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Fast Forward. Rewind
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
Ohno was already waiting for him at the rooftop when he’d finally gotten the chance to sneak out of the house, seizing the opportunity while his mother was busy in the kitchen, cooking lunch. Thankfully, his father had left right after the argument he had with Kazunari’s mother early that morning, although Kazunari had no idea whether his father was supposed to be home for lunch today or not.
“I got your message,” Ohno was muttering the second Kazunari was close enough to hear him, hands finding Kazunari’s wrist to tug him closer. “I went here as soon as the men guarding our floor left for lunch. Kazu, what’s wrong?”
Kazunari swallowed past the lump that lodged itself in his throat and looked up, found himself unable to say anything as Ohno stared him down.
“Kazu, you’re scaring me,” Ohno murmured, and judging with the way his fingers tightened marginally around Kazunari’s wrist, it was clear that he wasn’t just saying it. “Come on, talk to me. I won’t be able to help you if you don’t talk to me, you know that, right?”
Kazunari shook his head; he couldn’t imagine the implication of what both he and his sister have heard earlier while their parents were arguing, but it would be stupid of him to just ignore it. After all, it wasn’t like he could pretend not to know what was going on, and even if he wanted to, he couldn’t.
“My sister and I heard our parents arguing this morning,” he started, biting back the urge to cry. “We couldn’t hear what they were talking about very clearly, but I swear it was about the children. And the leader’s possible involvement in the children’s disappearance,” he muttered, voice shaking something bad.
The look on Ohno’s face told Kazunari this was not something they ought to take lightly. “What exactly did you hear? Do you remember?” Ohno asked.
Kazunari pursed his lips. “Just the part where my mother clearly said something about the leader ordering it before and thus he could do it again. And the part where she told my father she was worried we wouldn’t be spared, my sister and I, their own children.” he added.
“What did your father say?” Ohno prompted when Kazunari fell quiet. “Kazu, what did your father say? Do you remember what he said?” he nodded hesitantly. Ohno’s hands moved to his forearms and held on to steady him. “Can you tell me?”
When he didn’t answer, Ohno shook him gently, one hand reaching up to cup Kazunari’s cheek.
“Kazu, please?”
Kazunari breathed hard through his nose and nodded. “I’m certain I heard him say we aren’t his children anymore.”
Ohno only gave himself a brief moment to let it sink in before Kazunari realized he was being tugged into the other boy’s arms, feeling Ohno’s warm body shaking against his own.
----
“What was that?” Kazunari frowned as he tried to make sense of what Ohno was saying.
Ohno exhaled harshly as he settled on the cold, concrete floor, leaning on his back against the railing. It was midday but the cold was enough for Nino to reconsider following Ohno to sit there on the floor next to him, too, but decided to brave the consequences if it meant he could borrow Ohno’s warmth anyway.
“I said that if it will happen again, it won’t be anytime soon,” Ohno explained, scooting a little bit to his right to give Kazunari some space to squeeze himself next to Ohno, their arms and thighs touching. “I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing, trying to explain this to you but I guess I have no other choice. It’s not like you have no idea what is happening anyway, because you were with me when they were hauling the bodies out of the building, right?”
Kazunari shivered at the memory, and nodded. “I guess it’s not really a secret, huh? Everyone obviously knows about it,”
Ohno shook his head. “I can’t say for certain,” he said, “But I’m guessing most of the old members have to know about it, and even condone it in the long run. I mean, they would have to, at some point.”
“What do you mean?”
“My father explained it to me once before that sacrifices are expected from members who were asked or have volunteered to be part of the leader’s inner circle. To prove themselves worthy of the position,” Ohno said.
Kazunari frowned. It made sense, somehow, given the way his father had reacted when Kazunari’s mother had mentioned it. A part of Kazunari was sure that was exactly the reason why his father had been acting the way he did, why he’d said the things he’d said.
“So, you’re saying that it’s possible that my father would…would allow myself and my sister to be sacrificed just to prove himself to the leader?”
Ohno nodded. “Looks like he’s preparing for it,” Ohno whispered, as he turned to face Kazunari. There was a tightness in Kazunari’s chest that made everything hurt hearing that, vaguely feeling Ohno’s hands taking both Kazunari’s cold ones in his.
“So, that means we have to get you and your sister out of here before the trial begins.”
+
Izumi-no-mori, Yamato
Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, Present day
“Detective-san, breathe. Breathe. We need to be rational about these things, you understand? I know you’re worried, but you realize we can’t keep hiding forever. At some point, we have to get out of there and be brave enough to let everyone know who we really are. We can’t hide under these adopted names all our lives, you of all people should know that,”
There was a brief pause in which Nino only heard the sounds of Aiba’s ragged intake of breaths and he knew his friend was intently listening. They’ve talked about this too, once, long ago, and even though Aiba had disagreed back then, Nino was certain his friend knew he had a point. If it was just him, he’d rather live as Ninomiya Kazunari, but the circumstances didn’t allow him to.
He had his reasons, of course, and that mostly pointed towards Ohno finding him, at least if he was alive to do so. But since Nino hadn’t been using his own name for decades, hiding under this identity for his own safety, he knew that it could be hard. Then there was the possibility that Ohno didn’t make it out alive of Yamato, so Nino had been trying his very best to work on what he got just to follow the trail of the Yamato dwellers, hoping it would lead him to Ohno.
So far, the effort he’d put up into it hadn’t produced much result, enough to give him hope. But he wasn’t ready to give up yet. At least until he knew the identities of the remains buried in that grave.
“Fine, but I still don’t think it’s safe for you to talk to that lawyer on the phone,” Aiba murmured a little while later, probably when he was calm enough not to talk Nino’s ears off.
“What are you suggesting, then?”
“You want to talk to him, right?” Aiba said, “Then do it in person. Call him and set up an appointment with him,”
“Okay,” Nino agreed, but the suggestion felt kinda off, somehow. “Is there something else you need to add to that?”
Aiba cleared his throat. “Yes. Make sure you tell him it wouldn’t be just you and him. Because I’m coming with you, Sensei, whether you like it or not.”
Nino sighed and knew it would be easier, for himself especially, that he agreed. So he did. Aiba still sounded like he’d rather not deal with any of it, ever, but guessed he didn’t have a choice either.
He’d just ended the call when he saw Jun approaching, expression dark and gesturing with his mouth and hand, albeit subtly. Nino immediately sensed something had gone terribly wrong when, instead of going straight to him, Jun motioned with his hand and turned right, disappearing behind one of the tents that the local police had setup there for the time being. Nino swallowed the resurfacing panic down, breathed several times to calm himself. He took in the area, and when he was sure no one was openly watching, especially Jun’s colleagues, he made a quick decision and left his spot to follow where Jun had gone to.
He hadn’t even made it inside the tent properly when a shapely hand appeared and tugged him inside. It was Jun.
“Jun? What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost; god, are you okay?” he asked.
Jun pursed his lips, gazing at Nino like he was considering so many things all at once. He looked frightened, and as he grasped Nino’s hand to tug him closer, Nino was positive Jun was shaking too.
“What happened to you?”
“Did you see the man who came with Sada-sensei earlier?” Jun asked, tugging at Nino’s hand urgently. Nino nodded.
“Why? Who’s he?”
“Said his name is Serizawa Go-san, a lawyer from that firm I was telling you about earlier?”
Serizawa Go? That’s the name of the lawyer who’d gone to see Aiba earlier, right?
Nino swallowed past the uncertainty lodging in his throat and instead gave Jun a look. He could tell Jun about that information later, but for now, Nino had to know what that same person he and Aiba planned to talk to was here, of all places.
“Yeah, I guessed as much since he’d arrived here with your boss. So, what’s wrong? I thought the reason he’s here right now is because Sada-sensei already settled the matter with him?”
Jun shook his head. “Truthfully, that’s the least of my concerns right now,” he said, “I’m more concerned with the fact that he called me by my real name and told me that if we wanted answers, he is more than willing to provide it to us. And all we need to do is ask.”
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