The Tattoo Chapter eighty-six
Ohno gasped surprised when he was able to open his eyes and look up at a familiar ceiling. He was positive that Nino had poisoned him he had felt the burn of it moving through his veins closing down his lungs and muscles until his heart had no option but to give in. The pain had been intense burning through his blood stream until there was nothing left. He knew that the assassin had killed him, sinking his needle into his exposed neck, and finally taking his revenge so why was he alive? With an aching head and heart he pushed himself into a seated position and gasped again when he saw Nino, his beautiful tiger, sleeping on the floor beside him his arms curled around his face his dark eyelashes spilled out over cheeks that were so much darker in colour than they had been when he had met him in Sakurai’s home. He was so still that for a moment Ohno was worried that he had killed himself after killing him but the soft breath that he released reassured him that that was not the case.
Movement was painful but he managed to crawl his way to the assassin’s side wondering if his life was just an accident but that would mean that Nino would have made a mistake and that was something that he couldn’t imagine happening. Nino never made mistakes with his poisons and there was no chance that would make a mistake when dealing with him, the shadow. So that meant that Nino had intended him to live. Once he reached the man’s side he reached out wanting to stroke his face but stopping at the very last moment with his fingertips almost brushing against the cheek.
He had loved this boy since he had seen him here in the palace acting like a doll for his beloved sister but nothing gave him the right to have him. He should have confessed all to Nino the night that he won him away from Sakurai but he hadn’t, instead he had selfishly indulged himself in something that he hadn’t previously imagined would be possible.
“If I had told you that night…You would have killed me without even thinking twice…I am crueller than your lord, or my father ever was, my tiger…” He whispered though his voice was broken and sore from the burning poison that been doused through his system “But…I do love you…” Slowly he closed the distance between his fingers and the face lightly touching it as tears moved down his cheeks. For the last couple of years his life had been completely meaningless, devoid of anything warm or good but these last few weeks it had made him happy though he knew it couldn’t last “You should have killed me…It is what I wanted you to do…I deserve no life…”
“I have killed you for what you did to my family…” Nino whispered opening one eye and looking at him for a moment causing his hand to freeze on the overly smooth cheek. “…And I brought you back because, although I have hated you for almost all of my life, I know that you have tried to redeem yourself…Your punishment is that you must live and be better than your father was…”
“…My tiger…”
“…My pr-Emperor…I am not your tiger…” Nino breathed brushing away his fingers and any idea that there might have been still a chance for them “I am Ninomiya Kazunari…”
“Forgive me…For everything…” Ohno pleaded dropping down and pressing his face to the floor wishing with all his might that he could turn back and change the past “I wish I had called out to your father that day…I wish that I had taken him away and your mother and sister had lived…”
“Wishes will not bring them back…” Nino said almost harshly before softening his tone and almost whispering “My mother she truly didn’t know what my father had done?”
“No…” Ohno answered, there had been a time when he had thought that the woman had known but he would never forget the scream of anguish she had let out that day before fiercely attacking her husband. “She gave a scream and attacked him with a needle…It hit him but didn’t take him down your sister paid the price…Your mother’s last word was your name but I believe that is because she saw you coming through the window…”
“…My father deserved his death…My mother and sister victims laid at his feet…I trust your version of this…But…I…I cannot forgive you…” Nino sighed his body slumping as his eyebrows drew together his fingers playing with the hem of his kimono.
“I do not ask you to my ti…Kazunari…I have never lied to you, nor would I start now…But I have kept this from you…And I deserve your hate…”
“You do…but I do not hate you…I hate myself because I love you…” Ohno stared up at the assassin as he said the word love hope blossoming in his heart once more only to be thoroughly crushed away again when Nino continued “I am leaving…I am going to my boy and I am going to take a house in the city…If you wish you may find me there…I cannot promise that it will be the same but…I promise that I will at least try…If you would like that?”
“Nothing would make me happier…” Ohno breathed honestly unable to believe that Nino was giving him any kind of chance. The assassin nodded slowly and then rose to his feet barely giving him a glance before stalking out of the room. After everything that had happened over the last couple of days Ohno could hardly blame the man for not wanting to stay any longer in the palace. The guards would no doubt try to stop him but he would brush them aside. He was about to get to his own feet when the door opened again and Sakurai came in. His face was as expressionless as always and his hands were behind his back as he said;
“From the way he ran out of here I can only assume that you have told my spider the truth?”
“…He figured it out…But he is no longer your spider…You released him…”
“I did…Only because you promised me the job of adviser if I did so…” Sakurai informed him with an almost twisted smile and Ohno felt hate flare through him as he spat;
“And I will do so…”
“I thank-you for the honour but I am happiest away from the town, my boy Masaki has told me that he loves me…I do not deserve such a gift but I think that I will attempt to…”
“No you don’t deserve such a gift…” Ohno growled feeling pity for the boy that loved the man that was standing in front of him “…My sister…”
“She trusted me…Yes I know you tell me so, so many times…It is a shame that you never trusted me, Satoshi…I played your father’s game well and I was given the honour of killing your sister…” Sakurai told him in that same voice that he always used, it was completely devoid of emotion but sounded as if he was calling you an idiot “I was tasked with making it look like suicide…”
“I do not need to know the details…”
“Really? Then you do not wish to know that I brought a whore from the whore house and dressed her up in your sisters clothes drugging her completely with wines before tying a rope around her slender neck…Her name was Mari…She was young and pretty like your sister she probably trusted me too but I threw her out of the window and broke her neck…” Sakurai’s eyes bored into his now leaving him with no doubt that it was the truth that he was speaking but he couldn’t even dare to believe it. If this was true…Then that meant that his sister…
“You…What happened to my sister…?”
“….Your sister I took with me to the country…She lives there still with her maid and nurse…The address is written on this piece of paper…” Sakurai answered pulling a small scrap of paper from the folds of his robes.
“Why…Why did you never tell me…?”
“Because if I had your anger would have faded and those that did unspeakable things to her would have been left unpunished…” Sakurai paused now his voice thick with emotion that Ohno would never have even dreamt that he could have “She trusted me, I was her guard…I stood outside of that room and listened to her screams…You think that you were getting your revenge…But in truth you were acting out mine...”
TBC
A/N: Almost over…Do you like the twist with Sakurai? He’s not a nice guy as he did kill someone but…Hmmm like I said these last two chapters were written at the start so I really hope that it is okay ^_^
Movement was painful but he managed to crawl his way to the assassin’s side wondering if his life was just an accident but that would mean that Nino would have made a mistake and that was something that he couldn’t imagine happening. Nino never made mistakes with his poisons and there was no chance that would make a mistake when dealing with him, the shadow. So that meant that Nino had intended him to live. Once he reached the man’s side he reached out wanting to stroke his face but stopping at the very last moment with his fingertips almost brushing against the cheek.
He had loved this boy since he had seen him here in the palace acting like a doll for his beloved sister but nothing gave him the right to have him. He should have confessed all to Nino the night that he won him away from Sakurai but he hadn’t, instead he had selfishly indulged himself in something that he hadn’t previously imagined would be possible.
“If I had told you that night…You would have killed me without even thinking twice…I am crueller than your lord, or my father ever was, my tiger…” He whispered though his voice was broken and sore from the burning poison that been doused through his system “But…I do love you…” Slowly he closed the distance between his fingers and the face lightly touching it as tears moved down his cheeks. For the last couple of years his life had been completely meaningless, devoid of anything warm or good but these last few weeks it had made him happy though he knew it couldn’t last “You should have killed me…It is what I wanted you to do…I deserve no life…”
“I have killed you for what you did to my family…” Nino whispered opening one eye and looking at him for a moment causing his hand to freeze on the overly smooth cheek. “…And I brought you back because, although I have hated you for almost all of my life, I know that you have tried to redeem yourself…Your punishment is that you must live and be better than your father was…”
“…My tiger…”
“…My pr-Emperor…I am not your tiger…” Nino breathed brushing away his fingers and any idea that there might have been still a chance for them “I am Ninomiya Kazunari…”
“Forgive me…For everything…” Ohno pleaded dropping down and pressing his face to the floor wishing with all his might that he could turn back and change the past “I wish I had called out to your father that day…I wish that I had taken him away and your mother and sister had lived…”
“Wishes will not bring them back…” Nino said almost harshly before softening his tone and almost whispering “My mother she truly didn’t know what my father had done?”
“No…” Ohno answered, there had been a time when he had thought that the woman had known but he would never forget the scream of anguish she had let out that day before fiercely attacking her husband. “She gave a scream and attacked him with a needle…It hit him but didn’t take him down your sister paid the price…Your mother’s last word was your name but I believe that is because she saw you coming through the window…”
“…My father deserved his death…My mother and sister victims laid at his feet…I trust your version of this…But…I…I cannot forgive you…” Nino sighed his body slumping as his eyebrows drew together his fingers playing with the hem of his kimono.
“I do not ask you to my ti…Kazunari…I have never lied to you, nor would I start now…But I have kept this from you…And I deserve your hate…”
“You do…but I do not hate you…I hate myself because I love you…” Ohno stared up at the assassin as he said the word love hope blossoming in his heart once more only to be thoroughly crushed away again when Nino continued “I am leaving…I am going to my boy and I am going to take a house in the city…If you wish you may find me there…I cannot promise that it will be the same but…I promise that I will at least try…If you would like that?”
“Nothing would make me happier…” Ohno breathed honestly unable to believe that Nino was giving him any kind of chance. The assassin nodded slowly and then rose to his feet barely giving him a glance before stalking out of the room. After everything that had happened over the last couple of days Ohno could hardly blame the man for not wanting to stay any longer in the palace. The guards would no doubt try to stop him but he would brush them aside. He was about to get to his own feet when the door opened again and Sakurai came in. His face was as expressionless as always and his hands were behind his back as he said;
“From the way he ran out of here I can only assume that you have told my spider the truth?”
“…He figured it out…But he is no longer your spider…You released him…”
“I did…Only because you promised me the job of adviser if I did so…” Sakurai informed him with an almost twisted smile and Ohno felt hate flare through him as he spat;
“And I will do so…”
“I thank-you for the honour but I am happiest away from the town, my boy Masaki has told me that he loves me…I do not deserve such a gift but I think that I will attempt to…”
“No you don’t deserve such a gift…” Ohno growled feeling pity for the boy that loved the man that was standing in front of him “…My sister…”
“She trusted me…Yes I know you tell me so, so many times…It is a shame that you never trusted me, Satoshi…I played your father’s game well and I was given the honour of killing your sister…” Sakurai told him in that same voice that he always used, it was completely devoid of emotion but sounded as if he was calling you an idiot “I was tasked with making it look like suicide…”
“I do not need to know the details…”
“Really? Then you do not wish to know that I brought a whore from the whore house and dressed her up in your sisters clothes drugging her completely with wines before tying a rope around her slender neck…Her name was Mari…She was young and pretty like your sister she probably trusted me too but I threw her out of the window and broke her neck…” Sakurai’s eyes bored into his now leaving him with no doubt that it was the truth that he was speaking but he couldn’t even dare to believe it. If this was true…Then that meant that his sister…
“You…What happened to my sister…?”
“….Your sister I took with me to the country…She lives there still with her maid and nurse…The address is written on this piece of paper…” Sakurai answered pulling a small scrap of paper from the folds of his robes.
“Why…Why did you never tell me…?”
“Because if I had your anger would have faded and those that did unspeakable things to her would have been left unpunished…” Sakurai paused now his voice thick with emotion that Ohno would never have even dreamt that he could have “She trusted me, I was her guard…I stood outside of that room and listened to her screams…You think that you were getting your revenge…But in truth you were acting out mine...”
TBC
A/N: Almost over…Do you like the twist with Sakurai? He’s not a nice guy as he did kill someone but…Hmmm like I said these last two chapters were written at the start so I really hope that it is okay ^_^