Once Again... I'm in Love with You - Chapter 3B
The next two days were pretty dull. Ohno rarely saw Jun or Sho at work, making him wondered what they were up to. They attended the meeting but will immediately leave once it’s done. Jun didn’t even greet him like always, causing the staff to give him a weird look. In fact, Ohno was sure that Jun glared at him during one of the meetings when their eyes met. Was he angry with him? But, he didn’t think he did anything that will cause his boss to be mad at him.
He tried to call Jun but he didn’t answer any call. He didn’t even read or reply to any of Ohno’s message. So, Ohno didn’t really know how to reach out to him as he wasn’t even in the office.
“Ohno Kun.” He was surprised to hear the familiar voice greeted him from behind on Friday morning. But, there was something different about the voice. Jun sounded far too cold for his liking. When he turned around and stood face to face with his boss, he noticed how upset Jun was. Eh, what happened? What’s wrong with Jun?
“Good morning, Matsujun.” Ohno greeted Jun, trying to act normal with his friend. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” Jun said, still sounded cold. “Meet me in the office. Now.”
Jun left before he could say anything. What’s wrong? Jun never talk to him like this. He heard murmur around him. All of the staff were looking at him suspiciously. But, he ignored them as he followed Jun.
When he entered Jun’s office, Sho was already there along with a tall guy he didn’t recognize. But, Ohno had a feeling he had seen this guy before. All three of them had the same expression. They were gloomy and sad. Among the three, Jun looked the worst.
“Good morning, Ohno Kun.” Sho greeted him. He was the most composed of the three.
“Good morning.” He returned the greetings. His heartbeat was faster than usual because of how anxious he was. “Is everything okay, Sakurai san?”
“I wish that I can say everything is okay, Ohno Kun,” Sho answered, making Ohno felt even more worried. “First of all, have you seen this guy before?”
Sho pointed at the unknown guy, who looked at him intently. He didn’t understand why they made him do this but he still complied. He looked at the guy, trying to think where he might see him. But, nothing comes out. So, he shook his head, causing the three guys to sigh in disappointment. He frowned watching their reaction. Was he supposed to know who the tall guy was?
“Please.” The unknown guy pleaded. “You have to remember me. Look at me carefully.”
Once again, he wondered what they were up to. They looked desperate trying to make him remember the unknown guy. But, no matter how much he tried, he still hadn’t had a clue on who the guy was.
“It’s no use. He won’t remember and he can’t help us.” Jun said. “You know how powerful his magic is. No one can undo what he did to Ohno Kun.”
“But…” The unknown guy interrupted. “He is our only lead to find Nino.”
“Nino?” Ohno said the name out loud. As if the name was a key to an unlocked memory, the image of the pale guy with black hair popped out once again. This time, the image was clearer. The guy was cute. His skin was fair with no hint of a flaw. He had a cute button nose and thin lips with a mole on the chin. Who was this guy? Why did he suddenly feel sad thinking of him?
However, soon after that, Ohno had a painful headache followed by a few images running in his head. He saw the pale guy in a coffee shop. The unknown tall guy was with him. Then, he saw Jun with the pale guy. They were talking happily. The next image surprised him. His parents were lying on the floor. They looked lifeless, just like what he saw previously when his mother called him. Then, he was in his parents’ kitchen. Jun and Sho were there as well as the unknown guy. He was shouting at the unknown guy but he couldn’t hear what it was. The pale guy came striding to the kitchen and the only thing he heard was I’m sorry, said by the pale guy. Even though he never saw the guy before, his voice was familiar.
What were all these? Were they real? Were they his imagination? It couldn’t be real. His parents were okay. He had visited them. He even talked to his mother this morning. So, why did the image look too real as if they were his memory?
“Are you okay, Ohno Kun?” Sho asked. All three of them looked at him with concern.
“Yes.” He said despite the throbbing pain in his head. He thought about the pale guy in his vision. Was he Nino that the unknown guy mentioned? Without thinking, he went to grab a pencil on Jun’s desk and drew the guy he saw in his head in a blank paper on Jun’s desk. The three of them gasped as he drew the guy.
“That’s Nino.” the unknown guy exclaimed before Ohno could finish the drawing. “See, I know it. He can help us find Nino. Their bond is stronger than Nino’s magic.”
“Magic? There’s no such thing as magic” Ohno blurted out. This conversation did not make any sense at all. “So, who is this person? Do I know him?”
“He is Nino.” The unknown guy told him. “He is your soul…”
Before he could finish what he wanted to say, Jun had covered his mouth. Sho shook his head while giving the guy a disapproving look.
“Blabbermouth.” Jun glared at the guy as he took his hands off from him. The guy pouted in return. They still looked gloomy but it wasn’t as tense as when Ohno entered the room. He wondered if it had anything to do with Nino. He had a feeling it was because his mind somehow remembered Nino even though he had no idea who he was.
The situation freaked him out, to be honest. To have a series of images flashed in his mind revolving a guy he never met. But, the things that freaked him out the most was how he had feelings for the guy. How should he describe the feeling? It’s filled with love but at the same time, it made him sad. Why?
“Can anyone explain to me everything?” He pleaded. This feeling was too overwhelming for him. The three of them looked at each other. No one answered his question until Sho stepped forward.
“We will,” Sho said. “But, first, you have to tell us everything you remember about Nino.”
He nodded his head. It’s not like he can tell them much but at least he can tell them about the images he saw before. Maybe they knew what the images really were.
“This is our friend, Aiba Masaki.” Sho pointed at the unknown tall guy. “Are you sure you have never met him before?”
The same question again. Ohno only nodded his head, signifying that he indeed never met Aiba before.
“So…” Sho began. He pointed at the drawing made by Ohno earlier. “Where do you see this guy?”
Ohno stayed silent at first, trying to form sentences that will not make him sound like a crazy person. He never really met Nino. He only saw him in his head.
“Ohno Kun,” Sho called him after a while. Ohno looked at the guy, still thinking of how to answer.
“I never met him. I only saw him in my head. But, I’m not crazy. I didn’t imagine him.” He finally said after thinking for a while. He put emphasis on the last sentences. There was a distant memory he suddenly remembered. His father had called him crazy when he was small. But, he couldn’t remember the reason.
“Since when?” Sho asked.
“Since Tuesday.” He answered. And then, as if he couldn’t control himself, he started to tell them how he had started to feel weird since that day. Of how he thought he already went through May 15 and all the images he saw in his head revolving the pale guy. Heck, he even told them about how there was supposed to be a coffee shop near the train station. The three of them listened to him intently. Even though his story sounded impossible, none of them looked at him as if he was a crazy person.
“The images look real. I’m not dreaming or imagining things. It’s more like a memory.” He said after he had finally told them everything. “Please… don’t think of me as crazy.”
He finally realized that he was sweating. Perhaps because he was too anxious. Sho approached him and tried to comfort him.
“Don’t worry. None of us thinks you are crazy.” Sho said softly. “But, can you help me with something?”
“What is it?” He tilted his head in confusion.
“Close your eyes and think of this pale guy,” Sho instructed him. Ohno frowned at first, thinking of why Sho wanted him to do this. But, he complied nevertheless. There was something about Sho that made him relax.
“His name is Nino.” Sho’s soft voice informed him. Then, he continued with his instruction. “You have met him before. But, you cannot remember. Try to look for that memory so that you will remember.”
His instincts told him that Sho wasn’t lying. Something told him that Nino was someone he knew. Before he realized it, he was in his class. But, it wasn’t his school. He was in his cram school. There were other students but they were blurry. His eyes were fixed on the figure sitting on the teacher’s desk. The teacher was smiling warmly at him. He was… Nino. Truthfully, Ohno wasn’t surprised to see him there.
“Ninomiya sensei.” He said the name softly. He heard Aiba’s voice before Jun scolded the other guy. Sho, on the other hand, asked him to ignore Aiba and keep focusing to do what he asked.
“That’s good, Ohno Kun.” Sho continued to tell him. “Yes, you’ve met Nino as your teacher before. But, it isn’t the first time you meet him. You have met him way before that. Keep trying.”
Ohno nodded his head without objection.
Now, he was in a gazebo, looking at the starry night and beautiful moon. His environment looked weird. He was surrounded by plants that he never saw before. There were footsteps behind him and he turned around. A small guy wearing a fox mask was standing before him. Even though he couldn’t see the face, he knew the guy was Nino.
But, something was different about this Nino. He noticed his ears. They were pointed instead of rounded. Then, Nino smiled at him, showing his elongated canines. He was surprised by what he saw so he opened his eyes.
But, he was even more surprised to see Nino standing in front of him. No, it wasn’t his imagination. Nino was really standing in front of him, looking around the office with a frown. He looked confused to be in the office as if he wasn’t supposed to be here.
“How... “ Nino mumbled but left whatever he was going to say hanging when he noticed Jun. He noticed the way Nino’s lips almost curled into a smile when he saw Jun. However, the smile automatically faded when he was looking at Ohno’s direction. Nino immediately looked tense to see him in the office.
“AIBA CHAN!!” Nino shouted. “WHAT DID YOU DO?”
“So, how?” The king asked the chief healer. One of his human concubines had given birth to a baby. He didn’t want to know about the lady. He was interested in the baby he sired. But, not because he cared about the baby. The only thing he cared about was whether the baby was the prophesied child the intruder he met in the library had told him about ten years ago.
The chief healer shook his head. As expected. The babies he sired may have pointed ears and fangs like him but there’s no way someone with human blood will have magic in them. The intruder had made fun of him. And, he was stupid to believe him. But, it’s okay. The ladies that he had mated with had their use.
“Your Majesty…” Another guard entered his throne room. Obviously, he had been running with the way he tried to catch his breath. “I have news for you. One of your concubines ...”
“What’s wrong?”
“She had given birth…”
“Which one?”
“Lady Kazuko.”
The king gasped in surprise. Kazuko was one of his favourites. She was plain but there was something about her that made her look attractive. Maybe because she was the only one who dared to defy him.
The news surprised him. Yes, she was pregnant but she wasn’t supposed to give birth today. It was supposed to be in two months. Without wasting any more time, he quickly headed towards her chamber.
“AAAAHHHHH!!!” She was screaming in agony and pain when he arrived. He stayed outside the chamber. It must be disgusting there. After a few moments, the screaming ceased. He expected the baby to be born already. But, he couldn’t hear the baby crying. So, he lifted his face and looked into her chamber. The chamber was glowing. But, it wasn’t because of the light in the chamber. The baby was glowing. The light slowly dimmed before it was absorbed by the baby.
Just like everyone else in the room, he was startled at first. However, he quickly recovered as he realized what it meant. It seemed like the intruder hadn’t lied to him. What the intruder told him on the night echoing in his head.
“The Raitorian may have the Key. But, they cannot fully wield the Key. The true wielder of the key was both a Fae and human. He will not only wield the Key, but he will also unite all the Fae.”
So, this was the prophesied child the intruder told him about. The king smirked, thinking about his next move.
“Keep this a secret from everyone else.” He ordered everyone in the chamber. “And, make sure you take very good care of this baby.”
He left the chamber with a smirk. He was beyond happy.
Kazunari. He decided that will be the baby’s name.
A/N: I hope this isn't weird. I have mutiple ideas in my mind as I wrote the story and this was my favourite. Please let me know what you think of this plot. Comments are very much appreciated :)