CRAB CAKES
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A/N: Written by GaiaOnline user IceEnchantress09. All represented series (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4, Tales of Vesperia, Tales of Symphonia, Sypro) are rightfully owned by others. The Bio-Gate Roleplay is a community-based crossover roleplay on . The owners of the roleplay have permitted this account to use their roleplay to produce fanfictions.
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It was just a crab cake. Sure it was delicious and he was very grateful for the meal, but tears flowed lightly down his cheeks like rain. Why could this simple delight hold so much power over a being of chaos and darkness? Memories loomed. Figures of the past haunted him. He felt it had to be the very first time... back when he still trusted mortals...
It was a cool autumn day. Sis, as he called her then, was teaching Angelic to a less then entertained Lloyd Irving, who whined about the food not being ready. The red-coated swordsman often did that, didn't he? Whine, the boy had thought then. They continued their antics as he observed an immortal in disguise then, Kratos Aurion. the rather reclusive man was also being an instructor, yet he did not seem to acknowledge such. The dish Kratos was currently frying was called a crab cake, something he'd asked the silver-haired student to chill a short while earlier. It was foreign to the child-bound immortal, so he watched and soaked in every step, determined to make the dish his. Such a childish person, as he was back then, could never fully appreciate the great aroma, textures, and the glory crab cakes held.
When plates were assigned, the sun had started to set. They set up a Holy Bottle to keep the camp free of weaker pests, but Kratos refused to enjoy the meal with them. It didn't take the mercenary long to make a getaway from the campsite, circling it in a patrol as the silver-haired child and the others ate.
"Genis! Oh man, you haff got ta twy dis!" Lloyd exclaimed with a mouth full of food. "Dess are da beast dingamawazzits-"
"Crab cakes," the silver-haired boy corrected. "Kratos said that like five times during the day. Were you even listening?"
"I'll bet Lloyd was just really paying attention to the Professor!" Colette chirped in his defense.
"Hardly. Lloyd failed two pop quizzes in the middle of my lecture. What were you focused on Lloyd?" Sis asked with an irritated sigh.
"Genish!" he answered, before finishing yet another crab cake. "I've never seen him watch food so intently before!"
He was laughing with his usual tone, as blush emanated on the smaller boy's cheeks.
"I was watching so I could make it myself," the shorter one argued. "Sheesh, was it really that interesting?"
Lloyd's face turned into a cheesy grin.
"Of course it was!" he answered, as the younger-looking of the pair promptly stuffed another crab cake in the elder's mouth. "Sa are ya gonna mak dis naxt time? I can't wait!"
Such a kind person turned his back on the sorcerer the first chance he got. Perhaps he was simply foolish to allow himself to get that close. He wasn't exactly "one of their kind" anyway. Remembering innocent days before Iriphos and the horrid truth, had a sentimental touch he thought he'd lost.
"Are you all right?"
The voice came from the one he'd come to know as his guard and guide, Cynder. She was almost never far. Even if the Chaos Sorceror ran away into the depths of the expanse, she was almost always the first to find him again. Even then, the dark, powerful dragon had a welcoming side, something he felt honored to see. Otherwise, she came off as a rather reclusive individual to even other clan members.
"Yes," he said, quietly. "I was just reliving some rather unpleasant memories from when I believed I was one of those useless mortals."
The dragon shuffled, as if something was bothering her. The black dragon was quiet before sitting down beside him.
"Tell me about it," she urged, using one of her wings to offer him to sit. "About when you were sick."
She seemed genuinely curious. Something the man couldn't refuse. He wiped his tears away and ate the delicacy he'd so carefully fried in one bite. He made a seat beside her, and started with a question.
"Would you like to know about Iriphos or the worlds I was trapped on?" he asked.
"A little of both, I suppose," she responded. He could hear concern. Perhaps his tears made her think he was getting sick again? "It seems strange for such memories to harm you, Chaos Sorceror."
"Don't worry. Wiseman said they might do that for awhile, since so many of them were of how twisted mortals could be. One minute kind and the next stabbing your back," he answered, his tone somewhat distant. "My life trapped in the other worlds would either quiet or exciting. Depending on the day, it would be relatively peaceful, or a lot of things would simply happen all at once. These crab cakes... that's the first time I learned of them. Back before that bastard human, Lloyd Irving, betrayed and abandoned me. I think the only redeemable person I met then was Mithos, but he's an immortal so I guess he doesn't really count, does he...?"
Lloyd was digging in on the crab cakes again. It had taken some time, but the young one had finally made the recipe his own. Back then, he'd felt some level of accomplishment for that. But that all changed when he saw Mithos just staring at the plate.
"What's wrong?" Genis, as he was known then, asked. Mithos looked rather startled, as if he'd not been paid much attention to for some time. How long ago had his sister died? It seemed that she had been more attentive to the other immortal than most. "Do you not like them? I could always make something else if you want!"
"No no! I love crab cakes! I just haven't had them in a long time. A good friend of mine once made them a lot until he left so..."
"Say no more!" the silver-haired boy proclaimed, as he took another handful and put it on Mithos' plate.
"H-Hey!" Mithos squeaked, as Genis adopted Lloyd's grin for a moment. Lloyd behind him whined about the loss, but a single kick to the knee silenced the nuisance.
"Then that's all the more reason you should eat up and get better! I've been working on this recipe for a really long time so consider it a token of my friendship to you to dig right in!" he explained. Even then, he wasn't dense. Mithos had lost all of his friends. Even if he was lying, he sure acted that way. "And I won't take no for an answer!"
The blond was silent for a few moments.
"Thank you, Genis, my friend," he said, finally, quietly. He took his first bite of the dish, and his eyes lit up. "These are really good!"
"And that's why we'll be awesome friends forever!" Genis chirped, proud of the response and the smile. He'd treasure those moments from his friend. Always.
"So the Mithos we are looking for...?" she asked, letting her question trail off. It was a painful question, but one he readily answered.
"It's the same one, but it's like he doesn't even know me. One time, he even hurt me, but I know he only did that because in his eyes, I was a total stranger," came the response. Cynder's wing wrapped lightly around his shoulder.
"You're a good friend to not be mad," she noted.
"he's the only person even on Iriphos who I would like us to spare when that time comes," he answered with a light blush.
"Cherish that feeling, Chaos Sorceror. Sometimes it's all we have in this world," she explained. He got the feeling she wanted to say more, but he made no effort to push her. They were silent before a new voice offered the first word.
"Aw, am I missing out a party, brother of mine?! No one told me you were making crab cakes!" came the ever so cheerful quip from His Majesty, Dark Spectrum. As flamboyant as he could be, the other man only came to tolerate it since he was king.
"I was just hungry," he admitted in a rather flat tone. "We might not need it to survive, but I still get the cravings anyway."
Again, he could detect a small shift from the dragon. He was about to ask if she was okay, before Dark Spectrum took one of his crab cakes and looked it over. He then took a bite. His face flushed as he let out a rather happy moan.
"These are just THE BEST crab cakes, Chaos Sorceror! Where did you learn to add these spices? They're like ecstasy for my mouth!" he said with a grin. The Sorcerer gestured for him to take a seat.
"Dude, for real you can cook?" Yosuke Hanamura asked with a bright smile. "Come on, let's see it!"
"I'd like to see what food you make in your world too, Genis," Yusei reassured. This prompted a whole new expression from the boy with orange hair. He seemed nervous, almost.
"Oh man that's right!" Yosuke said, his tone clearly reinforcing the idea that he was startled. "Uhh, only cook if you really want to, okay? No one here is forcing you or anything!"
He sounded more than a little scared. It was almost as if he'd run into Raine sage's cooking at one point or another.
"Hmph, I don't care who cooks as long as someone does," Jack answered, annoyed with the antics from his spot at the table. He'd grabbed some coffee already from a shop nearby, clearly unamused with them in general. Genis laughed a little before pointing at Yosuke in an accusatory fashion.
"Just because I'm from another world doesn't mean it's going to be weird...sheesh I'm making crab cakes, okay?" he said, his voice flat. Even though the undertone was annoying, he did still intend to cook.
"The kitchen is this way," Yusei gestured. Before long, he was laboring away, preparing the food with little hands. In his mind, this was a comfort food. Something he ate with friends. It always had been a sign that he wasn't alone. Perhaps that was what drove him to make the choice. Well, that and Yusei's hairstyle. Not that he'd ever admit THAT out loud. He just didn't have the heart to. After a few hours, the dish was ready. Jack was the very first to comment on the time frame.
"It's about time," he muttered. Genis stuck his tongue out at the pineapple head when he wasn't looking. He was digging into his food, perhaps happy with how it came out? The silver-haired boy couldn't tell. The others weren't too far behind. Yosuke's eyes got wide before he even took a bite, but it was Yusei who provided the first constructive comment.
"It's good," he said. Genis smiled wide.
"See, I told ya!" he bragged to the glasses-bearing teen.
"It's missing something though," Yosuke corrected, deep in thought before he snapped his fingers. "I got it! Here man, use this in your next batch. It'll be the best you've ever tasted, trust me!"
He took the bottle, inspecting what he'd come to know later as his secret ingredient. He debated whether or not to thank him or hit him. He decided in the end on neither, just looking over the strange bottle with a curious awe.
"So your former friends helped you make these...?" Dark Spectrum asked, a solemn tone permeating his usual cheerful voice. Cynder was giving a rather blank expression.
"Yeah, although the first time I tried adding what Yosuke recommended it turned out horrible. It was Minato and Rita..."
"Oh man, who taught you to make these?!" Rita exclaimed in horror as Genis blushed. Oshawott even refused the dish, pushing it away with its shell. It took him a moment before he finally answered.
"Yosuke gave me an ingredient to add, but I can't figure out how to add it in, Sensei," he admitted softly with defeat.
"Is that all? Here, let me help," Minato offered. As he saw Genis' list of ingredients scattered out, his eyes got wide. "Here. I think I can help you fix it."
"Really?" Genis asked. He watched with awe as Minato started fresh, preparing his version of the crab cake. somewhere in the hours to pass, Rita's voice burst through the awestruck silence.
"Add this too!"she chirped. "It'll add to what Yosuke gave him!"
Even Oshawott offered up a vegetable to add, although in the end he still refused to eat the dish.
"Osha osha wott!" he answered warmly, happy to help out. Genis was still taking notes, whatever Minato added, how much and when. He didn't stop until it was done. Rita, his precious sensei, managed to get the first bite.
"Now THIS is a crab cake!" she sighed with delight. "Here Genis you try!"
The pair were silent, deep in their own thoughts. Chaos Sorceror now stood, walking over to his dish. It took him a few moments before he finally picked up its remains.
"I wanted to make them, but I can't without being bothered by the past."
As pout crossed Dark Spectrum's face.
"But these are THE BEST crab cakes!" he whined. "I would hate for such a dish to just disappear!"
Cynder, who had been suspiciously silent, finally spoke. Her tone was soft and nurturing.
"Keep making them, Chaos Sorceror," she said. "They might remind you of the past, but think of it as reminding you why you treasure your bond to the Black Moon Clan now. Don't let your memories stop you."
He looked from the dish to his family. Sure, she was right...but...
"Let me think about it," he said finally, as he was glomped by Dark Spectrum.
"Tell me ANYTIME you feel up to making them! I'll eat whatever you make," he promised. It brought back tears. However, he hid them beneath his silver locks.
"Okay, I will," he said, before slipping away from the pair, leaving his dish behind.