Star-crossed [Chapter 1]
Title: Star-crossed
Author: Masuhisa
Pairing: Matsumiya
Summary: Based on Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Nino had been taught to hate his father’s other family. Up till now, he had done so, but what happens when he falls for the person who he had been made to abhor?
Disclaimer: Don’t own.
[Prologue][ Chapter 1][ Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Epilogue]
Chapter 1:
Nino twiddled with a handkerchief in his pocket, half-listening to the lecture his teacher was giving, half-day dreaming about the owner of the handkerchief which he was playing with.
Ever since he met that guy at the cinema, Nino just couldn’t erase him from his mind. Nino referred to him as ‘MatsuJun’ since that was written in the corner of the handkerchief. No matter how hard he tried, MatsuJun’s face always seems to pop up in his head.
He sighed.
“When could I see MatsuJun again?” he thought to himself before hastily adding, “So that I can return his handkerchief,”
His friend, Aiba, must have noticed that something was wrong with him since a flying paper ball came his way and smacked him lightly on the head. Fortunately, the teacher didn’t see Aiba fling the paper ball across the room, either that or she was used to it. Nino turned towards Aiba and gave him the ‘what’s-your-problem’ look. Aiba held up a piece of paper saying ‘@(*0*)@’
Nino narrowed his eyes at the paper and before he could mouth back ‘I’m not making that expression’, a white chalk came flying his way, hitting him squarely on the forehead.
“Ninomiya Kazunari!” bellowed his teacher, shocking the entire class, “I’ve had enough of your nonsense! Detention for you after school today!”
His jaws dropping at the punishment that he had just received, Nino sent a death glare in Aiba’s direction, but the latter had suddenly taken great interest in his textbook. Nino could only clench his fist in annoyance as he sighed.
For detention, Nino was made to wrap up every single book on the non-fiction shelve in clear plastic. And Nino would like to tell everybody who haven’t done that before, it was horrible. The non-fiction shelves seemed to have doubled, no tripled, in volume since the last time he went there. So, without saying, wrapping up every single darn book took Nino forever.
He didn’t know how he made it till the end when he doubted the possibility of him accomplishing such a feat, but either ways, Nino could not describe how elated he felt when he realized that he had finished the last book.
With a cheerful cry, Nino got up from his chair, swung his bag over his shoulder and left the school library. The moment he left the school gates, Nino didn’t realize how late it was. Glancing at his watch, which read nine at night, Nino sighed. It would take him about half-an-hour to get home, which means he wouldn’t have enough time to play that new Mario game which he had just bought, and whose fault was it?
Nino made a mental note to kill Aiba the next day as he walked home. On his way, Nino passed by an secluded street, so he paused. If he remembered correctly, he had taken that path home before and it would take him less that twenty minutes. Usually, he wouldn’t take that path as Aiba’s place was along the longer route.
Seeing that Aiba wasn’t with him, Nino made a right turn into the street. It only took Nino a few steps before he realized he could barely see where he came from. The main street seemed to have disappeared behind him, he couldn’t even see any cars!
Nino pulled his jacket around him instinctively as he quickened his pace. Any time now, there would be a turn and after that turn, he’ll see his house. But no matter how far Nino walked, nor how much he hoped, that turn never showed up. Nino had been walking in a straight line for a long time, but he hadn’t even reached the end.
He was starting to tremble. Not just because the surrounding air seemed to have gotten colder, but also because his fears seemed to have heightened. Nino wanted to turn back and go back the way he came from, but when he turned, the only thing in front of him was a long road which led nowhere.
Deciding that he had walked a long way which meant that he was closer to the end than the start, Nino turned back, only to crash into something extremely hard. The crash knocked Nino to the floor as something gathered around him.
“Look what we have here,” Nino heard a voice say. That voice was so cold that the hairs on the back of Nino’s neck stood on its ends.
Nino tried to scramble to his feet and run for his dear life, but a strong arm grabbed his shoulder, holding him hostage.
“Don’t go,” said another voice in a fake sad voice, “We haven’t had company in a long time, especially not someone as cute as you,”
Nino froze. He didn’t want to think of what these men were going to do to him, it was too horrible. Instead, he tried to find his voice so that he could at least yell for help. But, sadly, his voice seemed to have disappeared.
“Poor guy’s too shock to even scream for help,” laughed a third man, drawing closer and closer to him, “It’s okay,” he said to Nino, “we’ll help you scream…if you know what I mean,”
Shutting his eyes tightly, Nino summoned whatever strength he had in him and stomped on the foot of the person who was holding him captive. With his captor howling in pain, and the other two stunned, Nino ran for his life. It didn’t take long for them to chase after him. Nino was small, and he wasn’t a really good runner from all the time he skipped gym, thus in no time at all, those men were hot at his heels.
Nino knew they were going to get to him soon. With that thought in his head, Nino subconsciously increased his speed even though he was already worn out from running. Suddenly, just as the three men were about to catch up with him, Nino felt something to his right yanked him. All Nino could do was be pulled what whatever.
Nino found himself pressed against something soft, a hand keeping him hidden in the blind corner, another covering his mouth. Soon enough, those men ran past where he was hiding, cursing that their victim had disappeared into thin air.
He waited in that position for a while longer, making sure that they had really lost sight of him, before he got up. Swatting the hand over his mouth, Nino sprung up from his position.
“Oh, it’s you again,” said that person who had rescued him from those men.
Nino squinted in the direction of the voice.
“MatsuJun?!” cried Nino in disbelief. Right there in front of him, the person who had saved him from those creepy men, was none other than the person who lent him his handkerchief.
MatsuJun let out a small laugh, “So you know my name,”
“It…It’s on your handkerchief,” explained Nino. Speaking of that item, Nino fumbled through his pockets, pulled it out and handed it to MatsuJun, “Thanks. For the last time and this time,”
MatsuJun pushed himself off the wall and took the handkerchief. But instead of keeping it, he squatted down and tied it around Nino’s knee, much to Nino’s surprise. Nino looked down to see what MatsuJun was doing - bandaging up his bleeding knee. Now that he realized his knee was bleeding, that area started to hurt to. He didn’t know how he ended up with a bleeding knee, but it’s there and there’s nothing he could do about it.
“Can you walk?” asked MatsuJun, standing up.
Nino was certain he nodded. But why did MatsuJun offer to carry him home.
“I’m fine, really,” protested Nino as MatsuJun turned around and signalled for Nino to get onto his back.
“Then why are you holding onto that pipe for support?” he asked.
Nino looked to his left, and true enough, he was holding onto a pipe. Why did he even do that in the first place? Wanting to prove that he could stand on his own, Nino let go of the pipe. Only to collapse onto the ground.
“Ouch,” whined Nino, massaging his knee. It hurt like hell, and there was really no way he could way home like that.
“Get on,” said MatsuJun, squatting in front of him.
Half-reluctantly because it looked very embarrassing, half-willingly though he had no idea why, Nino climbed onto MatsuJun’s back.
“So why were you in that deserted street?” asked Nino, trying to break the silence.
“I was coming from the other direction,” explained Jun, “But when I heard someone running down, I knew something was wrong,”
“Oh,”
The walk back to his home was slow, mainly because of him weighing MatsuJun down. But Nino’s didn’t mind.
“You haven’t told me your name,” said MatsuJun, “mine’s Matsumoto Jun, MatsuJun for short, but you can just call me Jun,”
Nino tensed when he realized that his saviour had the family name ‘Matsumoto’. That means that he could be from his father’s other family! The family which he had hated since forever!
“What are the chances?” Nino thought to himself as he subconsciously snuggled closer to Jun, “‘Matsumoto’ is the 16th most common family name in Japan. Besides, I just hate that particular family, not everybody with that name,”
“I’m Ninomiya Kazunari,” Nino introduced himself, “But you can call me Nino,”
Not long later, they arrived at Nino’s house, and no matter how much Nino wanted Jun to carry him up, he didn’t want his sister to see it in fear of a several weeks of teasing.
“Thanks,” mumbled Nino shyly as Jun put him down by the lifts.
“No problem,” replied Jun while brushing his fringe to the side, making Nino’s heart thump even faster, “I gotta go, see you,”
With that, and a cheery wave, Jun bid Nino farewell. Nino simply stood there like an idiot, eyeing longingly at Jun. So without even knowing why, Nino yelled out Jun’s name.
“Yes?” asked Jun, spinning around.
Nino bit his lips, wondering what to say. After a long pause, he finally managed to utter, “can I have your number?”
He might have sounded like some rabid fan of Jun’s, or a little desperate, for Jun looked at him with raised eyebrows.
“So that I can return your handkerchief…again…” explained Nino, blushing red at his obvious lie.
Luckily for him, Jun just nodded and took Nino’s phone. He quickly keyed in his number before returning the device. For the second time, Jun turned and walked off into the cold night, leaving Nino behind wanting more than just his phone number.