Fast Forward. Rewind

[nilielh]

Title : Fast Forward. Rewind (Part 5)
Pairing : Ohno/Nino
Rating : PG
Summary : He’d been trying to uncover the truth about the events prior to their departure from Yamato for years, but all he could dig out from it was the same thing that had been reported repeatedly on national television, regarding the congregation’s involvement in the attack in Tokyo, and nothing more.
Warning : mentions of mass murder, religious cults
Note : crossposted in AO3

 

 

Yamato, Early Winter 1994

 

It was early still when Kazunari was woken up from sleep, to the unmistakable sound of their parents’ voices. Kazunari knew instantly that they were arguing. That should be enough to wake him up fully, but it was made easier by the feel of someone else’s hand covering his mouth, obviously to keep him quiet the moment he stirred awake.

 

Unsurprisingly, it was his sister.

 

He blinked through his confusion, shivering at the cold, eyes wide as he stared up at his sister in question.

 

“Shhh!” she hushed, helping him sit up with her hand still covering his mouth. Kazunari hummed in agreement and desperately pushed her hand away. “Fine, but you need to stay quiet, okay?” he nodded.

 

She took her hand back and Kazunari rubbed his eyes. He was tired, but his curiosity was winning over his desire to go back to sleep.

 

“Are they fighting?” Kazunari whispered. His sister tilted her head in answer before he saw her dropping on all fours and crawling towards the wooden sliding door. Kazunari followed, if only because he was curious, too.

 

She turned to him and lifted a finger to her lips. “Keep your voice down,”

 

“Alright, alright.”

 

“You think I don’t know?” their mother hissed, and it was evident in the way her voice sounded thin and faraway that she was doing it on purpose. Probably so they wouldn’t alarm the neighbors or wake their children.

 

Well obviously, it didn’t work.

 

“He’d ordered it before, he could do it again,” their mother followed as if she wasn’t actually waiting for their father to answer. “You think he would spare your own children? You think he would listen?”

 

“Keep your mouth shut. This is exactly what His Most Holiness means when he told us to be careful. We can’t let ourselves be ruled by our emotions. How many times do I have to explain this to you?” their father answered. Kazunari exchanged glances with his sister in quiet disbelief, not realizing he’d ended up gripping his sister’s hand as they listened.

 

Their mother sounded hysterical when she spoke again. “Can you even hear yourself right now? They are our children, for god’s sake!”

 

There was a pause, and what their father said next literally made the hairs at the back of Kazunari’s head stand on end, his reaction obviously mirrored that of his sister’s own.

 

“No, they’re not. Not anymore.”

 

+

 

Izumi-no-mori, Yamato

Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, Present day

 

Nino could tell something had gone terribly wrong.

 

Immediately after Jun had ended the call, he was calling Sada-sensei over, Tachibana-sensei following suit. Nino was certain there was some talking going on, Jun mostly doing the talking, and judging with the way both the lady lawyer and Jun’s boss were frowning, Nino was sure whatever it was had something to do with the call Jun received a few moments before. They were far enough for Nino to hear what Jun was saying, and Nino wondered if he could somehow get closer to them without Sada-sensei noticing but before he could, he realized Sada-sensei was barking out something that sounded suspiciously like ‘I’ll do it!’ before he turned around, fuming, and walking away.

 

Nino honestly wondered where he was going.

 

His curiosity propelled him to start walking, eyes glued on Jun’s back, but Jun turning completely around and walking briskly towards him prompted him to stop.

 

“What’s wrong with your boss?” Nino asked; Jun was frowning harder than usual and he looked frustrated, angry even.

 

“Pissed,” Jun muttered, just loud enough for Nino to hear. “Can’t blame him though,”

 

Nino frowned. “Why? What happened?”

 

“Apparently, there’s another law firm that was supposed to handle this case too. Madarame-san insists he has no idea about it. The phone call earlier, that was him. He wants us to talk to the firm’s representative to discuss a possible compromise or something. Obviously, Sada-sensei isn’t too happy about it.”

 

Nino chuckles. “You don’t look so happy about it either,” he muses.

 

“Obviously,” Jun snapped, looking like he was considering following Sada-sensei and also knowing he shouldn’t. “There’s no way it’s going to work, you know? It’s bad enough that I have to report everything to that grumpy, old pest, now there’s a possibility that I will have to work with other people too. I’m not looking forward to that, to be honest.”

 

Nino shrugs. “Well, it’s not decided yet, right? I’m sure your boss will be able to come up with something,” he says, jabbing a finger towards the direction Sada-sensei disappeared to. “He looks pretty determined though, if you ask me.”

 

Jun snorts. “If he can yell his way into convincing the other party to leave this matter to us, then he has my full support. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure things are only going to get complicated from here on,”

 

Nino frowned. He clearly had no idea what was happening, or how exactly the addition of another law firm to handle this matter was supposed to work, if it would somehow affect the way Jun and his team have plans on handling it, but judging with the way Jun was looking sour at the impending prospect of it, it was obvious that it would.

 

Nino’s concern, however, was entirely personal. He was here for a reason after all, and he had plans to get the information he needed even if it meant he had to play dirty to get it.

 

“I’m sure the other party thinks the same way,” he said, after a moment, hoping he sounded convincing at least. Well, it wouldn’t bode well for everyone involved if they were all going to act high and mighty, selfish even, because it was a no-brainer that this matter needed to be handled and watched carefully. Nino wished Jun would realize it soon enough.

 

“Otherwise, they wouldn’t try and talk it out with you guys first to settle the matter. I bet they’d just pop up in here and act as if they own the place, don’t you agree?”

 

Jun grimaced, but Nino was sure he was thinking about it. Typical of him, really, and the reaction made Nino smile, somehow.

 

“I know what you’re doing, Sensei,” Jun muttered drily a moment later; he still looked pissed but at least he wasn’t scowling anymore and Nino treated that as his win. “but you need to know this isn’t just about me disliking the idea of having more people to coordinate with, aside from the ones I already have to begin with, but it’s the annoying fact that having them around means I would have to be extra careful about what I do,”

 

Nino nodded, understanding exactly what Jun was trying to say. He didn’t have to be a lawyer to know what Jun meant, really.

 

“And I’m certain that’s not going to be a problem, Miyama-sensei,” he said with a grin, “We both know how to be careful, after all,”

 

Jun chuckled and shook his head but decided not to say anything. Nino didn’t need him to. He trusted Jun to know how important this was for him, and that was that. Jun’s silence was answer enough.

 

----

 

The turnover of the remains was, at the very least, smooth sailing, compared to the predicament Jun’s team was currently experiencing. And Nino knew better than to attract attention to himself, so despite the urge to walk around and observe the way the remains were being carefully transferred to the Tokyo Medical University’s waiting vehicle, he’d simply resigned himself to stay where he was and observed in silence.

 

Sada-sensei had yet to return, and Nino wondered if he would make it back before the final ones made their way to the hospital’s waiting van, but his thoughts halted when he saw the older lawyer’s car approaching. It pulled over on the same spot he’d parked his car earlier, killed the engine and pushed the driver side door open before he stepped out.

 

Surprisingly, another person stepped out from the passenger’s side door. This person followed Sada-sensei out, then walked confidently next to him as the older lawyer made his way from his car to where his colleagues were.

 

Jun was in the middle of discussing something with one of the Yamato locals, probably the same people who’d found the grave, when Sada-sensei approached. Nino watched as Jun turned to acknowledge Sada-sensei’s presence, vaguely tilting his head towards the other man standing next to his boss.

 

Introductions obviously happened after that, and Nino felt slightly ticked at the way Jun was eyeing the newcomer critically, staring openly and effectively embarrassing Sada-sensei in the process. The sight made Nino snicker despite himself.

 

Eyeing the newcomer himself, Nino frowned. He was certain the man looked familiar; he just couldn’t place where he’d seen him. As if on cue, his phone started vibrating in his pocket; he retrieved it, still frowning at the man Sada-sensei brought along with him. When he checked, he realized someone was calling. It was Aiba.

 

“Yeah?” he answered, once the call was connected.

 

On the other end, Aiba sounded breathless, as if he’d been running. Nino found himself frowning, confused and equal-parts worried.

 

“Ni – I mean Sensei, where are you?”

 

Nino felt entirely justified to roll his eyes at that; obviously, Aiba was not in any life threatening situation, otherwise, he wouldn’t be correcting himself in the middle of talking.

 

“Hello to you too, Detective-san. Nice of you to call me while you’re supposedly working, or, are you not?”

 

Aiba huffed and made that breathy sound that made Nino snort in answer. “Of course I’m working, when do I never? Anyway, enough about me. Tell me where you are right now, since you’re obviously not in the hospital.”

 

Nino frowned at that. “How did you know I’m not in the hospital?”

 

“Because I’m here right now, that’s why,” Aiba countered, “So, where are you? I called Sho-chan and he also has no idea where you are. I was also calling Hiro-chan but he’s not answering my calls!”

 

“He left his phone at home,”

 

“What?” Aiba said, then, “How did you – oh, are you with him? Oh my god, you are,”

 

Nino chuckled. “So what if I am?”

 

There was a pause then, before Aiba was speaking again. “He was supposed to be in Yamato today,” Aiba said, his voice barely higher than a whisper. “Does that mean you went with him there?”

 

Nino swallowed through lump in his throat. “It’s okay, Aiba-shi. I’m safe, there’s nothing for you to worry about, okay?” he said.

 

“You don’t know that,” Aiba countered, and this time he did sound – scared?

 

“Detective-san, nothing bad will happen to me, I promise you that. I’m with our lawyer friend, you know? He will not let anything happen to me or else Sho-san will make sure –“

 

“Then he’s probably in danger too!” Aiba grits, effectively cutting him off.

 

His fingers gripping his phone began to shake. “What – What do you mean?”

 

Aiba inhaled noisily from the other end, before letting it out in the same breath. “Someone came to the station earlier, looking for me,” Aiba started, his voice sounded shaky that Nino found himself holding his own breath. “But he specifically asked for Aiba Masaki instead of my adopted name,”

 

A part of Nino perked up despite of the looming danger. “You think it could be one of the leader’s close followers? Did you get a good look at him?” he asked, hopeful. What if…what if it was someone else? What if…it’s Ohno?

 

“Yes, and before you ask if it’s Oh-chan, no, Sensei, it wasn’t. He said his name was Serizawa Go-san, a lawyer. He said he’s from this law firm, wait, he gave me a card,” Aiba paused here and the sound of shuffling soon followed. “Here it is. It says here Naruse and Associates.”

 

“Naruse?” Nino asked, frowning hard. He heard that name before, he was sure of it.

 

“Yes,”

 

He inhaled harshly, eyes darting back to the man Jun and Sada-sensei was talking to at the moment.

 

“Send me his number. I’ll call him,”

 

“What? Are you crazy?” Aiba hissed, “You don’t even know who this guy is and why he’s looking for us. And before you do anything, let me tell you that this Serizawa guy wasn’t only looking for me, he was looking for all of us. You, your sister, me and Jun-chan!”