rinoahyuna (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rinoahyuna) wrote2019-07-23 02:46 am
rinoahyuna) wrote2019-07-23 02:46 am
Entry tags:
{036} Ninomiya Exchange 2019
Marks Classified (The Ninomiya Chronicles) 1/3
Ohno/Nino, PG Teens, 6680 words
They were being monitored for a reason, and Nino, for one, didn’t plan to be executed for treason. But his best friend and roommate seemed hardly bothered, inviting strangers to their home when they both know he shouldn’t. Still, he trusted Aiba to know better.This was his first mistake.
For![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ink_letters l Crossposted to AO3
EDITED THE FIRST PART (13.04.2020) BECAUSE I REALIZED A HUGE PART OF IT WAS MISSING. SO SORRY ABOUT THAT.
Part One : STRANGER
Like most things in Nino’s life recently that was questionable at best, it all started because of Aiba Masaki.
He supposed it shouldn’t surprise him anymore, when he walked into the apartment that night after his shift at the record store and found a stranger sprawled on his stomach on their thankfully carpeted floor. This was obviously another case of his best friend and roommate attracting the weird and taking them home, because, what fucking else could it be?
It began with stray animals - cats or dogs, birds, or that one time Nino walked into the apartment to find Aiba getting cozy on the couch with a python - but Nino knew it wouldn’t end there.
And he was right.
This wasn’t the first time this happened, and Nino found it easier to just ignore Aiba’s strange habit, as well as the people he sometimes invite home to stay over for a night (or a few days, depending on their agreement) as long as they did the same, because it was better that way. He’d trusted Aiba to know what he was doing, that Aiba knew the consequences of letting strangers into their home, the repercussions of his actions affecting not only himself but Nino as well once they were found out.
It was difficult enough to stay ‘under the radar’ when the government was monitoring each and every one of them who came forward to be ‘classified’ after the revolutionary war that changed the way Japan governed its people a few year’s back. The war that almost tore the whole nation apart. Somehow, the knowledge that people possessed ‘superpower abilities’ meant rules have to be changed, upgraded. Bringing back order meant putting every citizen with superpower abilities in check, to make sure they abide with the rules. Classifying them according to their abilities, even going as far as handling their employments for them by putting them in jobs where they obviously wouldn’t be able to utilize their powers without making it look that way.
This meant living arrangements were rigged too, because Nino was certain it couldn’t all be an accident, for two people with almost identical abilities to end up in a two-bedroom apartment as roommates. There probably was a bigger reason why people with resembling powers ended up being put together, but Nino tried not to think about it too much. It was easier to look at it in a different perspective, to instead focus on the one good thing that came out of all this, which was Aiba, and their friendship, and despite the doubt casting shadows over everything Nino had known and believed, he’d tried not to dwell on it much.
After all, this was much better than to end up like those people that resisted the government and went underground, how difficult it must have been to live like that, fighting for a freedom that no longer existed. Nino didn’t feel the least bit free, not really, not with this chip beeping quietly under his skin, monitoring his every move, but he guessed beggars couldn’t be choosers.
At least that was what he kept telling himself.
His friend evidently didn’t share the same sentiment, judging with how he kept inviting suspicious people into their home. Nino was certain this one wasn’t any different. He could tell just by looking at this stranger, even without seeing the scars behind his ear that set their kind apart. Normal people were marked differently, just brands stamped on their skins since they didn’t need to be monitored like the ones with the abilities.
A part of Nino wished Aiba wasn’t stupid enough to start bringing rebels home and helping them, because they both knew exactly what would happen to them if they were caught. A lifetime in jail cell somewhere, hidden in the mountains maybe. Death sentence, maybe something as painful as beheading, who knew? Nino normally didn’t care.
In the contrary, it was probably better if he did.
He locked the door behind him and hitched his bag up his shoulders, tried to make as little noise as possible as he made his way across, from the entrance to the living room proper. The lack of Aiba’s shoes at the entry way meant his friend wasn’t home, and the last thing he wanted was to wake his best friend’s ‘visitor’ and be acquainted with a stranger just to be polite.
He walked slowly, carefully, only stopping when he was about three feet away from the sleeping man to check him out. This close, Nino could tell the man was on the shorter side, probably even a few inches shorter than him; he had a medium built body, slim, but those arm muscles sure looked far better than Nino’s own, before his eyes settled on the man’s behind, found himself wondering how firm they were to the touch, and feeling slightly incredulous for even thinking about it. He chuckled under his breath and shook his head as he forcefully tore his gaze away from the stranger, and once again started walking towards the direction of his bedroom.
He was halfway to his room when he heard a voice, paused on his tracks and frowned.
I’m here. Can you hear me?
He turned and looked around, his confusion growing, because the guy was still lying there on the floor, unmoving, the same way as he did when Nino passed by him a little while ago. There was no one else around except the two of them, and Nino was certain he hadn’t just imagined that voice, or, did he?
He shook his head again and retreated quickly to his room, vaguely glancing back to the stranger invading their living room floor, wondering why he looked like he always belonged there.
*
He stepped out of the room at quarter past three early that morning to the sight of Aiba’s worried face, as he sat opposite his ‘visitor’ on the floor, arms crossed tightly over his chest. Nino noted the appearance of two mugs on the nearby low table, as was the unmistakably cold pitcher of coffee sitting next to the cups.
Aiba immediately noticed him standing there, and gestured him over with a wave of his hand.
Nino swallowed his questions down and walked, keeping his face devoid of emotion even though he was already reading Aiba carefully. It was during these kind of moments that Nino wished they could both read each other’s thoughts to make things easier. Some of his questions mirrored those of Aiba’s own, but the others sounded downright terrifying that they almost prompted him back to his room and leave Aiba to deal with this mess on his own.
Somehow, he found it difficult to do that the second he caught the stranger looking.
Or, was he?
Suddenly, he felt a warm, tingling sensation somewhere around the vicinity of his heart, reflected in both his palms, to the tips of his fingers as their gazes locked. Nino knew he was walking but he couldn’t feel himself moving, his attention focused solely on the unfamiliar face staring right back at him.
“Nino, I need help,” said Aiba, voice hurried, his expression pinched. Nino did his best to ignore the unusual warmth spreading throughout his entire body, and instead focused on the warning bells screaming in his head at the troubled look etched across Aiba’s normally cheerful face.
“No, no no, don’t tell me he’s a rebel,” he snarled, jaw tight. “Please don’t tell me you invited a rebel into our place, Aiba-shi.”
Aiba ignored his concerns in favor of posing something even more disturbing. “I don’t know what he is,” Aiba said, fear and something else Nino couldn’t exactly place his fingers on showing up on his face.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” he countered, stomach churning. He could already read Aiba’s next words before he even hear them, making him hyper-aware of the way the stranger’s gaze lingered on a spot near his ear although he didn’t seem like he could actually see it.
“Read him, come on,” Aiba dared, pointing at their visitor almost rudely. Nino frowned and did exactly that.
Nothing.
He stared pointedly at Aiba, before taking his gaze back to the strange man sitting on their couch.
“Nothing, right?” Aiba said. “Do it again, please?”
He did. He tried again. Still, there was nothing. Only silence. Which was odd, considering the fact that his and Aiba’s abilities allowed them to hear someone else’s thoughts easily. But Nino was getting nothing out of the man, and reading Aiba’s mental distress while he was trying to swallow down his own obviously didn’t help either.
“How is this possible?” he said, stepping closer. Their visitor tilted his head in answer, unblinking. “He’s not marked, right?” he said, just to confirm his suspicion. He did take a closer look earlier when he found the stranger sleeping, but it was still better to be sure.
If he wasn’t, then there should be something else they could identify him with. The code that should be stamped on the inside of his wrist that would bear his name, at least.
“I don’t think so, no.” said Aiba, paused to mumble his excuse before reaching over to grab the stranger’s arm to show Nino. It was empty. Clean. The man didn’t even twitch. “And no, no stamps, either. See?” Aiba followed, answering his wordless question.
“So, what is he?”
Aiba shook his head. “I have no idea,” he said, “I couldn’t read him and he - he isn’t talking. I tried talking to him before, then earlier, before you came out, but he just - he wouldn’t answer.”
Nino frowned harder. This was complicated than it looked. “Is he broken?”
“He’s not a toy, Nino. Goodness.”
He tried again. “Deaf? Mute?” he stepped closer, stared the man over. The man blinked back, though Nino was sure his gaze just went past him. It was hella weird. Nino ignored it and watched the man shook his head very slowly when Nino repeated the last question.
“Not deaf, then? You can hear me?” he repeated; the man vaguely tilted his head in answer.
To Aiba, “You can read normal people’s thoughts, right? Still?” he asked, knowing Aiba’s abilities well as his own.
“Yes,” Aiba answered. “But, do you think he’s just a normal guy? We’re not getting anything from him so, what if that means he’s like us?”
“He’s not marked, Aiba-shi.” he pointed out.
“But he doesn’t have the stamp, either. And being unmarked doesn’t mean he isn’t like us, Nino.”
He pursed his lips and stared the man over, who was also looking up at him carefully through his lashes. There was something there, a certain understanding behind the almost innocent look that made Nino feel cautious, maybe a little scared.
“Let’s find out.” he said, turning around to retrieve his phone from his room.
*
He didn’t mean to involve other people in this, not when they could very well be putting said people’s lives at risk for calling them out for help, but desperate times obviously call for desperate measures. It was far easier facing a roomful of scientists, doctors and military officers to answer their never-ending questions about Nino’s abilities and what-not, than to literally steer blindly through the dark to figure this shit out. So, against his better judgments, he called someone who he thought would have better understanding on this matter than himself and Aiba to help.
This person was Sakurai Sho.
Unlike Aiba, who obviously possessed so little self-preservation that he found it so easy to be friends with anyone, Sho, apparently, was the complete opposite. He had issues trusting people, people with abilities even more so, despite the fact that Sho was that people; Nino couldn’t exactly blame him. Some of those with powers had done the country wrong, abusing their abilities and killing off so many people, thinking they were doing the right thing. So many people suffered, innocent children losing their families because of the war. It wasn’t to say that things were better now, especially not for people like them, but it could be worse. It could be so much worse, and he would choose this not-exactly-free life over the one that came before this, anytime.
Sho circled their visitor, frown etched firmly on his forehead. Nino couldn’t, for the life of him, understand why the stranger looked far too calm for someone who was obviously being interrogated closely. Their gazes catch for a second, but just like before, the man’s gaze just went past him, as if he was staring right at him but he couldn’t see him. Even his expression remained passive, unchanged, apart from the tiny, almost unrecognizable twitch of his mouth when Nino mentioned about not getting his name earlier in passing.
Nino wondered if he was just imagining it.
“Where did you find him?”
Aiba looked stressed. “Outside of the clinic,” he said, “He was just sitting there, and I thought he was waiting for someone. I invited him in but he just stared at me and said nothing. So I left and went back inside to finish my shift, then when I came out after a few hours, he was still there. He followed me to my car and I thought it would be cruel to just leave him there -”
Nino felt like punching something. “Jesus fucking Christ, Aiba,” he gawked at his best friend, stunned. “You do know how fucking dangerous that is, right? Right? Jesus, you could have invited a human version of a ticking time bomb over for dinner and we won’t even know it. That’s so goddamn stupid.”
“Nino, that’s enough,” Sho chastised him. To Aiba, he asked, “Identity stamp?”
He and Aiba both shook their heads in answer. “None,” breathed Aiba, “That was the next thing I checked when I realized he didn’t have the chip.”
Nino watched the way Sho pursed his lips as if he was at a loss. Somehow, it wasn’t that difficult to tell that that wasn’t a good thing, at all.
“Sho-san, what is it?” he asked, “Do you think we’ll be able to figure out what he is?”
Sho looked spooked, and for a moment there, Nino felt a little scared, too. “Maybe,” Sho said, “But I think trying to figure out what he is should be the least of our concerns. It’s why he is here that worries me.”
*
They settled with doing it the old-fashion way, using pen and paper to ask questions. Sho suggested it after the next seven times their attempt at verbal questioning failed. They slid the same sheet of paper where the question about his name and the place he came from were written, hoping they’d get an answer out of the man quickly.
It only took a few minutes before they saw the pen move. Strangely enough, the man wasn’t even looking at the paper as he wrote. A moment later, he stopped.
The three of them leaned down to peek. There, on the middle, he wrote two characters. A name. A very familiar name.
It read, Matsumoto Jun.
Nino gasped, hearing the other two doing the same. It couldn’t be. No, it wasn’t possible.
He looked the man over, gaping as he did so, wondering how this man knew that name. Or even find it necessary to write it down for them to see. Because Matsumoto Jun was dead. He died during the war, they were sure of it. He was one of the casualties, though they didn’t find his body. Many were missing, still, and Jun was one of them. Their friend, Jun. Their friend who joined the revolution and got killed because of it.
And there was no way this stranger would know it, unless.
Unless, of course, if Jun was alive and this man knew exactly where to find him.
*
He knew he sounded hysterical the next time he talked, when his voice box was working properly again, but he couldn’t care less. There was obviously far more important things he should care about than to force himself to stay calm, or make himself look passably sane in front of Aiba’s mysterious visitor, because he just fucking couldn’t.
“You obviously know how to fucking write,” he hissed, pointing at the paper and making rude faces at the man sitting there. They’ve migrated to the kitchen, Aiba opting on making more coffee just to occupy his time. Sho, however, chose to stand in a corner, looking grim.
“So, write something! Tell us how you know that person and how we could find him.”
The man simply blinked at him. It’s annoying and equal-parts frustrating, to know he’s got power at his disposal and it wouldn’t even work to help when he needed it most.
“He’s not dead, is he?” he followed, lowering his voice this time. The man remained uncharacteristically quiet. It only served to irritate him even more.
“Say something!”
A hand come up to his shoulder, clinging, squeezing, tugging at him softly. He was shaking something bad, and it didn’t help that the man still looked uncharacteristically calm given the circumstances. While Nino was well on his way to breaking things to get answers, the man still looked far too cool than the situation warranted.
It wasn’t helping Nino’s anger to simmer down, not even the slightest bit. “Nino, come on, yelling at him isn’t going to get us answers. You’re just -” Aiba was saying, but it only made Nino angrier.
He was thrashing around, violently shaking Aiba’s hand off him with a growl before reaching over to grab the man. His hands catching the nearest part of the man he could find - his elbow - and Nino held on, prepared to pull the man forward, tug him, only to end up on his knees on the next moment, gasping.
Aiba and Sho yelled, simultaneously. “Nino?!”
Nino was certain the ground beneath him was shaking, his fingers gripping the man’s skin he was certain they would leave marks. The reaction was instantaneous he had no time to figure out what was happening, just that at the same moment their skins touched, Nino felt as if he’d been struck by lighting. He shook violently, threw his head back, eyes wide as he stared at the ceiling but seeing something else, something that weren’t actually there, seeing faces, hearing voices, familiar and unfamiliar ones, screaming, crying. There were blood, so much of it, and Nino felt like his head was about to split in half, his insides hot as if his whole body was on fire.
I’m here, can you hear me?
That was the last thing he heard before everything went black around him.
*
When he came to, it was to the sound of Aiba and Sho arguing in the background.
His head felt fuzzy and heavy, like that one time he’d stupidly drank the whole night and suffered the worst hangover in the history of hangovers the next morning. Groaning, he sat up and cleared his throat noisily to catch Aiba and Sho’s attention, while trying to remember what happened.
A quick darting glance to his surroundings told him he was in his room, and lying on his bed. He had no idea how he got there.
“Nino, are you okay?” inquired Aiba, sounding almost breathless as he approached Nino on the bed. Nino’s head throbbed at the intensity of Aiba’s worries, both verbal and unspoken, and coupled with Sho’s, it was almost too much for Nino to handle at once.
“Yes,” he gritted as he sat up with difficulty. “And will you please pipe it down? You’re giving me headache with your mental screaming. Enough already.”
“Sorry,” Aiba and Sho said in unison. Nino waved them off.
“It’s fine,” he said, already moving to jump off the bed. Aiba was quickly there to stop him.
“Where are you going?”
“That freak, he’s still here?” he asked, letting Aiba read the rest off of him as he tugged his hand away. Aiba let him, but stood next to him on the bed, obviously to keep him from going anywhere.
“Nino, please -”
“Get out of the way, Aiba.”
“No, Nino,” said Aiba, just as he saw Sho rounding the way to stand next to Aiba. “You’re not going anywhere near that - that person again until we talked this out.”
He wheezed, and slapped the mattress in rage. “Are you even listening to yourself right now?” he hissed. “Our friend is out there somewhere, and that guy is our only way to get him back. Let me talk to him, just let me - let me touch him, like I did earlier. I don’t know how to explain it, but I was-”
“Able to read his mind when you touched him, right?” Sho finished his sentence for him. He nodded. “Which is weird, because we all have the same abilities, and yet neither me or Aiba-san was able to do what you did.” Sho followed, referring to himself and Aiba.
He supposed that should concern him, but right now, he couldn’t really find it in him to care.
“Fine, it’s weird. Now, out of the way.” he said, pushing up from the bed to stand, scowled when Aiba immediately crowded him before he could even take a step forward. “Seriously?”
“Nino, hear us out, please.” Aiba said, reaching forward to wrap his fingers around Nino’s elbow to keep him in place.
“After I talked to the guy, okay?” he insisted. “Come on, this isn’t about us anymore. This is about our friend, it’s about finding him so, if you’ll just let me -”
Another set of fingers settled on Nino’s shoulder, and he knew they belonged to Sho.
“What if they aren’t true?” asked Sho, contemplative, the look on his face made Nino pause despite his earlier desire to run, find the man and shake the answers out of him.
“What do you mean?”
“The visions,” Sho pointed out, unrelenting. “He showed you something, didn’t he?”
“I - How did you know -”
“Yeah, I guessed as much,” said Sho, “It was obvious, based on your reaction.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. All I know is that we have to talk to that man, Sho-san,” he gritted.
“What if he’s a rebel?”
“At this point, I don’t really care what he is. All I care about is that he might know where Jun is. Let me talk to him.”
Sho shook his head. “I wouldn’t recommend that,” said Sho. “I mean, he obviously did something to you earlier and that’s why you passed out. I suggest it’s better to be careful, figure out what he’s classified with first before we do anything rash.”
“He’s obviously gifted, just like us,” he retorted, “but unmarked. Someone we shouldn’t be associating with, if we could help it. But as it is, he’s already here and I have a feeling he knows where Jun is. I’m going to talk to him.”
Sho gave him a cryptic look. “Again, what if they’re not true?”
“What is?”
“The things he allowed you to see. What if they’re not really what they were? What if they’re meant to confuse us? To confuse you? What if they’re not what they seemed to be, not what they’re meant to be, but just fragments of altered events meant to lure us in?”
“Sho-san, I don’t understand-”
“Of course, you don’t and that’s why I’m trying to explain it to you,” Sho said, hands firmly on his shoulders now, holding him in place. “That person, that man, he might look like one of us, but he’s not. I - I think he’s not real.” Sho breathed deeply, fingers squeezing his shoulders tight.
“What are you talking about?”
Sho cleared his throat. “I think that man, it’s - it’s just a shell, a projection of the real person who sent it in his place. There are only a handful of people who have this ability, though I’ve never seen one myself, at least until now, just heard about their existence after the war. Replicants.These people, they’re extremely powerful, and very dangerous, if they want to be. Normally, they could only make one copy of themselves at a time, but I heard that there are those who are powerful enough to make several copies at one time, perfect replicate of the real person to stand in its place, made to accomplish what they’re tasked to do. I heard it could be difficult to tell them apart, at least if one had no idea what they’re dealing with.”
Nino tried not to look affected, but it’s hard. Reading Sho’s fear and seeing the same thing reflected in his eyes made it twice as difficult to pretend not to care.
“And how would you know we’re dealing with the same thing right now?”
Sho’s mind was a myriad of terrifying possibilities that it was difficult to comprehend it.
“It’s so obvious. You can tell just by looking at it. It’s blank,” Sho said, holding Nino’s gaze in his. “empty. The fact that we can’t read it simply proves it’s not what we think it is. A good enough copy, but a faulty duplicate just the same. Something that obviously can’t be trusted. I’m not really sure how it was able to do what it did, the visions it showed you, but we could only guess. Such power is rare; I can’t be certain the extent of such ability aside from what little information I was able to gather about the people who possess it. But one thing’s clear, it was sent here for something else other than to help us find Matsumoto.”
Nino blinked. Empty? He didn’t think so.
“But he’s not empty,” he insisted, remembering everything that man showed him earlier. “I know what I saw, Sho-san, and it’s - it wasn’t nothing. They can’t be. They’re real. I knew it. I felt it.”
Sho shook his head, shook his shoulders for good measure. “And how would you know if what it showed you was real?” Sho asked, sounding and looking troubled. “We can’t even talk to it.”
Nino blinked, uncertain. Something nagged in his mind, the memory of an unfamiliar voice ringing at the back of his mind.
I’m here. Can you hear me?
He gave Sho and Aiba a look, and swallowed past the lump that lodged itself in his throat.
“Oh, but I can,” he muttered, darting his gaze from the shell-shock look on Sho’s face to the open doorway. “I think I can, Sho-san.”
*
“You think?” Sho parroted, confused. “What do you mean?”
The decision was swift he’d surprised even himself. He took two steps backwards, away from Sho, turning completely around and walking towards the direction of the door. In seconds, he was in front of the man Sho was insisting was anything but a shell, and planting himself to the front, facing the man, vaguely hearing the sounds of footsteps following him.
As if on cue, the man turned, eyes glassy it was almost expressionless, gaze going past Nino, just like always.
“Nino? What are you doing?” asked Aiba, just as he lowered his head, left hand poised in mid-air and closed his eyes, waiting.
He didn’t even need to wait very long.
The touch came not even seconds later, gasped when at the same time the voice came through, a now too-familiar sounding ‘I’m here, can you hear me?’ something else followed. But where Nino expected the same terrifying yet confusing vision he saw the first time their skins touched, it didn’t. However, in it’s place, something even more terrifying took over.
Because it was as if Nino, despite the fact that his eyes were screwed shut, was certain he was staring at an impending view of their missing friend, Matsumoto Jun, who looked much older than the last time Nino had seen him. What was terrifying, however, was the fact that Jun wasn’t moving, still as a rock, his battered, bloodied body lying spread-eagle on what looked to be once white concrete floor, now dirty and disgusting, his arms and feet shackled onto something that looked like a bed, so clear it was as if Nino was just there, right next to Jun and staring right at him.
Can you hear me?
Nino focused solely on that voice, breathing through his noise to collect himself despite his fear clawing at his chest and working its way to settle on the general vicinity of his throat. At the very least, he knew he didn’t need to use his voice to communicate this time around, squeezing the hand grabbing his own lightly, more to reassure himself than the silent man holding his hand.
Yes. Yes, I can hear you.
A pause, a breath. I know how this looks, but you need not be afraid, okay?
I - That’s easier said than done, Mister… How - How is this even possible? How are you doing this - whatever it is you’re doing. Are you - are you messing with my head?
Does it feel like it? Like I’m messing with your thoughts right now?
To be honest? Not really.
A pause, and Nino heard the sound of a quiet breath.
It’s because I’m not. This communication is possible because we’re connected.
Connected how?
You’re holding my hand in yours right now, aren’t you? That’s how.
Okay, that only made it sound even more creepy. Will you explain it in simple words that I could understand?
It’s just how my powers work, really.
That doesn’t really explain anything.
It is confusing, I know, but given how -
Confusing doesn’t even quite cut it, he pointed out. Sure, you said you’re not messing with my head, then why am I looking at my supposedly dead friend’s body right now when I’m sure my eyes are screwed shut? And I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t be, since I know he’s long gone, and that I’m certain I’m at home, sitting on the couch and presently holding hands with a weird guy my roommate invited over for coffee? How do you explain this? And who are you?
You already figured it out, that’s why we’re here and we’re already talking.
He released the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, confused and equal-parts relieved to hear that Jun wasn’t dead despite his doubts, to know that he wasn’t just hallucinating, that what he was seeing right now wasn’t just a mere fragment of his imagination. Jun was alive, or so the voice reassured him, even though he couldn’t quite believe it just yet, seeing that the body lying there, the one that looked so much like Jun despite the blood and the bruises, had yet to move even a single muscle ever since.
Did I?
Yes.
Nino quietly balked at the voice’s confidence. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to try and get the answers he needed, straight from the owner of the voice itself while they’re at it.
I still need you to explain this to me. Slowly and very carefully, if you please.
The voice didn’t even pause. Fair enough. Where do you want me to start?
He squeezed the hand he was holding absently. From the beginning, of course. Like, how does this work? What is this I’m seeing, and is this real? Is that really my friend, Jun, I’m staring at right now?
It is him, I swear to you. And it’s as you guessed it. You’re looking at Matsumoto-san through my eyes. You’re seeing exactly what I am seeing. And right now, I am looking at him, sprawled on the floor, unconscious.
Unconscious?, he parroted in his head. Not dead?
No, not dead. Just unconscious. He’s - resting.
Doesn’t look like it at all, he said, bile rising up his throat. So Jun didn’t die, but it sure looked like he was heading in that same direction anyway. And soon.
In fact, I think he’s not even aware he’s lying there, given how bad those bruises look. Who did that to him?
It’s not always the same people, so, I don’t know, came the simple reply. Nino knew he wasn’t going to get the answers he needed like this. They have to be able to learn how to trust each other, and that wasn’t happening if he had no idea how this ‘talking’ thing worked first.
How about you?
What about me?
Are they beating you too? Like what they’re doing to Jun?
Silence. Hmm. I guess I’ll take that as a yes -
Ohno. Ohno Satoshi.
Ohno-san. A-Are you okay?
Yes. At least for now.
He sighed. Sorry, I know this is taking us a lot slower than you probably expected. I just - I just want to know what’s going on, is all.
Don’t worry about it, I understand.
So, tell me, this - this communication thing, how does it work? Surely, it isn’t like, I can see exactly what you see but not the other way around? Or am I right?
Pretty much, yes.
How convenient, he frowned. And weird.
It’s for your own safety, I’d say.
For my own safety?
Yes.
What about this man here?, he asked, referring to their visitor whose hand was gripping his.
What about him?
I’m guessing you know who he is? Why he’s here?
Sure, I do. I was the one who sent him over to find you.
To find him? What the hell did that mean?
Who is he?
An extension of myself, I’d say.
So, technically, he’s you? Like a clone or something?
Yes, kind of. Like a clone, a near-perfect copy of myself, but with restrictions. My ability, well, it is classified as Replicant and it - it allows me to create a copy of myself, mostly for when I’m in danger. It’s like sending an SOS call in the form of a person.
That’s - hella weird.
Yeah, well. I kind of get that a lot.
And this is how your face looks like? Exactly like this one?
I’m sorry if my appearance didn’t pass your standards.
Nino chuckled at that. I didn’t say that.
Right.
Nino shook his head and mentally chastised himself for getting off track.
You still hasn’t explained how we’re able to communicate like this. I mean, do I really need to hold hands with your - your copy just to talk to you? Can’t we, I don’t know, talk like how normal people do or something?
The physical contact is required to establish the connection. I did try to communicate with you before but I realized it could be dangerous.
Dangerous how?
The Guild could find out about you and… and I can’t risk that. I’m already putting your life in danger as it is by sending that replicate over to find you.
Guild? What the hell is that?
A group of powerful and very dangerous people. They have been abducting people with abilities even before the Classification, and even right after the revolution. To experiment on them, mostly. Then kill them off when they no longer serve their purpose.
Nino shivered, hearing that. And this Guild, you’re saying they abducted you? And Jun?
Yes. They’ve been conducting experiments on us ever since we were captured.
Holy crap. And sending your replicate over to us is your way of asking for help, is that it?
I’m sorry, but yes. I know it’s awfully shameless of me to do this, and this plan, well, I didn’t agree to this at first, but we just - we couldn’t just give up. And talking to you made me realize one thing : that Matsumoto-san is right. You’re a good friend, Ninomiya-san.
I - I don’t know what to say.
You don’t really have to. I mean, I know this is a lot to take in, and you might not even want to get involved but just -
I’m already involved, Ohno-san. There’s nothing we can do to change that now. So, then, why send a broken replicate if you need help? Wouldn’t it be better if he has voice so he could talk to us if in case you’re not available?
No. I created him that way for a reason.
Like a disabled person? You do know he can’t actually talk, right?
Yes. I removed that on purpose, but I added something else in its place to enable us to communicate with each other once he found you. It’s why you reacted to him the way you did when you first touched. I did it as a precaution.
Precaution? To what?
His thoughts aren’t safe. I need to make sure no one would be able to connect you with me if they found him.
Shouldn’t you be worried with mine too? Surely, if there’s anyone who’s thoughts might be compromised, it’s mine. I’m marked. My friends are, too. How do we know the government aren’t listening to us right now?
They can’t. The chip they planted in you is blocked.
How are you so sure about this?
You just have to trust me on this, Ninomiya-san.
That’s not very helpful. And wait, I don’t remember ever mentioning my name. How did you even -
Because of Matsumoto-san, of course. He was the one who told me all about you.
Right.
So, now you know why I didn’t want to agree to this. But its that or accept our fate. Death will come sooner or later, anyway. But Matsumoto-san - he said it doesn’t have to be that way. That we might have a chance if I agree to this plan and find you. We need your help, Ninomiya-san.
But, why me?
I know it does sound implausible, but believe me, you’re the only one who could.
Me? But I - I don’t understand.
I don’t suppose you would. Not right away, anyway. And as I said, this is a lot to take in at once.
But just to reassure you, I don’t mean you and your friends any harm. But we’re running out of options and it’s getting increasingly difficult to find a way to break out from here, more so everyday, not when we couldn’t even use our powers the way we’re supposed to. I guess I was just lucky that one time to be conscious enough to use mine, so I was able to send that copy out without being detected. I wasn’t - I didn’t like this idea, either, but the longer we’re stuck here, the chances of us getting out alive is getting slimmer and slimmer every day. Your friend, well, Matsumoto-san - he proposed this idea himself. Said he know his friends would be able to help.
Nino breathed hard through his nose, steeling himself. The owner of the voice had simply confirmed his suspicions. That all these elaborate schemes - everything that happened and still happening - were done in attempt to ask for help, to let them know that somewhere out there, Jun was alive but was being held in captive.
Obviously, the owner of the voice was with him, too.
You’re saying that but how would I know that you speak the truth? That what I’m seeing, what you claimed I’m seeing is truly what you say it is? If that’s really my friend, Jun? What if it’s not and you’re just trying to fool me, my friends? How would I know that your powers don’t extend to making perfect copies of other people as well? How would I know you’re not lying?
I’m not. And no, I swear to you, that’s not going to happen. My powers don’t work that way, I’m afraid. I can only make just one copy of myself at a time. Ask your friend, Sakurai Sho. Matsumoto-san said he knows. He’ll tell you. He’ll tell you I’m not lying, and even if I can, I won’t. I won’t ever lie to you, Ninomiya-san. Never.
(Marks Classified - The Ninomiya Chronicles Part 2)
Ohno/Nino, PG Teens, 6680 words
They were being monitored for a reason, and Nino, for one, didn’t plan to be executed for treason. But his best friend and roommate seemed hardly bothered, inviting strangers to their home when they both know he shouldn’t. Still, he trusted Aiba to know better.This was his first mistake.
For
ink_letters l Crossposted to AO3EDITED THE FIRST PART (13.04.2020) BECAUSE I REALIZED A HUGE PART OF IT WAS MISSING. SO SORRY ABOUT THAT.
Part One : STRANGER
Like most things in Nino’s life recently that was questionable at best, it all started because of Aiba Masaki.
He supposed it shouldn’t surprise him anymore, when he walked into the apartment that night after his shift at the record store and found a stranger sprawled on his stomach on their thankfully carpeted floor. This was obviously another case of his best friend and roommate attracting the weird and taking them home, because, what fucking else could it be?
It began with stray animals - cats or dogs, birds, or that one time Nino walked into the apartment to find Aiba getting cozy on the couch with a python - but Nino knew it wouldn’t end there.
And he was right.
This wasn’t the first time this happened, and Nino found it easier to just ignore Aiba’s strange habit, as well as the people he sometimes invite home to stay over for a night (or a few days, depending on their agreement) as long as they did the same, because it was better that way. He’d trusted Aiba to know what he was doing, that Aiba knew the consequences of letting strangers into their home, the repercussions of his actions affecting not only himself but Nino as well once they were found out.
It was difficult enough to stay ‘under the radar’ when the government was monitoring each and every one of them who came forward to be ‘classified’ after the revolutionary war that changed the way Japan governed its people a few year’s back. The war that almost tore the whole nation apart. Somehow, the knowledge that people possessed ‘superpower abilities’ meant rules have to be changed, upgraded. Bringing back order meant putting every citizen with superpower abilities in check, to make sure they abide with the rules. Classifying them according to their abilities, even going as far as handling their employments for them by putting them in jobs where they obviously wouldn’t be able to utilize their powers without making it look that way.
This meant living arrangements were rigged too, because Nino was certain it couldn’t all be an accident, for two people with almost identical abilities to end up in a two-bedroom apartment as roommates. There probably was a bigger reason why people with resembling powers ended up being put together, but Nino tried not to think about it too much. It was easier to look at it in a different perspective, to instead focus on the one good thing that came out of all this, which was Aiba, and their friendship, and despite the doubt casting shadows over everything Nino had known and believed, he’d tried not to dwell on it much.
After all, this was much better than to end up like those people that resisted the government and went underground, how difficult it must have been to live like that, fighting for a freedom that no longer existed. Nino didn’t feel the least bit free, not really, not with this chip beeping quietly under his skin, monitoring his every move, but he guessed beggars couldn’t be choosers.
At least that was what he kept telling himself.
His friend evidently didn’t share the same sentiment, judging with how he kept inviting suspicious people into their home. Nino was certain this one wasn’t any different. He could tell just by looking at this stranger, even without seeing the scars behind his ear that set their kind apart. Normal people were marked differently, just brands stamped on their skins since they didn’t need to be monitored like the ones with the abilities.
A part of Nino wished Aiba wasn’t stupid enough to start bringing rebels home and helping them, because they both knew exactly what would happen to them if they were caught. A lifetime in jail cell somewhere, hidden in the mountains maybe. Death sentence, maybe something as painful as beheading, who knew? Nino normally didn’t care.
In the contrary, it was probably better if he did.
He locked the door behind him and hitched his bag up his shoulders, tried to make as little noise as possible as he made his way across, from the entrance to the living room proper. The lack of Aiba’s shoes at the entry way meant his friend wasn’t home, and the last thing he wanted was to wake his best friend’s ‘visitor’ and be acquainted with a stranger just to be polite.
He walked slowly, carefully, only stopping when he was about three feet away from the sleeping man to check him out. This close, Nino could tell the man was on the shorter side, probably even a few inches shorter than him; he had a medium built body, slim, but those arm muscles sure looked far better than Nino’s own, before his eyes settled on the man’s behind, found himself wondering how firm they were to the touch, and feeling slightly incredulous for even thinking about it. He chuckled under his breath and shook his head as he forcefully tore his gaze away from the stranger, and once again started walking towards the direction of his bedroom.
He was halfway to his room when he heard a voice, paused on his tracks and frowned.
I’m here. Can you hear me?
He turned and looked around, his confusion growing, because the guy was still lying there on the floor, unmoving, the same way as he did when Nino passed by him a little while ago. There was no one else around except the two of them, and Nino was certain he hadn’t just imagined that voice, or, did he?
He shook his head again and retreated quickly to his room, vaguely glancing back to the stranger invading their living room floor, wondering why he looked like he always belonged there.
*
He stepped out of the room at quarter past three early that morning to the sight of Aiba’s worried face, as he sat opposite his ‘visitor’ on the floor, arms crossed tightly over his chest. Nino noted the appearance of two mugs on the nearby low table, as was the unmistakably cold pitcher of coffee sitting next to the cups.
Aiba immediately noticed him standing there, and gestured him over with a wave of his hand.
Nino swallowed his questions down and walked, keeping his face devoid of emotion even though he was already reading Aiba carefully. It was during these kind of moments that Nino wished they could both read each other’s thoughts to make things easier. Some of his questions mirrored those of Aiba’s own, but the others sounded downright terrifying that they almost prompted him back to his room and leave Aiba to deal with this mess on his own.
Somehow, he found it difficult to do that the second he caught the stranger looking.
Or, was he?
Suddenly, he felt a warm, tingling sensation somewhere around the vicinity of his heart, reflected in both his palms, to the tips of his fingers as their gazes locked. Nino knew he was walking but he couldn’t feel himself moving, his attention focused solely on the unfamiliar face staring right back at him.
“Nino, I need help,” said Aiba, voice hurried, his expression pinched. Nino did his best to ignore the unusual warmth spreading throughout his entire body, and instead focused on the warning bells screaming in his head at the troubled look etched across Aiba’s normally cheerful face.
“No, no no, don’t tell me he’s a rebel,” he snarled, jaw tight. “Please don’t tell me you invited a rebel into our place, Aiba-shi.”
Aiba ignored his concerns in favor of posing something even more disturbing. “I don’t know what he is,” Aiba said, fear and something else Nino couldn’t exactly place his fingers on showing up on his face.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” he countered, stomach churning. He could already read Aiba’s next words before he even hear them, making him hyper-aware of the way the stranger’s gaze lingered on a spot near his ear although he didn’t seem like he could actually see it.
“Read him, come on,” Aiba dared, pointing at their visitor almost rudely. Nino frowned and did exactly that.
Nothing.
He stared pointedly at Aiba, before taking his gaze back to the strange man sitting on their couch.
“Nothing, right?” Aiba said. “Do it again, please?”
He did. He tried again. Still, there was nothing. Only silence. Which was odd, considering the fact that his and Aiba’s abilities allowed them to hear someone else’s thoughts easily. But Nino was getting nothing out of the man, and reading Aiba’s mental distress while he was trying to swallow down his own obviously didn’t help either.
“How is this possible?” he said, stepping closer. Their visitor tilted his head in answer, unblinking. “He’s not marked, right?” he said, just to confirm his suspicion. He did take a closer look earlier when he found the stranger sleeping, but it was still better to be sure.
If he wasn’t, then there should be something else they could identify him with. The code that should be stamped on the inside of his wrist that would bear his name, at least.
“I don’t think so, no.” said Aiba, paused to mumble his excuse before reaching over to grab the stranger’s arm to show Nino. It was empty. Clean. The man didn’t even twitch. “And no, no stamps, either. See?” Aiba followed, answering his wordless question.
“So, what is he?”
Aiba shook his head. “I have no idea,” he said, “I couldn’t read him and he - he isn’t talking. I tried talking to him before, then earlier, before you came out, but he just - he wouldn’t answer.”
Nino frowned harder. This was complicated than it looked. “Is he broken?”
“He’s not a toy, Nino. Goodness.”
He tried again. “Deaf? Mute?” he stepped closer, stared the man over. The man blinked back, though Nino was sure his gaze just went past him. It was hella weird. Nino ignored it and watched the man shook his head very slowly when Nino repeated the last question.
“Not deaf, then? You can hear me?” he repeated; the man vaguely tilted his head in answer.
To Aiba, “You can read normal people’s thoughts, right? Still?” he asked, knowing Aiba’s abilities well as his own.
“Yes,” Aiba answered. “But, do you think he’s just a normal guy? We’re not getting anything from him so, what if that means he’s like us?”
“He’s not marked, Aiba-shi.” he pointed out.
“But he doesn’t have the stamp, either. And being unmarked doesn’t mean he isn’t like us, Nino.”
He pursed his lips and stared the man over, who was also looking up at him carefully through his lashes. There was something there, a certain understanding behind the almost innocent look that made Nino feel cautious, maybe a little scared.
“Let’s find out.” he said, turning around to retrieve his phone from his room.
*
He didn’t mean to involve other people in this, not when they could very well be putting said people’s lives at risk for calling them out for help, but desperate times obviously call for desperate measures. It was far easier facing a roomful of scientists, doctors and military officers to answer their never-ending questions about Nino’s abilities and what-not, than to literally steer blindly through the dark to figure this shit out. So, against his better judgments, he called someone who he thought would have better understanding on this matter than himself and Aiba to help.
This person was Sakurai Sho.
Unlike Aiba, who obviously possessed so little self-preservation that he found it so easy to be friends with anyone, Sho, apparently, was the complete opposite. He had issues trusting people, people with abilities even more so, despite the fact that Sho was that people; Nino couldn’t exactly blame him. Some of those with powers had done the country wrong, abusing their abilities and killing off so many people, thinking they were doing the right thing. So many people suffered, innocent children losing their families because of the war. It wasn’t to say that things were better now, especially not for people like them, but it could be worse. It could be so much worse, and he would choose this not-exactly-free life over the one that came before this, anytime.
Sho circled their visitor, frown etched firmly on his forehead. Nino couldn’t, for the life of him, understand why the stranger looked far too calm for someone who was obviously being interrogated closely. Their gazes catch for a second, but just like before, the man’s gaze just went past him, as if he was staring right at him but he couldn’t see him. Even his expression remained passive, unchanged, apart from the tiny, almost unrecognizable twitch of his mouth when Nino mentioned about not getting his name earlier in passing.
Nino wondered if he was just imagining it.
“Where did you find him?”
Aiba looked stressed. “Outside of the clinic,” he said, “He was just sitting there, and I thought he was waiting for someone. I invited him in but he just stared at me and said nothing. So I left and went back inside to finish my shift, then when I came out after a few hours, he was still there. He followed me to my car and I thought it would be cruel to just leave him there -”
Nino felt like punching something. “Jesus fucking Christ, Aiba,” he gawked at his best friend, stunned. “You do know how fucking dangerous that is, right? Right? Jesus, you could have invited a human version of a ticking time bomb over for dinner and we won’t even know it. That’s so goddamn stupid.”
“Nino, that’s enough,” Sho chastised him. To Aiba, he asked, “Identity stamp?”
He and Aiba both shook their heads in answer. “None,” breathed Aiba, “That was the next thing I checked when I realized he didn’t have the chip.”
Nino watched the way Sho pursed his lips as if he was at a loss. Somehow, it wasn’t that difficult to tell that that wasn’t a good thing, at all.
“Sho-san, what is it?” he asked, “Do you think we’ll be able to figure out what he is?”
Sho looked spooked, and for a moment there, Nino felt a little scared, too. “Maybe,” Sho said, “But I think trying to figure out what he is should be the least of our concerns. It’s why he is here that worries me.”
*
They settled with doing it the old-fashion way, using pen and paper to ask questions. Sho suggested it after the next seven times their attempt at verbal questioning failed. They slid the same sheet of paper where the question about his name and the place he came from were written, hoping they’d get an answer out of the man quickly.
It only took a few minutes before they saw the pen move. Strangely enough, the man wasn’t even looking at the paper as he wrote. A moment later, he stopped.
The three of them leaned down to peek. There, on the middle, he wrote two characters. A name. A very familiar name.
It read, Matsumoto Jun.
Nino gasped, hearing the other two doing the same. It couldn’t be. No, it wasn’t possible.
He looked the man over, gaping as he did so, wondering how this man knew that name. Or even find it necessary to write it down for them to see. Because Matsumoto Jun was dead. He died during the war, they were sure of it. He was one of the casualties, though they didn’t find his body. Many were missing, still, and Jun was one of them. Their friend, Jun. Their friend who joined the revolution and got killed because of it.
And there was no way this stranger would know it, unless.
Unless, of course, if Jun was alive and this man knew exactly where to find him.
*
He knew he sounded hysterical the next time he talked, when his voice box was working properly again, but he couldn’t care less. There was obviously far more important things he should care about than to force himself to stay calm, or make himself look passably sane in front of Aiba’s mysterious visitor, because he just fucking couldn’t.
“You obviously know how to fucking write,” he hissed, pointing at the paper and making rude faces at the man sitting there. They’ve migrated to the kitchen, Aiba opting on making more coffee just to occupy his time. Sho, however, chose to stand in a corner, looking grim.
“So, write something! Tell us how you know that person and how we could find him.”
The man simply blinked at him. It’s annoying and equal-parts frustrating, to know he’s got power at his disposal and it wouldn’t even work to help when he needed it most.
“He’s not dead, is he?” he followed, lowering his voice this time. The man remained uncharacteristically quiet. It only served to irritate him even more.
“Say something!”
A hand come up to his shoulder, clinging, squeezing, tugging at him softly. He was shaking something bad, and it didn’t help that the man still looked uncharacteristically calm given the circumstances. While Nino was well on his way to breaking things to get answers, the man still looked far too cool than the situation warranted.
It wasn’t helping Nino’s anger to simmer down, not even the slightest bit. “Nino, come on, yelling at him isn’t going to get us answers. You’re just -” Aiba was saying, but it only made Nino angrier.
He was thrashing around, violently shaking Aiba’s hand off him with a growl before reaching over to grab the man. His hands catching the nearest part of the man he could find - his elbow - and Nino held on, prepared to pull the man forward, tug him, only to end up on his knees on the next moment, gasping.
Aiba and Sho yelled, simultaneously. “Nino?!”
Nino was certain the ground beneath him was shaking, his fingers gripping the man’s skin he was certain they would leave marks. The reaction was instantaneous he had no time to figure out what was happening, just that at the same moment their skins touched, Nino felt as if he’d been struck by lighting. He shook violently, threw his head back, eyes wide as he stared at the ceiling but seeing something else, something that weren’t actually there, seeing faces, hearing voices, familiar and unfamiliar ones, screaming, crying. There were blood, so much of it, and Nino felt like his head was about to split in half, his insides hot as if his whole body was on fire.
I’m here, can you hear me?
That was the last thing he heard before everything went black around him.
*
When he came to, it was to the sound of Aiba and Sho arguing in the background.
His head felt fuzzy and heavy, like that one time he’d stupidly drank the whole night and suffered the worst hangover in the history of hangovers the next morning. Groaning, he sat up and cleared his throat noisily to catch Aiba and Sho’s attention, while trying to remember what happened.
A quick darting glance to his surroundings told him he was in his room, and lying on his bed. He had no idea how he got there.
“Nino, are you okay?” inquired Aiba, sounding almost breathless as he approached Nino on the bed. Nino’s head throbbed at the intensity of Aiba’s worries, both verbal and unspoken, and coupled with Sho’s, it was almost too much for Nino to handle at once.
“Yes,” he gritted as he sat up with difficulty. “And will you please pipe it down? You’re giving me headache with your mental screaming. Enough already.”
“Sorry,” Aiba and Sho said in unison. Nino waved them off.
“It’s fine,” he said, already moving to jump off the bed. Aiba was quickly there to stop him.
“Where are you going?”
“That freak, he’s still here?” he asked, letting Aiba read the rest off of him as he tugged his hand away. Aiba let him, but stood next to him on the bed, obviously to keep him from going anywhere.
“Nino, please -”
“Get out of the way, Aiba.”
“No, Nino,” said Aiba, just as he saw Sho rounding the way to stand next to Aiba. “You’re not going anywhere near that - that person again until we talked this out.”
He wheezed, and slapped the mattress in rage. “Are you even listening to yourself right now?” he hissed. “Our friend is out there somewhere, and that guy is our only way to get him back. Let me talk to him, just let me - let me touch him, like I did earlier. I don’t know how to explain it, but I was-”
“Able to read his mind when you touched him, right?” Sho finished his sentence for him. He nodded. “Which is weird, because we all have the same abilities, and yet neither me or Aiba-san was able to do what you did.” Sho followed, referring to himself and Aiba.
He supposed that should concern him, but right now, he couldn’t really find it in him to care.
“Fine, it’s weird. Now, out of the way.” he said, pushing up from the bed to stand, scowled when Aiba immediately crowded him before he could even take a step forward. “Seriously?”
“Nino, hear us out, please.” Aiba said, reaching forward to wrap his fingers around Nino’s elbow to keep him in place.
“After I talked to the guy, okay?” he insisted. “Come on, this isn’t about us anymore. This is about our friend, it’s about finding him so, if you’ll just let me -”
Another set of fingers settled on Nino’s shoulder, and he knew they belonged to Sho.
“What if they aren’t true?” asked Sho, contemplative, the look on his face made Nino pause despite his earlier desire to run, find the man and shake the answers out of him.
“What do you mean?”
“The visions,” Sho pointed out, unrelenting. “He showed you something, didn’t he?”
“I - How did you know -”
“Yeah, I guessed as much,” said Sho, “It was obvious, based on your reaction.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. All I know is that we have to talk to that man, Sho-san,” he gritted.
“What if he’s a rebel?”
“At this point, I don’t really care what he is. All I care about is that he might know where Jun is. Let me talk to him.”
Sho shook his head. “I wouldn’t recommend that,” said Sho. “I mean, he obviously did something to you earlier and that’s why you passed out. I suggest it’s better to be careful, figure out what he’s classified with first before we do anything rash.”
“He’s obviously gifted, just like us,” he retorted, “but unmarked. Someone we shouldn’t be associating with, if we could help it. But as it is, he’s already here and I have a feeling he knows where Jun is. I’m going to talk to him.”
Sho gave him a cryptic look. “Again, what if they’re not true?”
“What is?”
“The things he allowed you to see. What if they’re not really what they were? What if they’re meant to confuse us? To confuse you? What if they’re not what they seemed to be, not what they’re meant to be, but just fragments of altered events meant to lure us in?”
“Sho-san, I don’t understand-”
“Of course, you don’t and that’s why I’m trying to explain it to you,” Sho said, hands firmly on his shoulders now, holding him in place. “That person, that man, he might look like one of us, but he’s not. I - I think he’s not real.” Sho breathed deeply, fingers squeezing his shoulders tight.
“What are you talking about?”
Sho cleared his throat. “I think that man, it’s - it’s just a shell, a projection of the real person who sent it in his place. There are only a handful of people who have this ability, though I’ve never seen one myself, at least until now, just heard about their existence after the war. Replicants.These people, they’re extremely powerful, and very dangerous, if they want to be. Normally, they could only make one copy of themselves at a time, but I heard that there are those who are powerful enough to make several copies at one time, perfect replicate of the real person to stand in its place, made to accomplish what they’re tasked to do. I heard it could be difficult to tell them apart, at least if one had no idea what they’re dealing with.”
Nino tried not to look affected, but it’s hard. Reading Sho’s fear and seeing the same thing reflected in his eyes made it twice as difficult to pretend not to care.
“And how would you know we’re dealing with the same thing right now?”
Sho’s mind was a myriad of terrifying possibilities that it was difficult to comprehend it.
“It’s so obvious. You can tell just by looking at it. It’s blank,” Sho said, holding Nino’s gaze in his. “empty. The fact that we can’t read it simply proves it’s not what we think it is. A good enough copy, but a faulty duplicate just the same. Something that obviously can’t be trusted. I’m not really sure how it was able to do what it did, the visions it showed you, but we could only guess. Such power is rare; I can’t be certain the extent of such ability aside from what little information I was able to gather about the people who possess it. But one thing’s clear, it was sent here for something else other than to help us find Matsumoto.”
Nino blinked. Empty? He didn’t think so.
“But he’s not empty,” he insisted, remembering everything that man showed him earlier. “I know what I saw, Sho-san, and it’s - it wasn’t nothing. They can’t be. They’re real. I knew it. I felt it.”
Sho shook his head, shook his shoulders for good measure. “And how would you know if what it showed you was real?” Sho asked, sounding and looking troubled. “We can’t even talk to it.”
Nino blinked, uncertain. Something nagged in his mind, the memory of an unfamiliar voice ringing at the back of his mind.
I’m here. Can you hear me?
He gave Sho and Aiba a look, and swallowed past the lump that lodged itself in his throat.
“Oh, but I can,” he muttered, darting his gaze from the shell-shock look on Sho’s face to the open doorway. “I think I can, Sho-san.”
*
“You think?” Sho parroted, confused. “What do you mean?”
The decision was swift he’d surprised even himself. He took two steps backwards, away from Sho, turning completely around and walking towards the direction of the door. In seconds, he was in front of the man Sho was insisting was anything but a shell, and planting himself to the front, facing the man, vaguely hearing the sounds of footsteps following him.
As if on cue, the man turned, eyes glassy it was almost expressionless, gaze going past Nino, just like always.
“Nino? What are you doing?” asked Aiba, just as he lowered his head, left hand poised in mid-air and closed his eyes, waiting.
He didn’t even need to wait very long.
The touch came not even seconds later, gasped when at the same time the voice came through, a now too-familiar sounding ‘I’m here, can you hear me?’ something else followed. But where Nino expected the same terrifying yet confusing vision he saw the first time their skins touched, it didn’t. However, in it’s place, something even more terrifying took over.
Because it was as if Nino, despite the fact that his eyes were screwed shut, was certain he was staring at an impending view of their missing friend, Matsumoto Jun, who looked much older than the last time Nino had seen him. What was terrifying, however, was the fact that Jun wasn’t moving, still as a rock, his battered, bloodied body lying spread-eagle on what looked to be once white concrete floor, now dirty and disgusting, his arms and feet shackled onto something that looked like a bed, so clear it was as if Nino was just there, right next to Jun and staring right at him.
Can you hear me?
Nino focused solely on that voice, breathing through his noise to collect himself despite his fear clawing at his chest and working its way to settle on the general vicinity of his throat. At the very least, he knew he didn’t need to use his voice to communicate this time around, squeezing the hand grabbing his own lightly, more to reassure himself than the silent man holding his hand.
Yes. Yes, I can hear you.
A pause, a breath. I know how this looks, but you need not be afraid, okay?
I - That’s easier said than done, Mister… How - How is this even possible? How are you doing this - whatever it is you’re doing. Are you - are you messing with my head?
Does it feel like it? Like I’m messing with your thoughts right now?
To be honest? Not really.
A pause, and Nino heard the sound of a quiet breath.
It’s because I’m not. This communication is possible because we’re connected.
Connected how?
You’re holding my hand in yours right now, aren’t you? That’s how.
Okay, that only made it sound even more creepy. Will you explain it in simple words that I could understand?
It’s just how my powers work, really.
That doesn’t really explain anything.
It is confusing, I know, but given how -
Confusing doesn’t even quite cut it, he pointed out. Sure, you said you’re not messing with my head, then why am I looking at my supposedly dead friend’s body right now when I’m sure my eyes are screwed shut? And I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t be, since I know he’s long gone, and that I’m certain I’m at home, sitting on the couch and presently holding hands with a weird guy my roommate invited over for coffee? How do you explain this? And who are you?
You already figured it out, that’s why we’re here and we’re already talking.
He released the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, confused and equal-parts relieved to hear that Jun wasn’t dead despite his doubts, to know that he wasn’t just hallucinating, that what he was seeing right now wasn’t just a mere fragment of his imagination. Jun was alive, or so the voice reassured him, even though he couldn’t quite believe it just yet, seeing that the body lying there, the one that looked so much like Jun despite the blood and the bruises, had yet to move even a single muscle ever since.
Did I?
Yes.
Nino quietly balked at the voice’s confidence. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to try and get the answers he needed, straight from the owner of the voice itself while they’re at it.
I still need you to explain this to me. Slowly and very carefully, if you please.
The voice didn’t even pause. Fair enough. Where do you want me to start?
He squeezed the hand he was holding absently. From the beginning, of course. Like, how does this work? What is this I’m seeing, and is this real? Is that really my friend, Jun, I’m staring at right now?
It is him, I swear to you. And it’s as you guessed it. You’re looking at Matsumoto-san through my eyes. You’re seeing exactly what I am seeing. And right now, I am looking at him, sprawled on the floor, unconscious.
Unconscious?, he parroted in his head. Not dead?
No, not dead. Just unconscious. He’s - resting.
Doesn’t look like it at all, he said, bile rising up his throat. So Jun didn’t die, but it sure looked like he was heading in that same direction anyway. And soon.
In fact, I think he’s not even aware he’s lying there, given how bad those bruises look. Who did that to him?
It’s not always the same people, so, I don’t know, came the simple reply. Nino knew he wasn’t going to get the answers he needed like this. They have to be able to learn how to trust each other, and that wasn’t happening if he had no idea how this ‘talking’ thing worked first.
How about you?
What about me?
Are they beating you too? Like what they’re doing to Jun?
Silence. Hmm. I guess I’ll take that as a yes -
Ohno. Ohno Satoshi.
Ohno-san. A-Are you okay?
Yes. At least for now.
He sighed. Sorry, I know this is taking us a lot slower than you probably expected. I just - I just want to know what’s going on, is all.
Don’t worry about it, I understand.
So, tell me, this - this communication thing, how does it work? Surely, it isn’t like, I can see exactly what you see but not the other way around? Or am I right?
Pretty much, yes.
How convenient, he frowned. And weird.
It’s for your own safety, I’d say.
For my own safety?
Yes.
What about this man here?, he asked, referring to their visitor whose hand was gripping his.
What about him?
I’m guessing you know who he is? Why he’s here?
Sure, I do. I was the one who sent him over to find you.
To find him? What the hell did that mean?
Who is he?
An extension of myself, I’d say.
So, technically, he’s you? Like a clone or something?
Yes, kind of. Like a clone, a near-perfect copy of myself, but with restrictions. My ability, well, it is classified as Replicant and it - it allows me to create a copy of myself, mostly for when I’m in danger. It’s like sending an SOS call in the form of a person.
That’s - hella weird.
Yeah, well. I kind of get that a lot.
And this is how your face looks like? Exactly like this one?
I’m sorry if my appearance didn’t pass your standards.
Nino chuckled at that. I didn’t say that.
Right.
Nino shook his head and mentally chastised himself for getting off track.
You still hasn’t explained how we’re able to communicate like this. I mean, do I really need to hold hands with your - your copy just to talk to you? Can’t we, I don’t know, talk like how normal people do or something?
The physical contact is required to establish the connection. I did try to communicate with you before but I realized it could be dangerous.
Dangerous how?
The Guild could find out about you and… and I can’t risk that. I’m already putting your life in danger as it is by sending that replicate over to find you.
Guild? What the hell is that?
A group of powerful and very dangerous people. They have been abducting people with abilities even before the Classification, and even right after the revolution. To experiment on them, mostly. Then kill them off when they no longer serve their purpose.
Nino shivered, hearing that. And this Guild, you’re saying they abducted you? And Jun?
Yes. They’ve been conducting experiments on us ever since we were captured.
Holy crap. And sending your replicate over to us is your way of asking for help, is that it?
I’m sorry, but yes. I know it’s awfully shameless of me to do this, and this plan, well, I didn’t agree to this at first, but we just - we couldn’t just give up. And talking to you made me realize one thing : that Matsumoto-san is right. You’re a good friend, Ninomiya-san.
I - I don’t know what to say.
You don’t really have to. I mean, I know this is a lot to take in, and you might not even want to get involved but just -
I’m already involved, Ohno-san. There’s nothing we can do to change that now. So, then, why send a broken replicate if you need help? Wouldn’t it be better if he has voice so he could talk to us if in case you’re not available?
No. I created him that way for a reason.
Like a disabled person? You do know he can’t actually talk, right?
Yes. I removed that on purpose, but I added something else in its place to enable us to communicate with each other once he found you. It’s why you reacted to him the way you did when you first touched. I did it as a precaution.
Precaution? To what?
His thoughts aren’t safe. I need to make sure no one would be able to connect you with me if they found him.
Shouldn’t you be worried with mine too? Surely, if there’s anyone who’s thoughts might be compromised, it’s mine. I’m marked. My friends are, too. How do we know the government aren’t listening to us right now?
They can’t. The chip they planted in you is blocked.
How are you so sure about this?
You just have to trust me on this, Ninomiya-san.
That’s not very helpful. And wait, I don’t remember ever mentioning my name. How did you even -
Because of Matsumoto-san, of course. He was the one who told me all about you.
Right.
So, now you know why I didn’t want to agree to this. But its that or accept our fate. Death will come sooner or later, anyway. But Matsumoto-san - he said it doesn’t have to be that way. That we might have a chance if I agree to this plan and find you. We need your help, Ninomiya-san.
But, why me?
I know it does sound implausible, but believe me, you’re the only one who could.
Me? But I - I don’t understand.
I don’t suppose you would. Not right away, anyway. And as I said, this is a lot to take in at once.
But just to reassure you, I don’t mean you and your friends any harm. But we’re running out of options and it’s getting increasingly difficult to find a way to break out from here, more so everyday, not when we couldn’t even use our powers the way we’re supposed to. I guess I was just lucky that one time to be conscious enough to use mine, so I was able to send that copy out without being detected. I wasn’t - I didn’t like this idea, either, but the longer we’re stuck here, the chances of us getting out alive is getting slimmer and slimmer every day. Your friend, well, Matsumoto-san - he proposed this idea himself. Said he know his friends would be able to help.
Nino breathed hard through his nose, steeling himself. The owner of the voice had simply confirmed his suspicions. That all these elaborate schemes - everything that happened and still happening - were done in attempt to ask for help, to let them know that somewhere out there, Jun was alive but was being held in captive.
Obviously, the owner of the voice was with him, too.
You’re saying that but how would I know that you speak the truth? That what I’m seeing, what you claimed I’m seeing is truly what you say it is? If that’s really my friend, Jun? What if it’s not and you’re just trying to fool me, my friends? How would I know that your powers don’t extend to making perfect copies of other people as well? How would I know you’re not lying?
I’m not. And no, I swear to you, that’s not going to happen. My powers don’t work that way, I’m afraid. I can only make just one copy of myself at a time. Ask your friend, Sakurai Sho. Matsumoto-san said he knows. He’ll tell you. He’ll tell you I’m not lying, and even if I can, I won’t. I won’t ever lie to you, Ninomiya-san. Never.
(Marks Classified - The Ninomiya Chronicles Part 2)