[Arashi] Endless Game
Jun. 2nd, 2013 11:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
neko_kirin3104Title: Endless Game
Group/Pairing: Arashi/Yama Pair (Ohno/Sho)
Prompt: Magic carpet
Word Count: 3375
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Angst/Fluff
Summary: What comes next in the natural order of things?
Disclaimer: I own nobody. Purely fictional, of course. :3
Notes: Inspired by a prompt from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
rainbowfilling, this article from sakura-daikon, and the super kakkoii song, Endless Game.
It was never their intention to come this far.
Honestly, until now they still can’t believe it’s even possible.
They never really thought about things enough to realize they’ve been heading down this road.
That they would eventually find themselves right here, at this inevitable conclusion.
Two men forced by fate to face yet another significant turning point in their lives.
Together.
Julie-san will undoubtedly have a fit when she finds out.
But Johnny-san has promised to take care of things if it ever comes down to that.
Satoshi Ohno flinches just a little as an unsurprisingly cold grip clutches his trembling hand.
He turns to the guy standing beside him and smiles, mouthing out a soundless, “It’s all right,” as he tightens his own grip around the hand that feels just as tensed as his.
Sho Sakurai meets his gaze and tries to smile back, but the fear clearly reflected in those round, expressive eyes almost crashes his heart.
Maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all...
One look was all it took, and I knew.
Sho-chan and Leader.
They’ve always been connected in that special way that has always made me envious.
Slightly envious.
I may have admitted that to them once, perhaps jokingly.
And we may have all laughed about it.
Sho-chan shaking his head violently, screeching, “No! No! It's never been like that! What are you saying, Nino?!”
J patting his shoulder, assuring him with a teasing grin, “You know we’ll support the two of you no matter what, right?”
Aiba-shi cheering drunkenly, trying not to shoot sake out of his nose... failing hilariously at both.
And Leader... That old man.
He just kept quiet the whole time, acting like he never heard a thing.
Lost in his own little corner of the world where everything that complicated his modest existence just magically vanished for as long as he could ignore it.
And he’s really been serious about ignoring it for quite a long time.
Even though he responded appropriately to Sho-chan’s skinship.
Even though he would often initiate one himself.
He kept ignoring the essence, the implications of his actions, his words.
He deliberately shut his mind to the fact that Sho-chan was falling for him.
Falling for him hard.
Sho Sakurai is just too easy to read sometimes.
There isn’t really a lot his face can hide.
Maybe that’s also the reason why, among the five of us, he very rarely engaged in fanservice.
Thinking that if he did it with us, it’d look forced anyway.
So why bother much, right?
And if he did it with Leader, it just might reveal too much—
And Leader would end up responding—
And he would end up falling all over again.
A viciously unhealthy cycle that almost always ended the same way...
With the conflicted Sho-chan trying his best to detach himself from all his Leader-feels by acting as manly as he could—which isn’t really saying much.
And the impassive old man, just letting things run their course.
Sometimes even flirting with somebody else, probably to amuse himself.
Or distract himself with a safer target—
A doubtlessly straight man, like J.
I could count in the fingers of one hand the number of times Leader had actually made an effort to reach out to Sho-chan.
Both times I had to practically blackmail him into doing it, just so Sho-chan could stop acting out and embarrassing himself more than usual.
Leader had the willingness to do it on his own, I could tell.
But if I just left things to him, they’d both be 80 and withered by the time he actually grew some spine to pull Sho-chan back to reality.
On most days, Sho-chan himself would snap out of his self-imposed scorn and approach Leader normally.
Like he hadn’t just given the old man the cold shoulders for weeks.
They’ve been dancing around each other like this.
Sometimes, it’s amusing watching them at it.
Most times, it just annoys the hell out of me!
I’ve never known two people who have obviously always been into each other, lasting through a courtship period of more than a decade.
But no matter how hard they tried to ignore it...
No matter how many times they tried to turn their backs on it...
In the end, the uncontested truth would always pull them right back to each other—
Surviving without the other has now become unavoidably impossible.
I guess, I’ve always really known it’ll come to this.
That the two of them will have to face the music eventually.
Whatever the outcome—
No matter the consequences—
It sucks being in-love, ne?
They’ve been here half an hour already.
Now sitting side by side on the luxurious leather couch in the middle of the expansive office.
Their hearts thumping in perfect sync to the odd combination of anxiety and enthusiasm that filled their hearts the moment they stepped into this place.
Nobody else is here.
At least, not yet.
They’re actually beginning to doubt anybody will even come in the first place.
He hears the younger guy sigh beside him.
He pats the hand still locked in his tight grip and whispers, “It’s all right, Sho-chan...”
Sho leans his head on his shoulder and sighs again. “I know, but...”
“We’re together,” he insists in a voice that barely made it past his lips.
“We’re together,” he says again, his tone low and doubtful, but warm and loving nonetheless. “That’s all that matters, ne?”
Leader and Sho-kun—
I guess I should’ve seen it coming.
But I’ve deliberately blinded myself to it, the same way that Leader did.
Weren’t it all supposed to be a joke, to begin with?
Something to tease about? To laugh about?
Something that wasn’t supposed to be real—?
The thought of my bandmates being gay did make me feel uncomfortable.
It couldn’t be helped.
And I definitely would never have expected it from those two.
Nino, maybe.
But that guy’s always just fooling around anyway.
But Leader and Sho-kun?
I should’ve really seen it coming...
After all, we did West Side Story together all those years ago.
Although I didn’t share a dressing room with them, we did talk and interact outside of the play whenever we could.
I never did realize something had changed between them until Nino and Aiba came to watch, and we all gathered in Leader’s room afterwards to drink and chat.
I had already changed out of my character’s clothes.
But for some reason, Sho-kun and Leader were still dressed and made up as Tony and Riff.
“It’s so we don’t fall asleep instantly, ne, Satoshi-kun?”
I didn’t really notice it the first time.
To think that we’ve been together for weeks now.
I should’ve been the first to notice, right?
It was Nino’s exaggerated gasp that subsequently brought the eerie silence.
We all glanced at the two of them, and both looked back at us, curious and oblivious to what had just happened.
Nino broke the tension himself by clapping his hands and joking, “Ah, we’ve already reached that level, huh?”
“Arashi’s really cool, ne?” Aiba followed up with an enthusiastic chant.
I nodded and smiled teasingly, “Ne?”
“What? What level?” Sho-kun sputtered, looking so genuinely confused I almost ended up laughing madly in my semi-intoxication.
“The Satoshi-kun Level,” Nino retorted, frowning from one clueless man to the other. “Or is that something exclusive between you and Leader?”
Sho-kun went red instantly. Leader just calmly tipped his beer bottle to his mouth.
Feeling it was all right to laugh at this point, I just let it rip.
Aiba started laughing, too.
Then, Nino, muffling his snorts in the nook of his elbow.
But I stopped instantly the moment I heard the mumbled exchange between those two.
“I’m sorry... I’m sorry...” Sho-kun, with his head bowed low.
“It’s all right,” Leader, giving the other’s hand a gentle pat. “It’s about time you start calling me that anyway, I think...”
It was an acknowledgement.
An acknowledgement so vague I couldn’t quite figure out what to do with it.
So I just cleared my throat and gulped more beer.
Hoping I’d forget about all this in the morning.
“Tony and Riff, huh?” Nino was saying, but I was hardly listening anymore.
“I wonder what would Maria think?”
Eight years.
From the ‘Satoshi-kun Level’, it took that long for them to get to this point.
After all the skirting around they did.
After trying to ignore it for so long.
Here they are, finally at ease with their feelings.
Facing another turning point in their lives—
For a long time, I convinced myself it was nothing but a joke.
Something to tease and laugh about.
But it was just my own sanity I wanted to protect.
Somehow, watching the interactions between the two of them through all these years has made me realize it isn’t really about being gay.
That labels don’t really have anything to do with anything.
It’s really about finding someone who can make you laugh.
Someone who can draw the strain out of a long work day with a perfectly timed punchline.
Or an unintentional clumsiness.
Someone who can bring out the best in everything you do with a genuine smile.
A silent look of assurance.
A gentle pat on the shoulder.
Sometimes, even a hug.
And a kiss—
I’ve seen them do all these things to and for each other.
They become rather careless when they think nobody else is around.
One time, I even had to stand guard outside the greenroom to keep anybody from walking in on them accidentally.
Supportive, much?
Well, yeah.
I guess you could say I’ve grown quite fond of the idea.
If you could only see how these two are around each other beyond the fanservice on stage, I doubt you’d feel any different.
Leader and Sho-kun—
It may have taken them longer to accept it than the three of us did.
But the important thing is that, they’re finally here.
We’ve always joked about it being all right.
I guess jokes really are more than half-meant sometimes.
These two belong together.
There’s just no other way around it—
I’m sure even Maria would agree...
It’s been close to an hour.
The tension is just about to choke the life out of them.
Along with the confidence they’ve spent most of the morning building up together.
What’s taking those guys so long anyway?
They should’ve been here half an hour ago!
“Maybe they changed their minds,” Sho mumbles, obviously losing hope.
Satoshi pulls the younger guy closer in a reassuring embrace. “They will come.”
“We can’t do this on our own, Satoshi.” Sho’s voice sounds pitchy with desperation.
“We shouldn’t even be here in the first place.”
“They will come,” he says again, trying to keep his voice steady, certain.
“And if not?” Sho looks into his eyes, fearful and lost.
“Then, we’ll manage somehow, ne?” He feels a sudden surge of hope in his heart. He reaches a hand to pat his partner’s cheek and smiles. “We’ve been through a lot worse, haven’t we?”
Sho lowers his gaze as a small, shaky smile begins to form on his lips. “Satoshi... I—”
They both fall silent, their breaths hitching in sync as the door clicks open...
Arashi is great in a lot of ways, ne?
Making people happy. Bringing everyone closer together.
Creating a storm throughout the world...
I am the happiest whenever the five of us are together.
It’s obvious, isn’t it?
Arashi really means a lot to me.
Arashi means a lot to all of us.
So, when I learned that it’s what’s been keeping Sho-chan and Leader from truly being together, I felt sad.
It should never be like this.
Arashi’s supposed to bring rainbows and happiness into people’s lives, ne?
So why was it causing such gloom and dread to its own members?
Even though we kept telling them we’d support them no matter what...
Even if we’re trying our bestest to cover up for them whenever they become careless...
No matter how hard we try to keep them together whenever they become stupid and want to stay apart...
It just wasn’t enough—
We can only do so much, I guess.
And they knew that.
And it had kept an unbreakable wall between them for a very long time.
So I decided to really talk to Leader about it during our tenth year anniversary tour.
Well, I didn’t really decide on it initially, but things just led to the perfect opportunity somehow.
Just the two of us chatting over a few bottles of beer in his room.
Talking about random things.
Crying over Arashi.
And Leader crying even more over the subject of Sho-chan and him.
“It’s hopeless, Aiba-chan. I can’t do it anymore!”
The sight of our Leader sniffling like a little boy really broke my heart.
This weak side of him that I am betting nobody else have seen... it moved me.
And in tears, I tried to reassure him it’s okay to keep going.
That it’s okay to keep being happy with Sho-chan.
“We can protect you too, you know. So it’s all right.”
It calmed Leader somewhat, hearing that.
And our conversation became more relaxed afterwards.
Relaxed and drunken. And just a wee bit perverted deeper into the night—
“Have you two done it?” I couldn’t help being curious.
“Huh?”
“You know... That.”
“No way!” I was afraid Leader would choke on his own squeak.
“Maa, Leader. You’ll eventually have to do it, you know.”
He became quiet, thinking it over. Or trying to drown the idea with more beer.
I couldn’t really tell which.
It just amused me to see him all embarrassed over it.
Man, had they been depriving themselves for ten years?!
“If we do it...” Leader began to say thoughtfully and more to himself than to me. “If I ever do it with Sho-kun... It’ll make it official, ne?”
Nino was right in saying these two had been stuck in the courtship period all this time—
(And they call me slow!)
“I’d probably even start calling him Sho-chan then...”
I was drunk, but those words somehow got stuck in my head.
Leader sounded sleepy, but I felt like he meant what he said.
That he would only do it with Sho-chan when it felt right.
Not because it had to happen, but because it’s the only thing that should happen next in the natural order of things—
So no one could blame me for being excited all by myself, ne, the first time I heard Leader say, “Sho-chan.”
Ah, these two!
They've done it already, huh?
They’ve finally embraced their true feelings.
It did take about a year from that conversation in the hotel room, though.
But if that’s how they want to go about things, then that’s all well and fine by me.
No matter what happens from this point forward, nothing will ever change.
My love for Arashi will never change.
Arashi itself will never change.
The order’s been distorted quite a bit.
But I guess there’s only one way to go about this now...
(Never mind that it took them another year to figure things out for themselves.
And they call me slow!)
Everything happens as if in a dream...
The younger members of Arashi came one after the other within the first half hour after they’ve almost given up.
And Johnny Kitagawa stepped into his own office about ten minutes before the hour changed.
Followed by a man, not much younger than he, with an affable face and pleasant smile that almost instantly put them all at ease.
It’s been two weeks since they told the President about it.
The decision coming from Satoshi and Sho themselves.
They all did talk about it in length, and in the end decided it was the best thing to do.
It would have been more troubling if the President were to find out about it from other sources.
Or worse, by accident.
So they all went to talk to the man.
Every one of them prepared for the worse.
Ready to defend their individual happiness with their lives—
But the worse came in such a form that none of them would’ve expected even in their most drunken states.
Nevertheless, it’s the kind of worse they would gladly take...
It was never their intention to come this far.
Who knew it could even be possible?
Fourteen years ago, they let themselves be swept into this old man’s crazy idea of sending them out into the world as an idol group with a Japanese name.
Fourteen years later, they find themselves back here, at this man’s mercy once again.
This old man insisting on an idea that’s both preposterous and logical to some degree, they can’t quite find it within themselves to refuse it.
If they’d have quit and never became Arashi, they would’ve missed out on the kind of happiness they share now.
One they now know they’ll never find anywhere else.
Nor with anybody else.
The first year that their paths crossed, they met each other many times without really looking.
Passed by each other in the halls of the agency with the barest of greetings.
He was just about to turn fifteen, and Sho Sakurai was the squeaky little thirteen-year-old kid newly accepted into Johnny’s roster of juniors.
It never did cross their young and innocent minds then that they’d eventually end up standing here, many years later...
Facing yet another turning point in their lives.
Together.
Anxious, but enthusiastic.
Doubtful and hopeful both at the same time—
The President introduces his companion to them and assures them of his discretion.
The man bows his head and starts explaining what’s about to come down today.
Its significance, as well as its flaws.
Of course, they all still think the President is unnecessarily making a big deal out of everything.
The fact that the old man accepted the matter so eagerly actually worried them more than if he’d thrown a fit and banned them from ever entering his house, his office, and the agency for good.
But Johnny Kitagawa has always been a strange man.
And they’ve just proven it themselves how he can be kind and generous to people who remain open to him.
Those who seek his advice before doing anything drastic.
They never really planned to do it this way, though.
And especially not in such unappealing street clothes.
But since the President said it should be done like this...
Since at the bottom of their hearts, Satoshi and Sho know this is what they would’ve wanted in a more accepting universe...
And since the younger members are really only in this for the sake of the older ones’ happiness—
They’ve willingly come here to let themselves be swept away by another one of this old man’s crazy ideas.
It’s something new and unheard of in Johnny’s.
Will never even be heard of, to begin with.
And how can they be sure they’ll be the first, anyway?
It may not feel like a completely good idea now.
They may not have the slightest idea how their lives will change after this.
It may not even mean anything more than a few signatures on a couple sheets of paper.
But being Arashi for the first time felt exactly like this.
And look where it’s gotten them now.
Maybe a few crazy ideas are what people need to truly be happy...
Satoshi turns a warm and loving gaze at his partner, hope gradually overcoming doubt.
Sho looks back at him with the same amount of love and warmth, and hope for a future that’s about to be sealed in a not-so-holy, but nonetheless sincere and meaningful union.
“Let’s do this,” Satoshi all but breathes out the words.
Sho nods and smiles widely. “Hn.”
Their hands tighten around each other as they approach the President’s table, the ever-so-supportive younger members following closely behind.
In fifteen years, they all hope to look back to this day and know they’ve made the right decision.
For now, they feel comforted enough by the fact that the old man did not suggest doing this in Hawaii—
Group/Pairing: Arashi/Yama Pair (Ohno/Sho)
Prompt: Magic carpet
Word Count: 3375
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Angst/Fluff
Summary: What comes next in the natural order of things?
Disclaimer: I own nobody. Purely fictional, of course. :3
Notes: Inspired by a prompt from
rainbowfilling, this article from sakura-daikon, and the super kakkoii song, Endless Game.“In our endless world, we play this game over and over again...”
—Endless Game, Arashi
[from the translation by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
yarukizero]
—Endless Game, Arashi
[from the translation by
yarukizero]∞•∞•∞•∞•∞
It was never their intention to come this far.
Honestly, until now they still can’t believe it’s even possible.
They never really thought about things enough to realize they’ve been heading down this road.
That they would eventually find themselves right here, at this inevitable conclusion.
Two men forced by fate to face yet another significant turning point in their lives.
Together.
Julie-san will undoubtedly have a fit when she finds out.
But Johnny-san has promised to take care of things if it ever comes down to that.
Satoshi Ohno flinches just a little as an unsurprisingly cold grip clutches his trembling hand.
He turns to the guy standing beside him and smiles, mouthing out a soundless, “It’s all right,” as he tightens his own grip around the hand that feels just as tensed as his.
Sho Sakurai meets his gaze and tries to smile back, but the fear clearly reflected in those round, expressive eyes almost crashes his heart.
Maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all...
∞•∞•∞•∞•∞
One look was all it took, and I knew.
Sho-chan and Leader.
They’ve always been connected in that special way that has always made me envious.
Slightly envious.
I may have admitted that to them once, perhaps jokingly.
And we may have all laughed about it.
Sho-chan shaking his head violently, screeching, “No! No! It's never been like that! What are you saying, Nino?!”
J patting his shoulder, assuring him with a teasing grin, “You know we’ll support the two of you no matter what, right?”
Aiba-shi cheering drunkenly, trying not to shoot sake out of his nose... failing hilariously at both.
And Leader... That old man.
He just kept quiet the whole time, acting like he never heard a thing.
Lost in his own little corner of the world where everything that complicated his modest existence just magically vanished for as long as he could ignore it.
And he’s really been serious about ignoring it for quite a long time.
Even though he responded appropriately to Sho-chan’s skinship.
Even though he would often initiate one himself.
He kept ignoring the essence, the implications of his actions, his words.
He deliberately shut his mind to the fact that Sho-chan was falling for him.
Falling for him hard.
Sho Sakurai is just too easy to read sometimes.
There isn’t really a lot his face can hide.
Maybe that’s also the reason why, among the five of us, he very rarely engaged in fanservice.
Thinking that if he did it with us, it’d look forced anyway.
So why bother much, right?
And if he did it with Leader, it just might reveal too much—
And Leader would end up responding—
And he would end up falling all over again.
A viciously unhealthy cycle that almost always ended the same way...
With the conflicted Sho-chan trying his best to detach himself from all his Leader-feels by acting as manly as he could—which isn’t really saying much.
And the impassive old man, just letting things run their course.
Sometimes even flirting with somebody else, probably to amuse himself.
Or distract himself with a safer target—
A doubtlessly straight man, like J.
I could count in the fingers of one hand the number of times Leader had actually made an effort to reach out to Sho-chan.
Both times I had to practically blackmail him into doing it, just so Sho-chan could stop acting out and embarrassing himself more than usual.
Leader had the willingness to do it on his own, I could tell.
But if I just left things to him, they’d both be 80 and withered by the time he actually grew some spine to pull Sho-chan back to reality.
On most days, Sho-chan himself would snap out of his self-imposed scorn and approach Leader normally.
Like he hadn’t just given the old man the cold shoulders for weeks.
They’ve been dancing around each other like this.
Sometimes, it’s amusing watching them at it.
Most times, it just annoys the hell out of me!
I’ve never known two people who have obviously always been into each other, lasting through a courtship period of more than a decade.
But no matter how hard they tried to ignore it...
No matter how many times they tried to turn their backs on it...
In the end, the uncontested truth would always pull them right back to each other—
Surviving without the other has now become unavoidably impossible.
I guess, I’ve always really known it’ll come to this.
That the two of them will have to face the music eventually.
Whatever the outcome—
No matter the consequences—
It sucks being in-love, ne?
∞•∞•∞•∞•∞
They’ve been here half an hour already.
Now sitting side by side on the luxurious leather couch in the middle of the expansive office.
Their hearts thumping in perfect sync to the odd combination of anxiety and enthusiasm that filled their hearts the moment they stepped into this place.
Nobody else is here.
At least, not yet.
They’re actually beginning to doubt anybody will even come in the first place.
He hears the younger guy sigh beside him.
He pats the hand still locked in his tight grip and whispers, “It’s all right, Sho-chan...”
Sho leans his head on his shoulder and sighs again. “I know, but...”
“We’re together,” he insists in a voice that barely made it past his lips.
“We’re together,” he says again, his tone low and doubtful, but warm and loving nonetheless. “That’s all that matters, ne?”
∞•∞•∞•∞•∞
Leader and Sho-kun—
I guess I should’ve seen it coming.
But I’ve deliberately blinded myself to it, the same way that Leader did.
Weren’t it all supposed to be a joke, to begin with?
Something to tease about? To laugh about?
Something that wasn’t supposed to be real—?
The thought of my bandmates being gay did make me feel uncomfortable.
It couldn’t be helped.
And I definitely would never have expected it from those two.
Nino, maybe.
But that guy’s always just fooling around anyway.
But Leader and Sho-kun?
I should’ve really seen it coming...
After all, we did West Side Story together all those years ago.
Although I didn’t share a dressing room with them, we did talk and interact outside of the play whenever we could.
I never did realize something had changed between them until Nino and Aiba came to watch, and we all gathered in Leader’s room afterwards to drink and chat.
I had already changed out of my character’s clothes.
But for some reason, Sho-kun and Leader were still dressed and made up as Tony and Riff.
“It’s so we don’t fall asleep instantly, ne, Satoshi-kun?”
I didn’t really notice it the first time.
To think that we’ve been together for weeks now.
I should’ve been the first to notice, right?
It was Nino’s exaggerated gasp that subsequently brought the eerie silence.
We all glanced at the two of them, and both looked back at us, curious and oblivious to what had just happened.
Nino broke the tension himself by clapping his hands and joking, “Ah, we’ve already reached that level, huh?”
“Arashi’s really cool, ne?” Aiba followed up with an enthusiastic chant.
I nodded and smiled teasingly, “Ne?”
“What? What level?” Sho-kun sputtered, looking so genuinely confused I almost ended up laughing madly in my semi-intoxication.
“The Satoshi-kun Level,” Nino retorted, frowning from one clueless man to the other. “Or is that something exclusive between you and Leader?”
Sho-kun went red instantly. Leader just calmly tipped his beer bottle to his mouth.
Feeling it was all right to laugh at this point, I just let it rip.
Aiba started laughing, too.
Then, Nino, muffling his snorts in the nook of his elbow.
But I stopped instantly the moment I heard the mumbled exchange between those two.
“I’m sorry... I’m sorry...” Sho-kun, with his head bowed low.
“It’s all right,” Leader, giving the other’s hand a gentle pat. “It’s about time you start calling me that anyway, I think...”
It was an acknowledgement.
An acknowledgement so vague I couldn’t quite figure out what to do with it.
So I just cleared my throat and gulped more beer.
Hoping I’d forget about all this in the morning.
“Tony and Riff, huh?” Nino was saying, but I was hardly listening anymore.
“I wonder what would Maria think?”
Eight years.
From the ‘Satoshi-kun Level’, it took that long for them to get to this point.
After all the skirting around they did.
After trying to ignore it for so long.
Here they are, finally at ease with their feelings.
Facing another turning point in their lives—
For a long time, I convinced myself it was nothing but a joke.
Something to tease and laugh about.
But it was just my own sanity I wanted to protect.
Somehow, watching the interactions between the two of them through all these years has made me realize it isn’t really about being gay.
That labels don’t really have anything to do with anything.
It’s really about finding someone who can make you laugh.
Someone who can draw the strain out of a long work day with a perfectly timed punchline.
Or an unintentional clumsiness.
Someone who can bring out the best in everything you do with a genuine smile.
A silent look of assurance.
A gentle pat on the shoulder.
Sometimes, even a hug.
And a kiss—
I’ve seen them do all these things to and for each other.
They become rather careless when they think nobody else is around.
One time, I even had to stand guard outside the greenroom to keep anybody from walking in on them accidentally.
Supportive, much?
Well, yeah.
I guess you could say I’ve grown quite fond of the idea.
If you could only see how these two are around each other beyond the fanservice on stage, I doubt you’d feel any different.
Leader and Sho-kun—
It may have taken them longer to accept it than the three of us did.
But the important thing is that, they’re finally here.
We’ve always joked about it being all right.
I guess jokes really are more than half-meant sometimes.
These two belong together.
There’s just no other way around it—
I’m sure even Maria would agree...
∞•∞•∞•∞•∞
It’s been close to an hour.
The tension is just about to choke the life out of them.
Along with the confidence they’ve spent most of the morning building up together.
What’s taking those guys so long anyway?
They should’ve been here half an hour ago!
“Maybe they changed their minds,” Sho mumbles, obviously losing hope.
Satoshi pulls the younger guy closer in a reassuring embrace. “They will come.”
“We can’t do this on our own, Satoshi.” Sho’s voice sounds pitchy with desperation.
“We shouldn’t even be here in the first place.”
“They will come,” he says again, trying to keep his voice steady, certain.
“And if not?” Sho looks into his eyes, fearful and lost.
“Then, we’ll manage somehow, ne?” He feels a sudden surge of hope in his heart. He reaches a hand to pat his partner’s cheek and smiles. “We’ve been through a lot worse, haven’t we?”
Sho lowers his gaze as a small, shaky smile begins to form on his lips. “Satoshi... I—”
They both fall silent, their breaths hitching in sync as the door clicks open...
∞•∞•∞•∞•∞
Arashi is great in a lot of ways, ne?
Making people happy. Bringing everyone closer together.
Creating a storm throughout the world...
I am the happiest whenever the five of us are together.
It’s obvious, isn’t it?
Arashi really means a lot to me.
Arashi means a lot to all of us.
So, when I learned that it’s what’s been keeping Sho-chan and Leader from truly being together, I felt sad.
It should never be like this.
Arashi’s supposed to bring rainbows and happiness into people’s lives, ne?
So why was it causing such gloom and dread to its own members?
Even though we kept telling them we’d support them no matter what...
Even if we’re trying our bestest to cover up for them whenever they become careless...
No matter how hard we try to keep them together whenever they become stupid and want to stay apart...
It just wasn’t enough—
We can only do so much, I guess.
And they knew that.
And it had kept an unbreakable wall between them for a very long time.
So I decided to really talk to Leader about it during our tenth year anniversary tour.
Well, I didn’t really decide on it initially, but things just led to the perfect opportunity somehow.
Just the two of us chatting over a few bottles of beer in his room.
Talking about random things.
Crying over Arashi.
And Leader crying even more over the subject of Sho-chan and him.
“It’s hopeless, Aiba-chan. I can’t do it anymore!”
The sight of our Leader sniffling like a little boy really broke my heart.
This weak side of him that I am betting nobody else have seen... it moved me.
And in tears, I tried to reassure him it’s okay to keep going.
That it’s okay to keep being happy with Sho-chan.
“We can protect you too, you know. So it’s all right.”
It calmed Leader somewhat, hearing that.
And our conversation became more relaxed afterwards.
Relaxed and drunken. And just a wee bit perverted deeper into the night—
“Have you two done it?” I couldn’t help being curious.
“Huh?”
“You know... That.”
“No way!” I was afraid Leader would choke on his own squeak.
“Maa, Leader. You’ll eventually have to do it, you know.”
He became quiet, thinking it over. Or trying to drown the idea with more beer.
I couldn’t really tell which.
It just amused me to see him all embarrassed over it.
Man, had they been depriving themselves for ten years?!
“If we do it...” Leader began to say thoughtfully and more to himself than to me. “If I ever do it with Sho-kun... It’ll make it official, ne?”
Nino was right in saying these two had been stuck in the courtship period all this time—
(And they call me slow!)
“I’d probably even start calling him Sho-chan then...”
I was drunk, but those words somehow got stuck in my head.
Leader sounded sleepy, but I felt like he meant what he said.
That he would only do it with Sho-chan when it felt right.
Not because it had to happen, but because it’s the only thing that should happen next in the natural order of things—
So no one could blame me for being excited all by myself, ne, the first time I heard Leader say, “Sho-chan.”
Ah, these two!
They've done it already, huh?
They’ve finally embraced their true feelings.
It did take about a year from that conversation in the hotel room, though.
But if that’s how they want to go about things, then that’s all well and fine by me.
No matter what happens from this point forward, nothing will ever change.
My love for Arashi will never change.
Arashi itself will never change.
The order’s been distorted quite a bit.
But I guess there’s only one way to go about this now...
(Never mind that it took them another year to figure things out for themselves.
And they call me slow!)
∞•∞•∞•∞•∞
Everything happens as if in a dream...
The younger members of Arashi came one after the other within the first half hour after they’ve almost given up.
And Johnny Kitagawa stepped into his own office about ten minutes before the hour changed.
Followed by a man, not much younger than he, with an affable face and pleasant smile that almost instantly put them all at ease.
It’s been two weeks since they told the President about it.
The decision coming from Satoshi and Sho themselves.
They all did talk about it in length, and in the end decided it was the best thing to do.
It would have been more troubling if the President were to find out about it from other sources.
Or worse, by accident.
So they all went to talk to the man.
Every one of them prepared for the worse.
Ready to defend their individual happiness with their lives—
But the worse came in such a form that none of them would’ve expected even in their most drunken states.
Nevertheless, it’s the kind of worse they would gladly take...
It was never their intention to come this far.
Who knew it could even be possible?
Fourteen years ago, they let themselves be swept into this old man’s crazy idea of sending them out into the world as an idol group with a Japanese name.
Fourteen years later, they find themselves back here, at this man’s mercy once again.
This old man insisting on an idea that’s both preposterous and logical to some degree, they can’t quite find it within themselves to refuse it.
If they’d have quit and never became Arashi, they would’ve missed out on the kind of happiness they share now.
One they now know they’ll never find anywhere else.
Nor with anybody else.
The first year that their paths crossed, they met each other many times without really looking.
Passed by each other in the halls of the agency with the barest of greetings.
He was just about to turn fifteen, and Sho Sakurai was the squeaky little thirteen-year-old kid newly accepted into Johnny’s roster of juniors.
It never did cross their young and innocent minds then that they’d eventually end up standing here, many years later...
Facing yet another turning point in their lives.
Together.
Anxious, but enthusiastic.
Doubtful and hopeful both at the same time—
The President introduces his companion to them and assures them of his discretion.
The man bows his head and starts explaining what’s about to come down today.
Its significance, as well as its flaws.
Of course, they all still think the President is unnecessarily making a big deal out of everything.
The fact that the old man accepted the matter so eagerly actually worried them more than if he’d thrown a fit and banned them from ever entering his house, his office, and the agency for good.
But Johnny Kitagawa has always been a strange man.
And they’ve just proven it themselves how he can be kind and generous to people who remain open to him.
Those who seek his advice before doing anything drastic.
They never really planned to do it this way, though.
And especially not in such unappealing street clothes.
But since the President said it should be done like this...
Since at the bottom of their hearts, Satoshi and Sho know this is what they would’ve wanted in a more accepting universe...
And since the younger members are really only in this for the sake of the older ones’ happiness—
They’ve willingly come here to let themselves be swept away by another one of this old man’s crazy ideas.
It’s something new and unheard of in Johnny’s.
Will never even be heard of, to begin with.
And how can they be sure they’ll be the first, anyway?
It may not feel like a completely good idea now.
They may not have the slightest idea how their lives will change after this.
It may not even mean anything more than a few signatures on a couple sheets of paper.
But being Arashi for the first time felt exactly like this.
And look where it’s gotten them now.
Maybe a few crazy ideas are what people need to truly be happy...
Satoshi turns a warm and loving gaze at his partner, hope gradually overcoming doubt.
Sho looks back at him with the same amount of love and warmth, and hope for a future that’s about to be sealed in a not-so-holy, but nonetheless sincere and meaningful union.
“Let’s do this,” Satoshi all but breathes out the words.
Sho nods and smiles widely. “Hn.”
Their hands tighten around each other as they approach the President’s table, the ever-so-supportive younger members following closely behind.
In fifteen years, they all hope to look back to this day and know they’ve made the right decision.
For now, they feel comforted enough by the fact that the old man did not suggest doing this in Hawaii—
∞•∞•∞•∞•∞
We should continue towards the conclusion
Even if we can't see an answer there...
~1992*4##111~
Even if we can't see an answer there...
~1992*4##111~
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no subject
Date: 2013-06-02 04:36 am (UTC)LOL well, I loved this regardless. <3
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Date: 2013-06-22 02:04 am (UTC)Satoshi and Sho took Johnny's advice and got "sort-of" married. <--*wishful thinking* ^___^ ♥
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Date: 2013-06-02 06:16 am (UTC)and what's they signing? an agreement? a new contract? ^^a
could it be a marriage paper?? XD
thanks for this <3
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Date: 2013-06-22 02:12 am (UTC)I'm really glad the trio's thoughts were properly conveyed. And it was a marriage paper, though it'll only remain as that. It's up to them to make and keep it meaningful ^_^♥
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Date: 2013-06-02 09:27 am (UTC)You wrote some paragraphs from kaze's pov in between the story. That's really interesting! Eventhough I feel confused at first because the second 'I' is a different person from the first 'I' XD
Thank you for sharing! ❤
Oh, will you make a continuation from this fic? Because I actually really curious about what will happen to them after this (o´艸`)
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Date: 2013-06-22 02:18 am (UTC)Yes, that face can really tell a story with the littlest twitch. ^-^ I'm really glad the trio's thoughts were conveyed well, and I really apologize for the confusion. orz
A continuation? Hm, I'll keep this idea in mind. Thank you! ^__^
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Date: 2013-06-02 01:51 pm (UTC)and lol at aiba's bluntness haha
would you write a sequel for this? :3 just asking... :P
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Date: 2013-06-22 02:20 am (UTC)i will keep the idea of a sequel in mind. Thank you very much! //hugs
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Date: 2013-06-02 04:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-22 02:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-02 05:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-22 02:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-02 07:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-22 02:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-02 08:18 pm (UTC)Nice Yama, as always :)
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Date: 2013-06-22 02:31 am (UTC)I am really glad the kaze trio were able to convey their thoughts well and kept to their characters.
That truth does kind of have a bittersweet tone to it, ne? Arashi is really yasashii.<3
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Date: 2013-06-22 02:34 am (UTC)kaze lending their full support to yama is a lovely image, ne? and i've watched that episode! aiba-chan truly is a miracle boy. xDDD
Thank you very much! //hugs
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Date: 2013-06-03 11:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-22 02:46 am (UTC)I am really glad the trio kept to their characters. I don't often write in their povs, so this really makes me happy. ^_^
Yama pair wedding... nothing will make us happier, ne? <3<3<3
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Date: 2013-06-05 06:26 am (UTC)thank you for such a lovely piece!
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Date: 2013-06-22 02:50 am (UTC)They did. ^__^ ♥
And nobody's ever too old to be a flower girl, methinks. xD
Thank you very much for your lovely comment! //hugs <3
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Date: 2013-07-04 04:23 pm (UTC)Iie ne~~~~~~~~~~~~~♫
/making support flags for their "marriage"
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Date: 2013-07-19 02:11 am (UTC)Yama getting married will complete my life. Like I could just drop dead the minute they announce it! <3<3<3
Thank you very much~! //waves support flags with you
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Date: 2014-08-12 06:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-08-12 10:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-08-13 01:59 am (UTC)It's really nice to see different writing styles and the suspence build up of your story was good, too. ^^
Sorry for being too complicated in commenting xD
no subject
Date: 2014-08-16 08:26 pm (UTC)