mission report for lover_youshould
Title: Burning Fire: Matsumoto Jun
Groups/Pairings: Arashi Friendship (Shomiya-ish, one-sided Matsumiya if you really squint)
Rating: PG-13; for Nino’s potty mouth
Warnings: None? Super powered Arashi AU
Summary:Matsumoto Jun never knew why Nino and Ohno follow Japan's most Darkest Villain, until he realizes himself how much the other would go through to protect what he believes is his.
Notes: Written for lover_youshould! I hope you enjoyed this! And I hope it didn’t go off track. :) Special mention goes to my beta aishizuki who on short notice Beta-ed this! It was a rush job and I thank you a million! Hope I didn’t disappoint...
+
Burning Fire: Matsumoto Jun
+
[ ARASHI FILES ]
05.
NAME: Matsumoto Jun [ 松本潤 ]
STATUS: Untamed.
PREFERENCE: Vigilante
LEVEL:
Registered: Level 5, Elemental (Lightning). Level 9, Reverse Empath. Level 8, Defender (Diamond Skin & Projected Shield). Level 2, Mind Reader.
CODEX: ARASHI; semi-dependent on the government.
MOST NOTABLE RESCUE : Detected the anomalies in Arashi Villain 05's behavioural pattern. Villains are forced to be evil. It is apparently difficult to suppress the urges; difficult, but possible.
+
Matsumoto Jun stared hard at his senior chatting with his two companions across the room. His eyes narrowed as said senior scolded his companion for one thing or another. Jun continued to stare until a voice to his right spoke, "Stare at Sho-chan any harder and you might just burn him." Jun snorted in response. "Wouldn't that be good?"
Aiba sighed. He really could not understand why MatsuJun hated Sho so much. The first time he entered the Site, Jun latched on to Sho as a puppy would to its mother. Now he bares his fangs as a rabid dog would. "Masaki, stop comparing me to a wild animal," Jun muttered, not taking his eyes away from the man of his ire.
"And I don't hate the guy. I just..." he paused, looking for the right way to explain his...emotion for his senior. "I just don't want anything to do with him." Aiba looked entirely confused. "What do you mean?"
Jun shrugged and leaned back. "He's Sakurai Sho. That's that." Aiba frowned at his response, "You're not making sense." Jun scoffed. "You just don't understand."
"Is this because Kazu called you a bore and preferred Sho-chan's company over yours?" Aiba asked, taking a huge bite of his okonomiyaki. Jun snorted yet again. "Hardly care what that brat says." Aiba's eyes glittered in amusement as he insisted in a teasing tone, "But you do. You DO!"
Jun chose to blissfully ignore Aiba and watched as the one of Sho’s two companions spoke to him in a hushed tone. The senior turned to look Jun squarely in the eye and smiled. Jun begins to seethe inwardly and sharply looks back to his pasta. Much to his displeasure, he discovers he is no longer hungry. With a growl, he glares back at the older man.
Sakurai Sho was very, very bad news.
+
Despite the fact that Sakurai Sho was a senior, older and definitely not supposed to be in this class, he was, and his possé constantly trailed behind him.
Jun gave the three a nod in a form of greeting as he sat beside them in the next row of tables. "Was Jun-pon really staring at you again, Sho-chan?" Nino's voice asked shrilly as he sat down, knowing very well that everyone in the room could hear him.
"Kazu," Sho warned in his deep and usually soothing voice without looking up from his PDA. "Don't start."
"Sho-chan~" Ninomiya Kazunari imitated without looking up from his worn out Game Boy. He paused the game and turned to Jun with a smirk. "…Or was it me you were staring at, Princess?" Jun flushed at Nino’s remark, but refused to rise at the bait. One thing he learned from Sakurai-senpai was that if you reacted to Nino, the more he would actually tease you.
Seeing as his usual tactic not working, Nino turned to Ohno Satoshi, Sakurai-senpai's senior. "Riida~ they’re ignoring me!"
Ohno made a small humming noise as he turned to Sho. "Sho," he prodded gently. Sho stopped working on his PDA and sighed. "Yes, Kazu, he was looking at us, now stop bothering Matsumoto-kun. People will start thinking you’re trying to get him jealous."
Nino spluttered for a good minute and looked at Sho with pride. "I taught you too well." Sho turned to him with a dark smirk, one that Jun would honestly say he reacted to with distinct fear for the first time. "Of course. After all, I only learned from the best."
Jun was always amazed at how those two would take that Sho in stride, as if they were so used to seeing the dark side of that man. Which made him wonder often - exactly how complex was Sakurai Sho?
+
Jun stopped as he saw Sho leaning casually against the wall just beside the door to the room of his next class. He was running late but he couldn't ignore the man staring at him with that deep smirk. He learned from Nino that Sho was due for a class on the other side of the building, and there was no real reason why Sho should be here at the moment. The man’s presence made Jun instantly wary.
"...Sakurai-senpai." he greeted warily. He watched the other remove himself from the wall a seemingly feline gracefulness. Sho was one of the Government's better ... Erasers. The man in front of him radiated power and danger, making him wonder all over again how Nino and Ohno did not fear being in his mere presence.
Sakurai looked at him appraisingly. "...I see why Nino's fond of you, Matsumoto."
Jun rose his chin a little higher at the unexpected praise.
"But I'm a Level AA Villain," Sho continued, with a hard glint hidden in his eyes. "You're just a Level B+ Hero, and you may not want to hear such things from a Villain, but..."
Sho looked him straight in the eye and Jun was entranced by the swirling darkness perceived in those orbs. "I see you've got potential, kid. Try not to get yourself killed in your next mission."
Sho simply handed him a file and walked away.
Swallowing his pride, Jun turned to face the other's back and bowed stiffly. He briefly saw the other raise a hand in acknowledgement without turning around.
He glanced at his watch and groaned. He was so late.
+
Kimura-sensei looked up briefly from his lesson when Jun came in, but the teacher simply gestured for him to take a seat quickly. Jun, not wanting to test his good luck, moved to the nearest empty seat…
...Which just so happens to be beside Nino.
A notebook was quickly dashed to his corner of the table. He saw the notes that were scribbled on it -- probably the lesson they discussed in his, erm, absence - but on top of it, however, was a sticky note. ’What did Sho-chan want?’
Jun turned to Nino sharply upon reading the note, but all he saw was Nino not paying any attention to anything else but his hidden Game Boy. He sighed.
‘New Mission.’ he scribbled on the note. Nino quickly snatched it away to read Jun’s response, as June glanced at the notes. He began to copy them down, but stopped when he felt a note being lightly slapped onto his arm.
'Keep it. Sho's notes are still at home. And... Try not to die.'
Jun snorted and rolled his eyes at his seatmate, pleased to hear a huff of indignation in response.
+
When he left the classroom, he saw Ohno standing across the hall with Aiba chattering beside him. Jun rolled his eyes at his best friend's inane chatter.
"Masaki, leave Ohno-senpai alone, yeah?" he called out. The other man grinned brightly and waved goodbye to the older man. Masaki just grinned. "Ohno-senpai doesn't mind!" he turns to Ohno, who just smiled absently at them. He was probably waiting for his…friend? Companion? Room mate?
Masaki turns to him with a worried look. "You okay?" he asks. Jun shakes his head and pats his best friend's back. "Yeah."
With one long gaze at the pair, he feels startled to see them both staring at him hard. He looks back at his friend and nods. "Yeah"
Masaki rolled his eyes good natured. "What does your Mission tell you? Do you need a partner?" he asked. Jun shrugged and entered the library and walked a little bit more till they reached the edge of the room. Only two tables were situated here. One was theirs, the other belonged to Sho.
They sat and Jun opened the file and they both stopped breathing. Jun was certain Aiba gasped.
MISSION RANK A, LEVEL AAA
Jun's breath hitched as he tried to stop his hands from shaking. Masaki made a whine and turned to him. "MatsuJun..." he whispered, "You'll come back alive, right?"
Jun slowed and closed his eyes. His eyes burned brighter and gave a shaky breath. "Yeah."
+
Jun hoped he'd keep that promise, but it was harder than he thought.
Breathing hurts now. He closed his eyes and waited for the Site medics to arrive, but he knew they'll come too late. He's already lost too much blood.
A shadow appears in front of him and he flinches away from it.
"...I don't remember you being so fool hardy, Jun" a soft voice scolded him. He was shocked to see a familiar face he never thought he'd see again.
"Megu...mi-nee-chan..." he muttered in shock. She shook her head and knelt in front of him and suddenly, she began to glow. His eyes widened in recognition. "You--'re a... " he couldn't finish it, not when memories of the past rush on to him with much vengeance. He closed his eyes as he felt his wound heal...or rather, move.
He could still remember how his older sister ignored him after discovering his abilities as a Reverse Empath. He was labelled a monster, a freak, all she ever did was shake her head sadly and walk away.
He never felt so betrayed. So he instantly signed up to Kitagawa Johnny's school called the Site. Cases like him were removed from their normal homes and raised in a society with other Cases like him. He remembers that back then, the Gov't made it mandatory for Cases to be tested and removed. (He remembers that Sakurai-senpai was forcibly removed from his home after his father's death.)
"Many reasons why I ignored you back then, Jun." she stated as she continued her whatever. "I'm an Unregistered Level 7 Channeller." she stated. His eyes widened in recognition. "You..."
She looked at him tiredly and sadly, gave a small smile. "I tried to avoid you because I was channelling you so much that so many of my classmates tried killing themselves at the self pity." She looked down. "I didn't want to be discovered then" and turned to face him sharply, "And I don't want to be discovered now."
Jun sat straighter. "How did you know I would be in this area?"
She shook her head. "You have powerful friends, Jun." she started. "He found me. I had no choice."
Jun's eyes narrowed. "Friend?" His sister sighed. "Yes, a Manipulator of a High Level. I can't tell you who he is because I don't know him, but he looks familiar." Her eyes met his. "But I can tell you one thing, he's no Hero."
With those words, she stood up and left. "Nee-san" he called out. She stopped. "Can we...can we meet again?"
She turned to face him softly and shook his head. "I want no part of your world Jun" He looked down. "But we can write. I want you to be part of mine."
And she was gone.
As much as his joy was profound, he discovered, he wanted to know who sent her to save his life.
+
The next day, a conversation at breakfast would tell him who.
"You’re alive." Nino stated calmly infront of him. Ohno stood behind him solemnly. Jun blinked and placed down his fork. "Yeah...?"
Nino nodded and walked away. Ohno trailed after. "Wait." Jun called. Ohno stopped and turned to him, curious. Jun realized, the two of them never really interacted.
"Where's Sakurai-senpai?" he asked. Ohno stared at him with narrowed eyes (Jun then realized why Ohno was feared). "He said he was sick, he'll be by later."
Ohno then left him without a second glance. For the second time that week, his appetite left him. Could it be possible?
+
Jun glanced around. He was wondering where his best friend flew to all day. It wasn't like Masaki to go missing without telling him where he would be going. He stood up from his station when he saw the taller man assist Sho in to their class. A class they had shared with a few other Users that were Level 6 & above.
"Masaki!" He called out and was quick to his feet, but was shocked to see Ohno react faster than him.
He took Sho's weak form from Masaki with amazing strength and walked him to their table. He nodded at them as they passed and turned back to Sho, communicating with their shared Telepathy.
"They’re not using Telepathy, you know." a familiar voice told him. Jun turned slightly to face the person speaking to him. He wasn't shocked to see the last member of the TRIO. "The Yama Pair can communicate with simple gestures and eye contact." Nino told him, his eyes not leaving the eldest two.
"...makes me jealous sometimes..." he whispers, so silent he barely heard.
"What happened?" Jun asked. Nino looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Hmm?" Nino asked, looking back at the other two, who was noticeably arguing now, if that scowl on Ohno's face was to mean anything.
Jun made a gesture at Sho's general direction with his free hand. Nino gave him a small smile.
"I asked him to keep you safe." Jun's eyes widened. Nino gave him an amused wry look. "Remember to tell him thank you, okay Macchan?"
Jun could only nod.
+
Jun turned to his best friend once classes started and was about to interrogate him until he saw the tired look in the other's eyes and decided to change tactics. "What happened, Masaki?"
Aiba gave him a tired smile and waved it off. "Honestly? I don't remember." Jun's eyes narrowed. Masaki saw it and hastened to explain. "I mean, one minute I was with Sho-chan in the Gym doing our Skills Project for class then I was back in our place with him sprawled on our couch." he told him with a shrug.
Jun turned to Sho's table in anger. "I'm gonna-" Masaki quickly grabbed his arm and shook his head. "Sho-chan didn't do anything to me, MatsuJun!"
Jun growled and moved to stand. "But he-" Masaki pulled him down quickly before anyone notices. "No! Jun." Jun looked at his best friend, he hadn't heard him speak that seriously before. "I think he saved your life." Masaki whispered to him. Jun stared at him. "Impossible."
Masaki shock his head hard, Jun felt like it could fall off. "Nino told me before, that when he considers someone 'his'-" he made air quotes with the word, "-he'd go through Hell to protect them." Jun looked at him with a sceptical gaze. "Are we talking about the same Sakurai Sho? I mean, this is the same person right, same person listed as a Villain?"
Masaki gave him a rare disapproving look. "MatsuJun, just because he was born a Villain doesn't mean he's not human too."
Jun snorted. "But-"
"But nothing." Masaki stopped him, looking at the other's eye. "I think he may have made me forget, but I KNOW he saved your life."
Jun said nothing back.
+
"Sakurai-senpai" a voice called out. Sho stopped and turned slightly, waving to his companions to go ahead (which of course, ignored him).
Behind him stood the dejected form of Matsumoto Jun. Smirking slightly (and inwardly smiling when they grumbled), he addressed the other equally. "Matsumoto-kouhai" He heard Nino snort in amusement.
Jun looked him in the eye and frowned. "Masaki says you saved me."
Sho tilted his head to the side in response as he thought it through. "I saved you plenty." He gave the other a wry smile. "You'll have to be specific."
Jun wrinkled his nose in complete distaste. "Yesterday." He paused and looked up at the Villain ranked 5 in Japan. "Yesterday, you saved my life." A fact, not a question.
Sho looked amused. "...and what--makes you say that?"
Jun narrowed his eyebrows. "Masaki is sure."
Sho smiled. "If he's certain then." Jun glared. "Do not patronize me."
The other shrugged his sloping shoulders in response. "Because I don't have a reason to make certain you stay alive, so again, what makes you say I saved you." Sho stated seriously, ignoring the look Nino was giving him.
Jun saw that and held his head higher. "Because one of yours considers me his. Because you protect what is yours."
Nino turned to look at him coolly and looked quite superior at that moment, Jun had to inwardly snort. As if he belonged to anyone except himself.
Sho's gave on him turned predatory. Jun felt the flight or fight instict, leaning more on the flight part. He didn't doubt that this man was dangerous. And to his surprise, the elder laughed.
He looked at the other two and saw that they weren't surprised. Was Sakurai Sho insane too?
Sho swung an arm around Nino's shoulders and leaned in. The other twisted his arm, around Sho's waist and smirked. "J's right, you know Sho." Sho looked down slightly, with a highly amused look. "About which part?"
"Everything, of course." Nino huffed, raising his chin. "I didn't claim him as mine if he was stupid you know." Sho rose a perfectly arched eyebrow at that exclamation. "Uh huh..."
"You bet your sexy ass it's an uh huh!" Nino roared, slapping his ass as he did so (making Sho squeak a little). Sho glared at him but Nino drove on. "I mean, I wouldn't claim any one stupid into our little group. I want to reach my 30's sane, thank you very much."
Jun blinked. What the hell was going on?
Then, to his surprise, Ohno spoke. "Nino, your Jun comes with an attachment." They all turned to him confused. "What?" Nino blurted out. Ohno gave a sly smirk. "With MatsuJun, Aiba is usually attached."
Nino's eyes widen in realization. "Shit." he deadpanned and burrowed into Sho's chest. Sho gave a rumbled chuckle that Nino secretly loved. But predictably, instead of swooning, he whined. "My sanity! Sho-chan, this is all your fault!" he said as he sobbed theatrically the other's shoulder.
Sho looked at him, amused. "Me?"
Nino nodded. "You. Because I decided to follow you, now my sanity will be nonexistent by the end of the month." Jun snorted in amusement, couldn't help but be amused by their interactions. (It slowly breaks apart the concept that Villains weren't human since they did not feel.) "You didn't have one in the first place, Ninomiya." he drawled elegantly.
Nino scowled at him. Ohno chuckled beside them.
Sho looked at Jun seriously and spoke. "And if I saved you Matsumoto-kun, what does it matter?"
Jun and the others looked at him. Jun clenched his teeth while swallowing his pride and bowed. "Thank you."
Sho didn't say anything and left with a nod. Ohno followed without a second glance. Nino spoke before leaving. "Thank you" he whispered. Jun straightened and frowned. "For what?"
Nino gave a sad smile. "He doesn't get thanked a lot" he said and left.
Jun didn't know what to say to that.
+
Jun sighed as he tried to make sense of the words in the book. He was getting frustrated and getting frustrated was a bad thing. He could lose control and his reverse empathy could cause a major riot. He growled.
"Confusing?" a voice to behind him asked. "Extremely" Jun gruffed, distracted with the slopes and graphs and numbers and data swimming in his eyes. "Need help?" the voice asked. Jun turned around in completely joy and the smile froze on his face just to see who
it was. "S-Sakurai-san..."
Sho smirked at his reaction and sat beside the younger male. "That is my name." he replied and leaned forward. Jun immediately leaned back, to escape touching the other man. The other gave him an amused glance before looking back at his text book.
"Ah..." Sho commented and turned to the other with honest expression. "Which part don't you understand?"
Jun scoured the other's face, trying to see if he was mocking him before dejectedly dropping his head with a sigh. "...everything."
Sho gave a snort of amusement. "Let's get started, we have only 3 hours before your test."
Jun glanced up. How the hell does he know his schedule?!
+
Aiba approached a stunned Jun, still sitting and grasping his Economics I test scores. He approached cautiously. A test failing Jun was the most volatile person in the planet (next to the sleep deprived villain Sho). "MatsuJun?" he called out quietly.
"I passed." Jun whispered back as quietly. Masaki stilled in shock. "What...?" Jun turned to his friend with wide eyes. "I passed."
Aiba quickly grabbed his paper and sure enough, there it was. A large 85% plastered on the top of the page. He grinned widely at his best friend-slash-roommate. "YOU DID IT!"
Jun could only nod dumbly. "...I did..." he spoke before a wide grin was fixed on his face. "I did!"
Nino approached them with an amused smile on his face. "What's this? Did you finally pass the test?" Jun was much too happy to be irritated at his teasing. "Nino, I passed!!!"
Nino chuckled good naturedly. "Well, I'm glad." he told the other honestly. "Sho would loose credit if he tutored you but still failed."
Jun's smile slid off his face instantly. Aiba turned to him in surprise. "Sho-chan tutored you?!"
Nino gave him a small smile and turned to Jun. "There's so much to Sho you don't know." Jun and Aiba shared a look, one w/ Aiba shrugging and Jun rolling his eyes.
Nino stared at them and smirked (causing them slight unease). "Do you guys want to hang over?"
+
Masaki was bouncing with excitement as they headed over. Jun shook his head and sighed. Nino simply just snickered beside them.
Surprisingly, they met Ohno on the way, who simply raised one brow in question, before taking in their presence in stride. Nino had told him before Ohno had Clairvoyance and it was fairly strong (which is an understatement). One of the reasons why he looks so sleepy and distracted was because he had a hard time focusing on the present and it takes all his energy and concentration not to be swept away with what he usually sees.
Jun wonders what Ohno sees in their collective future, but that thought stopped at the hunched figure outside the trio's apartment. Sho waves at them weakly and Ohno moves forward to help the other stand.
"I thought you were home, Satoshi..." Sho spoke to the older man's silent question. "I didn't know you had to leave, not all of us are gifted with clairvoyance, you know" he teased and grunted in pain when the other squeezed too hard.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, okay." the other said as he was manoeuvred into their home, Jun and Aiba trailing behind meekly. Jun turned to Nino whose face was hard as stone but his eyes blazing in rage --watching the eldest lead the other to the room, letting him ramble, as Sho often does when hurt. "Should we leave?" Jun asked, he didn't want to be a distraction.
Nino sighed and shook his head. "Nah. Sho always comes home like this on Wednesdays." he told them. "Wednesdays are when he has Villain Evaluation Class. It's always bad on Wednesdays. Kimura-sensei likes to be extra painful on Wednesdays."
Aiba gasped. "A teacher did this?!" Nino shook his head again sadly. "No. But they might as well have." Aiba turned to face the direction the eldest two went. "That's so horrible..."
Nino snorted. "We're Villains." he made air quotes, "This is a necessary step to ensure we don't become a nuisance to society." He launched himself on the couch and glared at the wall. "...there is much more to us than being evil..."
Aiba tackled the sober man, which earned him a squeak and bop on the head (which Aiba reacted to with full exaggeration). "But you're not evil!" Aiba exclaimed. "You laugh, you feel pain, you smile, you help people, you love and you hate--just like any other person! You're EXTRE naughty, but that's makes you who you are!"
Nino patted his head kindly. "I know that." he sighs and turns to the still standing Jun. "We have the urge you know, to DO things. We can resist --- like what Sho and I are doing, but the stronger the Villain, the harder it is."
"They don't know how much it pains us to resist" Nino told them, distracted by the loud crash from the direction of Sho's room or Ohno's, depending on Ohno's Sight. Jun blinked as he stared at the same direction. "...it hurts to do good?"
Nino gave him a bitter smile. "No. It's not the cruel." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the couch. "But it hurts if we do the opposite of what we urge to do."
Nino opened one eye to glare at him. "Be sure to thank him again. Sho's urge is always has something to do with leaving people to die."
Jun winced at his statement.
+
Jun let Nino lead him towards where Sho was. "Hmmm...they're in Oh-chan's room today. Must be that bad..." Nino mumbled to himself.
Jun raised a brow at his statement. Nino ignored him, one his abilities had the ability to trace whoever, wherever. As long as he had their face in his head, he could find them.
Nino raised his knuckles to knock on the door, but it swung open quickly. Jun looked slightly surprised but Nino took it in stride, it must be a common occurence when living with a Seer. "Let's go save our kitchen from Aiba's Mabo Tofu Surprise."
Ohno whispered a response. "It'll be a big mess later. And Sho will throw a fit at the state of the dining room." Nino groaned but left Jun alone, walking towards the inevitable.
"Get in, Jun." a voice called inside.
Jun went in and saw that Ohno Satoshi's room was LARGE, but cluttered. And at the far end of the room, beside the window sat a medium sized bed (could probably fit 2 -- maybe 3 people). Sho waved weakly. "I see Nino bullied you into coming. I'd be a more gracious host, but class was brutal today and...well, pardon me if I don't stand"
Jun grabbed the chair and sat it beside him. "Well, I was afraid you were asleep and I would be talking to air. This is much preferable." he teased, Sho laughed good-naturedly.
They fell into comfortable silence. Sho closing his eyes with a hum. They could vaguely hear their friends loud laughter and pots and pans clattering around. This was good. Jun didn't think he'd find peace with in a Villain's home.
"I've come to thank you for saving my life." Jun started. "You already have." Sho told him softly. "But I want to do it again, without any interruptions--without witnesses." Jun explained.
"Besides, I want to let you know why."
Sho lazily opened one eye at him and closed it again. "You already know the reasons why. I don't need to waste my breath telling you."
"Why." Jun insisted. Sho sighed. "Persistent brat." Sho muttered. "Because one of those that I consider mine claimed you as his." Sho started, "Because he is MINE, you are as well. We are a family. I protect my own."
Jun turned to him. "You sent my sister. You knew she was Case, just like us." His eyes narrowed. "...you used Masaki and my sister Chanelled him to heal me." Sho nodded. "Aiba is weak Healer. He can only transfer illnesses and wounds from the original to another living creature. I had to learn that the hard way. " he gave the other a weak smile.
Jun's eyes widened. "Then, that day, you were--" Sho shook his head and said no. "That was when the Administration ruled I had used my status as a Villain to 'corrupt' Aiba into my bidding." he told him with air quotations. Jun stared at him with wide eyes. He was aware of the Site's not-so-hidden darkness but he never knew it went to this extent.
"I don't regret it, if that's what you're going to ask next." Sho told him. "Urges ignored oftened build up into a faint buzzing noise, or Nino's case a jolt of pain over his entire body. But I regret nothing."
Jun swallowed and felt a surge of admiration. THIS was Sakurai Sho.
"Am I family?" Jun asked, voice small. "I told you that you were, didn't I?" Sho repeated, amused. Jun gave a crooked smiled. "Yeah, I guess."
"Good. Because as family, we have a mission." Sho spoke. "And you're the burning fire of this family, Jun. You carry with you all our passion and life. Don't you dare lose that fire within you." Jun wondered why would his fire ever run out, but didn’t ask it out loud. Only giving the other a firm nod, making Sho pleased with his new addition.
Ohno suddenly entered the room, carrying a small stack of Manila paper. "We have a mission." He told them, not surprised when they both nodded in acceptance. Did he See this too?
Jun turned to them both and asked. "What do they want us to do?"
Nino followed with a messy Aiba with a wide grin. "We get to be HEROES!" Aiba exclaimed happily. Jun felt his excitement. For a Vigilante classed Case, to graduate and have the Government re-establish your Rank as HERO was like reclaiming to everyone that you're normal and may interact with regular citizens. For a Villain to be re-established as a HERO, there were only 3 teams who had such happen to their members, let’s just say those people weren’t very sane.
"What is the team called, Satoshi?" Sho asked sitting up slightly, completely ignoring Aiba’s statement-despite smiling at the other man. Satoshi gave a sleepy smile and handed Sho the parchment.
"Arashi."
The Storm.
=End=
+
Groups/Pairings: Arashi Friendship (Shomiya-ish, one-sided Matsumiya if you really squint)
Rating: PG-13; for Nino’s potty mouth
Warnings: None? Super powered Arashi AU
Summary:Matsumoto Jun never knew why Nino and Ohno follow Japan's most Darkest Villain, until he realizes himself how much the other would go through to protect what he believes is his.
Notes: Written for lover_youshould! I hope you enjoyed this! And I hope it didn’t go off track. :) Special mention goes to my beta aishizuki who on short notice Beta-ed this! It was a rush job and I thank you a million! Hope I didn’t disappoint...
+
Burning Fire: Matsumoto Jun
+
[ ARASHI FILES ]
05.
NAME: Matsumoto Jun [ 松本潤 ]
STATUS: Untamed.
PREFERENCE: Vigilante
LEVEL:
Registered: Level 5, Elemental (Lightning). Level 9, Reverse Empath. Level 8, Defender (Diamond Skin & Projected Shield). Level 2, Mind Reader.
CODEX: ARASHI; semi-dependent on the government.
MOST NOTABLE RESCUE : Detected the anomalies in Arashi Villain 05's behavioural pattern. Villains are forced to be evil. It is apparently difficult to suppress the urges; difficult, but possible.
+
Matsumoto Jun stared hard at his senior chatting with his two companions across the room. His eyes narrowed as said senior scolded his companion for one thing or another. Jun continued to stare until a voice to his right spoke, "Stare at Sho-chan any harder and you might just burn him." Jun snorted in response. "Wouldn't that be good?"
Aiba sighed. He really could not understand why MatsuJun hated Sho so much. The first time he entered the Site, Jun latched on to Sho as a puppy would to its mother. Now he bares his fangs as a rabid dog would. "Masaki, stop comparing me to a wild animal," Jun muttered, not taking his eyes away from the man of his ire.
"And I don't hate the guy. I just..." he paused, looking for the right way to explain his...emotion for his senior. "I just don't want anything to do with him." Aiba looked entirely confused. "What do you mean?"
Jun shrugged and leaned back. "He's Sakurai Sho. That's that." Aiba frowned at his response, "You're not making sense." Jun scoffed. "You just don't understand."
"Is this because Kazu called you a bore and preferred Sho-chan's company over yours?" Aiba asked, taking a huge bite of his okonomiyaki. Jun snorted yet again. "Hardly care what that brat says." Aiba's eyes glittered in amusement as he insisted in a teasing tone, "But you do. You DO!"
Jun chose to blissfully ignore Aiba and watched as the one of Sho’s two companions spoke to him in a hushed tone. The senior turned to look Jun squarely in the eye and smiled. Jun begins to seethe inwardly and sharply looks back to his pasta. Much to his displeasure, he discovers he is no longer hungry. With a growl, he glares back at the older man.
Sakurai Sho was very, very bad news.
+
Despite the fact that Sakurai Sho was a senior, older and definitely not supposed to be in this class, he was, and his possé constantly trailed behind him.
Jun gave the three a nod in a form of greeting as he sat beside them in the next row of tables. "Was Jun-pon really staring at you again, Sho-chan?" Nino's voice asked shrilly as he sat down, knowing very well that everyone in the room could hear him.
"Kazu," Sho warned in his deep and usually soothing voice without looking up from his PDA. "Don't start."
"Sho-chan~" Ninomiya Kazunari imitated without looking up from his worn out Game Boy. He paused the game and turned to Jun with a smirk. "…Or was it me you were staring at, Princess?" Jun flushed at Nino’s remark, but refused to rise at the bait. One thing he learned from Sakurai-senpai was that if you reacted to Nino, the more he would actually tease you.
Seeing as his usual tactic not working, Nino turned to Ohno Satoshi, Sakurai-senpai's senior. "Riida~ they’re ignoring me!"
Ohno made a small humming noise as he turned to Sho. "Sho," he prodded gently. Sho stopped working on his PDA and sighed. "Yes, Kazu, he was looking at us, now stop bothering Matsumoto-kun. People will start thinking you’re trying to get him jealous."
Nino spluttered for a good minute and looked at Sho with pride. "I taught you too well." Sho turned to him with a dark smirk, one that Jun would honestly say he reacted to with distinct fear for the first time. "Of course. After all, I only learned from the best."
Jun was always amazed at how those two would take that Sho in stride, as if they were so used to seeing the dark side of that man. Which made him wonder often - exactly how complex was Sakurai Sho?
+
Jun stopped as he saw Sho leaning casually against the wall just beside the door to the room of his next class. He was running late but he couldn't ignore the man staring at him with that deep smirk. He learned from Nino that Sho was due for a class on the other side of the building, and there was no real reason why Sho should be here at the moment. The man’s presence made Jun instantly wary.
"...Sakurai-senpai." he greeted warily. He watched the other remove himself from the wall a seemingly feline gracefulness. Sho was one of the Government's better ... Erasers. The man in front of him radiated power and danger, making him wonder all over again how Nino and Ohno did not fear being in his mere presence.
Sakurai looked at him appraisingly. "...I see why Nino's fond of you, Matsumoto."
Jun rose his chin a little higher at the unexpected praise.
"But I'm a Level AA Villain," Sho continued, with a hard glint hidden in his eyes. "You're just a Level B+ Hero, and you may not want to hear such things from a Villain, but..."
Sho looked him straight in the eye and Jun was entranced by the swirling darkness perceived in those orbs. "I see you've got potential, kid. Try not to get yourself killed in your next mission."
Sho simply handed him a file and walked away.
Swallowing his pride, Jun turned to face the other's back and bowed stiffly. He briefly saw the other raise a hand in acknowledgement without turning around.
He glanced at his watch and groaned. He was so late.
+
Kimura-sensei looked up briefly from his lesson when Jun came in, but the teacher simply gestured for him to take a seat quickly. Jun, not wanting to test his good luck, moved to the nearest empty seat…
...Which just so happens to be beside Nino.
A notebook was quickly dashed to his corner of the table. He saw the notes that were scribbled on it -- probably the lesson they discussed in his, erm, absence - but on top of it, however, was a sticky note. ’What did Sho-chan want?’
Jun turned to Nino sharply upon reading the note, but all he saw was Nino not paying any attention to anything else but his hidden Game Boy. He sighed.
‘New Mission.’ he scribbled on the note. Nino quickly snatched it away to read Jun’s response, as June glanced at the notes. He began to copy them down, but stopped when he felt a note being lightly slapped onto his arm.
'Keep it. Sho's notes are still at home. And... Try not to die.'
Jun snorted and rolled his eyes at his seatmate, pleased to hear a huff of indignation in response.
+
When he left the classroom, he saw Ohno standing across the hall with Aiba chattering beside him. Jun rolled his eyes at his best friend's inane chatter.
"Masaki, leave Ohno-senpai alone, yeah?" he called out. The other man grinned brightly and waved goodbye to the older man. Masaki just grinned. "Ohno-senpai doesn't mind!" he turns to Ohno, who just smiled absently at them. He was probably waiting for his…friend? Companion? Room mate?
Masaki turns to him with a worried look. "You okay?" he asks. Jun shakes his head and pats his best friend's back. "Yeah."
With one long gaze at the pair, he feels startled to see them both staring at him hard. He looks back at his friend and nods. "Yeah"
Masaki rolled his eyes good natured. "What does your Mission tell you? Do you need a partner?" he asked. Jun shrugged and entered the library and walked a little bit more till they reached the edge of the room. Only two tables were situated here. One was theirs, the other belonged to Sho.
They sat and Jun opened the file and they both stopped breathing. Jun was certain Aiba gasped.
MISSION RANK A, LEVEL AAA
Jun's breath hitched as he tried to stop his hands from shaking. Masaki made a whine and turned to him. "MatsuJun..." he whispered, "You'll come back alive, right?"
Jun slowed and closed his eyes. His eyes burned brighter and gave a shaky breath. "Yeah."
+
Jun hoped he'd keep that promise, but it was harder than he thought.
Breathing hurts now. He closed his eyes and waited for the Site medics to arrive, but he knew they'll come too late. He's already lost too much blood.
A shadow appears in front of him and he flinches away from it.
"...I don't remember you being so fool hardy, Jun" a soft voice scolded him. He was shocked to see a familiar face he never thought he'd see again.
"Megu...mi-nee-chan..." he muttered in shock. She shook her head and knelt in front of him and suddenly, she began to glow. His eyes widened in recognition. "You--'re a... " he couldn't finish it, not when memories of the past rush on to him with much vengeance. He closed his eyes as he felt his wound heal...or rather, move.
He could still remember how his older sister ignored him after discovering his abilities as a Reverse Empath. He was labelled a monster, a freak, all she ever did was shake her head sadly and walk away.
He never felt so betrayed. So he instantly signed up to Kitagawa Johnny's school called the Site. Cases like him were removed from their normal homes and raised in a society with other Cases like him. He remembers that back then, the Gov't made it mandatory for Cases to be tested and removed. (He remembers that Sakurai-senpai was forcibly removed from his home after his father's death.)
"Many reasons why I ignored you back then, Jun." she stated as she continued her whatever. "I'm an Unregistered Level 7 Channeller." she stated. His eyes widened in recognition. "You..."
She looked at him tiredly and sadly, gave a small smile. "I tried to avoid you because I was channelling you so much that so many of my classmates tried killing themselves at the self pity." She looked down. "I didn't want to be discovered then" and turned to face him sharply, "And I don't want to be discovered now."
Jun sat straighter. "How did you know I would be in this area?"
She shook her head. "You have powerful friends, Jun." she started. "He found me. I had no choice."
Jun's eyes narrowed. "Friend?" His sister sighed. "Yes, a Manipulator of a High Level. I can't tell you who he is because I don't know him, but he looks familiar." Her eyes met his. "But I can tell you one thing, he's no Hero."
With those words, she stood up and left. "Nee-san" he called out. She stopped. "Can we...can we meet again?"
She turned to face him softly and shook his head. "I want no part of your world Jun" He looked down. "But we can write. I want you to be part of mine."
And she was gone.
As much as his joy was profound, he discovered, he wanted to know who sent her to save his life.
+
The next day, a conversation at breakfast would tell him who.
"You’re alive." Nino stated calmly infront of him. Ohno stood behind him solemnly. Jun blinked and placed down his fork. "Yeah...?"
Nino nodded and walked away. Ohno trailed after. "Wait." Jun called. Ohno stopped and turned to him, curious. Jun realized, the two of them never really interacted.
"Where's Sakurai-senpai?" he asked. Ohno stared at him with narrowed eyes (Jun then realized why Ohno was feared). "He said he was sick, he'll be by later."
Ohno then left him without a second glance. For the second time that week, his appetite left him. Could it be possible?
+
Jun glanced around. He was wondering where his best friend flew to all day. It wasn't like Masaki to go missing without telling him where he would be going. He stood up from his station when he saw the taller man assist Sho in to their class. A class they had shared with a few other Users that were Level 6 & above.
"Masaki!" He called out and was quick to his feet, but was shocked to see Ohno react faster than him.
He took Sho's weak form from Masaki with amazing strength and walked him to their table. He nodded at them as they passed and turned back to Sho, communicating with their shared Telepathy.
"They’re not using Telepathy, you know." a familiar voice told him. Jun turned slightly to face the person speaking to him. He wasn't shocked to see the last member of the TRIO. "The Yama Pair can communicate with simple gestures and eye contact." Nino told him, his eyes not leaving the eldest two.
"...makes me jealous sometimes..." he whispers, so silent he barely heard.
"What happened?" Jun asked. Nino looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Hmm?" Nino asked, looking back at the other two, who was noticeably arguing now, if that scowl on Ohno's face was to mean anything.
Jun made a gesture at Sho's general direction with his free hand. Nino gave him a small smile.
"I asked him to keep you safe." Jun's eyes widened. Nino gave him an amused wry look. "Remember to tell him thank you, okay Macchan?"
Jun could only nod.
+
Jun turned to his best friend once classes started and was about to interrogate him until he saw the tired look in the other's eyes and decided to change tactics. "What happened, Masaki?"
Aiba gave him a tired smile and waved it off. "Honestly? I don't remember." Jun's eyes narrowed. Masaki saw it and hastened to explain. "I mean, one minute I was with Sho-chan in the Gym doing our Skills Project for class then I was back in our place with him sprawled on our couch." he told him with a shrug.
Jun turned to Sho's table in anger. "I'm gonna-" Masaki quickly grabbed his arm and shook his head. "Sho-chan didn't do anything to me, MatsuJun!"
Jun growled and moved to stand. "But he-" Masaki pulled him down quickly before anyone notices. "No! Jun." Jun looked at his best friend, he hadn't heard him speak that seriously before. "I think he saved your life." Masaki whispered to him. Jun stared at him. "Impossible."
Masaki shock his head hard, Jun felt like it could fall off. "Nino told me before, that when he considers someone 'his'-" he made air quotes with the word, "-he'd go through Hell to protect them." Jun looked at him with a sceptical gaze. "Are we talking about the same Sakurai Sho? I mean, this is the same person right, same person listed as a Villain?"
Masaki gave him a rare disapproving look. "MatsuJun, just because he was born a Villain doesn't mean he's not human too."
Jun snorted. "But-"
"But nothing." Masaki stopped him, looking at the other's eye. "I think he may have made me forget, but I KNOW he saved your life."
Jun said nothing back.
+
"Sakurai-senpai" a voice called out. Sho stopped and turned slightly, waving to his companions to go ahead (which of course, ignored him).
Behind him stood the dejected form of Matsumoto Jun. Smirking slightly (and inwardly smiling when they grumbled), he addressed the other equally. "Matsumoto-kouhai" He heard Nino snort in amusement.
Jun looked him in the eye and frowned. "Masaki says you saved me."
Sho tilted his head to the side in response as he thought it through. "I saved you plenty." He gave the other a wry smile. "You'll have to be specific."
Jun wrinkled his nose in complete distaste. "Yesterday." He paused and looked up at the Villain ranked 5 in Japan. "Yesterday, you saved my life." A fact, not a question.
Sho looked amused. "...and what--makes you say that?"
Jun narrowed his eyebrows. "Masaki is sure."
Sho smiled. "If he's certain then." Jun glared. "Do not patronize me."
The other shrugged his sloping shoulders in response. "Because I don't have a reason to make certain you stay alive, so again, what makes you say I saved you." Sho stated seriously, ignoring the look Nino was giving him.
Jun saw that and held his head higher. "Because one of yours considers me his. Because you protect what is yours."
Nino turned to look at him coolly and looked quite superior at that moment, Jun had to inwardly snort. As if he belonged to anyone except himself.
Sho's gave on him turned predatory. Jun felt the flight or fight instict, leaning more on the flight part. He didn't doubt that this man was dangerous. And to his surprise, the elder laughed.
He looked at the other two and saw that they weren't surprised. Was Sakurai Sho insane too?
Sho swung an arm around Nino's shoulders and leaned in. The other twisted his arm, around Sho's waist and smirked. "J's right, you know Sho." Sho looked down slightly, with a highly amused look. "About which part?"
"Everything, of course." Nino huffed, raising his chin. "I didn't claim him as mine if he was stupid you know." Sho rose a perfectly arched eyebrow at that exclamation. "Uh huh..."
"You bet your sexy ass it's an uh huh!" Nino roared, slapping his ass as he did so (making Sho squeak a little). Sho glared at him but Nino drove on. "I mean, I wouldn't claim any one stupid into our little group. I want to reach my 30's sane, thank you very much."
Jun blinked. What the hell was going on?
Then, to his surprise, Ohno spoke. "Nino, your Jun comes with an attachment." They all turned to him confused. "What?" Nino blurted out. Ohno gave a sly smirk. "With MatsuJun, Aiba is usually attached."
Nino's eyes widen in realization. "Shit." he deadpanned and burrowed into Sho's chest. Sho gave a rumbled chuckle that Nino secretly loved. But predictably, instead of swooning, he whined. "My sanity! Sho-chan, this is all your fault!" he said as he sobbed theatrically the other's shoulder.
Sho looked at him, amused. "Me?"
Nino nodded. "You. Because I decided to follow you, now my sanity will be nonexistent by the end of the month." Jun snorted in amusement, couldn't help but be amused by their interactions. (It slowly breaks apart the concept that Villains weren't human since they did not feel.) "You didn't have one in the first place, Ninomiya." he drawled elegantly.
Nino scowled at him. Ohno chuckled beside them.
Sho looked at Jun seriously and spoke. "And if I saved you Matsumoto-kun, what does it matter?"
Jun and the others looked at him. Jun clenched his teeth while swallowing his pride and bowed. "Thank you."
Sho didn't say anything and left with a nod. Ohno followed without a second glance. Nino spoke before leaving. "Thank you" he whispered. Jun straightened and frowned. "For what?"
Nino gave a sad smile. "He doesn't get thanked a lot" he said and left.
Jun didn't know what to say to that.
+
Jun sighed as he tried to make sense of the words in the book. He was getting frustrated and getting frustrated was a bad thing. He could lose control and his reverse empathy could cause a major riot. He growled.
"Confusing?" a voice to behind him asked. "Extremely" Jun gruffed, distracted with the slopes and graphs and numbers and data swimming in his eyes. "Need help?" the voice asked. Jun turned around in completely joy and the smile froze on his face just to see who
it was. "S-Sakurai-san..."
Sho smirked at his reaction and sat beside the younger male. "That is my name." he replied and leaned forward. Jun immediately leaned back, to escape touching the other man. The other gave him an amused glance before looking back at his text book.
"Ah..." Sho commented and turned to the other with honest expression. "Which part don't you understand?"
Jun scoured the other's face, trying to see if he was mocking him before dejectedly dropping his head with a sigh. "...everything."
Sho gave a snort of amusement. "Let's get started, we have only 3 hours before your test."
Jun glanced up. How the hell does he know his schedule?!
+
Aiba approached a stunned Jun, still sitting and grasping his Economics I test scores. He approached cautiously. A test failing Jun was the most volatile person in the planet (next to the sleep deprived villain Sho). "MatsuJun?" he called out quietly.
"I passed." Jun whispered back as quietly. Masaki stilled in shock. "What...?" Jun turned to his friend with wide eyes. "I passed."
Aiba quickly grabbed his paper and sure enough, there it was. A large 85% plastered on the top of the page. He grinned widely at his best friend-slash-roommate. "YOU DID IT!"
Jun could only nod dumbly. "...I did..." he spoke before a wide grin was fixed on his face. "I did!"
Nino approached them with an amused smile on his face. "What's this? Did you finally pass the test?" Jun was much too happy to be irritated at his teasing. "Nino, I passed!!!"
Nino chuckled good naturedly. "Well, I'm glad." he told the other honestly. "Sho would loose credit if he tutored you but still failed."
Jun's smile slid off his face instantly. Aiba turned to him in surprise. "Sho-chan tutored you?!"
Nino gave him a small smile and turned to Jun. "There's so much to Sho you don't know." Jun and Aiba shared a look, one w/ Aiba shrugging and Jun rolling his eyes.
Nino stared at them and smirked (causing them slight unease). "Do you guys want to hang over?"
+
Masaki was bouncing with excitement as they headed over. Jun shook his head and sighed. Nino simply just snickered beside them.
Surprisingly, they met Ohno on the way, who simply raised one brow in question, before taking in their presence in stride. Nino had told him before Ohno had Clairvoyance and it was fairly strong (which is an understatement). One of the reasons why he looks so sleepy and distracted was because he had a hard time focusing on the present and it takes all his energy and concentration not to be swept away with what he usually sees.
Jun wonders what Ohno sees in their collective future, but that thought stopped at the hunched figure outside the trio's apartment. Sho waves at them weakly and Ohno moves forward to help the other stand.
"I thought you were home, Satoshi..." Sho spoke to the older man's silent question. "I didn't know you had to leave, not all of us are gifted with clairvoyance, you know" he teased and grunted in pain when the other squeezed too hard.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, okay." the other said as he was manoeuvred into their home, Jun and Aiba trailing behind meekly. Jun turned to Nino whose face was hard as stone but his eyes blazing in rage --watching the eldest lead the other to the room, letting him ramble, as Sho often does when hurt. "Should we leave?" Jun asked, he didn't want to be a distraction.
Nino sighed and shook his head. "Nah. Sho always comes home like this on Wednesdays." he told them. "Wednesdays are when he has Villain Evaluation Class. It's always bad on Wednesdays. Kimura-sensei likes to be extra painful on Wednesdays."
Aiba gasped. "A teacher did this?!" Nino shook his head again sadly. "No. But they might as well have." Aiba turned to face the direction the eldest two went. "That's so horrible..."
Nino snorted. "We're Villains." he made air quotes, "This is a necessary step to ensure we don't become a nuisance to society." He launched himself on the couch and glared at the wall. "...there is much more to us than being evil..."
Aiba tackled the sober man, which earned him a squeak and bop on the head (which Aiba reacted to with full exaggeration). "But you're not evil!" Aiba exclaimed. "You laugh, you feel pain, you smile, you help people, you love and you hate--just like any other person! You're EXTRE naughty, but that's makes you who you are!"
Nino patted his head kindly. "I know that." he sighs and turns to the still standing Jun. "We have the urge you know, to DO things. We can resist --- like what Sho and I are doing, but the stronger the Villain, the harder it is."
"They don't know how much it pains us to resist" Nino told them, distracted by the loud crash from the direction of Sho's room or Ohno's, depending on Ohno's Sight. Jun blinked as he stared at the same direction. "...it hurts to do good?"
Nino gave him a bitter smile. "No. It's not the cruel." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the couch. "But it hurts if we do the opposite of what we urge to do."
Nino opened one eye to glare at him. "Be sure to thank him again. Sho's urge is always has something to do with leaving people to die."
Jun winced at his statement.
+
Jun let Nino lead him towards where Sho was. "Hmmm...they're in Oh-chan's room today. Must be that bad..." Nino mumbled to himself.
Jun raised a brow at his statement. Nino ignored him, one his abilities had the ability to trace whoever, wherever. As long as he had their face in his head, he could find them.
Nino raised his knuckles to knock on the door, but it swung open quickly. Jun looked slightly surprised but Nino took it in stride, it must be a common occurence when living with a Seer. "Let's go save our kitchen from Aiba's Mabo Tofu Surprise."
Ohno whispered a response. "It'll be a big mess later. And Sho will throw a fit at the state of the dining room." Nino groaned but left Jun alone, walking towards the inevitable.
"Get in, Jun." a voice called inside.
Jun went in and saw that Ohno Satoshi's room was LARGE, but cluttered. And at the far end of the room, beside the window sat a medium sized bed (could probably fit 2 -- maybe 3 people). Sho waved weakly. "I see Nino bullied you into coming. I'd be a more gracious host, but class was brutal today and...well, pardon me if I don't stand"
Jun grabbed the chair and sat it beside him. "Well, I was afraid you were asleep and I would be talking to air. This is much preferable." he teased, Sho laughed good-naturedly.
They fell into comfortable silence. Sho closing his eyes with a hum. They could vaguely hear their friends loud laughter and pots and pans clattering around. This was good. Jun didn't think he'd find peace with in a Villain's home.
"I've come to thank you for saving my life." Jun started. "You already have." Sho told him softly. "But I want to do it again, without any interruptions--without witnesses." Jun explained.
"Besides, I want to let you know why."
Sho lazily opened one eye at him and closed it again. "You already know the reasons why. I don't need to waste my breath telling you."
"Why." Jun insisted. Sho sighed. "Persistent brat." Sho muttered. "Because one of those that I consider mine claimed you as his." Sho started, "Because he is MINE, you are as well. We are a family. I protect my own."
Jun turned to him. "You sent my sister. You knew she was Case, just like us." His eyes narrowed. "...you used Masaki and my sister Chanelled him to heal me." Sho nodded. "Aiba is weak Healer. He can only transfer illnesses and wounds from the original to another living creature. I had to learn that the hard way. " he gave the other a weak smile.
Jun's eyes widened. "Then, that day, you were--" Sho shook his head and said no. "That was when the Administration ruled I had used my status as a Villain to 'corrupt' Aiba into my bidding." he told him with air quotations. Jun stared at him with wide eyes. He was aware of the Site's not-so-hidden darkness but he never knew it went to this extent.
"I don't regret it, if that's what you're going to ask next." Sho told him. "Urges ignored oftened build up into a faint buzzing noise, or Nino's case a jolt of pain over his entire body. But I regret nothing."
Jun swallowed and felt a surge of admiration. THIS was Sakurai Sho.
"Am I family?" Jun asked, voice small. "I told you that you were, didn't I?" Sho repeated, amused. Jun gave a crooked smiled. "Yeah, I guess."
"Good. Because as family, we have a mission." Sho spoke. "And you're the burning fire of this family, Jun. You carry with you all our passion and life. Don't you dare lose that fire within you." Jun wondered why would his fire ever run out, but didn’t ask it out loud. Only giving the other a firm nod, making Sho pleased with his new addition.
Ohno suddenly entered the room, carrying a small stack of Manila paper. "We have a mission." He told them, not surprised when they both nodded in acceptance. Did he See this too?
Jun turned to them both and asked. "What do they want us to do?"
Nino followed with a messy Aiba with a wide grin. "We get to be HEROES!" Aiba exclaimed happily. Jun felt his excitement. For a Vigilante classed Case, to graduate and have the Government re-establish your Rank as HERO was like reclaiming to everyone that you're normal and may interact with regular citizens. For a Villain to be re-established as a HERO, there were only 3 teams who had such happen to their members, let’s just say those people weren’t very sane.
"What is the team called, Satoshi?" Sho asked sitting up slightly, completely ignoring Aiba’s statement-despite smiling at the other man. Satoshi gave a sleepy smile and handed Sho the parchment.
"Arashi."
The Storm.
=End=
+