Visit to a Musem
This follows the letters, Aftermath, Revenge is Sweet (by skyangel2009), and the rp that followed that.
The character, Hanari Misaki, is skyangel2009's, and is used with her permission.
“I would like to have a painting in a museum,” Ohno Satoshi said next to her, and Hanari Misaki started. Lost in the colors of the painting before them, she’d nearly forgotten he stood there.
“What?”
“Or a gallery,” he added. “On the merit of the painting, not just because my name is on it.”
“…because your name?” she repeated.
He hadn’t turned from the painting. “I mean, something that doesn’t bring in more money for Johnny’s.”
She blinked, startled. Never mind that he’d just said more than the last two hours combined, he sounded so… not like Kazu had described him. “That’s very cynical of you.”
He smiled and turned to her. “I guess it was.”
“I never pegged you for cynicism. Matsumoto, sure, and even Sakurai on occasion, but Kazu’s never said….” She trailed off.
He turned back to the painting. “Get Aiba-chan and I in the right mood, with just enough saké that he’s not in giggles, and we can be very cynical.”
“Aiba?”
Ohno nodded. “It doesn’t take much, for him. But it gets out of our system, so it doesn’t poison us.”
“Hm,” she said, because she could think of nothing else.
They moved on to the next room, and just as she passed the doorway, someone called her name. She turned - and nearly swore. “Um. You go on,” she said when he turned to look at her. “I’ll catch you up.”
“Okay,” he said, and she went back to the room she’d just left - she was going to have to get after Kazu for not telling her which of his two friends he’d wanted revenge for - to head off Fujiwara Makoto, the very last person she really wanted to see. “What are you doing here?” Misaki demanded. She didn’t even pretend to be nice.
“You got me fired,” Fujiwara said, looking angry. “Why?”
Misaki held up her hands. “All I did was let your boss know what you did might look bad for his company.”
Fujiwara stared at her. “Ninomiya put you up to this.”
“Did he?” Misaki asked innocently.
“Yes.” She nearly spat the word.
“I knew Matsumoto would rub off on him,” Misaki said conversationally. “That kind of sadism….” She trailed off when Fujiwara stiffened. Then her eyes widened. “Matsumoto? You went after him? Who else?”
Fujiwara tried to pretend she didn’t understand. “Who else?”
“Kazu said you… hurt two of his friends.” If she didn’t know about the broken hearts, Misaki wasn’t going to tell her. “Who else?
“Misa-chan, Nino just called.”
She turned from her old acquaintance to her newest, and blinked. His face could have been made of stone. “Yes?” She didn’t miss Fujiwara’s quick in-take of breath, either.
“He said he’ll meet us at the front door, and he hopes lunch is included in today’s errands.”
She smiled. “Go ahead. I’ll catch up.”
He nodded to her, nodded to Fujiwara barely enough to even acknowledge her presence, and strode off. Misaki watched him go, then turned to Fujiwara. “I think maybe you’d better steer clear of me for the next… oh, five years, if you’re the reason he has that expression.”
Fujiwara’s eyes glinted. “Shall I tell you what he likes?”
Misaki smiled - because she didn’t want to get in trouble and hit the woman. “And ruin my friendship with Kazu? Why would I do that? Good-bye, Fujiwara-chan. And keep in mind that Kazu does know Matsumoto, and the two of them could really be dangerous to have against you.” She strode off before her old schoolmate could respond.
She caught up to Ohno before long; he’d slowed down, looking with interest at the paintings he walked past. “I’m sorry. She doesn’t even live in Kobe, and how she knew I was here….” She trailed off. “I’m sorry.”
He looked at her and smiled - a bizarre thing, because he still looked like his face had been carved from stone. “It’s not your fault. It’s okay.”
Yeah, right - with that blank look? Kazu was going to kill her.
A growing commotion caused them to slow further, and then the man next to her sighed. “In less than five minutes,” he murmured, “either Nino will run here, or someone will escort him in, looking for me.” He didn’t stop walking steadily through the museum. “We won’t leave you behind.”
The screams ahead of them grew louder, and Misaki decided sticking with those two would probably be best.
“There you are!” Sure enough, Kazu approached them, security right behind. “I don’t know who….” He stopped, head tilted to the side. “Oh-chan?”
“Later. How do we get out before this place has to close?”
Within ten minutes - a surprise - they’d slipped out a side door, gotten in the car (Ohno in the front with the driver, Nino behind him and Misaki behind the driver), and driven past the front of the museum, smiling and waving.
Misaki leaned back in her seat when they’d rolled the windows up again, and let out a sigh. “Kazu, I’m glad I’m not you.”
He grinned cheekily at her. “Oh, it’s not that bad,” he said, and then sobered and leaned closer. “What happened?”
She glanced toward Ohno, in the front seat, but he stared out his window and she couldn’t see his face. “Fujiwara-chan tracked me down to yell at me for getting her fired.”
Kazu stared at her. “She came here?”
Misaki nodded. “I tried to stop her before he saw her - you didn’t tell me who she’d hurt, Kazu - just in case, but then you called, and he found me.” She sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t know,” Kazu told her. “I’m sorry. Next time you see her, slap her for me? Twice, if he stops drawing again.”
“What happened?”
Kazu shrugged. “I don’t know. Oh-chan was always writing, and he vanished a couple of times, and then MatsuJun had a girl, and Oh-chan walked in on them and came out white….” He gestured wordlessly. “And then we couldn’t get him to get up, MatsuJun kept looking guilty - and it was worse when Oh-chan was around - and he quit drawing. And then I got a letter from Makoto, the day I called you. My guess is, she seduced Oh-chan, and then went after MatsuJun behind his back and Oh-chan found out.”
Misaki gaped at him. “Twice, if I see her again,” she said after a stunned moment. “Three times, if he quits drawing. I like his art. But Matsumoto’s okay?”
“He’s… recovering, and faster than Riida. I think he was more in shock than anything, but he never wanted to hurt anyone.” Kazu took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “He’ll be fine.”
She wanted to ask who he meant, but didn’t. “So, Ohno said you mentioned lunch?” she said, and the man in the passenger seat perked up, turning around. He still had traces of that… blank look, but warmth had crept back into his expression.
“Lunch sounds good to me,” he said.
Kazu relaxed. “Oh, good. I’d hoped, because seriously, Misa-chan, I don’t want to starve.”
Misaki grinned at him. “Would I do that to you?” she asked sweetly.
“Once a week for three months,” he answered promptly.
“Your mother made wonderful lunches, and you shouldn’t have lost the bet,” she replied easily, and noticed that Ohno watched them, curiosity in his expression - although he never did ask.
By the time they’d finished lunch, all traces of that stony expression had vanished.
And that is the end of the saga that started with the letters. Whew!
The character, Hanari Misaki, is skyangel2009's, and is used with her permission.
“I would like to have a painting in a museum,” Ohno Satoshi said next to her, and Hanari Misaki started. Lost in the colors of the painting before them, she’d nearly forgotten he stood there.
“What?”
“Or a gallery,” he added. “On the merit of the painting, not just because my name is on it.”
“…because your name?” she repeated.
He hadn’t turned from the painting. “I mean, something that doesn’t bring in more money for Johnny’s.”
She blinked, startled. Never mind that he’d just said more than the last two hours combined, he sounded so… not like Kazu had described him. “That’s very cynical of you.”
He smiled and turned to her. “I guess it was.”
“I never pegged you for cynicism. Matsumoto, sure, and even Sakurai on occasion, but Kazu’s never said….” She trailed off.
He turned back to the painting. “Get Aiba-chan and I in the right mood, with just enough saké that he’s not in giggles, and we can be very cynical.”
“Aiba?”
Ohno nodded. “It doesn’t take much, for him. But it gets out of our system, so it doesn’t poison us.”
“Hm,” she said, because she could think of nothing else.
They moved on to the next room, and just as she passed the doorway, someone called her name. She turned - and nearly swore. “Um. You go on,” she said when he turned to look at her. “I’ll catch you up.”
“Okay,” he said, and she went back to the room she’d just left - she was going to have to get after Kazu for not telling her which of his two friends he’d wanted revenge for - to head off Fujiwara Makoto, the very last person she really wanted to see. “What are you doing here?” Misaki demanded. She didn’t even pretend to be nice.
“You got me fired,” Fujiwara said, looking angry. “Why?”
Misaki held up her hands. “All I did was let your boss know what you did might look bad for his company.”
Fujiwara stared at her. “Ninomiya put you up to this.”
“Did he?” Misaki asked innocently.
“Yes.” She nearly spat the word.
“I knew Matsumoto would rub off on him,” Misaki said conversationally. “That kind of sadism….” She trailed off when Fujiwara stiffened. Then her eyes widened. “Matsumoto? You went after him? Who else?”
Fujiwara tried to pretend she didn’t understand. “Who else?”
“Kazu said you… hurt two of his friends.” If she didn’t know about the broken hearts, Misaki wasn’t going to tell her. “Who else?
“Misa-chan, Nino just called.”
She turned from her old acquaintance to her newest, and blinked. His face could have been made of stone. “Yes?” She didn’t miss Fujiwara’s quick in-take of breath, either.
“He said he’ll meet us at the front door, and he hopes lunch is included in today’s errands.”
She smiled. “Go ahead. I’ll catch up.”
He nodded to her, nodded to Fujiwara barely enough to even acknowledge her presence, and strode off. Misaki watched him go, then turned to Fujiwara. “I think maybe you’d better steer clear of me for the next… oh, five years, if you’re the reason he has that expression.”
Fujiwara’s eyes glinted. “Shall I tell you what he likes?”
Misaki smiled - because she didn’t want to get in trouble and hit the woman. “And ruin my friendship with Kazu? Why would I do that? Good-bye, Fujiwara-chan. And keep in mind that Kazu does know Matsumoto, and the two of them could really be dangerous to have against you.” She strode off before her old schoolmate could respond.
She caught up to Ohno before long; he’d slowed down, looking with interest at the paintings he walked past. “I’m sorry. She doesn’t even live in Kobe, and how she knew I was here….” She trailed off. “I’m sorry.”
He looked at her and smiled - a bizarre thing, because he still looked like his face had been carved from stone. “It’s not your fault. It’s okay.”
Yeah, right - with that blank look? Kazu was going to kill her.
A growing commotion caused them to slow further, and then the man next to her sighed. “In less than five minutes,” he murmured, “either Nino will run here, or someone will escort him in, looking for me.” He didn’t stop walking steadily through the museum. “We won’t leave you behind.”
The screams ahead of them grew louder, and Misaki decided sticking with those two would probably be best.
“There you are!” Sure enough, Kazu approached them, security right behind. “I don’t know who….” He stopped, head tilted to the side. “Oh-chan?”
“Later. How do we get out before this place has to close?”
Within ten minutes - a surprise - they’d slipped out a side door, gotten in the car (Ohno in the front with the driver, Nino behind him and Misaki behind the driver), and driven past the front of the museum, smiling and waving.
Misaki leaned back in her seat when they’d rolled the windows up again, and let out a sigh. “Kazu, I’m glad I’m not you.”
He grinned cheekily at her. “Oh, it’s not that bad,” he said, and then sobered and leaned closer. “What happened?”
She glanced toward Ohno, in the front seat, but he stared out his window and she couldn’t see his face. “Fujiwara-chan tracked me down to yell at me for getting her fired.”
Kazu stared at her. “She came here?”
Misaki nodded. “I tried to stop her before he saw her - you didn’t tell me who she’d hurt, Kazu - just in case, but then you called, and he found me.” She sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t know,” Kazu told her. “I’m sorry. Next time you see her, slap her for me? Twice, if he stops drawing again.”
“What happened?”
Kazu shrugged. “I don’t know. Oh-chan was always writing, and he vanished a couple of times, and then MatsuJun had a girl, and Oh-chan walked in on them and came out white….” He gestured wordlessly. “And then we couldn’t get him to get up, MatsuJun kept looking guilty - and it was worse when Oh-chan was around - and he quit drawing. And then I got a letter from Makoto, the day I called you. My guess is, she seduced Oh-chan, and then went after MatsuJun behind his back and Oh-chan found out.”
Misaki gaped at him. “Twice, if I see her again,” she said after a stunned moment. “Three times, if he quits drawing. I like his art. But Matsumoto’s okay?”
“He’s… recovering, and faster than Riida. I think he was more in shock than anything, but he never wanted to hurt anyone.” Kazu took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “He’ll be fine.”
She wanted to ask who he meant, but didn’t. “So, Ohno said you mentioned lunch?” she said, and the man in the passenger seat perked up, turning around. He still had traces of that… blank look, but warmth had crept back into his expression.
“Lunch sounds good to me,” he said.
Kazu relaxed. “Oh, good. I’d hoped, because seriously, Misa-chan, I don’t want to starve.”
Misaki grinned at him. “Would I do that to you?” she asked sweetly.
“Once a week for three months,” he answered promptly.
“Your mother made wonderful lunches, and you shouldn’t have lost the bet,” she replied easily, and noticed that Ohno watched them, curiosity in his expression - although he never did ask.
By the time they’d finished lunch, all traces of that stony expression had vanished.
And that is the end of the saga that started with the letters. Whew!