The Tattoo chapter eighty-four
Nino forced himself to swallow down the bile that had come to his throat in a thick and gooey wave as he stared down at the emperor who was staring at him with glassy eyes. There had been a time when that stare had meant nothing to him but now there was something uncomfortable inside of him. He was sure that the man deserved all of the punishments and tortures that he could bring to him but his own humanity was getting in the way. He had been tempted to remove the man’s genitals with a knife while still alive, he deserved no less for the horror that they had inflicted upon his own daughter amongst countless others, but his mind was still in a state of confusion and turmoil. In the end he had toyed with him using needles and poisons until the man’s heart hadn’t been able to take anymore and it had given in. It seemed a short end for somebody that had seemed unstoppable and a quick death for somebody that deserved so much more but Nino had gained a great deal of satisfaction when he had informed the repulsive man that he had been sent to kill him by his most trusted and beloved lord. It had been delightful to see the betrayal in the man’s eyes along with the disbelief.
Now though that was gone and he was left only with what the man had said to him about his tattoo. He didn’t want to believe that Ohno could be the shadow that had killed his family and marked him with his hated tattoo but some of what he man had said in their time together…The way that he coveted the tattoo telling him that the person that did it to him would find him.
“No…It can’t be…” He hissed to the empty room knowing that he had to hurry to slip himself the poison to knock himself out but there was too many questions swirling inside of him. If Ohno could lie to him about the shadow then maybe it was possible that he could lie to him about everything else. Had he just concocted the story of his sister to play with his emotions? Satonori had indeed said many repulsive things and acted in a way that made him seem guilty but that could just have been because he was warped by a sense…A story that his lov…That Ohno had made up. Nino rose to his feet pacing around the room wondering if Ohno truly did love him or if that was another thing that he had said only to please him and keep him pacified.
He didn’t want to believe it but it would be the cruel thing that the shadow would do. Ohno had said that he wanted him, that he had only let him go so that one day he could get him back and the hateful tattoo would be the reason for that. His mind went to the tattoo that Ohno had had on his stomach dragon, he had said that the person that had made that tattoo wasn’t as skilled as the one that had done his. Could it be possible that they were one and the same? That Ohno had just given himself the tattoo as a practice? Or because he was bored? The dragon…Maybe he was telling him who he was right from the start.
The sounds of movement from outside the door reminded him of where he was and how much danger he was in if the guards or a servant should happen by before Sakurai came in the morning and Nino bit hard on his lip forcing himself back into his role as the spider. In normal circumstances he could just leave the room and flee but that wasn’t possible. Instead he grabbed the special concoction, the only poison that could knock him out, and took another needle coating it with the stuff before finding a vein on his arm. He sat in the nest of blankets behind the foul emperor’s body shuddering at the state of his face as his mind slowly grew dark around the edges. Nausea once again filled him as the emperor’s words filled his mind and then he felt nothing but the blissful and empty blackness of a faint.
6 year old Ninomiya Kazunari hummed as he walked into his family’s home. It was a beautiful building, set against backdrop of forests and mountains. A small smattering of rain had soaked through the light yukata he was wearing but as the weather was warm he wasn’t cold. Stepping through the sliding door he sniffed the air his stomach rumbling as he caught the soft scent of smoked fish on the air. The house was eerily silent but Nino paid it no attention hurrying towards the kitchen area.
“Mother…” He called his bright childish voice cutting through the silence as he pushed the door open. The sight that greeted him was something from his sister’s horror stories. His mother and sister were on the floor beside the fire pit, blood was pooled around them and their faces were pale and their dead eyes were staring at him expressionless and empty. His stomach churned rolling around. His father was a little further away his sword drawn but it didn’t seem as though it had been used. “Fath…” Nino stopped speaking a scream ripping tearing out of his mouth as hands closed around him.
“Ssh little Kazunari, I won’t hurt you…” A voice whispered against his air, it sounded so familiar to him but he couldn’t place it, he tried to turn around but the hand held him ever more tightly. He kicked hard at the legs squirming in the arms that were holding him like a vice “You really are a feisty little tiger…”
“No!” Nino screamed his eyes pulling open as he sat up staring around a room that was unfamiliar. Guards were around him arguing loudly with his lord who had such a scary expression his face that Nino was tempted to recoil knowing that he would be on the receiving end of most of his anger.
“My lord Sakurai you have to admit that it is suspicious…”
“I readily admit that it is suspicious, the emperor is dead and his lover close to it” Sakurai snapped back his voice calm and Nino knew from experience that that was when he was at his angriest and he couldn’t believe that the guard hadn’t backed down “So I suggest that instead of pointing your finger at your betters you go and question the staff that served the food to the bed chamber…That is clearly where the poison was placed…My lord Kazunari…You have awakened…”
“I…I…My throat…It burns…” Nino croaked pitifully slipping back into his role of the simple flower again and to his surprise it was Sakurai himself that knelt down beside him and handed him a glass of cold water. “What…What happened? Satonori-sama?”
“He is dead…We suspect poison…” Sakurai told him in a gentle voice that seemed to be unnatural coming out of his mouth and Nino looked down at the blanket that was covering his body “You, yourself are lucky to be alive…I know that this is hard for you but do you remember what happened?”
“I…I Satonori and I…We…He…I…Please…I…My head…” He let his voice trail off with a sob that really was too loud to be real but all the men in the room seemed to fall for it. All he wanted to do was talk to Ohno and find out the truth but wouldn’t it be odd for him to ask for the man that he had been arguing with him and had just slept with his father. Thankfully though it was Sakurai that gave him the option of being able to talk to the prince…Emperor…Ohno was now the emperor by telling him softly;
“Emperor Satoshi has been asking after you since I found you…You may have had your head turned by power but it seems that he still cares for you…Would you allow him in?”
“…I…Yes…Please…” Nino whispered accepting the admonishment for what it was showing his embarrassment when the guards stared at him. Sakurai turned to the guards and nodded at them ushering them to the door and Nino sighed wondering if finally he would learn the truth or would Ohno just lie to him.
TBC
A/N: Getting close to both the truth and the ending of the story! I hope that this was okay ^_^
Now though that was gone and he was left only with what the man had said to him about his tattoo. He didn’t want to believe that Ohno could be the shadow that had killed his family and marked him with his hated tattoo but some of what he man had said in their time together…The way that he coveted the tattoo telling him that the person that did it to him would find him.
“No…It can’t be…” He hissed to the empty room knowing that he had to hurry to slip himself the poison to knock himself out but there was too many questions swirling inside of him. If Ohno could lie to him about the shadow then maybe it was possible that he could lie to him about everything else. Had he just concocted the story of his sister to play with his emotions? Satonori had indeed said many repulsive things and acted in a way that made him seem guilty but that could just have been because he was warped by a sense…A story that his lov…That Ohno had made up. Nino rose to his feet pacing around the room wondering if Ohno truly did love him or if that was another thing that he had said only to please him and keep him pacified.
He didn’t want to believe it but it would be the cruel thing that the shadow would do. Ohno had said that he wanted him, that he had only let him go so that one day he could get him back and the hateful tattoo would be the reason for that. His mind went to the tattoo that Ohno had had on his stomach dragon, he had said that the person that had made that tattoo wasn’t as skilled as the one that had done his. Could it be possible that they were one and the same? That Ohno had just given himself the tattoo as a practice? Or because he was bored? The dragon…Maybe he was telling him who he was right from the start.
The sounds of movement from outside the door reminded him of where he was and how much danger he was in if the guards or a servant should happen by before Sakurai came in the morning and Nino bit hard on his lip forcing himself back into his role as the spider. In normal circumstances he could just leave the room and flee but that wasn’t possible. Instead he grabbed the special concoction, the only poison that could knock him out, and took another needle coating it with the stuff before finding a vein on his arm. He sat in the nest of blankets behind the foul emperor’s body shuddering at the state of his face as his mind slowly grew dark around the edges. Nausea once again filled him as the emperor’s words filled his mind and then he felt nothing but the blissful and empty blackness of a faint.
6 year old Ninomiya Kazunari hummed as he walked into his family’s home. It was a beautiful building, set against backdrop of forests and mountains. A small smattering of rain had soaked through the light yukata he was wearing but as the weather was warm he wasn’t cold. Stepping through the sliding door he sniffed the air his stomach rumbling as he caught the soft scent of smoked fish on the air. The house was eerily silent but Nino paid it no attention hurrying towards the kitchen area.
“Mother…” He called his bright childish voice cutting through the silence as he pushed the door open. The sight that greeted him was something from his sister’s horror stories. His mother and sister were on the floor beside the fire pit, blood was pooled around them and their faces were pale and their dead eyes were staring at him expressionless and empty. His stomach churned rolling around. His father was a little further away his sword drawn but it didn’t seem as though it had been used. “Fath…” Nino stopped speaking a scream ripping tearing out of his mouth as hands closed around him.
“Ssh little Kazunari, I won’t hurt you…” A voice whispered against his air, it sounded so familiar to him but he couldn’t place it, he tried to turn around but the hand held him ever more tightly. He kicked hard at the legs squirming in the arms that were holding him like a vice “You really are a feisty little tiger…”
“No!” Nino screamed his eyes pulling open as he sat up staring around a room that was unfamiliar. Guards were around him arguing loudly with his lord who had such a scary expression his face that Nino was tempted to recoil knowing that he would be on the receiving end of most of his anger.
“My lord Sakurai you have to admit that it is suspicious…”
“I readily admit that it is suspicious, the emperor is dead and his lover close to it” Sakurai snapped back his voice calm and Nino knew from experience that that was when he was at his angriest and he couldn’t believe that the guard hadn’t backed down “So I suggest that instead of pointing your finger at your betters you go and question the staff that served the food to the bed chamber…That is clearly where the poison was placed…My lord Kazunari…You have awakened…”
“I…I…My throat…It burns…” Nino croaked pitifully slipping back into his role of the simple flower again and to his surprise it was Sakurai himself that knelt down beside him and handed him a glass of cold water. “What…What happened? Satonori-sama?”
“He is dead…We suspect poison…” Sakurai told him in a gentle voice that seemed to be unnatural coming out of his mouth and Nino looked down at the blanket that was covering his body “You, yourself are lucky to be alive…I know that this is hard for you but do you remember what happened?”
“I…I Satonori and I…We…He…I…Please…I…My head…” He let his voice trail off with a sob that really was too loud to be real but all the men in the room seemed to fall for it. All he wanted to do was talk to Ohno and find out the truth but wouldn’t it be odd for him to ask for the man that he had been arguing with him and had just slept with his father. Thankfully though it was Sakurai that gave him the option of being able to talk to the prince…Emperor…Ohno was now the emperor by telling him softly;
“Emperor Satoshi has been asking after you since I found you…You may have had your head turned by power but it seems that he still cares for you…Would you allow him in?”
“…I…Yes…Please…” Nino whispered accepting the admonishment for what it was showing his embarrassment when the guards stared at him. Sakurai turned to the guards and nodded at them ushering them to the door and Nino sighed wondering if finally he would learn the truth or would Ohno just lie to him.
TBC
A/N: Getting close to both the truth and the ending of the story! I hope that this was okay ^_^