忍ぶ感情 Shinobu Kanjyo
Title: Part 3: Shinobu Kanjyo
Rating: R
Pairing: Jun/Ohno, Sho/Nino
Genre: action, AU
Chapter: twenty-six (final)
Disclaimer: I guess Johnny’s technically owns Arashi, huh? Not me.
Summary: Ohno Satoshi is the student of a strong ninja lord who has lived his life following his teacher’s strict guidance. But what happens when he slowly learns he has to live for himself?
Part 1: Shinobu Ishi ( Chapter one, Chapter two, Chapter three, Chapter four, Chapter five, Chapter six, Chapter seven)
Part 2: Shinobu Kokoro ( Chapter eight, Chapter nine, Chapter ten, Chapter eleven, Chapter twelve, Chapter thirteen, Chapter fourteen)
Part 3: Shinobu Kanjyo ( Chapter fifteen, Chapter sixteen, Chapter seventeen, Chapter eighteen, Chapter nineteen, Chapter twenty, Chapter twenty-one, Chapter twenty-two, Chapter twenty-three, Chapter twenty-four, Chapter twenty-five
Jun couldn’t move.
He could feel his mind waking up, his ears picking up sounds around him, but when he tried to turn his head, which was stiff from the position it was stuck in, his body wouldn’t listen, and when he tried to open his mouth for help, it wouldn’t follow the command of his brain either.
But there was no pain. No pain of the poison that had infested his veins, causing his vision to go white and his body to shake uncontrollably. No pain of Yokoyama standing over him while he couldn’t move, telling him all the things he was going to do to Ohno once he arrived. No pain of knowing that there was nothing he could do and it was all his fault. No pain of watching Ohno bleeding, but still desperate to reach him, lightly touching his face even though his eyes said he knew there was no way out.
Leader’s soft voice drifted from the area in front of his eyes, even though Jun hadn’t managed to force them open yet, but he was instantly relieved to find the other man was safe.
“I’m fully aware of my actions and I’m prepared to deal with the consequences.”
There was silence before Jun heard a tone that he knew belong to Jyani, although he couldn’t figure out why the ninja lord was there with them.
“You put the entire village at risk, you realize that?”
Jun felt Ohno grip his hand tighter, but he couldn’t respond. His body wouldn’t move.
“Yes, sir.”
Neither of the men talked for several minutes, and in that time Jun discovered that he couldn’t hear anyone else around them. They had probably been kicked out for the private conversation. But, of course, neither of the remaining Arashi members were in any condition to be moved, so Jun had to stay, even in the instance that he overheard the conversation like he was right now.
“I… I know by your standards what I did was wrong,” Ohno started slowly and in a lower voice, almost so soft that Jun couldn’t hear him even though they were laying next to each other. “But if I was in the same situation again, I’d do the same thing.”
Jun’s eyes were slowly opening, but even after all of his effort, they were no more than slits. His vision was blurred and he could only make out a dark blob of what undoubtedly was Jyani sitting on the other side of Ohno’s white futon.
“I know what I did was risky,” Ohno admitted, his voice becoming resolute as he continued to speak, probably because Jyani hadn’t begun to argue with him yet. “But I don’t think I was wrong. So I’m ready to face whatever punishment you give me, even if that means I have to leave the village.”
Jun’s heart sped up involuntarily at those words. What was going on? Was Jyani chastising Ohno for saving him? Why was Ohno saying he was prepared to leave his home, the place that he had dedicated his whole life to?
Jyani sighed but still didn’t say anything in return to what Ohno was telling him.
“I can’t live without Jun anymore. I know that makes me venerable, but I’m more clear-minded now than I was when I was trying to avoid him. If he wasn’t by my side, I’d be worried and distracted all the time. At least this way I can take into consideration all the outcomes and make the most effective plan, like you taught me to.”
The conversation lapsed again, and when the old man still didn’t respond with a chiding remark or even something comforting, Ohno finished his short speech with a final sentence.
“So, as long as I can be with Jun, I’ll do whatever you say. Even if that means we have to leave.”
Jun felt Ohno grip his hand tightly again and even though Jun was internally screaming for Ohno not to give up his life to be with him, he knew that he himself would leave Jyani and the village in a second if that meant he could be happy with Ohno.
But although he’d always wanted Ohno to say that he’d give up everything to be with him, verbally expressing so and actually putting himself on the line like Ohno was doing right now were two completely different things. Leader was next in line to take care of the village-how could he give up something that important just to be with him?
His mouth wouldn’t work, though. Jun couldn’t tell the older man to take back what he had already said, that he was being stupid and rash and displaying the exact traits that Jyani despised about love.
“You’re not leaving me a choice,” the village master said in a warning voice, and even in his vegetate state, Jun could feel the atmosphere become rigid.
His sight had only focused a little more by then, but he could see Ohno turn away from Jyani and look at his futon distractedly, awaiting judgment from his mentor.
“I suppose it was my fault anyway for not checking out Yokoyama’s background thoroughly enough,” Jyani admitted, almost surrendering to Ohno’s concrete decision. “I was too eager to rebuild our village… I was careless.”
Jun wondered if that meant what he thought he did.
“Sir?” Ohno asked quietly, facing the older man once more.
“I will begrudgingly admit to you that Sho and Kazunari have proved to me that it is possible to be in love and an effective ninja at the same time. Although I wish this situation to be a warning to you, I also must concede that I may have made a mistake on my initial judgment.”
Jun would have scoffed had he not been in his current state. Although Jyani was using flowery words, it was obvious that there was no way he could give up Ohno, and in addition to that, the Arashi that he had worked so hard to build. Even if they had a few flaws, it was better to keep them close than to let them drift away to his competition or to dissolve into nothing. Besides, Ohno had given him an ultimatum, one which allowed him no way out except to follow the swordmaster’s wishes.
Leader didn’t respond, but the tension in the air dissolved, and Jyani eventually reached forward and ruffled his protégé’s hair.
“Recover quickly, Satoshi. I’m glad you’re still alive.”
Ohno nodded and Jyani stood, slowly shuffling around the edge of the futon and out of Jun’s line of vision towards the door.
As he turned his head to watch the village leader leave, Ohno immediately noticed Jun’s eyes barely open and he smiled widely, scooting over to get closer to him. Jun had a warm feeling in his chest after hearing Leader’s admissions, but his lips continued to not function, and it was all he could do through his numbness to simply stare at Ohno. Even though he really wished he could at least smile at the man he loved too.
“Jun, you’re awake…” Ohno whispered, letting go of his hand to gently brush his fingers across his cheeks instead, running them lightly through his hair as well.
But he couldn’t respond, couldn’t even smile for God’s sake. He wanted to pull Ohno close, to tell him that he loved him and that they would be together forever and that he was sorry for putting him through this, but his lips wouldn’t move, his body wouldn’t move.
“Ohno, what’re you doing?! You need to stay still!” Nino whined as he re-entered the room now that Jyani was gone, and Jun could hear him pad across the tatami floor as well as Sho and Aiba as they following him inside.
“Kazu, Jun’s awake,” Leader looked up at Nino for a fleeting second before immediately returning his attention to Jun. “Just like you said.”
Nino sat down on Ohno’s other side, where Jyani had been before, and looked quizzically at Jun. Jun looked back as his friend spoke, even though his vision still wasn’t clear enough to make out Nino’s facial features. “He is?”
Suddenly pain shot up Jun’s back and his body automatically tensed up, but he couldn’t do or say anything. At least it was much more subdued than when Yokoyama had first hit him and death was looking like the more tempting option; right now it was almost bearable, as long as he was able to watch Ohno’s serene face.
It was followed by another wave, though, and Jun’s eyes closed again, blocking out the rest of the room, although he tried with all of his might to keep them open. His shoulders began twitching independently and his head was minutely shaking like it had done earlier.
Aiba was next to him in a second, picking up the subtle signs Jun’s body was sending, and he twisted his head back gently, resting it correctly on the pillow underneath him. The healer began feeling his forehead, Ohno’s hand gone from his face.
“The pain medicine is wearing off… I was hoping he’d still be asleep right now…” Aiba commented as he took Jun’s pulse, which was racing, and he could feel his cheeks heating up, but not in a good way.
“Aiba-chan, what’s wrong?” Ohno asked in an unsure voice, but Nino shh-ed him. Sho was next to Aiba again, his firm arms on Jun’s chest as he began to shake more.
His lips parted in a silent cry and he forced his eyes open, suddenly able to control his own body (at least somewhat), and he tried to tell Aiba that he hurt, he hurt everywhere, but his vocal chords weren’t functioning.
Just as quickly as they opened, Jun’s eyes squeezed shut again and he felt his throat constrict uncomfortably, swollen from the wound and raw from the harsh air passing through it right now.
“Sho, hand me that bowl,” Aiba directed in a hurried voice, and he helped Jun sit up with a steady grip, and then held him as he retched, unable to stop himself.
There was nothing in his stomach except acid, and so that was all that came out, accompanied with a little spit from his mouth. But his body wouldn’t stop convulsing, trying to rid his blood of the toxin the only way it knew how. Aiba cradled him gently against his chest, patting his back lightly and whispering encouraging words as Jun leaned over the bowl, and then slowly cleaned up his face, wiping away the cold sweat that had broken out, as well as the mess he’d made around his mouth.
Once he was done, the herbalist laid Jun back onto the futon and Jun pried his eyes open again, seeing Aiba’s smiling face before anything else.
“The antidote is working,” he explained happily, looking over at Ohno and Nino, who seemed to be stunned at the sudden change and Aiba’s weird reaction to it. But Nino was paying enough attention to push Ohno back down when he tried to sit up.
Sho handed Aiba a cup of water, which he took with a thank you, then helped Jun tilt his head so he could take a small swallow of the liquid. It barely cooled his burning throat, and although he wanted more, his stomach told him he couldn’t handle it.
There was still pain coursing through him, a numb pain that seemed to touch every part of his body. Despite that, Jun found that he could move his mouth a little, and so he tried to talk, but still without success. In fact his throat ached even more at the action, so he stopped right away.
Ohno reached out and grabbed his hand again, squeezing it tightly, and Jun let out a sigh of relief when he discovered he could squeeze back. He smiled gently at the older man, twisting his head just a little to face him, and while Ohno and Nino argued about the swordmaster moving closer to him, Jun quickly lost himself to unconsciousness, his body and mind completely exhausted.
+++
Over the next day, Jun attempted to throw up several times, and although in every instance Aiba assured the room that it was a good thing, Jun would always get worried looks from the other Arashi members until he was gently forced back down to sleep.
He was feeling much better, though, true to Aiba’s words, and he even managed to stay awake along enough to listen to Nino and Ohno banter once more about moving the two futons together. But the next time he woke up after that, Ohno was snuggled up next to him, sleeping soundly, so it was obvious who had won that fight.
He was fed a watery bowl of miso soup eventually, and he kept it down for about thirty minutes before it was back out of his mouth. Aiba tried again a few hours later, mumbling that he must he getting some nutrients from the food, even if it didn’t stay in his stomach for very long. The episodes were slowly getting farther in between, though, and Jun kept the second bowl down to digested it properly, realizing how hungry he was but knowing that his body couldn’t take much more than what it had been given.
His voice hadn’t returned yet, even once his body was beginning to function properly again. Not even grunting or mumbling sounds came out, and the attempts only pained him, so he gave up and decided to let it go until there was less to worry about. Instead he had starting using hand signals, which Sho had invented years ago specifically for Arashi to use as a group. It was a useful tool during missions to keep noise and leaked information to a minimum, and although it was hard to communicate with that limited vocabulary, Jun somehow managed.
For example, in another week--once he was recovered enough to stay conscious for more than a few minutes at a time--he met with his other friends and Sho interpreted a conversation with Kame for him.
“How’re you feeling?” Kame asked with a big smile, looking back and forth between Jun and Sho in amusement, not sure who to pay attention to. Along with the others, Kame had been in to check on the pair’s condition more than once, but they hadn’t had a chance to do more than just stare, or maybe talk with Sho, or Aiba if he was free enough to hold a conversation. Kame was relieved to see his friend actually moving, and in high enough spirits to return his smile.
Jun used his hands to respond and Sho immediately relayed what he was saying.
I’m fine.
“Are you sure? You’ve been out for a while.”
I’m fine.
Jun would rather say something like he was healing well, but there was no signal that specific, so Kame had to move on to another topic.
“How’s your time with Ohno?” he asked, waggling his eyebrow and looking pointedly at Leader, who was leaning against Jun’s shoulder, happily sketching on a scroll and generally not paying attention to the room’s other occupants. Leader wasn’t well enough to leave, and wouldn’t have anyway, so instead he had amused himself with his previously neglected hobby.
Jun smiled back first, then motioned something to Sho, who interpreted the same sign he’d been using before to fit the conversation.
It’s good.
Making a hand sign that literally meant want more, which would be used when passing items around during a mission--or occasionally when Aiba had his mouth full and couldn’t talk properly at dinner--Sho laughed loudly before interpreting the message.
Kame laughed too and they talked for a little while longer, although Jun was having a hard time coming up with creative answers. Just being able to communicate with each other was enough for both of them, so it didn’t matter that Kame was asking the same questions over and over, and Jun responding in kind. It seemed like the time passed by in an instant, much quicker than the rest of the time Jun had spend in the sterile medical room, and before long his friend was bidding him and the rest of the group farewell so he could get back to work.
Eventually Touma and Yamapi came in together too, but that meeting was spent listening to the pair tease each other, get flustered, and then tease Jun about Ohno, who had fallen asleep next to him. Sho had to leave halfway through for a discussion with Jyani about what the group would do until Leader and Jun recovered enough to work again. Nino, the only available Arashi member, refused to pull himself away from his book long enough to interpret for Jun, although it turned out they didn’t really need him. Smiling seemed to be enough.
Later that night, after they had also left and Jun had dozed off, Sho returned with the consensus from Jyani, and Jun listened passively as he spoke about it with Nino. Even with combing the village the instant that Arashi had shown up in the Main Building with two nearly dead members, they had found no links left behind by Yokoyama. He hadn’t kept anything significant in his private room, and even Nakai, who had been interrogated for three days, couldn’t come up with anything other than the one person who had connected them-found dead a month earlier.
Yokoyama had done a thorough job, and now Jyani was faced with the action to take.
Revenge had always been an option-they all knew that-but ninja clans were supposed to hold a special respect for each other, an unsaid truce of support. That trust had been broken with the sneak attack, but in retaliation, Jyani had allowed for the slaughter of the intruding ninja. In the end, that had left the other village with barely enough people to survive-or not, if they were unlucky. He had taken mercy on them in a show of peace for other clans that might have taken sides otherwise.
Now they were back in the same place. They might not be able to directly link Yokoyama to his original clan anymore, although Sho and Nino could tell Jyani was aching for retribution for what had happened to his successor. It seemed like there was nothing to be done except make sure that there wasn’t another ninja lurking in the shadows, or some unfinished plan hatched away, hiding in the corner.
As Sho reiterated, Jyani found the timing had hit home, with age finally taking his toll on him. He still had several good years left, but he had hoped to use those to his full advantage to train Ohno in every aspect that he would need in order to take Jyani’s position one day. With such a close call, the village leader cursed himself for becoming distracted, and vowed that this problem would never touch Arashi again.
“Which means, you and I are due for mission duty on Monday?” Nino clarified with a scowl, shifting his gaze from Sho to Ohno, who was still sleeping contently at Jun’s side.
“Yes. He said the immediate threat has passed and there’s nothing else to do but to wait for them to recover.”
Sho paused, continuing to stare at his lover with pleading eyes, and sighed before adding, “You being here is not going to make that any faster, Kazu. The village is still hurting, and we could help.”
“I know that! Don’t you think I know that?” he snarled back, pulling his knees up to his chin and not meeting Sho’s gaze, only continuing to watch Ohno with unblinking eyes.
Silence permeated the room, Jun watching them sluggishly but not making a sound. Inside he was content. Both of them had done everything that they could for himself and Ohno, and he was grateful. It was a simple fact that Nino was going to have to be treated bluntly in order to move on, and Sho was the only one that could really succeed at that.
“Kazu,” Sho said gently, scooting up next to him and pulling at his arm lightly. When Nino tried to pull away, Sho tightened his grip and forced the younger man back into his lap, wrapping his arms around him firmly, merging their two bodies into one shape. He leaned his head on Nino’s shoulders and whispered the rest of his words, rubbing his back slowly as Nino let out a flood of tears. It had been days since he had last cried, but Jun knew it was simply because he'd been holding them in, not because they had actually left.
“Kazu, they’re both alive. We made it in time. No what ifs.”
A muffled sniffing noise could be heard between Nino’s hands, but Sho continued.
“We’ll be whole again. Just give it time.”
+++
Once he was recovered to the point that he could walk around with a gentle hand, Jun, and Ohno in turn, were moved to their personal quarters, where they both felt much more comfortable. By then Nino and Sho had been taking missions for weeks, Nino giving in as soon as he had gotten his anger out on Sho and made Jun promise not to do anything stupid-or let Ohno do anything stupid. Now that neither of them needed constant supervision, Aiba was running around the Main Building, splitting his time between helping Ken in the medical wing, and caring for his friends (making salve for Ohno and a drink that tasted like burnt leaves and aloe for Jun in an attempt to heal his throat).
So the two of them were left alone again, although Leader was in and out sometimes, seeing Jyani or giving details on the attack or sometimes even playing with a few of the younger ninja in the area. Although Jun could walk around as long as there was a wall he could lean on after a few minutes, he opted to stay inside because that way Ohno would always know where to find him.
Weeks later with slow but steady improvement, the five members of Arashi were enjoying a hot dinner together, served in their private rooms, and although Jun was meaning to bring up the topic of building a house again, there was only a hand signal for building. After several minutes of effort with Sho, he gave up, telling himself he’d wait until he could speak, which he hoped was soon.
Just finishing the food, Jun was leaning against the wall, happy and content and not believing he could be so happy after something as life changing as Yokoyama’s attack. He vaguely wondered if things would ever be the same as they were before, or if once he started going back outside that he would begin to worry about every sound he heard and start second guessing all the ninja he came across. A life like that didn’t suite him.
The rest of the group was finishing up, too. Aiba was shyly telling Nino that he had asked Yuuka out to lunch the next day and Nino was teasing him, but dropping subtle tips on how to act--even though Jun was convinced out of everyone in the group, Aiba was the one that knew the most about relationships. Sho was trying to hold back a snicker and instead of interrupting the pair’s conversation, he sent Jun a hand signal to ask if he needed anything.
Jun smirked and looked blatantly at Ohno, who was eyeing an unfinished piece of fish on Jun’s plate. Jun turned back to Sho and made the gesture which meant want, then pointed at Leader.
The archer really did burst out laughing this time, and the other three turned to look at him curiously. But he was looking at Jun, so within a second everyone’s eyes were on him instead.
So he made the hand signal again, want, then pointed at Ohno, who blushed lightly as he realized what he was saying.
Looking at their Leader and grinning, Nino and Aiba laughed out loud along with Sho, but after a few seconds, Ohno crawled across the expanse between him and Jun, then leaned cutely on his shoulder, and Jun couldn’t help but blush back at the way his request was filled.
He ducked his head down and kissed Leader firmly on the mouth, the first time since the attack. Even though the two of them had been alone a lot together, Leader was keeping his distance again. But instead of avoiding Jun’s touches like he used to, it rather seemed like he didn’t want him to push himself because of temptation.
Jun was feeling fine now,amazing with Ohno in his arms once again.
“Eww, get a room,” Nino tried to sound offended by the action, but actually only continued chuckling and then squealed as Sho grabbed him around his waist, pulling him into his lap for a kiss of his own.
“Heeeey,” Aiba pouted with his bottom lip stuck out, feeling neglected. He looked at Nino and Sho, then over to Jun and Ohno, who had just ended their embrace and were laughing at the disgruntled ninja. Jun made a come here signal, and Aiba immediately dashed across the room, practically falling on top of the couple with his hands around both of their necks and puckering his lips.
Ohno and Jun leaned forward at the same time, smooshing their three heads together and pressed their lips on either side of Aiba’s face, somewhere between his mouth and cheeks.
Aiba backed away immediately, blushing brightly as if he hadn’t really expected his friends to fulfill his request, but he was grinning from ear to ear. Jun and Ohno couldn’t help but smile at each other either, since they had completed the attack without as much as a look between them.
Feeling on top of the world, Jun pulled Ohno back to him again, pressing his nose into the smaller man’s hair as Ohno continued to laugh at Aiba’s silly expression.
+++
In no time at all, it had been another month. Without much trouble, Jun was out of the private quarters, back to wandering around the village and carrying a scroll with him so he could communicate without another Arashi member present, and it took just as long to correct the rumors going on about them as it did to tell the actual story. But at least he could keep showing the same written narration over and over again.
Jyani had given up on the investigation of Yokoyama. Every thread they had came to a dead end, either literally with an unexpected body, or figuratively with simply a trail of gold as an explanation. He had acted completely alone, apparently, and his village of origin had officially banished him and any ninja related to him (only on paper, as there was actually no one left) in order to secure Jyani’s leniency.
It was all quite tidy, as long as Jun didn’t actually think about it, think about Ohno bleeding and whispering to him, and how they had both almost been killed so cruelly. It was working, as long as he continued to look forward and be grateful that they were still alive and that Ohno was his and that they house for the five of them was moving along enough to distract him.
Between that and Ohno himself, it was almost enough. But Jyani had blatantly told him that Jun wouldn’t be taking any missions until he had brushed up on his knife skills and was back to training like he had been before he’d been injured. Which was a considerate way of saying that Jun still hadn’t recovered enough to do anything useful-a first, since Jyani was known for his strict way of giving orders. Jun would take it, though, and found the statement as a challenge to rise to, instead of words of warning. At least as much as the rest of them would let him.
By the time he had practiced on his training course for only an hour he was out of breath. After pushing for another ten minutes, his chest began to ache, and it made him wonder if he’d ever be able to work again. Maybe he had been damaged beyond bodily repair. But he was determined and wasn’t going to lose his place in Arashi to something as trivial as this.
In the end it had taken Aiba’s and Ohno’s intervention to get him to take a break-a rather long one that actually turned out to be him stopping since Ohno’s lap was too inviting, and his body too exhausted to stay awake.
+++
Despite drinking Aiba’s special throat medicine religiously three times a day, Jun was no closer to getting his voice back. Over time his stamina returned along with his sharp reactions--much to his relief--but as autumn turned towards winter, Jun was growing more restless with not having anything to do, irritated with himself and his voice for taking so long to recover, and deprived because he hadn’t had sex with Ohno yet.
They’d kissed-a lot-but the next step in their relationship was held back by sharing a room with the other members, who were always in and out. Besides, Leader had begun to take missions himself since his knife wound was only a tender scar now. Jun knew that once he returned to normal they could take missions together, but Jyani still hadn’t lifted the ban from such activities yet. Jun hoped the village leader wasn’t waiting for him to regain his voice, because it might be a very long time if that were the case.
His patience with life paid off, though. Soon enough Jun was starting to train more than usual, since he didn’t have much else to do with his free time, practicing with knives and his illusion skills, and Aiba had declared that his body had almost made a full recovery. Even Ken double checked Jun’s status, although the whole time he was mumbling that Aiba had surpassed him in healing techniques a long time ago, and formally announced to Jyani that Jun was healthy. Jun also expressed his eagerness for a mission to Kame via writing, and somehow between the two ninja (and possible a little prodding from Aiba), Jyani finally lifted the restrictions on Jun. He could take a mission as long as Ohno accompanied him, and if it was at least one rank lower than he usually would have taken.
Trying to express his gratitude to Jyani through a series of hand signals, he eventually just smiled widely, and Jyani almost rolled his eyes at his excitement. Immediately after that, Jun dashed to his private quarters, where Ohno had been taking a nap. He woke the swordmaster with a series of firm kisses, eventually convening the good news to his lover through some gestures and a quickly scrawled note when he proved to be too impatient to make the movements correctly.
Later when the news was passed on to the others, Nino promptly tried to give Jun advice on what he should do with Ohno once they were alone (despite the fact the captain was watching them distractedly as Nino talked). But Jun smacked his friend on the head to get him to shut up, and then the two of them wrestled for a few seconds until he had gotten his arm around Nino’s neck and messed up his hair as much as he could.
The next day Ohno and Jun went to Kame together to find an appropriate mission and they something suitable came up immediately. It was perfect, even, because it was across the prefecture and included a full day of travel to reach their destination, which meant they would be gone for three, maybe four, days.
When the time came to leave, they were sent off with knowing smiles and a snide comment from Nino to Ohno to go easy on Jun. The comment earned him a smack on the head from Jun, and Nino immediately countered with the next comment (You need to save your energy for Oh-chan!)
The pair started out slow, but they made good time traveling and arrived at their destination before nightfall. Jun was brimming with energy, but he was cautious, not wanting to push himself too much and end up ruining all of his hard work. The type of mission was information retrieval, so instead of him pressuring Ohno and distracting the both of them from the work they would have to do the next day, the couple simply snuggled up together in a storage building of a shrine, covered in one blanket, and Jun forced his body to relax in order to get some rest after his long workout.
Their job went without any problems the next day, and before noon they had finished their work and met with the client, fulfilling the final requirements of the mission. Since they had some time to spare, the pair spent lunch in leisure, Jun drinking his special throat juice and sharing his fish with Ohno, who had already eaten all of his own.
Sounds of nature surrounded them: wind rusting the leaves, birds chirping, a stream somewhere nearby. Jun still couldn’t talk, and Ohno wasn’t one for having a conversation with himself, so they simply sat in silence.
But Jun was feeling invincible, so after a few minutes of thought, he tested his vocal chords to see if anything had changed since the last time he’d tried, which was more than a week ago. This scene was too perfect and he wanted to convey to Ohno what he was feeling, since there were no hand signs for I love you.
At first it was no more than a scratchy feeling, but Leader turned to him as soon as he noticed Jun struggling to get something out.
“Oh-“ was all that left his mouth, but it made Jun smile. It was something, it was a start. “Ohnn-“
“Jun, don’t strain yourself,” Leader said with a worried voice, turning to give his full attention to his partner. He touched Jun’s cheek lightly and Jun pulled him close to his chest but didn’t stop trying to work his new-found voice.
“Ohnnno,” he said in a lower tone because it didn’t rasp so much that way. “La…love…you…” finally came out and Jun grinned at the bright look on his captain’s face, even though he probably sounded terrible and dry and exactly like he was straining himself.
“I love you, too,” Leader replied quietly, leaning his head against Jun’s cheek and closing his eyes. But Jun didn’t let him stay there for long. Instead he pressed their lips together, glad that he still had full use of his tongue.
+++
There was no one around for leagues, because if there was, both of them would know it. They had traveled far enough into the woods that they were completely alone, just like Jun had wanted them to be for so long.
It was time for the next step.
Only thinking that simple thought caused a fire inside of Jun to swell, the fire that had been smoldering for years, for as long as he had know Ohno. It had taken long enough to make Ohno his in the first place that waiting for this had been bliss, but that didn’t mean that Jun was going to allow the chance that had been made for them slip away.
He pulled the lithe body closer, resting his palm on the small of Ohno’s back and tilting his head to deepen the kiss as much as he could. They had kissed more times than Jun could remember, but right now Ohno was tremble against him with obvious anticipation of what would be coming, since their real job duties had been taken care of.
As gently as he could, Jun started pulling at the sash of Ohno’s gear, then paused and stopped the kiss for just a second. All of his emotions were fighting for precedence, but at least he was able to keep them steady for the time being-and probably not much longer.
Okay? he motioned with his free hand, since he wanted to save what little voice he had for the good parts. He tried to convey his meaning through his expression as well, and Ohno looked from his hand back to his face before smiling.
The response was Ohno’s own hands moving to Jun’s sash and undoing it with a smooth movement that seemed almost practiced. The simple action sent a shiver of arousal up his spine, and made Jun’s breath catch in his throat. Without waiting any longer, he renewed the kiss and went back to undressing Leader.
+++
Jun painfully remembered how many years it had been since he’d seen Ohno completely naked. Even that memory was fuzzy due to fatigue and innocence and lack of realization.
And although he imagined there would be a lot of chances from here on out, that wasn’t going to stop him from memorizing every shape, texture, and color that he could.
When Jun pushed Ohno down onto the covering he had politely made of their clothes (much to Ohno’s amusement), his eyes found the scars first. There were smaller ones, ordinary for any ninja (Jun had his share as well), and a few moderate sized ones, all but a few of which Jun knew the story to.
His fingers automatically reached out to run along the important ones, the ones that tugged at his heart even as he thought about them.
First, the one across his shoulder and bicep-- made when Ohno had saved Jun and the village from the ninja attack that had changed everything for all of them. Jun could still remember how afraid he had been at just thinking he could have lost Ohno for good, and the anger of knowing that Ohno was willing to sacrifice himself so readily.
Those feelings made the next scar harder to deal with. It wasn’t big, not even the length of his finger. But it wasn’t as faded as the other scars were, still a fresh memory in Jun’s mind.
“I’m right here,” Ohno said quietly, reaching up to wrap his hand around Jun’s wrist. They were close enough that Jun wasn’t surprised that Leader knew exactly what he was thinking. As if his actions didn’t speak loud enough.
Jun could have gotten worked up. He could have replied, you almost died, and argued about it a little more. But he had waited too long for this and wasn’t going to ruin the moment.
So instead he leaned down and kissed Satoshi again, reigniting their passion. Ohno slid his hand up Jun’s shoulder and wrapped both arms around his back, showing his cooperation quite evidently. While they kissed, Jun’s fingers continued their exploration across the skin of Ohno’s torso, slightly rough from old days of fishing in the sun in addition to years of hard work. Ohno was strong, but not bulky--his muscles were lean and compact. Every inch of him felt like steel hidden under soft skin.
As Ohno’s fingers danced against his own back, Jun wondered if Ohno was feeling the same, drinking in their joint nudity as deeply as he was. There was no need to rush, but they had come to this moment with a certain purpose in mind, and Jun intended to fulfill that purpose.
With one more movement of his tongue inside Ohno’s mouth, he pulled back to stare down at him again, calmed and able to look at the scars without becoming upset. Ohno was beautifully pale from his waist down, and when Jun glanced back up, Ohno was looking a bit bashful at the attention.
Jun teased Ohno’s side with his fingers and delighted in the erratic breaths that came out of his open mouth. They slid down to the narrow waist, automatically feeling the smooth curve of his protruding hip bone, and Jun adjusted himself to watch their movements. The fact that Ohno was embarrassed about something as simple as this, yet didn’t stop him, made Jun want to tease him all the more.
Finally, after a moment of anticipation, he took Ohno’s heavy cock in his hand, stroking it gently just like he had imagined doing a million times before now.
The action caused Ohno to let out a quick gasp and clench his ass up in a jerking motion, but his eyes never left Jun’s. The contact didn’t waver, even when Jun scooted back a little and began lowering his head.
“Jun, your throat-“ Ohno started to say, but stopped when Jun made a hand gesture in reply. It’s okay.
The shudder that passed through Ohno was obvious, as Jun parted his lips and took the head of his cock between them. The advice that Nino had given him was little help, but he had said one thing right: as long as it was the two of them together, it didn’t matter what they did or how well they did it. They would both be satisfied in the end.
If Ohno had heard that same advice, he would have agreed. As far as sexuality was concerned he had had his share of fantasies involving Jun over the years, but little experience even with his own hand.
And that full mouth taking in one of his most intimate areas was just about enough to throw him over the edge. It was only his own disciplined training that allowed him to hold back, in order to continue watching as Jun worked his way down, before pulling back to do the whole thing over again.
He was so beautiful like that, Ohno thought possessively as his stomach muscles spasmed with effort, and Jun knew what his actions were doing--knew how close he was pushing him with just his mouth-
But it was too much. Jun was pushing it too hard; he gagged a little when he took Ohno in farther and Ohno wasn’t going to allow that. Jun may believe he was on top of the world, but it was Ohno’s job to make sure something bad didn’t happen because of it.
Reaching down, he pulled Jun’s hair gently, forcing him back up and ignoring his hand gesture of I’m fine.
It would only be detrimental to argue with him about that, so Ohno decided to take action instead. He was always better at action anyway.
With tender hands, he brought Jun back up and kissed him, finding Jun’s mouth wetter than before, saliva smeared across his lips. Ohno tasted them thoroughly while rotating their bodies so that Jun was on the ground underneath him instead. He had only half missed their make-shift blanket, Jun’s head pillowed in a turf of wild grass--but somehow he knew that Jun wouldn’t mind.
Maybe Nino had given Jun advice about this part, but Ohno hadn’t been privy to that conversation. So he really had no idea what he was doing right now, other than completely giving himself to Jun in no other way he could.
To make his point clear, he straddled Jun’s hips before finally letting go of his mouth, leaning back so that his body was exposed for Jun’s full attention. Jun obviously liked to look, and even though it was hard to get over the impulse to hide himself after doing so his whole life, Ohno didn’t mind if it was Jun.
Jun’s breaths were ragged, his chest moving up and down in exaggerated movements and, as predicted, his eyes were wandering all over Ohno’s body. Ohno gave him a moment, then leaned forward again, taking his turn to reciprocate the touches. Although the skin was marred and showed the history of Jun’s work, it was smooth and beautiful-and burning under Ohno’s fingers. Unlike himself, Jun’s muscles were smooth projected curves that left dips and valleys in all the right places, and Ohno was convinced that his fingers could follow the paths all over Jun’s body for years and never get bored.
His fingers were impatient, though, and quickly ended up in the lines of Jun’s shaped stomach that led the way to his destination. Without thinking about it, Ohno shifted backwards, brushing his thigh over Jun’s cock and causing the body underneath him to jerk in surprise. Although it was hoarse, Jun let out a soft moan and blindly reached out for Ohno, his hands grasping the air until Ohno took one of them in his own.
He was keeping his other hand free for what he did next-acting and taking Jun’s cock firmly in his grip. They were both completely hard, but knowing Jun as well as he did and how much he had been looking forward to this, Ohno figured Jun was worked up enough that he wouldn’t be able to last through any teasing. Although, that wasn’t going to stop Ohno from returning the touches. He’d been waiting just as long, after all, and they had plenty of time until they were expected back at the village.
There was pressure under him when Jun automatically tried to thrust up, but with Ohno’s weight he wasn’t able to. Instead, Jun’s fingers squeezed around his tightly. After groping around some more for something to hold on to, Jun’s other hand found the fabric underneath them and pulled at it without thought, sighing out another raw moan that caused goosebumps to rise on the back of Ohno’s neck.
Ohno wasn’t good at thinking, so he continued to listen to his body. He leaned forward, Jun’s hand still in his, and pressed his hips down so that their cocks slid against each other. Neither of them were going to last long with how worked up they were. And the second he was thrusting against Jun, Ohno was hit with a nostalgic feeling that he didn’t really understand, but that wouldn’t allow him to stop.
Before he knew it he was kissing Jun again, holding on just as tightly as Jun was holding back and riding out pleasure and want in overwhelming waves. He had never experienced such a complete feeling before, and he lost himself to the experience whole-heartedly. It didn’t stop until he felt the result of Jun’s orgasm hot and wet on his fingers, and Ohno finally allowed himself to give in and come.
Jun was taking deep breaths around Ohno’s mouth, his pulse hammering against Ohno’s wrist, but they didn’t stop their sloppy kissing, which become sluggish as the emotional high started wearing off. After a moment, Jun’s tight grip finally loosened, the other hand coming up to slid up Ohno’s sweat stained back. The touches were soft at first, but as time passed the pressure increased, Jun clinging onto Ohno as their tongues regained energy.
It wasn’t long before Ohno was ready-their sexual game of body tag never stopping-and Jun seemed just as eager as him for the next barrier they would cross.
After a tug of his hair, Leader broke the long kiss and focused on Jun despite his head feeling fuzzy. It did take him a few tries to understand Jun's message, though, since he was only watching Jun’s lips and was already wanting so badly that it was distracting. When he finally noticed the hand motions, he followed the directions and reached over for Jun’s bag to pull out a wrapped bottle of salve from Aiba.
Once he undid the packaging, not really having any idea what it was for but assuming it would be making sex easier somehow (why else would Jun be asking for it at such a critical time?), Ohno couldn’t help but smile.
It was similar to the ones of Nino’s collection, which he had only chanced upon by accident and hadn’t thought it worth the trouble of teasing him over. There was a small note written on the label in Aiba’s handwriting.
No fragrance or sensory herbs. Extra smooth. Great for the first time.
And then in Nino’s writing underneath that, You can do it Jun-kun!
Ohno began chuckling, but quickly stopped as soon as Jun took the salve from him and put it to work.
+++
A/N: Welcome to the ending of my Shinobu series! There will be an epilogue posted as soon as I'm finished here. Posted! Here you are~
Thanks to everyone who followed this series and especially to yarukizero for motivating me to write and ultimately finish this. I tried to wrap everything up here, but I almost feel like it moved too fast, or included too much information. What do you think? What plot-parts are still left open, or what would you like to see expanded on?
Also, I meant to write the actual sex, but at the last minute realized that I couldn't tell if it was Jun/Ohno or Ohno/Jun anymore. So I'll leave it up to your own preferences for the time being. :) I hope the ending was satisfactory. Now you guys will just have to wait forever until I start on something else, haha.
Rating: R
Pairing: Jun/Ohno, Sho/Nino
Genre: action, AU
Chapter: twenty-six (final)
Disclaimer: I guess Johnny’s technically owns Arashi, huh? Not me.
Summary: Ohno Satoshi is the student of a strong ninja lord who has lived his life following his teacher’s strict guidance. But what happens when he slowly learns he has to live for himself?
Part 1: Shinobu Ishi ( Chapter one, Chapter two, Chapter three, Chapter four, Chapter five, Chapter six, Chapter seven)
Part 2: Shinobu Kokoro ( Chapter eight, Chapter nine, Chapter ten, Chapter eleven, Chapter twelve, Chapter thirteen, Chapter fourteen)
Part 3: Shinobu Kanjyo ( Chapter fifteen, Chapter sixteen, Chapter seventeen, Chapter eighteen, Chapter nineteen, Chapter twenty, Chapter twenty-one, Chapter twenty-two, Chapter twenty-three, Chapter twenty-four, Chapter twenty-five
Jun couldn’t move.
He could feel his mind waking up, his ears picking up sounds around him, but when he tried to turn his head, which was stiff from the position it was stuck in, his body wouldn’t listen, and when he tried to open his mouth for help, it wouldn’t follow the command of his brain either.
But there was no pain. No pain of the poison that had infested his veins, causing his vision to go white and his body to shake uncontrollably. No pain of Yokoyama standing over him while he couldn’t move, telling him all the things he was going to do to Ohno once he arrived. No pain of knowing that there was nothing he could do and it was all his fault. No pain of watching Ohno bleeding, but still desperate to reach him, lightly touching his face even though his eyes said he knew there was no way out.
Leader’s soft voice drifted from the area in front of his eyes, even though Jun hadn’t managed to force them open yet, but he was instantly relieved to find the other man was safe.
“I’m fully aware of my actions and I’m prepared to deal with the consequences.”
There was silence before Jun heard a tone that he knew belong to Jyani, although he couldn’t figure out why the ninja lord was there with them.
“You put the entire village at risk, you realize that?”
Jun felt Ohno grip his hand tighter, but he couldn’t respond. His body wouldn’t move.
“Yes, sir.”
Neither of the men talked for several minutes, and in that time Jun discovered that he couldn’t hear anyone else around them. They had probably been kicked out for the private conversation. But, of course, neither of the remaining Arashi members were in any condition to be moved, so Jun had to stay, even in the instance that he overheard the conversation like he was right now.
“I… I know by your standards what I did was wrong,” Ohno started slowly and in a lower voice, almost so soft that Jun couldn’t hear him even though they were laying next to each other. “But if I was in the same situation again, I’d do the same thing.”
Jun’s eyes were slowly opening, but even after all of his effort, they were no more than slits. His vision was blurred and he could only make out a dark blob of what undoubtedly was Jyani sitting on the other side of Ohno’s white futon.
“I know what I did was risky,” Ohno admitted, his voice becoming resolute as he continued to speak, probably because Jyani hadn’t begun to argue with him yet. “But I don’t think I was wrong. So I’m ready to face whatever punishment you give me, even if that means I have to leave the village.”
Jun’s heart sped up involuntarily at those words. What was going on? Was Jyani chastising Ohno for saving him? Why was Ohno saying he was prepared to leave his home, the place that he had dedicated his whole life to?
Jyani sighed but still didn’t say anything in return to what Ohno was telling him.
“I can’t live without Jun anymore. I know that makes me venerable, but I’m more clear-minded now than I was when I was trying to avoid him. If he wasn’t by my side, I’d be worried and distracted all the time. At least this way I can take into consideration all the outcomes and make the most effective plan, like you taught me to.”
The conversation lapsed again, and when the old man still didn’t respond with a chiding remark or even something comforting, Ohno finished his short speech with a final sentence.
“So, as long as I can be with Jun, I’ll do whatever you say. Even if that means we have to leave.”
Jun felt Ohno grip his hand tightly again and even though Jun was internally screaming for Ohno not to give up his life to be with him, he knew that he himself would leave Jyani and the village in a second if that meant he could be happy with Ohno.
But although he’d always wanted Ohno to say that he’d give up everything to be with him, verbally expressing so and actually putting himself on the line like Ohno was doing right now were two completely different things. Leader was next in line to take care of the village-how could he give up something that important just to be with him?
His mouth wouldn’t work, though. Jun couldn’t tell the older man to take back what he had already said, that he was being stupid and rash and displaying the exact traits that Jyani despised about love.
“You’re not leaving me a choice,” the village master said in a warning voice, and even in his vegetate state, Jun could feel the atmosphere become rigid.
His sight had only focused a little more by then, but he could see Ohno turn away from Jyani and look at his futon distractedly, awaiting judgment from his mentor.
“I suppose it was my fault anyway for not checking out Yokoyama’s background thoroughly enough,” Jyani admitted, almost surrendering to Ohno’s concrete decision. “I was too eager to rebuild our village… I was careless.”
Jun wondered if that meant what he thought he did.
“Sir?” Ohno asked quietly, facing the older man once more.
“I will begrudgingly admit to you that Sho and Kazunari have proved to me that it is possible to be in love and an effective ninja at the same time. Although I wish this situation to be a warning to you, I also must concede that I may have made a mistake on my initial judgment.”
Jun would have scoffed had he not been in his current state. Although Jyani was using flowery words, it was obvious that there was no way he could give up Ohno, and in addition to that, the Arashi that he had worked so hard to build. Even if they had a few flaws, it was better to keep them close than to let them drift away to his competition or to dissolve into nothing. Besides, Ohno had given him an ultimatum, one which allowed him no way out except to follow the swordmaster’s wishes.
Leader didn’t respond, but the tension in the air dissolved, and Jyani eventually reached forward and ruffled his protégé’s hair.
“Recover quickly, Satoshi. I’m glad you’re still alive.”
Ohno nodded and Jyani stood, slowly shuffling around the edge of the futon and out of Jun’s line of vision towards the door.
As he turned his head to watch the village leader leave, Ohno immediately noticed Jun’s eyes barely open and he smiled widely, scooting over to get closer to him. Jun had a warm feeling in his chest after hearing Leader’s admissions, but his lips continued to not function, and it was all he could do through his numbness to simply stare at Ohno. Even though he really wished he could at least smile at the man he loved too.
“Jun, you’re awake…” Ohno whispered, letting go of his hand to gently brush his fingers across his cheeks instead, running them lightly through his hair as well.
But he couldn’t respond, couldn’t even smile for God’s sake. He wanted to pull Ohno close, to tell him that he loved him and that they would be together forever and that he was sorry for putting him through this, but his lips wouldn’t move, his body wouldn’t move.
“Ohno, what’re you doing?! You need to stay still!” Nino whined as he re-entered the room now that Jyani was gone, and Jun could hear him pad across the tatami floor as well as Sho and Aiba as they following him inside.
“Kazu, Jun’s awake,” Leader looked up at Nino for a fleeting second before immediately returning his attention to Jun. “Just like you said.”
Nino sat down on Ohno’s other side, where Jyani had been before, and looked quizzically at Jun. Jun looked back as his friend spoke, even though his vision still wasn’t clear enough to make out Nino’s facial features. “He is?”
Suddenly pain shot up Jun’s back and his body automatically tensed up, but he couldn’t do or say anything. At least it was much more subdued than when Yokoyama had first hit him and death was looking like the more tempting option; right now it was almost bearable, as long as he was able to watch Ohno’s serene face.
It was followed by another wave, though, and Jun’s eyes closed again, blocking out the rest of the room, although he tried with all of his might to keep them open. His shoulders began twitching independently and his head was minutely shaking like it had done earlier.
Aiba was next to him in a second, picking up the subtle signs Jun’s body was sending, and he twisted his head back gently, resting it correctly on the pillow underneath him. The healer began feeling his forehead, Ohno’s hand gone from his face.
“The pain medicine is wearing off… I was hoping he’d still be asleep right now…” Aiba commented as he took Jun’s pulse, which was racing, and he could feel his cheeks heating up, but not in a good way.
“Aiba-chan, what’s wrong?” Ohno asked in an unsure voice, but Nino shh-ed him. Sho was next to Aiba again, his firm arms on Jun’s chest as he began to shake more.
His lips parted in a silent cry and he forced his eyes open, suddenly able to control his own body (at least somewhat), and he tried to tell Aiba that he hurt, he hurt everywhere, but his vocal chords weren’t functioning.
Just as quickly as they opened, Jun’s eyes squeezed shut again and he felt his throat constrict uncomfortably, swollen from the wound and raw from the harsh air passing through it right now.
“Sho, hand me that bowl,” Aiba directed in a hurried voice, and he helped Jun sit up with a steady grip, and then held him as he retched, unable to stop himself.
There was nothing in his stomach except acid, and so that was all that came out, accompanied with a little spit from his mouth. But his body wouldn’t stop convulsing, trying to rid his blood of the toxin the only way it knew how. Aiba cradled him gently against his chest, patting his back lightly and whispering encouraging words as Jun leaned over the bowl, and then slowly cleaned up his face, wiping away the cold sweat that had broken out, as well as the mess he’d made around his mouth.
Once he was done, the herbalist laid Jun back onto the futon and Jun pried his eyes open again, seeing Aiba’s smiling face before anything else.
“The antidote is working,” he explained happily, looking over at Ohno and Nino, who seemed to be stunned at the sudden change and Aiba’s weird reaction to it. But Nino was paying enough attention to push Ohno back down when he tried to sit up.
Sho handed Aiba a cup of water, which he took with a thank you, then helped Jun tilt his head so he could take a small swallow of the liquid. It barely cooled his burning throat, and although he wanted more, his stomach told him he couldn’t handle it.
There was still pain coursing through him, a numb pain that seemed to touch every part of his body. Despite that, Jun found that he could move his mouth a little, and so he tried to talk, but still without success. In fact his throat ached even more at the action, so he stopped right away.
Ohno reached out and grabbed his hand again, squeezing it tightly, and Jun let out a sigh of relief when he discovered he could squeeze back. He smiled gently at the older man, twisting his head just a little to face him, and while Ohno and Nino argued about the swordmaster moving closer to him, Jun quickly lost himself to unconsciousness, his body and mind completely exhausted.
+++
Over the next day, Jun attempted to throw up several times, and although in every instance Aiba assured the room that it was a good thing, Jun would always get worried looks from the other Arashi members until he was gently forced back down to sleep.
He was feeling much better, though, true to Aiba’s words, and he even managed to stay awake along enough to listen to Nino and Ohno banter once more about moving the two futons together. But the next time he woke up after that, Ohno was snuggled up next to him, sleeping soundly, so it was obvious who had won that fight.
He was fed a watery bowl of miso soup eventually, and he kept it down for about thirty minutes before it was back out of his mouth. Aiba tried again a few hours later, mumbling that he must he getting some nutrients from the food, even if it didn’t stay in his stomach for very long. The episodes were slowly getting farther in between, though, and Jun kept the second bowl down to digested it properly, realizing how hungry he was but knowing that his body couldn’t take much more than what it had been given.
His voice hadn’t returned yet, even once his body was beginning to function properly again. Not even grunting or mumbling sounds came out, and the attempts only pained him, so he gave up and decided to let it go until there was less to worry about. Instead he had starting using hand signals, which Sho had invented years ago specifically for Arashi to use as a group. It was a useful tool during missions to keep noise and leaked information to a minimum, and although it was hard to communicate with that limited vocabulary, Jun somehow managed.
For example, in another week--once he was recovered enough to stay conscious for more than a few minutes at a time--he met with his other friends and Sho interpreted a conversation with Kame for him.
“How’re you feeling?” Kame asked with a big smile, looking back and forth between Jun and Sho in amusement, not sure who to pay attention to. Along with the others, Kame had been in to check on the pair’s condition more than once, but they hadn’t had a chance to do more than just stare, or maybe talk with Sho, or Aiba if he was free enough to hold a conversation. Kame was relieved to see his friend actually moving, and in high enough spirits to return his smile.
Jun used his hands to respond and Sho immediately relayed what he was saying.
I’m fine.
“Are you sure? You’ve been out for a while.”
I’m fine.
Jun would rather say something like he was healing well, but there was no signal that specific, so Kame had to move on to another topic.
“How’s your time with Ohno?” he asked, waggling his eyebrow and looking pointedly at Leader, who was leaning against Jun’s shoulder, happily sketching on a scroll and generally not paying attention to the room’s other occupants. Leader wasn’t well enough to leave, and wouldn’t have anyway, so instead he had amused himself with his previously neglected hobby.
Jun smiled back first, then motioned something to Sho, who interpreted the same sign he’d been using before to fit the conversation.
It’s good.
Making a hand sign that literally meant want more, which would be used when passing items around during a mission--or occasionally when Aiba had his mouth full and couldn’t talk properly at dinner--Sho laughed loudly before interpreting the message.
Kame laughed too and they talked for a little while longer, although Jun was having a hard time coming up with creative answers. Just being able to communicate with each other was enough for both of them, so it didn’t matter that Kame was asking the same questions over and over, and Jun responding in kind. It seemed like the time passed by in an instant, much quicker than the rest of the time Jun had spend in the sterile medical room, and before long his friend was bidding him and the rest of the group farewell so he could get back to work.
Eventually Touma and Yamapi came in together too, but that meeting was spent listening to the pair tease each other, get flustered, and then tease Jun about Ohno, who had fallen asleep next to him. Sho had to leave halfway through for a discussion with Jyani about what the group would do until Leader and Jun recovered enough to work again. Nino, the only available Arashi member, refused to pull himself away from his book long enough to interpret for Jun, although it turned out they didn’t really need him. Smiling seemed to be enough.
Later that night, after they had also left and Jun had dozed off, Sho returned with the consensus from Jyani, and Jun listened passively as he spoke about it with Nino. Even with combing the village the instant that Arashi had shown up in the Main Building with two nearly dead members, they had found no links left behind by Yokoyama. He hadn’t kept anything significant in his private room, and even Nakai, who had been interrogated for three days, couldn’t come up with anything other than the one person who had connected them-found dead a month earlier.
Yokoyama had done a thorough job, and now Jyani was faced with the action to take.
Revenge had always been an option-they all knew that-but ninja clans were supposed to hold a special respect for each other, an unsaid truce of support. That trust had been broken with the sneak attack, but in retaliation, Jyani had allowed for the slaughter of the intruding ninja. In the end, that had left the other village with barely enough people to survive-or not, if they were unlucky. He had taken mercy on them in a show of peace for other clans that might have taken sides otherwise.
Now they were back in the same place. They might not be able to directly link Yokoyama to his original clan anymore, although Sho and Nino could tell Jyani was aching for retribution for what had happened to his successor. It seemed like there was nothing to be done except make sure that there wasn’t another ninja lurking in the shadows, or some unfinished plan hatched away, hiding in the corner.
As Sho reiterated, Jyani found the timing had hit home, with age finally taking his toll on him. He still had several good years left, but he had hoped to use those to his full advantage to train Ohno in every aspect that he would need in order to take Jyani’s position one day. With such a close call, the village leader cursed himself for becoming distracted, and vowed that this problem would never touch Arashi again.
“Which means, you and I are due for mission duty on Monday?” Nino clarified with a scowl, shifting his gaze from Sho to Ohno, who was still sleeping contently at Jun’s side.
“Yes. He said the immediate threat has passed and there’s nothing else to do but to wait for them to recover.”
Sho paused, continuing to stare at his lover with pleading eyes, and sighed before adding, “You being here is not going to make that any faster, Kazu. The village is still hurting, and we could help.”
“I know that! Don’t you think I know that?” he snarled back, pulling his knees up to his chin and not meeting Sho’s gaze, only continuing to watch Ohno with unblinking eyes.
Silence permeated the room, Jun watching them sluggishly but not making a sound. Inside he was content. Both of them had done everything that they could for himself and Ohno, and he was grateful. It was a simple fact that Nino was going to have to be treated bluntly in order to move on, and Sho was the only one that could really succeed at that.
“Kazu,” Sho said gently, scooting up next to him and pulling at his arm lightly. When Nino tried to pull away, Sho tightened his grip and forced the younger man back into his lap, wrapping his arms around him firmly, merging their two bodies into one shape. He leaned his head on Nino’s shoulders and whispered the rest of his words, rubbing his back slowly as Nino let out a flood of tears. It had been days since he had last cried, but Jun knew it was simply because he'd been holding them in, not because they had actually left.
“Kazu, they’re both alive. We made it in time. No what ifs.”
A muffled sniffing noise could be heard between Nino’s hands, but Sho continued.
“We’ll be whole again. Just give it time.”
+++
Once he was recovered to the point that he could walk around with a gentle hand, Jun, and Ohno in turn, were moved to their personal quarters, where they both felt much more comfortable. By then Nino and Sho had been taking missions for weeks, Nino giving in as soon as he had gotten his anger out on Sho and made Jun promise not to do anything stupid-or let Ohno do anything stupid. Now that neither of them needed constant supervision, Aiba was running around the Main Building, splitting his time between helping Ken in the medical wing, and caring for his friends (making salve for Ohno and a drink that tasted like burnt leaves and aloe for Jun in an attempt to heal his throat).
So the two of them were left alone again, although Leader was in and out sometimes, seeing Jyani or giving details on the attack or sometimes even playing with a few of the younger ninja in the area. Although Jun could walk around as long as there was a wall he could lean on after a few minutes, he opted to stay inside because that way Ohno would always know where to find him.
Weeks later with slow but steady improvement, the five members of Arashi were enjoying a hot dinner together, served in their private rooms, and although Jun was meaning to bring up the topic of building a house again, there was only a hand signal for building. After several minutes of effort with Sho, he gave up, telling himself he’d wait until he could speak, which he hoped was soon.
Just finishing the food, Jun was leaning against the wall, happy and content and not believing he could be so happy after something as life changing as Yokoyama’s attack. He vaguely wondered if things would ever be the same as they were before, or if once he started going back outside that he would begin to worry about every sound he heard and start second guessing all the ninja he came across. A life like that didn’t suite him.
The rest of the group was finishing up, too. Aiba was shyly telling Nino that he had asked Yuuka out to lunch the next day and Nino was teasing him, but dropping subtle tips on how to act--even though Jun was convinced out of everyone in the group, Aiba was the one that knew the most about relationships. Sho was trying to hold back a snicker and instead of interrupting the pair’s conversation, he sent Jun a hand signal to ask if he needed anything.
Jun smirked and looked blatantly at Ohno, who was eyeing an unfinished piece of fish on Jun’s plate. Jun turned back to Sho and made the gesture which meant want, then pointed at Leader.
The archer really did burst out laughing this time, and the other three turned to look at him curiously. But he was looking at Jun, so within a second everyone’s eyes were on him instead.
So he made the hand signal again, want, then pointed at Ohno, who blushed lightly as he realized what he was saying.
Looking at their Leader and grinning, Nino and Aiba laughed out loud along with Sho, but after a few seconds, Ohno crawled across the expanse between him and Jun, then leaned cutely on his shoulder, and Jun couldn’t help but blush back at the way his request was filled.
He ducked his head down and kissed Leader firmly on the mouth, the first time since the attack. Even though the two of them had been alone a lot together, Leader was keeping his distance again. But instead of avoiding Jun’s touches like he used to, it rather seemed like he didn’t want him to push himself because of temptation.
Jun was feeling fine now,amazing with Ohno in his arms once again.
“Eww, get a room,” Nino tried to sound offended by the action, but actually only continued chuckling and then squealed as Sho grabbed him around his waist, pulling him into his lap for a kiss of his own.
“Heeeey,” Aiba pouted with his bottom lip stuck out, feeling neglected. He looked at Nino and Sho, then over to Jun and Ohno, who had just ended their embrace and were laughing at the disgruntled ninja. Jun made a come here signal, and Aiba immediately dashed across the room, practically falling on top of the couple with his hands around both of their necks and puckering his lips.
Ohno and Jun leaned forward at the same time, smooshing their three heads together and pressed their lips on either side of Aiba’s face, somewhere between his mouth and cheeks.
Aiba backed away immediately, blushing brightly as if he hadn’t really expected his friends to fulfill his request, but he was grinning from ear to ear. Jun and Ohno couldn’t help but smile at each other either, since they had completed the attack without as much as a look between them.
Feeling on top of the world, Jun pulled Ohno back to him again, pressing his nose into the smaller man’s hair as Ohno continued to laugh at Aiba’s silly expression.
+++
In no time at all, it had been another month. Without much trouble, Jun was out of the private quarters, back to wandering around the village and carrying a scroll with him so he could communicate without another Arashi member present, and it took just as long to correct the rumors going on about them as it did to tell the actual story. But at least he could keep showing the same written narration over and over again.
Jyani had given up on the investigation of Yokoyama. Every thread they had came to a dead end, either literally with an unexpected body, or figuratively with simply a trail of gold as an explanation. He had acted completely alone, apparently, and his village of origin had officially banished him and any ninja related to him (only on paper, as there was actually no one left) in order to secure Jyani’s leniency.
It was all quite tidy, as long as Jun didn’t actually think about it, think about Ohno bleeding and whispering to him, and how they had both almost been killed so cruelly. It was working, as long as he continued to look forward and be grateful that they were still alive and that Ohno was his and that they house for the five of them was moving along enough to distract him.
Between that and Ohno himself, it was almost enough. But Jyani had blatantly told him that Jun wouldn’t be taking any missions until he had brushed up on his knife skills and was back to training like he had been before he’d been injured. Which was a considerate way of saying that Jun still hadn’t recovered enough to do anything useful-a first, since Jyani was known for his strict way of giving orders. Jun would take it, though, and found the statement as a challenge to rise to, instead of words of warning. At least as much as the rest of them would let him.
By the time he had practiced on his training course for only an hour he was out of breath. After pushing for another ten minutes, his chest began to ache, and it made him wonder if he’d ever be able to work again. Maybe he had been damaged beyond bodily repair. But he was determined and wasn’t going to lose his place in Arashi to something as trivial as this.
In the end it had taken Aiba’s and Ohno’s intervention to get him to take a break-a rather long one that actually turned out to be him stopping since Ohno’s lap was too inviting, and his body too exhausted to stay awake.
+++
Despite drinking Aiba’s special throat medicine religiously three times a day, Jun was no closer to getting his voice back. Over time his stamina returned along with his sharp reactions--much to his relief--but as autumn turned towards winter, Jun was growing more restless with not having anything to do, irritated with himself and his voice for taking so long to recover, and deprived because he hadn’t had sex with Ohno yet.
They’d kissed-a lot-but the next step in their relationship was held back by sharing a room with the other members, who were always in and out. Besides, Leader had begun to take missions himself since his knife wound was only a tender scar now. Jun knew that once he returned to normal they could take missions together, but Jyani still hadn’t lifted the ban from such activities yet. Jun hoped the village leader wasn’t waiting for him to regain his voice, because it might be a very long time if that were the case.
His patience with life paid off, though. Soon enough Jun was starting to train more than usual, since he didn’t have much else to do with his free time, practicing with knives and his illusion skills, and Aiba had declared that his body had almost made a full recovery. Even Ken double checked Jun’s status, although the whole time he was mumbling that Aiba had surpassed him in healing techniques a long time ago, and formally announced to Jyani that Jun was healthy. Jun also expressed his eagerness for a mission to Kame via writing, and somehow between the two ninja (and possible a little prodding from Aiba), Jyani finally lifted the restrictions on Jun. He could take a mission as long as Ohno accompanied him, and if it was at least one rank lower than he usually would have taken.
Trying to express his gratitude to Jyani through a series of hand signals, he eventually just smiled widely, and Jyani almost rolled his eyes at his excitement. Immediately after that, Jun dashed to his private quarters, where Ohno had been taking a nap. He woke the swordmaster with a series of firm kisses, eventually convening the good news to his lover through some gestures and a quickly scrawled note when he proved to be too impatient to make the movements correctly.
Later when the news was passed on to the others, Nino promptly tried to give Jun advice on what he should do with Ohno once they were alone (despite the fact the captain was watching them distractedly as Nino talked). But Jun smacked his friend on the head to get him to shut up, and then the two of them wrestled for a few seconds until he had gotten his arm around Nino’s neck and messed up his hair as much as he could.
The next day Ohno and Jun went to Kame together to find an appropriate mission and they something suitable came up immediately. It was perfect, even, because it was across the prefecture and included a full day of travel to reach their destination, which meant they would be gone for three, maybe four, days.
When the time came to leave, they were sent off with knowing smiles and a snide comment from Nino to Ohno to go easy on Jun. The comment earned him a smack on the head from Jun, and Nino immediately countered with the next comment (You need to save your energy for Oh-chan!)
The pair started out slow, but they made good time traveling and arrived at their destination before nightfall. Jun was brimming with energy, but he was cautious, not wanting to push himself too much and end up ruining all of his hard work. The type of mission was information retrieval, so instead of him pressuring Ohno and distracting the both of them from the work they would have to do the next day, the couple simply snuggled up together in a storage building of a shrine, covered in one blanket, and Jun forced his body to relax in order to get some rest after his long workout.
Their job went without any problems the next day, and before noon they had finished their work and met with the client, fulfilling the final requirements of the mission. Since they had some time to spare, the pair spent lunch in leisure, Jun drinking his special throat juice and sharing his fish with Ohno, who had already eaten all of his own.
Sounds of nature surrounded them: wind rusting the leaves, birds chirping, a stream somewhere nearby. Jun still couldn’t talk, and Ohno wasn’t one for having a conversation with himself, so they simply sat in silence.
But Jun was feeling invincible, so after a few minutes of thought, he tested his vocal chords to see if anything had changed since the last time he’d tried, which was more than a week ago. This scene was too perfect and he wanted to convey to Ohno what he was feeling, since there were no hand signs for I love you.
At first it was no more than a scratchy feeling, but Leader turned to him as soon as he noticed Jun struggling to get something out.
“Oh-“ was all that left his mouth, but it made Jun smile. It was something, it was a start. “Ohnn-“
“Jun, don’t strain yourself,” Leader said with a worried voice, turning to give his full attention to his partner. He touched Jun’s cheek lightly and Jun pulled him close to his chest but didn’t stop trying to work his new-found voice.
“Ohnnno,” he said in a lower tone because it didn’t rasp so much that way. “La…love…you…” finally came out and Jun grinned at the bright look on his captain’s face, even though he probably sounded terrible and dry and exactly like he was straining himself.
“I love you, too,” Leader replied quietly, leaning his head against Jun’s cheek and closing his eyes. But Jun didn’t let him stay there for long. Instead he pressed their lips together, glad that he still had full use of his tongue.
+++
There was no one around for leagues, because if there was, both of them would know it. They had traveled far enough into the woods that they were completely alone, just like Jun had wanted them to be for so long.
It was time for the next step.
Only thinking that simple thought caused a fire inside of Jun to swell, the fire that had been smoldering for years, for as long as he had know Ohno. It had taken long enough to make Ohno his in the first place that waiting for this had been bliss, but that didn’t mean that Jun was going to allow the chance that had been made for them slip away.
He pulled the lithe body closer, resting his palm on the small of Ohno’s back and tilting his head to deepen the kiss as much as he could. They had kissed more times than Jun could remember, but right now Ohno was tremble against him with obvious anticipation of what would be coming, since their real job duties had been taken care of.
As gently as he could, Jun started pulling at the sash of Ohno’s gear, then paused and stopped the kiss for just a second. All of his emotions were fighting for precedence, but at least he was able to keep them steady for the time being-and probably not much longer.
Okay? he motioned with his free hand, since he wanted to save what little voice he had for the good parts. He tried to convey his meaning through his expression as well, and Ohno looked from his hand back to his face before smiling.
The response was Ohno’s own hands moving to Jun’s sash and undoing it with a smooth movement that seemed almost practiced. The simple action sent a shiver of arousal up his spine, and made Jun’s breath catch in his throat. Without waiting any longer, he renewed the kiss and went back to undressing Leader.
+++
Jun painfully remembered how many years it had been since he’d seen Ohno completely naked. Even that memory was fuzzy due to fatigue and innocence and lack of realization.
And although he imagined there would be a lot of chances from here on out, that wasn’t going to stop him from memorizing every shape, texture, and color that he could.
When Jun pushed Ohno down onto the covering he had politely made of their clothes (much to Ohno’s amusement), his eyes found the scars first. There were smaller ones, ordinary for any ninja (Jun had his share as well), and a few moderate sized ones, all but a few of which Jun knew the story to.
His fingers automatically reached out to run along the important ones, the ones that tugged at his heart even as he thought about them.
First, the one across his shoulder and bicep-- made when Ohno had saved Jun and the village from the ninja attack that had changed everything for all of them. Jun could still remember how afraid he had been at just thinking he could have lost Ohno for good, and the anger of knowing that Ohno was willing to sacrifice himself so readily.
Those feelings made the next scar harder to deal with. It wasn’t big, not even the length of his finger. But it wasn’t as faded as the other scars were, still a fresh memory in Jun’s mind.
“I’m right here,” Ohno said quietly, reaching up to wrap his hand around Jun’s wrist. They were close enough that Jun wasn’t surprised that Leader knew exactly what he was thinking. As if his actions didn’t speak loud enough.
Jun could have gotten worked up. He could have replied, you almost died, and argued about it a little more. But he had waited too long for this and wasn’t going to ruin the moment.
So instead he leaned down and kissed Satoshi again, reigniting their passion. Ohno slid his hand up Jun’s shoulder and wrapped both arms around his back, showing his cooperation quite evidently. While they kissed, Jun’s fingers continued their exploration across the skin of Ohno’s torso, slightly rough from old days of fishing in the sun in addition to years of hard work. Ohno was strong, but not bulky--his muscles were lean and compact. Every inch of him felt like steel hidden under soft skin.
As Ohno’s fingers danced against his own back, Jun wondered if Ohno was feeling the same, drinking in their joint nudity as deeply as he was. There was no need to rush, but they had come to this moment with a certain purpose in mind, and Jun intended to fulfill that purpose.
With one more movement of his tongue inside Ohno’s mouth, he pulled back to stare down at him again, calmed and able to look at the scars without becoming upset. Ohno was beautifully pale from his waist down, and when Jun glanced back up, Ohno was looking a bit bashful at the attention.
Jun teased Ohno’s side with his fingers and delighted in the erratic breaths that came out of his open mouth. They slid down to the narrow waist, automatically feeling the smooth curve of his protruding hip bone, and Jun adjusted himself to watch their movements. The fact that Ohno was embarrassed about something as simple as this, yet didn’t stop him, made Jun want to tease him all the more.
Finally, after a moment of anticipation, he took Ohno’s heavy cock in his hand, stroking it gently just like he had imagined doing a million times before now.
The action caused Ohno to let out a quick gasp and clench his ass up in a jerking motion, but his eyes never left Jun’s. The contact didn’t waver, even when Jun scooted back a little and began lowering his head.
“Jun, your throat-“ Ohno started to say, but stopped when Jun made a hand gesture in reply. It’s okay.
The shudder that passed through Ohno was obvious, as Jun parted his lips and took the head of his cock between them. The advice that Nino had given him was little help, but he had said one thing right: as long as it was the two of them together, it didn’t matter what they did or how well they did it. They would both be satisfied in the end.
If Ohno had heard that same advice, he would have agreed. As far as sexuality was concerned he had had his share of fantasies involving Jun over the years, but little experience even with his own hand.
And that full mouth taking in one of his most intimate areas was just about enough to throw him over the edge. It was only his own disciplined training that allowed him to hold back, in order to continue watching as Jun worked his way down, before pulling back to do the whole thing over again.
He was so beautiful like that, Ohno thought possessively as his stomach muscles spasmed with effort, and Jun knew what his actions were doing--knew how close he was pushing him with just his mouth-
But it was too much. Jun was pushing it too hard; he gagged a little when he took Ohno in farther and Ohno wasn’t going to allow that. Jun may believe he was on top of the world, but it was Ohno’s job to make sure something bad didn’t happen because of it.
Reaching down, he pulled Jun’s hair gently, forcing him back up and ignoring his hand gesture of I’m fine.
It would only be detrimental to argue with him about that, so Ohno decided to take action instead. He was always better at action anyway.
With tender hands, he brought Jun back up and kissed him, finding Jun’s mouth wetter than before, saliva smeared across his lips. Ohno tasted them thoroughly while rotating their bodies so that Jun was on the ground underneath him instead. He had only half missed their make-shift blanket, Jun’s head pillowed in a turf of wild grass--but somehow he knew that Jun wouldn’t mind.
Maybe Nino had given Jun advice about this part, but Ohno hadn’t been privy to that conversation. So he really had no idea what he was doing right now, other than completely giving himself to Jun in no other way he could.
To make his point clear, he straddled Jun’s hips before finally letting go of his mouth, leaning back so that his body was exposed for Jun’s full attention. Jun obviously liked to look, and even though it was hard to get over the impulse to hide himself after doing so his whole life, Ohno didn’t mind if it was Jun.
Jun’s breaths were ragged, his chest moving up and down in exaggerated movements and, as predicted, his eyes were wandering all over Ohno’s body. Ohno gave him a moment, then leaned forward again, taking his turn to reciprocate the touches. Although the skin was marred and showed the history of Jun’s work, it was smooth and beautiful-and burning under Ohno’s fingers. Unlike himself, Jun’s muscles were smooth projected curves that left dips and valleys in all the right places, and Ohno was convinced that his fingers could follow the paths all over Jun’s body for years and never get bored.
His fingers were impatient, though, and quickly ended up in the lines of Jun’s shaped stomach that led the way to his destination. Without thinking about it, Ohno shifted backwards, brushing his thigh over Jun’s cock and causing the body underneath him to jerk in surprise. Although it was hoarse, Jun let out a soft moan and blindly reached out for Ohno, his hands grasping the air until Ohno took one of them in his own.
He was keeping his other hand free for what he did next-acting and taking Jun’s cock firmly in his grip. They were both completely hard, but knowing Jun as well as he did and how much he had been looking forward to this, Ohno figured Jun was worked up enough that he wouldn’t be able to last through any teasing. Although, that wasn’t going to stop Ohno from returning the touches. He’d been waiting just as long, after all, and they had plenty of time until they were expected back at the village.
There was pressure under him when Jun automatically tried to thrust up, but with Ohno’s weight he wasn’t able to. Instead, Jun’s fingers squeezed around his tightly. After groping around some more for something to hold on to, Jun’s other hand found the fabric underneath them and pulled at it without thought, sighing out another raw moan that caused goosebumps to rise on the back of Ohno’s neck.
Ohno wasn’t good at thinking, so he continued to listen to his body. He leaned forward, Jun’s hand still in his, and pressed his hips down so that their cocks slid against each other. Neither of them were going to last long with how worked up they were. And the second he was thrusting against Jun, Ohno was hit with a nostalgic feeling that he didn’t really understand, but that wouldn’t allow him to stop.
Before he knew it he was kissing Jun again, holding on just as tightly as Jun was holding back and riding out pleasure and want in overwhelming waves. He had never experienced such a complete feeling before, and he lost himself to the experience whole-heartedly. It didn’t stop until he felt the result of Jun’s orgasm hot and wet on his fingers, and Ohno finally allowed himself to give in and come.
Jun was taking deep breaths around Ohno’s mouth, his pulse hammering against Ohno’s wrist, but they didn’t stop their sloppy kissing, which become sluggish as the emotional high started wearing off. After a moment, Jun’s tight grip finally loosened, the other hand coming up to slid up Ohno’s sweat stained back. The touches were soft at first, but as time passed the pressure increased, Jun clinging onto Ohno as their tongues regained energy.
It wasn’t long before Ohno was ready-their sexual game of body tag never stopping-and Jun seemed just as eager as him for the next barrier they would cross.
After a tug of his hair, Leader broke the long kiss and focused on Jun despite his head feeling fuzzy. It did take him a few tries to understand Jun's message, though, since he was only watching Jun’s lips and was already wanting so badly that it was distracting. When he finally noticed the hand motions, he followed the directions and reached over for Jun’s bag to pull out a wrapped bottle of salve from Aiba.
Once he undid the packaging, not really having any idea what it was for but assuming it would be making sex easier somehow (why else would Jun be asking for it at such a critical time?), Ohno couldn’t help but smile.
It was similar to the ones of Nino’s collection, which he had only chanced upon by accident and hadn’t thought it worth the trouble of teasing him over. There was a small note written on the label in Aiba’s handwriting.
No fragrance or sensory herbs. Extra smooth. Great for the first time.
And then in Nino’s writing underneath that, You can do it Jun-kun!
Ohno began chuckling, but quickly stopped as soon as Jun took the salve from him and put it to work.
+++
A/N: Welcome to the ending of my Shinobu series! There will be an epilogue posted as soon as I'm finished here. Posted! Here you are~
Thanks to everyone who followed this series and especially to yarukizero for motivating me to write and ultimately finish this. I tried to wrap everything up here, but I almost feel like it moved too fast, or included too much information. What do you think? What plot-parts are still left open, or what would you like to see expanded on?
Also, I meant to write the actual sex, but at the last minute realized that I couldn't tell if it was Jun/Ohno or Ohno/Jun anymore. So I'll leave it up to your own preferences for the time being. :) I hope the ending was satisfactory. Now you guys will just have to wait forever until I start on something else, haha.