[chikai13] Beyond Arashi
Title: Beyond Arashi
Characters: Arashi
Rating: G
Summary: Arashi has to disband someday, but it isn't as bleak as it seems.
Author: Scribble
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It was ironic, looking back, that Arashi disbanding was the best thing that had ever happened to their friendships. While they had been working as a group, it was so hard to break out of that work mentality even though they had a special relationship among themselves. They saw each other during recording, so why should they go out for drinks or have a birthday party, just them?
Although Aiba always wanted it and always tried to get them to join him, the others just couldn’t do it. It was overkill to be together 24/7. As Nino had once said, he could never date a member of Arashi because there would be no mystery. They already knew just about everything concerning each other and it would be boring.
It was their 20th year and that was about enough. All of them had been thinking about it in the back of their minds, how long they would continue on with this, where it was heading. They had long ago hit the top and they’d pushed even further, being one of the first Asian bands to succeed in a career in the U.S. Nino had been recognized from Iwo Jima funnily enough, even though he hadn’t gotten a lot of attention there at the time he’d made it.
They were all getting older, most of them married. Sho and Horikita Maki had surprisingly followed up on their attraction to each other after filming Tokujo Kabachi!! and had tied the knot when Sho was still under 30. Jun, the only one of them never to have really had a girlfriend scandal, quietly got married to his high school sweetheart, the press only finding out about it 5 years later when his daughter was already 1. He didn’t have to look so smug about the whole thing though.
Ohno, to the surprise of everyone, and to Ohno the most, actually found someone who could put up with him. He’d always told the press he’d never get married because he was impossible, but in some weird twist of fate, one day he heard “Have you caught anything yet?” and he’d turned from his place at the side of the boat only to meet a feminine face.
He had the feeling he’d heard a similar scenario somewhere before, but he’d shrugged it off and proceeded to fall head over heels… over the side of the boat. She’d sat and laughed at him as he bobbed contentedly in the water and they’d found eventually that they were a puzzle-perfect match.
For Aiba, he’d dated a lot. Aiba fell for people quickly, his heart so willing to love once he got past his shyness, but it didn’t always work out. He’d burned out on relationships soon after their 15th year and retreated to hang out solely with his friends. It came out of the blue when he finally realized he had fallen for one of their make-up artists, a woman a few years older than him and always a friend.
He went crazy, utterly stumped as to how to approach her and Jun finally got sick of his mornings being disrupted by nervous rants and set them up. It turned out she had liked him for a while as well and after two years of dating, and more bruises to Aiba’s head than he could count after she’d beat him up when he risked his life on an experiment, he’d proposed.
Nino was, as always, contrary. He had always been the one to say that he loved girls and he loved kissing. It turned out that was true, Nino just also liked boys and kissing. In the Japanese entertainment business, being gay or bi was a don’t ask, don’t tell situation. If you weren’t going to use it for a comedic bit, even if everyone knew that you were gay, you just didn’t bring it up. That fit Nino just fine.
At least Arashi fairly well accepted him, Ohno getting a thoughtful look, Jun throwing his hands up and muttering “That figures.”, and Aiba having experimented himself a few times (mostly unintentionally when drunk). Sho didn’t say a word and Nino worried, but he handed him a list of known bi or gay male entertainers with a cutoff on attractiveness (no one like The Touch twins) the next time they met up for work. Nino decided he and Sho were probably cool.
Even with all the complications, he’d still found his true love. To the media, they just assumed Nino was being affectionate with his co-stars as usual. He was known for getting on first-name basis without permission and gushing about whoever he worked with. No one was sure if it was a show or real, but it was entertaining, so they rolled with it.
This time around, he really fell though, and he was a wreck. His co-actor’s name hadn’t been on Sho’s list and he was certain his affections wouldn’t be returned. Nino wasn’t going to take the risk for something he was sure would fail, so he just kept it to himself as he went about being a regular friend.
Nino was too pessimistic and proud and his crush was too oblivious to ever notice if the hand-made birthday cake didn’t tip him off, so they would have remained stalled had Aiba not decided to interfere. Aiba did nothing in the end, but it was Sho and Jun who took it upon themselves to stop him from embarrassing Nino and getting killed for it, that felt out the situation and told Nino to give it a chance. The guy was as open-minded as they came if not bi himself.
Nino trusted them and laid himself on the line. He received an answer of “wait and see”. Maybe he was possible of developing feelings and maybe he wasn’t. It was so hard on Nino those first couple months, but when he finally heard the words “I love you.” it was worth it. He and Matsuyama Kenichi (Ma-chan) defied odds and as both of their respective first homo-sexual relationships, they became life partners.
So they all had their someone-specials and their budding families. They had done all they needed to in their jobs and their ambitions had diverged somewhat. It was Ohno who came in one day and just casually dropped it in there. “Let’s stop next year.”
Even though it was vague, since they all had it on their minds, they understood. Nino said “Okay” and Sho and Jun moved in to hug a tearing Aiba. He knew it was for the best, but it was so hard to let go. Nino whispered in his ear on the way out, “We’ll still be Arashi you know.” Aiba knew it was true.
The fans understood, Arashi nearing 40 at this point and having been around for so long. They would still be able to see their idols separately, most of them would still be in the business. Nino was still acting, although directing took up more attention that anything. Those on his sets thought watching him interact with his little girl was the sweetest thing ever. However, his little boy caused them too many headaches with his mischief and he was banned from coming anymore.
Nino’s sister had agreed to be a surrogate mother for them as well as Ohno’s wife. The surprising thing was that Nino’s son was actually from Ma-chan’s sperm. Nino would say that the children had taken on their mother’s personalities and Ma-chan would refute that their daughter was just like Nino. The staff thought his blush was just as cute.
Sho continued on with News Zero, doing as much journalistic work as they would let him. He was a sought-after MC and he also had his share of announcing gigs. He became a well-recognized figure for Japan overseas and was even offered the position of diplomat although he turned it down. He wanted to continue having a flexible schedule.
True to his parentage and to his work ethic and unparalleled talents, Sho permanently became one of the most influential Japanese men. Sho had always been able to do everything he needed to, though, and his family didn’t feel too much of a strain. He always made time to spend with Maki and their twins. Jun laughed when he found out and said Sho would be the one to get twins.
Aiba, as everyone always knew he would, broke into the world of animal rights with a passion. Using various shows he guested on as well as his own show that he had inherited from Shimura-san, he advocated for the strangest and least-lovable creatures as well as the normal ones. His wife had forbid him to bring them home however.
Every once in a while he would look for a drama to audition for, still wanting to prove that he could do it too, but without fail there was an animal somewhere in the show. His English never improved, but he did learn German, Russian, and Swahili. Sho, who had particular problems with learning new languages and who remembered Aiba’s failures at Chinese during Mago Mago Arashi filming, was incredulous.
Ohno was never really sure how he ended up where he did, about the same as his experience with Arashi. His wife had convinced him that he didn’t want a bakery because he would end up hating the food he loved. He protested, but Nino agreed with her and when those two were in league he gave up. Art and fishing had always been hobbies for him and he didn’t want to do them full time, although he made sure he lived close to the ocean.
Ohno had never much considered kids, but his wife wanted them, and Ohno discovered this when she announced that she hadn’t been on birth control like he’d thought and she was pregnant. He was miffed for about two days, but then got over it. Their son would turn out just like his father although they wouldn’t know that for 10 more years or so. Until then Ohno just worked day by day at his job as a florist, sticking his jaw out whenever he thought someone might recognize him.
Much the same as Nino, Jun continued on with acting as well as getting in behind the scenes. Johnny hired him to design concerts and take care of all the details and if he hadn’t been before, he became the scourge of all the lazy or problem-causing Juniors. He was only taking on a job he had always done, so it wasn’t a major change for him.
Being a bit of a work-a-holic, Jun also accepted the offer of several labels to model as a free agent, something he had always been suited for since puberty but had never had the time for. His wife took care of the brunt of things at home, but Jun cooked for his family whenever he could and never missed one of his daughter’s school events.
Disbanding should have made them drift further away from each other, but somehow it was the opposite. All of them lived in Tokyo except for Ohno who lived nearby and although Aiba and Sho went out of the country often, they still had time to meet up at least several times a month with the 5 of them.
More than that, for Ohno, Jun, and Nino who were always stationed in Tokyo, they saw each other once or twice a week for lunches or dinners. Jun in particular made sure Ohno stayed in touch since he was the most likely to just forget. Nino and Jun had not problem meeting since they crossed paths in work occasionally. Nino had even directed Jun once, one of the most interesting dramas the staff said they had ever worked on. The slight creative tension between the two had made for an even better outcome.
Once a year, on Jun’s suggestion and to Johnny’s delight, the five agreed on a special television appearance. It let their fans know they were still doing well and gave them a dose of the old days. It always ached in Nino’s heart when they gathered together like that even though the crybabies Aiba and Jun didn’t seem to have a problem. On the fifth year after they disbanded, Sho had found him after the taping and hugged him, inviting his family over for dinner.
All of Arashi was blessed to live to a ripe old age. When Sho was the first to pass from a heart attack, the entire nation mourned and without fail the other four members attended the funeral. There was a heart-breaking feeling that it was the beginning of the end.
Aiba continued to play with animals until he got too slow to be safe with the dangerous ones. As he grew older his asthma got worse until he eventually died of an episode. The remaining three appeared, Jun having a breakdown afterwards as their numbers dwindled.
Up until then their spouses had been the ones left behind, but Ohno’s wife was the first to die. She was killed by a freak lightening strike, one of the least likely ways to ever die. Ohno always fondly told people after that over several beers that she was special and of course she would die in a special way. He was proud of her.
Not too long after that Ohno managed to get caught out in a squall and his boat was missing for two days. He was found alive along the coast though. Instead, a month later he managed to tread on a landmine, left over from what, who knew? Why he hadn’t stepped on it when it had always been in his backyard this whole time, who knew? But it was a landmine that took out Riida.
Nino alternated between desperately laughing and crying at the funeral. After that he would fondly tell people over a few beers that he was special and of course he would die in a weird-ass way. Then Ma-chan would come pick him up, lecture him about annoying the poor barman, and take him home.
Jun and Nino, incidentally the youngest two, were the two left. Strangely enough, the odd competitive relationship between them from the time they were teens had changed into a very dependent relationship now that they were the two left. They carried on for several more years, buying houses next door to each other and spending all of their spare time together (of course Jun would never stop working and Nino was finally getting around to composing a video game tune for Wii Unlimited).
Jun passed silently in his sleep, the cause of death undetermined to Nino’s everlasting frustration. In order to fill the gap he would claim that he had annoyed him to death and leave it at that. Even though it was too lonely, he went to the funeral, filled with younger people who no longer remembered Arashi or what it had been. Of course Johnny’s would play specials every time one of them died, but it just wasn’t the same. Nino knew they would individually be remembered by their families and for their contributions to the world, but foremost, they were Arashi.
He spent the rest of his life promoting the old group. Some in the press criticized him as pathetic, but Ma-chan always stood by him, understanding, and their two children, both still active in the entertainment world, supported him as well. Several of their grandchildren were also part of the “Bring Back the Storm” team. The team had incredible success and Nino firmly believed it was because Arashi was a group of warmth and light that the entertainment world didn’t often see and that the fans really appreciated.
Every year he visited the four graves, two of them in winter, one in spring, and one in summer, all nicely spread out. Nino always told Ma-chan that he was glad he was the last one. If it were the others, they probably wouldn’t have been able to stand it, but Nino was always the most self-contained in terms of strength. He had been able to do something he had never dreamed of not in spite of, but because he was the last one. Ma-chan would always smile at him in that way that let Nino know Ma-chan thought he was being ridiculously cute again.
He died of kidney failure suddenly one night, finally leaving Nino truly alone. Nino knew that was it for him. There wasn’t any doubt in his mind about it. He didn’t even feel sad, didn’t have time to, as the very night after he followed Jun’s example and died in his sleep with no determinable cause. It was Nino’s last revenge.
The newly renewed Arashi fans were so influential by force of numbers that the Japanese government announced a national Arashi day, justifying it by saying it was also a celebration of international cooperation.
Their families had always been close and it would have tickled Nino to know that after he died, his and Ohno’s great grandsons declared undying love for each other and ran away to Tibet, only to return after some rather unfortunate incidents. They still retained that they would remain together forever though and the families sighed and washed their hands of it, secretly whispering that it was to be expected.
If anyone did, the families remembered their Arashi forebears for several more generations.
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Nino felt an odd tugging as his soul left his body. It was dark and quiet and a bit damp for a while, some in-between state he supposed, but then he lost consciousness the conventional way. His ears came back before any other part of his body, a roaring sound overwhelming him. As he wondered if he should even have ears anymore, his eyes became aware of some extremely bright light aimed at them, although he couldn’t open them yet. He was going to complain to whoever was in charge (oh right, God) whenever he could move again.
It didn’t take long before strength returned to his muscles and when he opened his eyes, he blinked up at a metal ceiling. A face appeared in his line of sight, smiling, and offering him a hand up. Nino grasped Aiba’s hand and let himself be pulled to his feet, looking around at the cheering fans gathered in the concert stadium.
“It took you long enough.” A voice came from behind him and he turned to see Jun smirking at him, arms crossed, back to the way he had looked when he was 22 and in his concert attire. Come to think of it, Aiba was too. “I’m sorry I didn’t die soon enough for you Jun.” he made a face.
“It was a bit boring.” Another voice came from his side and he rotated to see Ohno had appeared there. “Who are you kidding? You napped the whole time.” Sho appeared on Nino’s final side. “And I didn’t think you would be the sappy one.” Sho grinned at him. Nino huffed. “I was just making sure everyone remembered Arashi. It was special.” Aiba leaped forward hearing this and hugged him tightly, the others soon following so that they were in a group hug.
“So how about we give the people the concert they’ve been waiting for?” Jun said in the huddle. “What is this anyway?” Nino asked. “Us and our fans have ended up with our own little corner of Heaven.” Aiba grinned like crazy, loving it. “It’s our first concert again.” Sho added. Nino felt an indescribable feeling bubbling up through his entire body.
“Okay, so let’s do this!” he shouted giddily. “That’s my part!” Ohno complained to Sho who patted his head. “What’s the cheer?” Aiba asked. “Arashi.” Ohno said simply. “I don’t know if God is going to like us causing a storm in Heaven.” Nino pointed out, but his wicked grin didn’t seem too concerned. “On 3. 1, 2, 3,” “ARASHI!” they all yelled at the top of their lungs, their debut song magically starting up as they sprung out to run to positions.
Nino let the bubbly feeling burst him at the seams, singing and dancing with more energy than he had ever put into it before, understanding after a lifetime how special this really was. As he looked down he caught sight of a special section of the audience and winked at Ma-chan. He was where he was always meant to be, and so was Nino.
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AN: I killed myself writing all of Arashi dying. It was so depressing. But it couldn't end that way, so that's why they met up again
Characters: Arashi
Rating: G
Summary: Arashi has to disband someday, but it isn't as bleak as it seems.
Author: Scribble
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It was ironic, looking back, that Arashi disbanding was the best thing that had ever happened to their friendships. While they had been working as a group, it was so hard to break out of that work mentality even though they had a special relationship among themselves. They saw each other during recording, so why should they go out for drinks or have a birthday party, just them?
Although Aiba always wanted it and always tried to get them to join him, the others just couldn’t do it. It was overkill to be together 24/7. As Nino had once said, he could never date a member of Arashi because there would be no mystery. They already knew just about everything concerning each other and it would be boring.
It was their 20th year and that was about enough. All of them had been thinking about it in the back of their minds, how long they would continue on with this, where it was heading. They had long ago hit the top and they’d pushed even further, being one of the first Asian bands to succeed in a career in the U.S. Nino had been recognized from Iwo Jima funnily enough, even though he hadn’t gotten a lot of attention there at the time he’d made it.
They were all getting older, most of them married. Sho and Horikita Maki had surprisingly followed up on their attraction to each other after filming Tokujo Kabachi!! and had tied the knot when Sho was still under 30. Jun, the only one of them never to have really had a girlfriend scandal, quietly got married to his high school sweetheart, the press only finding out about it 5 years later when his daughter was already 1. He didn’t have to look so smug about the whole thing though.
Ohno, to the surprise of everyone, and to Ohno the most, actually found someone who could put up with him. He’d always told the press he’d never get married because he was impossible, but in some weird twist of fate, one day he heard “Have you caught anything yet?” and he’d turned from his place at the side of the boat only to meet a feminine face.
He had the feeling he’d heard a similar scenario somewhere before, but he’d shrugged it off and proceeded to fall head over heels… over the side of the boat. She’d sat and laughed at him as he bobbed contentedly in the water and they’d found eventually that they were a puzzle-perfect match.
For Aiba, he’d dated a lot. Aiba fell for people quickly, his heart so willing to love once he got past his shyness, but it didn’t always work out. He’d burned out on relationships soon after their 15th year and retreated to hang out solely with his friends. It came out of the blue when he finally realized he had fallen for one of their make-up artists, a woman a few years older than him and always a friend.
He went crazy, utterly stumped as to how to approach her and Jun finally got sick of his mornings being disrupted by nervous rants and set them up. It turned out she had liked him for a while as well and after two years of dating, and more bruises to Aiba’s head than he could count after she’d beat him up when he risked his life on an experiment, he’d proposed.
Nino was, as always, contrary. He had always been the one to say that he loved girls and he loved kissing. It turned out that was true, Nino just also liked boys and kissing. In the Japanese entertainment business, being gay or bi was a don’t ask, don’t tell situation. If you weren’t going to use it for a comedic bit, even if everyone knew that you were gay, you just didn’t bring it up. That fit Nino just fine.
At least Arashi fairly well accepted him, Ohno getting a thoughtful look, Jun throwing his hands up and muttering “That figures.”, and Aiba having experimented himself a few times (mostly unintentionally when drunk). Sho didn’t say a word and Nino worried, but he handed him a list of known bi or gay male entertainers with a cutoff on attractiveness (no one like The Touch twins) the next time they met up for work. Nino decided he and Sho were probably cool.
Even with all the complications, he’d still found his true love. To the media, they just assumed Nino was being affectionate with his co-stars as usual. He was known for getting on first-name basis without permission and gushing about whoever he worked with. No one was sure if it was a show or real, but it was entertaining, so they rolled with it.
This time around, he really fell though, and he was a wreck. His co-actor’s name hadn’t been on Sho’s list and he was certain his affections wouldn’t be returned. Nino wasn’t going to take the risk for something he was sure would fail, so he just kept it to himself as he went about being a regular friend.
Nino was too pessimistic and proud and his crush was too oblivious to ever notice if the hand-made birthday cake didn’t tip him off, so they would have remained stalled had Aiba not decided to interfere. Aiba did nothing in the end, but it was Sho and Jun who took it upon themselves to stop him from embarrassing Nino and getting killed for it, that felt out the situation and told Nino to give it a chance. The guy was as open-minded as they came if not bi himself.
Nino trusted them and laid himself on the line. He received an answer of “wait and see”. Maybe he was possible of developing feelings and maybe he wasn’t. It was so hard on Nino those first couple months, but when he finally heard the words “I love you.” it was worth it. He and Matsuyama Kenichi (Ma-chan) defied odds and as both of their respective first homo-sexual relationships, they became life partners.
So they all had their someone-specials and their budding families. They had done all they needed to in their jobs and their ambitions had diverged somewhat. It was Ohno who came in one day and just casually dropped it in there. “Let’s stop next year.”
Even though it was vague, since they all had it on their minds, they understood. Nino said “Okay” and Sho and Jun moved in to hug a tearing Aiba. He knew it was for the best, but it was so hard to let go. Nino whispered in his ear on the way out, “We’ll still be Arashi you know.” Aiba knew it was true.
The fans understood, Arashi nearing 40 at this point and having been around for so long. They would still be able to see their idols separately, most of them would still be in the business. Nino was still acting, although directing took up more attention that anything. Those on his sets thought watching him interact with his little girl was the sweetest thing ever. However, his little boy caused them too many headaches with his mischief and he was banned from coming anymore.
Nino’s sister had agreed to be a surrogate mother for them as well as Ohno’s wife. The surprising thing was that Nino’s son was actually from Ma-chan’s sperm. Nino would say that the children had taken on their mother’s personalities and Ma-chan would refute that their daughter was just like Nino. The staff thought his blush was just as cute.
Sho continued on with News Zero, doing as much journalistic work as they would let him. He was a sought-after MC and he also had his share of announcing gigs. He became a well-recognized figure for Japan overseas and was even offered the position of diplomat although he turned it down. He wanted to continue having a flexible schedule.
True to his parentage and to his work ethic and unparalleled talents, Sho permanently became one of the most influential Japanese men. Sho had always been able to do everything he needed to, though, and his family didn’t feel too much of a strain. He always made time to spend with Maki and their twins. Jun laughed when he found out and said Sho would be the one to get twins.
Aiba, as everyone always knew he would, broke into the world of animal rights with a passion. Using various shows he guested on as well as his own show that he had inherited from Shimura-san, he advocated for the strangest and least-lovable creatures as well as the normal ones. His wife had forbid him to bring them home however.
Every once in a while he would look for a drama to audition for, still wanting to prove that he could do it too, but without fail there was an animal somewhere in the show. His English never improved, but he did learn German, Russian, and Swahili. Sho, who had particular problems with learning new languages and who remembered Aiba’s failures at Chinese during Mago Mago Arashi filming, was incredulous.
Ohno was never really sure how he ended up where he did, about the same as his experience with Arashi. His wife had convinced him that he didn’t want a bakery because he would end up hating the food he loved. He protested, but Nino agreed with her and when those two were in league he gave up. Art and fishing had always been hobbies for him and he didn’t want to do them full time, although he made sure he lived close to the ocean.
Ohno had never much considered kids, but his wife wanted them, and Ohno discovered this when she announced that she hadn’t been on birth control like he’d thought and she was pregnant. He was miffed for about two days, but then got over it. Their son would turn out just like his father although they wouldn’t know that for 10 more years or so. Until then Ohno just worked day by day at his job as a florist, sticking his jaw out whenever he thought someone might recognize him.
Much the same as Nino, Jun continued on with acting as well as getting in behind the scenes. Johnny hired him to design concerts and take care of all the details and if he hadn’t been before, he became the scourge of all the lazy or problem-causing Juniors. He was only taking on a job he had always done, so it wasn’t a major change for him.
Being a bit of a work-a-holic, Jun also accepted the offer of several labels to model as a free agent, something he had always been suited for since puberty but had never had the time for. His wife took care of the brunt of things at home, but Jun cooked for his family whenever he could and never missed one of his daughter’s school events.
Disbanding should have made them drift further away from each other, but somehow it was the opposite. All of them lived in Tokyo except for Ohno who lived nearby and although Aiba and Sho went out of the country often, they still had time to meet up at least several times a month with the 5 of them.
More than that, for Ohno, Jun, and Nino who were always stationed in Tokyo, they saw each other once or twice a week for lunches or dinners. Jun in particular made sure Ohno stayed in touch since he was the most likely to just forget. Nino and Jun had not problem meeting since they crossed paths in work occasionally. Nino had even directed Jun once, one of the most interesting dramas the staff said they had ever worked on. The slight creative tension between the two had made for an even better outcome.
Once a year, on Jun’s suggestion and to Johnny’s delight, the five agreed on a special television appearance. It let their fans know they were still doing well and gave them a dose of the old days. It always ached in Nino’s heart when they gathered together like that even though the crybabies Aiba and Jun didn’t seem to have a problem. On the fifth year after they disbanded, Sho had found him after the taping and hugged him, inviting his family over for dinner.
All of Arashi was blessed to live to a ripe old age. When Sho was the first to pass from a heart attack, the entire nation mourned and without fail the other four members attended the funeral. There was a heart-breaking feeling that it was the beginning of the end.
Aiba continued to play with animals until he got too slow to be safe with the dangerous ones. As he grew older his asthma got worse until he eventually died of an episode. The remaining three appeared, Jun having a breakdown afterwards as their numbers dwindled.
Up until then their spouses had been the ones left behind, but Ohno’s wife was the first to die. She was killed by a freak lightening strike, one of the least likely ways to ever die. Ohno always fondly told people after that over several beers that she was special and of course she would die in a special way. He was proud of her.
Not too long after that Ohno managed to get caught out in a squall and his boat was missing for two days. He was found alive along the coast though. Instead, a month later he managed to tread on a landmine, left over from what, who knew? Why he hadn’t stepped on it when it had always been in his backyard this whole time, who knew? But it was a landmine that took out Riida.
Nino alternated between desperately laughing and crying at the funeral. After that he would fondly tell people over a few beers that he was special and of course he would die in a weird-ass way. Then Ma-chan would come pick him up, lecture him about annoying the poor barman, and take him home.
Jun and Nino, incidentally the youngest two, were the two left. Strangely enough, the odd competitive relationship between them from the time they were teens had changed into a very dependent relationship now that they were the two left. They carried on for several more years, buying houses next door to each other and spending all of their spare time together (of course Jun would never stop working and Nino was finally getting around to composing a video game tune for Wii Unlimited).
Jun passed silently in his sleep, the cause of death undetermined to Nino’s everlasting frustration. In order to fill the gap he would claim that he had annoyed him to death and leave it at that. Even though it was too lonely, he went to the funeral, filled with younger people who no longer remembered Arashi or what it had been. Of course Johnny’s would play specials every time one of them died, but it just wasn’t the same. Nino knew they would individually be remembered by their families and for their contributions to the world, but foremost, they were Arashi.
He spent the rest of his life promoting the old group. Some in the press criticized him as pathetic, but Ma-chan always stood by him, understanding, and their two children, both still active in the entertainment world, supported him as well. Several of their grandchildren were also part of the “Bring Back the Storm” team. The team had incredible success and Nino firmly believed it was because Arashi was a group of warmth and light that the entertainment world didn’t often see and that the fans really appreciated.
Every year he visited the four graves, two of them in winter, one in spring, and one in summer, all nicely spread out. Nino always told Ma-chan that he was glad he was the last one. If it were the others, they probably wouldn’t have been able to stand it, but Nino was always the most self-contained in terms of strength. He had been able to do something he had never dreamed of not in spite of, but because he was the last one. Ma-chan would always smile at him in that way that let Nino know Ma-chan thought he was being ridiculously cute again.
He died of kidney failure suddenly one night, finally leaving Nino truly alone. Nino knew that was it for him. There wasn’t any doubt in his mind about it. He didn’t even feel sad, didn’t have time to, as the very night after he followed Jun’s example and died in his sleep with no determinable cause. It was Nino’s last revenge.
The newly renewed Arashi fans were so influential by force of numbers that the Japanese government announced a national Arashi day, justifying it by saying it was also a celebration of international cooperation.
Their families had always been close and it would have tickled Nino to know that after he died, his and Ohno’s great grandsons declared undying love for each other and ran away to Tibet, only to return after some rather unfortunate incidents. They still retained that they would remain together forever though and the families sighed and washed their hands of it, secretly whispering that it was to be expected.
If anyone did, the families remembered their Arashi forebears for several more generations.
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Nino felt an odd tugging as his soul left his body. It was dark and quiet and a bit damp for a while, some in-between state he supposed, but then he lost consciousness the conventional way. His ears came back before any other part of his body, a roaring sound overwhelming him. As he wondered if he should even have ears anymore, his eyes became aware of some extremely bright light aimed at them, although he couldn’t open them yet. He was going to complain to whoever was in charge (oh right, God) whenever he could move again.
It didn’t take long before strength returned to his muscles and when he opened his eyes, he blinked up at a metal ceiling. A face appeared in his line of sight, smiling, and offering him a hand up. Nino grasped Aiba’s hand and let himself be pulled to his feet, looking around at the cheering fans gathered in the concert stadium.
“It took you long enough.” A voice came from behind him and he turned to see Jun smirking at him, arms crossed, back to the way he had looked when he was 22 and in his concert attire. Come to think of it, Aiba was too. “I’m sorry I didn’t die soon enough for you Jun.” he made a face.
“It was a bit boring.” Another voice came from his side and he rotated to see Ohno had appeared there. “Who are you kidding? You napped the whole time.” Sho appeared on Nino’s final side. “And I didn’t think you would be the sappy one.” Sho grinned at him. Nino huffed. “I was just making sure everyone remembered Arashi. It was special.” Aiba leaped forward hearing this and hugged him tightly, the others soon following so that they were in a group hug.
“So how about we give the people the concert they’ve been waiting for?” Jun said in the huddle. “What is this anyway?” Nino asked. “Us and our fans have ended up with our own little corner of Heaven.” Aiba grinned like crazy, loving it. “It’s our first concert again.” Sho added. Nino felt an indescribable feeling bubbling up through his entire body.
“Okay, so let’s do this!” he shouted giddily. “That’s my part!” Ohno complained to Sho who patted his head. “What’s the cheer?” Aiba asked. “Arashi.” Ohno said simply. “I don’t know if God is going to like us causing a storm in Heaven.” Nino pointed out, but his wicked grin didn’t seem too concerned. “On 3. 1, 2, 3,” “ARASHI!” they all yelled at the top of their lungs, their debut song magically starting up as they sprung out to run to positions.
Nino let the bubbly feeling burst him at the seams, singing and dancing with more energy than he had ever put into it before, understanding after a lifetime how special this really was. As he looked down he caught sight of a special section of the audience and winked at Ma-chan. He was where he was always meant to be, and so was Nino.
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AN: I killed myself writing all of Arashi dying. It was so depressing. But it couldn't end that way, so that's why they met up again