fic for ica_90 (1/2)
For: ica_90
From: negai3104
Title: ‘Til After Death Do Us Part
Pairing: Ohno Satoshi/Ninomiya Kazunari
Rating: R
Warnings: Strong violence and cursing
Summary: Their marriage is a happy one, but that doesn't mean they don't have their shares of ups and downs. In which Nino is a vampire and Ohno is a zombie and Nino gets kidnapped.
Notes: Thank you so much to my lovely beta and supporter for putting up with my constant whining and complaining this whole week! I appreciate your help so much! And to my recipient: I apologize if this wasn't what you asked for. I tried to write one of your plots but the ending just evaded me so I came up with this. It's a combination of several of your prompts. I hope you like this!
People say that being a married man changes you. Nino supposes that may be true, but he honestly doesn't feel any different now compared to when he wasn't married. Everything just feels the same to him minus the married part (since it’s official and everything), and now it has been over a year since their secret wedding with Nino’s best friend and Ohno’s immediate family as the guests.
Nino believes that it's just the nature of their relationship. His husband is easy-going and lives life in his own pace. Ohno doesn't worry about the unnecessary things, and is content with living a happy and simple life. For himself, living in a nice home with his husband and having plenty of time for sex and gaming is what he seeks. They're both such simple people that he supposed it's why they're still married a year later. Why, despite how different they really are, their relationship works well.
It's nice, being married that is. Nino is glad that they're able to prove so many people wrong about their relationship. When he had first started dating Ohno, his family and friends thought it would just be a fling, something ephemeral and fleeting because they all think he's a Normal, but Nino had actually adored the other man a lot. It had been years since he actually held genuine interest in someone, and when he had seen the cute tanned man sketching underneath the cherry blossom tree on the first day of university, Nino had been captivated.
And he smells good. Amazingly good. That had been the first thing that attracted Nino to the other man. He has such a fascinating scent to him, something similar to fresh milk with a hint of honey to it. It’s definitely an odd combination, but Nino loves it. So imagine his surprise when he finds out that Ohno is actually a zombie a few months into their dating.
At the time of the revelation, Nino had zero knowledge about zombies. He had known as much as everybody else. The general agreement everyone from his race had about zombies were that they are the brainless flesh-eating undead species. But Nino supposes this resentment stems from the fact that they had lost in the war against the zombies almost a few decades ago (the very one that Ohno had actually fought and commanded in). Nino had been a young child then, and his parents had not allowed him to venture much outside during those years. Much of the fighting took place in the rural areas, but his parents had been extra careful, even if the family had been living in the city at the time. It was one of the biggest wars between two powerful species belonging to the undead category of supernatural beings.
Vampires and zombies are considered undead because they don't actually have blood pumping through their veins like other species do. Even if they feel warm to the touch, both races aren't actually living in the way werewolves, shape shifters, incubus, or humans (Normals) do. So when Ohno had confessed that he was actually a zombie, Nino had no idea what to do. And Ohno isn't just a plain ol’ run-of-the-mill zombie; he’s the next in line as Head of the Ohno clan, and a prominent figure (he was a General) in the vampire and zombie war almost five decades ago.
The Ohno clan is an incredibly powerful entity in the zombie world; they are one of the most prominent noble families in the zombie hierarchy. Coming from a vampiric society, the idea of having a nobility class fascinates him. Vampires have “families” that one can join after being turned, or born into. Vampires don't hold the same loyalty they do to their own bloodline like zombies do, so it's really easy to see some vampires change allegiance several times in their lifespans. With the zombie race, one is born into the clan, and will stay in their clan unless they decide to marry someone else from a different clan and change their name. Unlike zombies, vampires can have children with Normals or certain other species of the Underworld. Zombies are one of the few races where they cannot mix with others to conceive a child. Therefore, all zombies are pure-blooded, which makes the battle between the clans much more interesting in Nino’s opinion.
His husband is the next in line to inherit the clan. After Ohno senior steps down from his position as the Head, Ohno will take his place as his new successor. The details are a little fuzzy for him, but Nino knows that once his husband takes his father-in-law’s place, they will have to move back to the main home and Ohno will have to take over the Head duties. This little fact had worried him a bit, a couple of months into their dating. If Ohno is going to take over the family, will he have to get married to a female zombie to conceive children one day?
Thankfully, Nino doesn’t have to worry about that or jealous ex-boyfriends and girlfriends. Ohno primarily dates outside of the zombie race, preferring to copulate with people who are warm-blooded. Nino is his first (and only) cold-blooded partner. Ohno’s parents are also pretty open-minded and they have never really approached him about the prospect of marrying or conceiving children, so that's that.
Ohno's also very secretive of his identity, preferring to live a normal life without the attention he gets from his race and status as a man named Samejima Reiji. Samejima Reiji is a normal human man who does art for a living, and lives with his husband in a modest apartment in Tokyo. As Samejima Reiji, his artworks are pretty well-regarded in the Normals realm, and most of the commissioned works he gets from Normals go towards paying for the apartment. Nino’s pay goes towards the groceries and other daily necessities they need.
However, Ohno’s true identity is an entirely different matter. He’s not an ordinary guy at all. The Ohno clan is a powerful entity in the zombie world. But since they're so vast in numbers, it's easy to blend into normal society, and not be related to the powerful zombie clan. Most people don't know what the heir to the Ohno clan looks like, but the name, Ohno Satoshi, is widely known. And Ohno prefers to keep it that way. They know that he is the son of the current Head, but since Ohno’s face has been kept hidden since a young age, many outer members (only a small select few) and rival clans do not know what the young master looks like. The most shocking thing that Nino’s found out about Ohno’s race are that they are an incredibly secretive bunch.
“They're actually a lot of us out there, more than you think,” Ohno tells him over dinner as they are cleaning up.
“Zombies?” Nino asks in confusion. Ohno nods.
“A lot of us hide among the crowd. Everyone thinks we are human but we actually aren't. It's why we’re so good at spying and infiltration,” Ohno explains, “that's how I was able to usurp the Kaibutsu clan.”
“Didn't you disguise yourself as him?” Nino asks in amusement. Ohno chuckles and answers with a grimace on his face.
“Yes, I had to wear the heir’s stupid yellow shirt and dorky hat. I could not live it down if I had to wear that again.”
And there is the other thing. No one in Nino’s family knows Ohno is part of the zombie race. It is bad enough that they think he's a soft and squishy human, but an heir to one of the biggest and most powerful zombie noble clans? They’ll disown him. But still, Nino doesn't care if it comes to that. He's happy being with Ohno, loving Ohno, and doting on the older man. Ohno's even a vegetarian; he doesn't eat flesh of humans, and prefers steak (done blue of course) every other day of the week.
Nino thinks his husband is adorable, and tells him every chance he gets really. He's sweet, down-to-earth, and gives more than he takes. He loves it when Nino gives him affection, and happily goes along with (most) of the things Nino decides. But he is also stubborn to the T, lazy, and hopeless at basic household chores. Hence why they tend to squabble a lot. But Nino loves him anyway.
“Satoshi, I’ll be late coming home tonight, but I left dinner in the fridge for you!” Nino calls from the genkan as he's getting his shoes on. He hears a muffled okay! from their bedroom before soft footsteps are making their way to him. Nino counts to three before turning around and getting an armful of Ohno. He smiles and hugs his adorable husband back. Closing his eyes, he breathes in the sweet scent of Ohno. Why does he smell so good all the time? Ohno clings to him tighter. “I'm going to be late for work,” Nino mumbles but doesn't let go.
Finally, Ohno pulls back from Nino’s embrace and pecks him on the cheek. “Have a nice day, Kazu.” Nino nods and returns the kiss with a peck on the cheek of his own.
“See you!” He calls as he closes the door behind him. Nino smiles to himself before heading off to his destination.
Although they are in no need of money, Nino works at a fine arts school teaching piano to the students part-time. Although teaching is not a career path he has ever thought about taking, he actually enjoys teaching piano to young children. His first teaching job had actually been with Ohno’s niece. When the young girl had found out that her new uncle, Nino, knew how to play the piano, she had demanded that he teach her how to play. When he had agree to give her a few lessons, Nino had realized he had actually enjoyed teaching her how to play. He found it an absolute pleasure when the young girl was able to play a piece he taught her after a few lessons. Realizing that maybe this is something he may want to try out, Nino had applied for a part-time teaching position at a fine arts school.
So far, he hasn’t regretted his decision one bit. His parents are happy that he has a job at least, even though they frown at his choice of work. His mother worries he’s living from paycheque to paycheque, but Nino has to reassure her everytime he visits his family home that Ohno makes more than enough as an artist. And it’s true. Ohno’s paintings fetch a very high price on the market, and the zombie can live comfortably for a whole year if he sells five paintings within that same year. But, Ohno is also in charge of helping his parents run the clan, and the Ohno clan is extremely well off. Nino’s got the whole money issue covered.
Sometimes Nino wishes he can tell his parents the truth about Ohno, but Nino knows that will not go down well. His parents have no idea Ohno is a zombie (and a very important one at that), and they share the same prejudices towards the race as the other vampires do. For now, Nino can only lie to them that Ohno is a Normal named Reiji, who makes art for a living. He’s surprised that he hasn’t been disowned for marrying a Normal. Nino knows his parents greatly disapprove of his husband. They didn’t even show up for the wedding last year, not that Nino had expected it (and which gave him an excuse to not tell his parents about Ohno’s real identity). Still, there’s no point dwelling on these things now. As long as Ohno is by his side, Nino doesn’t have many complaints.
Making his way through the majestic gates of the school, Nino spots a fellow teacher, Yoshitaka Yuriko, speaking to a young student about practicing good study habits. The fine arts school Nino teaches at is for Normals. Nino and another teacher, Sakurai Sho, are the only vampires in the school. Vampire children do not attend public institutions for their education; many are taught at home under the care of a private tutor. Nino thinks that is too restricting. He wishes he had attended a public school when he was younger, but he knows that’s impossible. Being a vampire child and mixing in with a bunch of Normals is a no no, especially if one is still learning how to control their thirst.
As Nino heads down the hallway to the classical music department, he greets several of his previous students who have gone on to higher levels of piano education or have taken one of his courses for a semester. Presently, Nino only teaches beginner classes. He has no qualms on teaching the more advanced students, but Nino likes teaching students who are new to the musical instrument he loves so much. It’s a challenge, but the rewards are worth it.
When he finally reaches the huge music department’s corridor, Nino pushes the door to his office open and makes his way to his desk. Sho is already seated at his own desk, currently looking over the lesson plan he has for today.
Sakurai Sho, son of one of the most prominent vampire families, is a teacher. For Normals. When Nino had first met him, he had stared at the vampire in shock before remembering to bow. Sho, bless his heart, had been incredibly embarrassed about the whole display and forced Nino to treat him as an equal. Normally Nino doesn't bother with the formalities and titles of the rich and powerful, but the Sakurai family is a prominent presence in their society. Nino had been so confused when he found out that Sakurai Sho is a teacher in a Normals school.
“I just didn't want to go down the path my parents had set for me,” Sho confesses when Nino had asked.
“Weren't they angry though? You are the heir to the Sakurai family, and the oldest son,” Nino points out. Sho nods with a sad look on his face but quickly replaces it with a more solemn expression.
“Yes, my father hasn't spoken to me since I had moved out. It isn't official, but he's banned me from entering the family grounds until I quit my job.”
“That serious?!” Nino exclaims in surprise. “What about the rest of your family?”
At this, Sho gives a wry smile. “My sister and brother still message and meet up with me from time to time, but my mother and father do not speak to me if they can help it.”
“That's harsh,” Nino comments. Sho shrugs.
“That's the price you pay for wanting to pave your own destiny in our world.”
Ever since then, Nino has taken to spend more time with the vampire. He had expected the other vampire to be pompous and aloof, but Sho is incredibly kind (albeit he does have a temper). He considers Sho a dear friend now, months after their introduction. The other vampire is passionate about his job as a violin teacher, and Sho often asks Nino to tag along to his classes when he's free. The students love it when Ninomiya-sensei joins their class because Ninomiya-sensei is the pretty teacher who can play piano. And because he likes to annoy Sho during his lessons, often teaming up with the students and make his life miserable. Sho doesn't mind though.
“Morning, Sho-chan.” Sho puts down his papers and looks up at him with a smile. Sho’s wearing black thick-framed glasses today, and he looks as handsome as always (of course, his husband is more handsome, but Sho is very easy on the eyes). He's wearing a light blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a red and blue tie with stripes. He also has a new haircut. The hair is styled in a messy manner with his bangs swept away from his face to one side, and the side of his head is slightly shaved. He looks like an idol, not a violin teacher.
“Morning, Nino-kun! How was your weekend?” He asks with a warm smile.
“It was good. I stayed home with the hubbie all day and finished my new game,” he tells as he takes a seat. “I like your new haircut, Sho-chan.”
“Thanks, Nino-kun. And how is Samejima-san?” He's still smiling, bless his heart. That hairstyle really does look good on him.
“He's good. Same as always. Painting.”
Like everyone else, Sho doesn't know about Ohno’s true heritage or identity. Nino feels bad that he has to lie to everyone (except Aiba because Aiba knows almost everything) about Ohno’s race. Ohno’s family has been aware of his vampire heritage since the second date, and while they had a little trouble accepting it at first, they love him now. He's spoken to them countless times about coming out with the truth but they merely turn him down each time.
“Family is important, Kazunari-kun,” His mother-in-law says, “we appreciate your honesty and courage, but please, don't throw away what you have for us.”
“You know you'll always be welcomed in our home,” Ohno’s father adds. Nino looks at them in shock. How is it that they’re so accepting of the situation? Ohno’s mother smiles at him and takes his hands in hers.
“I don’t understand. Doesn’t it make you angry that your own son-in-law can’t even tell his own family who you guys really are?” He asks in confusion.
“Kazunari-kun, please be assured that we really don’t mind. As long as you continue to love and support Satoshi, you have our blessing.” Ohno’s mother gives him a smile.
“Son,” His father-in-law says and Nino colours at the affectionate address, “like what my wife says, please continue to support our son from now on as his husband. We just want you guys to be happy, that’s all we ask for.”
Eventually, Nino knows he will have to tackle the problem. But for now, Nino’s going to respect their wishes. He knows Ohno will support him no matter the outcome, and he’s grateful for that. He owes his new family that much at least; he has to tell his parents that he’s married a zombie. It still shocks him to this day at how accepting the inner circle of the Ohno clan is. The outer circle of the clan and most of the lower servants do not know of his true heritage (and Nino hasn’t exactly been exposed to them much, only meeting the Ohno parents at private rooms of restaurants or visiting during late times at night), but from what he gathers, it’s the inner circle (the immediate family) that matters.
For the most part, the inner circle is pretty open-minded in regards to vampire and zombie relations. Nino supposes they have to be, seeing that his in-laws has given them their blessing. Ohno’s sister, Mina, adores him and always tries to get him to babysit her children when he's over. The kids love him too and are always asking him to play the piano. His brother-in-law is polite to him for the most part, but avoids him if he can help it. It's not a big deal, and Nino hardly sees him anyways since he's working most of the time Nino comes to visit the family. Meanwhile, Nino’s family still thinks he’s going to suck his husband’s blood dry, even though their marriage has already lasted over a year.
Shaking his head of the depressing matters, Nino glances at the clock hanging on top of the doorway; Nino has three minutes before class starts. Sending Sho a wave, Nino quickly grabs his folder before dashing out the door to his classroom.
“Are we going for lunch today?” Sho asks as Nino is dashing down the hall, his super-hearing picking up the man’s casual tone.
“Sounds good! But you're paying, Sho-chan!” Nino calls and laughs, ignoring the puzzled looks of the students when Sho’s sigh echoes in his ear.
“Hello dear, how have you been?”
Ohno enters the family living room and greets his mother with a hug. He’s visiting his parents today after not having spoken to them for almost a week. He has been busy with a new art commission for Inoue-san, and he’s been neglecting everyone except Nino for the past two weeks so that he can finish up the painting. He smiles softly at his mother when they pull apart.
“I am well, Kazu sends his regards,” Ohno responds with a soft smile.
“Is Kazunari-kun still working at that music school?” She asks curiously as they settle down at the table. Ohno takes a seat beside his mother and she pours him a cup of tea. He bows at her in thanks and reaches for the steaming mug. He hasn’t had her tea in so long. Nino isn’t fond of green tea, the vampire preferring jasmine tea. Ohno makes a mental note to head to the store later to pick up another box; they’re running out of it soon.
“Yes, he enjoys it very much.”
“That’s wonderful! Kazunari-kun is such a talented young man.” His mother beams, and Ohno is so glad that his mother is so fond of him. Nino is fond of her too, often buying her little gifts when he visits the Ohno estate with him.
“Where’s father?” Ohno asks as he takes a sip of tea. He almost chokes on it as the hot liquid flows down his throat. Too hot!
“Your father is in a meeting with the family. He’ll be back soon to join us for lunch,” she replies fondly. Ohno coughs and swallows the liquid down his throat, grimacing at the burning sensation. “Have you two been taking care of yourselves?”
“Yes, mother. Kazu makes sure I eat on time and regularly,” he says in amusement. His mother smiles but shakes her head.
“I’m glad, but that boy needs to eat more too! He’s too skinny!” She complains.
“Kazu is built that way, mother. He eats enough, don’t worry.” Ohno says chuckling. His mother has always been concerned for his husband’s slender frame. While it is true that Nino doesn't really like to eat all that often, Nino is naturally slender, and gaining weight has never been an easy task for him. Ohno makes sure Nino eats two times a day at least.
“Still… That young man eats too little! It would've been nice if he came today. Satoshi, you need to bring my son-in-law to visit us more often!” She exclaims and frowns at him.
Ohno smiles sheepishly at her and rubs at his neck. But his chest warms at her complaint. Ohno knows he is extremely lucky that his parents are fond of Nino.
He hadn't known what to expect when he had entered into a relationship with the vampire during his second year of university. His parents had encouraged him to go back to school to take time off from all the training and fighting, and to just finally relax his mind. Ohno had decided to take his parents’ advice, his body and mind weary of the violence he had encountered in the past several years serving as the head strategist during their rivalry with the Kaibutsu clan. Ohno had opted for study in the fine arts program at a Normals university, spending the time to learn more about art history and creating art pieces under deadlines.
Ohno had known that Nino was a vampire during their first encounter. Years of honing his detection skills in training at the zombie military camp (and eventually becoming a General) had helped him figure out the races of beings he encountered. Every time he had a break between classes, he would go and work on his sketches for class. At the time, Ohno had no idea what to expect when the young vampire approached him at his tree one day. When Nino had asked him for one date, Ohno had been so shocked that he had said yes.
Ohno is aware of the rivalry between the two undead races. As one of the more powerful undead species in number, Ohno has known about the animosity between the zombies and vampires at a very young age. To be honest, Ohno doesn’t really care for any of that. His parents had never really encouraged hatred towards the vampires when he had been growing up, and Ohno knows that his parents have always tried to teach him to come up with his own conclusions in life.
Ohno knows that may be a different case for the vampires. The vampires are one of the most powerful beings in the undead species, certainly rivalling his own race in numbers and strength. They are also more intense than his own race, being very dedicated to their families that they make. Ohno has always thought vampires as a pompous bunch, having encountered a couple of them during his time in the army when he had been younger to gain combative experience. Ohno has lived a long life, serving as a General in the zombie and vampire war which lasted for over six years. The vampires he has faced in the battlefield had always boasted of their skills and agility before trying to kill him. So it had come as a surprise when Nino talks to him one day.
Ohno is glad Nino took the first step though. Ohno knows he would have never approached the other male if it had been up to him. Nino is a blessing, after so many years of fighting. Ohno finally realizes that he’s found peace, all thanks to Nino. Ohno doesn’t want to think about life without Nino. Nino is important to him, and Ohno knows that he will do everything he can to make Nino happy, even if he has to sacrifice his own happiness for the vampire.
Nino has saved him during one of his lowest points in life. Ohno will do anything for him.
When Ohno returns to the apartment, there’s no sign of life or a hint of presence within. Kazu’s not home yet… he thinks to himself as he reaches for the light switch at the door of their genkan. “Oh right, he says he’s coming home late today…” he mumbles as he removes his shoes and lines them up neatly on the shoe rack. Ohno quickly checks his phone for any new messages, but he sees none. Strange. Usually Nino would’ve sent him a text or two by now, even if he is busy with work.
Frowning to himself, Ohno heads over to the kitchen to set the bags of groceries down. He sends Nino a text just in case the man can't come to his phone at the moment.
Not home yet? Let me know what time so I can heat up dinner for you ♥︎
Nino being home late is not an unusual occurrence. Nino not texting him his whereabouts is also not something Ohno worries about. However, he hasn’t really heard from Nino all day since the man’s lunch break, and that bothers him. Even after a year of marriage, I still act like I just fell in love with him Ohno thinks to himself amusedly.
When Ohno had entered university a few years ago, he had not expected to find his one true love there. His parents had pushed him to go, even if he didn't exactly have to. Ohno had been training and learning all his life to one day take on head position of the Ohno clan. Since he was a child, Ohno had been shipped off to various countries for his education and combative skills. His parents had done so in order to avoid any attempts on his life since the Ohno clan had been gaining power rapidly, and enemy clans were trying to take them out. Growing up in foreign lands, Ohno learned several languages and practiced a variety of martial arts. As the oldest male of the inner family, and the eldest of all the children born in his generation, Ohno had the responsibility from day one.
Ohno doesn’t really have any feelings about it. Ohno knows that he can reject the responsibility if he wants but Ohno knows that he’s actually the best candidate for being the Head of the family. There’s really not too much work involved, he just has to manage the family business properly and make sure their followers behave. It seems like an easy task considering the number of zombies under their care, but the Ohno family still has a huge number of followers, and he has to make sure they don't expose themselves to the Normals. Fortunately, the clan is pretty well-behaved for the most part, and their guards are some of the best.
Ohno heads towards the kitchen to put the groceries away. When he grabs the tea box, Ohno puts it in Nino’s cupboard of tea where three other boxes are being kept. Once he finishes putting the groceries away, Ohno decides he should work a bit on his painting.
When he enters his studio, he turns his attention to the easel located in the far corner of the room. Walking towards it, Ohno ignores the large canvas that he's currently working on for Inoue-san. He just needs to put a few finishing touches on for her commission, and he's finished. The canvas on his easel is a side project, one that he's been working on for the past few days.
It's a painting of Nino. Ohno realizes that he has never captured Nino in painting, only having sketched the man in his sketchbooks for the past several years. Ohno has wanted to paint Nino since he first saw the vampire walking through the university grounds years ago. But he had been hesitant. For Ohno, painting is something he has to feel confident about. He had wanted to get to know the man first before capturing Nino’s energy and personality on a larger canvas. But this painting is a bit special. Nino is one of the most important people in his life, and for this particular project, Ohno has decided to only work on it if Nino is at home with him.
So far, the painting has been going well. Ohno can feel bursts of inspiration when he hears his husband moving about their apartment. Nino’s humming when he's listening to music, his curses and shouts when he's playing video games, or his singing when he's composing a song, or his moans and whimpers when they make love. Every sound that Nino makes is a source of inspiration for him. Ohno wants to capture every piece of Nino on canvas.
He traces the painting of Nino’s face lightly with his fingers. He’ll wait when Nino gets home.
His head hurts.
His entire body hurts. Nino groans as he feels himself waking up. His head is throbbing, beating like a drum. Nino tries to move but realizes that he physically can't. His eyes snap open.
He looks around in shock. He's bound to a chair with chains wrapped tightly around him, and even though he tries to break them apart with his vampire strength: it doesn't budge at all. What the hell is this?!
“No point on struggling, Ninomiya-san.”
Nino snaps his head towards the sound of the voice. Standing at the doorway is a short young man, probably in his early twenties with dark hair, red eyes, and an amused smirk on his face. He's wearing a blue military uniform with gold trimmings and black combat boots. Looking closer, Nino can see the symbol of his clan beside Ohno’s own symbol embroidered into the left breast pocket. “Who the hell are you?” Nino barks at him as he glares at his kidnapper. “Where the hell am I?!” He looks around the room, but there’s nothing in the room except for the chair he’s sitting in. This is one of Ohno’s men, Nino knows for sure, but it doesn't make sense. No one in the outer circle knows about him. They've never announced it since Ohno doesn't like the publicity, and he doesn't want to cause an outrage because of Nino’s race. Nino has no complaints about that.
The man laughs and slowly walks over to him, and clasps his hands behind his back. “My name is Chinen Yuri.”
“I don't know anyone by that name. But you know me.” Nino watches the figure warily as the man begins to circle him slowly. Nino feels helpless. He's at complete mercy of his kidnapper, and he's completely bound up by anti-vampire chains if the tingling sensation is to go by. He can hardly move his limbs and he has no idea where the heck he is. And judging by the uniform, this Chinen person is pretty high up.
“No, I suppose you wouldn't,” Chinen says nonchalantly. He steps in front of Nino and peers down at him.
“What do you want from me?” Nino spats and narrows his eyes at him. The zombie laughs and leans down so that he’s face to face with him.
“Wouldn't you like to know, Ninomiya-san?”
Something’s not right.
Ohno lifts his gaze from his sketchbook and looks out the window. The air has suddenly turned ominous and Ohno has a gut feeling that something may be wrong with Nino. He knows he shouldn't jump to conclusions, but there are so many signs pointing towards that direction. He can't ignore it now. In his days with the military, his gut feeling had saved him countless of times against the vampires, helping him avoid surprise attacks from the numerous vampires who had jumped out at him, trying to slice off his neck. During the turf war with the Kaibutsu clan, his instincts had helped him take down the inner circle when he snuck into their base and dressed up as their leader. That had been an interesting experience.
Putting down his sketchbook on the coffee table, Ohno decides that he should probably go check up on Nino just in case. Grabbing the house’s keys, Ohno quickly makes his way out of their apartment, locking the door behind him.
Ohno decides to walk to the high school where Nino works. It’s half past eight and there’s still no messages from Nino. Ohno’s not the type to worry about his husband; he knows Nino can take care of himself. But even so, it’s not like Nino to go completely silent in the past few hours. It’s incredibly worrying, and Ohno can’t help but think that there is something amiss.
He decides to visit Nino’s workplace first. If the man is still at work, the school is the best place to find him. Ohno wishes that zombies have the same amazing sense of smell that vampires have (even if his own abilities for tracking is nothing to scoff at). Vampires are amazing trackers, and Ohno knows Nino would’ve been able to scent someone out already when he’s not even close to the school gates yet. It would have saved him time.
As Ohno finally approaches the school gates, he notices that the building is completely deserted, save for a few students practicing here and there, their chatter white noise to him. Ohno heads for the music department. He has visited Nino a few times during the vampire’s lunch break to pick him up for an occasional lunch date, and Nino has told him where each of the offices are located in the building through a poorly drawn map. Although, Ohno has never set foot into the vampire’s school grounds since Nino has told him that one of his coworkers is a vampire. Ohno doesn’t want to cause a scene so he never waits for Nino near his school.
As he gets closer to the office, his strong hearing picks up the sound of a young man talking to a student about an upcoming test. Ohno’s zombie senses alerts to him that the man is a vampire. That's probably Sho-kun he thinks as he watches the handsome male wave at the student leaving his office. Ohno shivers. Vampires give him a slight chill in the body when he encounters them, and the fact that he automatically shivers just by being within three metres of him means that this Sho-kun is powerful. Ohno hears the man tense up as he registers Ohno’s presence near his office, even if he's not close to the door yet. With Nino, the shivers are less powerful, but Ohno thinks that's probably because he's accustomed to having the man around him all the time. That's how he knows he's close to his husband. That, and the sweet fragrance of the jasmine tea he always drinks.
Ohno fiddles with the necklace he's wearing: it's a charm his mother had given to him when he went off to join the army. She has spelled it using blood magic with a mixture of his blood and various of other beings. Whenever he has the charm on him, his zombie scent cannot be detected by others creatures. This gives him an advantage and to disguise himself as a Normal if he needs it.
“Excuse me?” Ohno says as he walks into the office.
Sho looks at him in surprise before getting onto his feet and walking around his desk to greet him. “Hello, how may I help you, sir?” Ohno is surprised at how young Sho actually is. Very handsome too. If he isn’t so secure with his relationship with Nino, Ohno suspects he would have been a lot more jealous that Nino’s hanging around such a handsome young vampire.
“Hi, are you Sakurai-sensei?” Ohno gives a small bow. Sho returns the favour and gives him a nod.
“Yes, I’m Sakurai Sho. And you are…?”
“I’m Samejima Reiji. I'm Nino’s husband.”
Sho gasps and grins at him. “Oh wow!” He exclaims excitedly. “I've heard so much about you Samejima-san! Nino-kun talks about you all the time!” He gestures for Ohno to take a seat while he goes back around the desk to sit on his own chair. “It's nice to meet you!”
Ohno smiles and bows again. “Same here, Sakurai-sensei. Thank you for looking after my husband.”
Sho shakes his head frantically and holds up a hand. “Please, it is absolutely no trouble at all. I consider Nino-kun as one of my closest friends. He's a pleasure to work with. But, ah! You don't have to call me that. Sho or just Sakurai-kun is fine.” Ohno can't help but smile at the man’s friendly nature. “So, what brings you here, Samejima-san?”
“You may call me Samejima-kun, or Reiji-kun if you wish as well. We are friends aren't we?” Ohno says. Sho beams at him.
“Alright then, Samejima-kun! I don't feel comfortable calling you Reiji-kun yet.” Sho looks at him sheepishly.
“That's okay.”
Sho clears a few of the binders off his desk. “So, what brings you here, Samejima-kun? I thought Nino-kun went home hours ago.”
Ohno frowns and quirks an eyebrow. “He left hours ago?”
“Yes, he left around 5pm? So I'm surprised you're here. Did he not return home?” Sho asks worriedly. Ohno bites his lips and racks his mind for any idea of where Nino could be. Cursing quietly to himself, Ohno gets up from the chair and takes out his cellphone again. So Nino’s missing. Ohno needs to find out what happened before taking action. He's so engrossed in his plans that he doesn't notice Sho’s calling him.
“Samejima-kun! Samejima-kun! Is everything okay?” Sho's looking at him worriedly.
Ohno pauses and looks at Sho in consideration. He doesn't want to get the young man involved, but the strong aura emanating from him could be a big help if it turns out Nino is in danger. The thought has crossed his mind several times before because Ohno has a few enemies. A few enemies who may have found out that he's married to a vampire and may use it to their advantage.
He looks around the room before walking over to the office door and locking it. Sho makes a questioning noise but doesn't say anything when Ohno turns around with a grim expression on his face.
“Sakurai-kun, I may need your help.”
“Where is this place, Ohno-kun?”
After filling in the details of who he actually is, they're standing in front of a building with a sign that says, Woof Woof Pet Shop. There's also a huge field located behind the shop and Ohno has no doubt a few of the “pets” are running and playing outside.
To say Sho had been surprised at Ohno’s true identity was an understatement. Sho had been so astonished that Nino’s husband is actually a zombie noble, and a General in the zombie-vampire war decades ago. Fortunately, the young vampire harbours no ill thoughts towards him, and had readily accepted Ohno’s request to help him locate Nino.
Ohno tears his gaze away from the building and looks at Sho, giving him a gentle smile. “This is where Nino’s best friend lives. We’re going to ask him for help.”
Sho looks at the building curiously. The handsome vampire turns to him. “This is in the middle of almost nowhere!”
Ohno smiles and nods. “It has to be, and you'll see why. I'm surprised you haven't mentioned the smell yet.”
Sho looks at him surprise and scents the air. His eyes widen when it looks like he's picked up a particular scent he doesn't expect. “Is that--”
“Oh-chan!”
Ohno smiles and gives Sho a wink before moving towards to the owner of the call. Standing at the shop gates is Aiba Masaki, a big smile on his friendly tanned face as always. Aiba has been best friends with Nino since their childhood, and a constant presence in the vampire’s life. He had also been the first person that knew of their relationship, and the first supporter. Ohno is thankful that Nino has someone he could rely on in his life, as Nino doesn't really open up to people very easily. Beside Aiba is the goofball Ninomi, a weredog the shop owner has bred and named after his best friend (much to Nino’s public chagrin, but hidden delight). Ninomi barks happily when he sees Ohno and runs over to the gate, tail wagging rapidly. Like his two-legged counterpart, canine Ninomi adores the zombie male.
“Hi Aiba-chan,” he greets with a small wave. He looks down at the weredog. “Hi Ninomi!” Ninomi barks back at him happily, jumping on the fence so that his head sticks over the gate. Ohno chuckles and pets the weredog slowly on his head. Behind him Sho is gaping at the mere size of the weredog.
Ninomi is a mix of a werewolf and a dog. Larger than most big dogs, but smaller than most werewolves. He has soft white fur with patches of black scattered around his body, and piercing green eyes. Standing at an impressive six-foot four when on his hind legs, Ninomi is pretty huge. He's also the biggest goofball ever, and Ohno can see why Aiba named the weredog Ninomi even though he acts nothing like his husband (for the most part).
“What's up, Oh-chan? And who’s this?” Aiba asks as he gets closer to the gate and unlocks it for them. Ohno bows in thanks and he can see Sho bowing to Aiba beside him as well. Aiba looks at the stranger curiously but returns the bow.
“I'm Sakurai Sho, I'm a friend of Nino-kun’s.” Sho introduces himself and looks down at the weredog cautiously. “He's not going to bite me is he…?” Ninomi barks at him before scampering over to Sho and sniffing his hands. Sho yelps in surprise and jumps back when Ninomi sticks his muzzle between Sho’s legs. Ohno laughs before turning to Aiba with a grim face. He can't afford to waste any time.
“Aiba-chan, I need your help. Kazu’s missing.”
“Nino’s missing? What do you mean?” The three of them are standing in Aiba’s living room. Ninomi is perched on the floor next to Ohno, leaning against his leg. Sho is seated on the armchair next to him, and Aiba is sitting next to Ohno on the couch. Aiba sends him a confused look.
“Sakurai-kun said that Nino left work around 5pm today, but he hasn’t come home since then. I also haven’t received any messages from Kazu at all, and he usually texts me if he gets the chance,” Ohno explains as he frowns. “Nino always contacts me.”
Aiba nods in understanding. “That's true. Nino texts you often. I've seen it many times when we hang out,” Aiba says in agreement, “the fact that he hasn't messaged you after two hours is definitely worrying.” He turns to Sho, who's watching them quietly. “Sakurai-kun, did Nino say anything to you before he left? Anything strange?”
Sho shakes his head. “No, he seemed pretty normal. Everything seemed like it always was.”
Ohno sighs and leans back against the couch. “That means that Kazu’s probably been kidnapped. He wouldn't just disappear like that.”
“But who would kidnap him?” Sho asks in confusion. Ohno frowns and rubs his temples with his fingers.
“My enemies,” he says, “I have a lot of enemies, especially for being who I am.” He racks his brain for a list of potential candidates who could have taken Nino. There's quite a few, but none of them would know about his marriage unless someone in the inner circle told somebody about it. But who could it be? “Aiba-chan, can Ninomi still track down scents in an area after several hours?”
Aiba shakes his head. “No, sadly. Ninomi is a good tracker, but he won't be able to distinguish scents for that long.” Ohno growls in frustration.
“Are you that hated?” Sho asks in surprise as he watches Ohno. Ohno gives him a weak grin. “But you're so…” He makes a helpless gesture. Aiba chuckles.
“I have to agree with Sakurai-kun, you look way too nice to have that many enemies, Oh-chan.”
Ohno smiles at them and shakes his head. “You would be surprised.” Taking out his cellphone, Ohno types in a quick message to his friend, Meet me at Kazunari’s school please, before sending it. Looking up at them, Ohno grimaces. “Since Kazu isn't here, we need back up. Let's go back to the school, I'm meeting someone there.”
“And this person can track Nino down?” Aiba asks in excitement as they make their way towards the school gates. Sho is shuffling behind them with Ninomi at his heels. Ohno hums in lazy agreement.
“Yes, my friend is very good at tracking people down. For someone in our species, he has exceptional tracking skills. But that is part of his job,” Ohno explains as they get closer to the gate. A tall figure is already standing in front of it, his back turned to them. “Jun,” Ohno calls to the stranger softly.
Jun turns around and immediately greets Ohno with a deep bow. “Ohno-sama,” he says stiffly. Jun makes an impressive figure. Standing taller than Ohno and Sho, Jun is dressed in a dark jeans, a white tank top, and a navy blue blazer. His brown hair is cut short with crooked blunt bangs across his forehead. Slung over his shoulder is a sheathed sword in a black scabbard with blue adornments. On his waist, Jun has two guns placed on both sides. The purple handle matches the adornments of the blue sword handle. After a short pause, Ohno sighs and places an arm on Jun’s shoulder. Behind him, Sho is gaping at the strange greeting and Aiba is giggling at the scene. “You called?” Jun asks in stonily as he stands back upright and places his hands behind his back, his eyes locked with Ohno’s. Ohno chuckles at Jun’s serious demeanour and turns back to his companions.
“Oh-chan, who’s this?” Aiba asks excitedly as he waves at Jun in greeting. “Is he one of your servants? Oh, what about a bodyguard?! And he has a sword! And a gun!”
“Yes, Aiba-chan,” Ohno says with a laugh.”This is Jun-kun. Matsumoto Jun to be precise. He’s one of my best friends, and my bodyguard,” he replies in amusement. Jun looks taken back at Aiba’s enthusiasm, but doesn’t seem to react much after the initial surprise. His strong but pretty features stare straight ahead, his eyes not betraying any emotion.
“You have a bodyguard?!” Sho squawks in astonishment. Even if Sho has come from a powerful vampire family, the idea of bodyguards is quite a foreign concept to him. Jun looks at him blankly before turning back to Ohno.
“He’s more of my righthand man. Jun has been with me through the thick and thin. I trust him very much. He’ll be able to help us locate Kazunari,” Ohno explains before turning his head at Jun. “Have you been able to find anything, Jun?”
Jun scans his friend’s companions before turning his full attention at him. Ohno looks up at him calmly and expectant. Jun nods stiffly before brushing his bangs away from his face. “Yes, Ohno-sama--”
“Cut that out. We’re among friends, not the clan, Jun-kun,” Ohno says in exasperation. “You don’t need to call me that.”
Jun looks at him sternly and the pair engage themselves in a staring contest. Sho’s watching everything with wide eyes while Aiba is extremely amused at the proceedings. Finally, Jun breaks away from their staring match and sighs. “Fine.” Ohno smiles and nods at him.
“Okay, now please help us out.”
Jun sniffs the air and turns his body towards the direction of the school. “Nino’s scent is still here, although it’s very faint. Judging by how faint the scent is, it’s probably been more than four hours since he was taken.” Jun sticks his hands in his pockets and pulls out a pair of leather gloves. He puts them on and Ohno watches him in silent contemplation.
“Jun, are you able to track where he may be taken?” Ohno asks calmly. Jun nods and brushes back his hair.
“Of course I can. I’m a little insulted you have to ask, Satoshi-kun,” Jun replies with a smirk. Ohno chuckles and turns to Aiba and Sho, who are both watching them with fascination. Sho still looks a little bit mesmerized by the sight of Jun, in his casual bodyguard attire (and he really does make quite an impressive figure). Aiba looks like he wants to pounce on Jun and ask him a million questions (and Ohno has a good inkling that he really does). Ohno knows he and Jun could probably handle this little problem together, but Ohno had wanted Sho and Aiba to tag along so that Jun could make some friends.
Matsumoto Jun is a zombie from one of the most elite noble zombie clans specializing in combat and protection. His first meeting with the younger zombie had been during their time together in the military during the vampire-zombie war. At the time, Jun had been a new recruit, keeping to himself most of the time during his training. Ohno had stumbled upon him one day when he was trying to locate one of his prized paintbrushes. Jun had offered to help him find it, and the rest was history.
Ohno had realized how talented the younger zombie was, and did his best to help train the zombie and watched his rise in ranks. Eventually he came to help Ohno during the war, often acting as his protector by watching his six. Jun is gifted with an exceptionally strong nose, able to detect scents that even some werewolves may not detect at first. Such gift is incredibly rare in the zombie species since their sense of smell is inferior to most of the other undead and supernatural species.
After the war, Jun had refused to let their friendship end that easily. The younger zombie had practically followed him home and marched straight to his father and requested to serve as his bodyguard. Ohno remembers being extremely shocked at the sudden request since he had no idea Jun had wanted that in the first place. Ohno’s father had thought the entire scene was amusing and turned to him to ask, “Well, what do you think, Satoshi?” Ohno had been in such a daze then that he just said yes. But he doesn’t regret it at all. Jun is more than capable as a bodyguard. He possesses amazing tracking skills, combat skills, and the drive for always wanting to improve himself.
Unfortunately, Ohno finds that the younger zombie doesn’t seem to have that many friends since taking up the post all those years ago. He has tried to get Jun to make friends with several of the clan members to no avail. Jun doesn’t seem interested at all in making friends with anyone, always keeping them at an arm’s distance. He hopes that Aiba and Sho will be different cases, especially because they’re vampires who don’t hold the same regard or prejudices that other zombies may have towards Jun for being his bodyguard. Aiba is incredibly friendly to everyone he meets, and Sho is one of Nino’s closest friends. Nino and Jun get along quite well, forming a comfortable camaraderie with each other over the years, but Ohno wants Jun to have more friends than just the two of them. He’s hoping Aiba and Sho can help Jun warm up to them, since the two vampires seem to have already established a budding friendship with each other already.
Ohno clears his throat to get the vampires’ attentions. “I will ask you guys again: are you guys sure you want to accompany us? It’s fine if you don’t.”
Aiba shakes his head. “Oh-chan, you know I will go! It’s Nino! We have to save him! Besides, the more the merrier right?” He turns to Sho and beams at the vampire. Sho blushes and averts his gaze away from Aiba’s cheerful stare. He turns to Ohno and gives him a gentle smile.
“Don’t worry Ohno-kun, we’ll be there if you need any help,” Sho says warmly.
Ohno grins and gives them both a bow. He’s grateful for them. Grateful that Nino has such wonderful friends in his life. That there are others who care for Nino as he does. He turns to Jun and looks up at the zombie who just looks down at him with determined eyes. “Lead the way, Jun-kun.”
Part 2
From: negai3104
Title: ‘Til After Death Do Us Part
Pairing: Ohno Satoshi/Ninomiya Kazunari
Rating: R
Warnings: Strong violence and cursing
Summary: Their marriage is a happy one, but that doesn't mean they don't have their shares of ups and downs. In which Nino is a vampire and Ohno is a zombie and Nino gets kidnapped.
Notes: Thank you so much to my lovely beta and supporter for putting up with my constant whining and complaining this whole week! I appreciate your help so much! And to my recipient: I apologize if this wasn't what you asked for. I tried to write one of your plots but the ending just evaded me so I came up with this. It's a combination of several of your prompts. I hope you like this!
People say that being a married man changes you. Nino supposes that may be true, but he honestly doesn't feel any different now compared to when he wasn't married. Everything just feels the same to him minus the married part (since it’s official and everything), and now it has been over a year since their secret wedding with Nino’s best friend and Ohno’s immediate family as the guests.
Nino believes that it's just the nature of their relationship. His husband is easy-going and lives life in his own pace. Ohno doesn't worry about the unnecessary things, and is content with living a happy and simple life. For himself, living in a nice home with his husband and having plenty of time for sex and gaming is what he seeks. They're both such simple people that he supposed it's why they're still married a year later. Why, despite how different they really are, their relationship works well.
It's nice, being married that is. Nino is glad that they're able to prove so many people wrong about their relationship. When he had first started dating Ohno, his family and friends thought it would just be a fling, something ephemeral and fleeting because they all think he's a Normal, but Nino had actually adored the other man a lot. It had been years since he actually held genuine interest in someone, and when he had seen the cute tanned man sketching underneath the cherry blossom tree on the first day of university, Nino had been captivated.
And he smells good. Amazingly good. That had been the first thing that attracted Nino to the other man. He has such a fascinating scent to him, something similar to fresh milk with a hint of honey to it. It’s definitely an odd combination, but Nino loves it. So imagine his surprise when he finds out that Ohno is actually a zombie a few months into their dating.
At the time of the revelation, Nino had zero knowledge about zombies. He had known as much as everybody else. The general agreement everyone from his race had about zombies were that they are the brainless flesh-eating undead species. But Nino supposes this resentment stems from the fact that they had lost in the war against the zombies almost a few decades ago (the very one that Ohno had actually fought and commanded in). Nino had been a young child then, and his parents had not allowed him to venture much outside during those years. Much of the fighting took place in the rural areas, but his parents had been extra careful, even if the family had been living in the city at the time. It was one of the biggest wars between two powerful species belonging to the undead category of supernatural beings.
Vampires and zombies are considered undead because they don't actually have blood pumping through their veins like other species do. Even if they feel warm to the touch, both races aren't actually living in the way werewolves, shape shifters, incubus, or humans (Normals) do. So when Ohno had confessed that he was actually a zombie, Nino had no idea what to do. And Ohno isn't just a plain ol’ run-of-the-mill zombie; he’s the next in line as Head of the Ohno clan, and a prominent figure (he was a General) in the vampire and zombie war almost five decades ago.
The Ohno clan is an incredibly powerful entity in the zombie world; they are one of the most prominent noble families in the zombie hierarchy. Coming from a vampiric society, the idea of having a nobility class fascinates him. Vampires have “families” that one can join after being turned, or born into. Vampires don't hold the same loyalty they do to their own bloodline like zombies do, so it's really easy to see some vampires change allegiance several times in their lifespans. With the zombie race, one is born into the clan, and will stay in their clan unless they decide to marry someone else from a different clan and change their name. Unlike zombies, vampires can have children with Normals or certain other species of the Underworld. Zombies are one of the few races where they cannot mix with others to conceive a child. Therefore, all zombies are pure-blooded, which makes the battle between the clans much more interesting in Nino’s opinion.
His husband is the next in line to inherit the clan. After Ohno senior steps down from his position as the Head, Ohno will take his place as his new successor. The details are a little fuzzy for him, but Nino knows that once his husband takes his father-in-law’s place, they will have to move back to the main home and Ohno will have to take over the Head duties. This little fact had worried him a bit, a couple of months into their dating. If Ohno is going to take over the family, will he have to get married to a female zombie to conceive children one day?
Thankfully, Nino doesn’t have to worry about that or jealous ex-boyfriends and girlfriends. Ohno primarily dates outside of the zombie race, preferring to copulate with people who are warm-blooded. Nino is his first (and only) cold-blooded partner. Ohno’s parents are also pretty open-minded and they have never really approached him about the prospect of marrying or conceiving children, so that's that.
Ohno's also very secretive of his identity, preferring to live a normal life without the attention he gets from his race and status as a man named Samejima Reiji. Samejima Reiji is a normal human man who does art for a living, and lives with his husband in a modest apartment in Tokyo. As Samejima Reiji, his artworks are pretty well-regarded in the Normals realm, and most of the commissioned works he gets from Normals go towards paying for the apartment. Nino’s pay goes towards the groceries and other daily necessities they need.
However, Ohno’s true identity is an entirely different matter. He’s not an ordinary guy at all. The Ohno clan is a powerful entity in the zombie world. But since they're so vast in numbers, it's easy to blend into normal society, and not be related to the powerful zombie clan. Most people don't know what the heir to the Ohno clan looks like, but the name, Ohno Satoshi, is widely known. And Ohno prefers to keep it that way. They know that he is the son of the current Head, but since Ohno’s face has been kept hidden since a young age, many outer members (only a small select few) and rival clans do not know what the young master looks like. The most shocking thing that Nino’s found out about Ohno’s race are that they are an incredibly secretive bunch.
“They're actually a lot of us out there, more than you think,” Ohno tells him over dinner as they are cleaning up.
“Zombies?” Nino asks in confusion. Ohno nods.
“A lot of us hide among the crowd. Everyone thinks we are human but we actually aren't. It's why we’re so good at spying and infiltration,” Ohno explains, “that's how I was able to usurp the Kaibutsu clan.”
“Didn't you disguise yourself as him?” Nino asks in amusement. Ohno chuckles and answers with a grimace on his face.
“Yes, I had to wear the heir’s stupid yellow shirt and dorky hat. I could not live it down if I had to wear that again.”
And there is the other thing. No one in Nino’s family knows Ohno is part of the zombie race. It is bad enough that they think he's a soft and squishy human, but an heir to one of the biggest and most powerful zombie noble clans? They’ll disown him. But still, Nino doesn't care if it comes to that. He's happy being with Ohno, loving Ohno, and doting on the older man. Ohno's even a vegetarian; he doesn't eat flesh of humans, and prefers steak (done blue of course) every other day of the week.
Nino thinks his husband is adorable, and tells him every chance he gets really. He's sweet, down-to-earth, and gives more than he takes. He loves it when Nino gives him affection, and happily goes along with (most) of the things Nino decides. But he is also stubborn to the T, lazy, and hopeless at basic household chores. Hence why they tend to squabble a lot. But Nino loves him anyway.
“Satoshi, I’ll be late coming home tonight, but I left dinner in the fridge for you!” Nino calls from the genkan as he's getting his shoes on. He hears a muffled okay! from their bedroom before soft footsteps are making their way to him. Nino counts to three before turning around and getting an armful of Ohno. He smiles and hugs his adorable husband back. Closing his eyes, he breathes in the sweet scent of Ohno. Why does he smell so good all the time? Ohno clings to him tighter. “I'm going to be late for work,” Nino mumbles but doesn't let go.
Finally, Ohno pulls back from Nino’s embrace and pecks him on the cheek. “Have a nice day, Kazu.” Nino nods and returns the kiss with a peck on the cheek of his own.
“See you!” He calls as he closes the door behind him. Nino smiles to himself before heading off to his destination.
Although they are in no need of money, Nino works at a fine arts school teaching piano to the students part-time. Although teaching is not a career path he has ever thought about taking, he actually enjoys teaching piano to young children. His first teaching job had actually been with Ohno’s niece. When the young girl had found out that her new uncle, Nino, knew how to play the piano, she had demanded that he teach her how to play. When he had agree to give her a few lessons, Nino had realized he had actually enjoyed teaching her how to play. He found it an absolute pleasure when the young girl was able to play a piece he taught her after a few lessons. Realizing that maybe this is something he may want to try out, Nino had applied for a part-time teaching position at a fine arts school.
So far, he hasn’t regretted his decision one bit. His parents are happy that he has a job at least, even though they frown at his choice of work. His mother worries he’s living from paycheque to paycheque, but Nino has to reassure her everytime he visits his family home that Ohno makes more than enough as an artist. And it’s true. Ohno’s paintings fetch a very high price on the market, and the zombie can live comfortably for a whole year if he sells five paintings within that same year. But, Ohno is also in charge of helping his parents run the clan, and the Ohno clan is extremely well off. Nino’s got the whole money issue covered.
Sometimes Nino wishes he can tell his parents the truth about Ohno, but Nino knows that will not go down well. His parents have no idea Ohno is a zombie (and a very important one at that), and they share the same prejudices towards the race as the other vampires do. For now, Nino can only lie to them that Ohno is a Normal named Reiji, who makes art for a living. He’s surprised that he hasn’t been disowned for marrying a Normal. Nino knows his parents greatly disapprove of his husband. They didn’t even show up for the wedding last year, not that Nino had expected it (and which gave him an excuse to not tell his parents about Ohno’s real identity). Still, there’s no point dwelling on these things now. As long as Ohno is by his side, Nino doesn’t have many complaints.
Making his way through the majestic gates of the school, Nino spots a fellow teacher, Yoshitaka Yuriko, speaking to a young student about practicing good study habits. The fine arts school Nino teaches at is for Normals. Nino and another teacher, Sakurai Sho, are the only vampires in the school. Vampire children do not attend public institutions for their education; many are taught at home under the care of a private tutor. Nino thinks that is too restricting. He wishes he had attended a public school when he was younger, but he knows that’s impossible. Being a vampire child and mixing in with a bunch of Normals is a no no, especially if one is still learning how to control their thirst.
As Nino heads down the hallway to the classical music department, he greets several of his previous students who have gone on to higher levels of piano education or have taken one of his courses for a semester. Presently, Nino only teaches beginner classes. He has no qualms on teaching the more advanced students, but Nino likes teaching students who are new to the musical instrument he loves so much. It’s a challenge, but the rewards are worth it.
When he finally reaches the huge music department’s corridor, Nino pushes the door to his office open and makes his way to his desk. Sho is already seated at his own desk, currently looking over the lesson plan he has for today.
Sakurai Sho, son of one of the most prominent vampire families, is a teacher. For Normals. When Nino had first met him, he had stared at the vampire in shock before remembering to bow. Sho, bless his heart, had been incredibly embarrassed about the whole display and forced Nino to treat him as an equal. Normally Nino doesn't bother with the formalities and titles of the rich and powerful, but the Sakurai family is a prominent presence in their society. Nino had been so confused when he found out that Sakurai Sho is a teacher in a Normals school.
“I just didn't want to go down the path my parents had set for me,” Sho confesses when Nino had asked.
“Weren't they angry though? You are the heir to the Sakurai family, and the oldest son,” Nino points out. Sho nods with a sad look on his face but quickly replaces it with a more solemn expression.
“Yes, my father hasn't spoken to me since I had moved out. It isn't official, but he's banned me from entering the family grounds until I quit my job.”
“That serious?!” Nino exclaims in surprise. “What about the rest of your family?”
At this, Sho gives a wry smile. “My sister and brother still message and meet up with me from time to time, but my mother and father do not speak to me if they can help it.”
“That's harsh,” Nino comments. Sho shrugs.
“That's the price you pay for wanting to pave your own destiny in our world.”
Ever since then, Nino has taken to spend more time with the vampire. He had expected the other vampire to be pompous and aloof, but Sho is incredibly kind (albeit he does have a temper). He considers Sho a dear friend now, months after their introduction. The other vampire is passionate about his job as a violin teacher, and Sho often asks Nino to tag along to his classes when he's free. The students love it when Ninomiya-sensei joins their class because Ninomiya-sensei is the pretty teacher who can play piano. And because he likes to annoy Sho during his lessons, often teaming up with the students and make his life miserable. Sho doesn't mind though.
“Morning, Sho-chan.” Sho puts down his papers and looks up at him with a smile. Sho’s wearing black thick-framed glasses today, and he looks as handsome as always (of course, his husband is more handsome, but Sho is very easy on the eyes). He's wearing a light blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a red and blue tie with stripes. He also has a new haircut. The hair is styled in a messy manner with his bangs swept away from his face to one side, and the side of his head is slightly shaved. He looks like an idol, not a violin teacher.
“Morning, Nino-kun! How was your weekend?” He asks with a warm smile.
“It was good. I stayed home with the hubbie all day and finished my new game,” he tells as he takes a seat. “I like your new haircut, Sho-chan.”
“Thanks, Nino-kun. And how is Samejima-san?” He's still smiling, bless his heart. That hairstyle really does look good on him.
“He's good. Same as always. Painting.”
Like everyone else, Sho doesn't know about Ohno’s true heritage or identity. Nino feels bad that he has to lie to everyone (except Aiba because Aiba knows almost everything) about Ohno’s race. Ohno’s family has been aware of his vampire heritage since the second date, and while they had a little trouble accepting it at first, they love him now. He's spoken to them countless times about coming out with the truth but they merely turn him down each time.
“Family is important, Kazunari-kun,” His mother-in-law says, “we appreciate your honesty and courage, but please, don't throw away what you have for us.”
“You know you'll always be welcomed in our home,” Ohno’s father adds. Nino looks at them in shock. How is it that they’re so accepting of the situation? Ohno’s mother smiles at him and takes his hands in hers.
“I don’t understand. Doesn’t it make you angry that your own son-in-law can’t even tell his own family who you guys really are?” He asks in confusion.
“Kazunari-kun, please be assured that we really don’t mind. As long as you continue to love and support Satoshi, you have our blessing.” Ohno’s mother gives him a smile.
“Son,” His father-in-law says and Nino colours at the affectionate address, “like what my wife says, please continue to support our son from now on as his husband. We just want you guys to be happy, that’s all we ask for.”
Eventually, Nino knows he will have to tackle the problem. But for now, Nino’s going to respect their wishes. He knows Ohno will support him no matter the outcome, and he’s grateful for that. He owes his new family that much at least; he has to tell his parents that he’s married a zombie. It still shocks him to this day at how accepting the inner circle of the Ohno clan is. The outer circle of the clan and most of the lower servants do not know of his true heritage (and Nino hasn’t exactly been exposed to them much, only meeting the Ohno parents at private rooms of restaurants or visiting during late times at night), but from what he gathers, it’s the inner circle (the immediate family) that matters.
For the most part, the inner circle is pretty open-minded in regards to vampire and zombie relations. Nino supposes they have to be, seeing that his in-laws has given them their blessing. Ohno’s sister, Mina, adores him and always tries to get him to babysit her children when he's over. The kids love him too and are always asking him to play the piano. His brother-in-law is polite to him for the most part, but avoids him if he can help it. It's not a big deal, and Nino hardly sees him anyways since he's working most of the time Nino comes to visit the family. Meanwhile, Nino’s family still thinks he’s going to suck his husband’s blood dry, even though their marriage has already lasted over a year.
Shaking his head of the depressing matters, Nino glances at the clock hanging on top of the doorway; Nino has three minutes before class starts. Sending Sho a wave, Nino quickly grabs his folder before dashing out the door to his classroom.
“Are we going for lunch today?” Sho asks as Nino is dashing down the hall, his super-hearing picking up the man’s casual tone.
“Sounds good! But you're paying, Sho-chan!” Nino calls and laughs, ignoring the puzzled looks of the students when Sho’s sigh echoes in his ear.
“Hello dear, how have you been?”
Ohno enters the family living room and greets his mother with a hug. He’s visiting his parents today after not having spoken to them for almost a week. He has been busy with a new art commission for Inoue-san, and he’s been neglecting everyone except Nino for the past two weeks so that he can finish up the painting. He smiles softly at his mother when they pull apart.
“I am well, Kazu sends his regards,” Ohno responds with a soft smile.
“Is Kazunari-kun still working at that music school?” She asks curiously as they settle down at the table. Ohno takes a seat beside his mother and she pours him a cup of tea. He bows at her in thanks and reaches for the steaming mug. He hasn’t had her tea in so long. Nino isn’t fond of green tea, the vampire preferring jasmine tea. Ohno makes a mental note to head to the store later to pick up another box; they’re running out of it soon.
“Yes, he enjoys it very much.”
“That’s wonderful! Kazunari-kun is such a talented young man.” His mother beams, and Ohno is so glad that his mother is so fond of him. Nino is fond of her too, often buying her little gifts when he visits the Ohno estate with him.
“Where’s father?” Ohno asks as he takes a sip of tea. He almost chokes on it as the hot liquid flows down his throat. Too hot!
“Your father is in a meeting with the family. He’ll be back soon to join us for lunch,” she replies fondly. Ohno coughs and swallows the liquid down his throat, grimacing at the burning sensation. “Have you two been taking care of yourselves?”
“Yes, mother. Kazu makes sure I eat on time and regularly,” he says in amusement. His mother smiles but shakes her head.
“I’m glad, but that boy needs to eat more too! He’s too skinny!” She complains.
“Kazu is built that way, mother. He eats enough, don’t worry.” Ohno says chuckling. His mother has always been concerned for his husband’s slender frame. While it is true that Nino doesn't really like to eat all that often, Nino is naturally slender, and gaining weight has never been an easy task for him. Ohno makes sure Nino eats two times a day at least.
“Still… That young man eats too little! It would've been nice if he came today. Satoshi, you need to bring my son-in-law to visit us more often!” She exclaims and frowns at him.
Ohno smiles sheepishly at her and rubs at his neck. But his chest warms at her complaint. Ohno knows he is extremely lucky that his parents are fond of Nino.
He hadn't known what to expect when he had entered into a relationship with the vampire during his second year of university. His parents had encouraged him to go back to school to take time off from all the training and fighting, and to just finally relax his mind. Ohno had decided to take his parents’ advice, his body and mind weary of the violence he had encountered in the past several years serving as the head strategist during their rivalry with the Kaibutsu clan. Ohno had opted for study in the fine arts program at a Normals university, spending the time to learn more about art history and creating art pieces under deadlines.
Ohno had known that Nino was a vampire during their first encounter. Years of honing his detection skills in training at the zombie military camp (and eventually becoming a General) had helped him figure out the races of beings he encountered. Every time he had a break between classes, he would go and work on his sketches for class. At the time, Ohno had no idea what to expect when the young vampire approached him at his tree one day. When Nino had asked him for one date, Ohno had been so shocked that he had said yes.
Ohno is aware of the rivalry between the two undead races. As one of the more powerful undead species in number, Ohno has known about the animosity between the zombies and vampires at a very young age. To be honest, Ohno doesn’t really care for any of that. His parents had never really encouraged hatred towards the vampires when he had been growing up, and Ohno knows that his parents have always tried to teach him to come up with his own conclusions in life.
Ohno knows that may be a different case for the vampires. The vampires are one of the most powerful beings in the undead species, certainly rivalling his own race in numbers and strength. They are also more intense than his own race, being very dedicated to their families that they make. Ohno has always thought vampires as a pompous bunch, having encountered a couple of them during his time in the army when he had been younger to gain combative experience. Ohno has lived a long life, serving as a General in the zombie and vampire war which lasted for over six years. The vampires he has faced in the battlefield had always boasted of their skills and agility before trying to kill him. So it had come as a surprise when Nino talks to him one day.
Ohno is glad Nino took the first step though. Ohno knows he would have never approached the other male if it had been up to him. Nino is a blessing, after so many years of fighting. Ohno finally realizes that he’s found peace, all thanks to Nino. Ohno doesn’t want to think about life without Nino. Nino is important to him, and Ohno knows that he will do everything he can to make Nino happy, even if he has to sacrifice his own happiness for the vampire.
Nino has saved him during one of his lowest points in life. Ohno will do anything for him.
When Ohno returns to the apartment, there’s no sign of life or a hint of presence within. Kazu’s not home yet… he thinks to himself as he reaches for the light switch at the door of their genkan. “Oh right, he says he’s coming home late today…” he mumbles as he removes his shoes and lines them up neatly on the shoe rack. Ohno quickly checks his phone for any new messages, but he sees none. Strange. Usually Nino would’ve sent him a text or two by now, even if he is busy with work.
Frowning to himself, Ohno heads over to the kitchen to set the bags of groceries down. He sends Nino a text just in case the man can't come to his phone at the moment.
Not home yet? Let me know what time so I can heat up dinner for you ♥︎
Nino being home late is not an unusual occurrence. Nino not texting him his whereabouts is also not something Ohno worries about. However, he hasn’t really heard from Nino all day since the man’s lunch break, and that bothers him. Even after a year of marriage, I still act like I just fell in love with him Ohno thinks to himself amusedly.
When Ohno had entered university a few years ago, he had not expected to find his one true love there. His parents had pushed him to go, even if he didn't exactly have to. Ohno had been training and learning all his life to one day take on head position of the Ohno clan. Since he was a child, Ohno had been shipped off to various countries for his education and combative skills. His parents had done so in order to avoid any attempts on his life since the Ohno clan had been gaining power rapidly, and enemy clans were trying to take them out. Growing up in foreign lands, Ohno learned several languages and practiced a variety of martial arts. As the oldest male of the inner family, and the eldest of all the children born in his generation, Ohno had the responsibility from day one.
Ohno doesn’t really have any feelings about it. Ohno knows that he can reject the responsibility if he wants but Ohno knows that he’s actually the best candidate for being the Head of the family. There’s really not too much work involved, he just has to manage the family business properly and make sure their followers behave. It seems like an easy task considering the number of zombies under their care, but the Ohno family still has a huge number of followers, and he has to make sure they don't expose themselves to the Normals. Fortunately, the clan is pretty well-behaved for the most part, and their guards are some of the best.
Ohno heads towards the kitchen to put the groceries away. When he grabs the tea box, Ohno puts it in Nino’s cupboard of tea where three other boxes are being kept. Once he finishes putting the groceries away, Ohno decides he should work a bit on his painting.
When he enters his studio, he turns his attention to the easel located in the far corner of the room. Walking towards it, Ohno ignores the large canvas that he's currently working on for Inoue-san. He just needs to put a few finishing touches on for her commission, and he's finished. The canvas on his easel is a side project, one that he's been working on for the past few days.
It's a painting of Nino. Ohno realizes that he has never captured Nino in painting, only having sketched the man in his sketchbooks for the past several years. Ohno has wanted to paint Nino since he first saw the vampire walking through the university grounds years ago. But he had been hesitant. For Ohno, painting is something he has to feel confident about. He had wanted to get to know the man first before capturing Nino’s energy and personality on a larger canvas. But this painting is a bit special. Nino is one of the most important people in his life, and for this particular project, Ohno has decided to only work on it if Nino is at home with him.
So far, the painting has been going well. Ohno can feel bursts of inspiration when he hears his husband moving about their apartment. Nino’s humming when he's listening to music, his curses and shouts when he's playing video games, or his singing when he's composing a song, or his moans and whimpers when they make love. Every sound that Nino makes is a source of inspiration for him. Ohno wants to capture every piece of Nino on canvas.
He traces the painting of Nino’s face lightly with his fingers. He’ll wait when Nino gets home.
His head hurts.
His entire body hurts. Nino groans as he feels himself waking up. His head is throbbing, beating like a drum. Nino tries to move but realizes that he physically can't. His eyes snap open.
He looks around in shock. He's bound to a chair with chains wrapped tightly around him, and even though he tries to break them apart with his vampire strength: it doesn't budge at all. What the hell is this?!
“No point on struggling, Ninomiya-san.”
Nino snaps his head towards the sound of the voice. Standing at the doorway is a short young man, probably in his early twenties with dark hair, red eyes, and an amused smirk on his face. He's wearing a blue military uniform with gold trimmings and black combat boots. Looking closer, Nino can see the symbol of his clan beside Ohno’s own symbol embroidered into the left breast pocket. “Who the hell are you?” Nino barks at him as he glares at his kidnapper. “Where the hell am I?!” He looks around the room, but there’s nothing in the room except for the chair he’s sitting in. This is one of Ohno’s men, Nino knows for sure, but it doesn't make sense. No one in the outer circle knows about him. They've never announced it since Ohno doesn't like the publicity, and he doesn't want to cause an outrage because of Nino’s race. Nino has no complaints about that.
The man laughs and slowly walks over to him, and clasps his hands behind his back. “My name is Chinen Yuri.”
“I don't know anyone by that name. But you know me.” Nino watches the figure warily as the man begins to circle him slowly. Nino feels helpless. He's at complete mercy of his kidnapper, and he's completely bound up by anti-vampire chains if the tingling sensation is to go by. He can hardly move his limbs and he has no idea where the heck he is. And judging by the uniform, this Chinen person is pretty high up.
“No, I suppose you wouldn't,” Chinen says nonchalantly. He steps in front of Nino and peers down at him.
“What do you want from me?” Nino spats and narrows his eyes at him. The zombie laughs and leans down so that he’s face to face with him.
“Wouldn't you like to know, Ninomiya-san?”
Something’s not right.
Ohno lifts his gaze from his sketchbook and looks out the window. The air has suddenly turned ominous and Ohno has a gut feeling that something may be wrong with Nino. He knows he shouldn't jump to conclusions, but there are so many signs pointing towards that direction. He can't ignore it now. In his days with the military, his gut feeling had saved him countless of times against the vampires, helping him avoid surprise attacks from the numerous vampires who had jumped out at him, trying to slice off his neck. During the turf war with the Kaibutsu clan, his instincts had helped him take down the inner circle when he snuck into their base and dressed up as their leader. That had been an interesting experience.
Putting down his sketchbook on the coffee table, Ohno decides that he should probably go check up on Nino just in case. Grabbing the house’s keys, Ohno quickly makes his way out of their apartment, locking the door behind him.
Ohno decides to walk to the high school where Nino works. It’s half past eight and there’s still no messages from Nino. Ohno’s not the type to worry about his husband; he knows Nino can take care of himself. But even so, it’s not like Nino to go completely silent in the past few hours. It’s incredibly worrying, and Ohno can’t help but think that there is something amiss.
He decides to visit Nino’s workplace first. If the man is still at work, the school is the best place to find him. Ohno wishes that zombies have the same amazing sense of smell that vampires have (even if his own abilities for tracking is nothing to scoff at). Vampires are amazing trackers, and Ohno knows Nino would’ve been able to scent someone out already when he’s not even close to the school gates yet. It would have saved him time.
As Ohno finally approaches the school gates, he notices that the building is completely deserted, save for a few students practicing here and there, their chatter white noise to him. Ohno heads for the music department. He has visited Nino a few times during the vampire’s lunch break to pick him up for an occasional lunch date, and Nino has told him where each of the offices are located in the building through a poorly drawn map. Although, Ohno has never set foot into the vampire’s school grounds since Nino has told him that one of his coworkers is a vampire. Ohno doesn’t want to cause a scene so he never waits for Nino near his school.
As he gets closer to the office, his strong hearing picks up the sound of a young man talking to a student about an upcoming test. Ohno’s zombie senses alerts to him that the man is a vampire. That's probably Sho-kun he thinks as he watches the handsome male wave at the student leaving his office. Ohno shivers. Vampires give him a slight chill in the body when he encounters them, and the fact that he automatically shivers just by being within three metres of him means that this Sho-kun is powerful. Ohno hears the man tense up as he registers Ohno’s presence near his office, even if he's not close to the door yet. With Nino, the shivers are less powerful, but Ohno thinks that's probably because he's accustomed to having the man around him all the time. That's how he knows he's close to his husband. That, and the sweet fragrance of the jasmine tea he always drinks.
Ohno fiddles with the necklace he's wearing: it's a charm his mother had given to him when he went off to join the army. She has spelled it using blood magic with a mixture of his blood and various of other beings. Whenever he has the charm on him, his zombie scent cannot be detected by others creatures. This gives him an advantage and to disguise himself as a Normal if he needs it.
“Excuse me?” Ohno says as he walks into the office.
Sho looks at him in surprise before getting onto his feet and walking around his desk to greet him. “Hello, how may I help you, sir?” Ohno is surprised at how young Sho actually is. Very handsome too. If he isn’t so secure with his relationship with Nino, Ohno suspects he would have been a lot more jealous that Nino’s hanging around such a handsome young vampire.
“Hi, are you Sakurai-sensei?” Ohno gives a small bow. Sho returns the favour and gives him a nod.
“Yes, I’m Sakurai Sho. And you are…?”
“I’m Samejima Reiji. I'm Nino’s husband.”
Sho gasps and grins at him. “Oh wow!” He exclaims excitedly. “I've heard so much about you Samejima-san! Nino-kun talks about you all the time!” He gestures for Ohno to take a seat while he goes back around the desk to sit on his own chair. “It's nice to meet you!”
Ohno smiles and bows again. “Same here, Sakurai-sensei. Thank you for looking after my husband.”
Sho shakes his head frantically and holds up a hand. “Please, it is absolutely no trouble at all. I consider Nino-kun as one of my closest friends. He's a pleasure to work with. But, ah! You don't have to call me that. Sho or just Sakurai-kun is fine.” Ohno can't help but smile at the man’s friendly nature. “So, what brings you here, Samejima-san?”
“You may call me Samejima-kun, or Reiji-kun if you wish as well. We are friends aren't we?” Ohno says. Sho beams at him.
“Alright then, Samejima-kun! I don't feel comfortable calling you Reiji-kun yet.” Sho looks at him sheepishly.
“That's okay.”
Sho clears a few of the binders off his desk. “So, what brings you here, Samejima-kun? I thought Nino-kun went home hours ago.”
Ohno frowns and quirks an eyebrow. “He left hours ago?”
“Yes, he left around 5pm? So I'm surprised you're here. Did he not return home?” Sho asks worriedly. Ohno bites his lips and racks his mind for any idea of where Nino could be. Cursing quietly to himself, Ohno gets up from the chair and takes out his cellphone again. So Nino’s missing. Ohno needs to find out what happened before taking action. He's so engrossed in his plans that he doesn't notice Sho’s calling him.
“Samejima-kun! Samejima-kun! Is everything okay?” Sho's looking at him worriedly.
Ohno pauses and looks at Sho in consideration. He doesn't want to get the young man involved, but the strong aura emanating from him could be a big help if it turns out Nino is in danger. The thought has crossed his mind several times before because Ohno has a few enemies. A few enemies who may have found out that he's married to a vampire and may use it to their advantage.
He looks around the room before walking over to the office door and locking it. Sho makes a questioning noise but doesn't say anything when Ohno turns around with a grim expression on his face.
“Sakurai-kun, I may need your help.”
“Where is this place, Ohno-kun?”
After filling in the details of who he actually is, they're standing in front of a building with a sign that says, Woof Woof Pet Shop. There's also a huge field located behind the shop and Ohno has no doubt a few of the “pets” are running and playing outside.
To say Sho had been surprised at Ohno’s true identity was an understatement. Sho had been so astonished that Nino’s husband is actually a zombie noble, and a General in the zombie-vampire war decades ago. Fortunately, the young vampire harbours no ill thoughts towards him, and had readily accepted Ohno’s request to help him locate Nino.
Ohno tears his gaze away from the building and looks at Sho, giving him a gentle smile. “This is where Nino’s best friend lives. We’re going to ask him for help.”
Sho looks at the building curiously. The handsome vampire turns to him. “This is in the middle of almost nowhere!”
Ohno smiles and nods. “It has to be, and you'll see why. I'm surprised you haven't mentioned the smell yet.”
Sho looks at him surprise and scents the air. His eyes widen when it looks like he's picked up a particular scent he doesn't expect. “Is that--”
“Oh-chan!”
Ohno smiles and gives Sho a wink before moving towards to the owner of the call. Standing at the shop gates is Aiba Masaki, a big smile on his friendly tanned face as always. Aiba has been best friends with Nino since their childhood, and a constant presence in the vampire’s life. He had also been the first person that knew of their relationship, and the first supporter. Ohno is thankful that Nino has someone he could rely on in his life, as Nino doesn't really open up to people very easily. Beside Aiba is the goofball Ninomi, a weredog the shop owner has bred and named after his best friend (much to Nino’s public chagrin, but hidden delight). Ninomi barks happily when he sees Ohno and runs over to the gate, tail wagging rapidly. Like his two-legged counterpart, canine Ninomi adores the zombie male.
“Hi Aiba-chan,” he greets with a small wave. He looks down at the weredog. “Hi Ninomi!” Ninomi barks back at him happily, jumping on the fence so that his head sticks over the gate. Ohno chuckles and pets the weredog slowly on his head. Behind him Sho is gaping at the mere size of the weredog.
Ninomi is a mix of a werewolf and a dog. Larger than most big dogs, but smaller than most werewolves. He has soft white fur with patches of black scattered around his body, and piercing green eyes. Standing at an impressive six-foot four when on his hind legs, Ninomi is pretty huge. He's also the biggest goofball ever, and Ohno can see why Aiba named the weredog Ninomi even though he acts nothing like his husband (for the most part).
“What's up, Oh-chan? And who’s this?” Aiba asks as he gets closer to the gate and unlocks it for them. Ohno bows in thanks and he can see Sho bowing to Aiba beside him as well. Aiba looks at the stranger curiously but returns the bow.
“I'm Sakurai Sho, I'm a friend of Nino-kun’s.” Sho introduces himself and looks down at the weredog cautiously. “He's not going to bite me is he…?” Ninomi barks at him before scampering over to Sho and sniffing his hands. Sho yelps in surprise and jumps back when Ninomi sticks his muzzle between Sho’s legs. Ohno laughs before turning to Aiba with a grim face. He can't afford to waste any time.
“Aiba-chan, I need your help. Kazu’s missing.”
“Nino’s missing? What do you mean?” The three of them are standing in Aiba’s living room. Ninomi is perched on the floor next to Ohno, leaning against his leg. Sho is seated on the armchair next to him, and Aiba is sitting next to Ohno on the couch. Aiba sends him a confused look.
“Sakurai-kun said that Nino left work around 5pm today, but he hasn’t come home since then. I also haven’t received any messages from Kazu at all, and he usually texts me if he gets the chance,” Ohno explains as he frowns. “Nino always contacts me.”
Aiba nods in understanding. “That's true. Nino texts you often. I've seen it many times when we hang out,” Aiba says in agreement, “the fact that he hasn't messaged you after two hours is definitely worrying.” He turns to Sho, who's watching them quietly. “Sakurai-kun, did Nino say anything to you before he left? Anything strange?”
Sho shakes his head. “No, he seemed pretty normal. Everything seemed like it always was.”
Ohno sighs and leans back against the couch. “That means that Kazu’s probably been kidnapped. He wouldn't just disappear like that.”
“But who would kidnap him?” Sho asks in confusion. Ohno frowns and rubs his temples with his fingers.
“My enemies,” he says, “I have a lot of enemies, especially for being who I am.” He racks his brain for a list of potential candidates who could have taken Nino. There's quite a few, but none of them would know about his marriage unless someone in the inner circle told somebody about it. But who could it be? “Aiba-chan, can Ninomi still track down scents in an area after several hours?”
Aiba shakes his head. “No, sadly. Ninomi is a good tracker, but he won't be able to distinguish scents for that long.” Ohno growls in frustration.
“Are you that hated?” Sho asks in surprise as he watches Ohno. Ohno gives him a weak grin. “But you're so…” He makes a helpless gesture. Aiba chuckles.
“I have to agree with Sakurai-kun, you look way too nice to have that many enemies, Oh-chan.”
Ohno smiles at them and shakes his head. “You would be surprised.” Taking out his cellphone, Ohno types in a quick message to his friend, Meet me at Kazunari’s school please, before sending it. Looking up at them, Ohno grimaces. “Since Kazu isn't here, we need back up. Let's go back to the school, I'm meeting someone there.”
“And this person can track Nino down?” Aiba asks in excitement as they make their way towards the school gates. Sho is shuffling behind them with Ninomi at his heels. Ohno hums in lazy agreement.
“Yes, my friend is very good at tracking people down. For someone in our species, he has exceptional tracking skills. But that is part of his job,” Ohno explains as they get closer to the gate. A tall figure is already standing in front of it, his back turned to them. “Jun,” Ohno calls to the stranger softly.
Jun turns around and immediately greets Ohno with a deep bow. “Ohno-sama,” he says stiffly. Jun makes an impressive figure. Standing taller than Ohno and Sho, Jun is dressed in a dark jeans, a white tank top, and a navy blue blazer. His brown hair is cut short with crooked blunt bangs across his forehead. Slung over his shoulder is a sheathed sword in a black scabbard with blue adornments. On his waist, Jun has two guns placed on both sides. The purple handle matches the adornments of the blue sword handle. After a short pause, Ohno sighs and places an arm on Jun’s shoulder. Behind him, Sho is gaping at the strange greeting and Aiba is giggling at the scene. “You called?” Jun asks in stonily as he stands back upright and places his hands behind his back, his eyes locked with Ohno’s. Ohno chuckles at Jun’s serious demeanour and turns back to his companions.
“Oh-chan, who’s this?” Aiba asks excitedly as he waves at Jun in greeting. “Is he one of your servants? Oh, what about a bodyguard?! And he has a sword! And a gun!”
“Yes, Aiba-chan,” Ohno says with a laugh.”This is Jun-kun. Matsumoto Jun to be precise. He’s one of my best friends, and my bodyguard,” he replies in amusement. Jun looks taken back at Aiba’s enthusiasm, but doesn’t seem to react much after the initial surprise. His strong but pretty features stare straight ahead, his eyes not betraying any emotion.
“You have a bodyguard?!” Sho squawks in astonishment. Even if Sho has come from a powerful vampire family, the idea of bodyguards is quite a foreign concept to him. Jun looks at him blankly before turning back to Ohno.
“He’s more of my righthand man. Jun has been with me through the thick and thin. I trust him very much. He’ll be able to help us locate Kazunari,” Ohno explains before turning his head at Jun. “Have you been able to find anything, Jun?”
Jun scans his friend’s companions before turning his full attention at him. Ohno looks up at him calmly and expectant. Jun nods stiffly before brushing his bangs away from his face. “Yes, Ohno-sama--”
“Cut that out. We’re among friends, not the clan, Jun-kun,” Ohno says in exasperation. “You don’t need to call me that.”
Jun looks at him sternly and the pair engage themselves in a staring contest. Sho’s watching everything with wide eyes while Aiba is extremely amused at the proceedings. Finally, Jun breaks away from their staring match and sighs. “Fine.” Ohno smiles and nods at him.
“Okay, now please help us out.”
Jun sniffs the air and turns his body towards the direction of the school. “Nino’s scent is still here, although it’s very faint. Judging by how faint the scent is, it’s probably been more than four hours since he was taken.” Jun sticks his hands in his pockets and pulls out a pair of leather gloves. He puts them on and Ohno watches him in silent contemplation.
“Jun, are you able to track where he may be taken?” Ohno asks calmly. Jun nods and brushes back his hair.
“Of course I can. I’m a little insulted you have to ask, Satoshi-kun,” Jun replies with a smirk. Ohno chuckles and turns to Aiba and Sho, who are both watching them with fascination. Sho still looks a little bit mesmerized by the sight of Jun, in his casual bodyguard attire (and he really does make quite an impressive figure). Aiba looks like he wants to pounce on Jun and ask him a million questions (and Ohno has a good inkling that he really does). Ohno knows he and Jun could probably handle this little problem together, but Ohno had wanted Sho and Aiba to tag along so that Jun could make some friends.
Matsumoto Jun is a zombie from one of the most elite noble zombie clans specializing in combat and protection. His first meeting with the younger zombie had been during their time together in the military during the vampire-zombie war. At the time, Jun had been a new recruit, keeping to himself most of the time during his training. Ohno had stumbled upon him one day when he was trying to locate one of his prized paintbrushes. Jun had offered to help him find it, and the rest was history.
Ohno had realized how talented the younger zombie was, and did his best to help train the zombie and watched his rise in ranks. Eventually he came to help Ohno during the war, often acting as his protector by watching his six. Jun is gifted with an exceptionally strong nose, able to detect scents that even some werewolves may not detect at first. Such gift is incredibly rare in the zombie species since their sense of smell is inferior to most of the other undead and supernatural species.
After the war, Jun had refused to let their friendship end that easily. The younger zombie had practically followed him home and marched straight to his father and requested to serve as his bodyguard. Ohno remembers being extremely shocked at the sudden request since he had no idea Jun had wanted that in the first place. Ohno’s father had thought the entire scene was amusing and turned to him to ask, “Well, what do you think, Satoshi?” Ohno had been in such a daze then that he just said yes. But he doesn’t regret it at all. Jun is more than capable as a bodyguard. He possesses amazing tracking skills, combat skills, and the drive for always wanting to improve himself.
Unfortunately, Ohno finds that the younger zombie doesn’t seem to have that many friends since taking up the post all those years ago. He has tried to get Jun to make friends with several of the clan members to no avail. Jun doesn’t seem interested at all in making friends with anyone, always keeping them at an arm’s distance. He hopes that Aiba and Sho will be different cases, especially because they’re vampires who don’t hold the same regard or prejudices that other zombies may have towards Jun for being his bodyguard. Aiba is incredibly friendly to everyone he meets, and Sho is one of Nino’s closest friends. Nino and Jun get along quite well, forming a comfortable camaraderie with each other over the years, but Ohno wants Jun to have more friends than just the two of them. He’s hoping Aiba and Sho can help Jun warm up to them, since the two vampires seem to have already established a budding friendship with each other already.
Ohno clears his throat to get the vampires’ attentions. “I will ask you guys again: are you guys sure you want to accompany us? It’s fine if you don’t.”
Aiba shakes his head. “Oh-chan, you know I will go! It’s Nino! We have to save him! Besides, the more the merrier right?” He turns to Sho and beams at the vampire. Sho blushes and averts his gaze away from Aiba’s cheerful stare. He turns to Ohno and gives him a gentle smile.
“Don’t worry Ohno-kun, we’ll be there if you need any help,” Sho says warmly.
Ohno grins and gives them both a bow. He’s grateful for them. Grateful that Nino has such wonderful friends in his life. That there are others who care for Nino as he does. He turns to Jun and looks up at the zombie who just looks down at him with determined eyes. “Lead the way, Jun-kun.”
Part 2