ica_90: (ohmiya 2)
[personal profile] ica_90
Title: It is You Afterall / (AO3)
Author: ica_90
beta by: [livejournal.com profile] guiltyalice (thanks a lot)
Pairing: Ohmiya, Arashi (friendship)
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Angst
Summary:he has gone. Disappeared before one of us could see him for the last time. Even a piece of him.

Warning: major character death.
notes: requested by [livejournal.com profile] hiroki95. prompt on "sore wa yappari kimi deshita" with Ohno is writing the lyrics for him. (prompt link) sorry for the late.


“You know, Oh-chan. if you have something to tell me, it’s much better for you to tell now,” he said all of sudden in the car on our back from the studio. I laugh to his sudden blurt.

“What’s with that?” I asked playfully causing him to make an annoyed face.

“No…. I just don’t want you to regret,” he paused, biting his lip. “I love you,”

I kept silent.

I felt emptiness as I walk inside the greenroom. The room was once filled by 5 persons, now it left 4. Yes. One of us is missing. And he will never return.

It has been 1 ½ years that he has gone. Disappeared before one of us could see him for the last time. Even a piece of him. And it takes me a year to adapt, to accept the fact that Arashi is now consists of four, no longer five members.

‘Ohayou.” I greeted the 3 other members in the room. Jun-kun gives me a slight nod, Sho-chan looks at me with a sympathizing look, while Aiba-kun… Aiba-kun just sits at the corner of the room, the usual spot where he and Nino always be sitting at when they were here before. His eyes are not focused; he looks like he was thinking something deep, though sadness is shown in his eyes.

He lost his bestfriend. And I lost the one that I love.

***
“Why are you standing so close?  It’s hot.” I faked an annoyed tone in my sentence. He laughs. He always laughs. Somehow, skinship with me is a must. No matter if it is on or off camera.

“Did your father come home?” I asked as he took my arm and wrap it along his. He shook his head, before laying his head on my shoulders.

I keep waiting for Jun or any of the staff to announce or say something about starting our concert rehearsal when Nino suddenly speaks.

“Look, look. Our shadows overlap,” he says like a happy kid. I look at him in disbelief. That’s the reason why he stands so close?

“What?” he asked.

“You’re a spoiled little brat.” I said, causing him to pout.

It feels so empty when there is an empty seat next to me in the greenroom. Somehow, it feels like yesterday when he was here, sitting next to me, arguing like a small child before taking my arms around his while leaning  his body against mine, falling asleep while waiting for our manager or our producer to start our usual routine.

None of us speaks a word. It makes me feels like I’m at outer space, where there’s no one around me. And then I realized, it’s either Aiba-chan or him to start the noisiness inside our greenroom. It’s normally him who starts to tease that bestfriend of his before the animal lover starts to whine, influencing the others to join.

How I miss those days. How I miss him.

If only I could tell him that.

Somehow between us, there’s so many things has been left unspoken. It’s not him. It was me. He does speak a lot. From his life, to his family. And then one day, his feeling.

He said that he loves me. But maybe I was afraid of something that I didn’t know, I kept silent from saying anything. Not even an acceptance or a rejection.

If only I have the courage…

But that doesn’t change a thing between us. He is still close to me, teases me with a lot of silly things. When I fake a hurt face, he teases me even more.

I fake so many things. Even my own feelings.

***

“See what you’ve done!!!” I practically yell at him that one day. For the first time, I see his hurt expression.

“Gomen,” he said as he settled next to me. “Gomen,” he said again as I didn’t give any response.

It is just a scratch on my notebooks, causing my handwriting to be no longer seen. But maybe because of my mood wasn’t its best that day, I let out my anger on him.

I tore away the page, before copying a new one on another page. I ignored his existence next to me that day. But he didn’t give up.

“What are you doing?”

“Lyrics,” I answered him.

“Sugoi!! You start writing lyrics. What is-“

“Stop talking. I’m f**king out of idea!”

And then he stops talking. Slowly he started to distance himself from me, sitting up straight before sighing, pulling out his DS and start playing with his game quietly.

Somehow I feel guilty. Why am I behaving this way? I keep asking myself the same question, no longer focusing on the lyrics I currently writing.

I was about to apologize on my behavior when he spoke.

“I’ve got an offer to do another Hollywood film. I’m taking a break for 6 months,”

Silence.

“Ni no Arashi?”

“I’m serious, Riida,”

“Well then…” my anger took over me again. “Let’s do our best.”

***
Recording went as smooth as usual. We’re Arashi after all. Professionalism is the one of the things that we need to show.

Though, we lost our tsukkomi member. Every comment made sounds bland. Even when the audiences laugh, I’m not even sure if our jokes are really funny or they are just sympathizing with us.

Aiba-chan lost his cheerful personality nowadays. He still can’t get over it.

But if only people know how much I feel regretful. I shouldn’t have treated him that way. I didn’t even send him to the airport the day he leaves.

I took out my phone from my pocket, reading our last conversation.

<>

<>

The biggest lie I ever made.

<>

<>

<<*giggles* Oh-chan. Daisuki da yo – Kazunari>>

The conversation stops there.

For a while, I keep staring the last message from him. Just how many times he has said that before? And how many times I’ve avoided him?

 I typed a fast reply, sending it to him, even though I know, it’s no longer useful.

And when a message comes in, stating “your mail was unsuccessfully delivered,” I cry.

My “I love you too” doesn’t reach him.
***

“Chawan Mushi,” I ordered causing 3 pairs of eyes set on me.

All four of us decided to have some late dinner tonight. We went to the place where we usually go as five.

None of us speaks a word while we’re in the car heading to the restaurant. There are so many things that have changed since he gone. Even the seating arrangement. Normally I’ll take the boss seat when he was around. But now, I sit next to Sho-kun while Aiba-chan sits next to Matsujun. We face each other.

“Riida…” I cut Jun from continuing his sentence.

“I just want it, Jun. there’s nothing related to him,”

Always. Jun always reminds me to stop doing things that makes me reminds of the gamer. But how can I? What if one day I wake up and I start to forget every single memory that I have with him?

I know I’m being stubborn, and I know Jun means well. He just doesn’t want me to bring pain to myself. I don’t want to. But I don’t want our memories to fade. I just want him to stay. Even if it’s not by my side, but at least in my mind.

I stare at the empty seat while my memory plays.


“You call this good, Kazunari?” Jun whines with the bento I prepared that day. “It’s tasteless. Not to mention it looks… disgusting,”
Jun with his food comments never fails to make me pouted. Nino laughs.

“I’m fine though.”

“No don’t eat that, Nino. Seriously. We’re not 48 members that can cover one missing member. I don’t want you to get sick,” Jun insisted for him to stop eating the bento that I prepared.

“Daijoubu. I won’t get sick,” Nino replied.

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because everything that Riida cooks for me will always taste good. It’s full of love.” Somehow, I blushed. “And moreover Jun, it is hamburger. Who can say no to hamburger?”

“I will. I won’t eat it, judging from its appearance. It’s scary,” Jun continued to tease causing me to pout even more. Nino laughed again, this time pinching my pouting lips.

“Daijoubu Riida, as long as I alive, I will always compliment your cooking.”

I will always compliment your cooking. You said that . But now you’re gone, Nino, no one will.

I eat the chawan mushi I ordered just now in silent. Before I know, there’s a trail of tears on my cheek.

***

It was only two hours ago Nino left Japan when I received a call from my manager.

“Ohno-san. Something happened. Please get ready. I’ll arrive in front of your apartment in 10 minutes. We need to be at the Jimusho immediately,”

I could sense a panicked tone in the calmness of my manager’s voice. I want to ask for more information, but he just cut the line before I could even ask.

He actually arrives 10 minutes after the call. Inside the van, the members were sitting there clueless because of the sudden call.

He continued driving to the jimusho without explaining to us. And that time, I wish that I didn’t get annoyed when I asked him.

“You’re acting weird. Plus you look uncomfortable. What’s wrong?”

Silence.

“You don’t want to let us keep making speculations inside our mind, Yoshie-san. Spill!” I said with a little force in my voice. And then I hear him sighing.

He sighing always means something bad has happened.

“It’s just a rumor though. We still need to wait for confirmation.”

“What confirmation?” Sho asked this time.

“It has been rumored that the flight that Nino in tonight  involved in a plane crash. It’s still a rumor though. Let’s pray for his safety.”

Turns out, it’s not a rumor. The one that we love dearly has died in the plane crash.
***

I’ve drank a lot. Way too much than what I usually take before. I climb the steps to my apartment while tears kept flowing like a river.

While I never want the memories to fade, it hurts me so much. Not the memories though. The regret.

There are so many moments that we spend together. So many instances that I have the chance to say “I love you” to him. Why is it so hard for me to say those 3 simple words?

I love you.

It’s not hard at all.

You’re beautiful.

Two simple words but yet it never leaves my mouth from saying it out loud to him.

I open my apartment door clumsily, closing it once I’m in. I walk towards the rack where I put all my albums containing his picture. I flip them open one by one, causing me to cry even more.

I clench my shirt. My chest hurts so much from all the feelings I have. I close the album, bringing it to my chest, hugging it close like I used to hug him before.

Nino. You’re cruel. You left me. You left us. You’re being unfair. You didn’t even say goodbye.

“When can I claim his body?” his mother asks to one of our managers. Watching her red eyes, somehow, I started to choke.

“I’m sorry. But…” I know it’s tough for him to say. But still.... “There’s no body to claim. They decided to bury everything they could find in a hole.”

No goodbye, Nino. Is it because I didn’t tell you how much I love you. Is that a punishment you gave to me?

***
You who laugh softly in that space and time.
Are the most important to me that I could almost cry.
Saying that was something I couldn’t do that time.
…why couldn’t I say that to you?

I stare at the lines of the lyrics that I’ve abandoned for months. Since the tragedy happened, we went hiatus for 3 months. Comeback with 4 members is tough.

I still remember the time when Sho unconsciously calls Nino to response before everything went awkward.

“Gomen, I think, I miss him,” he confessed afterwards before Jun answered with the very same words and teary eyes.

Somehow, I feel jealous of the two. They never really expressed their own feelings.  But it feels like it is so easy for them to say how much they miss him.

 How I wish I have the courage to say what I want to say to him.

Maybe I am a coward. So many things I’ve been afraid of. Maybe because of what I thought, that a love between two men is a love that is never meant to be together. Maybe that is the reason that I did not have the courage to say my love towards him. Maybe that’s the reason why he died, because we are not meant to be together.

And now I regret it.

If I could turn back time, to the night before the day of the tragedy, the night he asked me to say anything that I want to say, I will tell him that I love him too. That I want him to stay, to drop the offer so that he doesn’t have to go. So that Arashi will remain 5.

But it’s too late now. Arashi is now 4 members, and I never get a chance to say it to him.

“Riida,” Aiba-chan voice startles me. I turn around to look at him. He looks miserable. Maybe because we’re at the dome, preparing for our concert. Maybe those memories we have before with him here keeps on replaying like a broken record.

“Aiba-chan,” and then, I start to sob. I walk towards the taller man before I embrace him, starting to cry. The taller man too. I lost my words.

“I miss him, Riida… I miss him,” he chants those words. And then the other two walks into the room, shock was obvious on their face. But after a while, when they understood the situation, both of them walks towards us before forming a group hug.

***
Hey Kazu,
You know things have been getting hard since the day you gone. No one making fun of Aiba-chan, but he said he misses it. And the greenroom is getting quieter as our mood maker is no longer here. And Sho-chan keeps on accidently calling your name when we do our variety show. And no one to bully Matsujun anymore.
Kazu, everyone miss you. I miss you too.
I’m sorry that I am being a coward from not telling you my feelings. But, we’re at the dome now. Getting ready for our concert. I’m sure the fans miss you too.
We perform two solos tonight. One is ours and another one is yours. Remember Niji? I used to play that a lot before right? I just love the song.
But… remember the lyrics I used to write before? It’s actually is a reply to Niji. I’m going to  perform it tonight. It’s for you Kazu.
No matter how far you’ve go now, you’ll always be in my heart, Kazu. In our heart.
I love you. I love you. I love you. So much. I’m sorry for not telling you this before.

I fold the letter for him after reading it out loud. The other three have done their part. It’s my turn now. I wiped my tears once before putting a yellow rose on the place where he always used as his preparation area. Maybe, yellow roses means friendship, but we just decided to use it, as a symbol that our yellow member is still with us.

I let out one last sob, before we leave the area.

Tonight I’m performing a song for him. Just for him. It’s You After All.

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