TITLE: The Storm of Leverage: The Beginning (01/?)
AUTHOR: Jaricchi@lj
PAIRING: None, or many
RATING: PG-13 for Nino’s potty mouth
WORD COUNT: 1066
GENRE: Crime/Friendship
TYPE: Series
SUMMARY: Based on the Hit T.V. Series Leverage - Arashi was composed of five men; a Master Mind, a Thief, a Hacker, a Retrieval Expert and a Grifter. This is how these five different men got together and became the Leverage of the weak in Japan.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: First chapter is out, hope you enjoy~ and please don’t forget to R and R
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The Storm of Leverage: The Beginning
CHAPTER ONE
Ohno Satoshi sat in his apartment-in the middle of a cluttered mess, but he paid it no mind. He had other matters to think about! He was almost done! And he has to finish it before Kazu comes over or else he’ll NEVER get it done!
One last stroke and - DONE!
“Captain?”
Just in time too, Satoshi turned slightly and smiled at the new person’s presence. “Kazu” he greeted. Ninomiya Kazunari came in and gave a guttural groan when he saw the mess. “Mou~ Captain teba! We agreed to NOT have your apartment this messy!” he moaned as he side-stepped puddles of paint.
Satoshi shrugged in a manner that was supposed to be understood as I-don’t-remember-that-therefore-I-am-by-default-not-caring. Nino merely rolled his eyes at that and turned to look at his friends’ new masterpiece. He glanced at it and raised a brow. “And?”
Satoshi looked at in confusion. “And???” Nino snorted. “And this is…what exactly?” He frowned and glanced at his own creation and back at Nino. “You can’t tell?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I could, Riida…” Nino sighed in frustration.
Satoshi frowned even more. “If you can’t tell, leave it be.” Nino gaped at him. “Eh?! Why?!”
Satoshi just shook his head and stood up, taking the painting with him. Nino, as expected, followed him as he took his painting to dry. “Oie! Riida, Why!” he persisted.
Satoshi rolled his eyes. “No particular reason, it’s just that if you can’t see it, the artist can’t interpret them for you.”
Nino paused as he watched Satoshi walking onwards and frowned. He then quickly picked up his pace as he tried to catch up. “That’s a stupid rule” he commented. Satoshi just smiled. “Not really…it’s up to the viewer to interpret the artists’ works in their own way.”
“Right.” Nino agreed but then added, “Unless he’s blind.” Satoshi just rolled his eyes at his friend, “You’re not blind, Nino.”
“Not YET-but if I see you naked one more time, I WILL be.” Nino joked, with a hint of seriousness in them. Satoshi turned to face him with a serious look. “KNOCK before you enter the bathroom.” And walked onwards.
“LOCK IT if you’re using it, damn it!” he yelled at his friend’s retreating back. Satoshi ignored him as he placed the painting on a stand out of the sunlight’s destructive path.
“I told you, the lock’s broken-” he reminded and Nino muttered, “Replace it then, baka.” But Satoshi safely ignored it and kept talking, “And so, what are you here for?” Nino looked at him, confused. “Huh?” he replied intelligently.
Satoshi stared at him and raised a brow. Nino made an Oh!face and grinned in a manner that scared him. “Ne, Riida~” he started.
“No.” Satoshi replied right away to the unasked question, his face voice of any emotion.
“I didn’t even ASK yet!” Nino whined, stomping his feet as he did. Satoshi nodded and made a slight movement for him to proceed. “I need a man to cover my back with this job I need to do.”
“You want me to be this man?” Ohno asked. Nino nodded, enthusiastically. “No.” was the immediate reply. Nino faulted. “Why?! You don’t even need to be in the AREA! I just need you to be in one area telling me what to do if something happens! No one will even know you were there!” Nino explained.
Satoshi sighed and went out the room with Nino trailing behind him. “Riida!” he called out. “No, Kazu, I will not be your wingman.” He repeated. Nino growled and overtakes him. “You won’t be my wingman, damn it! You’ll be MY Command Post, my Genera, and my Master Mind! If anything, I’ll be YOUR wingman.”
Ohno stared at him. “No is no, Kazu. I won’t get in that kind of job.” Nino groaned again. “I’m not saying this is PERMANENT, damn it! It’s JUST this ONE JOB!” Satoshi frowned at, getting irritated. “Why me?”
Nino answered with all honesty. “Because you’re the one I trust with all my life-that and I have no one else to turn to.”
Nino faced him seriously, no trace of his usual mischievousness. “Because you’re the one I trust with all my life-that and I have no one else to turn to.” He muttered something, but Satoshi wasn’t able to catch it.
Satoshi looked contemplative (which means, he doesn’t look sleepy). “And I know you were fired from your old job and need the cash.” Nino added and Satoshi brushed passed him with an angry look.
“Captain~” Nino called out. Satoshi ignored him and waved around his apartment. “Satoshi.” Nino called out again, this time with a pleading voice. Satoshi stopped. “Come on, Satoshi. This ONE JOB-that’s it. One job and you get to live your life in peace. I promise, Riida.” Nino pleaded once more.
Satoshi turned to around and sighed. “Why are you so adamant with me? I know that you know people that are better.” Nino sighed. “Okay. So the person I’ll be working with asked me to get a PERSON I can trust so if worse comes to worse, I have someone who has my back.”
Satoshi frowned. “Your boss?”
Nino shook his head. “Not the boss, Sho-chan doesn’t trust our boss and told me to do this. A just in case tactic, if something goes wrong.” Ohno frowned even more. “Sho-chan?”
“You’ve met him, I think. But anyway, please say you’ll do it!” he asked. Satoshi exhaled sharply and nodded. Nino grinned and hugged him quickly. “Yatta! Thankyouthankyouthankyou~!!!”
Satoshi looked away and smiled. “So? When are we leaving?”
Nino grinned even wider. “Now.”
Satoshi’s eyes widened.
“What?!”
---
Sakurai Sho sighed as he checked his watched once more in irritation. “Sho-chan, calm down.” A voice to his right told him, “You know Nino does this to annoy you.” Sho turned to him and smiled wryly. “I know that Masaki, it just annoys me that it works.” He explained.
Aiba Masaki gave a barked laugh and grinned widely at his friend. “Mou~ only you Sho-chan…” Sho only gave him another wry smile as he rechecked his watch. “Ah!” Aiba cried and Sho looked up immediately. “They’re here, Sho-chan!”
Sho stood by the elevator doors to greet the two incoming men. Once the elevator doors opened, Sho was greeted by the sight of grinning Nino who had his arms up wide who immediately jumped-hugged him. “The Idol has arrived~” he said in a way of greeting. Sho rolled his eyes as he hugged the smaller man. “Please, please, hold your applause until after my main performance~”
Sho turned to his other companion with an amused smile. His smile turned into a wide grin at the sight of Ohno. “Ah! Ohno-san, isn’t it?” Sho asked, releasing Nino without a second thought. Ohno smiled back and nodded. “A-Aa…Ohno Satoshi.”
Sho beamed at him. “You’re…Sho-chan?” Satoshi asked. Sho blinked at the use of his first name before grinning widely. “That’s right. Sakurai Sho.”
“And I’m Aiba Masaki~” Aiba introduced as he slung his body on Sho’s back. Ohno blinked as he took in the guy who wasn’t there a second ago, he nodded in greeting.
“Hai-hai-now that introductions are now over, can we stop ignoring the impressive and magnificent Ninomiya Kazunari; Idol, Magician, Thief, please?” a voice drawled from behind them.
All three turned to him and Nino placed a familiar scowl on his face. Sho rolled his eyes at him but complied. “Hai, hai~”
“Can we get to actually doing the briefing to get this shindig started?” Nino asked Sho, irritated. Sho patted his head in a reassuring manner but in doing so messing up Nino’s perm. He then led them to a large table in the middle of the empty room-or rather floor.
On it was a lot of I.T. gear that didn’t, in anyway, look common. There were also maps and an EXTRA LARGE one in the middle of the lighted table.
Nino whistled appreciatively. “When you said that you knew the best HACKER in the business, I didn’t know you meant Aiba.” Aiba turned to him sharply, frowning as he did. “What’s THAT supposed to mean?!”
Nino backed up and raised his arms in a defensive manner. “Nothing!” he replied, “I just didn’t expect YOU to be a hacker, when Sho introduced you as his friend; I thought you’d be another HUSTLER like him.”
“Retrieval Expert” Sho cut in. Aiba and Nino turned to him quickly. “What?!” Nino hissed. “I’m a Retrieval Expert-not a Hustler.” Sho corrected. Nino (and Aiba) just nodded in a slow manner, still trying to comprehend his words. “Indenial” Nino coughed and Sho glared at him.
“I can’t be a hustler, Nino.” Aiba explained. Nino frowned at him. “Why not?” Aiba laughed. “Look at me. I’m all SKIN and BONES!”
“And Sho-chan’s made of AIR MUSCLES.” Nino pointed out with a thumb sticking out to his direction. “Hey! I resent that!” Sho protested (a blush adorning his cheeks). Ohno moved closer as he heard the turn of conversation and blinked up at Sho. “Air muscles?” he asked, his face looking absolutely lively and fascinated.
“Yeah, Oh-chan. Sho’s got these BUFF ARMS that make him seem really strong but technically, he’s really weak and wimpy.” Nino explained slowly. Sho puffed his cheeks in irritation, but didn’t say anything. “But they’re real?” Ohno persisted, still staring at Sho.
“A-Aa…” Sho replied, holding out his arm.
Ohno grinned and clutched on to his arm and made an Oh!face. “Oooooh~♥” he exclaimed in obvious joy as he moved his hands back and forth on Sho’s outstretched arm. Taken back, Sho turned to Nino for help to find the man biting back his laughter.
“Gomen ne, Sho-chan, gomen ne.” He chuckled as pulled his oddly energetic (yet lethargic) friend away. “This guy ne-” he held on to Ohno (who was trying to pull himself out of his grasp to go back), “has an awkward yet hilarious fascination with quote and quote ‘REAL’ and ‘FIRM’ muscles.”
Sho rubbed his arms in reaction-awkward yet somewhat pleased at that. “Is that so…” he commented, not really knowing what else to say. Nino laughed at his discomfort. “Oh-chan’s like a girl sometimes.”
Ohno turned to him angrily. “I am NOT a girl.”
Nino held up his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t SAY you were.” Ohno just glared. Aiba, sensing the newly formed hostility, moved forward. “As amusing as this is guys, but shouldn’t we start? We do have a deadline.” Nino turned to him quickly. “I mean, Nino and Sho-chan, you two have a deadline. Oh-chan and I are just here because you two need help.”
Sho cursed softly when he was brought back to reality. “Right. Thank you, Masaki.” Aiba beamed at him. Sho pointed out the map in the table as they gathered around. Nino stood beside him as Aiba and Ohno across them.
“Oie! What did Aiba mean by a DEADLINE?!” he asked. Sho didn’t reply as a determined scowl was plastered on his face. “Oie, Sakurai!” Nino called out once more, “What DEADLINE?! He didn’t MENTION a deadline!”
“He changed the contract! That’s what it meant, Nino!” Sho snapped and turned to face him with a murderous scowl on his face. Nino flinched at the anger present on Sho’s face. “That BASTARD-” Sho spat in distaste (Aiba watched on with morbid fascination), “-called me last night to MAKE a NEW arrangement. He told us we had to hand it to him by tomorrow or he’ll cancel the contract and hire *SMAP!”
Nino narrowed his eyes. “THOSE OLD GEEZERS?! FUCK NO!” Sho sneered in reply. “I personally have nothing against them-I actually like them, but yes, that’s what I told him.” He turned face all of them. “So we better get this show on the road, gentlemen.” He looked up at each one them and smiled quite unpleasantly. Ohno looked him in avid fascination. Aiba looked excited, his tension rising with Sho’s anger. Nino looked heavily disturbed (knowing first-hand what happens to those who flip Sho’s switch).
“Let’s shot this Senator Serizawa-sama what WE can do, shall we?”
Nino smiled back, equally vengeful. “Yes, Sho-chan lets.”
Aiba turned to Ohno, a little worried now (since if Nino feels evil, it’s bound to be a bloody). Ohno turned to him before turning back to the other two in front of him, his face completely contemplative.
Something wasn’t right…
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* I’m sorry to SMAP fans if I insulted you in anyway. I meant no offense honestly. I just had to use another J.E. band but seeing as I am new to the fandom-I used the first band that I have absolutely NO knowledge of. I’m sorry.
Author’s Note: Okay…that was CHAPTER ONE. What do you guys think? Read and Review please~ :3