He was a wanderer. He never wanted to stay in one place and he was always on the move.
There was no reason to stay in one place after all. Things grew quite boring quite fast. There was nothing to do if you stayed in one area. He like to explore, get stuff done. You know, all that jazz.
His father always said he was too much like himself. His father would travel all over the world and even leave himself off the grid for too long of a while. He never really asked how his father always managed to find where he was. No one knew exactly who the boy was and yet, his father always knew where he would go next.
They were in Greece this time. He didn't really understand how he had wandered here are the age of 15 years old. Sure, the foods were delicious, and the people here were guarded yet kind. There was something about this area though that excited him though. It was his first time in Greece and they had a different way of cooking than all other areas that he had been before.
He got up rather groggy. It was a slow start since the dinner he made was late last night. He didn't go to bed until 2 am? That was him getting out of cleaning duties. Though he did make all the food for everyone else, serving eighty people always caused a rough night on him.
"Oi Soma." His father said. Wait his father? His father was in Australia? That was three days ago.
Slowly opening his eyes, he blinked profoundly. Why was his father sitting on his bed? "Dad?"
His father's sharp eyes turned rather lazy and a small smile appeared on his face. "Hey Kiddo, I heard you had a rather busy night last night. Serving eighty people by yourself? Nice job." The smile turned appreciative and a warmth entered Soma's body.
They were a weird family. Neither of them could deny it. Soma had lost his mother at the young age of 6 and his father had been out traveling at the time. It had only taken two days for his father to come get him surprisingly. Normally if his father made plans the situation was set in motion and nothing could get him out of it.
Well the situation had been rather dire…
Originally his father had planned to stay in one space, but Soma's words apparently made him travel more. Soma wanted to travel as well and next thing you know Soma's off on his own at the age of twelve.
Now he was here in Greece. His father sitting at the foot of his bed not three feet from him. "How did you know?"
Joichiro just had the same smirk he always had when Soma asked him that question. "Magic." He slapped his hands together and let out a chuckle which Soma followed soon after. It was the same conversation they had each time.
After they calmed down Soma's father looked at his son, "What are your plans today?"
Soma shrugged and through the covers off and went for his pants that were thrown onto the chair last night. "I have the day off, I have finished all things I must do in Greece. That dinner was the last thing I had here. I kind of want to go to Italy next." Soma mentioned off handily. He hadn't planned what was going to happen next. Normally he would wait a day and he would get a message asking for help by some rich family asking for a chef.
"Oh yes." His father watched his son throw on his pants, though his eyes were unfocused. His mind clearly somewhere else. "I heard you got a nickname earlier this year. They're calling you, The Wanderer." He let out a belly laugh. "You're famous kiddo."
"I'd rather not be." Soma muttered. It was pointless to be famous. It just meant more people that looked up to you and more soon be enemies that were jealous of you. All Soma wanted to do was cook. The smile on peoples faces or the horror when they tried his disgusting food made his day.
"Welcome to my life kiddo." Joichiro got up and walked to the door. "Come let's get some hot chocolate. I want some right now."
"I have some in the fridge, let me-"
Joichiro waved him off, "No, I feel like going out right now." A soft smile was on his fathers face which slightly unnerved him. It wasn't that Soma was off about his father smiling but it was the situation. He could just as easily make coffee so why does he want to go out? "Oh! Make sure you grab your stuff, we're not coming back here. I'll be waiting outside."
Soma knew something was off. His father normally just let him travel. Maybe Joichiro needed help with cooking something? His father didn't normally need his help but there were times in the past where his father had asked for help.
Shrugging it off, Soma began to pack. It didn't take long, Soma had very few items and they were easy to pack. He only carried his backpack around really.
His father was on the balcony right outside his door, looking up to the sky. It was a cloudy day with no blue in sight. The rain had not started just yet, but it was forecasted to rain later.
"Ah Soma, are you ready?" He said in a carefree manor but there was a hint of something else. Was that regret?
"Dad what's the matter. You're not telling me something." Soma wasn't one to beat around the bush. He hated playing the guessing game."
His dad awkwardly rubbed the pack of his head, a sheepish look masked his features. "I can never hide anything from you, can I Soma?"
Soma refused to say anything, his eyes giving a piercing look at his father.
Joichiro let out a breath. His son was too good for his own measure. "Come, let us go get some hot chocolate. I have quite a few things to tell you and there is someone I would like you to meet."
Soma shifted uneasily but regardless listened to his father. His father had always done what was best for him in the end. It was a quiet trip, something neither of them were used to. Soma had an inkling of a feeling that this must have been important.
Upon arrival there were cars. Many black vans with tinted out windows seemed to be all around. It wasn't the first time that Soma had seen something like this. Most of the time famous chefs went around the world they would have to be guarded from others in fear of fans jumping on them.
So while he had seen it before, he had definitely not seen so many in one place before. "Dad?" Soma did nothing to hide the uneasiness in his voice.
Joichiro scratched his chin, "To be honest, I did not expect there to be so much security for this."
Security? Soma echoed in his mind. It was true though. As they grew closer and closer to the only pathway that lead to the seemingly simple coffee shop, he could make the outline of guns within jackets of those with suits and were easily bigger then Joichiro. "Dad!" Soma hissed, not trying to be too loud.
"Soma." Joichiro turned to his son. "This is a big meet up of many chefs. I was originally going to tell you, but this is important, and I knew you would be stressing over it. Just follow my lead and act normally. The people inside are all a little weird in their own right.
That did nothing to appease the stress level of Soma, but regardless he would follow his father. His father had never wronged him before. 'Unless it regarded tricking Soma with the disgusting dishes that caught him off guard.'
"Ah Joichiro!" One of the guards called out as they grew closer and closer. "It is lovely to see you once again. How have you been?"
Joichiro smiled, "Is that you my friend? I didn't know Azami got you to join his little guard group."
The man let out a light laugh though it sounded rather forced. "Ah yes, I lost a shokugeki to him and well here I am. Nothing too bad, I get to retire in just two more years after all. He pays as well."
"Are you sure you didn't lose it on purpose? I know you didn't have an exact career path that you were focusing on." The man shrugged.
"Go on in, they're waiting for you and your son." The man gave a gentle smile to Soma. "Don't worry kiddo. They're all nice, we just have to have security to fan girls. Who would know what would happen if the best chefs were found to be having a meeting?" He gave a laugh at his own joke before gesturing them through.
Soma took note of his father's mood that had immensely improved since seeing the man, a school friend perhaps? He mentioned a term that Soma took note of, a shokugeki.
He had heard the term multiple times before, he had participated in several, with permission from his father of course. Some of the shokugeki's could be deadly and could destroy people in multiple ways. A battle of the dead was perhaps the correct term for it.
While the mood seemed to improve, Soma still couldn't shake the fact that the people right behind him all carried guns, well at least he assumed so. It seemed a little much regarding the situation.
"Dad?"
The looked back but continued to walk, "Yes Soma?"
"Will you tell me why I am here?" Soma's curiosity was peeked. The body guards' eyes all seemed to be on him, there was a reason for this happening and Soma was the center of it all.
Joichiro scratched his chin again. "Unfortunately Soma, your exploits are being heard around the world. You even gained a title at the age of fifteen on your own. Well things happened here and there, specifically regarding your mother-"
"Mom?" It was a taboo in their house to even speak of her name. Not for a bad reason my any means but just for the reason of not wanting to be reminded of what had happened in the pass.
"Ah look. We're here." Joichiro off handily mentioned, pushing open the door. Soma half wanted to yank him back and ask him what about his mother. He couldn't just pull a card like that and then completely ignore the subject!
The inside was quite frankly beautiful. Three other men were already sitting down, and Soma had not recognized who any of them were.
Wait, he recognized one of them, he had won a shokugeki against the man sometime last year. For some reason the man randomly asked him for one. Most men or women that asked him had a reasoning but when asked the response was 'Oh you know, just reasons.'
"Ah Joichiro? Finally coming to the party?" A man with a buzz cut hair and stern eyes asked. He was the most respectable looking of the group by far.
Another man dressed in pure black nodded his head respectfully and looked to Soma, an amused glint in his eye.
Finally, the last man stood up, he was much older then the other two and the one that had challenged him to a shokugeki all those years ago. He had never gotten the mans name other then he was as popular with the bodyguards that had been surrounding him at the time.
Soma took this moment to look around the room they were in. The room was big, there was no denying that. It was a ball room with chairs everywhere, possible around two hundred? Yet they were a small group of very few that were together and sat at a single table. This was a coffee shop?
He rose an eyebrow at his father who paid him no mind, to be fair his back was turned but he wanted to glare at his father. What was going on?
"Bring him over here why don't you Joichiro? Let's take a good look at 'The Wanderer'." The older man mentioned to Joichiro, Soma watched as his father turned back to him and waved him forward.
Soma wasn't one for attention, he never had been, and he never would be. In the end of the day he looked forward to cooking and that was it. So when three eyes were on him and he was the center of attention, it wasn't something he cared for.
"He's perfect." The words rolled out of the sharper looking one mouth which slightly surprised him. Perfect? Perfect for what?
"What?" The words popped out of Soma's mouth. "What are you talking about?"
The same man who just spoke looked at Joichiro. "You haven't told him? Didn't you marry your wife through the same manor?"
"Marriage?" Soma felt cold inside, he was only fifteen, he couldn't get married yet! "Dad? What the fuck?"
"Lanugage Soma," His father chided then looked over to the man. "I haven't bothered to be honest. Oh! Soma by the way this is Gin, Senzaemon and Azami." Joichiro mentioned off handily to Soma before continuing. "So, well how do I explain this. Azami you're better at this stuff."
The man in black had a rather eloquent look to him, "That is true. The truth is Soma someone has heard about your exploits and wants to have a shokugeki with you."
Soma blinked, "That's rather vague."
Azami smiled politely, "Apparently she has met you before. You saved her from herself and lead her to be the best cook at Totsuki academy. A knight for the princess if you would."
The old man, Senzaemon let out a deep belly laugh, "More like the princess and the wanderer."
Azami looked slightly amused at the joke but proceeded to tell Soma the situation. "Soma. In history this has only happened two other times before. None of them occurred from someone as young as this lady. All four of us around you at this moment." Azami gestured to each one of them. "Are considered to be the top ten chefs of the world, though we may not act like it."
"Indeed." Senzaemon rumbled, "Now in a manor of speaking, we are the kings of the chef kingdom. We don't have much of an official reason other then a title but alas, we are still here. However, an interesting shokugeki came up as of late that regards you Soma."
They waited for it to sink in for Soma. "Continue." Soma said.
Senzaemon grumbled in approval, probably glad that Soma was following along. "Now you saved this girl and she heard that you were connected to Joichiro. I don't know how she heard but-"
"You were drunk and mentioned it to her and told her that he was The Wanderer." Gin said rather bluntly to Senzaemon who strangely began to cry in a corner.
"You're not supposed to tell the boy that!"
Soma blinked while Azami and his father looked amused at the older looking man being told off. "I still don't see where this is going."
"Senzaemon made a deal with the girl that if she could beat himself, and two others of the top ten we would make you go to Totsuki and meet this girl."
There was a silence for a moment, and Soma got the distinct feeling that wasn't all, "You're leaving something out. Aren't you?"
"That is all for now, however do know that certain choices will lead to certain ideas. Your father for example was the last example for this. Thought the circumstances were much different."
"Dad?" Soma looked over to his dad. Who began to whistle profoundly.
Azami spoke up when Soma's father refused to look at him. "He beat a girl in a shokugeki seventeen times and finally when Senpai disappeared off the grid, the girl challenged seven of the members and beat every one. Something that hadn't happened before. She then challenged Senpai who lost the shokugeki two to three. Very close match that one."
"She always was one of a kind that one. Your mother. She was the reason I found the secret to cooking after all" Joichiro's eyes were hazy, his thoughts obviously elsewhere.
"H-How is this even accepted? Didn't I beat you in a shokugeki before as well?" Soma pointed to the older man of the group.
Senzaemon stroked his beard, "That is indeed true, but I wasn't going all out by any means. I just wished to know how Joichiro's son had turned out."
"Soma." His father called out to him. "You have had a different childhood then most, not most children wander off on their own at the age of twelve. They also don't become famous cooks by the age of fourteen and then go on to be world renowned. I still wish for you too attend Totsuki. Your mother and I went there when we were younger. I wish for you to do the same."
Soma hesitated, his father was asking for him too, not ordering him. "I have no problems attending the school. 'Lie´ I must ask what is to be done about meeting this lady though. This is really sudden and while I don't have any events within the near future I still have Rochelle's 7 course meal-"
"Already taken care of." His father cut him off.
"But what about Lucy's-"
"Already taken care of as well."
Soma's will began dashing down. The truth was he didn't want to attend school and his father knew so, "Bryan's Dashing-"
"Soma. I took care of your entire schedule. As did every other person in this room. I took the liberty of going through your schedule last night while you were sleeping." His father told him in an amused tone. Soma had an inkling of a feeling his father had been planning this for quite a while.
Gin held up his hand which gave Soma a glimmer of hope. He wouldn't lose his freedom, right? "Regarding the girl." Oh, this is what it was about. Soma felt his hopes dash quite quickly. "You will meet her upon arrival. You will not have to date her or anything like that by any means but because of what has transpired you must have a shokugeki with her. What it will be about will be decided by the two of you. You have six months."
Six months by no means was a lot of time. Soma knew that, it was enough time to settle in for someone who had been traveling his entire time. There was no doubt Soma would feel uncomfortable being in the same place for so long, but he didn't really have a choice in the matter.
"Totsuki right?" Soma asked looking at the older man who nodded.
"Indeed, you will be required to take a transfer exam, but it is more a formal matter."
"Formal matter?"
The old man smiled at him, "You'll see."
I hate reading my own work so this may have not been beta'd ….
