Somewhere Only We Know [a Ninomiya Kazunari love story] - Chapter 41, part 2
Somewhere Only We Know, Chapter 41, part 2
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!
-----------
“I’m sorry.” was the first thing Yuri whispered, although she did not know what she had done wrong.
“Where did you go?” Nino murmured, stroking her long hair.
“I - I just really needed to be alone for a little while…”
credit: l-tm on Tumblr
There in his entryway, the longer Nino held onto her, face helplessly buried in her neck, chest pressed against hers with his comfortable languid weight, the more her bewildered heart - without putting up much of a fight - melted. Although she could not understand his behavior right after having met with the other woman, her anger dwindled farther and farther away.
“I just heard that my ojii-san had a stroke.” Nino mumbled suddenly.
“EH?!” Her stomach lurched; she understood that fear. “Is he…?”
“He’s stable now, but being kept in the hospital for observation.”
“Sou ka, yokatta… Is this the grandpa one that raised you?”
“Nn.”
She soothingly rubbed the special spot in his back, and his shoulders began to relax. “You all must be so worried…”
“It’s just that I can’t go visit him until - I have to be at the station in an hour and my schedule runs until 8pm tonight - and if something happens to him between then…”
Yuri pulled away, earnestly examining his forlorn expression. “Don’t think about that right now.” she insisted, shaking her head. “He knows you care about him, and that you will be there as soon as you can. Daijoubu yo.” As one who had known so much loss, she still meant it.
So many versions of this hallway scene had been run through before - rushed and tripping over each other as they were late for work, shaking themselves off from a rainstorm, playful and excited, rose-colored glasses admiration, cold-shouldered silence - and they could sense this time the chemistry of the air shifting in agitation. Their interlocked hands awkwardly hung at their sides.
“Yuri sa… Do you - do you want to do something new?”
“Eh?”
“We can take a trip to an onsen in Hokkaido, or even fly out to Thailand if you want.”
“Kazunari… What are you talking about?”
“Let’s go away somewhere. Just the two of us.”
“But Arashi’s schedule…” she gaped at his proposition.
“I can probably free up a weekend.”
The woman wryly furrowed her brow kindly. “You know that’s not possible.”
“Okay fine,” he earnestly admitted, “What about something else? Anything you want to do, you decide.”
Yuri’s careful facade was absolutely still as she studied him for a long moment. “Do you mean that?”
“Of course.”
In some ways, her following precarious request was not out of real intent, but more so just to see what he would say; to see if he would actually keep his word.
“… Can we have a meal with some of your friends?”
Nino’s eyes flashed as he realized what situation he had lured himself into. He remembered that long ago, he had promised to introduce her to his crowd once the movie had finally wrapped. A lump formed in his throat, but he swallowed the bitterness and tried to smile.
credit: pinkiss-n on Tumblr
“S-sure. Let’s do dinner.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
The air grew even more tense as they stood there, staring down at their feet with hands stuffed in pockets.
“Ahno sa, I have to head out now.” Nino muttered gruffly, glancing at his watch.
“Nn. Do you need anything else?”
He pulled her close one more time and let out a sigh as if to say, ‘I have what I need right here.’
By the time Yuri returned to her own apartment, the repairman had already pulled out about half the contents of his toolbox on the tile floor and bore the unpromising air of perplexity.
“Where did you go?” Sun Hwa inquired. “Your tea is all cold.”
“I err, just ran into a chatty neighbor in the hallway.” Yuri explained unevenly.
Meanwhile, the worker straightened up with a rueful look. “Shimada-san, I am sorry to say this but this is more of a complicated malfunction than we usually see… I am going to have to call in and order a special part. It might take anywhere from a few hours to a few days to receive it.”
“Majidesuka?”
“I am very sorry. I would advise that you and your mother go someplace else for a little while, just to stay warm.”
The morning was still young, and it was a leisurely stroll for the mother and daughter, linked arm-in-arm. Following the repairman’s advice, they were on their way to Yuri’s favorite café. While maneuvering through the snow-laden the sidewalk Park Sun Hwa gazed up at all the tall skyscrapers and reminisced about all that had changed in that neighborhood alone in the past 13 years since she had set foot there.
“Ah, but this place is still here!” She stopped to gaze into the frosted window of a small garden boutique with a goldenrod and emerald exterior that Yuri had never paid attention to before. Inside were luscious hanging vines, rustic terra cotta pots, bright orchids thriving regardless of the chill of the season. “Remember this?”
Yuri did not.
“In the spring they used to sell these little bunches of violets and display them outside. We brought one home; you must have been 4 or 5 years old at the time.” With an odd smile she added, “It turns out that when I wasn’t looking you would water them so much that eventually they drowned. Even as a child you were just so… generous, and didn’t know when to stop giving.”
The young woman sighed. “Nan babo gatah.*” Being generous was not admirable but simply foolish to open herself up again and again as if she had not learned her lesson the first or even the second time.
“Ani,” her mother disagreed with a shake of her head, “Some things just aren’t designed to receive what you have to offer. And some people… they just aren’t ready.”
Park Sun Hwa studied her daughter’s profile with a fresh lens, wistful at all the years that had turned Yuri into a remarkable woman before she’d realized.
Soon, they reached the café.
A brief hush fell across the establishment as everyone’s attention turned in the direction of the actress who had just walked through the door, soon followed by the sound of scraping chairs as the customers rushed up to get a closer look at Shimada Yuri, shake her hand, get her autograph… A lot had changed overnight. Just one year ago Yuri would have been elated and self-gratified at this return of her stardom, but now she only received the attention with quiet gratitude and, as her mother had declared, generosity.
credit: yoongator on Tumblr
------------
* “I’m a fool.”
Stay tuned for chapter 42!
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!
-----------
“I’m sorry.” was the first thing Yuri whispered, although she did not know what she had done wrong.
“Where did you go?” Nino murmured, stroking her long hair.
“I - I just really needed to be alone for a little while…”
credit: l-tm on Tumblr
There in his entryway, the longer Nino held onto her, face helplessly buried in her neck, chest pressed against hers with his comfortable languid weight, the more her bewildered heart - without putting up much of a fight - melted. Although she could not understand his behavior right after having met with the other woman, her anger dwindled farther and farther away.
“I just heard that my ojii-san had a stroke.” Nino mumbled suddenly.
“EH?!” Her stomach lurched; she understood that fear. “Is he…?”
“He’s stable now, but being kept in the hospital for observation.”
“Sou ka, yokatta… Is this the grandpa one that raised you?”
“Nn.”
She soothingly rubbed the special spot in his back, and his shoulders began to relax. “You all must be so worried…”
“It’s just that I can’t go visit him until - I have to be at the station in an hour and my schedule runs until 8pm tonight - and if something happens to him between then…”
Yuri pulled away, earnestly examining his forlorn expression. “Don’t think about that right now.” she insisted, shaking her head. “He knows you care about him, and that you will be there as soon as you can. Daijoubu yo.” As one who had known so much loss, she still meant it.
So many versions of this hallway scene had been run through before - rushed and tripping over each other as they were late for work, shaking themselves off from a rainstorm, playful and excited, rose-colored glasses admiration, cold-shouldered silence - and they could sense this time the chemistry of the air shifting in agitation. Their interlocked hands awkwardly hung at their sides.
“Yuri sa… Do you - do you want to do something new?”
“Eh?”
“We can take a trip to an onsen in Hokkaido, or even fly out to Thailand if you want.”
“Kazunari… What are you talking about?”
“Let’s go away somewhere. Just the two of us.”
“But Arashi’s schedule…” she gaped at his proposition.
“I can probably free up a weekend.”
The woman wryly furrowed her brow kindly. “You know that’s not possible.”
“Okay fine,” he earnestly admitted, “What about something else? Anything you want to do, you decide.”
Yuri’s careful facade was absolutely still as she studied him for a long moment. “Do you mean that?”
“Of course.”
In some ways, her following precarious request was not out of real intent, but more so just to see what he would say; to see if he would actually keep his word.
“… Can we have a meal with some of your friends?”
Nino’s eyes flashed as he realized what situation he had lured himself into. He remembered that long ago, he had promised to introduce her to his crowd once the movie had finally wrapped. A lump formed in his throat, but he swallowed the bitterness and tried to smile.
credit: pinkiss-n on Tumblr
“S-sure. Let’s do dinner.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
The air grew even more tense as they stood there, staring down at their feet with hands stuffed in pockets.
“Ahno sa, I have to head out now.” Nino muttered gruffly, glancing at his watch.
“Nn. Do you need anything else?”
He pulled her close one more time and let out a sigh as if to say, ‘I have what I need right here.’
By the time Yuri returned to her own apartment, the repairman had already pulled out about half the contents of his toolbox on the tile floor and bore the unpromising air of perplexity.
“Where did you go?” Sun Hwa inquired. “Your tea is all cold.”
“I err, just ran into a chatty neighbor in the hallway.” Yuri explained unevenly.
Meanwhile, the worker straightened up with a rueful look. “Shimada-san, I am sorry to say this but this is more of a complicated malfunction than we usually see… I am going to have to call in and order a special part. It might take anywhere from a few hours to a few days to receive it.”
“Majidesuka?”
“I am very sorry. I would advise that you and your mother go someplace else for a little while, just to stay warm.”
The morning was still young, and it was a leisurely stroll for the mother and daughter, linked arm-in-arm. Following the repairman’s advice, they were on their way to Yuri’s favorite café. While maneuvering through the snow-laden the sidewalk Park Sun Hwa gazed up at all the tall skyscrapers and reminisced about all that had changed in that neighborhood alone in the past 13 years since she had set foot there.
“Ah, but this place is still here!” She stopped to gaze into the frosted window of a small garden boutique with a goldenrod and emerald exterior that Yuri had never paid attention to before. Inside were luscious hanging vines, rustic terra cotta pots, bright orchids thriving regardless of the chill of the season. “Remember this?”
Yuri did not.
“In the spring they used to sell these little bunches of violets and display them outside. We brought one home; you must have been 4 or 5 years old at the time.” With an odd smile she added, “It turns out that when I wasn’t looking you would water them so much that eventually they drowned. Even as a child you were just so… generous, and didn’t know when to stop giving.”
The young woman sighed. “Nan babo gatah.*” Being generous was not admirable but simply foolish to open herself up again and again as if she had not learned her lesson the first or even the second time.
“Ani,” her mother disagreed with a shake of her head, “Some things just aren’t designed to receive what you have to offer. And some people… they just aren’t ready.”
Park Sun Hwa studied her daughter’s profile with a fresh lens, wistful at all the years that had turned Yuri into a remarkable woman before she’d realized.
Soon, they reached the café.
A brief hush fell across the establishment as everyone’s attention turned in the direction of the actress who had just walked through the door, soon followed by the sound of scraping chairs as the customers rushed up to get a closer look at Shimada Yuri, shake her hand, get her autograph… A lot had changed overnight. Just one year ago Yuri would have been elated and self-gratified at this return of her stardom, but now she only received the attention with quiet gratitude and, as her mother had declared, generosity.
credit: yoongator on Tumblr
------------
* “I’m a fool.”
Stay tuned for chapter 42!