Somewhere Only We Know [a Ninomiya Kazunari love story] - Chapter 32
Somewhere Only We Know, Chapter 32
Pairing: Ninomiya Kazunari/OC
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Arashi or Johnny's Entertainment. Sorry if I misuse some Japanese phrases.
Summary:
When you've been alone for so long, sometimes you forget that you're lost. But if one day you brush across another hand grappling in the dark - if you dare to take it and hold on tight - you just might find the way out together. Love, in the end, is what saves us all; if you're brave enough you'll find it, and if you're crazy enough it just might stay.
All previous chapters in the master post!
-----------
In Ninomiya Kazunari’s arms was a giant, fragrant bouquet tied with shiny ribbon. The hallway was quiet and he tiptoed forward. When he reached the broad window in which an ‘ON AIR’ sign was lit, he hustled past and quickly made it to the other side without being noticed.
credit: ltgmars on Tumblr
The radio director, who was waiting out there to greet him, tried to wave his arms in warning. “Ninomiya-san, they aren’t ready for you yet…”
Mischievously, Nino put a finger to his lips and silently turned the knob.
“… Good morning, Tokyo, lovely day isn’t it? It is 7am on January 5th, 2013. You know what that means? - JA JAN…! - It’s our station’s fifth anniversary, yatta!” This earned a hearty round of applause from the staff. “Five years ago we started out with only a little gang. Ah yes, Mitsui-san our tech genius and Izumida-san our writer were both here from the very beginning. And then there’s my lovely co-host Shimada Yuri-san who joined us this autumn. We’re very glad about that addition of feminine perspective, of course.”
“I’m glad to be part of the team, Aoki-san.” Yuri beamed. “Actually, in celebration of this occasion, I invited a ‘luxurious’ guest to chat with us.”
“Eh, don’t tell me--”
Out of nowhere, Arashi’s prankster barged in with an obnoxious, “-Omedettou gozaimasu~!”
Yuri’s stomach fluttered as Nino walked right in her direction with a beautiful bundle of flowers. Were those meant for her? But wasn’t it a risky gesture? Then as almost a slight, Nino subtly but snarkily turned on a dime and bowed to Aoki-san.
“Congrats on five years!” he repeated, handing the flowers over to Yuri’s male co-anchor.
“Uwa, Johnnies have such good manners. To our listeners, if you didn’t recognize that voice, Arashi’s Ninomiya Kazunari-san just arrived! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu~”
Nino put on his headphones, leaned into the microphone, and gave her a vague, lingering smile. “Ohaiyo gozaimasu, Yuri-chan. It’s been awhile, ne.”
During their trio’s lighthearted cross-talk, Yuri observed just how good Nino was at pretending like she was just any other acquaintance to him. Objectively, she knew that it was all for the sake of professionalism and for keeping her safe from the jealousy of the fandom, but he sure did make it look easy. Yuri, whose flickering eyes revealed her heart like an open window, would benefit from learning that skill as well if the Shiawase Na No Ni promotions were to be a success.
When the radio show was wrapped up for that morning, manager Anzai was waiting for Yuri in the hallway. Before they headed for the Soup Magazine photoshoot, Anzai secretly handed her actress a single flower stem; the knot in Yuri’s brow disappeared. “Ninomiya-san saved this one for you.”
--------
Variety shows were no joke to navigate (especially if you wanted to keep your honor intact) but then again, Shimada Yuri was no rookie. Each program appearance that they made, Nino was constantly impressed; he hadn’t realized how much of an asset it was to have a partner for once that knew how to ‘play the game’ just as well as he.
credit: geko-chu on Tumblr
While guests on the high-stakes food game show Kaerema 10*, it was Yuri’s turn to choose an item on the Saizeriya menu in hopes it was one of the popular restaurant’s top 10 best-sellers. All the comedian regulars around the table debated in animated tones whether she should choose the veal cutlets or the margarita pizza. They were only two choices away from getting a perfect round, and tensions were high.
“EH?” Yuri exclaimed, staring at the dishes. “Muzukashi…! It’s - it’s probably the margarita pizza, deshou? When people eat Italian they want to eat family style.”
“But veal cutlets are more luxurious!” another argued, trying to steer her in the other direction. It was about a 50-50 split amongst their group.
“Kowai, doushio…?”
Even Nino was caught up in the excitement and cheered her on. “Dekiru yo, Yuri-chan! Shinkou ga arimasu yo. (You can do it, I believe in you!)”
When the pizza was announced as elusive #7 out of 10, they all ecstatically leapt out of their seats…
Unlike his past co-stars he didn’t have to guide Yuri through or take charge of the quality of the conversation. There was no need to shield her from the comedic jabs, for she had all sorts of witty comebacks in her arsenal. And when it had to be done for the sake of entertainment, she had no qualms with making a fool of herself.
The duo made an appearance on Getsuyo kara Yofukashi**. As a rival for Nino’s attention, the bold and brazen Matsuko Deluxe challenged Yuri’s public persona.
“Her image is too feminine; I don’t believe it!”
“But that wasn’t something I decided on myself.” Yuri shrugged.
Murakami Shingo - the show’s other half and member of Johnny’s group Kanjani8 - chimed in his two cents. “Shimada-san can be anything she wants to be! Who cares about what others think?”
“Murakami-san, this is THE nicest you’ve ever been to a guest. Get a grip before you get all heart-eyed!”
To prove that Yuri’s true personality was in-fact not as pulled-together as believed, the staff had picked a song that she was rumored to love. A hardcore G-Dragon/T.O.P collaboration came through the studio speakers, earning a huge smirk from Yuri.
“Do you know this?”
“I do.”
“We hear you often sing this at karaoke. Care to demonstrate?”
Yuri sighed and stood up and as soon as the next hook arrived, Yuri broke it down. She even flawlessly rapped all the words without skipping a beat. The chorus finished and with one last tough pose she returned to her seat and flipped her hair lightly. After all, crazy dancing had been a regular request on Korean programs. The audience was in a tumult.
Leaned back on the cushions, flabbergasted, Nino muttered, “Isn’t she amazing?"
Yuri was a pro and frankly, there was often a danger of Yuri stealing Nino’s spotlight; the idol felt oddly proud as if it were his place to release her from under his wing. Once the season of their movie promotion was over, she would move onto other projects and still do very well without him… not that he’d ever doubted in the first place. Of course, the real imminent test of Yuri’s charisma was whether it would be enough when she officially made her debut into Arashi’s circle. Either the Arashi fans would love her, or they would eat her alive.
However, that was not how Yuri saw it. As the platform rose and Yuri stepped out onto the blindingly colorful VS Arashi playground, amidst the stage smoke and applause, all she saw were the warm, curious faces of young children, and enthusiastic fans of all ages in the audience. The comedian opponents’ antics sent her sides splitting. She admired the skillful way that Sakurai Sho steered the conversation along. She laughed along with Aiba Masaki’s lighthearted fumbling during Dual Curling, and was surprised at how kind and welcoming Matsumoto Jun really was in person. She even liked being scolded (unconvincingly so) by the grandpa-like Ohno Satoshi when she messed up Bank Bowling. When she miraculously scored the winning kick of Kicking Sniper, Arashi rallied around her like the brothers she had once hoped to have, or like the male counterparts of her old bandmates. Nino had promised that they would take care of her, and they truly had.
It was difficult to part with the five men backstage - their charm had already won Yuri over so that she they felt like they were old friends. No wonder they were the nation’s top idols. Her dancing eyes magnetically locked with Nino’s in a secret, silent exchange just before she was whisked away by her manager. Nino was so lucky, she wistfully thought, to have been blessed with such a wonderful team. She hoped he never took it for granted.
----------
In Johnny’s Entertainment, Ninomiya Kazunari was always treated like a spoiled favorite. To the Juniors who ran around in the hallways at headquarters, he was the cool older brother who they could immediately warm up to and who knew all the best video game shortcuts. To his senpais, he was a cheeky but charming one that never used deferential keigo speech. There was only one person in the entire agency who intimidated him, even if he would never profess to it.
Nino waited patiently outside the double doors of Johnny Kitagawa’s office. He had been requested for a casual meeting with the president, which wasn’t out of the normal. But when the doors opened and out stepped Anzai Sachiye, Yuri’s manager, Nino leapt to his feet in alarm.
“Anzai-san, what are you doing here?”
The observant woman started at running into him, and hesitated. “Ahno…”
“It wasn’t about Yuri, was it?” he hissed. Had a dedicated hate website already been started for his co-star? A bitter, scarring memory suddenly flashed back to him - Nagasawa Masami, sobbing helplessly and uncontrollably after yet another drama rejection, all because of Johnny Kitagawa’s power…
“Daijoubu desu, Ninomiya-san, it’s nothing to be worried about. The shachou and I just discussed Yuri’s career, and how he’d like to help advance it if he could.”
Nino’s pulse slowed in relief. “Majide?”
“Nn; he likes her image and thinks she would be a versatile persona with a lot of other Johnnies.”
“Sou… Yokatta…”
Anzai, who of course had known the behind-the-scenes truth for a long time, added in a sympathetic whisper, “Then again, I don’t think any future pairings would ever have the same chemistry as you two do.”
Just then, the president’s secretary came to fetch Nino. As if he were on set and cued to resume character, he quickly settled his racing thoughts and greeted Johnny-san with the same hollowly prudent smile as he always did.
-------
In the empty green room, Nino’s thumbs typed in characters at lightning speed; he eagerly awaited for the reply, which soon arrived with a special little jingle:
I remember how miserable you sounded when you were in California… If you think it’s just going to be like that again then you should just forget about it, deshou? You’re just fine where you are.
Suddenly he recognized Yuri’s muffled voice outside the door, and he quickly pocketed his phone before she entered. The show producer said a few confirmatory words to them and just as soon left them alone. The man sitting cross-legged on the couch hardly looked up from his script to greet her.
“How did your meeting with Johnny-san go?” she timidly asked, noticing how oddly taciturn he was.
“Pretty routine.” Nino muttered in short syllables.
“Sou ka…”
Just when Yuri was beginning to consider if she’d unwittingly done something wrong to annoy him, Nino spoke up.
“Johnny-san just wanted to tell me that I got another movie offer.”
“Sugoi, omedettou! What’s it about?”
“It’s a strange one - this director always does quirky stories.”
“Eh, who is it?”
“… Wes Anderson.”
“EH? The - the American?” Yuri’s mouth fell open. Why in the world was he not acting more excited?
Nino chuckled quietly. “Yes, that’s the only one.”
“He’s HUGE, Ninomiya-kun! This is amazing! Ne, you’re not going to have much of a break between films, are you?”
The idol smiled strangely. “I’m… not doing it.”
“Eh?”
“I turned it down.”
Yuri blinked, wondering if this was his cold humor coming out. The man, however, looked completely serious. “Why would you do that?”
Nino shrugged. “I don’t think it’s for me.”
“You don’t like the character, or the genre?”
“No, it’s just that after Letters from Iwo Jima…” He trailed off. “Besides, it would be selfish of me to take a few months off. The other members would have to pick up my slack. Too much inconvenience for everyone.”
“But Ninomiya-kun,” she urged, completely baffled, “This is a major opportunity. Imagine how many audiences you’ll reach! How many more choices you’ll have afterwards.”
“I’m quite past the point of proving myself, I think.” His eyes flickered darkly. “Isn’t the work I do here just as good?”
“What you do is already incredible, but I’m just saying-- What if this chance never comes again?”
“I’ve had a different offer from Hollywood about every other year since Iwo Jima. Nothing bad ever happened after rejecting those, either.” he said nonchalantly. “Besides, there’s no point in trying to ‘make it’ over in America without being fluent in English.”
She had heard him speak English before and thought it was much better than he let on. “Didn’t you say that before Arashi was formed, you wanted to quit Johnny’s and go study acting in America? What happened to that dream? If you’re refusing out of fear--”
“-- I’m NOT scared.” Nino snapped.
Yuri shrank back but still pressed on, wanting him to realize his potential, the great talent that she so admired. “I understand that your responsibilities lie with Arashi but - but don’t you want to see how far you can go on your own?”
He had never looked upon her with such cold eyes. “I thought you of all people would understand, Yuri. My place is here. You may have left your group for your own good, but I need them. I’m not going to risk what I’ve built just for some over-hyped 15 minutes of fame.”
Ninomiya’s icy expression hurt more than any scowl. It was immediately wiped away as the door opened and the producer announced that they were ready for them. Yuri struggled to shake off the argument as she followed them out, whereas Nino showed no signs that he had ever gotten upset. They had a job to do.
----------
Thank you all SO much for your comments last time, I really appreciated knowing that people hadn't given up on this :) Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!
All this hot/cold from Nino is sad and frustrating but it's how I imagine he would handle things. In regards to the Hollywood argument, I thought that both sides had very good points. He HAS said in the past that the time filming for Iwo Jima, he was just really homesick. It's not like acting in Hollywood is necessarily the epitome of success anyway, so I guess we have to respect Nino's decisions to stick to work with Arashi. I'll always be curious about where he could have ended up had he done more international work, though.
* Aiba-kun was on Otameshika! Karaema10 to promose Aiba Manabu on Apr. 22, 2013. It's been subbed, but not sure by what team. Highly recommended.
** Nino was on Getsuyo kara Yofukashi to promote Platina Data on March 25, 2013. Also a funny episode with lots of brattiness, subbed by community luckysubbin!
Pairing: Ninomiya Kazunari/OC
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Arashi or Johnny's Entertainment. Sorry if I misuse some Japanese phrases.
Summary:
When you've been alone for so long, sometimes you forget that you're lost. But if one day you brush across another hand grappling in the dark - if you dare to take it and hold on tight - you just might find the way out together. Love, in the end, is what saves us all; if you're brave enough you'll find it, and if you're crazy enough it just might stay.
All previous chapters in the master post!
-----------
In Ninomiya Kazunari’s arms was a giant, fragrant bouquet tied with shiny ribbon. The hallway was quiet and he tiptoed forward. When he reached the broad window in which an ‘ON AIR’ sign was lit, he hustled past and quickly made it to the other side without being noticed.
credit: ltgmars on Tumblr
The radio director, who was waiting out there to greet him, tried to wave his arms in warning. “Ninomiya-san, they aren’t ready for you yet…”
Mischievously, Nino put a finger to his lips and silently turned the knob.
“… Good morning, Tokyo, lovely day isn’t it? It is 7am on January 5th, 2013. You know what that means? - JA JAN…! - It’s our station’s fifth anniversary, yatta!” This earned a hearty round of applause from the staff. “Five years ago we started out with only a little gang. Ah yes, Mitsui-san our tech genius and Izumida-san our writer were both here from the very beginning. And then there’s my lovely co-host Shimada Yuri-san who joined us this autumn. We’re very glad about that addition of feminine perspective, of course.”
“I’m glad to be part of the team, Aoki-san.” Yuri beamed. “Actually, in celebration of this occasion, I invited a ‘luxurious’ guest to chat with us.”
“Eh, don’t tell me--”
Out of nowhere, Arashi’s prankster barged in with an obnoxious, “-Omedettou gozaimasu~!”
Yuri’s stomach fluttered as Nino walked right in her direction with a beautiful bundle of flowers. Were those meant for her? But wasn’t it a risky gesture? Then as almost a slight, Nino subtly but snarkily turned on a dime and bowed to Aoki-san.
“Congrats on five years!” he repeated, handing the flowers over to Yuri’s male co-anchor.
“Uwa, Johnnies have such good manners. To our listeners, if you didn’t recognize that voice, Arashi’s Ninomiya Kazunari-san just arrived! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu~”
Nino put on his headphones, leaned into the microphone, and gave her a vague, lingering smile. “Ohaiyo gozaimasu, Yuri-chan. It’s been awhile, ne.”
During their trio’s lighthearted cross-talk, Yuri observed just how good Nino was at pretending like she was just any other acquaintance to him. Objectively, she knew that it was all for the sake of professionalism and for keeping her safe from the jealousy of the fandom, but he sure did make it look easy. Yuri, whose flickering eyes revealed her heart like an open window, would benefit from learning that skill as well if the Shiawase Na No Ni promotions were to be a success.
When the radio show was wrapped up for that morning, manager Anzai was waiting for Yuri in the hallway. Before they headed for the Soup Magazine photoshoot, Anzai secretly handed her actress a single flower stem; the knot in Yuri’s brow disappeared. “Ninomiya-san saved this one for you.”
--------
Variety shows were no joke to navigate (especially if you wanted to keep your honor intact) but then again, Shimada Yuri was no rookie. Each program appearance that they made, Nino was constantly impressed; he hadn’t realized how much of an asset it was to have a partner for once that knew how to ‘play the game’ just as well as he.
credit: geko-chu on Tumblr
While guests on the high-stakes food game show Kaerema 10*, it was Yuri’s turn to choose an item on the Saizeriya menu in hopes it was one of the popular restaurant’s top 10 best-sellers. All the comedian regulars around the table debated in animated tones whether she should choose the veal cutlets or the margarita pizza. They were only two choices away from getting a perfect round, and tensions were high.
“EH?” Yuri exclaimed, staring at the dishes. “Muzukashi…! It’s - it’s probably the margarita pizza, deshou? When people eat Italian they want to eat family style.”
“But veal cutlets are more luxurious!” another argued, trying to steer her in the other direction. It was about a 50-50 split amongst their group.
“Kowai, doushio…?”
Even Nino was caught up in the excitement and cheered her on. “Dekiru yo, Yuri-chan! Shinkou ga arimasu yo. (You can do it, I believe in you!)”
When the pizza was announced as elusive #7 out of 10, they all ecstatically leapt out of their seats…
Unlike his past co-stars he didn’t have to guide Yuri through or take charge of the quality of the conversation. There was no need to shield her from the comedic jabs, for she had all sorts of witty comebacks in her arsenal. And when it had to be done for the sake of entertainment, she had no qualms with making a fool of herself.
The duo made an appearance on Getsuyo kara Yofukashi**. As a rival for Nino’s attention, the bold and brazen Matsuko Deluxe challenged Yuri’s public persona.
“Her image is too feminine; I don’t believe it!”
“But that wasn’t something I decided on myself.” Yuri shrugged.
Murakami Shingo - the show’s other half and member of Johnny’s group Kanjani8 - chimed in his two cents. “Shimada-san can be anything she wants to be! Who cares about what others think?”
“Murakami-san, this is THE nicest you’ve ever been to a guest. Get a grip before you get all heart-eyed!”
To prove that Yuri’s true personality was in-fact not as pulled-together as believed, the staff had picked a song that she was rumored to love. A hardcore G-Dragon/T.O.P collaboration came through the studio speakers, earning a huge smirk from Yuri.
“Do you know this?”
“I do.”
“We hear you often sing this at karaoke. Care to demonstrate?”
Yuri sighed and stood up and as soon as the next hook arrived, Yuri broke it down. She even flawlessly rapped all the words without skipping a beat. The chorus finished and with one last tough pose she returned to her seat and flipped her hair lightly. After all, crazy dancing had been a regular request on Korean programs. The audience was in a tumult.
Leaned back on the cushions, flabbergasted, Nino muttered, “Isn’t she amazing?"
Yuri was a pro and frankly, there was often a danger of Yuri stealing Nino’s spotlight; the idol felt oddly proud as if it were his place to release her from under his wing. Once the season of their movie promotion was over, she would move onto other projects and still do very well without him… not that he’d ever doubted in the first place. Of course, the real imminent test of Yuri’s charisma was whether it would be enough when she officially made her debut into Arashi’s circle. Either the Arashi fans would love her, or they would eat her alive.
However, that was not how Yuri saw it. As the platform rose and Yuri stepped out onto the blindingly colorful VS Arashi playground, amidst the stage smoke and applause, all she saw were the warm, curious faces of young children, and enthusiastic fans of all ages in the audience. The comedian opponents’ antics sent her sides splitting. She admired the skillful way that Sakurai Sho steered the conversation along. She laughed along with Aiba Masaki’s lighthearted fumbling during Dual Curling, and was surprised at how kind and welcoming Matsumoto Jun really was in person. She even liked being scolded (unconvincingly so) by the grandpa-like Ohno Satoshi when she messed up Bank Bowling. When she miraculously scored the winning kick of Kicking Sniper, Arashi rallied around her like the brothers she had once hoped to have, or like the male counterparts of her old bandmates. Nino had promised that they would take care of her, and they truly had.
It was difficult to part with the five men backstage - their charm had already won Yuri over so that she they felt like they were old friends. No wonder they were the nation’s top idols. Her dancing eyes magnetically locked with Nino’s in a secret, silent exchange just before she was whisked away by her manager. Nino was so lucky, she wistfully thought, to have been blessed with such a wonderful team. She hoped he never took it for granted.
----------
In Johnny’s Entertainment, Ninomiya Kazunari was always treated like a spoiled favorite. To the Juniors who ran around in the hallways at headquarters, he was the cool older brother who they could immediately warm up to and who knew all the best video game shortcuts. To his senpais, he was a cheeky but charming one that never used deferential keigo speech. There was only one person in the entire agency who intimidated him, even if he would never profess to it.
Nino waited patiently outside the double doors of Johnny Kitagawa’s office. He had been requested for a casual meeting with the president, which wasn’t out of the normal. But when the doors opened and out stepped Anzai Sachiye, Yuri’s manager, Nino leapt to his feet in alarm.
“Anzai-san, what are you doing here?”
The observant woman started at running into him, and hesitated. “Ahno…”
“It wasn’t about Yuri, was it?” he hissed. Had a dedicated hate website already been started for his co-star? A bitter, scarring memory suddenly flashed back to him - Nagasawa Masami, sobbing helplessly and uncontrollably after yet another drama rejection, all because of Johnny Kitagawa’s power…
“Daijoubu desu, Ninomiya-san, it’s nothing to be worried about. The shachou and I just discussed Yuri’s career, and how he’d like to help advance it if he could.”
Nino’s pulse slowed in relief. “Majide?”
“Nn; he likes her image and thinks she would be a versatile persona with a lot of other Johnnies.”
“Sou… Yokatta…”
Anzai, who of course had known the behind-the-scenes truth for a long time, added in a sympathetic whisper, “Then again, I don’t think any future pairings would ever have the same chemistry as you two do.”
Just then, the president’s secretary came to fetch Nino. As if he were on set and cued to resume character, he quickly settled his racing thoughts and greeted Johnny-san with the same hollowly prudent smile as he always did.
-------
In the empty green room, Nino’s thumbs typed in characters at lightning speed; he eagerly awaited for the reply, which soon arrived with a special little jingle:
I remember how miserable you sounded when you were in California… If you think it’s just going to be like that again then you should just forget about it, deshou? You’re just fine where you are.
Suddenly he recognized Yuri’s muffled voice outside the door, and he quickly pocketed his phone before she entered. The show producer said a few confirmatory words to them and just as soon left them alone. The man sitting cross-legged on the couch hardly looked up from his script to greet her.
“How did your meeting with Johnny-san go?” she timidly asked, noticing how oddly taciturn he was.
“Pretty routine.” Nino muttered in short syllables.
“Sou ka…”
Just when Yuri was beginning to consider if she’d unwittingly done something wrong to annoy him, Nino spoke up.
“Johnny-san just wanted to tell me that I got another movie offer.”
“Sugoi, omedettou! What’s it about?”
“It’s a strange one - this director always does quirky stories.”
“Eh, who is it?”
“… Wes Anderson.”
“EH? The - the American?” Yuri’s mouth fell open. Why in the world was he not acting more excited?
Nino chuckled quietly. “Yes, that’s the only one.”
“He’s HUGE, Ninomiya-kun! This is amazing! Ne, you’re not going to have much of a break between films, are you?”
The idol smiled strangely. “I’m… not doing it.”
“Eh?”
“I turned it down.”
Yuri blinked, wondering if this was his cold humor coming out. The man, however, looked completely serious. “Why would you do that?”
Nino shrugged. “I don’t think it’s for me.”
“You don’t like the character, or the genre?”
“No, it’s just that after Letters from Iwo Jima…” He trailed off. “Besides, it would be selfish of me to take a few months off. The other members would have to pick up my slack. Too much inconvenience for everyone.”
“But Ninomiya-kun,” she urged, completely baffled, “This is a major opportunity. Imagine how many audiences you’ll reach! How many more choices you’ll have afterwards.”
“I’m quite past the point of proving myself, I think.” His eyes flickered darkly. “Isn’t the work I do here just as good?”
“What you do is already incredible, but I’m just saying-- What if this chance never comes again?”
“I’ve had a different offer from Hollywood about every other year since Iwo Jima. Nothing bad ever happened after rejecting those, either.” he said nonchalantly. “Besides, there’s no point in trying to ‘make it’ over in America without being fluent in English.”
She had heard him speak English before and thought it was much better than he let on. “Didn’t you say that before Arashi was formed, you wanted to quit Johnny’s and go study acting in America? What happened to that dream? If you’re refusing out of fear--”
“-- I’m NOT scared.” Nino snapped.
Yuri shrank back but still pressed on, wanting him to realize his potential, the great talent that she so admired. “I understand that your responsibilities lie with Arashi but - but don’t you want to see how far you can go on your own?”
He had never looked upon her with such cold eyes. “I thought you of all people would understand, Yuri. My place is here. You may have left your group for your own good, but I need them. I’m not going to risk what I’ve built just for some over-hyped 15 minutes of fame.”
Ninomiya’s icy expression hurt more than any scowl. It was immediately wiped away as the door opened and the producer announced that they were ready for them. Yuri struggled to shake off the argument as she followed them out, whereas Nino showed no signs that he had ever gotten upset. They had a job to do.
----------
Thank you all SO much for your comments last time, I really appreciated knowing that people hadn't given up on this :) Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!
All this hot/cold from Nino is sad and frustrating but it's how I imagine he would handle things. In regards to the Hollywood argument, I thought that both sides had very good points. He HAS said in the past that the time filming for Iwo Jima, he was just really homesick. It's not like acting in Hollywood is necessarily the epitome of success anyway, so I guess we have to respect Nino's decisions to stick to work with Arashi. I'll always be curious about where he could have ended up had he done more international work, though.
* Aiba-kun was on Otameshika! Karaema10 to promose Aiba Manabu on Apr. 22, 2013. It's been subbed, but not sure by what team. Highly recommended.
** Nino was on Getsuyo kara Yofukashi to promote Platina Data on March 25, 2013. Also a funny episode with lots of brattiness, subbed by community luckysubbin!