I could finally worked on this last chapter and end the story properly.. I do apologize if this seems rushed or something.. I swear I gave my best to put things into it's own pace! >,<
Anyway, please enjoy and tell me your thoughts of this!
I'll see you guys soon!