Home by the Ocean
Chapter 12: Stories
Ryo's entire body visibly stilled as he felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Ryo? Are you okay?" asked Megumi who also stopped her movements when she felt her classmate freeze.
Turning to the girl, the raven-haired shook his head before telling her that he's fine. Though not convinced, Megumi nodded anyway and resumed her cooking. As for Ryo, he was all too familiar with that chill down his spine. Somewhere out there is Nakiri Alice conjuring up a plan and he is most definitely on the menu. Shaking his head again to remove those thoughts out of his head, he resumed his share in creating the dish they will be serving the young heir tonight.
Gokuraku no Kaiyō or Heaven of the Sea, was the town's legendary dish. He was told that it was the dish that the people served to Bakunawa after his hundred-year imprisonment in the deepest depths of the ocean. It was the offering that moved the serpent god and made it forgive the people. It was an old myth and honestly it sounded a bit silly for most ignorant people. Ryo would've thought the same but being in the culinary world and having the power to move (albeit forcefully make his customers kneel and beg) people through his cooking, he could vouch that the legend wasn't entirely just a bedtime story.
Unfortunately, the tradition of creating the dish for the festival stopped and hasn't been served for the last eight years since Megumi's father died. Apparently, the seafood cuisine- for some odd reason- can only be created by 'two people in harmony', that it can never be recreated by a lone person. When he heard about it, he thought that it might have been just an exaggeration of a dish just traditionally created by partnering chefs. Bu if the quotation was any true, then how are they exactly going to pull this thing off? He and Megumi certainly aren't very harmonious people. Granted they have come to terms with each other and has grown closer more than ex-rivals, acquaintances perhaps? But still, if they ask any random person if the two of them would ever be in anyway compatible, he knew that they will surely laugh.
For the rest of the day, they did nothing more than practice and brainstorm about the legendary dish. Relating it to their modern knowledge and if possible, find a way to even make the dish better. According to Megumi, they were allowed to make some minor changes in the recipe as long as the key ingredients remained the same. It was surprisingly fun, actually. Brainstorming, that is. Their knowledge in seafood clashed and mixed in some way that they found themselves arguing and then acknowledging in the next turn. They were able to discover and assess each other's knowledge of what they knew and that alone sparked another fire for them to grow closer, however oblivious to both of them.
To be perfectly honest, Ryo agreed on creating the dish for personal gain. When Megumi told him about it and that it was the sort of food made for the gods, it was more than enough for him to agree. However, when he learned about the branching story relating his father, he reeled his selfish mind back in its place. Again, he was no firm believer of the supernatural but he grew up in a place where Norse mythology was still respected and recognized up to this day. He has heard a lot of tales, some too silly to even bother and some very disturbing. However, those were myths and monsters of no solid evidence but now there is an actual ghost roaming in the walls of this very inn, who- he would add- he had conversed with like any living being for the past few days. Out of respect and with no intention of offending the spirit, it'd be best to treat this tradition with respect.
Who would have thought that he would be reduced to this?
"We're done"
~0~
Beside him, Megumi gulped a lump in her throat while he remained silent with narrowed and calculated eyes towards the woman before them. With his bandana tied around his head, he crossed his arms in impatience as Mizuki judged the dish first by its appearance.
The older woman drew her brows close at the… appearance of the dish. Not knowing exactly what to say. It just looks like a big ball of rice slightly burned into a golden crisp sparkling in all angles like diamonds. It's actually very pretty but it can't be denied that it really looks like a plain ball of rice. Mizuki shook her head at that. No, this is her daughter she's talking about. She must have something up her sleeve and she knew that the both of them wouldn't still be in Tootsuki if they were taken for granted.
Then her dark eyes travelled up at the small toothpick-like stick lodged on top of the ball. She looked at the two teens questioningly and when she plucked it out, the ball revealed its true nature. It felt like light spewed itself free from its confines. Its beauty on par with the best dish their inn had to offer. And when she finally took a bite and felt that mellow flavor slowly escalating into the richest flavor she ever tasted-
"M-Mama! W-why are you crying?!" her daughter's alarmed voice did not reach her ears as her eyes continued to stare blankly at nothing. She did not even feel nor hear the scuffle of feet until she felt her daughter's hand wiping her tears with a tissue.
She blinked a couple of times to come down from her trance before she smiled reassuringly to the two. Even Ryo was standing by her other side.
"How was it?" Ryo asked when Megumi was convinced that her mother was alright.
The inn heiress looked at her mother anxiously and they were replied by a soft giggle.
"It's just like how I remembered it, but… better"
Megumi sighed in relief while Ryo only smirked. Mrs. Tadokoro has already noted and understood Ryo's situation of changing personalities once he had something wrapped around his head. It was not that hard for her to comprehend that. After all, her own daughter becomes just like her once she gets a hold of any table tennis racket.
"My plan worked" Ryo proclaimed haughtily, his smirk widening at his accomplishment.
"But… I was the one who suggested the idea" Megumi interjected.
"Huuhh?" he glared at the girl, swelling a bit in pride when she didn't so much as flinch under his stare (though of course, he didn't show it) "Who told you to talk? I was the one mentioned that sprite and jasmine rice"
"Yes but I was the one who thought of how to do it"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, I was the one who did most of the hard work"
"And I was the one who had to make all the garnish and overall presentation!"
"Don't raise your voice with me, you little bumpkin! I did as much of the work as you did!"
"Then you didn't have to hog it all to yourself!" Megumi was practically fuming red by this.
"Oh come off it!"
Mizuki Tadokoro watched the two with an amused smile as she was completely ignored. They look adorable bickering at each other like that. And if she knew any better, she might even confess that she'd love to see those two together. Two polar opposites yet so alike… just like her and Shinichi…
The older woman shook her head, smiling fondly at the memories before they got married and had Megumi in their lives. She's sure that her husband would have liked to meet Ryo.
"Hello there Ryo. Would it be alright if I ask you to join me? I promise it won't take much of your time" Shinichi smiled at him warmly, patting the soft grass he's sitting on.
Kurokiba Ryo had absolutely no idea what compelled him to travel such lengths here. After he and Megumi practiced and let Mizuki be the judge of their teamwork, he felt the leisure way of walking to relax his mind a bit before tonight. Along the way, he also reflected on the relationship he had with the country girl- Megumi. It seemed only yesterday that she would shake like a leaf just the mere sight of him and now they were arguing like the closest of people. What has the world gotten into?
Unconsciously, as his mind drifted, his feet seemed to have their own planned destination and before he knew it, he was back on the cliff a few ways below the shrine that overlooked the ocean. The same place the two of them swore to change.
Calming his nerves, Ryo obeyed and walked cautiously near the ghost. He watched the happy-go-lucky man all the while before sitting himself across him. Between them were a pile of freshly picked flowers and some loops of floral wire. Just where on earth did he get these?
"Do you know how to make a flower crown, Ryo?" the man's eyes looked at him enthusiastically and Ryo had to remind himself that the person he's talking to is the spirit of a dead person because of the realness of his visage.
"No" he shook his head. Alice wasn't really frequent in playing in her mother's garden.
"Would you mind if I teach you?"
Deciding to humor him, he nodded and the older man directed him the instructions. Correcting and demonstrating it with his own work along the way. And overtime, the younger lad felt relaxed as if they were talking the same as before he found out about the truth.
Then he started to tell a story.
"You know the story about Lord Bakunawa, right?"
"Yes" Ryo said, tying another flower around the wire. "Megumi and the townsfolk told me about it a lot of times now"
"I'm sure they have. But there is one detail that they haven't told you-" Shin stopped to momentarily look at the boy "You two are going to make Gokuraku no Kaiyō, aren't you?"
"Yes" Ryo glanced back, making the golden-eyed snort.
"Gokuraku no Kaiyō is a dish that can only be created by two people. Do it alone and you will only waste ingredients and time. The two people who are qualified to create it must be a man and woman. Whether they be a couple, siblings, friends, or cousins; it doesn't matter. The point is that the female represented Bakunawa's killed sibling, and the male represented the great serpent. It's a sacred tradition passed down as old as the legend was born. The recipe is cursed… or blessed that way so any motives of using it for personal gain will surely be futile in the end" the man's stare was penetrating, almost like suffocating. Its as if he also has an alter ego hidden under that façade of sunshine. Then again, Ryo once heard that it was the nicest people who were the scariest when angered.
"I apologize" he bowed his head and the man just waved it off with a small chuckle. He knew the boy meant it.
"Anyway, the real detail that I wanted to tell you was this," he paused a bit to finish the last flower around his crown for the foundation before adding the next set. "When Bakunawa ate the first Gokuraku no Kaiyō, do you know what happened next?"
"No"
"It made him remember his sister. Lord Bakunawa was so moved that tears appeared from his eyes. You see, the world originally had seven moons because back then, there were no stars. And since he can no longer return the six moons that he ate, he used his tears to form the endless stars in the night sky instead." He finished.
"I have never head of this part"
"Of course you haven't" the man's voice said amusedly before adorning his face into an ear splitting grin "I made it up!"
Ryo's blank stare only made Shin laugh to his own amusement. If the boy was wearing his bandana, he would've smacked the older man behind the head. Ghost be damned, he didn't find anything amusing about it. Especially not when he said it with so much sincerity and he believed it.
When the Shin's laughter died out and there were resuming their activity, Megumi's father started another story.
"I first came here around your age" that piqued the boy's attention. "My school was out on a field trip in the provinces. This village was our last stop. I was part of the school paper and I was the head photographer so I had to take a lot of pictures for our trip. Then… while we were being toured in the shrine, my camera caught a picture of the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my entire life"
His smile was all the evidence one needed to know about the man's affections. He truly loves his wife.
"Was that how you met?" Ryo inquired and he was responded with a sheepish grin.
"Pretty much, but it wasn't really mutual at first" he tilted his head in question "She actually beat me up. How would I know she's a master in kendo?"
"I saw a picture… she didn't look really happy of you taking a stolen picture of her"
"Well it wasn't exactly the reason she kicked my ass"
"What did you do?"
"I groped her" he said it so bluntly that he felt as if his tongue was tied in knots, not knowing what to say. Ryo wasn't very indulgent in the opposite sex unlike most hormonal teenagers in his age. "What? I had to find out whether she's real or not. We used to believe that provinces were filled with youkai, I wouldn't want to fall for a ghost, you know? What if they'll eat me?"
How childish was this man's mentality?
'So people like him do exist', Ryo thought. Alice's TV dramas weren't so far-fetched after all.
"I pretty much lived alone so I was free to do whatever I want. From then on I went to this place every summer. Mizuki was a real rebel back then, gave her parents constant headaches. She was even used to be called the town's black sheep. Her parents were really nice though, they gave me a room and in exchange, I volunteered to work for them for free during my stay. It took a few years but in the end, all the beatings and insults…" from this point, he kept his eyes fixed downwards with a nostalgic smile on his face "it was all worth it in the end. Turns out she really didn't want to leave for the city, that she loved this village just as much. She just needed someone who could understand her; and I was very happy that I turned out to be that person. You may not appreciate it now, but in time, even if you already had everything you could ever want; in the end all you needed was someone who could be by your side"
Shinichi Tadokoro (One True Farmland) let his words hung in the air, letting the quiet lad who long ceased his creation to pay close attention towards the man's story. Contrary to what people think, he's always been a good listener. He just chooses to be lazy and melancholy on some situations- it was the perfect excuse when he didn't like or didn't really care about the orders given to him. He detested sad and dramatic stories but at that moment, it was not because of the lingering threat of what this ghost could do to him- making him digest and listen carefully with his every word, it's the feeling that if he misses this opportunity, he would miss something great and will definitely regret in the future.
"Eventually, Mizuki Nagazumi (Water Spring Dragon) became Mizuki Tadokoro. A year after that, our love became Megumi Tadokoro (Kind/Graceful Farmland). My precious baby girl…" with each name his smiles fell sadder and up above, clouds started to form with a low rumble, though neither male seemed to care. "Those years were the happiest I've ever had. Mizuki finally warmed up to me and Megumi's such an adorable angel. I never wanted anything more than my family… and this inn… but heaven didn't last. I know you know this already but… eight years ago on this same day, my boss called for an emergency and I had to make a quick trip. I promised my wife that when I return, I will give her a surprise- the deed of inn's property… but I never got the chance to do that"
By then the clouds overhead were turning the sky dark and gray.
"I died" he said, followed by a loud clap of thunder. "I didn't mean to go so suddenly… my daughter begged me not to go… she begged me to stay and play with her…"
"Why are you telling me all this?" Ryo found his voice "If you have always been here for that long, then why haven't you said anything to them? Why come to me when you could've saved them all this trouble in the first place?"
"Because I can't" Shinichi snapped "You'd think I'd actually wait for a kid like you who only made my daughter cry during his first week in my inn?" realizing that he let his emotions slip from his control, he turned his head to calm himself. No, he shouldn't take his frustrations out on the boy. That wasn't what he intended for him to do "I can't… those two… are still grieving for my death, even until now. The reason why I'm not in any heaven right now is because I still have a promise to keep, but what's really keeping me chained here were those two. They can't let me go. I tried to approach others, but either they're too ignorant or too scared of me. Then you came along" Shinichi's voice returned to being mellow and sincere, "you wanted to relax when you came here, right? The moment you did, it opened a door for me. I took the chance with you and that was the first time we talked on that bench. Just so you know, that was favorite bench. I had to wait though. I had to observe you, see what your intentions really were and your intentions with my daughter. Then again, you didn't know I was a ghost. But you momentarily shut the door when you found out. Did you know that?"
"Was that why I couldn't see you since then?"
"Yes. But in the end you opened that door again and this time, I'm betting all that I have with you"
A sudden gust of wind knocked Ryo back to reality, the storm clouds started to whirl up above. Flashes of lightning tore through the dark sky followed by the angry rumble of thunder. When the raven-haired turned back to the man, he told him his intentions with tears falling from his eyes.
Despite his lazy demeanor, Ryo's eyes widened partially at the revelation. All the while staring back at his slowly fading form.
Splish, splash, splish, splash,
Megumi's boots disturbed the puddles of water and the softening earth as she carefully sped her steps. It was almost time and Ryo still hasn't returned from his walk. Knowing Ryo better and where he could have gone to, Megumi volunteered to look for her missing partner.
She sighed in disappointment after rounding Lord Bakunawa's shrine. He wasn't at the port, the market, the town, the school, the festival grounds, and he's not even at the shrine. Oh where could he be? Megumi wondered, did he get himself lost? Oh please don't let him be in the forest. The midnight-haired prayed to the deity in hope. The shrine was the last place she thought of where Ryo could be and seeing him not here made her panic for the presentation they were about to do and also for his own safety. They might not be the closest of friends but she wouldn't leave anyone she knew in harm, especially not in her own hometown.
Then it occurred to her, there's one more place he just might be in. Taking the chances, Tohoku's Hopping Hare carefully treaded through the makeshift path down on one side of the mountain. For sure, when she reached the clearing, she saw Ryo's cold and drenching body sitting on the damp grass. Opening the extra umbrella she carried along, she approached her classmate and shielded him from the rain.
The sudden loss of rain hitting his skin snapped the raven-haired from his stupor and turned his magenta eyes towards the concerned aureolin. He stood up, accepting the offered umbrella, and let the blood return to his stiff legs before moving. How long was he spaced out?
Looking back at the girl who then he realized was drying his damp hair with a small towel she carried along with one hand, he caught her wrist, making them stare at each other's eyes again. It felt like eons went by as Ryo stared at the golden orbs who closely resembled the man's who he swore a promise to not too long ago.
He leaned forward, widening Megumi's eyes for his sudden movements until he rested his forehead on hers. He sighed as if he was free from relief of some problem he's been shouldering. His cool breath fanned over her face but instead of pushing him away or fainting, her cheeks stained red.
"Ryo… are you okay?"
.
.
"Yeah, let's go"
Eiji Minokawa had experienced live cooking during his training and the first few years of taking over the clan, but he had never watched a more entertaining live cooking until Ryo and Megumi performed for him. His attentions were always on the food but it was the first time he took notice of the people who were preparing the food. His Ryo-nii and Megu-nee were only wearing the inn's standard kitchen uniform, Megumi's being white and Ryo's being black.
It was actually a sight to behold, flashes of black and white streamed through the makeshift kitchen counter in the guest room before him. Ryo's brash and aggressive nature made every spectator turn to their attention while Megumi's swift and gentle approach made the show more pleasant than intimidating. At first, it appeared that their methods will clash one another's but no. Instead their manner of cooking complemented each other greatly, like they were filling what the other was lacking and the fact that they did not even utter a word to each other made it even more spectacular.
They were in sync, they were-
"They're like dancing" the young lord voiced his comment and Mizuki, who was sitting beside him, couldn't agree more.
To top it off, they finished their performance standing beside each other with an arm outstretched to present their finished product. The finale of their dance.
The crowd- Eiji's guards, the staff, and even the customers of the inn- applauded them for the outstanding performance. To think that they've only practiced it for a day. However, everything went dead silent when they presented the dish to the boy.
The boy's bright eyes examined the ball of rice with curiosity and interest. It shined on all sides as if made of small jewels. Knowing that something grand was awaiting him inside that ball made him giddy with excitement. And when he plugged out the toothpick on top of the ball, everyone stared and 'aww-ed'. Their faces resembled that of a treasure hunter discovering the lost treasure. They weren't exaggerating though.
The rice fell elegantly on the right direction, encircling the true treasure. Inside were the dish's main ingredients, cooked, sculpted, and shining with appetizing appeal to any eye. They formed it like the great serpent coiled around six scallops- shaped spherically like the moons he ate. Surrounded by the other fish meat steaming with a mouth-watering scent, the garnish looked like small grasses that made the entire dish look more like a piece of art than something meant to be eaten.
When he finally took a bite, the flavor melted on his tongue, stimulating his taste buds and salivary glands at the richness of it. He suddenly paused as his mind sent him a wave of memory. The memory when his mother and father died. The tears that sprung forth did not made his sense of taste dull as he let himself watch again the awful memory of the most precious people in his life covered with flowers and incense.
He was momentarily broken from his stupor when Megumi gently nudged his attention. Beside her, Ryo gave him a small cup of honey-colored liquid. Fortunately, the boy did not shiver on the way the older raven-haired instructed him to pour it over the dish despite his glare and raspy voice.
Behind his tear-stained eyes, he appreciated the way the liquid showed the truer form of the dish. As the ingredients absorbed the liquid, it revealed the details and colors of the serpent and the moons. It not only made their presentation the best work of art he's ever seen but it also changed- no, greatly improved the flavor of the dish altogether.
His young body was overwhelmed with the burst of flavor and his mind flooded him with even more memories. However, instead of the ones of despair, he remembered the times of his mother and father wrapping him in their arms. The times they played at the park, the beach, the times they ate together, and the nights they slept beside each other.
By the end of the meal, Eiji Minokawa was thanking the two aspiring chefs profusely as his whole demeanor reverted back not as the head of a long lined clan, but back to the innocent child he was.
Megumi breathed out a sigh of relief. A smile plastered on her face at how relieved she was that everything turned out alright. With how well they made Gokuraku no Kaiyō, there won't be any more worry of them preparing it for the festival. After all, its right around the corner. Megumi never felt so happy and excited again for the festival, not since her father died. Gokuraku no Kaiyō will be made again and she's looking forward of spending the festival with Ryo.
She stopped and collected herself, did she really just think that?
Ryo stared at the girl with confusion. One moment she was smiling like a fool and then she was suddenly all red as if something embarrassing happened to her. Inwardly, he smirked in bemusement. She truly is something.
His thoughts of her shifted to the memory he had with her father hours ago.
Taking a deep sigh, he shrugged. He'll have to do it eventually. He did promise after all.
"Megumi," he called, no response. "Oi, Megumi" he repeated but she was still adrift in her own thoughts. With growing impatience, he reached across the kitchen table and flicked her forehead none too pleasantly.
Yelping, she shielded her reddening forehead in pain, "W-What was that for?" she pouted.
"Listen carefully, I need to tell you something" he said so seriously that it made her drop her pout. However, before Ryo could even utter another word, Megumi's mother appeared behind the kitchen door and addressed him.
"Ryo-kun, could you come over here, dear? There's someone here to see-"
"Hi Ryo~! Time to come home!"
If he was able to, his face would've paled at the sight of his lady Alice.
I think there are four or three chapters left in this one. Its getting near the end so make sure to check in and follow to make sure you're alerted whenever this fic is updated!
Ciao~!
