just a taste of it
Aug. 20th, 2009 09:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
primroseshowsI need to get back to writing. I need to, so badly. I really want to. I don't know what's keeping me back. I think it's half laziness and half lack of motivation. I'm out of touch with Arashi; I've really been obsessed with k-pop lately, and I've started writing some fic for that, but even writing that takes a lot of energy.
I went through my writing folder about a week ago, and I ended up getting so pissed at myself because there were so many fics I'd started and just gave up on, and so many good plot lines that I never finished developing, or I had finished developing but just never bothered to put into fic.
This following bit, for example, I thought was going to be my next chapter fic, but I stopped writing it because it involved too much OC backstory and I hate writing OCs. But when I was reading through it, I was disappointed that I would never get to share it. So I'll do it now. I won't put up all of it, because a lot of the parts are complete crap, but I really liked the beginning at least. I felt it had a lot of potential, and was a fun start to what hopefully would be a fun fic.
Some of you may recognize this from that "one-sentence WIP" meme I did eons ago.
0.
A LITTLE MORE THAN TWO YEARS AGO
On a perfectly normal day in a perfectly normal city, Matsumoto Jun headed to his new job at World Heritage Bank. It was a real bank, owned by a real person, kept running by real, normal people. Matsumoto Jun was their newest employee, and yet he wasn't. When he went to the front door and held up his ID badge for the security scan, the door that opened for Jun was not the grand, glass-paneled one he was standing in front of, but a tiny side door around the corner of the building, used by the custodial staff. Once inside the hall, Jun slid his ID badge into a crack in the wall beside a tiny, unmarked closet, and the closet door automatically slid open. It was empty. Jun stepped inside, the closet shut behind him, and the room began to rise. It was an elevator.
It was a perfectly normal work day and Matsumoto Jun was headed to his new job as a special agent for a non-existant existing group dealing with security and social matters the government and its police could not handle, would not handle, were not even aware of. The fact that Jun was here, voluntarily, meant that he was willing to do this: to devote the rest of his life to secrecy, to a cause much bigger than himself and yet unknown to him, to a faceless leader who would could decide his death with a simple signature. Jun was looking forward to it. He was here because this was the only future in which he felt he had any worth. As the elevator rose higher, Jun looked at his reflection in the smooth face of his watch. He wondered how many times his father had ridden up and down in this very same elevator. He wondered what his father would say, if he knew that Jun was standing in it now.
The elevator pinged, Jun stepped out into a pristine white hall. He nodded to the receptionist at the single desk in the centre the floor. She stood up as he approached.
"Good morning, Matsumoto-san," she said, bowing. "Welcome to Johnny's Enterprise."
1.
NOW
He gets the news out of the blue one day, after everyone else has been dismissed. His handler calls him to his office, and tells him, point blank, that he's been reassigned.
At first, Jun just stares back at him. He's the top of the class in practically everything, is polite to both colleagues and seniors, respectful of his position - why in the world would he be demoted?
"You misunderstand," his handler says, folding his fingers carefully on his desk. "You're moving up, not down. You've been accepted into Team Alpha."
It's embarrassing, but it takes him a second to process this information. Team Alpha? Alpha?
"There -- there must be some mistake," Jun says hesitantly, head reeling. He knew he was talented and would rise in rank quickly, but he's been here for barely over two years -- and he's suddenly being told he's to be put on Team Alpha? It's got to be some kind of joke.
"There's no mistake," his handler says, sliding over a piece of paper. Jun scans it quickly, as he was trained to do. It's a confirmation letter. From Johnny himself. There's his name on the letterhead. There's today's date. There's his new team's code. There's Johnny's signature and seal, making the whole thing official. It's official.
Matsumoto Jun. The fifth member of Team Alpha. Effective immediately.
2.
"Excuse me," Jun says, "but is this a test?" He's thinking: it's a simulation, he's being marked on how well he can see through deception, or something like that. A ruse, but a tempting one.
"What kind of test could it possibly be?" his handler returns, unsmiling. "It wouldn't be a very funny one, would it? Isn't this what you've been working for?"
"Well, yes," Jun says. "But I didn't expect --"
"We're on a tight schedule, Jun-kun," his handler interrupts. "You can mull over the amazing circumstances later. Johnny-san returned late from his overseas trip, and his schedule has been modified accordingly. He's putting a rush order on everything." He indicates for Jun to return the signed document, and Jun does, albeit regretfully. "What I need to know right now is if you're interested?"
What kind of question was that? Jun has been wanting to join a Team before he even joined the Enterprise. He can't remember a time when he didn't want a chance like this to prove himself, in the eyes of the company, to show them what the only son of the late Matsumoto Tadao could do.
"Yes," Jun answers. "Of course." Yes, his mind is screaming. Yes, yes, yes.
"Fine. Head down to Health Department, we'll start with your physical." Jun is given an ID badge that contains only his picture and a barcode, and is told the name of the doctor who will be assessing him.
"Good luck," his handler says belatedly, as Jun has his hand on the doorknob. "We won't be seeing each other again."
"Thank you," Jun says, bowing. The man had been a decent supervisor, at least. Jun had never felt any particular affection or dissatisfaction with him, but he finds himself incredibly grateful to him right now, for giving Jun this opportunity.
"Just following orders," his handler replies, shrugging.
3.
Jun is subjected to a barrage of physical and mental tests. As a part of Johnny's, he goes through them on a regular basis, but they are incredibly thorough this time. Not only do they do the usual endurance and strength tests, he's also quizzed unrelentingly on all he knows about the company, about his previous missions, previous partners, and current events.
"What do you know about the death of Yugiwara Hajime?" his examiner asks.
"Nothing more than what the public knows. Two months ago, he went on holiday for two weeks, but he never came back to work. When police searched in his house, they found him dead in his kitchen. Official coroner reports said he overdosed on sleeping pills."
"And what do you make of it?"
"Obviously the press are calling it a suicide, but I don't see his motive for doing it," Jun says. "It's well known that he enjoyed his job, and his company was thriving. There is a chance that he was being blackmailed or manipulated and found suicide as the only route out, but in that case we would have seen large scale changes within the infrastructure of the company, or a significant loss in funds, neither of which happened. From a strictly objective perspective, it seems like Yugiwara-san on a whim decided to kill himself one day, and then went and did it. But of course that's impossible. So I would say that there's inconclusive evidence."
"That is a very interesting answer, Matsumoto-san," the examiner says, clearly impressed, but gives no comment about whether or not he was correct with his assumptions. Not that Jun expects her to know. She jots down something on her clipboard, and Jun itches a little, wondering what she's writing. "You've clearly got a cool and logical head on your shoulders. It'll serve you well if you're to be part of a Team."
What? Jun backtracks. "I was under the impression that I was already assigned to one." Team Alpha, his mind supplies, a bit too quickly. You're going to be working with the best of the best.
"Oh, certainly," the woman corrects herself. "But there's still a few more tests to go, and then we'll brief you about what being a Team Member really entails. It's quite different from the job of an Academy member, as I'm sure you know. After everything, you'll have one hour to think about it, after which we will expect your final answer. Is that understood?"
"Yes. If you don't mind me saying - this is rather kind of the company, to give its members time to back out." Truthfully, it's a shock. Johnny's Enterprise functions on getting things done, not mulling things over. Hesitation is a catalyst for unnecessary emotions. Unnecessary emotions do not get the mission done.
"You're right. It's not usually what happens. But you're being treated as a special case, obviously," the examiner smiles at him a bit wistfully. "Johnny-san seems to really want to take care of you, Matsumoto-san. You're an asset to this company, and while we want to make the most of your potential, we don't want to put you in any situation you might not be ready for. It's a big change, joining a Team. Not just because of its dangerous missions, but the lifestyle it entails. Think carefully about it, will you?"
"Thank you, I will," Jun replies politely. But he feels more than a bit indignant. Is he being babied? He'd thought he'd be able to escape that type of under-the-counter special treatment, graduating out from the Academy, but apparently not. It's frustrating. How can he know that he's earned his position, if people don't give him a chance to prove it? But at least it serves to highlight what a large step up he's taking in the Enterprise. Enough of a step to warrant asking Jun's own opinion, instead of just assigning him a mission with no questions allowed.
"Now," the examiner redirects his attention back to her questions. "What do you know about the recent murder of Hayashi-san, the pharmaceuticals mogul?"
"The autopsy results haven't been released yet," Jun answers smoothly, "but the police have ruled it as second-degree murder. According to his daughter, they were cooking dinner together and he started attacking her with a kitchen knife. The only way she could protect herself was to turn the knife to the side. Apparently, again, due to the daughter's testimony, during the struggle she overpowered him, he stumbled, and impaled himself."
"Do you see a possible motive for the daughter?"
"No, based on interviews with friends and family, they were quite close..." Jun goes on, the woman nodding her head to his words and scribbling something down every few seconds. Jun doesn't like thinking about family homicides, and he wonders if his aversion to the topic is showing on his face. If it is, the interviewer doesn't mention it.
By the end of his interview, Jun is mentally drained; still, he heads dutifully to his last few examinations before he's ushered into a tiny, soundproof room with an one-way mirror on one wall. It's rather like a police detainment cell, and not for the first time, Jun wonders about the levels of secrecy employed by JE.
One last person, Jun reminds himself, checking his watch. He'd been here for six hours already. One more person, and then you can go home and sleep and tomorrow you'll wake up and you'll be a member of Team Alpha.
An older man walks in, holding a yellow manila folder. There are streaks of white in his greying hair, but his face is round and pleasant. Jun takes an immediate liking to him.
"Hello Jun-kun," the man says casually, taking a seat across from the small table. "My name is Ogura Tomoaki. I'm going to brief you about what it means to be in a Team. I'm sure you realize that your presence here indicates the high esteem we hold for you, and I'm equally sure that this trust will not be misplaced. Do I make myself understood?"
"Perfectly, Ogura-san." Jun answers, catching the unsaid words: if Jun were to let out anything that was to be said within this room, the consequences would not be pretty. Jun sits up a little straighter. Despite the grandpa look, this old man carried himself with an air of someone who was used to respect. He was likely quite high up in the ranks, higher than a Team, even. Just what was his position?
Well, it's not Jun will ever be able to find out anyway.
Ogura-san half-smiles. "Good. Now, I confess myself a bit curious," he says, leafing through his files, "about the kind of person you are, Jun-kun. Rather, the kind of person who rose up in rank so quickly, at such a young age. While I'm familiar with your name, I admit it's mostly due to influence of your father," his eyes flicker to Jun's momentarily, but Jun has long since trained himself not to wince at mention of his dad, "and I was surprised at the decision to promote you so directly. I wondered if it was a joke, you know!"
"So did I," Jun says, straight-faced.
"As you should!" Ogura nods. "Why not? It's curious, isn't it? But I was reassured that this decision was for the best. And orders are orders, after all." For a brief moment, his eyes go distant, and he seems worried about something. But he blinks and smiles directly at Jun again. "Well! Let's get started, shall we?"
Jun takes a deep breath. "Yes. Please."
4.
Jun checks his watch. It's been forty minutes. He'd been given an hour to make a decision. Twenty more left for him to think alone and then he'll be expected to present his answer to Ogura-san. Team Alpha, yay or nay?
"Whatever you decide, Jun-kun," Ogura-san had said, before he left, "do it for the right reasons. There's nothing honourable in being part of a Team if you don't put your whole heart into it. Once you're in, you're in for good."
Jun's eyes dart to the paper Ogura had returned to him at the end of their "talk" -- it's his acceptance letter again. Johnny's signature and everything, just as he remembered. Amazing. When Jun closes his eyes, the paper is imprinted on the back of his eyelids, flashing with a light that matches his heartbeat. Damn. Is he suddenly experiencing some kind of shock? Because in the darkness of his own mind, the whole day seemed incredibly surreal. From the tests to the interview to this briefing, everything has passed too smoothly, as if in a dream. It had been a long assessment process, Jun knows that, but the thought that he's nearing the end of it makes it feel a lot shorter. Tomorrow, he could join a Team? Seriously, just like that? Jun can't believe it. His hand reaches to the table, picking up his letter for the hundredth time that hour. He reads it again.
"There's no mistake," his handler had said that morning. Even Ogura-san, who'd been surprised himself at the summons, had confirmed it. This was really happening.
It's not nervousness Jun feels; he's anxious, more than anything. Maybe apprehensive. He doesn't know what this means, being promoted so quickly and to such a high status. It's definitely good; it's the goal that Jun had been striving for, after all. But the expectations placed on him now are enormous. A rookie, not even three years in the Academy, now entering into the legendary Team Alpha of Enterprise Headquarters. Jun had had enough difficulty trying to show everyone that he belonged in the Academy when he'd been accepted immediately after passing only the most preliminary of screenings. While most candidates were tested vigorously for weeks to months to be acknowledged as good enough for Johnny's, Jun's own testing process had taken less than seven days. Being shuffled in that quickly sent a clear message: Johnny already knew who you were, and wanted you to work for him. So Jun became the infamous "elite" member. In all of the company's history, he's only the third person to have ever gotten this provision.
The second person had been his father, more than twenty years ago.
Jun knows what the other Academy members had thought of him, and he could care less. Well, that isn't entirely true. Jun likes to know that he is in control of the image he's presenting, whether good or bad. Generally he chose to keep a rather aloof aura, enough to keep casual acquaintances, enough to get along with superiors, but not enough to make many close friends. It worked in his favour, giving him the chance to concentrate more on his training and missions, but he was aware that it gave off the impression that he was cold. There was always talk, about how the only reason Jun was allowed to JE was because of he was his father's son, and because of that he felt he was better than the rest of them. It wasn't true, but Jun never put too much effort in dispelling the rumours. He let his skill speak for itself. Because he was skilled, Jun knows that. Evidently, Johnny-san had seen it too.
Jun wonders: if he joins -- when he joins, he wonders what his new group is going to think of him.
Because it's Team Alpha.
5.
What little Jun knows about Team Alpha was this:
There's a reason Team Alpha has its name. It is by no means the oldest team in the Enterprise (SMAP), or the most respected among the Academy (T2), but in terms of talent and ability and the sheer times it has accomplished the impossible: they're the best. In all the Enterprise. Hence, A for Alpha. The top of the alphabet. No one really remembers what name the team had debuted with, but it's irrelevant. They're the best now, and that's all that matters.
But while Jun knows of Alpha's accolades, he knows nothing about the team itself. JE members function under heavy layers of secrecy, simply because of the nature of their work. News of missions might eventually find their way into the younger members' ears, but the exact who and the how of each success or failure was never revealed. Jun knows of the concept of a Team, not how it works.
So that was Ogura-san's job, to fill Jun in about the team he might (would) be joining, about how one is expected to act as part of a Team.
"I'm sure you're quite aware," Ogura-san had explained, before he left the room, "once you're on a Team, you're only known as part of the team. Your identity outside of the Enterprise becomes nearly non-existent, except for what you need for basic upkeep. Your accomplishments, your screw-ups, the intel about you, everything is labeled with the team name; you become only a functioning part of a greater whole. The makeup of a Team is kept strictly confidential. This is done for safety reasons, primarily. Teams take the most dangerous missions JE has, frequently undercover. No one is allowed to know the members of a Team except the team itself."
Jun had nodded, not expecting anything less.
Ogura-san had went on to explain more about Team Alpha. Composed of four members, it was an active team for almost three years. Jun really had only heard about Alpha halfway into his career at the Academy; rumour had it that after a slow start, the team suddenly became unstoppable a year and a half ago, not only succeeding but over-achieving on all their missions since.
"You can see why there is so much hullabaloo about your promotion, Jun-kun," Ogura-san had said, crossing his hands over his large stomach. "Arguably, Alpha is currently the most important team in Johnny's."
"I will not tarnish that reputation, Ogura-san," Jun had promised.
"Well I'm relieved to hear that," Ogura smiled kindly. "But you see, Jun-kun, it's not just 'you' any longer, am I right?" He opens his hand and displays five fingers. "It's 'us', now. This is just my advice, but, the sooner you learn that, the better."
Jun wonders if he was imagining it, but he swears that at that time, he had detected a hint of a challenge in Ogura-san's voice. But Jun is not about to back down. Despite how intimidating his new team seemed, despite how hard he would have to work to prove his place there, Jun was not going to give up until it was his name people thought of first, instead of his father's.
His father had been good friends with Johnny. Though Jun had never met him, his father would sometimes mutter about doing this and that for Johnny, and somehow, every year, an elegantly made birthday card from Johnny would find its way into Jun's hands. They still come annually, even though Jun's father -- Jun's only connection to Johnny -- has been dead for almost five years. They all say the same thing, anyway: pleasant, generic well-wishes to you on this momentous day. Yours, Johnny.
Was it favouritism? Because Jun was the son of Johnny's top agent? Or were they only courtesy cards? "Sorry my mission killed your dad, hope we're still cool, even though we've never seen each other face to face. Stay safe, keep it real." No.
After his father's death, Jun made up his mind not to rely on anybody but himself. He stopped opening the cards, though they arrived on time, in his mailbox year after year. Still, sometimes Jun wonders about Johnny's motivation, about what kind of person he really was. Perhaps this entry into Team Alpha is Johnny's way of giving Jun a chance to show the world that he'd been in no way weakened by his father's death. There's no way of knowing, of course. Jun isn't even sure that the Teams get to meet with their legendary president.
But what was Johnny-san thinking, assigning him to this group? Did he come back from his business trip and just come to a decision that it was Jun's time? Does he have such confidence in Jun? Jun sighs, placing his letter gently on his table once again. He closes his eyes.
Whatever the reason, Jun thinks, Johnny had already made his decision. And with that, so has Jun.
"Don't let him down," Jun murmurs to the air, to the world. "Not them either, and not yourself, most of all. Don't let anyone down."
6.
Ogura-san comes back in. Jun's skin prickles with anticipation.
"Do you accept?" Ogura asks.
"Yes," Jun answers.
7.
FOUR YEARS AGO
Jun came home to an empty house. This was nothing new in and of itself; Jun always came home to an empty house. But before, he came home to an empty house he shared with his father. Now, the house was his, and his alone. Emptiness feels different, when you know there's no one to fill it but you.
The funeral had been exhausting. Jun hadn't known what to say to the body in the casket, how to give thanks (did he really want to thank him?) for his sixteen years of life to the only parent he had. "Thank you for caring for me, even though you clearly weren't the best father, I mean, look at you, you gave everything to your job and now you're dead," had seemed inappropriate. "Thank you for caring for me, I love you," had seemed cheap and half-hearted. He'd wanted to go for honesty: "You bastard, how can you leave your son like this? You never even told me my mother's name and now you're gone and I'm fucking alone, thanks a whole bunch." But he felt, perhaps spitefully, that his father didn't deserve Jun's honesty. Certainly he'd never felt Jun had deserved his.
But the priest had been watching, and Jun felt compelled to say something that reflected well on his late father. There was no one else to do it; Jun was the only person in attendance. Jun had expected this, although some part of him had held the wild hope that the Johnny for whom his father had given his life would show up, in all his exalted glory, and Jun would see the man's real face: just a frail old man who'd lost a close friend. Jun had imagined a tearful, impromptu eulogy given by Johnny, telling Jun about how his father was a wonderful person, not just a wonderful soldier. Jun would learn why his father died, and know it was not for nothing.
No one had come.
"You were a great man," Jun had said eventually, his own voice loud in the church's hollowness. "I hope I will live up to your name, and make you proud."
It wasn't a lie. Jun was proud of his father. Even though Jun was never privy to the details of his father's missions, he knew that these missions were keeping people safe, were giving Jun a future. It was just hard to summarize all his feelings into something coherent: anger, betrayal, sadness, resignation, regret. Regret was the biggest. Jun wasn't the kind of person who hoped for the impossible, "oh, I wish things had turned out different, that we were a normal, happy family." To him, it seemed a waste of time and energy. But he had thought, "I wish you told me more about yourself, so I wouldn't look at you sometimes and feel that you were a stranger."
Jun had watched the cremation with dry eyes.
Now it was over and he was home. And strangely, the person Jun most wanted to talk to right now, if he could, was not his father, was not his mother, was not even Johnny. He wanted to see how he, himself, looked: sixteen years old, sitting alone in a house built on secrets, and the taste of a lost legacy in the back of his throat. He wanted to ask himself, "Now what?"
8.
NOW
Shoes polished, suit pressed, hair styled, face scrubbed, lips moisturized, Jun is fit and presentable for his first meeting with his new team. He'd showed up at headquarters early and checked into reception as he had been instructed yesterday, and at 0600h exactly, had been handed a phone. Ogura-san's voice came through the line, and he'd said, "Your new team is waiting for you. 10th floor, room 21."
So here he is now, on a floor he'd never had authority to access before, in front of a blank-looking door that was all that separated him from Team Alpha.
Except he's not going in.
He's hesitating.
Why is he hesitating? Jun knows the rules of the business, and of the most important ones is: whatever you do, do it confidently, or don't do it at all. In this job, there is no time for shaky fingers and second guesses, because they give the enemy the opening they need to shoot your head off. Is he getting a rare case of cold feet? Because it's Team Alpha?
Dammit, Jun thinks, he thought he'd talked himself out of this sentimental melodrama last night.
He wants to make a good impression, certainly. He's already at a disadvantage, being the newest member, while the others have been together for ages. Jun has to secure his role in the team as soon as possible, because it might make the difference in whether he lives through his next mission.
Jun can't help it: he imagines rigid, broad shouldered, army veterans, with scars across their faces and hands blistered from battle. Okay, so that's a bit far-fetched, but still. This is the top team in Johnny's, after all. Serious faces, no nonsense talk, and a strictly professional atmosphere. Which, Jun tells himself, after two years in the Academy, he will be very, very thankful for. This thought comforts him actually, because it's a reminder that first impressions really aren't that crucial. What's important is to work together well as a team. They're here to get a job done, not make friends.
Right, exactly. This was a job, even if it was more of a lifestyle. As long as they got the missions done, very little else mattered. That was one of the first lessons drilled into them at the Academy, right. So. Jun's good. He'll be fine. It'll be fine. They chose him.
Jun puts his hand on the doorknob.
He's just about to turn it when the door swings open by itself. Not by itself. There's a slim, tall boy on the other side, staring at him with huge, shining eyes. His mouth splits open to a huge smile.
"Are you the new guy?" he practically shouts.
"I --" Jun starts, but the boy has already grabbed his wrist and is yanking him into the room.
"Guys, guys! Look what I found!"
Jun spares a moment to think, what you found? Rude, before he realizes that he's inside. He's inside Alpha's meeting room. And the members are -- where are the members?
There's a short man half asleep on one of the sofas, bent nearly double over a large sketchpad in his lap, and another taller man beside him, who folds up his newspaper and stands when he sees Jun. He offers his hand.
"Hello," he smiles, "You must be Matsumoto. I'm Sakurai Sho. I hope we'll work well together."
Work well together? Jun thinks, barely able to restrain raising his eyebrow. Jun wasn't here to work with him.
"Thank you," Jun says automatically, out of courtesy, and the young (so young!!) man smiles. Jun blanches, an incredible thought suddenly crossing his mind. Wait. Does this mean that this person is part of -- no way. Jun whips back to the boy who'd opened the door. The boy grins and grabs Jun's other hand, shaking it vigorously. "I'm Aiba Masaki! I'm really happy to meet you, you're going to have lots of fun with us!" Jun stares, then looks at the last person, who is standing up too, with the unchanged half-asleep expression on his face.
"I'm the leader," he mumbles. "Ohno. Hi."
What? Jun's mind screams. These guys? They're barely older than he is!! There's no way that these people could be --
"Well well well," a very familiar voice says from behind him. "If it isn't the King."
Jun almost bites his tongue in half. He turns around with a wild hope that he's just hearing things, but he isn't. It's really him, with his glinting eyes and mocking smirk, Nintendo in hand and all.
"Nino?" Jun chokes.
Nino laughs. "The one and only, Jun-kun. Did you miss me?"
HEAD. MEET DESK.
There's a few more parts that I can post, but this is already much longer than I thought it would be, so I'll stop here. If anyone is curious, I'll post some more another day. Actually, it's kind of a nice feeling, putting this up. Weight off my chest, or something like that. Also, I'm thinking of maybe writing out the entire plot outline here, because it was an intense fucker and LMAO I'm kind of proud of it and want to show it off. Maybe I shouldn't though, because I started working on another spy/secretagent!AU and it's got a kind of similar plot. Sort of. Not really. BARELY. I don't know. I think it'd just be me who would see the similarities. But I don't want to risk it! D:
Okay okay need to stop rambling. Stop kicking the dead horse. Right right right.
9.
A LITTLE LESS THAN TWO YEARS AGO
Jun officially met Nino when he was in his second month at the Academy. It was around this time that he'd become accustomed to the going ons of being a member of Johnny's Enterprise - the long hours of training, the information briefing sessions, the simulation runs... It was a lot of hard work, but Jun enjoyed it. He had applied to JE for a reason and now that he was here, he was going to make the most of it. He'd already made a bit of a name for himself, being the third person to be accepted into the Academy with the bare minimum of preliminary processes. It'd made it hard to socialize at first, because of the competitive atmosphere here (everyone was completely focused on being the best of the best of the best) but that suited Jun fine; he wasn't the type to depend too much on others. However, it was necessary to be at least perfunctorily friendly with other Academy members because they often were put in temporary groups to get them used to functioning as a team.
So one day Jun was assigned on a two-person team, the other person one Ninomiya Kazunari. He'd seen the other kid around before, either hanging around other members or alone on a bench trying to level up his video game characters. Nino was the second youngest person in Jun's division (they were both eighteen), and rumour had it that he'd scammed his way into the Academy, because he'd entered at an even younger age than Jun had. This was something that the person himself neither confirmed nor denied -- whenever the topic was brought up, Nino just joked that he'd been around for what felt like an eternity; people laughed and left it at that. He was one of those people who defied all conventional logic: a skinny, smart-mouthed prankster who played on his Nintendo all day long, but was one of the top members in the Academy. He had a near perfect performance record and was talented in all fields, but he preferred to spend his time playing video games or practicing card tricks. Jun had been sort of irritated about that at first; it felt like Nino wasn't taking his training seriously. But then, a lot of things about Nino irritated him.
Jun learned early on that Nino made a good partner, if only because he was so magnanimous (or too lazy to care) about his job that Jun could just pick whatever part he wanted to do and then Nino would to do the other part. They were both extremely competent, so they worked together efficiently and effectively. But Jun also learned early on that as a person, off the field, Nino could be a total brat. He was whiny, a bit hasty, and made jokes all the time, not all of them nice. He hung off Jun's shoulders for attention but then just as easily snubbed him entirely if he was caught up in a new video game. He changed moods at the drop of a pin. He loved to make fun, but for some reason got incredibly defensive when he was the one being made fun of. And he was a picky eater.
"Grow the hell up," Jun had said to him once, during lunch together, "You're eighteen. Eat your damn vegetables."
Nino had glared and the next day Jun found his duffel bag full of packs of melting frozen peas, all of his spare clothes soaked.
Despite their tendency to argue (a lot), Nino seemed to take a liking to Jun, and often would hang out with him voluntarily during breaks, which was more than Jun could say for other people. Nino had never bothered to give him a reason; Jun supposed he liked being near someone who he could snipe at one moment and use as a pillow the next. Jun was always tired after a hard day of training, so he never bothered to dredge up the effort it would take to shove Nino off his shoulder.
Apparently, they gave off the image of being close friends (which frankly blew Jun's mind), and as a result were frequently assigned on missions together. There's a certain rapport you form with a person you trust to watch your back, and although Jun never quite trusted Nino to literally watch his back (that was like asking for an ice cube down your shirt), he did learn to trust Nino to keep him alive and in relatively good condition. So maybe it wasn't that much of a stretch to say that Nino grew on Jun, maybe in the same way that an ugly, sick dog who found its way into your yard might grow on you.
If nothing else, it was nice to have someone to talk about manga with.
But one day, in December, Nino left. Disappeared. Jun had once, just once, tried to subtly ask Nino's handler about it, but he'd only received a grunt in response. Jun had accepted that without surprise or anger. It was just how things worked in this profession. People suddenly appeared out of nowhere one day when they were accepted into JE, and people suddenly disappeared when a decision from the higher-ups was made regarding their future. They may have been sent on a long-term solo mission, they may have been kicked out, they may have been reassigned to a different division. Or, there was the rare chance that they were promoted. Jun had no trouble believing that Nino, with his talent, had done exactly that, but logically it was unlikely considering Nino's young age, so Jun worried. Not worried. Wondered. Jun wondered. It wasn't like it bothered him enough for him to lose sleep over it. And if it did, it had only been a little sleep.
But some time not too long after Nino's departure, Jun had entered the locker rooms to find his bag stuffed to the brim with frozen corn, and Jun had known that wherever Nino was, he was just fine.
So the following days without him were different, but acceptable. Less annoying, for sure. Jun told himself that he didn't miss Nino. He'd made some more friends in the past months, so he didn't lack company, and there were other good partners, as well. In time, Jun just closed Nino's chapter in the book of his life, and moved on.
He never thought he'd see him again.
10.
NOW
"I... didn't expect to see you here," Jun says eventually.
"Aren't you a lucky one, then," Nino chirps, and Jun feels his shoulders relax as a long forgotten feeling washes over him, comfortable and familiar.
"Huh. I was sure you'd walked into traffic or something, playing a video game," Jun says, completely deadpan.
"I was sure you'd be well on your way in the fun-filled career of cover girl modeling." Nino returns, just as seriously.
"You're looking as rail thin as ever."
"Is that pasta sauce on your suit?"
Jun glances down at his chest. "What are you talking ab--" Nino reaches in and flicks Jun's nose with his index finger.
"Gotcha!" he cackles.
"What are you, twelve?" Sakurai Sho says. He slaps Nino on the head, but his lips are twitching. "It's the man's first day here, give him a break."
"Nooo," Nino pleads, "no break for Matsujun. He's The Elite One, you know! We ought to stick him on a mission by himself, see what happens! Test of courage!" He clings to Sho as he says this. Jun supposes old habits die hard.
"Ooh! Ooh!" Aiba Masaki says, waving his hands enthusiastically. "Let's do a test of courage, Sho-chan! Let's totally do it, I know the best place. It's completely haunted, Captain will love it!"
"Absolutely not," Sho says. "You can't go around using your team captain as an Ouija board."
Nino unhooks himself from Sho and grabs Ohno's hand. "Yes we can, he won't mind! Right, Oh-chan?"
Ohno blinks. "What's an Ouija board?"
Aiba gawks. "You don't know what -- GUYS LET'S GO GET ONE, RIGHT NOW, AND WE'LL USE IT, RIGHT NOW."
Jun, standing alone amidst the squabbling, thinks back to the message Ogura-san had given him over the phone. This can't be the right room. He must've gotten mixed up somehow, and went to the wrong place and met the wrong people. Never mind that these guys were obviously expecting him and he is obviously in the correct room, he'd been standing outside the door for ten minutes, after all. But -- it's just -- all those amazing missions, all those stories telling of all their impossible accomplishments, they couldn't possibly have been done by a bunch of kids, not these four. They can't be Tea--
"It can be an initiation!" Aiba demands from an unreceptive Sho. "To become a full-fledged member of Team Alpha!!"
They are.
What in the world has Jun gotten himself into?
11.
The trio calling themselves "The Curiousity Team" (Jun had waited for the "just kidding, what do you think we are? Children?" but it never came) excuse themselves after the usual introductory small talk to get breakfast. Nino waves them goodbye, plops down on a sofa and clicks open his DS console. Jun, having eaten at home, politely declines the offer to "join in the fun" and is left standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. Everything's oddly quiet after the door snicks shut and Jun takes a moment to breathe, and get a hold of himself.
Okay. Okay. So his new teammates are barely older than he is. That's fine. He'd be the pot calling the kettle black if he started judging a person's ability based on age. So they aren't exactly what he was expecting. Maybe that was Jun's own fault for letting his imagination fuel his expectations; no one had ever given him any hint what Team Alpha did or did not look like, after all. Were all the Teams like this? So young? So friendly? It's disconcerting, how happy and carefree they seem to be. It doesn't fit with Jun's conception of a cold-blooded, no-nonsense Team, focused above all on completion of the mission. Jun half expects for the whole room to break apart into set pieces and his handler to step out behind a fake wall, saying, "Okay, that was just a test, of course there's not an actual Team like this, this is Johnny's," and it's only the fact that Nino's here that reminds Jun that this is indeed very, very real. Because even if Jun was hallucinating, he wouldn't hallucinate about Nino.
"Are you just going to stand there? Can you get me some coffee?" Nino's voice breaks through Jun's reverie.
"No," Jun says without thinking. "Get it yourself."
"Nice to see that DoS-bancho hasn't changed a bit."
"Same to you, Otaku."
The corner of Nino's lips lift up, though he doesn't remove his gaze from his DS screen. Jun gingerly takes a seat beside him, careful not to crease his pants. Nino looks at him suspiciously, before refocusing on his game.
"You're not going to like, hug me, or anything are you?" he asks.
"Why in the world would I do that?" Jun asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Good," Nino says. "Because if you wanted to, just don't do it now, I'm fighting the boss."
"I don't want to hug you."
"So that's not your hand reaching for my shoulder?" Nino says. Jun drops his arm.
"There's a loose thread on your sweater!" he protests, flushing. There is. But Jun hadn't even realized he was about to pick it off. He hadn't done an unconscious movement like that since -- since over a year ago, when Nino started showing up to work wearing ratty sweaters -- one of the same ones he's wearing now, in fact. A year and a half ago-- Jun starts, suddenly realizing.
"So you were promoted, after all. I asked your handler what happened to you, but he ignored me."
Nino shrugs. "He was probably happy to see me go."
"Oh, I don't know," Jun says. "For a week afterward he kept reaching into his jacket after his new guy finished an exercise. He was so used to returning your DS after your tasks; he kept looking surprised when there was nothing in the pocket."
"His clothes made my DS smell like moth balls," Nino whines.
This makes Jun stare.
"Wow," he says finally. "It really is you, isn't it? This isn't some trick you're pulling."
Nino pauses his game. "Of course it is," he says huffily. "Why would this be a trick, Jun-chan? You're in the big leagues now." He reaches up to ruffle Jun's hair and Jun slaps his hand away just in time.
"Team Alpha," Jun insists. "You."
"Is that supposed to be an insult?" Nino smirks. "Because guess what, you're here now too."
But that's just it, Jun thinks. "This is really it, isn't it? It's strange. I wasn't expecting --" he flexes his fingers, suddenly at a loss for words.
Nino tilts his head. "Were you expecting four large men in black suits with robotic appendages?"
"What? No."
"But something like that."
Jun glares.
Nino sighs, carefully letting out a small smile. "Are you uncomfortable with us? Don't worry, Jun-kun. We're a good group. I'm sure Johnny-san wouldn't have assigned you to Alpha if he didn't think you'd do well with us."
Jun is about to ask, "How do you know what he thinks?" and to clarify, "uncomfortable is not the correct word; more like that stunned-disbelief-that-this-is-not-a-fake-out feeling," but he hears footsteps in the hallway. More than three pairs of footsteps.
"Oh, looks like Ogura-san's here," Nino says, "fun time's over." He shuts his DS, and stands up, straightening his rumpled clothes. Jun stands too, and takes a deep breath. Ogura-san. Jun was expecting that. During the interview he'd suspected Ogura was Alpha's handler because he seemed to know them so well. His arrival means that they'll be getting down to business. Jun feels his tension rising. Happy appearances aside, Jun wants see this team's abilities with his own eyes -- maybe then he'd get rid of the dissonance he's experiencing. He also wants to show them that he isn't someone to be taken lightly either. Jun tugs on his own clothes gently, and is quickly checking the state of his hair (immaculate, as always) when a pair of arms encircle his waist from behind.
"Just so you don't get all hissy about it later, okay," Nino says to Jun's back. His arms tighten briefly, and more quietly, he says, "I'm glad you're here, Jun." Before Jun can answer, Nino lets go, just as the door opens. In a flash, he's skipped away from Jun and is latched onto Ohno, asking everyone how they enjoyed their meal. Aiba and Sho respond enthusiastically, and Ogura makes his way to Jun.
"You've met everyone?"
"Yes sir," Jun answers.
"Good," Ogura smiles. "Now you'll fight against them."
12.
"Matsujun is too good," Aiba complains, flopping on the ground and grabbing the towel Sho holds out to him.
"You're just too stupid to see through his tactics," Nino quips.
"I didn't see you winning!!"
"I didn't want to hurt Jun-kun's ego on his first day."
"Whatever!" Aiba hits Nino. "You're the scrawniest one here and you know it. Sho-chan, grab him!"
"HEY! No! No fair calling Sho!"
Jun looks on as the two of them wrestle, unimpressed and yet strangely amazed at the same time. They're like a bunch of kids. If Aiba hadn't nearly taken out both of Jun's eyes not five minutes ago, and Nino hadn't performed a double backflip to escape Jun's kicks ten minutes before that, Jun wouldn't believe either of them could physically hurt a fly.
"Okay, Satoshi-kun!" Sho calls. "You and me next! Let's go!" Ohno calmly makes his way to the middle of the room and the two of them bow to each other. "Ready? Start!" And suddenly they're leaping around each other, fists flying, legs darting out, bodies spinning. Nino and Aiba even stop squabbling to watch the fight.
They're practicing hand to hand combat. To get used to each other, Ogura-san had said. Rather obviously, it was to get the group used to Jun's fighting style, and vice versa. By now, Jun's fought Nino and Aiba separately, and he's seen Aiba fight Ohno, and Sho fight Nino. And he hadn't been disappointed with what he saw.
As soon as Aiba and Ohno had stepped onto the mats for the first spar of the day, Jun had sensed something electric rise in the air. The second that Sho had shouted for them to start, Aiba moved, and Jun understood, clear as day, the difference in skill level between these people and the old partners Jun had sparred with in the Academy. All the special combat moves that had previously separated Jun as one of the best fighters among the Academy members were being used quicker and better right in front of his eyes, and used in a such a way that made them look as simple as breathing.
Jun watches their spars carefully and seriously, cataloguing and memorizing each member's skills for future reference: Nino's flexible, Aiba's fast, Sho's strong and Ohno -- frankly, Jun had felt a little breathtaken when Ohno fought, with his movements as fluid as water and reactions faster than Jun blinks. It'd actually taken Jun every trick in his book to beat Aiba, and Aiba had dropped out due to tiredness, not anything specific Jun had done. Their aptitude makes Jun's uneasiness about his new team abate somewhat.
Still, there's a huge gap within these people that Jun has trouble accepting. The distance between their ability and their demeanor. Whatever feeling they give of being extremely deadly fighters disappear the moment Nino opens his mouth and makes a joke, or Aiba's eyes crinkle up with amusement, or Sho clutches his stomach in laughter, or Ohno smiles.
Just what kind of people are these guys?
"Woah!" Sho shouts as Ohno flips him over his shoulder. Sho lands flat on his back. Ohno swoops down and lays two fingers on the pressure point on Sho's neck and Sho's hands immediately go up in surrender. Ohno leans back.
"You win, Satoshi-kun," Sho grins, as Ohno helps him up. "Again. I can't seem to beat you, can I?"
"As if anyone could," Nino blows his bangs out of his face. "Otherwise he'd be completely useless as Leader."
"Good job," Ohno mumbles to Sho placidly, and shuffles over to steal Nino's towel. Jun's eyebrows rise. Ohno doesn't seem to mind Nino's insults at all; in fact he barely reacts to them. What a strange choice for team captain. Jun still can't believe Ohno's the oldest among them. Since Jun's arrival, Ohno has barely said two complete sentences to anyone, much less the new person he ought to be showing around, as a duty of team leader. He looks like he's half drifting away all the time, save for when he's fighting; there he wears an expression of -- not concentration, but competency. Natural. Instinctive. It's like he just clicks on and becomes a totally different person. Jun had been awestruck at the change. But is his skill as a fighter enough to give him the prestigious title of Captain of Alpha? Jun makes up his mind to pay more attention to Ohno from now on, to see what it is that's hidden beneath that blank face that makes Ohno well suited to lead the best team in Johnny's.
"Can we take a break?" Sho asks, breathing hard. "My legs ache."
"I'll help you stretch!" Aiba volunteers right away, and Sho looks pained for a second before accepting. In a minute, Jun can see why. Aiba obviously has no regard whatsoever for proper stretching methods. He pulls Sho's arms this way and that and puts him in odd poses, even though Sho had explicitly said the strain was in his legs. Really, the guy seems to be having too much fun with it. Aiba's strange too, Jun thinks. He doesn't seem to be the smartest, but he doesn't seem to be dumb either. Since the day started, Jun has seen Aiba get excited about a lot of things, especially the addition of a fifth member to his team. He had started calling Jun MatsuJun immediately after Nino had "accidentally" let it slip that Jun had a nickname. Jun can't describe it properly yet, but what comes to mind when he looks at Aiba is bright. Aiba's enthusiasm is so vibrant Jun can see it, and it's a little too much. Although he's obviously talented, is he really someone who belongs in Johnny's? Jun can't imagine Aiba even holding a gun.
"Ow ow ow ow ow that's too far!! Let go let go!!"
"Sho-chan is so stiff! It's okay, it's okay! Just a little more--"
"OW OW OW!!"
Sho is a surprise. He'd looked the most professional member by far, out of the four, and had been the only one who bothered to wear a suit to work like Jun did. It was Sho who acted most like the leader of the group. He'd been the one who gave Jun a tour of their floor on the way to the training room. He had nodded to all the security men standing at doors and he knew the names of the few employees they'd bumped into. Ogura-san had talked mainly just to Sho, discussing the results of Alpha's last mission in serious tones, while on the other side of the room Nino spun Ohno around in circles and then made him walk (stumble) to a giggling Aiba. But as soon as Ogura-san had taken his leave, clapping Jun gently on the shoulder on his way out, Nino had jumped nearly onto Sho's lap ("What a child," Jun had thought, rolling his eyes) and Sho had laughed, scrunching up Nino's face in his hands. When Sho smiled, years slid off his face. He either had a serious weakness for Nino and Aiba's jokes or he had the best fake I'm-a-professional act Jun has ever seen.
"Why so quiet, Juuuun-kuuuun?" Nino sings into Jun's ear, and Jun edges away.
"I was just thinking, which is more than I've ever seen you do," Jun says.
"That's Captain's fault," Nino gushes. "He doesn't think at all, and it rubs off on me. It's horrible. Right, Captain?"
"I've got a lot of bad habits, huh," Ohno agrees, and Nino practically beams.
What the heck is up with this group, Jun thinks again, for the umpteenth time today. Do I really belong here?
Because another crucial thing that Jun has noticed is this: the members of Team Alpha are all ridiculously close to each other. It's blatantly obvious from the way they interact. They act as family, and sometimes their actions almost border on incestuous. It's disgusting, quite frankly. They're a group of weirdos. Maybe Jun should quit now and save himself from any further decline in sanity due to overexposure. Jun's here to be a professional. These guys seem to be here to have fun, and Jun doesn't want to be that kind of slacking, absent-minded, goofball agent.
Exactly.
OKAY STOPPING FOR REAL NOW. I do want to post up the plot though, so maybe I'll intersperse that with some other parts that I finished writing. Thanks so much for reading this, if you are. ;____; I still feel horribly about abandoning this one and every time I think of all the cool bits and cliffhangers I wanted to write, I want to pull out my brain and scream at it for letting such a good story go to waste. Then I remember all the OC development I'd have to do, and I'm just like, eewww no. WHY MUST OCs BE SO UNINTERESTING FOR ME TO WRITE?
I'm sorry, everyone. I am going to go sob in the corner now.
I went through my writing folder about a week ago, and I ended up getting so pissed at myself because there were so many fics I'd started and just gave up on, and so many good plot lines that I never finished developing, or I had finished developing but just never bothered to put into fic.
This following bit, for example, I thought was going to be my next chapter fic, but I stopped writing it because it involved too much OC backstory and I hate writing OCs. But when I was reading through it, I was disappointed that I would never get to share it. So I'll do it now. I won't put up all of it, because a lot of the parts are complete crap, but I really liked the beginning at least. I felt it had a lot of potential, and was a fun start to what hopefully would be a fun fic.
Some of you may recognize this from that "one-sentence WIP" meme I did eons ago.
0.
A LITTLE MORE THAN TWO YEARS AGO
On a perfectly normal day in a perfectly normal city, Matsumoto Jun headed to his new job at World Heritage Bank. It was a real bank, owned by a real person, kept running by real, normal people. Matsumoto Jun was their newest employee, and yet he wasn't. When he went to the front door and held up his ID badge for the security scan, the door that opened for Jun was not the grand, glass-paneled one he was standing in front of, but a tiny side door around the corner of the building, used by the custodial staff. Once inside the hall, Jun slid his ID badge into a crack in the wall beside a tiny, unmarked closet, and the closet door automatically slid open. It was empty. Jun stepped inside, the closet shut behind him, and the room began to rise. It was an elevator.
It was a perfectly normal work day and Matsumoto Jun was headed to his new job as a special agent for a non-existant existing group dealing with security and social matters the government and its police could not handle, would not handle, were not even aware of. The fact that Jun was here, voluntarily, meant that he was willing to do this: to devote the rest of his life to secrecy, to a cause much bigger than himself and yet unknown to him, to a faceless leader who would could decide his death with a simple signature. Jun was looking forward to it. He was here because this was the only future in which he felt he had any worth. As the elevator rose higher, Jun looked at his reflection in the smooth face of his watch. He wondered how many times his father had ridden up and down in this very same elevator. He wondered what his father would say, if he knew that Jun was standing in it now.
The elevator pinged, Jun stepped out into a pristine white hall. He nodded to the receptionist at the single desk in the centre the floor. She stood up as he approached.
"Good morning, Matsumoto-san," she said, bowing. "Welcome to Johnny's Enterprise."
1.
NOW
He gets the news out of the blue one day, after everyone else has been dismissed. His handler calls him to his office, and tells him, point blank, that he's been reassigned.
At first, Jun just stares back at him. He's the top of the class in practically everything, is polite to both colleagues and seniors, respectful of his position - why in the world would he be demoted?
"You misunderstand," his handler says, folding his fingers carefully on his desk. "You're moving up, not down. You've been accepted into Team Alpha."
It's embarrassing, but it takes him a second to process this information. Team Alpha? Alpha?
"There -- there must be some mistake," Jun says hesitantly, head reeling. He knew he was talented and would rise in rank quickly, but he's been here for barely over two years -- and he's suddenly being told he's to be put on Team Alpha? It's got to be some kind of joke.
"There's no mistake," his handler says, sliding over a piece of paper. Jun scans it quickly, as he was trained to do. It's a confirmation letter. From Johnny himself. There's his name on the letterhead. There's today's date. There's his new team's code. There's Johnny's signature and seal, making the whole thing official. It's official.
Matsumoto Jun. The fifth member of Team Alpha. Effective immediately.
2.
"Excuse me," Jun says, "but is this a test?" He's thinking: it's a simulation, he's being marked on how well he can see through deception, or something like that. A ruse, but a tempting one.
"What kind of test could it possibly be?" his handler returns, unsmiling. "It wouldn't be a very funny one, would it? Isn't this what you've been working for?"
"Well, yes," Jun says. "But I didn't expect --"
"We're on a tight schedule, Jun-kun," his handler interrupts. "You can mull over the amazing circumstances later. Johnny-san returned late from his overseas trip, and his schedule has been modified accordingly. He's putting a rush order on everything." He indicates for Jun to return the signed document, and Jun does, albeit regretfully. "What I need to know right now is if you're interested?"
What kind of question was that? Jun has been wanting to join a Team before he even joined the Enterprise. He can't remember a time when he didn't want a chance like this to prove himself, in the eyes of the company, to show them what the only son of the late Matsumoto Tadao could do.
"Yes," Jun answers. "Of course." Yes, his mind is screaming. Yes, yes, yes.
"Fine. Head down to Health Department, we'll start with your physical." Jun is given an ID badge that contains only his picture and a barcode, and is told the name of the doctor who will be assessing him.
"Good luck," his handler says belatedly, as Jun has his hand on the doorknob. "We won't be seeing each other again."
"Thank you," Jun says, bowing. The man had been a decent supervisor, at least. Jun had never felt any particular affection or dissatisfaction with him, but he finds himself incredibly grateful to him right now, for giving Jun this opportunity.
"Just following orders," his handler replies, shrugging.
3.
Jun is subjected to a barrage of physical and mental tests. As a part of Johnny's, he goes through them on a regular basis, but they are incredibly thorough this time. Not only do they do the usual endurance and strength tests, he's also quizzed unrelentingly on all he knows about the company, about his previous missions, previous partners, and current events.
"What do you know about the death of Yugiwara Hajime?" his examiner asks.
"Nothing more than what the public knows. Two months ago, he went on holiday for two weeks, but he never came back to work. When police searched in his house, they found him dead in his kitchen. Official coroner reports said he overdosed on sleeping pills."
"And what do you make of it?"
"Obviously the press are calling it a suicide, but I don't see his motive for doing it," Jun says. "It's well known that he enjoyed his job, and his company was thriving. There is a chance that he was being blackmailed or manipulated and found suicide as the only route out, but in that case we would have seen large scale changes within the infrastructure of the company, or a significant loss in funds, neither of which happened. From a strictly objective perspective, it seems like Yugiwara-san on a whim decided to kill himself one day, and then went and did it. But of course that's impossible. So I would say that there's inconclusive evidence."
"That is a very interesting answer, Matsumoto-san," the examiner says, clearly impressed, but gives no comment about whether or not he was correct with his assumptions. Not that Jun expects her to know. She jots down something on her clipboard, and Jun itches a little, wondering what she's writing. "You've clearly got a cool and logical head on your shoulders. It'll serve you well if you're to be part of a Team."
What? Jun backtracks. "I was under the impression that I was already assigned to one." Team Alpha, his mind supplies, a bit too quickly. You're going to be working with the best of the best.
"Oh, certainly," the woman corrects herself. "But there's still a few more tests to go, and then we'll brief you about what being a Team Member really entails. It's quite different from the job of an Academy member, as I'm sure you know. After everything, you'll have one hour to think about it, after which we will expect your final answer. Is that understood?"
"Yes. If you don't mind me saying - this is rather kind of the company, to give its members time to back out." Truthfully, it's a shock. Johnny's Enterprise functions on getting things done, not mulling things over. Hesitation is a catalyst for unnecessary emotions. Unnecessary emotions do not get the mission done.
"You're right. It's not usually what happens. But you're being treated as a special case, obviously," the examiner smiles at him a bit wistfully. "Johnny-san seems to really want to take care of you, Matsumoto-san. You're an asset to this company, and while we want to make the most of your potential, we don't want to put you in any situation you might not be ready for. It's a big change, joining a Team. Not just because of its dangerous missions, but the lifestyle it entails. Think carefully about it, will you?"
"Thank you, I will," Jun replies politely. But he feels more than a bit indignant. Is he being babied? He'd thought he'd be able to escape that type of under-the-counter special treatment, graduating out from the Academy, but apparently not. It's frustrating. How can he know that he's earned his position, if people don't give him a chance to prove it? But at least it serves to highlight what a large step up he's taking in the Enterprise. Enough of a step to warrant asking Jun's own opinion, instead of just assigning him a mission with no questions allowed.
"Now," the examiner redirects his attention back to her questions. "What do you know about the recent murder of Hayashi-san, the pharmaceuticals mogul?"
"The autopsy results haven't been released yet," Jun answers smoothly, "but the police have ruled it as second-degree murder. According to his daughter, they were cooking dinner together and he started attacking her with a kitchen knife. The only way she could protect herself was to turn the knife to the side. Apparently, again, due to the daughter's testimony, during the struggle she overpowered him, he stumbled, and impaled himself."
"Do you see a possible motive for the daughter?"
"No, based on interviews with friends and family, they were quite close..." Jun goes on, the woman nodding her head to his words and scribbling something down every few seconds. Jun doesn't like thinking about family homicides, and he wonders if his aversion to the topic is showing on his face. If it is, the interviewer doesn't mention it.
By the end of his interview, Jun is mentally drained; still, he heads dutifully to his last few examinations before he's ushered into a tiny, soundproof room with an one-way mirror on one wall. It's rather like a police detainment cell, and not for the first time, Jun wonders about the levels of secrecy employed by JE.
One last person, Jun reminds himself, checking his watch. He'd been here for six hours already. One more person, and then you can go home and sleep and tomorrow you'll wake up and you'll be a member of Team Alpha.
An older man walks in, holding a yellow manila folder. There are streaks of white in his greying hair, but his face is round and pleasant. Jun takes an immediate liking to him.
"Hello Jun-kun," the man says casually, taking a seat across from the small table. "My name is Ogura Tomoaki. I'm going to brief you about what it means to be in a Team. I'm sure you realize that your presence here indicates the high esteem we hold for you, and I'm equally sure that this trust will not be misplaced. Do I make myself understood?"
"Perfectly, Ogura-san." Jun answers, catching the unsaid words: if Jun were to let out anything that was to be said within this room, the consequences would not be pretty. Jun sits up a little straighter. Despite the grandpa look, this old man carried himself with an air of someone who was used to respect. He was likely quite high up in the ranks, higher than a Team, even. Just what was his position?
Well, it's not Jun will ever be able to find out anyway.
Ogura-san half-smiles. "Good. Now, I confess myself a bit curious," he says, leafing through his files, "about the kind of person you are, Jun-kun. Rather, the kind of person who rose up in rank so quickly, at such a young age. While I'm familiar with your name, I admit it's mostly due to influence of your father," his eyes flicker to Jun's momentarily, but Jun has long since trained himself not to wince at mention of his dad, "and I was surprised at the decision to promote you so directly. I wondered if it was a joke, you know!"
"So did I," Jun says, straight-faced.
"As you should!" Ogura nods. "Why not? It's curious, isn't it? But I was reassured that this decision was for the best. And orders are orders, after all." For a brief moment, his eyes go distant, and he seems worried about something. But he blinks and smiles directly at Jun again. "Well! Let's get started, shall we?"
Jun takes a deep breath. "Yes. Please."
4.
Jun checks his watch. It's been forty minutes. He'd been given an hour to make a decision. Twenty more left for him to think alone and then he'll be expected to present his answer to Ogura-san. Team Alpha, yay or nay?
"Whatever you decide, Jun-kun," Ogura-san had said, before he left, "do it for the right reasons. There's nothing honourable in being part of a Team if you don't put your whole heart into it. Once you're in, you're in for good."
Jun's eyes dart to the paper Ogura had returned to him at the end of their "talk" -- it's his acceptance letter again. Johnny's signature and everything, just as he remembered. Amazing. When Jun closes his eyes, the paper is imprinted on the back of his eyelids, flashing with a light that matches his heartbeat. Damn. Is he suddenly experiencing some kind of shock? Because in the darkness of his own mind, the whole day seemed incredibly surreal. From the tests to the interview to this briefing, everything has passed too smoothly, as if in a dream. It had been a long assessment process, Jun knows that, but the thought that he's nearing the end of it makes it feel a lot shorter. Tomorrow, he could join a Team? Seriously, just like that? Jun can't believe it. His hand reaches to the table, picking up his letter for the hundredth time that hour. He reads it again.
"There's no mistake," his handler had said that morning. Even Ogura-san, who'd been surprised himself at the summons, had confirmed it. This was really happening.
It's not nervousness Jun feels; he's anxious, more than anything. Maybe apprehensive. He doesn't know what this means, being promoted so quickly and to such a high status. It's definitely good; it's the goal that Jun had been striving for, after all. But the expectations placed on him now are enormous. A rookie, not even three years in the Academy, now entering into the legendary Team Alpha of Enterprise Headquarters. Jun had had enough difficulty trying to show everyone that he belonged in the Academy when he'd been accepted immediately after passing only the most preliminary of screenings. While most candidates were tested vigorously for weeks to months to be acknowledged as good enough for Johnny's, Jun's own testing process had taken less than seven days. Being shuffled in that quickly sent a clear message: Johnny already knew who you were, and wanted you to work for him. So Jun became the infamous "elite" member. In all of the company's history, he's only the third person to have ever gotten this provision.
The second person had been his father, more than twenty years ago.
Jun knows what the other Academy members had thought of him, and he could care less. Well, that isn't entirely true. Jun likes to know that he is in control of the image he's presenting, whether good or bad. Generally he chose to keep a rather aloof aura, enough to keep casual acquaintances, enough to get along with superiors, but not enough to make many close friends. It worked in his favour, giving him the chance to concentrate more on his training and missions, but he was aware that it gave off the impression that he was cold. There was always talk, about how the only reason Jun was allowed to JE was because of he was his father's son, and because of that he felt he was better than the rest of them. It wasn't true, but Jun never put too much effort in dispelling the rumours. He let his skill speak for itself. Because he was skilled, Jun knows that. Evidently, Johnny-san had seen it too.
Jun wonders: if he joins -- when he joins, he wonders what his new group is going to think of him.
Because it's Team Alpha.
5.
What little Jun knows about Team Alpha was this:
There's a reason Team Alpha has its name. It is by no means the oldest team in the Enterprise (SMAP), or the most respected among the Academy (T2), but in terms of talent and ability and the sheer times it has accomplished the impossible: they're the best. In all the Enterprise. Hence, A for Alpha. The top of the alphabet. No one really remembers what name the team had debuted with, but it's irrelevant. They're the best now, and that's all that matters.
But while Jun knows of Alpha's accolades, he knows nothing about the team itself. JE members function under heavy layers of secrecy, simply because of the nature of their work. News of missions might eventually find their way into the younger members' ears, but the exact who and the how of each success or failure was never revealed. Jun knows of the concept of a Team, not how it works.
So that was Ogura-san's job, to fill Jun in about the team he might (would) be joining, about how one is expected to act as part of a Team.
"I'm sure you're quite aware," Ogura-san had explained, before he left the room, "once you're on a Team, you're only known as part of the team. Your identity outside of the Enterprise becomes nearly non-existent, except for what you need for basic upkeep. Your accomplishments, your screw-ups, the intel about you, everything is labeled with the team name; you become only a functioning part of a greater whole. The makeup of a Team is kept strictly confidential. This is done for safety reasons, primarily. Teams take the most dangerous missions JE has, frequently undercover. No one is allowed to know the members of a Team except the team itself."
Jun had nodded, not expecting anything less.
Ogura-san had went on to explain more about Team Alpha. Composed of four members, it was an active team for almost three years. Jun really had only heard about Alpha halfway into his career at the Academy; rumour had it that after a slow start, the team suddenly became unstoppable a year and a half ago, not only succeeding but over-achieving on all their missions since.
"You can see why there is so much hullabaloo about your promotion, Jun-kun," Ogura-san had said, crossing his hands over his large stomach. "Arguably, Alpha is currently the most important team in Johnny's."
"I will not tarnish that reputation, Ogura-san," Jun had promised.
"Well I'm relieved to hear that," Ogura smiled kindly. "But you see, Jun-kun, it's not just 'you' any longer, am I right?" He opens his hand and displays five fingers. "It's 'us', now. This is just my advice, but, the sooner you learn that, the better."
Jun wonders if he was imagining it, but he swears that at that time, he had detected a hint of a challenge in Ogura-san's voice. But Jun is not about to back down. Despite how intimidating his new team seemed, despite how hard he would have to work to prove his place there, Jun was not going to give up until it was his name people thought of first, instead of his father's.
His father had been good friends with Johnny. Though Jun had never met him, his father would sometimes mutter about doing this and that for Johnny, and somehow, every year, an elegantly made birthday card from Johnny would find its way into Jun's hands. They still come annually, even though Jun's father -- Jun's only connection to Johnny -- has been dead for almost five years. They all say the same thing, anyway: pleasant, generic well-wishes to you on this momentous day. Yours, Johnny.
Was it favouritism? Because Jun was the son of Johnny's top agent? Or were they only courtesy cards? "Sorry my mission killed your dad, hope we're still cool, even though we've never seen each other face to face. Stay safe, keep it real." No.
After his father's death, Jun made up his mind not to rely on anybody but himself. He stopped opening the cards, though they arrived on time, in his mailbox year after year. Still, sometimes Jun wonders about Johnny's motivation, about what kind of person he really was. Perhaps this entry into Team Alpha is Johnny's way of giving Jun a chance to show the world that he'd been in no way weakened by his father's death. There's no way of knowing, of course. Jun isn't even sure that the Teams get to meet with their legendary president.
But what was Johnny-san thinking, assigning him to this group? Did he come back from his business trip and just come to a decision that it was Jun's time? Does he have such confidence in Jun? Jun sighs, placing his letter gently on his table once again. He closes his eyes.
Whatever the reason, Jun thinks, Johnny had already made his decision. And with that, so has Jun.
"Don't let him down," Jun murmurs to the air, to the world. "Not them either, and not yourself, most of all. Don't let anyone down."
6.
Ogura-san comes back in. Jun's skin prickles with anticipation.
"Do you accept?" Ogura asks.
"Yes," Jun answers.
7.
FOUR YEARS AGO
Jun came home to an empty house. This was nothing new in and of itself; Jun always came home to an empty house. But before, he came home to an empty house he shared with his father. Now, the house was his, and his alone. Emptiness feels different, when you know there's no one to fill it but you.
The funeral had been exhausting. Jun hadn't known what to say to the body in the casket, how to give thanks (did he really want to thank him?) for his sixteen years of life to the only parent he had. "Thank you for caring for me, even though you clearly weren't the best father, I mean, look at you, you gave everything to your job and now you're dead," had seemed inappropriate. "Thank you for caring for me, I love you," had seemed cheap and half-hearted. He'd wanted to go for honesty: "You bastard, how can you leave your son like this? You never even told me my mother's name and now you're gone and I'm fucking alone, thanks a whole bunch." But he felt, perhaps spitefully, that his father didn't deserve Jun's honesty. Certainly he'd never felt Jun had deserved his.
But the priest had been watching, and Jun felt compelled to say something that reflected well on his late father. There was no one else to do it; Jun was the only person in attendance. Jun had expected this, although some part of him had held the wild hope that the Johnny for whom his father had given his life would show up, in all his exalted glory, and Jun would see the man's real face: just a frail old man who'd lost a close friend. Jun had imagined a tearful, impromptu eulogy given by Johnny, telling Jun about how his father was a wonderful person, not just a wonderful soldier. Jun would learn why his father died, and know it was not for nothing.
No one had come.
"You were a great man," Jun had said eventually, his own voice loud in the church's hollowness. "I hope I will live up to your name, and make you proud."
It wasn't a lie. Jun was proud of his father. Even though Jun was never privy to the details of his father's missions, he knew that these missions were keeping people safe, were giving Jun a future. It was just hard to summarize all his feelings into something coherent: anger, betrayal, sadness, resignation, regret. Regret was the biggest. Jun wasn't the kind of person who hoped for the impossible, "oh, I wish things had turned out different, that we were a normal, happy family." To him, it seemed a waste of time and energy. But he had thought, "I wish you told me more about yourself, so I wouldn't look at you sometimes and feel that you were a stranger."
Jun had watched the cremation with dry eyes.
Now it was over and he was home. And strangely, the person Jun most wanted to talk to right now, if he could, was not his father, was not his mother, was not even Johnny. He wanted to see how he, himself, looked: sixteen years old, sitting alone in a house built on secrets, and the taste of a lost legacy in the back of his throat. He wanted to ask himself, "Now what?"
8.
NOW
Shoes polished, suit pressed, hair styled, face scrubbed, lips moisturized, Jun is fit and presentable for his first meeting with his new team. He'd showed up at headquarters early and checked into reception as he had been instructed yesterday, and at 0600h exactly, had been handed a phone. Ogura-san's voice came through the line, and he'd said, "Your new team is waiting for you. 10th floor, room 21."
So here he is now, on a floor he'd never had authority to access before, in front of a blank-looking door that was all that separated him from Team Alpha.
Except he's not going in.
He's hesitating.
Why is he hesitating? Jun knows the rules of the business, and of the most important ones is: whatever you do, do it confidently, or don't do it at all. In this job, there is no time for shaky fingers and second guesses, because they give the enemy the opening they need to shoot your head off. Is he getting a rare case of cold feet? Because it's Team Alpha?
Dammit, Jun thinks, he thought he'd talked himself out of this sentimental melodrama last night.
He wants to make a good impression, certainly. He's already at a disadvantage, being the newest member, while the others have been together for ages. Jun has to secure his role in the team as soon as possible, because it might make the difference in whether he lives through his next mission.
Jun can't help it: he imagines rigid, broad shouldered, army veterans, with scars across their faces and hands blistered from battle. Okay, so that's a bit far-fetched, but still. This is the top team in Johnny's, after all. Serious faces, no nonsense talk, and a strictly professional atmosphere. Which, Jun tells himself, after two years in the Academy, he will be very, very thankful for. This thought comforts him actually, because it's a reminder that first impressions really aren't that crucial. What's important is to work together well as a team. They're here to get a job done, not make friends.
Right, exactly. This was a job, even if it was more of a lifestyle. As long as they got the missions done, very little else mattered. That was one of the first lessons drilled into them at the Academy, right. So. Jun's good. He'll be fine. It'll be fine. They chose him.
Jun puts his hand on the doorknob.
He's just about to turn it when the door swings open by itself. Not by itself. There's a slim, tall boy on the other side, staring at him with huge, shining eyes. His mouth splits open to a huge smile.
"Are you the new guy?" he practically shouts.
"I --" Jun starts, but the boy has already grabbed his wrist and is yanking him into the room.
"Guys, guys! Look what I found!"
Jun spares a moment to think, what you found? Rude, before he realizes that he's inside. He's inside Alpha's meeting room. And the members are -- where are the members?
There's a short man half asleep on one of the sofas, bent nearly double over a large sketchpad in his lap, and another taller man beside him, who folds up his newspaper and stands when he sees Jun. He offers his hand.
"Hello," he smiles, "You must be Matsumoto. I'm Sakurai Sho. I hope we'll work well together."
Work well together? Jun thinks, barely able to restrain raising his eyebrow. Jun wasn't here to work with him.
"Thank you," Jun says automatically, out of courtesy, and the young (so young!!) man smiles. Jun blanches, an incredible thought suddenly crossing his mind. Wait. Does this mean that this person is part of -- no way. Jun whips back to the boy who'd opened the door. The boy grins and grabs Jun's other hand, shaking it vigorously. "I'm Aiba Masaki! I'm really happy to meet you, you're going to have lots of fun with us!" Jun stares, then looks at the last person, who is standing up too, with the unchanged half-asleep expression on his face.
"I'm the leader," he mumbles. "Ohno. Hi."
What? Jun's mind screams. These guys? They're barely older than he is!! There's no way that these people could be --
"Well well well," a very familiar voice says from behind him. "If it isn't the King."
Jun almost bites his tongue in half. He turns around with a wild hope that he's just hearing things, but he isn't. It's really him, with his glinting eyes and mocking smirk, Nintendo in hand and all.
"Nino?" Jun chokes.
Nino laughs. "The one and only, Jun-kun. Did you miss me?"
HEAD. MEET DESK.
There's a few more parts that I can post, but this is already much longer than I thought it would be, so I'll stop here. If anyone is curious, I'll post some more another day. Actually, it's kind of a nice feeling, putting this up. Weight off my chest, or something like that. Also, I'm thinking of maybe writing out the entire plot outline here, because it was an intense fucker and LMAO I'm kind of proud of it and want to show it off. Maybe I shouldn't though, because I started working on another spy/secretagent!AU and it's got a kind of similar plot. Sort of. Not really. BARELY. I don't know. I think it'd just be me who would see the similarities. But I don't want to risk it! D:
Okay okay need to stop rambling. Stop kicking the dead horse. Right right right.
9.
A LITTLE LESS THAN TWO YEARS AGO
Jun officially met Nino when he was in his second month at the Academy. It was around this time that he'd become accustomed to the going ons of being a member of Johnny's Enterprise - the long hours of training, the information briefing sessions, the simulation runs... It was a lot of hard work, but Jun enjoyed it. He had applied to JE for a reason and now that he was here, he was going to make the most of it. He'd already made a bit of a name for himself, being the third person to be accepted into the Academy with the bare minimum of preliminary processes. It'd made it hard to socialize at first, because of the competitive atmosphere here (everyone was completely focused on being the best of the best of the best) but that suited Jun fine; he wasn't the type to depend too much on others. However, it was necessary to be at least perfunctorily friendly with other Academy members because they often were put in temporary groups to get them used to functioning as a team.
So one day Jun was assigned on a two-person team, the other person one Ninomiya Kazunari. He'd seen the other kid around before, either hanging around other members or alone on a bench trying to level up his video game characters. Nino was the second youngest person in Jun's division (they were both eighteen), and rumour had it that he'd scammed his way into the Academy, because he'd entered at an even younger age than Jun had. This was something that the person himself neither confirmed nor denied -- whenever the topic was brought up, Nino just joked that he'd been around for what felt like an eternity; people laughed and left it at that. He was one of those people who defied all conventional logic: a skinny, smart-mouthed prankster who played on his Nintendo all day long, but was one of the top members in the Academy. He had a near perfect performance record and was talented in all fields, but he preferred to spend his time playing video games or practicing card tricks. Jun had been sort of irritated about that at first; it felt like Nino wasn't taking his training seriously. But then, a lot of things about Nino irritated him.
Jun learned early on that Nino made a good partner, if only because he was so magnanimous (or too lazy to care) about his job that Jun could just pick whatever part he wanted to do and then Nino would to do the other part. They were both extremely competent, so they worked together efficiently and effectively. But Jun also learned early on that as a person, off the field, Nino could be a total brat. He was whiny, a bit hasty, and made jokes all the time, not all of them nice. He hung off Jun's shoulders for attention but then just as easily snubbed him entirely if he was caught up in a new video game. He changed moods at the drop of a pin. He loved to make fun, but for some reason got incredibly defensive when he was the one being made fun of. And he was a picky eater.
"Grow the hell up," Jun had said to him once, during lunch together, "You're eighteen. Eat your damn vegetables."
Nino had glared and the next day Jun found his duffel bag full of packs of melting frozen peas, all of his spare clothes soaked.
Despite their tendency to argue (a lot), Nino seemed to take a liking to Jun, and often would hang out with him voluntarily during breaks, which was more than Jun could say for other people. Nino had never bothered to give him a reason; Jun supposed he liked being near someone who he could snipe at one moment and use as a pillow the next. Jun was always tired after a hard day of training, so he never bothered to dredge up the effort it would take to shove Nino off his shoulder.
Apparently, they gave off the image of being close friends (which frankly blew Jun's mind), and as a result were frequently assigned on missions together. There's a certain rapport you form with a person you trust to watch your back, and although Jun never quite trusted Nino to literally watch his back (that was like asking for an ice cube down your shirt), he did learn to trust Nino to keep him alive and in relatively good condition. So maybe it wasn't that much of a stretch to say that Nino grew on Jun, maybe in the same way that an ugly, sick dog who found its way into your yard might grow on you.
If nothing else, it was nice to have someone to talk about manga with.
But one day, in December, Nino left. Disappeared. Jun had once, just once, tried to subtly ask Nino's handler about it, but he'd only received a grunt in response. Jun had accepted that without surprise or anger. It was just how things worked in this profession. People suddenly appeared out of nowhere one day when they were accepted into JE, and people suddenly disappeared when a decision from the higher-ups was made regarding their future. They may have been sent on a long-term solo mission, they may have been kicked out, they may have been reassigned to a different division. Or, there was the rare chance that they were promoted. Jun had no trouble believing that Nino, with his talent, had done exactly that, but logically it was unlikely considering Nino's young age, so Jun worried. Not worried. Wondered. Jun wondered. It wasn't like it bothered him enough for him to lose sleep over it. And if it did, it had only been a little sleep.
But some time not too long after Nino's departure, Jun had entered the locker rooms to find his bag stuffed to the brim with frozen corn, and Jun had known that wherever Nino was, he was just fine.
So the following days without him were different, but acceptable. Less annoying, for sure. Jun told himself that he didn't miss Nino. He'd made some more friends in the past months, so he didn't lack company, and there were other good partners, as well. In time, Jun just closed Nino's chapter in the book of his life, and moved on.
He never thought he'd see him again.
10.
NOW
"I... didn't expect to see you here," Jun says eventually.
"Aren't you a lucky one, then," Nino chirps, and Jun feels his shoulders relax as a long forgotten feeling washes over him, comfortable and familiar.
"Huh. I was sure you'd walked into traffic or something, playing a video game," Jun says, completely deadpan.
"I was sure you'd be well on your way in the fun-filled career of cover girl modeling." Nino returns, just as seriously.
"You're looking as rail thin as ever."
"Is that pasta sauce on your suit?"
Jun glances down at his chest. "What are you talking ab--" Nino reaches in and flicks Jun's nose with his index finger.
"Gotcha!" he cackles.
"What are you, twelve?" Sakurai Sho says. He slaps Nino on the head, but his lips are twitching. "It's the man's first day here, give him a break."
"Nooo," Nino pleads, "no break for Matsujun. He's The Elite One, you know! We ought to stick him on a mission by himself, see what happens! Test of courage!" He clings to Sho as he says this. Jun supposes old habits die hard.
"Ooh! Ooh!" Aiba Masaki says, waving his hands enthusiastically. "Let's do a test of courage, Sho-chan! Let's totally do it, I know the best place. It's completely haunted, Captain will love it!"
"Absolutely not," Sho says. "You can't go around using your team captain as an Ouija board."
Nino unhooks himself from Sho and grabs Ohno's hand. "Yes we can, he won't mind! Right, Oh-chan?"
Ohno blinks. "What's an Ouija board?"
Aiba gawks. "You don't know what -- GUYS LET'S GO GET ONE, RIGHT NOW, AND WE'LL USE IT, RIGHT NOW."
Jun, standing alone amidst the squabbling, thinks back to the message Ogura-san had given him over the phone. This can't be the right room. He must've gotten mixed up somehow, and went to the wrong place and met the wrong people. Never mind that these guys were obviously expecting him and he is obviously in the correct room, he'd been standing outside the door for ten minutes, after all. But -- it's just -- all those amazing missions, all those stories telling of all their impossible accomplishments, they couldn't possibly have been done by a bunch of kids, not these four. They can't be Tea--
"It can be an initiation!" Aiba demands from an unreceptive Sho. "To become a full-fledged member of Team Alpha!!"
They are.
What in the world has Jun gotten himself into?
11.
The trio calling themselves "The Curiousity Team" (Jun had waited for the "just kidding, what do you think we are? Children?" but it never came) excuse themselves after the usual introductory small talk to get breakfast. Nino waves them goodbye, plops down on a sofa and clicks open his DS console. Jun, having eaten at home, politely declines the offer to "join in the fun" and is left standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. Everything's oddly quiet after the door snicks shut and Jun takes a moment to breathe, and get a hold of himself.
Okay. Okay. So his new teammates are barely older than he is. That's fine. He'd be the pot calling the kettle black if he started judging a person's ability based on age. So they aren't exactly what he was expecting. Maybe that was Jun's own fault for letting his imagination fuel his expectations; no one had ever given him any hint what Team Alpha did or did not look like, after all. Were all the Teams like this? So young? So friendly? It's disconcerting, how happy and carefree they seem to be. It doesn't fit with Jun's conception of a cold-blooded, no-nonsense Team, focused above all on completion of the mission. Jun half expects for the whole room to break apart into set pieces and his handler to step out behind a fake wall, saying, "Okay, that was just a test, of course there's not an actual Team like this, this is Johnny's," and it's only the fact that Nino's here that reminds Jun that this is indeed very, very real. Because even if Jun was hallucinating, he wouldn't hallucinate about Nino.
"Are you just going to stand there? Can you get me some coffee?" Nino's voice breaks through Jun's reverie.
"No," Jun says without thinking. "Get it yourself."
"Nice to see that DoS-bancho hasn't changed a bit."
"Same to you, Otaku."
The corner of Nino's lips lift up, though he doesn't remove his gaze from his DS screen. Jun gingerly takes a seat beside him, careful not to crease his pants. Nino looks at him suspiciously, before refocusing on his game.
"You're not going to like, hug me, or anything are you?" he asks.
"Why in the world would I do that?" Jun asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Good," Nino says. "Because if you wanted to, just don't do it now, I'm fighting the boss."
"I don't want to hug you."
"So that's not your hand reaching for my shoulder?" Nino says. Jun drops his arm.
"There's a loose thread on your sweater!" he protests, flushing. There is. But Jun hadn't even realized he was about to pick it off. He hadn't done an unconscious movement like that since -- since over a year ago, when Nino started showing up to work wearing ratty sweaters -- one of the same ones he's wearing now, in fact. A year and a half ago-- Jun starts, suddenly realizing.
"So you were promoted, after all. I asked your handler what happened to you, but he ignored me."
Nino shrugs. "He was probably happy to see me go."
"Oh, I don't know," Jun says. "For a week afterward he kept reaching into his jacket after his new guy finished an exercise. He was so used to returning your DS after your tasks; he kept looking surprised when there was nothing in the pocket."
"His clothes made my DS smell like moth balls," Nino whines.
This makes Jun stare.
"Wow," he says finally. "It really is you, isn't it? This isn't some trick you're pulling."
Nino pauses his game. "Of course it is," he says huffily. "Why would this be a trick, Jun-chan? You're in the big leagues now." He reaches up to ruffle Jun's hair and Jun slaps his hand away just in time.
"Team Alpha," Jun insists. "You."
"Is that supposed to be an insult?" Nino smirks. "Because guess what, you're here now too."
But that's just it, Jun thinks. "This is really it, isn't it? It's strange. I wasn't expecting --" he flexes his fingers, suddenly at a loss for words.
Nino tilts his head. "Were you expecting four large men in black suits with robotic appendages?"
"What? No."
"But something like that."
Jun glares.
Nino sighs, carefully letting out a small smile. "Are you uncomfortable with us? Don't worry, Jun-kun. We're a good group. I'm sure Johnny-san wouldn't have assigned you to Alpha if he didn't think you'd do well with us."
Jun is about to ask, "How do you know what he thinks?" and to clarify, "uncomfortable is not the correct word; more like that stunned-disbelief-that-this-is-not-a-fake-out feeling," but he hears footsteps in the hallway. More than three pairs of footsteps.
"Oh, looks like Ogura-san's here," Nino says, "fun time's over." He shuts his DS, and stands up, straightening his rumpled clothes. Jun stands too, and takes a deep breath. Ogura-san. Jun was expecting that. During the interview he'd suspected Ogura was Alpha's handler because he seemed to know them so well. His arrival means that they'll be getting down to business. Jun feels his tension rising. Happy appearances aside, Jun wants see this team's abilities with his own eyes -- maybe then he'd get rid of the dissonance he's experiencing. He also wants to show them that he isn't someone to be taken lightly either. Jun tugs on his own clothes gently, and is quickly checking the state of his hair (immaculate, as always) when a pair of arms encircle his waist from behind.
"Just so you don't get all hissy about it later, okay," Nino says to Jun's back. His arms tighten briefly, and more quietly, he says, "I'm glad you're here, Jun." Before Jun can answer, Nino lets go, just as the door opens. In a flash, he's skipped away from Jun and is latched onto Ohno, asking everyone how they enjoyed their meal. Aiba and Sho respond enthusiastically, and Ogura makes his way to Jun.
"You've met everyone?"
"Yes sir," Jun answers.
"Good," Ogura smiles. "Now you'll fight against them."
12.
"Matsujun is too good," Aiba complains, flopping on the ground and grabbing the towel Sho holds out to him.
"You're just too stupid to see through his tactics," Nino quips.
"I didn't see you winning!!"
"I didn't want to hurt Jun-kun's ego on his first day."
"Whatever!" Aiba hits Nino. "You're the scrawniest one here and you know it. Sho-chan, grab him!"
"HEY! No! No fair calling Sho!"
Jun looks on as the two of them wrestle, unimpressed and yet strangely amazed at the same time. They're like a bunch of kids. If Aiba hadn't nearly taken out both of Jun's eyes not five minutes ago, and Nino hadn't performed a double backflip to escape Jun's kicks ten minutes before that, Jun wouldn't believe either of them could physically hurt a fly.
"Okay, Satoshi-kun!" Sho calls. "You and me next! Let's go!" Ohno calmly makes his way to the middle of the room and the two of them bow to each other. "Ready? Start!" And suddenly they're leaping around each other, fists flying, legs darting out, bodies spinning. Nino and Aiba even stop squabbling to watch the fight.
They're practicing hand to hand combat. To get used to each other, Ogura-san had said. Rather obviously, it was to get the group used to Jun's fighting style, and vice versa. By now, Jun's fought Nino and Aiba separately, and he's seen Aiba fight Ohno, and Sho fight Nino. And he hadn't been disappointed with what he saw.
As soon as Aiba and Ohno had stepped onto the mats for the first spar of the day, Jun had sensed something electric rise in the air. The second that Sho had shouted for them to start, Aiba moved, and Jun understood, clear as day, the difference in skill level between these people and the old partners Jun had sparred with in the Academy. All the special combat moves that had previously separated Jun as one of the best fighters among the Academy members were being used quicker and better right in front of his eyes, and used in a such a way that made them look as simple as breathing.
Jun watches their spars carefully and seriously, cataloguing and memorizing each member's skills for future reference: Nino's flexible, Aiba's fast, Sho's strong and Ohno -- frankly, Jun had felt a little breathtaken when Ohno fought, with his movements as fluid as water and reactions faster than Jun blinks. It'd actually taken Jun every trick in his book to beat Aiba, and Aiba had dropped out due to tiredness, not anything specific Jun had done. Their aptitude makes Jun's uneasiness about his new team abate somewhat.
Still, there's a huge gap within these people that Jun has trouble accepting. The distance between their ability and their demeanor. Whatever feeling they give of being extremely deadly fighters disappear the moment Nino opens his mouth and makes a joke, or Aiba's eyes crinkle up with amusement, or Sho clutches his stomach in laughter, or Ohno smiles.
Just what kind of people are these guys?
"Woah!" Sho shouts as Ohno flips him over his shoulder. Sho lands flat on his back. Ohno swoops down and lays two fingers on the pressure point on Sho's neck and Sho's hands immediately go up in surrender. Ohno leans back.
"You win, Satoshi-kun," Sho grins, as Ohno helps him up. "Again. I can't seem to beat you, can I?"
"As if anyone could," Nino blows his bangs out of his face. "Otherwise he'd be completely useless as Leader."
"Good job," Ohno mumbles to Sho placidly, and shuffles over to steal Nino's towel. Jun's eyebrows rise. Ohno doesn't seem to mind Nino's insults at all; in fact he barely reacts to them. What a strange choice for team captain. Jun still can't believe Ohno's the oldest among them. Since Jun's arrival, Ohno has barely said two complete sentences to anyone, much less the new person he ought to be showing around, as a duty of team leader. He looks like he's half drifting away all the time, save for when he's fighting; there he wears an expression of -- not concentration, but competency. Natural. Instinctive. It's like he just clicks on and becomes a totally different person. Jun had been awestruck at the change. But is his skill as a fighter enough to give him the prestigious title of Captain of Alpha? Jun makes up his mind to pay more attention to Ohno from now on, to see what it is that's hidden beneath that blank face that makes Ohno well suited to lead the best team in Johnny's.
"Can we take a break?" Sho asks, breathing hard. "My legs ache."
"I'll help you stretch!" Aiba volunteers right away, and Sho looks pained for a second before accepting. In a minute, Jun can see why. Aiba obviously has no regard whatsoever for proper stretching methods. He pulls Sho's arms this way and that and puts him in odd poses, even though Sho had explicitly said the strain was in his legs. Really, the guy seems to be having too much fun with it. Aiba's strange too, Jun thinks. He doesn't seem to be the smartest, but he doesn't seem to be dumb either. Since the day started, Jun has seen Aiba get excited about a lot of things, especially the addition of a fifth member to his team. He had started calling Jun MatsuJun immediately after Nino had "accidentally" let it slip that Jun had a nickname. Jun can't describe it properly yet, but what comes to mind when he looks at Aiba is bright. Aiba's enthusiasm is so vibrant Jun can see it, and it's a little too much. Although he's obviously talented, is he really someone who belongs in Johnny's? Jun can't imagine Aiba even holding a gun.
"Ow ow ow ow ow that's too far!! Let go let go!!"
"Sho-chan is so stiff! It's okay, it's okay! Just a little more--"
"OW OW OW!!"
Sho is a surprise. He'd looked the most professional member by far, out of the four, and had been the only one who bothered to wear a suit to work like Jun did. It was Sho who acted most like the leader of the group. He'd been the one who gave Jun a tour of their floor on the way to the training room. He had nodded to all the security men standing at doors and he knew the names of the few employees they'd bumped into. Ogura-san had talked mainly just to Sho, discussing the results of Alpha's last mission in serious tones, while on the other side of the room Nino spun Ohno around in circles and then made him walk (stumble) to a giggling Aiba. But as soon as Ogura-san had taken his leave, clapping Jun gently on the shoulder on his way out, Nino had jumped nearly onto Sho's lap ("What a child," Jun had thought, rolling his eyes) and Sho had laughed, scrunching up Nino's face in his hands. When Sho smiled, years slid off his face. He either had a serious weakness for Nino and Aiba's jokes or he had the best fake I'm-a-professional act Jun has ever seen.
"Why so quiet, Juuuun-kuuuun?" Nino sings into Jun's ear, and Jun edges away.
"I was just thinking, which is more than I've ever seen you do," Jun says.
"That's Captain's fault," Nino gushes. "He doesn't think at all, and it rubs off on me. It's horrible. Right, Captain?"
"I've got a lot of bad habits, huh," Ohno agrees, and Nino practically beams.
What the heck is up with this group, Jun thinks again, for the umpteenth time today. Do I really belong here?
Because another crucial thing that Jun has noticed is this: the members of Team Alpha are all ridiculously close to each other. It's blatantly obvious from the way they interact. They act as family, and sometimes their actions almost border on incestuous. It's disgusting, quite frankly. They're a group of weirdos. Maybe Jun should quit now and save himself from any further decline in sanity due to overexposure. Jun's here to be a professional. These guys seem to be here to have fun, and Jun doesn't want to be that kind of slacking, absent-minded, goofball agent.
Exactly.
OKAY STOPPING FOR REAL NOW. I do want to post up the plot though, so maybe I'll intersperse that with some other parts that I finished writing. Thanks so much for reading this, if you are. ;____; I still feel horribly about abandoning this one and every time I think of all the cool bits and cliffhangers I wanted to write, I want to pull out my brain and scream at it for letting such a good story go to waste. Then I remember all the OC development I'd have to do, and I'm just like, eewww no. WHY MUST OCs BE SO UNINTERESTING FOR ME TO WRITE?
I'm sorry, everyone. I am going to go sob in the corner now.
