At the Ryokan
Summary: A week of holidays arrive as everyone heads back home to relax. A nice gift welcomes Miyuki upon arriving back home, in a not so nice manner; however, unbeknownst to Miyuki, things take a turn. For better? Or for worse? Only reading will tell... :)
[Warning: Miyuki will be paired with someone]
A/N: It is I again! Let's hope this idea hasn't been done already somewhere in the massive archive of fanfiction. Anyways...Enjoy!
I know my past stories have turned angst/tragedy all of a sudden (note: I didn't even know it would...lol) anyways, this one will not :)
I have some Japanese terms in here, not sure if they're used correctly :O (I apologise if they aren't used correctly).
In general, I'm using them as (google for more details/descriptions):
- ryokan = inn
- onsen = hot spring
- yukata = type of traditional Japanese clothing
Chapter 1: Back Home
"That's it for practise today, starting tomorrow, everyone's going to be off for one week on school holidays. You've all practised hard, so go home and get a good rest." Coach Kataoka sternly said in his stoic face shaded by his usual sunglasses.
The baseball club members all stood straight listening to the coach address them. The blazing hot afternoon sun shone upon them intensely, yet their undivided attention was focused solely upon the man in front of them, until a loud shout broke their concentration.
"YES GENERAL!" Sawamura shouted loudly causing Jun, standing next to him, to jump in shock.
The third year turned to look at the enthusiastic pitcher and knocked the pitcher's head with a fist.
"Baka! Don't shout like that." Jun scolded Sawamura, who was crouching on the ground in pain with both arms wrapped around his head.
Everyone else on the field sighed as they watched the daily drama that Sawamura brought with.
"Everyone's dismissed, see you all in a week." The coach said before turning around to walk away.
"Thank you sir!" everyone shouted in unison and dispersed off from there.
The group went back to their dorm rooms to pack up some of their personal belongings for the week away from school and shortly after met back at the front gates to bid their short farewells.
"Everyone's heading back home for the break?" Tetsuya asked in a calm voice.
"Yup." Almost everyone responded.
"I'm going to be sleeping the whole week!" Kuramochi spoke out while echoing his usual laughter.
"We're going to go on a vacation with the family." Ryosuke said while pointing towards a blushing Haruchi.
"WHAT? You lucky..." Jun stopped right before the cuss word could come out after realising he was talking to Ryosuke. "...I'm just going to bum around the house."
"How about you Sawamura?" Miyuki turned to the surprisingly quiet pitcher.
"I'm going to be working...I have to help a relative out." Sawamura said in a semi-depressed tone. "And I was hoping I could practise pitching too..."
"Hahaha, you should give baseball a break sometimes, you might not be sick of it, but it is of you." Miyuki grabbed the pitcher in a head lock and started rubbing the southpaw's hair, causing the whole group to erupt in laughter.
"Hey!" Sawamura shouted while struggling to break free.
"Anyways, have fun everyone. See you all in a week." Tetsuya said. With that, everyone headed off their separate ways.
Miyuki took the subway back home. It was a nice quiet ride, albeit being squeezed by the packed ride with people rushing home from work. After getting off the suffocating ride, he made his way down the streets towards his house. It was a tiring day, and having to go home after practise didn't help at all. It was still bright outside, the red glow of the sun casting slightly above the horizons gave Miyuki the warm feeling that he had felt during his childhood days, running up and down the streets of his neighbourhood. Upon reaching his front door, he sluggishly pulled out his keys from his pocket and slowly fumbled with the lock.
"I'm home~" the catcher called out awaiting for his parents to greet him, but none came.
'I guess everyone's out...' Miyuki pondered as he took off his shoes and walked in to the dimly lit house. Dropping his bag on the hallway and making his way to the kitchen, directly towards the fridge, Miyuki grabbed an apple and started to nibble on it. From across the small kitchen, he saw some papers on the table top.
'Hmmm, they left a note...' Miyuki slowly made his way towards the table, where he then pulled the chair out to take a seat. With his free hand, he brought the paper to eye level.
Miyuki started to read the note silently.
Miyuki dear...the family went on a vacation, sorry we couldn't wait for you, your father's friend suddenly invited us. Anyways, we know you love the onsen, so we booked one week stay at a ryokan for you!
Miyuki stared incredulously at the note, his mouth agape. 'What is this? They ditched me...ugh...at least I have something to do for a week...but alone at a ryokan...'
Miyuki sighed as he continued reading.
You have one room to yourself, but the owners will let you bring a friend, sorry only one though, cause they're fully booked. They have our credit card, so you don't need to worry about paying!
"Oh...that's better, at least I won't need to be alone..." Miyuki mumbled while deciphering the letter his mother left him.
Oh...and don't bring a girl because we don't want you doing anything inappropriate...
"WHAT?! What are you talking about..." Miyuki was shocked at what his mother was writing. His face was completely red, but luckily no one was there to see it.
We're joking! Anyways, enjoy your stay there! - Mom
"Grrrrr..." Miyuki growled at the note as he squeezed it into a ball and threw it off to the corner of the room. 'That's not funny...'
The catcher sat there staring off into nothingness contemplating on what he just read. 'I guess I'll head there tomorrow morning...hmmm I should bring someone along with me.' Miyuki mused. He rummaged through his head to find someone he would want to bring along.
'Kuramochi...nah he's too noisy...how bout Chris-senpai...wait scratch that, too serious...Tetsuya!...wait...he doesn't seem like the type who would enjoy...anything... Arghhhhh...' Miyuki started scratching his head furiously as he thought of someone.
'Sawamura!' Miyuki came to his answer. He had a devilish grin on his face, he was surprised that he didn't think of Sawamura earlier, considering that he'd been eying the pitcher since the first day.
Suddenly an eruption of chuckles came from Miyuki. He was sitting alone in the dimly lit room, chuckling like a maniac. 'Mom said not to do inappropriate things with a girl, but she didn't say anything about a guy.'
Miyuki quickly ran to pick up the phone and dialed Sawamura's house.
"Hello." a lady answered the phone.
"Hi Mrs. Sawamura? May I speak to Sawamura-kun?" Miyuki asked politely, although no one could ever see that happening.
"I'm sorry, he's not home right now, may I ask who's calling?" the lady on the phone responded.
"I'm Miyuki. Would you know when he'll be back?" Miyuki questioned.
"Oh, Miyuki-kun, thank you for looking after Eijun in baseball practise. He's gone away for the week to his uncle and aunt's place, he'll be back when school starts again. Give me a second, let me find the phone number..."
"Oh no, it's ok, don't worry about it. It was nice talking to you! Take care!" Miyuki said cheerfully on the phone, yet his high spirits were knocked down to the ground after hearing that Sawamura was gone.
"Oh ok, well you take care too, bye!"
With that, both sides hung up. Miyuki slouched down on the couch, all dejected from the loss of being able to bring Sawamura with him to the ryokan. He was in no mood to call anyone else either. 'I guess I'll go alone, it can't be that bad...'
The catcher sat on the couch with no mood to do anything. Eventually he passed out into the night.
- The next morning -
Miyuki packed up some clothing early in the morning and headed out to his week of relaxation...alone...
To his dismay, he had to take the bus, which happened to stop at the foot of the mountain. Miyuki looked up towards his destination, gave a sigh and started to trek up the slope, all the while watching people, who were presumably going to the same destination, ride up in cars.
'This better be worth it...' the catcher mumbled under his breath as the sun's strong afternoon rays him at full force. The weather was nice, it was cool, so a dip in the hot soothing hot springs was a welcoming treat to the catcher, which he was very much looking forward to.
Shortly after, but what seemed like eternity to the catcher, Miyuki finally reached the main entrance of the ryokan. The building had an old rustic traditional look, very warm and welcoming. Upon entering, Miyuki was basked in friendly greetings of the various staff members lining up at the front door.
"Welcome!" everyone shouted as they bowed in greetings.
"Please come this way." A middle aged man dress in a suit motioned Miyuki towards the front desk while gently taking the catcher's bag from him.
"Thank you." Miyuki bowed as he walked towards the desk.
"Welcome!" a lady behind the desk greeted with a friendly smile.
"Hi, I have a reservation here for one." Miyuki handed the booking to her.
"Yes yes, will it just be you alone?" the lady asked politely.
"Yes, I'll be staying here alone." Miyuki sighed at the 'alone' word.
"Excellent, your room has been prepared and I've checked you in. Please follow one of the attendants to your room. Do you have any requests?" the lady asked with a smile.
*BANG* a suddenly loud sound echoed through the atrium, catching everyone's attention.
Miyuki looked over and saw a male teen staff member picking up a bucket from the ground. He was clad in a yukata and sandals with a Japanese headband.
"Are you ok?" a worried elderly lady, also a staff of the ryokan, rushed to the boy's side.
"I'm sorry for making a mess, I'll clean it up right away." The teen scurried to pick up the things he dropped.
"Don't work too hard, make sure you don't hurt yourself." the lady gently said while she helped the teen clean up.
"Thanks a lot!" the teen replied with a big smile on his face.
Miyuki watched the whole ordeal unfold and a smirk appeared on his face. He turned back towards the front desk.
"Sorry for all the commotion we're causing!" the lady profusely apologised while bowing her head.
"Oh not at all, it's nice and lively here." Miyuki said with a smirk. "Actually I have one request."
"Of course! Please let me know."
"You know...I'm alone here..." Miyuki started in a saddened voice.
"You don't need to feel alone! Everyone here's like family." the lady interjected.
"Yeah, I can feel it, one big family. But still, is it possible if I can get that guy there..." Miyuki pointed to the teen who was cleaning the floor, "...to serve me during my stay? I know it's not normal, but it would really make me feel like home." Miyuki's hands were clasped on the counter, body leaning in and eyes twinkling with the expectation of receiving a yes for an answer.
"Ummm, he just started here recently, I'm not sure if he'd be able to..." the lady tried to convince Miyuki otherwise.
"It doesn't matter. It would make me feel much more comfortable. I would love it if I can become friends with another person of my age! I'm here for a week too!" Miyuki kept pushing forth with the idea, he had a puppy dog look plastered on his face and it conveyed the message that his heart would be broken if his request was not considered.
The lady looked at him and her heart instantly melted. "Very well, let me ask the manager."
'Yes...please go through, please!' Miyuki pleaded as he watched the lady walk through a set of doors. Not long after, she came back out from the back room.
"The manager said ok. He'll start serving you tomorrow morning though. We do apologise in advance if he does anything wrong. He's in training at the moment." the lady noted.
"Oh no worries, he can make all the mistakes he wants!" Miyuki assured the lady that their decision was the right one. "Thank you!" Miyuki bowed, which was reciprocated by the lady. He continued to watch the teen finish the clean up and scurry off into some part of the ryokan.
A/N: That's it for chapter 1 (sorry if this is too short...seemed like a good spot to end off). Next chapter will be out in 1-2 weeks (or a few days lol).