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24iza_runPairing: OT5
Genre: AU, Action, Drama, Friendship
Rating: G (For this chapter)
Disclaimer: I own the plot only~ Not Arashi~
Summary: Despite of government 'Project Eternity' declaration, 5 genius boys were saved after their parents managed to hide their real intelligence. 10 years later, they witness their parents get caught in misunderstand and aim to save them.
Yet, they never thought it will drag to something serious.
A/N: I'm sorry for every error and mistakes.
Chapter 7
Three days pass after Chief Sakurai subordinates come to Ohno’s residence to see Sho when Aiba on the other side bump into the government’s scientist. Although the five of them have few serious conversation about the meeting afterwards, Sho still can’t decide whether he suppose to sign the agreement given to him. Aiba meanwhile still doesn’t make any phone call to the scientist since Nino and Jun still unsure if it’s the best option for them. So for the mean time the five best friends agree to not come to school and cut off any relationship with people around them to prevent their relatives and classmates from get involved in this matter. They also only step out from Ohno’s house at night unless there’s important matter to settle outside during day.
“Aiba-chan, what time is it?”
Nino suddenly ask with his eyes never leave the game in his grip. Tonight, only he and Aiba stay behind. Usually Sho will stay with them since Jun always goes out late at night for a jog while the Ohno’s siblings leave to their late father’s workshop to settle any incomplete work, but due of some miscalculate paperwork, Ohno ask Sho to come with them to help rearrange it.
“12.38. Why do you ask?”
“No reason.”
Seeing the hacker immerse with his game again, Aiba continue to read his comic.
Soon, the cheerful guy feels a bit sore with his back. He slowly gets up from his seat and do some stretching to move his almost cramp muscles until his eyes stop at the black device which he leaves next to his pile up of comic. His gaze totally locks on it until he startle by Nino’s voice.
“What’s wrong?”
The sudden question make Aiba frowningly looks at his friend. He doesn’t realize the other one already stops playing his game and now focus on his face.
“You just staring that thing. Is there something wrong?”
“No. I was just…thinking.”
Nino slowly sits up from lying on the couch, waiting patiently for Aiba to continue. Thanks to the medicine that Jun brought from his family pharmacy and his friends’ proper care, the burn wound on his back gradually recover within short time.
“About what?”
He asks while reaching for the device that Aiba just staring at. Once he finishes examining it and found nothing weird, he looks at Aiba again.
“You know, I found that device inside government’s building before. I wonder what it is made for.”
The hacker’s eyes go wider immediately.
“You mean you took this from the government?! What for?!”
“I don’t know what make me to take it with me. I did it unconsciously. I heard a bark when I was on my way to go back to your place so I tried to look around if there’s any dog there. Then I found that.”
Hearing the hacker’s sigh, Aiba hesitantly bites his lip and move to sit next to him.
“Actually I planned to ask Oh-chan what it actually is when he returned here later. It’ll be bad if it’s a tracking device. I should realize about it earlier…”
Unexpectedly, Nino just smacks his friend’s head with it.
“The government must be idiot if they put a tracking device inside their own area. Obviously, this is not.”
Aiba sighs in relief. With his right hand rub the place Nino just hit him, the other one taking the black device from Nino’s hand before bring it closer to his eyes. He pursues his mouth thoughtfully while flips the device, only stopping a moment later to the small square button that he notice its presence days ago. Full of curiosity, he then pushes the button.
However, he frowns when few seconds elapse with nothing but quiet.
“What this actually for?”
The cheerful guy mumbles to himself before try again. Nino on the other hand just watch without intends to stop his friend who now starts to push the button several times to find out whether the device is actually working or not. Feeling give up, Aiba finally press the square button for the last time. Beyond their expectation the house all of sudden turn to dark.
Few seconds pass without any sound till Aiba clumsily gets up from the couch.
“I-I’ll go check the switchboard.”
“Okay.”
It doesn’t take so long until Aiba’s rushing footsteps disappear inside the kitchen. Nino at the same time thoughtfully stays still. Soon, he looks at the nearest window before slowly moves to it. He then carefully peeks from behind the curtain to see the neighbor’s house before turn to the kitchen’s way.
“Aiba-chan?”
His voice echoes inside the silent house. Few seconds later, Aiba finally answer it while approaching the living room.
“Nino? Where are you?”
“It’s power outage. The next house and nearby are like us as well.”
He hears Aiba swiftly running toward him from behind. After open the curtain and wait till the cheerful guy stand beside him, Nino walks back to his previous couch to find for his phone and call the others.
“Nino?”
The hacker immediately looks at where Aiba is possibly standing at.
“Yup?”
“Somehow I feel like…something bad is going to happen.”
XXXXXX-XX-XXXX
On the other side of the neighborhood, Jun is jogging through some small alleys and passes by numbers of house on his right and left. His breath gradually becomes unstable due of his long exercise without stop and despite of his cold surrounding, his shirt under the jacket he is wearing already damp by his sweat. However, the chemist doesn’t even think to take a short rest. Not after all things that happen to them and the dissatisfy feeling which is keep building up inside him.
‘I must be strong for us. Or I can’t protect anyone again even myself.’
The same thought play in his mind over again. Gritting his teeth, Jun immediately speed up and run with all his might, hoping it can release his tension and at the same time build up his stamina for any unwanted situation preparation. Right when he reaches another narrow winding alley however he abruptly stops when sees how dark the path is. This time, Jun finally realizes about his surroundings and takes time to look around.
“Power outage?”
He frowns when the entire house around him is in dark. There’s nothing like that happen before.
‘There’s no way this city is running out of electric supply. And the possibility for the electricity department to make any mistake is also low since the government will definitely pay a lot of attention to avoid the society from doubt their way of rule. In other words…’
All of sudden, he feels the ground under him shaking. He immediately takes off his earphone to confirm it, but instead of earthquake, he realizes it’s coming from heavy vehicles which currently moving not far from there.
‘There’s no doubt the government is planning something again.’
With all his might, Jun runs toward the noise source. After few minutes running, he almost dash out from another road, but manage to stop his feet exactly on time.
‘What the…?’
The chemist freeze when found numbers of military trucks are moving in long line in front him. Even his brain feels like suddenly stop working because of too shock. Fortunately, the area only brighten by the light that comes from the trucks and dim moonlight above them, so Jun’s presence quite hidden from the eyes of the gasmask soldiers inside each moving truck. Only after make sure all the vehicles already leave, Jun finally start to follow their track from behind. He notices that some residents who live nearby start to peek from the other side of their window and even clearly hear their small whisper about the power outage, but no one seems care about the military truck that just pass by in front their house, whether probably due of scare or care less.
But whichever it is, the fact that everyone there can accept the armies to do whatever they want somehow make him to feel more irritate with the society.
The moment Jun lift his face to look at his front again, he notice two backmost trucks stop in front a house while the rest keep on moving. All black uniform soldiers inside it get off not long after which make him immediately step back and hide behind nearest light pole to see what is going to happen next. He then sees five of the armed men walk to the back yard of the house while the rest guarding around there or standing in front the door.
At first few minutes pass without anything happen, but Jun still patiently watching from far.
‘What are they planning to do?’
“Move!”
A sudden shout comes from the front door. Soon, Jun sees a man in pajama comes out, follow behind by a gasmask soldier with his rifle aim on the other one head.
“Arrestment?”
A loud woman’s beg startle him. Her voice make almost the entire residence who are living around wake up and peek outside their window when the woman with her small daughter forcefully has been drag out from their house.
‘I should tell the others.’
Jun quickly shoves his hand into his tracksuit’s pocket to look for his phone. He doesn’t even have a chance to flip open it when hear a shout come from one of the soldiers there, telling the family to get inside the truck. Curiously, he peeks again and watches the little daughter of the family struggles to make herself free when seeing her parents receive a bad treatment from the heartless soldiers around them. The little girl’s stubbornness make one of the men there angry and without any feelings, slap her cheek which make the mother of the girl scream in horror. Tears start to wet her face when she runs toward her daughter as fast as her can before wrap her arms around the tiny girl’s body. The husband on the other hand finally loses his temper and shouts to the gasmask soldiers around them.
“We didn’t know our nephew is special kid! My sister and her husband hide it from us!”
“Quiet! We’re not going to compromise! Now get inside the truck!”
In a very harsh manner the armed man then push the father into the truck follows by his wife. Their kid however still struggle to make creepy men around her to let go of her. She immediately close her eyes by reflex when another slap almost touch her face but Jun react faster by shouting the soldiers.
“Stop it!”
All eyes there stop at him. Jun at the same time furiously stomp toward those people before pull the already crying girl into his arms.
“She is just a kid! Don’t treat her like a criminal!”
“We already investigated Kita Shouji’s background and we found she is his cousin. She had connection with him.”
“And that make you guys to treat her like this? She’s innocent!”
“We don’t care. Now, move aside young man.”
Despite of Jun’s struggle to make the girl stay with him, the armies somehow manage to drag her away before lift her into the truck. She then look at Jun from her mother’s embrace while biting her lip, begging and hoping for the older one to save her from those heartless men. Jun however couldn’t do anything but return her look. He is about to say something to her when a pat suddenly touch his shoulder.
“A teenage like you are not supposed to wonder around here. Go back to your home.”
The other one sudden gentle tone makes Jun frown. Yet, Jun finally snaps out by a realization when the expressionless man looks straight into his eyes.
Purposely then he drops his phone onto the road under him. And like he expects it, the soldier help him to pick it up before hand it to him.
“It’s getting cold. You better return to your house now. Your parents must be worried if they find out you’re not at home.”
Jun now feels more confident with his prediction when the man uses a fatherly tone, not like the way he treat the innocent family that he just arrest. It is later when the same soldier spins around to get inside the truck.
“Wait. The girl has nothing to do with it. No matter she’s his cousin or what, she doesn’t-”
“This is none of your business, young man. If you keep acting stubborn like this, we can arrest you for interfere our job. Now, leave.”
This time Jun can’t produce any word to against it. He only can return the little girl’s eyes apologetically. Right when the soldier wants to climb up the truck, a sudden voice comes from the earpiece he wears and makes him stop. Jun then sees his eyes suddenly grow wider.
“How many?!”
The man’s high tone echoes under the dark night. Jun on the other hand just watches in silent. If his hypothesis is right, the cause of the man sudden emotion changes must be because the other line is telling him something about special kid.
“A list?! You mean a probably list of Special Kids’ name?!”
‘List name?’
His body freeze on spot.
‘He doesn’t mean…?’
“Since 10 years ago?! How come such a country’s betrayer can lead a police department for so long?! Fine! We’ll go there after this! Tell me when they succeed to break into his computer!”
Jun feel like his heart stop beating. Without wasting any time, he quickly leaves the area while typing his friend’s number at the same time. Only one ring takes before he hears Sho’s voice on the other line.
-“Jun?”
“Sho! You’re with Satoshi and big sis now?!”
-“Yeah. We can’t do anything because of the power cut so we return home. Why you sound panic?”
“Hurry up then! I’ll explain later!”
He quickly hangs up the call.
All of sudden, the area turns to bright again when the entire light pole on his pathway get it power back, giving Jun a reason to not pay a high cautions with his surrounding anymore and just run as fast as he can to reach Ohno’s residence. The moment he reaches the front door, he doesn’t bother to knock and announce his return like he usually does. Instead, he just stormed inside before stop on the doorstep to catch his breath, making Aiba and Nino who are sitting on the living room’s couch frown to see their friend’s pale and sweaty face.
“What’s going on Jun? Are you okay?”
Nino already gets up when Aiba clumsily run to approach the chemist. Jun just manage to take off his shoes and take few step inside when another three persons eventually arrive there.
“Welcome home-why are you guys sweating too?”
Still frowning, Aiba moves to close the door as soon as everyone already inside. Ohno and Sho at the same time walk toward Jun.
“Sho said Jun told us to hurry up came home. So we ran.”
“Something happen?”
Jun turns to the only woman among them and clamps his lip into thin line. After conclude the best choice in his mind, he finally open his mouth.
“I’m sorry but I can’t let you to hear what I’m going to say, big sis. Not yet.”
She frowns. Not only her feel confuse to hear it, but also the other four guys there. Up till now they never keep any secret from Ohno’s sister as they respect and look at her like their own older sister.
After a moment in silence, the sister finally sighs in defeat.
“Okay. I trust you guys.”
She show the younger one a smile before go to the upstairs. Jun on the other hand wait until he hears sound of bedroom’s door close before looks at his friends again.
“I think the government purposely done this power outage.”
The other four guys frown.
“What? What do you mean?”
“I saw numbers of military truck before and followed it secretly. Seems they planned to arrest all the relatives of Cool that tried to escape before by tonight so those people have no chance to hide themselves. I think the power outage suddenly happened to avoid them from run away.”
“Wait. How did you know they’re arresting the Cool’s relatives? “
“I saw the armies arrested a family before. They didn’t bother to act brutal even to just a little kid. But the most disturbing now is…”
Worriedly, he looks at Sho.
“Sho. I think the military already find out your father was the one who hide Cool. I heard he talk about it before.”
His words gain a surprise look from the rest.
“But how?”
“They sent someone to unlock your dad’s computer. They haven’t succeed yet but-”
“Aiba-chan! Go get my laptop now!”
Aiba nods and disappears immediately to the upstairs. With a white pale face, Sho on the other hand approaches the nearest couch and slump into it. His friends silently watch him gives out a stressful sighs before looks at Nino with a pair of hopefully eyes.
“Can you please do something about it Nino?”
“As long as you know what the system and program your father used, passwords, windows and serial number, I’ll try to do as much as I can.”
Sho nods weakly.
“It contains list name of Cool that my father helped before. If they break it, I don’t know what the government is going to plan after this.”
He receives reassure pat on shoulder from the hacker. Ohno meanwhile look at Jun full with confusion.
“But it’s not a big deal if my sis know about it right? There’s something more?”
At a same time, Aiba finally come back with a laptop in his arms. After he gives it to Nino, he sees Jun determinedly stare the four of them.
“Let’s cooperate with that scientist.”
Silent.
Not only Nino, but Ohno and Aiba surprise by it as well.
“Wait. I thought you didn’t agree with it?”
“I change my mind. As long as that man can guarantee our relatives’ safety, I’ll agree. Of course I’m not sure how far we can trust him but at least I feel a bit secure because people who have blood related with me are not in harm. Besides, it is better we start to do something than hide ourselves like this and let the fate decide everything.”
The determine look on Jun’s face make Nino wordless. Finally, he only can sigh.
“I see. If my sis knows about the reason, she’ll definitely oppose our decision right? Cause the choice we make also has something to do with her safety.”
Jun nods.
“Then I will do it with you guys.”
This time, everyone turn to Sho with surprise look.
“My dad told me before that if something likes this happen one day, we will destroy the program, system and everything so the information about Cool will forever safe. So Nino, I’ll tell you how to access it using your laptop and please close it without leaving any trace at all.”
“I can do that, but you’re not going to come with us. You’re not in the situation to make a choice Sho.”
“Nino is right. Plus, who knows the plan that the scientist come up with will be successful and you can go back to us one day.”
“It’s not about that! I’m the part of this team and if we’re going to fail, we will fail together or otherwise!”
“Your father asked his people by himself to protect you Sho! At least, agree with it for the sake of his last wish!”
“And he also taught me to never back off if it’s for important people to me! Leaving my friends in danger for my own sake, all of you know I’m not such a coward! I also deserve to know the truth!”
His breath changes to heavy one as soon as he finishes letting his feelings out. Sometimes it makes Sho annoy with his friends endless thoughtful side about him like he doesn’t know what decision he just make. Did they realize that once he signs the agreement the four of them will be the one who expose with danger most considering they were his best friends? Perhaps, they will say they don’t care with the consequences.
And that’s why neither him too.
XXXXXX-XX-XXXX
“He just left his lab.”
Aiba says after hangs up the call outside of Ohno’s house. One by one then his friends follow him to step out with each of them bring a bag pack load with clothes. Early in the morning before Aiba finally made a phone call to the old man, telling that he and his friends agree to cooperate with him which of course received a warm ‘thank you’ from the other one. The scientist also said that he wanted them to stay at his place within that mean time so he can show them what he’s working for this entire time as well as so he can discuss with them about their plan freely anytime.
“Don’t forget to tell me when you guys already there.”
“Okay.”
“You’re going to stay over at your friend’s place right?”
“Yep. You shouldn’t worry about me. I’m worried about all of you more.”
Her words however answer by playful teases from the five guys. Aiba, Nino and Jun laughingly leave after get scold by her, but Ohno still stand on the doorstep with worry face with Sho waiting for him.
“I’d finish fix all the stuff. Just contact the customers and close the workshop. Don’t do anything more than that.”
He receives a sigh from his sister.
“I know, Satoshi. There’s nothing to worry about me.”
He just nods. Sho behind him meanwhile finally approach his friend and give a reassuring pat on his shoulder. Soon, both guys walk side by side to join their awaiting friends.
As Nino wrap his arm on Ohno’s shoulder, the five of them start to walk on the same pace to a certain bus stop where Aiba tell the old scientist to fetch them before. Not long after, everyone around there including themselves surprise to see numbers of military trucks moving on the main road not far from there.
“I wonder what they’re planning to do.”
“They seem like government’s puppets than this country’s heroes.”
Few minutes later the five of them finally arrive at the bus stop. While Ohno and Nino sit on waiting seat, the other three just standing while watching the road in front them before Jun face the other four.
“Actually, there’s a reason why they turn out like that.”
Nino raises his eyebrow.
“You notice it during the last night incident too?”
“Yeah.”
“What is it?”
Jun immediately move forward before sign his friends to gather closer so no one will hear it.
“Government drugged them.”
His friends taken back and widen their eyes in disbelief.
“Isn’t that too much?”
“I just realize about it last night. The man that I talked to have red eyes and his retina doesn’t focus. His face shows all the symptoms of drug users. Besides, he only becomes paranoid when it comes about Cool. I think it contained certain type of drug in gas form to ensure those men listen on whatever the government said.”
Aiba and Nino turn to speechless. Sho meanwhile fold his arms across his chest.
“Except for the high rank men, the rest soldiers wear gasmask. Now it makes sense.”
“You mean the high rank men working with government? That’s why there’s need for them to wear it?”
“Maybe, but I don’t think all of them.”
Suddenly, they found a car stops in front them. As soon as the driver’s window slides down, Aiba clumsily steps forward before turn around to look at his friends and nod. Nino immediately gets up, follow by Ohno a second later.
“There’s no way of turning back after this guys. Are you sure?”
Sensing hesitant in the hacker’s voice, Ohno gives him a pat. Nino then watches his friends approach the car before his gaze stop at the old scientist who now smilingly opens the passenger’s seat for them. Even though he still has a tough battle with his inner side regarding it, he finally decides to follow his friends with determination in every step. Maybe by doing this they will find the answer behind the endless misery that happens to them and push the corrupt government to the dead end.
Or maybe not.
XXXXXX-XX-XXXX
>I was addicted with Nodame Cantabile drama lately and almost forgot to work on this chapter!(Phew. Very, very danger). Seems the government is much insane than we can imagine. What do you think about the hesitant Nino feels? Is it correct or not? I want to give a hint but it won't be interesting anymore. Anyway, Thank You SO much for following till this far!