[Ongoing] A Matter of the Heart (JunxOCxSho)

Title: A Matter of the Heart
Rating: PG-13
Member/Pairing: Jun, OC and Sho
Author: nana_chan
Author's Note: This is a request fic for a friend which double's as her birthday gift.

Prologue

Was I crazy for doing this? Would I regret it? Would I be able to survive there on my own? These were questions 22 year old Elizabeth Shim had been asking herself ever since she realized what she really wanted in life, to be a manga artist and live in Japan. She'd been thinking about all this for awhile now and had already made arrangements to move there before July was over. Elizabeth sighed as she stared out the window of her nearly empty room, she liked what she saw. The California sunshine and the farmiliar sound of the streets making their way up her apartment building. Would she miss this when she looked out her own window in Japan?

In her early childhood, Elizabeth and her family had lived in Japan, and there she'd made 5 friends: Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya and Jun Matsumoto. Out of those 5, she had managed to keep in touch with Ohno, who she e-mailed weekly and talked to on the phone monthly. The 2 of them were like brother and sister, and he was excited about her move to Japan. His family even offered to let her stay with them temporarily and this made things a whole lot easier for Elizabeth's family to accept. At least she would be safe with a family friend. Right after her family had made the move to California, she had also kept in contact with Jun almost as constantly as Ohno, but as time passed, he didn't respond as often to her letters or e-mails. This hurt her alot because she had been in love with Jun from the moment she met him, and part of her still was. Now that she thought of it, that was the other reason she wanted to go to Japan. To see Jun once again, live and in person. At least, she really hoped to see him live and in person. In the years she'd been gone, the 5 of them had been formed into the idol group, "Arashi" and were pretty famous in and out of Asia. Maybe, aside from Ohno, none of them would want to be friends again since they were famous.

But in the last few years, Elizabeth spent most of her time drawing instead of furthering her education at University or College the way her friends were, but it was what she wanted to do. She loved manga, she loved drawing, what would be better than moving to Japan and trying to get into the manga business.


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"Are you really sure you want to do this?" Elizabeth nodded in response to the question her best friend, Nancy had asked.
"But Japan...it's a foreign country. And it's so far away!!" Nancy exclaimed and Elizabeth laughed.
"Nana, you're Japanese...how can you call it foreign?"
"Well, I've never been there before." She pouted and slumped onto Elizabeth's now stripped bed.
"I'll be fine, I'm staying with a family friend at least until I get a place. Don't forget I lived there for several years when I was a kid, and besides, I still have friends there."
"I don't like this idea.... I don't like it at all. You in another country, without me!" Nancy wailed and clung to Elizabeth's waist. She sighed and attempted to pry Nancy off of her. This was a rather funny sight. Nancy was a year older than she and acted more mature than this, but when it came to Elizabeth, she was a completly different person.
"It'll be okay, I promise you. I'll e-mail you and call when I arrive there okay?"
Nancy nodded, accepting this as she reluctantly let go of Elizabeth's waist, "Wait!!! How will you get from the airport to the house? Will you take a taxi? Do you know how to tell the driver to take you there in Japanese? Oh no...Liz!!!!!"
"Good grief! My Japanese is perfectly fine, compared to your's, and you're the Japanese one. I'll be fine, and my friend's will pick me up there."
"Friends?" Nancy asked, "You mean you have more than one friend there?"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and walked out of the room to wait for the taxi that would take her to the airport, leaving Nancy and her rambling self in the empty room.


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"Hello?" Elizabeth asked as she answered her cell phone.
"Moshi, Moshi!" Ohno answered on the other line, smiling as he did.
"Eh? Satoshi, why are you calling me now?" Elizabeth asked as she sat in the terminal waiting for her flight to arrive.
"Just wanted to confirm what time you'd be arriving, as in, what time would it be in Japan?"
Elizabeth stared at her watch and said, "I should be there around 19:00 (7PM)"
She heard Ohno mumble something and she heard a farmiliar voice respond, her heart fluttered. When Ohno came back on the line, she asked him, "Satoshi are you with Jun?"
She heard Ohno laugh, "Yeah, I am actually, he's driving us to the airport to get you."
"But, I won't even be there anytime soon!" She exclaimed, worrying that she'd be disrupting their schedule.
"Relax, it's okay. We have nothing else to do anyway."
"No it's not, Satoshi, I think Jun has better things to do than drive you and wait around for hours in the airport."
A deep chuckle on the other line startled her and her cheeks flushed pink when Jun started to speak.
"Don't worry about it, like Riida said, we have nothing else to do. And I don't have better things to do either. We'll be waiting for you at the airport early so that we can relax for awhile. You're the only reason Nino, Aiba, Ohno and I have a few days off. So don't worry about it okay?"

Elizabeth nodded dumbly before she realized Jun was waiting for her to say something, "Okay..." She squeaked and heard Jun give the phone back to Ohno, who was giggled at Elizabeth's silence.
"I take it you're beloved silenced your worries?"
"Hush! He's right beside you!" Elizabeth snapped.
"It's okay, Aiba's harrassing him so he's not listening to me. By the way, he's right you know, you're the only reason the 4 of us were granted some time off."
"What? 4 of you?" Elizabeth asked, "What about Sho? I may not have talked to the other's for awhile, but I know there's 5 of you guys."
"Hmm? Sho-kun? He's in..."
"He's in Beijing for the olympics and hi Elizabeth-chan! I miss you, bring me a present!" Aiba interrupted and there was more rustling on the phone followed by a slapping sound and Aiba yelling, "ITAI!" and the other 3 men saying, "Baka."
Ohno apologized, "Yeah, like Aiba said, he's in Beijing, but the Olympics havn't started yet. He's just going to be there till they actually start, so you won't see him till later."
"Oh," Elizabeth said, "Well, I think my plane has arrived so I'll see you when I get there."
"Uh-huh, okay. Bye."

Chapter 1

Elizabeth walked into the terminal of the Tokyo airport, nervous and excited that she was actually here, and that she would actually be seeing her friends after so many years. Would they recognize me? She wondered to herself. It had been 13 years since they'd last saw her, while she knew pretty much everything about them thanks to the magic of the internet. Elizabeth had no idea how popular "Arashi" really was till she looked them up on google. She was astonished to see all the fan fiction and fan blogs about them, as well as the various sites that had their personal information on them. That was another reason she was nervous, they were famous. She knew for sure that she and Ohno would always be friends, after all, they kept in constant contact over the last 13 years, but it was the other 4 men that had her worried.

With Jun, she had always felt at ease. As kids, Jun, Ohno and herself were inseperable, like the 3 musketeers. They were close, and because of that, she ended up falling for Jun. She had told Ohno about it, but had never told Jun about her feelings, not even on the day she left. There were times she wanted to tell him how she felt, but it never seemed like the right time. At first, she didn't because she had just been informed of her families move to the United States, and the other time was because she had so much fun on her last day in Japan with the guys that it completely slipped her mind. After moving away, whenever she wrote him a letter or e-mail, she'd try to express her feelings for him but in the end, she'd erase it and ask him how he was doing. And 3 years after she left Japan, "Arashi" was formed and she knew she could never be able to confess her feelings for him. She thought it would be best if he never knew about her feelings, but what Elizabeth didn't know was that all 5 of the boys were aware of her feelings, even Jun himself.

Aiba and Nino were the guys she always managed to get into some sort of trouble with it. With Nino's cunning mind and Aiba's sweet demeanor, the 3 of them got into stuff all the time. She remembered that they'd once caused over a thousand dollars of damage when they went on a trip to the zoo one day, though, it was mostly her and Nino's doing. Aiba was just there for the animals. And from the sound of Aiba on the phone earlier, she knew he still remembered her, then again, Aiba was one to tell any person that he missed them and wanted a gift.

Sho was a whole other topic. She didn't remember much about him since he mostly kept to himself whenever she was around. The 6 of them would go to the zoo or the park and run wild and have fun, but even as kids, Sho had the motherly role down and practiced. He was always telling them to be careful and reminding them to do their homework. Elizabeth always found that funny because Ohno was the oldest, but he never acted his age. It was always Sho that took care of them.

Now that she thought of it, Sho didn't completely keep to himself whenever she was around, if anything, he'd pay extra attention when she was. If the other boys were playing rough, he'd remind them to be careful because she was a girl, although that wasn't necessary. At the time, she could take any of them down if they ever wrestled or got into organized play fights. Something else about Sho gnawed on the back of her mind, but she didn't know why exactly.

All thoughts aside, Elizabeth made her way into the crowded airport, passing by the herd of people holding up signs with names of companies or family names. She paused when she saw a man holding up a sign that said, "Elizabeth Shim". This man was wearing sunglasses and a hat pulled down past his forehead. She stared at him curiously, and the man flashed a smile at her which she recognized easily as Ohno's smile. Out of happiness she nearly called out his name, but he shused her.

"We should go get your things now and we'll be able to talk more openly later. This place is too crowded." Ohno explained and she nodded in response and let him lead the way to baggage claim. Ohno walked with his head bent and his had pulled low over his face.
"How do you feel?" Ohno asked quietly as they stood waiting for Elizabeth's bags to make their appearance.
"Excited...nervous... and hungry." She added when her stomach rumbled lightly.
Ohno nodded and smiled slightly, "Excited, nervous and hungry for Jun-kun."
Elizabeth punched him in the arm playfully, "You just had to go there didn't you?" She grabbed a large, blue suitcase she recognized as hers and set it at her feet before returning her attention to Ohno, "Honestly, Satoshi, please don't say things like that when he's around. I don't want him to know I like him."
Ohno nodded and after Elizabeth grabbed the last of her luggage, the two of them set off for the airport exit.


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"Wow, you got really tall Masaki!" Elizabeth exclaimed when Aiba stepped out of the car to meet her and Ohno.
"Yeah, now I'm bigger than you Elizabeth-chan," He beamed down at her and asked, "Did you get me a present? Can I see it now?"
She was about to pull out her present for Aiba when another figure hopped out of the car and smacked his head, "Aiba, why would she get you a gift? If anything, you should've gotten her a gift since we're the one's welcoming her here. Baka."
Aiba's eyes widened and he began to apologize for not getting her a gift. She waved away his apology and turned her attention to the newcomer. She recognized Nino immediately, her old partner in crime. "Kazu! Don't be mean to him." Nino smiled playfully at her.
"You havn't changed a bit. Still defending Aiba as usual. Honestly, didn't living in America change you at all?"
"You'll just have to wait and see Kazu. Plenty about me has changed. I can probably beat you at any video game you play."
"Oh really?" Nino asked amused, "We'll see, tonight, we're gonna brawl and I am the king. You can't beat me."
Elizabeth smiled at him, a feeling of comfort washing over her as she felt the bond between Nino, Aiba and her return.

"Speaking of king, where's Jun-kun?" Ohno asked, catching Elizabeth's eye as he peered into the car.
"His manager called and he decided to take the call privately." Aiba answered.
"Or maybe his darling Mao-chan is the one that called him." Nino muttered bitterly and Ohno slapped him.
"You know better than anyone that Jun doesn't like her that way so stop being bitter that she likes him."
Elizabeth's breath caught. She remembered that when she had asked about Jun a few months ago, Ohno had mentioned that his co-star, Inoue Mao had a crush on him and had sort of sparked some sort of love triangle between her, Jun and Nino. But Jun didn't see her that way. If anything, he treated her like his younger sister and chose to remain oblivious of her feelings for him. Ohno had also mentioned that Nino liked the girl and couldn't stand that she continued to pine after Jun even though she knew how Nino felt.

"It seems that Mao-chan isn't the only one that likes Jun that way," Nino said, making sure that Elizabeth caught his eye. When they made eye contact, Nino gave her a knowing look and that's when Elizabeth figured out that maybe her feelings for Jun weren't as secret as she thought.

Chapter 2
Elizabeth POV

My eyes grew wide with shock when I realized that Nino knew how I felt about Jun. But how? Did Satoshi say something? Was my childhood crush that obvious?

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't hear the echoing footsteps approach from behind. It was his deep, velvety voice that brought me back to the present.

"Long time no see Elizabeth-chan."

I spun around and met the deep, brown eyes of Jun Matsumoto. I felt my cheeks flush with heat and saw the smirk that crossed Nino's face from the corner of my eye. "Jun-kun," I stuttered, "Hasashiburi desu ne."
He smiled, "Yes it has been quite awhile. A little over ten years?"
"Hai," I nodded. It's been 13 years since I last saw you, Jun, I thought to myself.
Jun looked like he was about to say something more when my stomach rumbled and all 4 of them stared at me, an amused expression on his face. "Looks like someone's hungry," he laughed and gestured to the car, "Iku," He said and the 5 of us clamored into the SUV. I sat wedged between Nino and Satoshi while Aiba sat in the front with Jun.

"Where are we going exactly?" I asked once we pulled onto the main road, knowing full well that this wasn't the direction of Satoshi's parents house.
Aiba shifted in his seat so that he was facing the back seat, "We're going to Jun-tan's apartment because he's going to cook in honor of your arrival! And can I have my gift now?"
Eh? I'm going to Jun's apartment? He's going to cook for me? My heart fluttered at the thought of Jun cooking a meal for me. I spaced out.
"Anou, Elizabeth-chan? Can I have my gift now? Puh-reese?"
His soft brown eyes stared at me intently and I smiled at him, Aiba hadn't changed at all. Still the child he was back then. "Ta-da!" I said as I pulled the stuffed animal out of my bag.
"Ahh!!! Kawaii!!!!" He exclaimed as he took the stuffed Penguin into his hands. He put a flipper in each hand and started to make the penguin clap. Satoshi and I laughed and I caught a hint of a smile on Nino's lips as he muttered, "Baka."
Jun glanced into the rearview mirror, "Elizabeth-chan?"
"Nani?"
"Is there anything in particular you want to eat?"
"Um..." I paused, what did I want him to make me? What could he cook? I knew from Satoshi and the fan sites that he liked to cook and that pasta was a specialty of his. I did like pasta...perhaps pasta?
"I like pasta." I said as I glanced up into the rearview mirror. Jun was looking at me through the reflection and he nodded in confirmation.
"So pasta it is." He said and we continued the rest of the drive listening to Aiba come up with names for his new stuffed toy.


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When we arrived at Jun's apartment, all of us were not to set foot in the kitchen while he worked, and so Nino and I began playing video games on his playstation 3.
"We'll brawl some other time. The Wii is at my apartment, so we're stuck playing my PS3." he explained.
My eyes widened, "You leave your video games at other people's apartments?"
He shrugged, his eyes glued to the television screen, "Just Jun and Sho's since we're there alot. Aiba and I rarely stay at home."
I stopped playing for a moment, causing my character to die, "Wait, you live with Masaki-kun?"
Nino grabbed the controller from my still hands and pressed the start button to revive me and resume the game, "Yeah, we do. Why? Do you think he and I are together or something?"
"EH? Iie, that's not it at all. It's just... that means Satoshi is the only one that still lives at home." I glanced over at Satoshi who was staring at the ceiling.
"Yeah, he is. Sho was the latest to move out on his own. The funny thing is, this happened in descending birth order." Nino paused the game, finding it hard to talk to me and play at the same time.
"Jun was the first to move out, then I found an apartment for myself. Aiba-chan had begun sleeping over alot, so we decided he should just move in with me and pay rent and stuff. Then a little while ago, Sho decided that it was his turn since he was the second oldest. Now, we're all waiting for Oh-chan to stop being a mama's boy and move out."
I nodded my head. So, Satoshi was the only one that didn't move out yet. Funny how he never mentioned that the other's had places of their own.

Nino and I continued to play PS3 until Jun announced dinner was ready.
I sat between Nino and Satoshi once again while we waited for Aiba to get settled.
"Aiba not at the dinner table." Jun said when Aiba plopped down on a chair, the penguin still in his hands.
"Eh? Why not? Shiro-chan is hungry too." Aiba explained, gesturing to the toy in his hands.
"Shiro-chan? You named your penguin white?" Nino asked amused. "Why would you name it after a color? That's stupid."
I smacked him, "Oi, he can name it whatever he wants. And white isn't a color, it's a shade."
Nino shook his head, "Honestly, you havn't changed at all."
Aiba smiled at me from across the table, pretending to feed Shiro-chan. I smiled back and observed all of them as we ate. Jun was pretty quiet through most of dinner, only speaking to ask if the food was okay, or to tell Aiba to not drop pasta sauce on the floor. Satoshi ate faster and more than any of us and Nino hardly touched his food. I wondered if this is what is was like with them all the time. Acting this way at least, maybe things were different when Sho was here.

Bravo! Love the story! waiting for the rest! :)

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Bravo! Love the story! waiting for the rest! :)

i will be waiting too :)

nana chan, we'll be waiting how this one turns out. :)

nyaaaaaa~~~~~ sasuga wa nana-chan!!! xD love it!~ xD can' wait for the rest!!!!!!!!

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A Sho fic? I thought you weren't a Sho fan?

i requested this fic cuz I love sho :)
thats why im one of the characters XD