Hatenai Kurayami (one shot)
Mar. 9th, 2016 09:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yun_miyakeTitle : Hatenai Kurayami
Pairing : Juntoshi
Length : one shot
Genre : angst
Rating : pg-13
Disclaimer : I wrote this for my own satisfaction.
Summary : Ohno tried to touch the face before him, but it was just a hallucination, his hand grasped the empty air, there was only the sound of the wind. His body was hurt, everywhere. He tried to recall what happened, but his memories were as vague as the mist. He was alone, in the middle of nowhere….
Warning: Bad English and perhaps I mixed up the terms of army here, so please forgive me for the mistakes.
"Jun."
Ohno tried to touch the face before him, but it was just a hallucination, his hand grasped the empty air, there was only the sound of the wind. His body was hurt, everywhere. He tried to recall what happened, but his memories were as vague as the mist. He was alone, in the middle of nowhere, he ran out the water, ran out painkiller, and ran out the urge to stay alive.
It was weird that he had everything and lost it just in a few days. His job, his friends, his lover, he was torn apart from them - unwillingly. He forced his eyes to open and found the eternal darkness around him. His eyes fell to his right arm or the place where his right arm should be because it was no longer there. The pain started to take over, but it was bearable compared with the first time he lost it.
The sky was cloudy and he could hear the sound of thunder somewhere far. Ohno tried to move his body in order to shelter himself if the rain started falling. He leaned against the tree and winced painfully as he moved his right arm. He wondered how long would he survive with his current condition. He wished he could die faster than waiting here in uncertainty, there was no point of staying alive anyway.
***
“Is he dead?”
“He still has pulses.”
“What we’re gonna do to him?”
“Bring him home and save him.”
“But, what if he’s a bad man?”
“Let’s figure it out.”
Ohno heard the conversation, but it wasn’t clear enough for him to digest. He thought that he was half-dreaming. He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids were as heavy as steel. He let himself fall into an unconsciousness once again.
When he woke up (which probably a few days later), he found himself in a place of a stranger. He focused his sight on his surroundings and saw an incredibly messy room. There were uncounted tubes on the shelves on the right side of the room, along with various colors of liquid inside them. On the left, there were plants – they were ugly and unshaped. There was a working desk across from the bed; full of note books, broken rulers, pencils and used papers. Ohno’s eyes moved to the side desk, all of his belongings were there. His compass, his eyeglasses, his drinking bottle, except his red cloak, it was gone.
The door (which didn’t look like a door at all) cracked open and for a second, Ohno thought that it was an automatic before seeing a petite boy entered. His small hands carried a tray with hot porridge and a glass of water on it. He limped forwards and put it on the remaining space of the super messy working desk before turning his head at Ohno.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Ohno didn’t answer; he still tried to gather his conscious and his senses.
“I’m Nino, Aiba’s assistant,” the kid said and approached the bed. “You lost your right hand,” he added.
Ohno slowly moved his gaze to his right arm, it was bandaged and wasn’t that hurt.
“Where am I?” Ohno asked in a hoarse voice.
“In Aiba’s house,” the boy said. “He’s out for a few hours, he’ll be back soon. Where are you from? What were you doing under that tree?”
Ohno blinked a few times and finally he could see the boy clearly; he was around seven years old, he was skinny and looked weak, but his smile was so bright as if interviewing a person he had just met was the most interesting thing to do.
“What’s your name?” Nino asked again when Ohno didn’t give any sign that he would answer his question.
“I’m Ohno,” he said.
“Ohno kun, nice to meet you,” Nino extended his left hand and shook Ohno’s hand excitedly. He took the tray again and brought it to the side table. “You need food, please have it,” the kid gestured to him as he prepared the spoon as well.
“You look like a warrior,” Nino continued.
He helped Ohno to sit down and leaned against the pillow. “I have never seen one myself, but Aiba has the picture, you look exactly like one of them.”
Ohno let the kid speak, it was better than the odd silence in the middle of the unknown jungle. He gathered his memories and collected piece by piece until he ended up in that place with his right arm bleeding. He was abandoned from his own home; he even had no time to say a proper goodbye to Jun. Perhaps he was pronounced dead in a mission, it would be better that way, he thought bitterly.
Ohno ate the porridge, it was surprisingly good. For a person who hadn’t eaten for days, it was paradise. He tried not to be hurry to finish it. Nino locked his gaze on him and flashed a smile as their eyes met.
“Thank you, Nino,” Ohno said, putting the empty bowl on Nino’s tray and took the glass to drink the water.
“You’re welcome,” Nino said.
He pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat down there. Nino’s dull pants revealed the robotic-like leg when he sat, the kid realized Ohno’s gaze and gave him another smile.
“I lost it in an accident,” Nino volunteered the information.
“I’m sorry,” Ohno said. He didn’t want to imagine what kind of accident that Nino had involved with.
“How did you lose your arm?” the kid asked innocently, not giving up upon Ohno’s resistance to answering.
Ohno averted his gaze away; he closed his eyes and tried to block the rush of memories which attacked his head all of a sudden. It was dark; he couldn’t see who the attacker was. They were well-trained men and when his guard loosened, one of them aimed their weapon at him and it hit his arm. He didn’t know it was a new way of punishing the failed warrior, nobody bothered to tell him. But, perhaps that special punishment was just for him because there was someone who wanted to get rid of him.
He had never been failed before; he always became the best, but it turned as if he had made a huge mistake. Nobody stood for him, not even Sho – his friend.
“Aiba can fix it for you,” Nino said. He jumped down from the chair and ran towards the door as someone’s voice called for him.
“He’s awake, but he didn’t want to talk to me,” Nino’s voice came through the opened door. “Do you think that he’s a warrior?”
“I don’t know,” the new voice answered.
Someone opened the door; he was a tall man with cool brown hair. A mask covered his mouth and nose, but he soon took it off as he entered. He smiled at Ohno and sat down on Nino’s chair. The kid trailed behind him like a loyal dog.
“I’m Aiba,” he introduced himself.
“I’m Ohno, thanks for saving my life,” Ohno stated, even though he wished he died under that tree.
“You’re welcome,” Aiba looked at him from head to toes and stopped at his right arm. “Somebody shot you with Guenther liquid; it broke your bone in a split of a second.”
Ohno didn’t comment on that statement, he waited for the man to continue.
“You’re from the Storm Force, right?”
Ohno flinched; he looked at Aiba’s eyes. There were only limited people who knew about the Storm’s existence because they mostly carried the secret mission.
“The sign on your left arm,” Aiba said, rather sad. “My brother joined it and he never came back. Nobody knows what happened to him.”
“I’m sorry,” Ohno mumbled, not knowing what else to say.
“So,” Aiba stood up. “Maybe we can fix your arm, you might need it again,” the man said cheerfully.
“You can have a robotic arm like my leg,” Nino chimed in. “Look at mine.”
Ohno looked at both of his saviors and smiled weakly at them. He gave a little nod and whispered a soft thank you. Aiba mumbled that he needed to work in another room; meanwhile, Nino stayed and asked him many questions.
****
For the past few days, Ohno finally able to walk again, Nino guided him around, even though there was nothing they could observe except the broken airplane behind Aiba's house.
"I want to be a pilot," Nino said as they walked around the airplane. "I don't know if they will accept someone with one leg," he shrugged.
"If you try hard, maybe they will," Ohno flashed a smile at the kid who seemed never lose his excitement all the time.
"Have you ridden a plane?"
"Yeah, when I was younger," Ohno answered.
"It must be fun," Nino said, sitting down at the crooked wing. His eyes wandered around and stopped at Ohno's right arm.
"You haven't agreed on Aiba's idea to fix it," the boy commented.
Ohno turned his head at his right side, he hadn't really thought about Aiba's idea to fix it with a robotic arm. He didn't know whether he could get another job with his condition, normally, the abandoned soldier would be killed, so they couldn't work for another force. Ohno still had no idea why the Storm let him alive. Or maybe they thought that he was dead. Nobody could survive that cold night. But, there was something bothered him, someone had inserted painkiller into his pouch, as if they knew that Ohno would have been punished that night.
His thought went to Jun, where was he when it happened, did he know that Ohno was punished? Did he mourn over Ohno's disappearance? Did he think that Ohno had died?
Jun was a captain for headquarters’ analysts. His job was to make sure that their headquarter was safe from any thread. His image floated inside Ohno's head, Jun always had his purple scarf on his beautiful neck. He always had that cool expression, even though it turned so sweet when he looked at Ohno.
He missed Jun's warmth, Jun's kindness when he laid his hand on Ohno's hair, Jun's comforting touch when he had just come back from the battlefield. Knowing that they probably never met again made Ohno sick to his stomach.
"Ohno kun," Nino touched his left hand; the boy had left his seat and came to Ohno's side. "Are you okay?"
“I'm okay, Nino, thanks," Ohno averted his gaze to the far horizon. He took his compass from his pocket and watched the needle moved quickly before stopping at one spot. He inhaled deeply and returned it to his pocket, maybe it wasn't a bad idea if he agreed on Aiba's idea.
***
"I was an abandoned soldier too," Aiba told him when Nino was fast asleep. Both of them sat down on the empty log outside the house. "But, the force weren’t as high profile as yours, so they don't leave me any burden."
Ohno didn't reply, he simply nodded as the sign that he was listening.
"I work as an assassin since then," Aiba smiled bitterly.
Ohno looked at the man across from him. Aiba seemed so kind-hearted and wasn't a type who would pull a trigger to shoot other people. He could see that Aiba's eyes were dying, regardless that his smile was so bright and lively.
"I was a doctor for the force, they get rid of me after failing from saving the captain," Aiba said with a plain face. "It was unfair, wasn't it?"
"You're luckier than me, at least, the reason was clear," Ohno shook his head. "I was punished without clear reason; they kicked me out just like that."
"Maybe there's someone hated you," Aiba said.
Ohno gulped, he had thought about that possibility, but never really believed it. He had no enemies on the force, everyone was nice to him. He had heard the rumors that the leader would assign him as the commander of J-storm force. Perhaps, someone didn't want him to have it; perhaps they wanted him to get away.
"I don't know," Ohno inhaled deeply, remembering the painkiller inside his pouch.
"So, let's decide when we will operate your right arm," Aiba gestured with his right hand.
"Oh," Ohno nodded. "I'll leave it to you and thanks in advance."
Aiba flashed a smile at Ohno. He explained how he would do it. He had done it to Nino before and found it effective. He also told Ohno how he met Nino. The kid survived a long winter at his dead village and his left leg must be amputated right after Aiba found him. Ohno remembered what Nino told him that he lost his leg in an accident; perhaps he wasn’t the one who wanted to forget a piece of a bitter part in his life.
***
Assassin was the last job Ohno wanted to do, but he had no choice for now. He knew there was no proper job for an abandoned soldier, besides, the person who hired him was a mafia who wanted all of the remaining lands to himself. He didn’t need to worry of being revealed.
The robotic arm he got from Aiba was as was strong and steady. Ohno could shoot the target 10 km away from him without a problem. The arm didn't need to be removed for any treatment since Aiba had done something to make it semi-permanent. So, with his new life and a new companion, Ohno tried to find a way to get back to the headquarter in order to meet Jun again.
He wasn't sure he could do it. Nobody except the force’s soldiers was allowed to enter the gate. But, it was worth to try the secret tunnel from the back wall. That was all he could think, for now, he didn't tell it to Aiba since he knew that the man wouldn't agree with it.
Nino was still the best way to forget the bitter feeling after finishing a mission which required them to kill women or children.
It had been six months since Aiba saved him and Ohno had already got used to his daily life. He never really thought about life away from the headquarter before this, it wasn't that bad, except that he couldn't meet Jun anymore.
He didn't expect Jun to follow him out; he just wanted to say a proper goodbye. He wouldn't mind if he died afterward.
And three months later, the chance had come....
"I wouldn't take that mission, it's a suicide," Aiba shook his head in agony.
"I'll take it," Ohno replied without hesitation.
"Ohno kun, you can't even enter the gate alive, you'll be killed before crossing their border."
"I know how they build strategy," Ohno mumbled. "Except that, they had changed it after I'm gone."
Aiba didn't say something further, he played with the compass in his right hand and averted his gaze away from Ohno.
"Do you know your target?" he asked.
"Yeah," Ohno nodded. He fastened his fist and bit his lower lip. He had to murder Sho – his own friend. Sho was the son of the veteran commander of their force, they were friends since they were teenagers, they were rivals, but it didn’t stop them from being friends.
***
"Satoshi, don’t forget your lucky charm," Jun handed him something which covered in a small pouch. "Always come back home safely."
"Thanks, Jun," Ohno flashed a smile at the taller man.
"Do you know that Sho kun was promoted to the captain?"
"I heard," Ohno nodded.
"But, the council thought that you are a better candidate."
"I particularly don't want that position so badly."
Jun pouted, but then he nodded. "It's not easy to become a captain, besides, you will have less time for me."
Ohno chuckled and caressed Jun's cheek, "I'd rather stay here with you."
Jun leaned closer and rested his head on Ohno's shoulder. It was a rare shiny evening where they could sit relaxingly and enjoy the sunset.
"Have you imagined a better world? With no more war, where we can sit like this every day?"
"Maybe that time will come, someday," Ohno said while brushing his fingers to Jun's curly hair. "We'll live in a remote area and make vegetables."
"That sound tiring," Jun laughed.
"So, how's your transfer? the sniper thing." Ohno asked.
"They probably won't let me join," Jun shrugged. "The headquarter doesn't want a new analyst to replace me."
"It's because you're the best," Ohno said.
"When I become a sniper, would you let me join your platoon?" Jun asked.
"No. Because I will lay my eyes on you all the time instead of the enemy."
Jun pinched his nose and both of them laughed. They drew their face closer and Jun's lips met his. That was the last time they spent a peaceful evening before Ohno went for the mission which ended with his punishment. Someone had played dirty and got rid of him silently.
***
"Ohno kun, where are you going?" Nino chased him as he left the house.
"I'll visit a friend," he answered.
Nino looked at him with a strange look as if knowing that he was lying.
"Can I go with you?"
Ohno put his hand on the top of Nino's head and smiled at the kid.
"Maybe next time."
Nino circled his little hands around Ohno's waist and cried.
"Hey, it's okay," Ohno squatted and hugged him. "I'll be back."
"Promise?"
"Promise," he said, patting Nino's shoulder and wiped the kid's cheeks with his normal hand.
"I'll be very mad at you if you're not coming back."
Ohno smiled and nodded.
"You can mad at me anytime."
They waved goodbye and Ohno's heart turned heavy. He would never meet that kid anymore or Aiba who wished him good luck with a bitter face. He would go to his former home, which now felt so strange. He covered his head with the hood of his cloak and walked in silent.
He hid his robotic arm when he passed the village to avoid the people's eyes. It was already close to his headquarter, but it felt different when he took another path.
He took a rest under the oak tree and checked his compass. It was the right direction, he and Sho often escaped headquarter to play to another village when they were young.
Ohno had no intention to murder Sho, he just wanted to meet Jun whatever it took. He didn't care whether he would be killed after meeting that man.
When he entered the secret tunnel, it was easier than what he thought. Not mentioning that there were cameras in some points. Ohno had known where they put the security cameras, so it wasn't that hard to avoid them.
He prepared his long weapon and checked his surroundings. It would be an unfortunate to start a fight this early, but Ohno prepared for the worst.
The dark trees hid him well as he walked on the path, he could see the back building where they kept the weapon stocks. There were two soldiers guarded the entrance, they leaned their heads on their weapon while talking. Never thought that there was a man stood a few meters behind them, ready to infiltrate the building illegally.
Ohno slowly passed the building and finally he saw the headquarter which looked like a small hill in the middle of the area. It was built high in order to check on the approaching enemies. Ohno imagined where Jun was; maybe he was writing the report for the day. Did he know that Ohno was just a few hundred meters from where he sat, hoping to see him so badly?
He reached the higher ground and climbed silently before a cold metal touched his neck.
"I've been waiting," a voice said.
Ohno turned his head to his left side and saw Sho, grinning between amusements and concerned.
"I'm impressed that you made this far," he said again.
"Sho," Ohno mumbled. He couldn’t tell, but there was something different with how Sho grinned. It looked rather superior as if he had just gotten the victory. Ohno hoped he only imagined it.
"I know you want to meet him," Sho said. "I'll take you to him. Come on."
Sho didn't look sincere, but Ohno had no choice for now. He could beat Sho in a second and choke him to death, but if he did that, the chance to meet Jun would be zero.
"They thought you were dead," Sho said as they walked through the hidden path towards the basement where they could enter the building from. "But, I believe that you managed to survive."
"Someone inserted painkillers inside my pouch," Ohno answered.
"That's very lucky for you," Sho commented, glancing at his robotic right arm. "Nice arm."
"Was that your plan?" Ohno asked. "Did you know that they would punish me that night and you managed to help me?"
"I don't know," Sho shrugged.
"The only thing I know, that you failed to accomplish the mission and the captain decided to abandon you."
Ohno looked at his friend with doubt.
"Did Jun know that I was kicked out?"
“Perhaps,” Sho shrugged and turned right all of a sudden. “Jun is a sniper now.”
Ohno stopped his steps and looked at Sho’s back. Jun was a sniper; finally, he could realize his dream. Did he go on a mission? Did he wear those cool costumes?
Sho turned at him and gave him a code to follow him.
“If we stay any longer, they’ll know there is an intruder here,” he whispered.
“So, I’m an intruder now?”
Sho didn’t reply to that and continued his steps ahead. Ohno followed him in silence; he didn’t remember the basement path was this long. Sho finally stopped and led him into a narrower hole where they had to crawl. It was the air-pipe where they could see the rooms below them.
“Here he is,” Sho gestured to the room below him. Ohno followed Sho’s sight and finally saw the man he had been missing all the time. He gulped; Jun looked so different compared with the last time he saw him. He had more muscles; his long curly hair was gone, replaced by the short and black one. He was talking to a man beside him, but Ohno couldn’t hear what they said.
“He would be a lieutenant soon,” Sho said.
Ohno smiled weakly and averted his gaze from Jun’s figure to Sho’s face. He wasn’t sure that meeting Jun was the right thing to do. The man looked happy and had already moved on from his old self. It seemed that he didn’t mind Ohno’s absence.
“I believe that your purpose of coming here isn’t just for this small talk,” Sho said after a while of silence.
“I’m here to say goodbye,” Ohno mumbled.
“What a romantic.”
Ohno extended his robotic arm to Sho’s neck, “And I’m here to murder you,” he continued.
“I see,” Sho said. “So, you are the assassin that everyone is talking about. I never thought that you will lower your grade that bad. But, I have to warn you that nobody can escape this place alive if they’re an unwanted intruder, Jun would make sure that they are killed.”
Ohno loosened his grip and returned his attention at Jun.
“I don’t care about it anymore.”
And he broke the pipe with his robotic arm. He grabbed Sho’s hand and held him as a hostage as they jumped into the meeting room where Jun and another man was still talking a few seconds ago.
Both of them pointed their gun at Ohno and Sho, but Jun soon recognized him. His eyes widened in surprised as he saw Ohno.
“Satoshi,” he whispered, but he still pointed the gun at him.
“Jun,” Ohno said, “You look good on that outfit.”
Jun’s expression was stiff; Ohno could read there were unspoken rules which cuffed him. Jun’s eyes showed the confusion, he looked at Sho whose expression couldn’t be seen. Ohno moved his robotic arm to Sho’s neck and choked him, but it wasn’t hard enough.
“I’m here to say goodbye,” Ohno said to Jun. “That’s all.”
“You’re not accepted here anymore,” Jun said. His voice trembled.
“Just shoot him,” Sho said as Ohno fastened his grip on his neck.
Ohno knew there was no way out from here and he felt so stupid for coming here. Jun had become a totally different man; he should have listened to Aiba and declined the offer.
“Let go of Sho,” Jun finally lowered his gun. “We’ll let you live and go back to wherever you belong to.”
“My mission is to finish him,” Ohno replied, letting Sho breathless under his arm.
The man beside Jun moved his finger to the trigger, but Jun gave him a code to hold it.
“All of us were vowed to stay loyal to the force, I have no choice,” Jun said, shaking his head.
“Jun, just shoot him. You know what await us if we let him escape,” Sho whispered.
Ohno gripped Sho’s neck harder and let the man gasp for air before something hit his chest. He fell down on his knees and saw the blood streamed down from his wounded chest.
Jun had shot him.
The strange coldness surrounded his body, his sight went blur, but he could see Jun’s figure, standing tall a few meters from him. Jun approached him and squatted beside him, he mumbled something, but Ohno couldn’t hear it since the pain started to take over. He sank into the darkness; the last thing he saw was Jun’s glistening eyes.
***
“We couldn’t brainwash him while he’s fully alive,” the leader of the analyst center explained. “It would be a waste if we let him go.”
Jun looked at the figure inside the cooling box where he was kept. His heart ached, but if he didn’t do that, he would never be able to meet Ohno again – perhaps it was the best way.
“So, why we need to kick him before?” he asked.
“Well, the commander has some points on that and he wants Ohno back. Not as a normal one, though,” Toma answered.
“Would he remember everything?” Jun asked again, averting his gaze away from Ohno’s frozen face.
“Let’s see when we wake him up,” Toma gave him a weak smile.
Jun looked at Ohno once again before leaving the laboratory center. He knew it was cruel and unfair, but that was an order and a soldier like him had no right to against it. He walked away to the spot where he and Ohno used to watch the sunset. Maybe, if he was lucky, they could watch it together again.
THE END
a/n: Insipred by Mets CM, Ohno is the coolest there. I always love that stoic side of him :))
Isn't he look like the coolest guy on earth?? *sorry, I'm so biased
Pairing : Juntoshi
Length : one shot
Genre : angst
Rating : pg-13
Disclaimer : I wrote this for my own satisfaction.
Summary : Ohno tried to touch the face before him, but it was just a hallucination, his hand grasped the empty air, there was only the sound of the wind. His body was hurt, everywhere. He tried to recall what happened, but his memories were as vague as the mist. He was alone, in the middle of nowhere….
Warning: Bad English and perhaps I mixed up the terms of army here, so please forgive me for the mistakes.
"Jun."
Ohno tried to touch the face before him, but it was just a hallucination, his hand grasped the empty air, there was only the sound of the wind. His body was hurt, everywhere. He tried to recall what happened, but his memories were as vague as the mist. He was alone, in the middle of nowhere, he ran out the water, ran out painkiller, and ran out the urge to stay alive.
It was weird that he had everything and lost it just in a few days. His job, his friends, his lover, he was torn apart from them - unwillingly. He forced his eyes to open and found the eternal darkness around him. His eyes fell to his right arm or the place where his right arm should be because it was no longer there. The pain started to take over, but it was bearable compared with the first time he lost it.
The sky was cloudy and he could hear the sound of thunder somewhere far. Ohno tried to move his body in order to shelter himself if the rain started falling. He leaned against the tree and winced painfully as he moved his right arm. He wondered how long would he survive with his current condition. He wished he could die faster than waiting here in uncertainty, there was no point of staying alive anyway.
***
“Is he dead?”
“He still has pulses.”
“What we’re gonna do to him?”
“Bring him home and save him.”
“But, what if he’s a bad man?”
“Let’s figure it out.”
Ohno heard the conversation, but it wasn’t clear enough for him to digest. He thought that he was half-dreaming. He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids were as heavy as steel. He let himself fall into an unconsciousness once again.
When he woke up (which probably a few days later), he found himself in a place of a stranger. He focused his sight on his surroundings and saw an incredibly messy room. There were uncounted tubes on the shelves on the right side of the room, along with various colors of liquid inside them. On the left, there were plants – they were ugly and unshaped. There was a working desk across from the bed; full of note books, broken rulers, pencils and used papers. Ohno’s eyes moved to the side desk, all of his belongings were there. His compass, his eyeglasses, his drinking bottle, except his red cloak, it was gone.
The door (which didn’t look like a door at all) cracked open and for a second, Ohno thought that it was an automatic before seeing a petite boy entered. His small hands carried a tray with hot porridge and a glass of water on it. He limped forwards and put it on the remaining space of the super messy working desk before turning his head at Ohno.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Ohno didn’t answer; he still tried to gather his conscious and his senses.
“I’m Nino, Aiba’s assistant,” the kid said and approached the bed. “You lost your right hand,” he added.
Ohno slowly moved his gaze to his right arm, it was bandaged and wasn’t that hurt.
“Where am I?” Ohno asked in a hoarse voice.
“In Aiba’s house,” the boy said. “He’s out for a few hours, he’ll be back soon. Where are you from? What were you doing under that tree?”
Ohno blinked a few times and finally he could see the boy clearly; he was around seven years old, he was skinny and looked weak, but his smile was so bright as if interviewing a person he had just met was the most interesting thing to do.
“What’s your name?” Nino asked again when Ohno didn’t give any sign that he would answer his question.
“I’m Ohno,” he said.
“Ohno kun, nice to meet you,” Nino extended his left hand and shook Ohno’s hand excitedly. He took the tray again and brought it to the side table. “You need food, please have it,” the kid gestured to him as he prepared the spoon as well.
“You look like a warrior,” Nino continued.
He helped Ohno to sit down and leaned against the pillow. “I have never seen one myself, but Aiba has the picture, you look exactly like one of them.”
Ohno let the kid speak, it was better than the odd silence in the middle of the unknown jungle. He gathered his memories and collected piece by piece until he ended up in that place with his right arm bleeding. He was abandoned from his own home; he even had no time to say a proper goodbye to Jun. Perhaps he was pronounced dead in a mission, it would be better that way, he thought bitterly.
Ohno ate the porridge, it was surprisingly good. For a person who hadn’t eaten for days, it was paradise. He tried not to be hurry to finish it. Nino locked his gaze on him and flashed a smile as their eyes met.
“Thank you, Nino,” Ohno said, putting the empty bowl on Nino’s tray and took the glass to drink the water.
“You’re welcome,” Nino said.
He pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat down there. Nino’s dull pants revealed the robotic-like leg when he sat, the kid realized Ohno’s gaze and gave him another smile.
“I lost it in an accident,” Nino volunteered the information.
“I’m sorry,” Ohno said. He didn’t want to imagine what kind of accident that Nino had involved with.
“How did you lose your arm?” the kid asked innocently, not giving up upon Ohno’s resistance to answering.
Ohno averted his gaze away; he closed his eyes and tried to block the rush of memories which attacked his head all of a sudden. It was dark; he couldn’t see who the attacker was. They were well-trained men and when his guard loosened, one of them aimed their weapon at him and it hit his arm. He didn’t know it was a new way of punishing the failed warrior, nobody bothered to tell him. But, perhaps that special punishment was just for him because there was someone who wanted to get rid of him.
He had never been failed before; he always became the best, but it turned as if he had made a huge mistake. Nobody stood for him, not even Sho – his friend.
“Aiba can fix it for you,” Nino said. He jumped down from the chair and ran towards the door as someone’s voice called for him.
“He’s awake, but he didn’t want to talk to me,” Nino’s voice came through the opened door. “Do you think that he’s a warrior?”
“I don’t know,” the new voice answered.
Someone opened the door; he was a tall man with cool brown hair. A mask covered his mouth and nose, but he soon took it off as he entered. He smiled at Ohno and sat down on Nino’s chair. The kid trailed behind him like a loyal dog.
“I’m Aiba,” he introduced himself.
“I’m Ohno, thanks for saving my life,” Ohno stated, even though he wished he died under that tree.
“You’re welcome,” Aiba looked at him from head to toes and stopped at his right arm. “Somebody shot you with Guenther liquid; it broke your bone in a split of a second.”
Ohno didn’t comment on that statement, he waited for the man to continue.
“You’re from the Storm Force, right?”
Ohno flinched; he looked at Aiba’s eyes. There were only limited people who knew about the Storm’s existence because they mostly carried the secret mission.
“The sign on your left arm,” Aiba said, rather sad. “My brother joined it and he never came back. Nobody knows what happened to him.”
“I’m sorry,” Ohno mumbled, not knowing what else to say.
“So,” Aiba stood up. “Maybe we can fix your arm, you might need it again,” the man said cheerfully.
“You can have a robotic arm like my leg,” Nino chimed in. “Look at mine.”
Ohno looked at both of his saviors and smiled weakly at them. He gave a little nod and whispered a soft thank you. Aiba mumbled that he needed to work in another room; meanwhile, Nino stayed and asked him many questions.
****
For the past few days, Ohno finally able to walk again, Nino guided him around, even though there was nothing they could observe except the broken airplane behind Aiba's house.
"I want to be a pilot," Nino said as they walked around the airplane. "I don't know if they will accept someone with one leg," he shrugged.
"If you try hard, maybe they will," Ohno flashed a smile at the kid who seemed never lose his excitement all the time.
"Have you ridden a plane?"
"Yeah, when I was younger," Ohno answered.
"It must be fun," Nino said, sitting down at the crooked wing. His eyes wandered around and stopped at Ohno's right arm.
"You haven't agreed on Aiba's idea to fix it," the boy commented.
Ohno turned his head at his right side, he hadn't really thought about Aiba's idea to fix it with a robotic arm. He didn't know whether he could get another job with his condition, normally, the abandoned soldier would be killed, so they couldn't work for another force. Ohno still had no idea why the Storm let him alive. Or maybe they thought that he was dead. Nobody could survive that cold night. But, there was something bothered him, someone had inserted painkiller into his pouch, as if they knew that Ohno would have been punished that night.
His thought went to Jun, where was he when it happened, did he know that Ohno was punished? Did he mourn over Ohno's disappearance? Did he think that Ohno had died?
Jun was a captain for headquarters’ analysts. His job was to make sure that their headquarter was safe from any thread. His image floated inside Ohno's head, Jun always had his purple scarf on his beautiful neck. He always had that cool expression, even though it turned so sweet when he looked at Ohno.
He missed Jun's warmth, Jun's kindness when he laid his hand on Ohno's hair, Jun's comforting touch when he had just come back from the battlefield. Knowing that they probably never met again made Ohno sick to his stomach.
"Ohno kun," Nino touched his left hand; the boy had left his seat and came to Ohno's side. "Are you okay?"
“I'm okay, Nino, thanks," Ohno averted his gaze to the far horizon. He took his compass from his pocket and watched the needle moved quickly before stopping at one spot. He inhaled deeply and returned it to his pocket, maybe it wasn't a bad idea if he agreed on Aiba's idea.
***
"I was an abandoned soldier too," Aiba told him when Nino was fast asleep. Both of them sat down on the empty log outside the house. "But, the force weren’t as high profile as yours, so they don't leave me any burden."
Ohno didn't reply, he simply nodded as the sign that he was listening.
"I work as an assassin since then," Aiba smiled bitterly.
Ohno looked at the man across from him. Aiba seemed so kind-hearted and wasn't a type who would pull a trigger to shoot other people. He could see that Aiba's eyes were dying, regardless that his smile was so bright and lively.
"I was a doctor for the force, they get rid of me after failing from saving the captain," Aiba said with a plain face. "It was unfair, wasn't it?"
"You're luckier than me, at least, the reason was clear," Ohno shook his head. "I was punished without clear reason; they kicked me out just like that."
"Maybe there's someone hated you," Aiba said.
Ohno gulped, he had thought about that possibility, but never really believed it. He had no enemies on the force, everyone was nice to him. He had heard the rumors that the leader would assign him as the commander of J-storm force. Perhaps, someone didn't want him to have it; perhaps they wanted him to get away.
"I don't know," Ohno inhaled deeply, remembering the painkiller inside his pouch.
"So, let's decide when we will operate your right arm," Aiba gestured with his right hand.
"Oh," Ohno nodded. "I'll leave it to you and thanks in advance."
Aiba flashed a smile at Ohno. He explained how he would do it. He had done it to Nino before and found it effective. He also told Ohno how he met Nino. The kid survived a long winter at his dead village and his left leg must be amputated right after Aiba found him. Ohno remembered what Nino told him that he lost his leg in an accident; perhaps he wasn’t the one who wanted to forget a piece of a bitter part in his life.
***
Assassin was the last job Ohno wanted to do, but he had no choice for now. He knew there was no proper job for an abandoned soldier, besides, the person who hired him was a mafia who wanted all of the remaining lands to himself. He didn’t need to worry of being revealed.
The robotic arm he got from Aiba was as was strong and steady. Ohno could shoot the target 10 km away from him without a problem. The arm didn't need to be removed for any treatment since Aiba had done something to make it semi-permanent. So, with his new life and a new companion, Ohno tried to find a way to get back to the headquarter in order to meet Jun again.
He wasn't sure he could do it. Nobody except the force’s soldiers was allowed to enter the gate. But, it was worth to try the secret tunnel from the back wall. That was all he could think, for now, he didn't tell it to Aiba since he knew that the man wouldn't agree with it.
Nino was still the best way to forget the bitter feeling after finishing a mission which required them to kill women or children.
It had been six months since Aiba saved him and Ohno had already got used to his daily life. He never really thought about life away from the headquarter before this, it wasn't that bad, except that he couldn't meet Jun anymore.
He didn't expect Jun to follow him out; he just wanted to say a proper goodbye. He wouldn't mind if he died afterward.
And three months later, the chance had come....
"I wouldn't take that mission, it's a suicide," Aiba shook his head in agony.
"I'll take it," Ohno replied without hesitation.
"Ohno kun, you can't even enter the gate alive, you'll be killed before crossing their border."
"I know how they build strategy," Ohno mumbled. "Except that, they had changed it after I'm gone."
Aiba didn't say something further, he played with the compass in his right hand and averted his gaze away from Ohno.
"Do you know your target?" he asked.
"Yeah," Ohno nodded. He fastened his fist and bit his lower lip. He had to murder Sho – his own friend. Sho was the son of the veteran commander of their force, they were friends since they were teenagers, they were rivals, but it didn’t stop them from being friends.
***
"Satoshi, don’t forget your lucky charm," Jun handed him something which covered in a small pouch. "Always come back home safely."
"Thanks, Jun," Ohno flashed a smile at the taller man.
"Do you know that Sho kun was promoted to the captain?"
"I heard," Ohno nodded.
"But, the council thought that you are a better candidate."
"I particularly don't want that position so badly."
Jun pouted, but then he nodded. "It's not easy to become a captain, besides, you will have less time for me."
Ohno chuckled and caressed Jun's cheek, "I'd rather stay here with you."
Jun leaned closer and rested his head on Ohno's shoulder. It was a rare shiny evening where they could sit relaxingly and enjoy the sunset.
"Have you imagined a better world? With no more war, where we can sit like this every day?"
"Maybe that time will come, someday," Ohno said while brushing his fingers to Jun's curly hair. "We'll live in a remote area and make vegetables."
"That sound tiring," Jun laughed.
"So, how's your transfer? the sniper thing." Ohno asked.
"They probably won't let me join," Jun shrugged. "The headquarter doesn't want a new analyst to replace me."
"It's because you're the best," Ohno said.
"When I become a sniper, would you let me join your platoon?" Jun asked.
"No. Because I will lay my eyes on you all the time instead of the enemy."
Jun pinched his nose and both of them laughed. They drew their face closer and Jun's lips met his. That was the last time they spent a peaceful evening before Ohno went for the mission which ended with his punishment. Someone had played dirty and got rid of him silently.
***
"Ohno kun, where are you going?" Nino chased him as he left the house.
"I'll visit a friend," he answered.
Nino looked at him with a strange look as if knowing that he was lying.
"Can I go with you?"
Ohno put his hand on the top of Nino's head and smiled at the kid.
"Maybe next time."
Nino circled his little hands around Ohno's waist and cried.
"Hey, it's okay," Ohno squatted and hugged him. "I'll be back."
"Promise?"
"Promise," he said, patting Nino's shoulder and wiped the kid's cheeks with his normal hand.
"I'll be very mad at you if you're not coming back."
Ohno smiled and nodded.
"You can mad at me anytime."
They waved goodbye and Ohno's heart turned heavy. He would never meet that kid anymore or Aiba who wished him good luck with a bitter face. He would go to his former home, which now felt so strange. He covered his head with the hood of his cloak and walked in silent.
He hid his robotic arm when he passed the village to avoid the people's eyes. It was already close to his headquarter, but it felt different when he took another path.
He took a rest under the oak tree and checked his compass. It was the right direction, he and Sho often escaped headquarter to play to another village when they were young.
Ohno had no intention to murder Sho, he just wanted to meet Jun whatever it took. He didn't care whether he would be killed after meeting that man.
When he entered the secret tunnel, it was easier than what he thought. Not mentioning that there were cameras in some points. Ohno had known where they put the security cameras, so it wasn't that hard to avoid them.
He prepared his long weapon and checked his surroundings. It would be an unfortunate to start a fight this early, but Ohno prepared for the worst.
The dark trees hid him well as he walked on the path, he could see the back building where they kept the weapon stocks. There were two soldiers guarded the entrance, they leaned their heads on their weapon while talking. Never thought that there was a man stood a few meters behind them, ready to infiltrate the building illegally.
Ohno slowly passed the building and finally he saw the headquarter which looked like a small hill in the middle of the area. It was built high in order to check on the approaching enemies. Ohno imagined where Jun was; maybe he was writing the report for the day. Did he know that Ohno was just a few hundred meters from where he sat, hoping to see him so badly?
He reached the higher ground and climbed silently before a cold metal touched his neck.
"I've been waiting," a voice said.
Ohno turned his head to his left side and saw Sho, grinning between amusements and concerned.
"I'm impressed that you made this far," he said again.
"Sho," Ohno mumbled. He couldn’t tell, but there was something different with how Sho grinned. It looked rather superior as if he had just gotten the victory. Ohno hoped he only imagined it.
"I know you want to meet him," Sho said. "I'll take you to him. Come on."
Sho didn't look sincere, but Ohno had no choice for now. He could beat Sho in a second and choke him to death, but if he did that, the chance to meet Jun would be zero.
"They thought you were dead," Sho said as they walked through the hidden path towards the basement where they could enter the building from. "But, I believe that you managed to survive."
"Someone inserted painkillers inside my pouch," Ohno answered.
"That's very lucky for you," Sho commented, glancing at his robotic right arm. "Nice arm."
"Was that your plan?" Ohno asked. "Did you know that they would punish me that night and you managed to help me?"
"I don't know," Sho shrugged.
"The only thing I know, that you failed to accomplish the mission and the captain decided to abandon you."
Ohno looked at his friend with doubt.
"Did Jun know that I was kicked out?"
“Perhaps,” Sho shrugged and turned right all of a sudden. “Jun is a sniper now.”
Ohno stopped his steps and looked at Sho’s back. Jun was a sniper; finally, he could realize his dream. Did he go on a mission? Did he wear those cool costumes?
Sho turned at him and gave him a code to follow him.
“If we stay any longer, they’ll know there is an intruder here,” he whispered.
“So, I’m an intruder now?”
Sho didn’t reply to that and continued his steps ahead. Ohno followed him in silence; he didn’t remember the basement path was this long. Sho finally stopped and led him into a narrower hole where they had to crawl. It was the air-pipe where they could see the rooms below them.
“Here he is,” Sho gestured to the room below him. Ohno followed Sho’s sight and finally saw the man he had been missing all the time. He gulped; Jun looked so different compared with the last time he saw him. He had more muscles; his long curly hair was gone, replaced by the short and black one. He was talking to a man beside him, but Ohno couldn’t hear what they said.
“He would be a lieutenant soon,” Sho said.
Ohno smiled weakly and averted his gaze from Jun’s figure to Sho’s face. He wasn’t sure that meeting Jun was the right thing to do. The man looked happy and had already moved on from his old self. It seemed that he didn’t mind Ohno’s absence.
“I believe that your purpose of coming here isn’t just for this small talk,” Sho said after a while of silence.
“I’m here to say goodbye,” Ohno mumbled.
“What a romantic.”
Ohno extended his robotic arm to Sho’s neck, “And I’m here to murder you,” he continued.
“I see,” Sho said. “So, you are the assassin that everyone is talking about. I never thought that you will lower your grade that bad. But, I have to warn you that nobody can escape this place alive if they’re an unwanted intruder, Jun would make sure that they are killed.”
Ohno loosened his grip and returned his attention at Jun.
“I don’t care about it anymore.”
And he broke the pipe with his robotic arm. He grabbed Sho’s hand and held him as a hostage as they jumped into the meeting room where Jun and another man was still talking a few seconds ago.
Both of them pointed their gun at Ohno and Sho, but Jun soon recognized him. His eyes widened in surprised as he saw Ohno.
“Satoshi,” he whispered, but he still pointed the gun at him.
“Jun,” Ohno said, “You look good on that outfit.”
Jun’s expression was stiff; Ohno could read there were unspoken rules which cuffed him. Jun’s eyes showed the confusion, he looked at Sho whose expression couldn’t be seen. Ohno moved his robotic arm to Sho’s neck and choked him, but it wasn’t hard enough.
“I’m here to say goodbye,” Ohno said to Jun. “That’s all.”
“You’re not accepted here anymore,” Jun said. His voice trembled.
“Just shoot him,” Sho said as Ohno fastened his grip on his neck.
Ohno knew there was no way out from here and he felt so stupid for coming here. Jun had become a totally different man; he should have listened to Aiba and declined the offer.
“Let go of Sho,” Jun finally lowered his gun. “We’ll let you live and go back to wherever you belong to.”
“My mission is to finish him,” Ohno replied, letting Sho breathless under his arm.
The man beside Jun moved his finger to the trigger, but Jun gave him a code to hold it.
“All of us were vowed to stay loyal to the force, I have no choice,” Jun said, shaking his head.
“Jun, just shoot him. You know what await us if we let him escape,” Sho whispered.
Ohno gripped Sho’s neck harder and let the man gasp for air before something hit his chest. He fell down on his knees and saw the blood streamed down from his wounded chest.
Jun had shot him.
The strange coldness surrounded his body, his sight went blur, but he could see Jun’s figure, standing tall a few meters from him. Jun approached him and squatted beside him, he mumbled something, but Ohno couldn’t hear it since the pain started to take over. He sank into the darkness; the last thing he saw was Jun’s glistening eyes.
***
“We couldn’t brainwash him while he’s fully alive,” the leader of the analyst center explained. “It would be a waste if we let him go.”
Jun looked at the figure inside the cooling box where he was kept. His heart ached, but if he didn’t do that, he would never be able to meet Ohno again – perhaps it was the best way.
“So, why we need to kick him before?” he asked.
“Well, the commander has some points on that and he wants Ohno back. Not as a normal one, though,” Toma answered.
“Would he remember everything?” Jun asked again, averting his gaze away from Ohno’s frozen face.
“Let’s see when we wake him up,” Toma gave him a weak smile.
Jun looked at Ohno once again before leaving the laboratory center. He knew it was cruel and unfair, but that was an order and a soldier like him had no right to against it. He walked away to the spot where he and Ohno used to watch the sunset. Maybe, if he was lucky, they could watch it together again.
THE END
a/n: Insipred by Mets CM, Ohno is the coolest there. I always love that stoic side of him :))
Isn't he look like the coolest guy on earth?? *sorry, I'm so biased
