Arashi: An Ever Expanding Sky (02)
FANDOM: Arashi
RATING: G
PAIRING: Sakuraiba, Juntoshi (side)
DATE: April 20th, 2010
WORD COUNT: 1,400
DISCLAIMER/NOTES: (1) This is a work of fiction. (2) AU.
Chapter One | Chapter Three
Chapter Two
Even though Ohno had said that he would look the other way when it came to whatever that was going on in the ship, Nino wasn’t sure if he could trust his client. In the end, he decided to tell Ohno about Sho’s presence only after they were back in the air and out of Milna. He supposed that if Ohno made a fuss, he could always throw one or both of them overboard. He mulled over the thought grumpily, thinking that it was a bad idea to have strangers on his ship. But the money was good, and he still didn’t know how to handle the situation with Sho.
Ohno had left to pack and pick up items he needed for the trip. When he came back, Nino hadn’t expected to see that he only had a large sling bag with him. Considering how rich he was, Nino thought he’d be the kind who would over-pack and bring half of the things he owned with him. He supposed that Ohno had some sense, after all. While Ohno had seemed very relaxed the first time he came aboard Rainbow’s End, however, this time he looked troubled.
“Anything wrong?” Nino asked.
Ohno shook his head. “I just heard some bad news on the way here.” He hesitated, and looked out over the city. “I wonder if this is a good time for me to leave...”
“Well, we can’t linger in Milna any longer than we absolutely have to.”
“I know.” Ohno frowned. “It’s just that...” he shook his head again, before saying, “Never mind. I’ve finally got this far, and I need to get to Forlee.”
“Great. Because we’re leaving now.”
Nino introduced Ohno to Isuzu, who proceeded to keep him entertained while Nino and Aiba took the ship out. Watching the Milna skyline receding in the distance, Nino felt a mixture of regret, and relief. Relief that they were getting out without much trouble. Regret that he hadn’t even had a chance to get reacquainted with the city that was once his home.
Once they were safely out of the city, Nino turned to look at Aiba, who just nodded in Isuzu and Ohno’s direction. Apparently Isuzu was already telling Ohno that they had another guest on the ship.
“I’ll handle things here,” Nino said. “You go make sure they’re okay.”
“But -”
“He’s more likely to behave around the client with you around than me,” Nino explained, meaning Sho.
Aiba frowned at Nino’s words. “Why, because he thinks I’m a murderer?”
Nino didn’t answer. As Aiba left, Nino thought that really it was because Sho had already figured out that Aiba could never hurt anyone.
})i({
Aiba went to his room first. Sho was still where Nino had left him, although he was looking decidedly annoyed by then. He just gave Aiba a look Aiba didn’t quite understand, when Aiba walked in and closed the door behind him.
“Um,” Aiba said. “I’ll untie you if you promise you’ll behave?”
Amused, Sho asked, “Since you’re saying that, I’m guessing we’re out of Milna already?”
Aiba nodded slowly. This man unnerved him. He was being held captive, but didn’t act like it bothered him at all. “We have another guest on board,” he said curtly, deciding not to reply to anything Sho said. “So I’ll have to ask you not to bother him.”
“Did you kidnap him, too?”
“Of course not!” Aiba snapped. “He’s a client of ours.”
“Ah,” Sho said understandingly. “Another criminal.”
“I don’t know why I bother talking to you,” Aiba muttered, as he moved forward to untie Sho. He hesitated as his hands hovered over the rope, wondering if he should just leave Sho as he was.
“Don’t worry; I won’t bite,” Sho said drily.
Annoyed, Aiba quickly worked on the ropes, and stepped back immediately after he was done. Sho ignored him, and rubbed his arms, wincing at the rope burn. He stood up and stretched, saying, “After sitting down for so long, it’s amazing that just to be able to stand could feel so good.” He shot a quick smile at Aiba, which only made Aiba took another step back, to his amusement. You’d think that I’m the one who kidnapped him.
“I’m Sho, by the way,” he said, offering the information casually.
“I’m Aiba,” Aiba answered automatically, still eyeing Sho warily.
“I know.” Sho looked at the door behind Aiba. “So, am I allowed out? Or am I just free to roam around in the room. Not that it matters much to me; I’m a bit queasy with heights, to tell the truth. On the other hand, I’ve never been on an airship before, so I’m a little curious.”
Aiba just gave him a disbelieving look. He couldn’t comprehend the fact that someone who seemed to have been living a charmed life had never been on an airship before. “I’ve spent most of my life in airships,” he blurted out, not mentioning that it was as a slave. He didn’t want Sho to knew who - or what - he was.
“Really?” Sho’s smile was more sincere now. “Then I guess you can show me around.”
Aiba didn’t get a chance to answer, because the door opened behind him. “Sorry, Aiba-chan,” Isuzu said. “I think that Ohno-kun should meet the other, um, guest.”
Ohno walked in after her, but stopped as soon as he caught sight of Sho. They looked at each other with identical expressions of shock. “Sakurai-sama -” he blurted, stopping himself when Sho shook his head quickly, but Aiba and Isuzu have already heard. Neither of them reacted; Aiba just blinked at Ohno, taken aback by the fact that he knew Sho, while Isuzu’s lips quirked into the tiniest of smiles.
“Explain yourself, Ohno,” Sho stated sternly, without sparing a glance at Isuzu, who was slipping out of the room. Remembering that Aiba was still there, and may not have caught Ohno’s mention of his name, Sho recovered and continued in a much more jovial tone, “and haven’t I told you many times to call me Sho?”
Distressed, Ohno spoke quickly. “Right. Sho-sa... I mean, Sho-kun. I’ve asked Nino-san and Aiba-san to take me to Forlee, for personal reasons. But that’s not the important thing. I’m glad you’re here!”
Startled by the revelation, Sho frowned. “Why did you say that?”
“Well, I heard... things, on the way here. There are people who said you were dead.”
“I think it’s more like they wished I was,” Sho said ruefully.
“It’s not a joke, Sa- Sho-kun!” Ohno’s face darkened. “Your father -”
“I know,” Sho said, cutting him off. “What else?”
“Well, the ones that said you were dead, they were the kind ones. Most of them are saying that you’re a traitor.”
“I had a feeling that that would happen,” Sho admitted. “What with my untimely disappearance and all.” He looked at Aiba. “It seems like I’m being blamed for what you did,” he said. Turning back to Ohno, he said grimly, “there’s only four to go, isn’t there?”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Ohno replied, even as comprehension dawned. “You don’t think - no, it can’t be.”
“Well, we’ll have to get to the bottom of this, I suppose. You can fill me in on your ‘personal’ matter later,” he said, waving his hand in a gesture of dismissal before taking a deep breath, and turning to Aiba. “I don’t know how much of that you understand,” he said, making it a question.
“I didn’t kill him,” Aiba said quietly, staring at the floor. “I didn’t.” Sho softened when he saw how anxious and pained Aiba looked. That’s the only part of the conversation that stuck with him, huh?
“I figured that out already,” he said kindly, causing Aiba to look up at him in surprise. “Although now that I’m accused of doing the same thing you might have been accused of, we’re in the same boat.” He continued, “I’m sorry. It seems like between Ohno and me, you’re going to be involved in a lot of trouble.”
“I’m used to trouble,” Aiba said wanly. “Although it’s probably best if the two of you explain what’s going on.”
“Saku- Sho-kun, maybe it’s best if we don’t involve them,” Ohno protested, but Sho shook his head.
“We should at least explain,” Sho said. “It’ll be up to them if they want to get involved or not.”
~ to be continued ~
Chapter One | Chapter Three
Marineko's Notes:
Actually I did this yesterday, but my net was too slow for me to post it. :/
Anyway, to the people I owe request fics, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you XD
I will probably take some time though.
RATING: G
PAIRING: Sakuraiba, Juntoshi (side)
DATE: April 20th, 2010
WORD COUNT: 1,400
DISCLAIMER/NOTES: (1) This is a work of fiction. (2) AU.
Chapter One | Chapter Three
Chapter Two
Even though Ohno had said that he would look the other way when it came to whatever that was going on in the ship, Nino wasn’t sure if he could trust his client. In the end, he decided to tell Ohno about Sho’s presence only after they were back in the air and out of Milna. He supposed that if Ohno made a fuss, he could always throw one or both of them overboard. He mulled over the thought grumpily, thinking that it was a bad idea to have strangers on his ship. But the money was good, and he still didn’t know how to handle the situation with Sho.
Ohno had left to pack and pick up items he needed for the trip. When he came back, Nino hadn’t expected to see that he only had a large sling bag with him. Considering how rich he was, Nino thought he’d be the kind who would over-pack and bring half of the things he owned with him. He supposed that Ohno had some sense, after all. While Ohno had seemed very relaxed the first time he came aboard Rainbow’s End, however, this time he looked troubled.
“Anything wrong?” Nino asked.
Ohno shook his head. “I just heard some bad news on the way here.” He hesitated, and looked out over the city. “I wonder if this is a good time for me to leave...”
“Well, we can’t linger in Milna any longer than we absolutely have to.”
“I know.” Ohno frowned. “It’s just that...” he shook his head again, before saying, “Never mind. I’ve finally got this far, and I need to get to Forlee.”
“Great. Because we’re leaving now.”
Nino introduced Ohno to Isuzu, who proceeded to keep him entertained while Nino and Aiba took the ship out. Watching the Milna skyline receding in the distance, Nino felt a mixture of regret, and relief. Relief that they were getting out without much trouble. Regret that he hadn’t even had a chance to get reacquainted with the city that was once his home.
Once they were safely out of the city, Nino turned to look at Aiba, who just nodded in Isuzu and Ohno’s direction. Apparently Isuzu was already telling Ohno that they had another guest on the ship.
“I’ll handle things here,” Nino said. “You go make sure they’re okay.”
“But -”
“He’s more likely to behave around the client with you around than me,” Nino explained, meaning Sho.
Aiba frowned at Nino’s words. “Why, because he thinks I’m a murderer?”
Nino didn’t answer. As Aiba left, Nino thought that really it was because Sho had already figured out that Aiba could never hurt anyone.
})i({
Aiba went to his room first. Sho was still where Nino had left him, although he was looking decidedly annoyed by then. He just gave Aiba a look Aiba didn’t quite understand, when Aiba walked in and closed the door behind him.
“Um,” Aiba said. “I’ll untie you if you promise you’ll behave?”
Amused, Sho asked, “Since you’re saying that, I’m guessing we’re out of Milna already?”
Aiba nodded slowly. This man unnerved him. He was being held captive, but didn’t act like it bothered him at all. “We have another guest on board,” he said curtly, deciding not to reply to anything Sho said. “So I’ll have to ask you not to bother him.”
“Did you kidnap him, too?”
“Of course not!” Aiba snapped. “He’s a client of ours.”
“Ah,” Sho said understandingly. “Another criminal.”
“I don’t know why I bother talking to you,” Aiba muttered, as he moved forward to untie Sho. He hesitated as his hands hovered over the rope, wondering if he should just leave Sho as he was.
“Don’t worry; I won’t bite,” Sho said drily.
Annoyed, Aiba quickly worked on the ropes, and stepped back immediately after he was done. Sho ignored him, and rubbed his arms, wincing at the rope burn. He stood up and stretched, saying, “After sitting down for so long, it’s amazing that just to be able to stand could feel so good.” He shot a quick smile at Aiba, which only made Aiba took another step back, to his amusement. You’d think that I’m the one who kidnapped him.
“I’m Sho, by the way,” he said, offering the information casually.
“I’m Aiba,” Aiba answered automatically, still eyeing Sho warily.
“I know.” Sho looked at the door behind Aiba. “So, am I allowed out? Or am I just free to roam around in the room. Not that it matters much to me; I’m a bit queasy with heights, to tell the truth. On the other hand, I’ve never been on an airship before, so I’m a little curious.”
Aiba just gave him a disbelieving look. He couldn’t comprehend the fact that someone who seemed to have been living a charmed life had never been on an airship before. “I’ve spent most of my life in airships,” he blurted out, not mentioning that it was as a slave. He didn’t want Sho to knew who - or what - he was.
“Really?” Sho’s smile was more sincere now. “Then I guess you can show me around.”
Aiba didn’t get a chance to answer, because the door opened behind him. “Sorry, Aiba-chan,” Isuzu said. “I think that Ohno-kun should meet the other, um, guest.”
Ohno walked in after her, but stopped as soon as he caught sight of Sho. They looked at each other with identical expressions of shock. “Sakurai-sama -” he blurted, stopping himself when Sho shook his head quickly, but Aiba and Isuzu have already heard. Neither of them reacted; Aiba just blinked at Ohno, taken aback by the fact that he knew Sho, while Isuzu’s lips quirked into the tiniest of smiles.
“Explain yourself, Ohno,” Sho stated sternly, without sparing a glance at Isuzu, who was slipping out of the room. Remembering that Aiba was still there, and may not have caught Ohno’s mention of his name, Sho recovered and continued in a much more jovial tone, “and haven’t I told you many times to call me Sho?”
Distressed, Ohno spoke quickly. “Right. Sho-sa... I mean, Sho-kun. I’ve asked Nino-san and Aiba-san to take me to Forlee, for personal reasons. But that’s not the important thing. I’m glad you’re here!”
Startled by the revelation, Sho frowned. “Why did you say that?”
“Well, I heard... things, on the way here. There are people who said you were dead.”
“I think it’s more like they wished I was,” Sho said ruefully.
“It’s not a joke, Sa- Sho-kun!” Ohno’s face darkened. “Your father -”
“I know,” Sho said, cutting him off. “What else?”
“Well, the ones that said you were dead, they were the kind ones. Most of them are saying that you’re a traitor.”
“I had a feeling that that would happen,” Sho admitted. “What with my untimely disappearance and all.” He looked at Aiba. “It seems like I’m being blamed for what you did,” he said. Turning back to Ohno, he said grimly, “there’s only four to go, isn’t there?”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Ohno replied, even as comprehension dawned. “You don’t think - no, it can’t be.”
“Well, we’ll have to get to the bottom of this, I suppose. You can fill me in on your ‘personal’ matter later,” he said, waving his hand in a gesture of dismissal before taking a deep breath, and turning to Aiba. “I don’t know how much of that you understand,” he said, making it a question.
“I didn’t kill him,” Aiba said quietly, staring at the floor. “I didn’t.” Sho softened when he saw how anxious and pained Aiba looked. That’s the only part of the conversation that stuck with him, huh?
“I figured that out already,” he said kindly, causing Aiba to look up at him in surprise. “Although now that I’m accused of doing the same thing you might have been accused of, we’re in the same boat.” He continued, “I’m sorry. It seems like between Ohno and me, you’re going to be involved in a lot of trouble.”
“I’m used to trouble,” Aiba said wanly. “Although it’s probably best if the two of you explain what’s going on.”
“Saku- Sho-kun, maybe it’s best if we don’t involve them,” Ohno protested, but Sho shook his head.
“We should at least explain,” Sho said. “It’ll be up to them if they want to get involved or not.”
~ to be continued ~
Chapter One | Chapter Three
Marineko's Notes:
Actually I did this yesterday, but my net was too slow for me to post it. :/
Anyway, to the people I owe request fics, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you XD
I will probably take some time though.