Promoted (一)
Title: Love So Sweet
Pairing: Juntoshi Matsumoto Jun x Ohno Satoshi
Rating: PG 13 overall
Summary: Just how much could a dream change your life?
Disclaimer: Who in their right mind would own a band and still need to write fanfics about them? Anyway, Arashi is not mine and I curse Johnny for his stupid luck.
Thoughts are in italics.
Promoted (一)
~~~~~~~~~~
Satoshi was fishing.
The unstable old boat he was sitting in swayed back and forth slightly when he moved to stroke the dark hair of the head lying in his lap. Jun smiled faintly, but continued sleeping.
Stars were shimmering overhead, and a gentle breeze rustled Satoshi’s spiky black hair, sending a ripple through the water’s reflection. The weather was cool, but not cold. It was a perfect night to fish.
The older man was content to meditate while the younger was dozing. That morning he’d been called to the Takeda’s headquarters by General Suzuki, who had wished to speak to him about a promotion to a Captain. Of course, Satoshi thought it was a terrible idea. He had no leadership qualities to speak of and instead spent far too much of his time sleeping, fishing, or painting. But they’d given him the position anyway.
Come to think of it, Jun hadn’t been very surprised when he had told him the news of making Captain. A little annoyed, Satoshi wondered if his lover had had something to do with it. He glanced down at the handsome face of the Takeda Clan War Planner.
Ah well...
He’d try to find a way out of it later.
Satoshi’s contemplation turned to the circumstances that had led them to their current lifestyles.
He was currently the only one left of his family; everyone else had been killed in a surprise midnight raid. The bandits had attacked while he’d been out fishing one winter night, so many years ago. Returning home along a snow covered path, muttering about his thin kimono being too drafty for his taste, Satoshi stopped frozen at the sight of red splotches that marring the pristine winter landscape.
Slowly making his way through the nightmarish scenery, he was only greeted by a terrible silence at every turn. Finally arriving at the space his family’s house had stood, nothing remained but a large pile of ash and a lone crumbling wall that were gradually being covered by falling flakes.
He’d collapsed in the snow from shock and was found a few days later by a passing Takeda General and his troop. Astonished that Satoshi was still alive, they had worked feverishly to nurse the frozen man back to health. After that, General Suzuki had taken custody of and trained him in the art of many weapons over the following years.
Satoshi met Jun some time later when the younger man had transferred to the same division and mistaken the then-lieutenant for a trespassing craftsman. Jun apologized profusely afterwards by fixing him a small handmade dinner, which had ended up being their first date. Smiling down at his sleeping lover, he resumed stroking Jun’s soft hair.
However, Satoshi’s grin faltered when he became lost in thought once again. Contradictory of the peaceful lake surrounding them, worries engulfed the new Captain of the escalating violence of the time they lived in. The old Emperor Go-Nara was barely a figurehead, hiding in his Kyoto Imperial Palace and only showing his face for select ceremonies. There were even rumors that the Court was still so poor they had to continue requesting money from the more successful clans. As a result, the leaders of those powerful groups, the Kugyo, ruled the country with an iron fist. But even the Kugyo couldn’t stop the fighting that broke out each week in nearly every prefecture. Satoshi heaved a heavy sigh.
“Still worried, Captain Satoshi?” a soft, deep voice asked. Looking down again, he saw Jun’s warm eyes looking up at him thoughtfully.
“Of course. You know I can’t give orders...”
The Captain’s brow scrunched up as he pictured several disastrous outcomes, but Jun’s hand immediately reached up to smooth out the wrinkles. The hand shifted to the back of Satoshi’s head and pulled him down, a smirk broadening as they grew closer. Their lips met in a soft kiss that made them both smile, but it turned possessive when Jun sat up further in order to get a better angle.
Satoshi wondered briefly if his fishing pole would be alright until his concentration returned with a sharp gasp. Jun commanded all of his attention with a hand that slipped under his kimono.
Yup, it was a perfect night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Springtime at the Takeda household was marked by many people rushing about. The young ambitious Daimyo Takeda was making plans to expand into the neighboring Shinano lands, much to the dismay of the current occupants.
Satoshi was just as busy, taking time to meet the 1000 men of his new squad. General Suzuki had entrusted him with a mix of archers and swordsmen, which was quite out of the ordinary. A standard squad usually consisted of men with a common weapon. He wasn’t sure what was expected of him, so he arrived with arms crossed, posture slouching in his usual distinctive red kimono. After brief introductions to the sea of faces, Satoshi’s sleepy gaze met many expectant stares. Realizing they were waiting for instructions, he could only think of one thing to tell them.
“Uh, you should... work together to improve your weak points...”
Confused stares met his words, and the men ended up turning to their neighbors to see if they understood any better.
Satoshi sighed tiredly, already growing weary. “Anyone especially good at archery?”
A hundred or so hands raised half heartedly.
“Okay, who’s bad at archery?”
About half the men responded only a little more enthusiastically.
“Now, will everyone who needs improvement go to the practice range with your new teachers?”
This time, he heard shouts of agreement, or at least comprehension. Satoshi watched half of the group split off haphazardly, heading for the armory, and then turned to look at the remaining soldiers uncertainly.
“Well, who’s skilled with a katana?”
Instead of stares, only a few would meet his eyes, the rest choosing to inspect their uniforms for stray pieces of grass and dirt.
He sighed again. “People who need practice?”
The rest of the hands shot up.
Satoshi ran a hand through his black hair and set the other on his hip. Groaning quietly, he paused a moment to think.
“Who’s been through a few battles?”
He figured the ones who had stayed alive this long must have at least some survival skills. About twenty men of the remaining five hundred stepped forward. His hair became spikier after he ran a hand through it again in frustration. He bit his lip to keep from sighing, then waved them over.
“Pair up and go through a quick spar.”
The large crowd of soldiers not involved circled around, creating an audience to cheer them on. Half an hour later, Satoshi’s hair was a mess, but he had his fifteen teachers.
Although he only wanted to show them a simple offensive sequence to teach the others, even that was met with wide eyes and open mouths. Thinking he had looked awkward, Satoshi was running through the attack sequence in his head again with his brow scrunched, the looks of admiration that many exchanged went unnoticed by their new leader.
After instructing the fifteen men to a level of satisfaction, Satoshi exhaustedly turned away to see Jun leaning against a distant tree, watching intently. Figuring he wouldn’t be missed, the new Captain shuffled over to Jun. He leaned against the handsome man and crossed his arms.
“How long have you been here?”
His lover snickered. “Since the introductions.”
“...And you didn’t think to help?” His annoyed mumble made Jun smirk again.
“Sorry.” Jun leaned over to kiss his cheek in apology, but was surprised when he only met empty air, as the short leader had already padded off, muttering about checking on the archery group to make sure they hadn’t done any permanent damage.
Smiling fondly, Jun pushed himself upright and headed back to work, still picturing about how amazing his Satoshi had looked while demonstrating his katana skills.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The archery practice had ended with minimal injuries, as did the katana exercise. When it was over, Satoshi was yawning and pulling back the sleeves of his cotton work kimono.
He sat down at his makeshift table and inspected a tea cup that he had nearly finished in the room’s mellow candle light. The new room he’d been given in honor of becoming a Captain was still very bare, as he had just moved in yesterday. His art supplies were the focus, pottery supplies and paint brushes shoved messily against one wall of the small space. The futon along the opposite wall lay untouched, as he had no intention of sleeping alone here.
Satoshi bent over his newest creation, intently working to finish the gift before tomorrow. A smile grew as he inspected the cup’s deep purple coating. Finding no irregularities, he began the tedious work of etching an intricate design that would take the shape of a tiger, representing his lover’s more passionate side.
I hope Jun will like it.
Satoshi was gazing happily at the roughly finished piece after the sun had risen many hours later, pointedly ignoring the mess of candle wax he would need to clean up later. The Takeda headquarters was only just beginning to wake up with sounds of men sharpening katana and calling out to others.
Wrapping his carving tools in a small leather pouch, Satoshi glanced up at a shuffled step that seemed to stop at his door. Predictably, three dull knocks rapped against the old wood before a familiar dark haired man in a light grey Takeda uniform poked his head into the room. Satoshi paused a second to remember the name of the young man from yesterday’s katana training, then had to stop himself from laughing at the memory of various dreadfully clumsy swings.
“Sakurai. What can I do for you?”
Unaware the smile on Satoshi’s face was anything but welcoming, the soldier slowly entered the room. “I’m really sorry to bother you now, Captain. I just can’t get that swing right you showed us yesterday,” speaking softly, as if ashamed.
The young man stepped closer at a wave from Satoshi, but let out a low whistle when he spotted the tea cup. “Did you make that?” Curious, he knelt down to inspect the design. “It’s beautiful.”
Satoshi blinked in surprise at the admiration and picked up the present once again. “It’s for someone very important to me.”
“Matsumoto, right?” The sudden loud voice that came from behind them made Sakurai yelp and spin around to face the door. At that moment, Satoshi was extremely grateful he had the cup in his hand, because Sakurai surely would have hit it from the table when he swung his arm wildly in surprise.
Sighing in relief, “Yes, of course it’s for Jun. What are you doing here, Aiba-chan? Shouldn’t you be making breakfast for Takeda-sama?”
Daimyo Takeda’s personal cook and long time friend of the couple dropped by when he could, but Aiba was typically quite busy inventing new strange dishes for the enthusiastic Daimyo and Satoshi to try. They always thought Aiba’s creations were interesting and usually edible, but they were two of the few.
Aiba grinned widely and squatted down in his dark green kimono next to the teacher and pupil. “Guess what? Takeda-sama found a new woman! What do ya wanna bet he gets married this time?” Satoshi’s apathetic reaction was met by Sakurai’s gaping mouth due to the subject matter.
“I’ll make you a new set of plates if he actually goes through with it,” Satoshi deadpanned, familiar with their Daimyo’s fickle nature. Eyebrow raised, the cook leaned forward and bartered, “And I’ll create whatever dish you want if he doesn’t.”
Looking back and forth between the gamblers, Sakurai whispered incredulously, “You’re betting on the Daimyo Takeda’s love life?”
Aiba leaned close to the newcomer, poking playfully him. “Yup. You want in?” The soldier jerked away from the enthusiastic man as Satoshi snickered at the pair. His friend seemed to have found a new toy.
“Aiba-chan, this is one of the men in my troop, Sakurai. Sakurai, this is Daimyo Takeda’s head cook, Aiba.” Sakurai nervously bowed his head, but kept his eyes on the startling man. Of course, Aiba couldn’t help but invade the shy man’s personal space with a hug.
“Nice to meet you!” Sakurai shot him a panicked look while Aiba beamed at Satoshi. “Ah! And congratulations, Captain!”
The amused older man leaned on an elbow, smiling. “Thanks. But shouldn’t you be getting back to work, Aiba-chan?” The cook gave them a pout, but released the other man only to find himself unable to resist ruffling the soldier’s hair.
“Fine, fine. I’ll be back when Takeda-sama gets married to collect my plates.” With a cute wave, Aiba whirled out of the room and across the compound. Satoshi glanced back from the door and choked on a laugh at the slightly traumatized look Sakurai was sporting, complete with hair sticking up in several directions.
“Is he always like that?”
“Only with people he takes a liking to.” The Captain patted Sakurai on the shoulder. “How ‘bout we go to the practice field and I show you that attack again?”
The younger man was still gazing at the door confusedly, “What do you mean ‘takes a liking to’?”
Satoshi snorted and patted the shoulder again out of pity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author’s note:
*Daimyo = Feudal Lord with a large amount of private lands
For whoever may be interested, the Sengoku background is factual. Takeda Shingen lived at the end of Sengoku in Central Japan and had rebelled over his father to take control of his clan. If you’re curious to know more, check Wikipedia.
It’s also important to tell you this story’s beginning might be set in Sengoku, but it will cross over to the present day’s Jun and Satoshi of Arashi. Look forward to it!
And yes, I know this fanfic’s title is simply borrowing from Arashi’s brilliance, but I have been informed by the person who betaed this story, boblemon , that it is indeed sappy as hell. And so, I will let you read and be the judge.
I wish I could say comments are required, but there’s nothing of the sort. They are greatly appreciated and will help improve me later chapters! よろしくお願いします。
The Gift (二)
Pairing: Juntoshi Matsumoto Jun x Ohno Satoshi
Rating: PG 13 overall
Summary: Just how much could a dream change your life?
Disclaimer: Who in their right mind would own a band and still need to write fanfics about them? Anyway, Arashi is not mine and I curse Johnny for his stupid luck.
Thoughts are in italics.
Promoted (一)
~~~~~~~~~~
Satoshi was fishing.
The unstable old boat he was sitting in swayed back and forth slightly when he moved to stroke the dark hair of the head lying in his lap. Jun smiled faintly, but continued sleeping.
Stars were shimmering overhead, and a gentle breeze rustled Satoshi’s spiky black hair, sending a ripple through the water’s reflection. The weather was cool, but not cold. It was a perfect night to fish.
The older man was content to meditate while the younger was dozing. That morning he’d been called to the Takeda’s headquarters by General Suzuki, who had wished to speak to him about a promotion to a Captain. Of course, Satoshi thought it was a terrible idea. He had no leadership qualities to speak of and instead spent far too much of his time sleeping, fishing, or painting. But they’d given him the position anyway.
Come to think of it, Jun hadn’t been very surprised when he had told him the news of making Captain. A little annoyed, Satoshi wondered if his lover had had something to do with it. He glanced down at the handsome face of the Takeda Clan War Planner.
Ah well...
He’d try to find a way out of it later.
Satoshi’s contemplation turned to the circumstances that had led them to their current lifestyles.
He was currently the only one left of his family; everyone else had been killed in a surprise midnight raid. The bandits had attacked while he’d been out fishing one winter night, so many years ago. Returning home along a snow covered path, muttering about his thin kimono being too drafty for his taste, Satoshi stopped frozen at the sight of red splotches that marring the pristine winter landscape.
Slowly making his way through the nightmarish scenery, he was only greeted by a terrible silence at every turn. Finally arriving at the space his family’s house had stood, nothing remained but a large pile of ash and a lone crumbling wall that were gradually being covered by falling flakes.
He’d collapsed in the snow from shock and was found a few days later by a passing Takeda General and his troop. Astonished that Satoshi was still alive, they had worked feverishly to nurse the frozen man back to health. After that, General Suzuki had taken custody of and trained him in the art of many weapons over the following years.
Satoshi met Jun some time later when the younger man had transferred to the same division and mistaken the then-lieutenant for a trespassing craftsman. Jun apologized profusely afterwards by fixing him a small handmade dinner, which had ended up being their first date. Smiling down at his sleeping lover, he resumed stroking Jun’s soft hair.
However, Satoshi’s grin faltered when he became lost in thought once again. Contradictory of the peaceful lake surrounding them, worries engulfed the new Captain of the escalating violence of the time they lived in. The old Emperor Go-Nara was barely a figurehead, hiding in his Kyoto Imperial Palace and only showing his face for select ceremonies. There were even rumors that the Court was still so poor they had to continue requesting money from the more successful clans. As a result, the leaders of those powerful groups, the Kugyo, ruled the country with an iron fist. But even the Kugyo couldn’t stop the fighting that broke out each week in nearly every prefecture. Satoshi heaved a heavy sigh.
“Still worried, Captain Satoshi?” a soft, deep voice asked. Looking down again, he saw Jun’s warm eyes looking up at him thoughtfully.
“Of course. You know I can’t give orders...”
The Captain’s brow scrunched up as he pictured several disastrous outcomes, but Jun’s hand immediately reached up to smooth out the wrinkles. The hand shifted to the back of Satoshi’s head and pulled him down, a smirk broadening as they grew closer. Their lips met in a soft kiss that made them both smile, but it turned possessive when Jun sat up further in order to get a better angle.
Satoshi wondered briefly if his fishing pole would be alright until his concentration returned with a sharp gasp. Jun commanded all of his attention with a hand that slipped under his kimono.
Yup, it was a perfect night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Springtime at the Takeda household was marked by many people rushing about. The young ambitious Daimyo Takeda was making plans to expand into the neighboring Shinano lands, much to the dismay of the current occupants.
Satoshi was just as busy, taking time to meet the 1000 men of his new squad. General Suzuki had entrusted him with a mix of archers and swordsmen, which was quite out of the ordinary. A standard squad usually consisted of men with a common weapon. He wasn’t sure what was expected of him, so he arrived with arms crossed, posture slouching in his usual distinctive red kimono. After brief introductions to the sea of faces, Satoshi’s sleepy gaze met many expectant stares. Realizing they were waiting for instructions, he could only think of one thing to tell them.
“Uh, you should... work together to improve your weak points...”
Confused stares met his words, and the men ended up turning to their neighbors to see if they understood any better.
Satoshi sighed tiredly, already growing weary. “Anyone especially good at archery?”
A hundred or so hands raised half heartedly.
“Okay, who’s bad at archery?”
About half the men responded only a little more enthusiastically.
“Now, will everyone who needs improvement go to the practice range with your new teachers?”
This time, he heard shouts of agreement, or at least comprehension. Satoshi watched half of the group split off haphazardly, heading for the armory, and then turned to look at the remaining soldiers uncertainly.
“Well, who’s skilled with a katana?”
Instead of stares, only a few would meet his eyes, the rest choosing to inspect their uniforms for stray pieces of grass and dirt.
He sighed again. “People who need practice?”
The rest of the hands shot up.
Satoshi ran a hand through his black hair and set the other on his hip. Groaning quietly, he paused a moment to think.
“Who’s been through a few battles?”
He figured the ones who had stayed alive this long must have at least some survival skills. About twenty men of the remaining five hundred stepped forward. His hair became spikier after he ran a hand through it again in frustration. He bit his lip to keep from sighing, then waved them over.
“Pair up and go through a quick spar.”
The large crowd of soldiers not involved circled around, creating an audience to cheer them on. Half an hour later, Satoshi’s hair was a mess, but he had his fifteen teachers.
Although he only wanted to show them a simple offensive sequence to teach the others, even that was met with wide eyes and open mouths. Thinking he had looked awkward, Satoshi was running through the attack sequence in his head again with his brow scrunched, the looks of admiration that many exchanged went unnoticed by their new leader.
After instructing the fifteen men to a level of satisfaction, Satoshi exhaustedly turned away to see Jun leaning against a distant tree, watching intently. Figuring he wouldn’t be missed, the new Captain shuffled over to Jun. He leaned against the handsome man and crossed his arms.
“How long have you been here?”
His lover snickered. “Since the introductions.”
“...And you didn’t think to help?” His annoyed mumble made Jun smirk again.
“Sorry.” Jun leaned over to kiss his cheek in apology, but was surprised when he only met empty air, as the short leader had already padded off, muttering about checking on the archery group to make sure they hadn’t done any permanent damage.
Smiling fondly, Jun pushed himself upright and headed back to work, still picturing about how amazing his Satoshi had looked while demonstrating his katana skills.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The archery practice had ended with minimal injuries, as did the katana exercise. When it was over, Satoshi was yawning and pulling back the sleeves of his cotton work kimono.
He sat down at his makeshift table and inspected a tea cup that he had nearly finished in the room’s mellow candle light. The new room he’d been given in honor of becoming a Captain was still very bare, as he had just moved in yesterday. His art supplies were the focus, pottery supplies and paint brushes shoved messily against one wall of the small space. The futon along the opposite wall lay untouched, as he had no intention of sleeping alone here.
Satoshi bent over his newest creation, intently working to finish the gift before tomorrow. A smile grew as he inspected the cup’s deep purple coating. Finding no irregularities, he began the tedious work of etching an intricate design that would take the shape of a tiger, representing his lover’s more passionate side.
I hope Jun will like it.
Satoshi was gazing happily at the roughly finished piece after the sun had risen many hours later, pointedly ignoring the mess of candle wax he would need to clean up later. The Takeda headquarters was only just beginning to wake up with sounds of men sharpening katana and calling out to others.
Wrapping his carving tools in a small leather pouch, Satoshi glanced up at a shuffled step that seemed to stop at his door. Predictably, three dull knocks rapped against the old wood before a familiar dark haired man in a light grey Takeda uniform poked his head into the room. Satoshi paused a second to remember the name of the young man from yesterday’s katana training, then had to stop himself from laughing at the memory of various dreadfully clumsy swings.
“Sakurai. What can I do for you?”
Unaware the smile on Satoshi’s face was anything but welcoming, the soldier slowly entered the room. “I’m really sorry to bother you now, Captain. I just can’t get that swing right you showed us yesterday,” speaking softly, as if ashamed.
The young man stepped closer at a wave from Satoshi, but let out a low whistle when he spotted the tea cup. “Did you make that?” Curious, he knelt down to inspect the design. “It’s beautiful.”
Satoshi blinked in surprise at the admiration and picked up the present once again. “It’s for someone very important to me.”
“Matsumoto, right?” The sudden loud voice that came from behind them made Sakurai yelp and spin around to face the door. At that moment, Satoshi was extremely grateful he had the cup in his hand, because Sakurai surely would have hit it from the table when he swung his arm wildly in surprise.
Sighing in relief, “Yes, of course it’s for Jun. What are you doing here, Aiba-chan? Shouldn’t you be making breakfast for Takeda-sama?”
Daimyo Takeda’s personal cook and long time friend of the couple dropped by when he could, but Aiba was typically quite busy inventing new strange dishes for the enthusiastic Daimyo and Satoshi to try. They always thought Aiba’s creations were interesting and usually edible, but they were two of the few.
Aiba grinned widely and squatted down in his dark green kimono next to the teacher and pupil. “Guess what? Takeda-sama found a new woman! What do ya wanna bet he gets married this time?” Satoshi’s apathetic reaction was met by Sakurai’s gaping mouth due to the subject matter.
“I’ll make you a new set of plates if he actually goes through with it,” Satoshi deadpanned, familiar with their Daimyo’s fickle nature. Eyebrow raised, the cook leaned forward and bartered, “And I’ll create whatever dish you want if he doesn’t.”
Looking back and forth between the gamblers, Sakurai whispered incredulously, “You’re betting on the Daimyo Takeda’s love life?”
Aiba leaned close to the newcomer, poking playfully him. “Yup. You want in?” The soldier jerked away from the enthusiastic man as Satoshi snickered at the pair. His friend seemed to have found a new toy.
“Aiba-chan, this is one of the men in my troop, Sakurai. Sakurai, this is Daimyo Takeda’s head cook, Aiba.” Sakurai nervously bowed his head, but kept his eyes on the startling man. Of course, Aiba couldn’t help but invade the shy man’s personal space with a hug.
“Nice to meet you!” Sakurai shot him a panicked look while Aiba beamed at Satoshi. “Ah! And congratulations, Captain!”
The amused older man leaned on an elbow, smiling. “Thanks. But shouldn’t you be getting back to work, Aiba-chan?” The cook gave them a pout, but released the other man only to find himself unable to resist ruffling the soldier’s hair.
“Fine, fine. I’ll be back when Takeda-sama gets married to collect my plates.” With a cute wave, Aiba whirled out of the room and across the compound. Satoshi glanced back from the door and choked on a laugh at the slightly traumatized look Sakurai was sporting, complete with hair sticking up in several directions.
“Is he always like that?”
“Only with people he takes a liking to.” The Captain patted Sakurai on the shoulder. “How ‘bout we go to the practice field and I show you that attack again?”
The younger man was still gazing at the door confusedly, “What do you mean ‘takes a liking to’?”
Satoshi snorted and patted the shoulder again out of pity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author’s note:
*Daimyo = Feudal Lord with a large amount of private lands
For whoever may be interested, the Sengoku background is factual. Takeda Shingen lived at the end of Sengoku in Central Japan and had rebelled over his father to take control of his clan. If you’re curious to know more, check Wikipedia.
It’s also important to tell you this story’s beginning might be set in Sengoku, but it will cross over to the present day’s Jun and Satoshi of Arashi. Look forward to it!
And yes, I know this fanfic’s title is simply borrowing from Arashi’s brilliance, but I have been informed by the person who betaed this story, boblemon , that it is indeed sappy as hell. And so, I will let you read and be the judge.
I wish I could say comments are required, but there’s nothing of the sort. They are greatly appreciated and will help improve me later chapters! よろしくお願いします。
The Gift (二)