Nino Mod (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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ninoexchange2019-06-28 11:23 pm
nino_mod) wrote in ninoexchange2019-06-28 11:23 pm
Entry tags:
fic for rinoahyuna!
For: rinoahyuna
From: :3.
Title: The Hague, Twenty Years Later
Pairing/Focus: Ohmiya
Rating: PG
Word count: 6773
Warnings: None
Summary: Tsubasa Kabuki troupe, where Nino was affiliated to, received an honor to perform in The Netherlands to promote Japanese culture abroad. He never thought that the performance would lead him to find someone he had been looking for twenty years.
Notes: Dear Rinoahyuna, I hope you like this fic. I used your prompt ‘twenty years later, I’m still in love with you’ in writing it. This fic should have been longer, but I got personal issue during the process, I’m so sorry if it doesn’t turn out in the way you wanted it.
To the Mod, thanks for your support and understanding, you’re the best.
“Nino! You moved it wrong, try again!”
Nino wiped the sweat from his forehead and took his position again. He swung the wooden sword in his right hand; his left hand meanwhile moved along with the choreography.
“Bend your knees lower!”
Tsubasa Kabuki troupe leader Sakamoto Masayuki’s voice echoed around the room. He was always very strict, but this time he was even worse than usual.
“Stop, stop!” he desperately stopped Nino when he made another wrong move. “I don’t want to see the same movement over and over again. You have to improve it by tonight. Get some rest and then practice by yourself!”
“Yes, Sakamoto-san,” Nino answered clearly. He left the practice room and headed towards the resting area, drinking a full bottle of water and wiping the pouring sweat off his face.
The Tsubasa Kabuki troupe had received the honor to perform at the Japanese Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands next month to celebrate the commemoration of Japan-Netherlands diplomatic relations. Since the invitation came, Sakamoto had increased their practice schedule. He had been very tense and had gotten angry easily for the past month. Nino didn’t blame him; if he were Sakamoto, perhaps he would have done the same thing. They wanted to perform the perfect show and this time, they would carry the pride of Japan abroad with them.
They were to perform a scene from the Azuchi Momoyama period, when Oda Nobunaga had just built the castle in Nagoya. Nino would play Matsuhide Akechi, Nobunaga’s closest underling. Sakamoto himself would play the role of Nobunaga. The scene Nino had just practiced was the one where they needed to dance together to celebrate their victory in uniting Japan.
“Sakamoto-san is shouting at Ryouma because he came to practice with red socks.”
Nino turned to the owner of the voice, no other than Jun, the only person who entered the troupe at the same time as Nino. Kabuki troupes in Japan mainly consisted of family members and rarely cast players from the outside circle, but Sakamoto was different. He believed that everyone could become good kabuki actors if they were trained hard enough. Nino came from an acting school; he applied to Tsubasa Kabuki troupe because he failed a few auditions for drama series. He didn’t expect Sakamoto to accept him, but the faith seemed kind enough that he got a place here. He met Jun at the audition and after that, they eventually became friends.
“I’ve warned him many times not to trigger Sakamoto-san’s anger with the color he hates the most,” Nino replied. “Did he tell you to improve your movement by tonight?”
Jun nodded with a frowning face. He got a role as Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the story. Like Nino, Jun also had the dream of becoming a television star one day. Maybe Jun would reach it more easily than Nino; the man was tall, handsome, and fashionable. He had friends who worked for television industries and his boyfriend was a newscaster at one of main television networks in Japan. It was about time before he made a major debut as a drama or movie actor. Compared to Jun, Nino was hopeless. He was short with average looks. He had no interest in fashion and he had no friend or boyfriend who could get him connections in television. His only friend was Aiba, a flight attendant who rarely spent more than a week of his time in one place.
“We’d better practice before Sakamoto decides to kill us,” Jun said, smiling bitterly.
Nino nodded, standing up from the chair and taking the wooden sword. He practiced while watching the video of the choreography. After making sure that he bent his knees the same way as how Sakamoto did in the video, he shifted his gaze to the mirror in front of him. A pale 36-year-old man was reflected there, his eyebrows formed a line, his eyes concentrated on his movement. His hands gripped the wooden sword; he was no longer Ninomiya Kazunari but Matsuhide Akechi. He was in the peak of victory in uniting Japan.
They gathered again in the hall, practicing for the last time for that night. Sakamoto was hardly satisfied, but he no longer shouted at them and told them to come early in the morning on the following day.
Jun invited Nino to go for a drink, but he wasn’t in the mood. He boarded the subway towards his apartment located in the middle of the Asakusa district. Nino fished his handphone from his pocket and opened his Instagram; he scrolled down and left ‘like’ randomly. He clicked on the search page and typed a particular name. He had been looking forever for a particular man on social media, but he never found him. Nino had tried from his real name to the alias he might be using, but none of them seemed to be the person he had been searching for. He was sure that it would not be any different tonight.
His hand typed the name and unexpectedly something appeared. It was only a hashtag used by someone else to refer to the man. Nino clicked it; what appeared was a picture of an exhibition schedule in a museum in Berlin. He scrolled down and found a few similar posts; #OhnoSatoshiexhibition was the hashtag used in those pictures. Nino closed his Instagram and opened Google instead. He typed the words, hoping to find any news about the exhibition. He found some which was written in English and Japanese, but none of them displayed any pictures of this Ohno Satoshi. Disappointed, Nino returned to the Instagram and looked at the exhibition schedule once again.
He had been searching for this Ohno Satoshi long enough already; but the only picture of him was his younger self, perhaps around ten years ago. Since then, the man never made his appearance public. Nino knew from social media that Ohno was a famous artist who had created many paintings with Japanese styles. People even called him the second Hokusai for his ability in portraying the beauty of Japan.
It had been twenty years since he met Ohno for the very last time. He didn’t know why Ohno decided not to tell him when he left Japan. Nino convinced himself that Ohno did it for his own good, that maybe he couldn’t leave if he told Nino the truth. They were too young back then; Nino was sixteen, Ohno was eighteen. They had no idea what future looked like, or perhaps it was only Nino who thought that way. Ohno seemed to have already figured out what he was going to do, although he never talked about it with Nino. It was typical Ohno – always keeping things to himself.
The one who informed Nino that Ohno had left Japan was Okada, Ohno’s classmate. It was a day before graduation; Nino had been waiting for Ohno at the promised rooftop of their school where Ohno would give Nino his uniform button, but Ohno never came. For some time, Nino still tried to reach Ohno. He came to Ohno’s house, but it was empty. He asked Ohno’s neighbor, but no one knew where the family had gone. He finally accepted the reality two years later, that Ohno had made a decision to put everything behind him, including Nino. It was time for him to do the same.
Ohno’s name never came into the picture for ten years in Nino’s life; he had tried so hard to bury the memories he had together with Ohno in the deepest drawer of his mind. But then he accidentally read a magazine and found Ohno, or someone who looked exactly like him, in the art section. It introduced Ohno as a young talented painter from Japan who would participate in a joint exhibition together with world-class artists. He had grown up into a fine 28-year-old man with thick black hair which covered half of his forehead. He wore suits and ties which fit him perfectly; he frowned towards the camera, but it didn’t reduce his charisma. Nino tore the page out and saved the picture on his bookshelf, among his manga collection. Nino was 26, Ohno was 28, but the latter had found his way as a young talented artist. Nino, meanwhile, was still questioning whether becoming a kabuki actor was something he really wanted to do with his life.
Did Ohno remember him after ten years?
Probably not. Nino wasn’t an important part of his life. The crush Nino had on Ohno was one-sided and it would always stay that way. Nothing would bring Ohno back to him, and even though he was the one who found the other, there was no guarantee that Ohno would recognize Nino as the boy who admired him back then when they were in high school.
Days changed to months, to years, and now Nino was a 36-year-old man. He wasn’t young anymore, and he was capable of making the right decision for his life. But no matter how much time had passed, he never stopped thinking of Ohno and his silent departure. With the existence of social media, Nino had tried once again to find Ohno. He didn’t know what he would do if he found the artist, but at least he could convince himself that Ohno was living in a totally different world and he was happy.
He was realistic enough that he never expected a dramatic reunion with Ohno. He never dreamed of meeting the man again, let alone building a relationship and becoming a happily-ever-after couple. No, Nino had stopped imagining the impossible; he had moved on, with or without Ohno.
For the past ten years, he had dated a few times. His partners came from different backgrounds: Ohkura, the model; Ken, the dancer; and Yoichiro, a doctor Nino met when he was injured during a performance. None of those relationships lasted for more than two years, either because they found out that Nino was boring or because they chose friendship over a romantic bond.
Nino loved them, but the slightest part of him was looking for something else. Now, he was a free man, and it was better like this. He could play games all day without the need to send text messages every now and then. He didn’t need to go out on Friday nights and meet people he didn’t really want to see or watched movies that he didn’t like.
Nino put his phone into his jacket pocket when the train made a stop at Asakusa station. He exited the train, climbed the stairs towards the exit and walked to his apartment while humming softly. The soft breeze of an early autumn wind blew on his face. He looked up to the sky. The moon shone brightly that night. Ohno probably was looking at the very same moon from another corner of the earth. The thought sent a chill to his stomach. It was ironic that they were living in the same world but Ohno was so far from Nino’s reach.
***
“Your tickets have been emailed,” Sakamoto announced. “But remember, this isn’t a vacation. You can only relax after giving your best performance.”
“Sho-kun will go with us,” Jun told Nino with a happy smile on his lips. “He will cover our activities, isn’t that great?”
“Terrific,” Nino replied, knowing that Jun expected him to say yes.
“Do you plan to extend your stay, Nino?” Jun asked again when they were on their way to the dressing room to change into kimono.
“Er, I don’t know,” Nino shrugged. Honestly, he wasn’t very excited about this work trip, particularly because they would get involved in official-type stuff. He had read the rundown of the ceremony and it was enough to drag his mood down. They were expected to join the ‘working breakfast’ ‘working lunch’ and ‘working dinner’. Where was the fun if every meal was followed by ‘working’?
Jun, on the contrary, loved Europe. He had visited a few countries in the recent years; some of them together with Sho. Aiba also mentioned his admiration of the historical buildings in Austria and Poland; it seemed that everyone around him loved to be away from Japan.
Nino changed into his kimono and checked his reflection in the mirror. He couldn’t believe that he had turned 36 this year. Soon he would be 40 and still confused about his purpose in life. He shifted his gaze from the mirror and walked towards the practice hall where Sakamoto had been waiting for him.
“We’re doing a full rehearsal today,” Sakamoto announced. “Nagano will record us.” He gestured to Nagano Hiroshi, their manager. “We still have two weeks to prepare. I want a perfect performance. Our kabuki troupe depends on your ability.”
Nino turned to Jun, who flashed a weak smile at him. They took their positions and started the rehearsal.
They did pretty well that day, which made Sakamoto happier than he had been for these past few weeks. The rehearsal ended at seven in the evening; it was earlier than usual. Nino and the rest of the actors happily left the practice hall, took a quick shower, and got ready to go home. He checked his phone and found a message from Aiba.
‘Hi, Nino, are you available for a drink tonight?’
It was typical Aiba – he didn’t bother to inform Nino that he was in Tokyo at the moment and he always invited Nino out for drinks all of a sudden, without concern that Nino might already have an appointment. Nino didn’t reply to the message but tapped on Aiba’s phone number instead. The guy picked up the call almost immediately.
“When did you get back?” Nino asked, skipping the greeting.
“This afternoon,” Aiba answered from the other side. “I missed you, Ninomi.”
“Too bad for you that I don’t miss you,” Nino replied.
“Where are you now?”
“In front of the Tsubasa Kabuki troupe building,” Nino said, looking to his surroundings. Many people passed by with fans in their hands as the air had been getting hotter day by day.
“Okay, wait for me at Amore bar in Ginza. It’s nearby, right?”
“I haven’t said yes, Aiba-shi.”
“But you will. I got a souvenir that maybe you will like,” Aiba said. His voice was full of excitement and Nino knew that he didn’t have the heart to turn his invitation down.
“Alright, this is your lucky night,” Nino mumbled into his phone.
“See you, Ninomi!”
Nino looked at his phone screen for some time; he actually didn’t want to meet anyone, but it was Aiba and he was sure that Aiba would be a good listener for his boring complaints about work and about his love affairs. For the past six months, Aiba had gotten a European route, which meant he was rarely in Japan. Sometimes, he sent Nino pictures from the places he had visited. Nino wondered why Aiba never got bored of his work, spending half of his life flying on iron birds, serving the passengers with a broad smile as if it was what he wanted to do the most. Nino couldn’t imagine himself doing that kind of work without punching a passenger if they happened to complain about inflight food being too cold or because they couldn’t ask for more glasses of wine.
Aiba appeared ten minutes after Nino; he was wearing a pair of baggy jeans, a white T-shirt and a thin scarf around his neck.
“Everything good, Ninomi? You look awful,” Aiba said, ordering a drink for himself.
“Everyone will look awful when they swing a fake sword a hundred times in a day,” Nino replied, sipping his cocktail and turning to his friend.
“Look what I’ve got for you.” Aiba fished his phone from his tote bag and searched for a certain folder before giving it to Nino.
Nino took the phone; it was a video Aiba had taken in a hall with many paintings hung on the wall. Nino didn’t need anyone to tell him whose paintings they were; he knew them too well – from their unique style and special features. It was from someone’s exhibition, and taking photos or videos was usually prohibited.
“This is illegal…”
“Go on, you haven’t seen the best part,” Aiba said.
Nino returned his attention to the video and the recording continued from the line of paintings to the small podium at the end of the hall. Someone was delivering a speech there and Nino was too scared to listen to the voice he hadn’t heard for the last 20 years.
It was Ohno in his 38-year-old appearance. He was wearing a dark suit without a tie and he was greeting the visitors of the joint exhibition he was participating in. He spoke carefully as if he had memorized a speech written for him. His face wasn’t clear in Aiba’s video since he recorded it from distance; the video lasted for five minutes and Nino still clutched at Aiba’s phone even though it was already over.
“I thought that it might raise your mood in anticipation for going to Europe,” Aiba said.
Nino didn’t respond. He thought that seeing Ohno’s real time appearance again after years would make him feel better, but the fact, it didn’t.
“Where is he now?” Nino asked Aiba after a period of silence.
“In The Hague, the place where you guys will be performing,” Aiba answered, taking his phone from Nino’s hand.
Nino didn’t know whether it was just a coincidence that Ohno would be at the same place with him on his performance day, but he didn’t want to raise his hopes too high. There was no guarantee that they would meet; even if they did, he wasn’t sure that Ohno would remember him.
“Thanks for showing me the video. It made me feel a lot worse than before,” Nino said, sipping his wine.
“You’re welcome,” Aiba replied. He wrapped his hand around Nino’s shoulder. “Look, I know that you’ve been obsessed with this guy for so long. It’s time for you to bump into him and take the chance. It’s better than doing nothing. You already know each other, so it’s not something hard to do.”
“Easy for you to say,” Nino said with a frown on his face. “Thanks for the drink, Aiba. I’ll go home now.”
“Wait, are you mad at me?”
“No, I’m just dizzy and I have early practice tomorrow.” Nino rose from his seat and stepped outside of the bar.
Aiba had informed him that he had adjusted his schedule so he would be at Nino’s flight.
Nino walked confusedly towards the nearest subway station. Perhaps Aiba was right that he should bump into Ohno, just to make sure that the man still remembered him. But Ohno wasn’t the same person anymore. He had become a famous artist; he wouldn’t have enough time to talk to a mere kabuki actor.
“Just stop thinking of him for one night, would you?” Nino whispered to himself.
***
Their departure day had finally come; Jun was very excited, and he talked endlessly with Ryouma about what he would be doing in Amsterdam.
“The museums there are amazing, we have to visit them…and let’s ride the boat above that famous Amsterdam canal,” Jun said while showing Ryouma the guidebook with colorful photos of the city.
Nino listened to them without interest; he kept on playing games on his smartphone until the boarding announcement was heard all over the departure wing. All of them rose from their seats and dragged their cabin luggage towards the gate. The airline crews wished them a safe flight while bowing slightly to every passenger.
Aiba smiled and winked at Nino as they boarded the plane. The latter walked on the aisle towards his seat in the middle; he was glad that he wouldn’t be in the same seat section with Jun or the man would lecture him about Amsterdam all night long. He secured his luggage in the bin above his seat and slumped his back into the chair. The usual pre-flight procedure was conducted before they finally left Japan. Nino didn’t want to think about anything tonight; he fished the sleeping mask from the airline pouch that Aiba had delivered beforehand and put it in. He wanted to forget for a while that he would be facing busy days ahead.
They landed safely at Schiphol Airport 11 hours later and were welcomed by the staff from the Japanese Embassy. Nino felt lightheaded and sleepy due to the time difference; together with Jun and the rest of the kabuki members, they followed the staff towards the minivan which would take them to The Hague.
“Are you okay, Nino?” Jun asked as they boarded the van.
Nino nodded.
“Welcome to the Netherlands, gentlemen,” the staff spoke from the driver’s seat with polite Japanese. “My name is Inohara and I’ll be your driver for the rest of your stay in The Hague. Should you need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I hope you’ll enjoy your time here. Now, we’ll be departing soon to the hotel in The Hague. It will take around an hour from here. From the time being, please sit back and relax.”
Some of them mumbled ‘thank you’ to Inohara. Nino leaned back into his seat and looked outside while the van left the airport. The Netherlands was a flat place – like literally flat. The houses on the left and the right side of the road had a European design – two or three people were seen pedaling their bicycles through the narrow path.
Ohno was somewhere in this small country, perhaps preparing his next speech that he would be delivering at his upcoming exhibition. Nino felt completely dumb now for putting his hopes too high. He had tried not to think of the man since Aiba showed him the video, but it was harder that he thought.
“We’ll be arriving soon,” Inohara’s voice woke Nino up from his string of thoughts.
Their hotel was located near the diplomatic compound; the building looked old and cold. It was built of red bricks with a familiar chimney on one side of the building.
“It looks creepy,” Nino said to Ryouma, who stepped beside him.
“Do you know what European ghosts look like?” the man asked him.
“Maybe they wear tuxedoes,” Nino shrugged.
“You’re not serious, are you?”
Nino rolled his eyes towards the taller man. “Believe me, humans are ten times scarier than ghosts.”
They dragged their luggage towards the lobby of the hotel. Inohara had handled the check-in process so that they only needed a few minutes to get their keys.
“Sho-kun is waiting for me upstairs,” Jun told Nino with a broad smile on his lips.
“So, your room will be empty,” Nino said, glancing at the card key in Jun’s hand.
“Sakamoto-san said the Embassy had already prepared the room for all of the kabuki actors. They wouldn’t care if you stay there or not,” Jun replied.
“What’s our agenda for today?” Nino asked.
“We need to take a rest tonight to handle our jetlag before continuing our practice tomorrow morning.”
Nino yawned; he hoped that he still had the dialogue memorized; the tiredness and the jetlag had wiped his memory clean.
***
After sleeping for more than twelve hours, Nino felt fresher. He arrived at the rehearsal room earlier than everyone. He changed into his kimono and warmed up a little while waiting for the others. He moved to the left and right, remembering the choreography. Next, he drew the sword from its scabbard and swung it around. Ten minutes passed since he began warming up and that was the time he caught a glimpse of shadow in the audience seating. He narrowed his eyes to see who it was – perhaps it was Sakamoto; he liked to observe rehearsals by sneaking into practice secretly. But the man – whoever it was – clearly wasn’t Sakamoto because he was way shorter and slimmer.
“Nino! You’re so early.” Jun and the others joined him on the rehearsal stage. Nino greeted them one by one, and when he turned his head towards the audience seating, the man was no longer there.
“What’s wrong?” Ryouma asked.
“No, nothing,” Nino shook his head. He wasn’t imagining it; there was a man there a few minutes ago. Maybe he was one of the hotel staff or someone who simply lost his way due to the size of the hotel.
They practiced until lunchtime; Sakamoto was pleased with the results and told them that they needed to get enough rest before the performance. They would perform tomorrow afternoon, in front of the Japanese Ambassador to the Netherlands and all of his honorable guests.
“We will have a working lunch with the government officials of the Netherlands this afternoon,” Sakamoto announced. “I hope all of you will be back to the hotel right after lunch to save your energy for our big day tomorrow.”
“I was about to go shopping,” Jun mumbled from Nino’s left side.
Nino, who had no interest in sightseeing, agreed with Sakamoto that they needed proper rest because his jetlag was still very bad.
He returned to his room to change into proper clothes and came back to the lobby 30 minutes later. They would go to one of the famous restaurants in The Hague for the working lunch. The point of the lunch was to introduce the Japanese kabuki troupe to the government of the Netherlands as a part of Japanese art diplomacy abroad.
The restaurant was located near the Scheveningen beach. Five tall figures had been waiting for them; all of them rose from their seats as the Tsubasa Kabuki troupe entered. And what made Nino’s stomach turn upside down was the person who sat at the end of the table. It was no other than Ohno – real flesh and bones. For a few seconds, he felt as if the air had pumped out of the restaurant, leaving him breathless. What was Ohno doing here, and since when had he been sitting there?
“Welcome to the Hague. Please take a seat.” One of the five tall men gestured for them to sit down. “I hope the air is not too cold for you,” he continued with a smile on his lips.
“Thank you, Paul. We’re honored to be here,” the embassy staff – someone named Morita, if Nino wasn’t mistaken, talked on their behalf. “Let me introduce to you our finest kabuki troupe members.” He then introduced them one by one from one end to the other, and then it was finally Ohno’s turn.
“You must already be aware that one of our artists is here for an exhibition,” Morita continued.
“Mr. Ohno, of course, we know him very well,” Paul said, looking in Ohno’s direction.
“You’re exaggerating, Paul-san,” Ohno answered.
That was the first time in the past 20 years Nino had heard Ohno’s voice directly. It hit him like a strong wind. He tried to act normal, but when he took his glass for a toast, his hand was trembling hard.
“Nino, he’s here, you’re very lucky,” Jun whispered from his side.
Nino grinned awkwardly. He wasn’t sure whether finding Ohno this quick could count as lucky. There was no sign that Ohno remembered him. It would be embarrassing if he tried to greet the artist and see Ohno’s brows lift in question.
The working lunch went on forever, with Sakamoto and Morita doing most of the talking, while the others were already bored and wishing it would end soon. Nino stole glances towards Ohno; he had changed a lot, yet there was something that stayed the same. His dark hair was sticking everywhere; his sun-tanned skin was standing out among the pale kabuki actors; his appearance was rather relaxed – with a simple white shirt which wasn’t fully buttoned. The man looked at Nino, and their eyes met. Nino wanted to throw his gaze away, but he couldn’t move a muscle; he froze as if time had stopped all of a sudden. Ohno’s lips formed a slight smile and before Nino could respond to it, the working lunch had ended. Everyone rose from their seats and shook each other’s hands while commenting that the food was great.
Nino stepped ahead of the others with the hope that he could talk with Ohno, but the man wasn’t there anymore. He shook his head in agony and walked towards the van; perhaps he was just imagining Ohno’s smile. He was dying to see the man again so badly that he had hallucinated the whole thing. He needed to concentrate for the next day.
***
They woke up earlier to get ready for the performance; Nino, Jun, and Ryouma sat down in front of the mirror and started their own make-up. They had no time to feel nervous and used the last minutes to review their lines and choreography.
Nino did his best in portraying Matsuhide. He cooperated well with Sakamoto on stage, and when the performance ended, the audience gave them a standing ovation. All of them bowed deeply towards the excited audience, and when Nino lifted his head, he saw Ohno’s face among the crowd – it was almost magical, as if something had guided him to look in the artist’s direction. But he couldn’t look at Ohno for any longer as the curtain rolled down from the top of the stage.
He changed out of his costume, removed his make-up, and drank a glass of water to calm himself down. He joined the others in the dressing room to congratulate each other for the successful show. Aiba and Sho were there too, and they beamed at Nino as he came closer.
“Our Matsuhide,” Aiba said, curling his hand around Nino’s shoulder.
“I guess I made two or three wrong movements,” Nino mumbled.
“Who cares,” Aiba said, laughing.
“Mr. Ninomiya,” a woman’s voice came from the doorframe. Nino turned at her and saw a tall figure with blond hair. “Someone wishes to see you,” she continued in fluent Japanese.
“Your fan,” Jun winked at him.
Confused, Nino followed the tall woman towards the other side of the room. It was a small room beside the performance hall, rather dark and a little cold. It reminded Nino of a mafia movie, as if someone had just invited him to commit a crime.
“Please have a seat,” the woman told him.
Nino sat down while trying to guess who was so eager to meet him. Perhaps someone from the Netherlands who was crazy about kabuki or perhaps about Japan. But the voice he heard from behind him was definitely Japanese.
“What a terrific performance.”
Nino turned around very fast; he saw Ohno in front of him – someone he had been dying to see for 20 years – God damn it. There were hundreds of questions he wanted to ask, but none came past his lips. He stared at Ohno, unable to believe that he was real.
“You still recognize me?” Nino heard himself say. What a stupid question.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Ohno asked in return, calmly stepping towards the chair and sitting down across from Nino.
“It’s been too long.” Nino shook his head. “I’ve heard about you, being a successful artist and all that.”
“Thanks, I’m honored,” Ohno said, bringing his hands together and looking at Nino with a meaningful gaze.
Silence blanketed them for seconds.
“Why did you leave without saying anything?” Nino asked the question he had really wanted to ask since the day Ohno went away.
“I had many reasons,” Ohno replied.
“Weird,” Nino muttered. He didn’t know what to tell Ohno; this man was almost a stranger to him now – 20 years were long enough to make two people strangers to each other.
“I’ll be back in Japan at the end of this month,” Ohno said with a soft tone, as if apologizing for the things he had done in the past.
“For another short visit?” Nino asked.
“No, I’ll stay,” Ohno said with a stronger voice.
“And leave again.”
Ohno smiled as he heard what Nino said. “You’re still the same old Nino.”
Nino rolled his eyes, and for a split of second, he recognized Ohno as the 18-year-old high school boy who always waited for him to walk together towards the station after school.
“Is it necessary to tell me?”
“Yes, you’re the only person I know from the kabuki troupe,” Ohno said.
“Don’t you worry that I will leak this information to the media?”
“No,” Ohno shook his head. “I know you, Nino.”
Nino smiled weakly; Ohno didn’t know a thing about him. If the man did, he wouldn’t have left Nino without words in the first place.
“If you’re finished, I’ll be heading back to the dressing room,” Nino said, rising from his seat.
“I’m inviting you to dinner before you fly back to Japan,” Ohno replied.
“I’m afraid our schedule is too tight, Ohno-san.” Nino walked slowly towards the doorframe; if he had to be honest to himself, he would happily go to dinner with Ohno. He had been dreaming of this, but he couldn’t just say yes. A small part of him was still mad at Ohno – they were such complicated feelings.
He left the room, hoping that Ohno would chase him down and apologize for what he’d done, but of course, the artist didn’t do that. He found Jun and the others were ready to leave the hall to have dinner at the hotel restaurant. Nino had just remembered that tonight was the only free time when they could spend time as they liked. He didn’t care what would Ohno think about him; he returned to the room he had just left and found Ohno still there.
“We can go tonight,” Nino said without thinking twice.
“That is faster than I thought,” Ohno said, rising from his chair and approaching Nino. “Let’s go then.”
“I’ve heard from Jun that most of the shops in the Hague close at 6 pm,” Nino said.
“Not the restaurants,” Ohno replied with a slight smile, leading Nino towards the exit. The tall woman was waiting for them at the lobby, and she handed something to Ohno – a car key.
“You drive?” Nino asked before he could help himself.
“Yes.” Ohno raised his brows as if Nino’s question was out of place.
They rode through the lonely roads of the Hague, spotting two or three people riding their bikes along the way.
It was almost unreal for Nino that he and Ohno were riding the same car in a foreign city. He thought that it would have been more difficult to meet Ohno because he was a well-known artists now. But no matter how real it was, Ohno was still a stranger to him. He wouldn’t be the same Ohno he knew twenty years ago.
“You can be a fine actor, Nino,” Ohno said after ten minutes of intense silence.
“Thanks, but I haven’t gotten any offers to act in a drama,” Nino replied, trying not to look at Ohno’s face from the side.
“It will eventually come to you,” Ohno continued as if he could predict the future.
Nino snorted. He looked outside the window; the Hague was beautiful and felt more like a small town than a city. In contrast to Tokyo, it was quiet and there were only a few convenient stores along the street.
“Why are you coming back to Japan?” Nino asked.
Ohno needed a few minutes to answer; it seemed that he was looking for the right words to say.
“Twenty years is long enough to leave your own country. I’ve been wandering around the world and it’s time for me to settle back in the place where I was born.”
Nino digested Ohno’s words for a few seconds. Well, it was up to Ohno whether he wanted to be back or not and it was none of Nino’s business, but somehow, imagining Ohno would be close enough to reach, sent a glimpse of happiness to his heart.
“Can we meet sometimes in Tokyo?” Ohno asked.
“I can’t believe you’d ask me this question,” Nino laughed. “I’ve been looking for your information ever since you left Tokyo. I thought you had changed into someone whom I barely knew.”
“Sorry for that, Nino,” Ohno mumbled. “How’s your life been for these twenty years?”
Nino actually didn’t want to share much of his life with Ohno, but words flew from his lips, telling Ohno what kind of life he had been leading for all this time. It felt like turning back the time to the days in high school when Nino used to tell Ohno everything – from his annoying sister to the classmates he hated. Ohno listened patiently and would react at the right time.
“How about you?”
“Me? I’m just a boring painter who leads a boring life,” Ohno said calmly.
He parked his car in front of a fancy-looking French restaurant. Nino followed the man inside and decided to order the same item from the menu that Ohno had chosen. They ate while talking about the performance, and Ohno told Nino that he would work with a deeper Japanese traditional art style on his next painting theme. He also said that after travelling around Europe, what he really wanted was to paint the real Japanese art, and kabuki performances would be one of them.
“Took you long enough to realize, huh?” Nino said.
“Better late than never,” Ohno replied with a slight smile on his lips.
They went back to the hotel with a more relaxed atmosphere between them. Ohno gave Nino his personal contact number and told him that he would inform Nino when he was already in Tokyo.
“How do you know that I won’t give this number to everyone?” Nino asked suspiciously when he got out of Ohno’s car.
“I’m an expert in ignoring calls and messages, don’t worry, Nino.”
Nino laughed. He said goodbye to the artist and walked back towards his room. His steps were lighter than before and there was a spark inside his chest thinking that he finally found the person he had been looking for. He didn’t know whether Ohno was being honest with him, but he could think about it later.
***
It was six months later that Ohno finally came back to Tokyo. As promised, he gave Nino a phone call as soon as he arrived. Life had changed for the past six months for Nino; as Ohno had predicted, he got an offer to play a role in a morning drama series on NHK. Sakamoto was thrilled when Nino told him the big news, saying that it would be Nino’s big first step toward becoming a huge star. Jun also got an offer for a drama series on a different TV station – the same one where Sho worked, but Nino knew that he got the role due to his hard work instead of Sho’s help.
Nino wasn’t sure what kind of relationship he would have with Ohno afterwards. They had been apart for too long and if there was something more than friendship ahead, he was sure that they would need a long time to adjust to each other again.
“Everything will come at the right time,” he told himself.
He wore a jacket over his shirt. He would be heading towards Ohno’s house. Somehow, the man managed to get his old house back. It was surprising for Nino that he still remembered the details of the neighbouring block of Ohno’s house without getting lost and without any assistance from Google maps.
He knocked on the door with pounding heart; a few seconds later, Ohno opened it for him. He looked so different in his jersey, no-make-up face and messy hair.
“Welcome,” he said.
“Welcome to Tokyo to you,” Nino said, handing the gift he bought at a shop on his way here.
Twenty years was long enough to forget someone, but not when it was Ohno. Nino was glad that the man hadn’t forgotten him either. They couldn’t grab what they had missed for those twenty years in a day or two; everything needed time to be processed. Nino was old enough to be patient, and he was optimistic that everything would be okay.
rinoahyunaFrom: :3.
Title: The Hague, Twenty Years Later
Pairing/Focus: Ohmiya
Rating: PG
Word count: 6773
Warnings: None
Summary: Tsubasa Kabuki troupe, where Nino was affiliated to, received an honor to perform in The Netherlands to promote Japanese culture abroad. He never thought that the performance would lead him to find someone he had been looking for twenty years.
Notes: Dear Rinoahyuna, I hope you like this fic. I used your prompt ‘twenty years later, I’m still in love with you’ in writing it. This fic should have been longer, but I got personal issue during the process, I’m so sorry if it doesn’t turn out in the way you wanted it.
To the Mod, thanks for your support and understanding, you’re the best.
“Nino! You moved it wrong, try again!”
Nino wiped the sweat from his forehead and took his position again. He swung the wooden sword in his right hand; his left hand meanwhile moved along with the choreography.
“Bend your knees lower!”
Tsubasa Kabuki troupe leader Sakamoto Masayuki’s voice echoed around the room. He was always very strict, but this time he was even worse than usual.
“Stop, stop!” he desperately stopped Nino when he made another wrong move. “I don’t want to see the same movement over and over again. You have to improve it by tonight. Get some rest and then practice by yourself!”
“Yes, Sakamoto-san,” Nino answered clearly. He left the practice room and headed towards the resting area, drinking a full bottle of water and wiping the pouring sweat off his face.
The Tsubasa Kabuki troupe had received the honor to perform at the Japanese Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands next month to celebrate the commemoration of Japan-Netherlands diplomatic relations. Since the invitation came, Sakamoto had increased their practice schedule. He had been very tense and had gotten angry easily for the past month. Nino didn’t blame him; if he were Sakamoto, perhaps he would have done the same thing. They wanted to perform the perfect show and this time, they would carry the pride of Japan abroad with them.
They were to perform a scene from the Azuchi Momoyama period, when Oda Nobunaga had just built the castle in Nagoya. Nino would play Matsuhide Akechi, Nobunaga’s closest underling. Sakamoto himself would play the role of Nobunaga. The scene Nino had just practiced was the one where they needed to dance together to celebrate their victory in uniting Japan.
“Sakamoto-san is shouting at Ryouma because he came to practice with red socks.”
Nino turned to the owner of the voice, no other than Jun, the only person who entered the troupe at the same time as Nino. Kabuki troupes in Japan mainly consisted of family members and rarely cast players from the outside circle, but Sakamoto was different. He believed that everyone could become good kabuki actors if they were trained hard enough. Nino came from an acting school; he applied to Tsubasa Kabuki troupe because he failed a few auditions for drama series. He didn’t expect Sakamoto to accept him, but the faith seemed kind enough that he got a place here. He met Jun at the audition and after that, they eventually became friends.
“I’ve warned him many times not to trigger Sakamoto-san’s anger with the color he hates the most,” Nino replied. “Did he tell you to improve your movement by tonight?”
Jun nodded with a frowning face. He got a role as Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the story. Like Nino, Jun also had the dream of becoming a television star one day. Maybe Jun would reach it more easily than Nino; the man was tall, handsome, and fashionable. He had friends who worked for television industries and his boyfriend was a newscaster at one of main television networks in Japan. It was about time before he made a major debut as a drama or movie actor. Compared to Jun, Nino was hopeless. He was short with average looks. He had no interest in fashion and he had no friend or boyfriend who could get him connections in television. His only friend was Aiba, a flight attendant who rarely spent more than a week of his time in one place.
“We’d better practice before Sakamoto decides to kill us,” Jun said, smiling bitterly.
Nino nodded, standing up from the chair and taking the wooden sword. He practiced while watching the video of the choreography. After making sure that he bent his knees the same way as how Sakamoto did in the video, he shifted his gaze to the mirror in front of him. A pale 36-year-old man was reflected there, his eyebrows formed a line, his eyes concentrated on his movement. His hands gripped the wooden sword; he was no longer Ninomiya Kazunari but Matsuhide Akechi. He was in the peak of victory in uniting Japan.
They gathered again in the hall, practicing for the last time for that night. Sakamoto was hardly satisfied, but he no longer shouted at them and told them to come early in the morning on the following day.
Jun invited Nino to go for a drink, but he wasn’t in the mood. He boarded the subway towards his apartment located in the middle of the Asakusa district. Nino fished his handphone from his pocket and opened his Instagram; he scrolled down and left ‘like’ randomly. He clicked on the search page and typed a particular name. He had been looking forever for a particular man on social media, but he never found him. Nino had tried from his real name to the alias he might be using, but none of them seemed to be the person he had been searching for. He was sure that it would not be any different tonight.
His hand typed the name and unexpectedly something appeared. It was only a hashtag used by someone else to refer to the man. Nino clicked it; what appeared was a picture of an exhibition schedule in a museum in Berlin. He scrolled down and found a few similar posts; #OhnoSatoshiexhibition was the hashtag used in those pictures. Nino closed his Instagram and opened Google instead. He typed the words, hoping to find any news about the exhibition. He found some which was written in English and Japanese, but none of them displayed any pictures of this Ohno Satoshi. Disappointed, Nino returned to the Instagram and looked at the exhibition schedule once again.
He had been searching for this Ohno Satoshi long enough already; but the only picture of him was his younger self, perhaps around ten years ago. Since then, the man never made his appearance public. Nino knew from social media that Ohno was a famous artist who had created many paintings with Japanese styles. People even called him the second Hokusai for his ability in portraying the beauty of Japan.
It had been twenty years since he met Ohno for the very last time. He didn’t know why Ohno decided not to tell him when he left Japan. Nino convinced himself that Ohno did it for his own good, that maybe he couldn’t leave if he told Nino the truth. They were too young back then; Nino was sixteen, Ohno was eighteen. They had no idea what future looked like, or perhaps it was only Nino who thought that way. Ohno seemed to have already figured out what he was going to do, although he never talked about it with Nino. It was typical Ohno – always keeping things to himself.
The one who informed Nino that Ohno had left Japan was Okada, Ohno’s classmate. It was a day before graduation; Nino had been waiting for Ohno at the promised rooftop of their school where Ohno would give Nino his uniform button, but Ohno never came. For some time, Nino still tried to reach Ohno. He came to Ohno’s house, but it was empty. He asked Ohno’s neighbor, but no one knew where the family had gone. He finally accepted the reality two years later, that Ohno had made a decision to put everything behind him, including Nino. It was time for him to do the same.
Ohno’s name never came into the picture for ten years in Nino’s life; he had tried so hard to bury the memories he had together with Ohno in the deepest drawer of his mind. But then he accidentally read a magazine and found Ohno, or someone who looked exactly like him, in the art section. It introduced Ohno as a young talented painter from Japan who would participate in a joint exhibition together with world-class artists. He had grown up into a fine 28-year-old man with thick black hair which covered half of his forehead. He wore suits and ties which fit him perfectly; he frowned towards the camera, but it didn’t reduce his charisma. Nino tore the page out and saved the picture on his bookshelf, among his manga collection. Nino was 26, Ohno was 28, but the latter had found his way as a young talented artist. Nino, meanwhile, was still questioning whether becoming a kabuki actor was something he really wanted to do with his life.
Did Ohno remember him after ten years?
Probably not. Nino wasn’t an important part of his life. The crush Nino had on Ohno was one-sided and it would always stay that way. Nothing would bring Ohno back to him, and even though he was the one who found the other, there was no guarantee that Ohno would recognize Nino as the boy who admired him back then when they were in high school.
Days changed to months, to years, and now Nino was a 36-year-old man. He wasn’t young anymore, and he was capable of making the right decision for his life. But no matter how much time had passed, he never stopped thinking of Ohno and his silent departure. With the existence of social media, Nino had tried once again to find Ohno. He didn’t know what he would do if he found the artist, but at least he could convince himself that Ohno was living in a totally different world and he was happy.
He was realistic enough that he never expected a dramatic reunion with Ohno. He never dreamed of meeting the man again, let alone building a relationship and becoming a happily-ever-after couple. No, Nino had stopped imagining the impossible; he had moved on, with or without Ohno.
For the past ten years, he had dated a few times. His partners came from different backgrounds: Ohkura, the model; Ken, the dancer; and Yoichiro, a doctor Nino met when he was injured during a performance. None of those relationships lasted for more than two years, either because they found out that Nino was boring or because they chose friendship over a romantic bond.
Nino loved them, but the slightest part of him was looking for something else. Now, he was a free man, and it was better like this. He could play games all day without the need to send text messages every now and then. He didn’t need to go out on Friday nights and meet people he didn’t really want to see or watched movies that he didn’t like.
Nino put his phone into his jacket pocket when the train made a stop at Asakusa station. He exited the train, climbed the stairs towards the exit and walked to his apartment while humming softly. The soft breeze of an early autumn wind blew on his face. He looked up to the sky. The moon shone brightly that night. Ohno probably was looking at the very same moon from another corner of the earth. The thought sent a chill to his stomach. It was ironic that they were living in the same world but Ohno was so far from Nino’s reach.
***
“Your tickets have been emailed,” Sakamoto announced. “But remember, this isn’t a vacation. You can only relax after giving your best performance.”
“Sho-kun will go with us,” Jun told Nino with a happy smile on his lips. “He will cover our activities, isn’t that great?”
“Terrific,” Nino replied, knowing that Jun expected him to say yes.
“Do you plan to extend your stay, Nino?” Jun asked again when they were on their way to the dressing room to change into kimono.
“Er, I don’t know,” Nino shrugged. Honestly, he wasn’t very excited about this work trip, particularly because they would get involved in official-type stuff. He had read the rundown of the ceremony and it was enough to drag his mood down. They were expected to join the ‘working breakfast’ ‘working lunch’ and ‘working dinner’. Where was the fun if every meal was followed by ‘working’?
Jun, on the contrary, loved Europe. He had visited a few countries in the recent years; some of them together with Sho. Aiba also mentioned his admiration of the historical buildings in Austria and Poland; it seemed that everyone around him loved to be away from Japan.
Nino changed into his kimono and checked his reflection in the mirror. He couldn’t believe that he had turned 36 this year. Soon he would be 40 and still confused about his purpose in life. He shifted his gaze from the mirror and walked towards the practice hall where Sakamoto had been waiting for him.
“We’re doing a full rehearsal today,” Sakamoto announced. “Nagano will record us.” He gestured to Nagano Hiroshi, their manager. “We still have two weeks to prepare. I want a perfect performance. Our kabuki troupe depends on your ability.”
Nino turned to Jun, who flashed a weak smile at him. They took their positions and started the rehearsal.
They did pretty well that day, which made Sakamoto happier than he had been for these past few weeks. The rehearsal ended at seven in the evening; it was earlier than usual. Nino and the rest of the actors happily left the practice hall, took a quick shower, and got ready to go home. He checked his phone and found a message from Aiba.
‘Hi, Nino, are you available for a drink tonight?’
It was typical Aiba – he didn’t bother to inform Nino that he was in Tokyo at the moment and he always invited Nino out for drinks all of a sudden, without concern that Nino might already have an appointment. Nino didn’t reply to the message but tapped on Aiba’s phone number instead. The guy picked up the call almost immediately.
“When did you get back?” Nino asked, skipping the greeting.
“This afternoon,” Aiba answered from the other side. “I missed you, Ninomi.”
“Too bad for you that I don’t miss you,” Nino replied.
“Where are you now?”
“In front of the Tsubasa Kabuki troupe building,” Nino said, looking to his surroundings. Many people passed by with fans in their hands as the air had been getting hotter day by day.
“Okay, wait for me at Amore bar in Ginza. It’s nearby, right?”
“I haven’t said yes, Aiba-shi.”
“But you will. I got a souvenir that maybe you will like,” Aiba said. His voice was full of excitement and Nino knew that he didn’t have the heart to turn his invitation down.
“Alright, this is your lucky night,” Nino mumbled into his phone.
“See you, Ninomi!”
Nino looked at his phone screen for some time; he actually didn’t want to meet anyone, but it was Aiba and he was sure that Aiba would be a good listener for his boring complaints about work and about his love affairs. For the past six months, Aiba had gotten a European route, which meant he was rarely in Japan. Sometimes, he sent Nino pictures from the places he had visited. Nino wondered why Aiba never got bored of his work, spending half of his life flying on iron birds, serving the passengers with a broad smile as if it was what he wanted to do the most. Nino couldn’t imagine himself doing that kind of work without punching a passenger if they happened to complain about inflight food being too cold or because they couldn’t ask for more glasses of wine.
Aiba appeared ten minutes after Nino; he was wearing a pair of baggy jeans, a white T-shirt and a thin scarf around his neck.
“Everything good, Ninomi? You look awful,” Aiba said, ordering a drink for himself.
“Everyone will look awful when they swing a fake sword a hundred times in a day,” Nino replied, sipping his cocktail and turning to his friend.
“Look what I’ve got for you.” Aiba fished his phone from his tote bag and searched for a certain folder before giving it to Nino.
Nino took the phone; it was a video Aiba had taken in a hall with many paintings hung on the wall. Nino didn’t need anyone to tell him whose paintings they were; he knew them too well – from their unique style and special features. It was from someone’s exhibition, and taking photos or videos was usually prohibited.
“This is illegal…”
“Go on, you haven’t seen the best part,” Aiba said.
Nino returned his attention to the video and the recording continued from the line of paintings to the small podium at the end of the hall. Someone was delivering a speech there and Nino was too scared to listen to the voice he hadn’t heard for the last 20 years.
It was Ohno in his 38-year-old appearance. He was wearing a dark suit without a tie and he was greeting the visitors of the joint exhibition he was participating in. He spoke carefully as if he had memorized a speech written for him. His face wasn’t clear in Aiba’s video since he recorded it from distance; the video lasted for five minutes and Nino still clutched at Aiba’s phone even though it was already over.
“I thought that it might raise your mood in anticipation for going to Europe,” Aiba said.
Nino didn’t respond. He thought that seeing Ohno’s real time appearance again after years would make him feel better, but the fact, it didn’t.
“Where is he now?” Nino asked Aiba after a period of silence.
“In The Hague, the place where you guys will be performing,” Aiba answered, taking his phone from Nino’s hand.
Nino didn’t know whether it was just a coincidence that Ohno would be at the same place with him on his performance day, but he didn’t want to raise his hopes too high. There was no guarantee that they would meet; even if they did, he wasn’t sure that Ohno would remember him.
“Thanks for showing me the video. It made me feel a lot worse than before,” Nino said, sipping his wine.
“You’re welcome,” Aiba replied. He wrapped his hand around Nino’s shoulder. “Look, I know that you’ve been obsessed with this guy for so long. It’s time for you to bump into him and take the chance. It’s better than doing nothing. You already know each other, so it’s not something hard to do.”
“Easy for you to say,” Nino said with a frown on his face. “Thanks for the drink, Aiba. I’ll go home now.”
“Wait, are you mad at me?”
“No, I’m just dizzy and I have early practice tomorrow.” Nino rose from his seat and stepped outside of the bar.
Aiba had informed him that he had adjusted his schedule so he would be at Nino’s flight.
Nino walked confusedly towards the nearest subway station. Perhaps Aiba was right that he should bump into Ohno, just to make sure that the man still remembered him. But Ohno wasn’t the same person anymore. He had become a famous artist; he wouldn’t have enough time to talk to a mere kabuki actor.
“Just stop thinking of him for one night, would you?” Nino whispered to himself.
***
Their departure day had finally come; Jun was very excited, and he talked endlessly with Ryouma about what he would be doing in Amsterdam.
“The museums there are amazing, we have to visit them…and let’s ride the boat above that famous Amsterdam canal,” Jun said while showing Ryouma the guidebook with colorful photos of the city.
Nino listened to them without interest; he kept on playing games on his smartphone until the boarding announcement was heard all over the departure wing. All of them rose from their seats and dragged their cabin luggage towards the gate. The airline crews wished them a safe flight while bowing slightly to every passenger.
Aiba smiled and winked at Nino as they boarded the plane. The latter walked on the aisle towards his seat in the middle; he was glad that he wouldn’t be in the same seat section with Jun or the man would lecture him about Amsterdam all night long. He secured his luggage in the bin above his seat and slumped his back into the chair. The usual pre-flight procedure was conducted before they finally left Japan. Nino didn’t want to think about anything tonight; he fished the sleeping mask from the airline pouch that Aiba had delivered beforehand and put it in. He wanted to forget for a while that he would be facing busy days ahead.
They landed safely at Schiphol Airport 11 hours later and were welcomed by the staff from the Japanese Embassy. Nino felt lightheaded and sleepy due to the time difference; together with Jun and the rest of the kabuki members, they followed the staff towards the minivan which would take them to The Hague.
“Are you okay, Nino?” Jun asked as they boarded the van.
Nino nodded.
“Welcome to the Netherlands, gentlemen,” the staff spoke from the driver’s seat with polite Japanese. “My name is Inohara and I’ll be your driver for the rest of your stay in The Hague. Should you need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I hope you’ll enjoy your time here. Now, we’ll be departing soon to the hotel in The Hague. It will take around an hour from here. From the time being, please sit back and relax.”
Some of them mumbled ‘thank you’ to Inohara. Nino leaned back into his seat and looked outside while the van left the airport. The Netherlands was a flat place – like literally flat. The houses on the left and the right side of the road had a European design – two or three people were seen pedaling their bicycles through the narrow path.
Ohno was somewhere in this small country, perhaps preparing his next speech that he would be delivering at his upcoming exhibition. Nino felt completely dumb now for putting his hopes too high. He had tried not to think of the man since Aiba showed him the video, but it was harder that he thought.
“We’ll be arriving soon,” Inohara’s voice woke Nino up from his string of thoughts.
Their hotel was located near the diplomatic compound; the building looked old and cold. It was built of red bricks with a familiar chimney on one side of the building.
“It looks creepy,” Nino said to Ryouma, who stepped beside him.
“Do you know what European ghosts look like?” the man asked him.
“Maybe they wear tuxedoes,” Nino shrugged.
“You’re not serious, are you?”
Nino rolled his eyes towards the taller man. “Believe me, humans are ten times scarier than ghosts.”
They dragged their luggage towards the lobby of the hotel. Inohara had handled the check-in process so that they only needed a few minutes to get their keys.
“Sho-kun is waiting for me upstairs,” Jun told Nino with a broad smile on his lips.
“So, your room will be empty,” Nino said, glancing at the card key in Jun’s hand.
“Sakamoto-san said the Embassy had already prepared the room for all of the kabuki actors. They wouldn’t care if you stay there or not,” Jun replied.
“What’s our agenda for today?” Nino asked.
“We need to take a rest tonight to handle our jetlag before continuing our practice tomorrow morning.”
Nino yawned; he hoped that he still had the dialogue memorized; the tiredness and the jetlag had wiped his memory clean.
***
After sleeping for more than twelve hours, Nino felt fresher. He arrived at the rehearsal room earlier than everyone. He changed into his kimono and warmed up a little while waiting for the others. He moved to the left and right, remembering the choreography. Next, he drew the sword from its scabbard and swung it around. Ten minutes passed since he began warming up and that was the time he caught a glimpse of shadow in the audience seating. He narrowed his eyes to see who it was – perhaps it was Sakamoto; he liked to observe rehearsals by sneaking into practice secretly. But the man – whoever it was – clearly wasn’t Sakamoto because he was way shorter and slimmer.
“Nino! You’re so early.” Jun and the others joined him on the rehearsal stage. Nino greeted them one by one, and when he turned his head towards the audience seating, the man was no longer there.
“What’s wrong?” Ryouma asked.
“No, nothing,” Nino shook his head. He wasn’t imagining it; there was a man there a few minutes ago. Maybe he was one of the hotel staff or someone who simply lost his way due to the size of the hotel.
They practiced until lunchtime; Sakamoto was pleased with the results and told them that they needed to get enough rest before the performance. They would perform tomorrow afternoon, in front of the Japanese Ambassador to the Netherlands and all of his honorable guests.
“We will have a working lunch with the government officials of the Netherlands this afternoon,” Sakamoto announced. “I hope all of you will be back to the hotel right after lunch to save your energy for our big day tomorrow.”
“I was about to go shopping,” Jun mumbled from Nino’s left side.
Nino, who had no interest in sightseeing, agreed with Sakamoto that they needed proper rest because his jetlag was still very bad.
He returned to his room to change into proper clothes and came back to the lobby 30 minutes later. They would go to one of the famous restaurants in The Hague for the working lunch. The point of the lunch was to introduce the Japanese kabuki troupe to the government of the Netherlands as a part of Japanese art diplomacy abroad.
The restaurant was located near the Scheveningen beach. Five tall figures had been waiting for them; all of them rose from their seats as the Tsubasa Kabuki troupe entered. And what made Nino’s stomach turn upside down was the person who sat at the end of the table. It was no other than Ohno – real flesh and bones. For a few seconds, he felt as if the air had pumped out of the restaurant, leaving him breathless. What was Ohno doing here, and since when had he been sitting there?
“Welcome to the Hague. Please take a seat.” One of the five tall men gestured for them to sit down. “I hope the air is not too cold for you,” he continued with a smile on his lips.
“Thank you, Paul. We’re honored to be here,” the embassy staff – someone named Morita, if Nino wasn’t mistaken, talked on their behalf. “Let me introduce to you our finest kabuki troupe members.” He then introduced them one by one from one end to the other, and then it was finally Ohno’s turn.
“You must already be aware that one of our artists is here for an exhibition,” Morita continued.
“Mr. Ohno, of course, we know him very well,” Paul said, looking in Ohno’s direction.
“You’re exaggerating, Paul-san,” Ohno answered.
That was the first time in the past 20 years Nino had heard Ohno’s voice directly. It hit him like a strong wind. He tried to act normal, but when he took his glass for a toast, his hand was trembling hard.
“Nino, he’s here, you’re very lucky,” Jun whispered from his side.
Nino grinned awkwardly. He wasn’t sure whether finding Ohno this quick could count as lucky. There was no sign that Ohno remembered him. It would be embarrassing if he tried to greet the artist and see Ohno’s brows lift in question.
The working lunch went on forever, with Sakamoto and Morita doing most of the talking, while the others were already bored and wishing it would end soon. Nino stole glances towards Ohno; he had changed a lot, yet there was something that stayed the same. His dark hair was sticking everywhere; his sun-tanned skin was standing out among the pale kabuki actors; his appearance was rather relaxed – with a simple white shirt which wasn’t fully buttoned. The man looked at Nino, and their eyes met. Nino wanted to throw his gaze away, but he couldn’t move a muscle; he froze as if time had stopped all of a sudden. Ohno’s lips formed a slight smile and before Nino could respond to it, the working lunch had ended. Everyone rose from their seats and shook each other’s hands while commenting that the food was great.
Nino stepped ahead of the others with the hope that he could talk with Ohno, but the man wasn’t there anymore. He shook his head in agony and walked towards the van; perhaps he was just imagining Ohno’s smile. He was dying to see the man again so badly that he had hallucinated the whole thing. He needed to concentrate for the next day.
***
They woke up earlier to get ready for the performance; Nino, Jun, and Ryouma sat down in front of the mirror and started their own make-up. They had no time to feel nervous and used the last minutes to review their lines and choreography.
Nino did his best in portraying Matsuhide. He cooperated well with Sakamoto on stage, and when the performance ended, the audience gave them a standing ovation. All of them bowed deeply towards the excited audience, and when Nino lifted his head, he saw Ohno’s face among the crowd – it was almost magical, as if something had guided him to look in the artist’s direction. But he couldn’t look at Ohno for any longer as the curtain rolled down from the top of the stage.
He changed out of his costume, removed his make-up, and drank a glass of water to calm himself down. He joined the others in the dressing room to congratulate each other for the successful show. Aiba and Sho were there too, and they beamed at Nino as he came closer.
“Our Matsuhide,” Aiba said, curling his hand around Nino’s shoulder.
“I guess I made two or three wrong movements,” Nino mumbled.
“Who cares,” Aiba said, laughing.
“Mr. Ninomiya,” a woman’s voice came from the doorframe. Nino turned at her and saw a tall figure with blond hair. “Someone wishes to see you,” she continued in fluent Japanese.
“Your fan,” Jun winked at him.
Confused, Nino followed the tall woman towards the other side of the room. It was a small room beside the performance hall, rather dark and a little cold. It reminded Nino of a mafia movie, as if someone had just invited him to commit a crime.
“Please have a seat,” the woman told him.
Nino sat down while trying to guess who was so eager to meet him. Perhaps someone from the Netherlands who was crazy about kabuki or perhaps about Japan. But the voice he heard from behind him was definitely Japanese.
“What a terrific performance.”
Nino turned around very fast; he saw Ohno in front of him – someone he had been dying to see for 20 years – God damn it. There were hundreds of questions he wanted to ask, but none came past his lips. He stared at Ohno, unable to believe that he was real.
“You still recognize me?” Nino heard himself say. What a stupid question.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Ohno asked in return, calmly stepping towards the chair and sitting down across from Nino.
“It’s been too long.” Nino shook his head. “I’ve heard about you, being a successful artist and all that.”
“Thanks, I’m honored,” Ohno said, bringing his hands together and looking at Nino with a meaningful gaze.
Silence blanketed them for seconds.
“Why did you leave without saying anything?” Nino asked the question he had really wanted to ask since the day Ohno went away.
“I had many reasons,” Ohno replied.
“Weird,” Nino muttered. He didn’t know what to tell Ohno; this man was almost a stranger to him now – 20 years were long enough to make two people strangers to each other.
“I’ll be back in Japan at the end of this month,” Ohno said with a soft tone, as if apologizing for the things he had done in the past.
“For another short visit?” Nino asked.
“No, I’ll stay,” Ohno said with a stronger voice.
“And leave again.”
Ohno smiled as he heard what Nino said. “You’re still the same old Nino.”
Nino rolled his eyes, and for a split of second, he recognized Ohno as the 18-year-old high school boy who always waited for him to walk together towards the station after school.
“Is it necessary to tell me?”
“Yes, you’re the only person I know from the kabuki troupe,” Ohno said.
“Don’t you worry that I will leak this information to the media?”
“No,” Ohno shook his head. “I know you, Nino.”
Nino smiled weakly; Ohno didn’t know a thing about him. If the man did, he wouldn’t have left Nino without words in the first place.
“If you’re finished, I’ll be heading back to the dressing room,” Nino said, rising from his seat.
“I’m inviting you to dinner before you fly back to Japan,” Ohno replied.
“I’m afraid our schedule is too tight, Ohno-san.” Nino walked slowly towards the doorframe; if he had to be honest to himself, he would happily go to dinner with Ohno. He had been dreaming of this, but he couldn’t just say yes. A small part of him was still mad at Ohno – they were such complicated feelings.
He left the room, hoping that Ohno would chase him down and apologize for what he’d done, but of course, the artist didn’t do that. He found Jun and the others were ready to leave the hall to have dinner at the hotel restaurant. Nino had just remembered that tonight was the only free time when they could spend time as they liked. He didn’t care what would Ohno think about him; he returned to the room he had just left and found Ohno still there.
“We can go tonight,” Nino said without thinking twice.
“That is faster than I thought,” Ohno said, rising from his chair and approaching Nino. “Let’s go then.”
“I’ve heard from Jun that most of the shops in the Hague close at 6 pm,” Nino said.
“Not the restaurants,” Ohno replied with a slight smile, leading Nino towards the exit. The tall woman was waiting for them at the lobby, and she handed something to Ohno – a car key.
“You drive?” Nino asked before he could help himself.
“Yes.” Ohno raised his brows as if Nino’s question was out of place.
They rode through the lonely roads of the Hague, spotting two or three people riding their bikes along the way.
It was almost unreal for Nino that he and Ohno were riding the same car in a foreign city. He thought that it would have been more difficult to meet Ohno because he was a well-known artists now. But no matter how real it was, Ohno was still a stranger to him. He wouldn’t be the same Ohno he knew twenty years ago.
“You can be a fine actor, Nino,” Ohno said after ten minutes of intense silence.
“Thanks, but I haven’t gotten any offers to act in a drama,” Nino replied, trying not to look at Ohno’s face from the side.
“It will eventually come to you,” Ohno continued as if he could predict the future.
Nino snorted. He looked outside the window; the Hague was beautiful and felt more like a small town than a city. In contrast to Tokyo, it was quiet and there were only a few convenient stores along the street.
“Why are you coming back to Japan?” Nino asked.
Ohno needed a few minutes to answer; it seemed that he was looking for the right words to say.
“Twenty years is long enough to leave your own country. I’ve been wandering around the world and it’s time for me to settle back in the place where I was born.”
Nino digested Ohno’s words for a few seconds. Well, it was up to Ohno whether he wanted to be back or not and it was none of Nino’s business, but somehow, imagining Ohno would be close enough to reach, sent a glimpse of happiness to his heart.
“Can we meet sometimes in Tokyo?” Ohno asked.
“I can’t believe you’d ask me this question,” Nino laughed. “I’ve been looking for your information ever since you left Tokyo. I thought you had changed into someone whom I barely knew.”
“Sorry for that, Nino,” Ohno mumbled. “How’s your life been for these twenty years?”
Nino actually didn’t want to share much of his life with Ohno, but words flew from his lips, telling Ohno what kind of life he had been leading for all this time. It felt like turning back the time to the days in high school when Nino used to tell Ohno everything – from his annoying sister to the classmates he hated. Ohno listened patiently and would react at the right time.
“How about you?”
“Me? I’m just a boring painter who leads a boring life,” Ohno said calmly.
He parked his car in front of a fancy-looking French restaurant. Nino followed the man inside and decided to order the same item from the menu that Ohno had chosen. They ate while talking about the performance, and Ohno told Nino that he would work with a deeper Japanese traditional art style on his next painting theme. He also said that after travelling around Europe, what he really wanted was to paint the real Japanese art, and kabuki performances would be one of them.
“Took you long enough to realize, huh?” Nino said.
“Better late than never,” Ohno replied with a slight smile on his lips.
They went back to the hotel with a more relaxed atmosphere between them. Ohno gave Nino his personal contact number and told him that he would inform Nino when he was already in Tokyo.
“How do you know that I won’t give this number to everyone?” Nino asked suspiciously when he got out of Ohno’s car.
“I’m an expert in ignoring calls and messages, don’t worry, Nino.”
Nino laughed. He said goodbye to the artist and walked back towards his room. His steps were lighter than before and there was a spark inside his chest thinking that he finally found the person he had been looking for. He didn’t know whether Ohno was being honest with him, but he could think about it later.
***
It was six months later that Ohno finally came back to Tokyo. As promised, he gave Nino a phone call as soon as he arrived. Life had changed for the past six months for Nino; as Ohno had predicted, he got an offer to play a role in a morning drama series on NHK. Sakamoto was thrilled when Nino told him the big news, saying that it would be Nino’s big first step toward becoming a huge star. Jun also got an offer for a drama series on a different TV station – the same one where Sho worked, but Nino knew that he got the role due to his hard work instead of Sho’s help.
Nino wasn’t sure what kind of relationship he would have with Ohno afterwards. They had been apart for too long and if there was something more than friendship ahead, he was sure that they would need a long time to adjust to each other again.
“Everything will come at the right time,” he told himself.
He wore a jacket over his shirt. He would be heading towards Ohno’s house. Somehow, the man managed to get his old house back. It was surprising for Nino that he still remembered the details of the neighbouring block of Ohno’s house without getting lost and without any assistance from Google maps.
He knocked on the door with pounding heart; a few seconds later, Ohno opened it for him. He looked so different in his jersey, no-make-up face and messy hair.
“Welcome,” he said.
“Welcome to Tokyo to you,” Nino said, handing the gift he bought at a shop on his way here.
Twenty years was long enough to forget someone, but not when it was Ohno. Nino was glad that the man hadn’t forgotten him either. They couldn’t grab what they had missed for those twenty years in a day or two; everything needed time to be processed. Nino was old enough to be patient, and he was optimistic that everything would be okay.
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Then when Ohno and Nino met each other face to face the first time - MY HEART, OH MY HEART - I feel Nino there, the awkwardness, the hesitation, and when Ohno asked Nino out for dinner, WOW, I swear my heart stopped XDDD And of course, Nino would 'decline' first, but immediately correct himself two seconds later :DDD I love that. The exchanging number, the promise to meet in TOkyo, man, Nino, I feel you. Everything is in its proper place again when Ohmiya is together, so I'm so grateful that you gave them their happy ending, Anon. I love that you were able to take that prompt into something so painful and yet so beautiful, and I love it. Good job on this story, dear author! Thanks so much for writing this for me!
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