Arashi - AU - Voyager 6/12
Title: Voyager
Chapter: 6
Fandom: Arashi
Pairing: ohmiya etc.
Word count: 1372
Notes: Back to Ohno and Nino.
earlier chapters:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
06. The shining light
The shadows of this dream moved oddly, Nino thought while he followed Ohno along a narrow alleyway deeper into the shadows and nearer to the edges of the dream. He was starting to get worried when Ohno finally stopped.
"Here is good," Ohno said. They were standing in front of a smooth concrete wall.
Nino frowned. "What are you...?"
Ohno took a piece of white chalk from his pocket. "My Door," he said and drew an outline of a door on the wall. He finished the drawing with a handle and put the piece of chalk back into his pocket. Then he reached out and grabbed the door handle.
"But... that's impossible," Nino said, confused. "You can't just draw a Door wherever you want. You can't control this place like that."
"Oh?" Ohno said and pulled the door open. "Really?" Then he held out his hand to Nino. "I think you'd better take my hand. I don't want to accidentally get separated."
"Where are you taking me?" Nino asked warily, but automatically reached out and grabbed Ohno's hand. This trusting strangers thing was really getting out of control, he thought when Ohno took a firm hold of his hand. He really should have a talk about this with Aiba. The man was clearly a bad influence on him.
Ohno shrugged. "Somewhere safe."
Nino followed Ohno through the makeshift door. On the other side, the familiar darkness surrounded him again, but he still felt Ohno's hand in his, warm and dry. He tightened his hold. It wouldn't be pleasant to get lost behind someone else's door without any idea where you were going. The iron steps of the staircase rattled under him, squeaked their protests, the metallic sounds echoing inside his head.
Then, suddenly, there was light and sound again. Nino blinked, his eyes slow to adjust to the change of lighting, and looked around himself. He was standing in what looked like an enormous greenhouse. The glass ceiling was high enough to fit palm trees under it (and there were several). He could hear the calls of exotic birds coming from somewhere high up. Strange plants grew thickly all around, full of white flowers bigger than his head. The air was warm and humid, but it didn't cling to him uncomfortably like you would have expected in a place like this. Little way to their left, there was a sitting area with wrought iron tables and matching chairs. Few people were sitting there, all wearing white, the women carrying white parasols, sipping tea from white porcelain teacups.
"What is this place?" Nino asked, still holding Ohno's hand.
"Looks like a greenhouse," Ohno said, tilting his head to the side when a bird started to sing somewhere near, listening. "Come on, they are serving tea over there. I'm hungry." Ohno tugged at Nino's hand and Nino followed, still looking around, amazed with everything he saw. He wondered who had been able to dream up something like this. It was one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen, and he had seen a lot.
The sun was filtering through the glass roof and walls, bathing the whole place in clear, bright light. Shadows fell only where the plants were thick enough to block the rays of the sun. Nino sat down next to Ohno and relaxed, almost melted against the back of his chair. Tension leaked out of him and he wasn't even annoyed anymore. He watched Ohno take in the scenery, smiling, eyes focused on something in the distance and the first thing that came to his mind then was:
"He's pretty."
With his round face, pouty lips and long eyelashes Ohno looked almost girly. But when he smiled, the effect was lost. Still, Nino thought that he preferred it that way. A smiling Ohno seemed somehow more real, like he hadn't just dreamed this up and wasn't now getting lost somewhere in the dream places. He answered the smile, wondering if Ohno looked anything like this in the real world, without the filter that dreams put on. He wondered how it would feel to--
A girl in a black maid costume served them tea without a word and then quickly left them alone. The tea was a pale green colour and smelled faintly of lavender.
"How did you do it?" Nino asked from Ohno, finally breaking the silence. "No one is supposed to be able to just make themselves a new Door whenever they need one. I've never heard of anything like that."
"Really?" Ohno asked, clearly puzzled. "I've always been able to do it."
Nino brushed his hand over his mouth, examining Ohno. He looked older here, in the light. Well, older than he had thought at first anyway. Ohno's eyes reflected the light around them and Nino couldn't look away. He watched how Ohno started looking more and more uncomfortable the longer Nino kept silent. Finally Ohno looked away and took a bite out of his cake.
Somehow Nino was still sure that Ohno was speaking the truth. He could feel the tug of excitement in the pit of his stomach at the idea of this being something new, something unique.
"Ah, delicious," Ohno muttered and took another bite. But his eyes kept flickering back to Nino while he ate and there was a small pout forming on his lips.
Nino wondered what made this man so special. Where did he come from? Who had taught him? Why he was so powerful when other Travellers all around the world were getting weaker? Nino wanted to ask, but he was pretty sure even Ohno didn't know the answers to most of these questions. And he needed more time with Ohno before he could ask the others. So he settled on asking about the parade instead.
"What was it? The dream we were before this?" Nino asked and finally took a sip from his tea. The taste was strong and flowery but it faded quickly, just like everything else in dreams.
"It was a nightmare," Ohno said quietly. "I could feel it was wrong even before I... I saw the parade." Ohno's hand shook when he put down his cup, the porcelain clinking against the tabletop. "It was made of blood, rust and teeth. Don't make me describe it to you, please."
"I didn't feel anything wrong," Nino frowned. "Not until the parade was right there."
He didn't say anything to Ohno, but he was almost sure. The parade hadn't been a nightmare. It had been a trap.
It was how the shadows had moved.
He couldn't think of anyone who would be able to construct such a trap, but after meeting Ohno and seeing what he could do, he wasn't so sure that it was exactly impossible either. Nino tried not to be afraid, but the staircase had delivered him into that dream. And he hadn't felt anything wrong with it.
But right now, there was Ohno. And he couldn't talk about this with him. Not yet.
"What were you doing there?" he asked.
Ohno looked up from his cake, straight into Nino's eyes. "Looking for my sister."
It made sense. And the look in Ohno's eyes was desperate enough to be convincing. Nino didn't know why he was still wary of him. Maybe it was because Ohno seemed too honest all the time. It made him nervous. Ohno made him nervous. "So that's why you stayed even after you felt that something was weird with that place."
"I..." Ohno muttered, lowering his eyes back on his plate. "I thought I saw her."
The staircase was being manipulated. He was being manipulated and it seemed that Ohno was too. Lures and tricks and vague threats. Smoke and mirrors. Who had the trap really been set for? Him or Ohno? Both?
Nino reached over the table and wrapped his fingers around Ohno's wrist. His skin felt warm and the warmth didn't fade. "I want you to come with me. Through my Door," Nino said, keeping his hold on Ohno's wrist, fingers tingling from the warmth and from the impossibility of this whole situation. "I want you to come with me to the waking world."
Ohno blinked once. "Okay," he said.
To chapter 7
Chapter: 6
Fandom: Arashi
Pairing: ohmiya etc.
Word count: 1372
Notes: Back to Ohno and Nino.
earlier chapters:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
06. The shining light
The shadows of this dream moved oddly, Nino thought while he followed Ohno along a narrow alleyway deeper into the shadows and nearer to the edges of the dream. He was starting to get worried when Ohno finally stopped.
"Here is good," Ohno said. They were standing in front of a smooth concrete wall.
Nino frowned. "What are you...?"
Ohno took a piece of white chalk from his pocket. "My Door," he said and drew an outline of a door on the wall. He finished the drawing with a handle and put the piece of chalk back into his pocket. Then he reached out and grabbed the door handle.
"But... that's impossible," Nino said, confused. "You can't just draw a Door wherever you want. You can't control this place like that."
"Oh?" Ohno said and pulled the door open. "Really?" Then he held out his hand to Nino. "I think you'd better take my hand. I don't want to accidentally get separated."
"Where are you taking me?" Nino asked warily, but automatically reached out and grabbed Ohno's hand. This trusting strangers thing was really getting out of control, he thought when Ohno took a firm hold of his hand. He really should have a talk about this with Aiba. The man was clearly a bad influence on him.
Ohno shrugged. "Somewhere safe."
Nino followed Ohno through the makeshift door. On the other side, the familiar darkness surrounded him again, but he still felt Ohno's hand in his, warm and dry. He tightened his hold. It wouldn't be pleasant to get lost behind someone else's door without any idea where you were going. The iron steps of the staircase rattled under him, squeaked their protests, the metallic sounds echoing inside his head.
Then, suddenly, there was light and sound again. Nino blinked, his eyes slow to adjust to the change of lighting, and looked around himself. He was standing in what looked like an enormous greenhouse. The glass ceiling was high enough to fit palm trees under it (and there were several). He could hear the calls of exotic birds coming from somewhere high up. Strange plants grew thickly all around, full of white flowers bigger than his head. The air was warm and humid, but it didn't cling to him uncomfortably like you would have expected in a place like this. Little way to their left, there was a sitting area with wrought iron tables and matching chairs. Few people were sitting there, all wearing white, the women carrying white parasols, sipping tea from white porcelain teacups.
"What is this place?" Nino asked, still holding Ohno's hand.
"Looks like a greenhouse," Ohno said, tilting his head to the side when a bird started to sing somewhere near, listening. "Come on, they are serving tea over there. I'm hungry." Ohno tugged at Nino's hand and Nino followed, still looking around, amazed with everything he saw. He wondered who had been able to dream up something like this. It was one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen, and he had seen a lot.
The sun was filtering through the glass roof and walls, bathing the whole place in clear, bright light. Shadows fell only where the plants were thick enough to block the rays of the sun. Nino sat down next to Ohno and relaxed, almost melted against the back of his chair. Tension leaked out of him and he wasn't even annoyed anymore. He watched Ohno take in the scenery, smiling, eyes focused on something in the distance and the first thing that came to his mind then was:
"He's pretty."
With his round face, pouty lips and long eyelashes Ohno looked almost girly. But when he smiled, the effect was lost. Still, Nino thought that he preferred it that way. A smiling Ohno seemed somehow more real, like he hadn't just dreamed this up and wasn't now getting lost somewhere in the dream places. He answered the smile, wondering if Ohno looked anything like this in the real world, without the filter that dreams put on. He wondered how it would feel to--
A girl in a black maid costume served them tea without a word and then quickly left them alone. The tea was a pale green colour and smelled faintly of lavender.
"How did you do it?" Nino asked from Ohno, finally breaking the silence. "No one is supposed to be able to just make themselves a new Door whenever they need one. I've never heard of anything like that."
"Really?" Ohno asked, clearly puzzled. "I've always been able to do it."
Nino brushed his hand over his mouth, examining Ohno. He looked older here, in the light. Well, older than he had thought at first anyway. Ohno's eyes reflected the light around them and Nino couldn't look away. He watched how Ohno started looking more and more uncomfortable the longer Nino kept silent. Finally Ohno looked away and took a bite out of his cake.
Somehow Nino was still sure that Ohno was speaking the truth. He could feel the tug of excitement in the pit of his stomach at the idea of this being something new, something unique.
"Ah, delicious," Ohno muttered and took another bite. But his eyes kept flickering back to Nino while he ate and there was a small pout forming on his lips.
Nino wondered what made this man so special. Where did he come from? Who had taught him? Why he was so powerful when other Travellers all around the world were getting weaker? Nino wanted to ask, but he was pretty sure even Ohno didn't know the answers to most of these questions. And he needed more time with Ohno before he could ask the others. So he settled on asking about the parade instead.
"What was it? The dream we were before this?" Nino asked and finally took a sip from his tea. The taste was strong and flowery but it faded quickly, just like everything else in dreams.
"It was a nightmare," Ohno said quietly. "I could feel it was wrong even before I... I saw the parade." Ohno's hand shook when he put down his cup, the porcelain clinking against the tabletop. "It was made of blood, rust and teeth. Don't make me describe it to you, please."
"I didn't feel anything wrong," Nino frowned. "Not until the parade was right there."
He didn't say anything to Ohno, but he was almost sure. The parade hadn't been a nightmare. It had been a trap.
It was how the shadows had moved.
He couldn't think of anyone who would be able to construct such a trap, but after meeting Ohno and seeing what he could do, he wasn't so sure that it was exactly impossible either. Nino tried not to be afraid, but the staircase had delivered him into that dream. And he hadn't felt anything wrong with it.
But right now, there was Ohno. And he couldn't talk about this with him. Not yet.
"What were you doing there?" he asked.
Ohno looked up from his cake, straight into Nino's eyes. "Looking for my sister."
It made sense. And the look in Ohno's eyes was desperate enough to be convincing. Nino didn't know why he was still wary of him. Maybe it was because Ohno seemed too honest all the time. It made him nervous. Ohno made him nervous. "So that's why you stayed even after you felt that something was weird with that place."
"I..." Ohno muttered, lowering his eyes back on his plate. "I thought I saw her."
The staircase was being manipulated. He was being manipulated and it seemed that Ohno was too. Lures and tricks and vague threats. Smoke and mirrors. Who had the trap really been set for? Him or Ohno? Both?
Nino reached over the table and wrapped his fingers around Ohno's wrist. His skin felt warm and the warmth didn't fade. "I want you to come with me. Through my Door," Nino said, keeping his hold on Ohno's wrist, fingers tingling from the warmth and from the impossibility of this whole situation. "I want you to come with me to the waking world."
Ohno blinked once. "Okay," he said.
To chapter 7