Disclaimer: I am not Japanese. My name is not Maki Murakami. Therefore I
logically do not own Gravi
************************************************************************
I have to admit. It was the best meal I've had in a while. The restaurant itself wasn't much to talk about; it was located right on the outskirts of the classy part of the city. It was pretty big, the first floor having ten large tables that easily fit about 12 people each. Upstairs was more intimate, having smaller tables and the seating was on the floor. Everything in the place looked like it had been stolen from a shrine; it definitely had a Kyoto old world feel to it.
We squatted at a large table at the back of the restaurant, near the kitchen. Mirei made a joke about it having something to do with being able to feed us faster, to which Tatsuha responded with a wicked smirk. Apparently it was an inside joke.
"You look like a girl."
The entire table burst out laughing as a voice from behind me issued the statement. At first I thought it was directed at me but when I noticed that Shun was frowning I knew better.
"Okaasan, must you......"Shun blushed as Mirei handed him the clip she had been wearing. A woman who bore a striking resemblance to Mika was brushing the hair out of Shun's eyes.
Mirei giggle. "Shu-cha, this is my obaasan, Natsuki. She was my okaasan's younger sister," she pointed at the woman.
The woman gave me a half-smile, "Oh so this is the infamous Shindo Shuichi. Its very nice to meet you, Tatsuha has told me a lot about you."
"Its, uh, nice to meet you too?"
Natsuki laughed. "I guess its fair to say that our little Ei-chan doesn't speak about his family much."
I meekly nodded.
"Don't take offense auntie. Ei-chan doesn't speak unless it involves the words 'sleep', 'cigarette', 'beer' or 'baka'," Tatsuha smirked as he winked at me. At that I had to chuckle.
"Speaking of mister personality, where is your brother? Mika called me to let me know you were on your way and I got the distinct impression he was with you," Mirei's aunt's eyebrow raised.
"He's playing in traffic."
"Oh really now."
"Yes, he broke another little boy's toy."
"And how did he manage to do that?"
"He wasn't playing nice. Auntie do you have any celery?"
"Of course," Mirei's aunt chuckled as she simply shook her head walking back to the kitchen.
Mirei turned to Tatsuha and winked. Tatsuha smirked in response.
'That can't be a good sign,' I thought to myself. My fears (as well as my body) nearly jumped through the roof as I felt a hand clasp on my shoulder in the tightest death-grasp I have ever felt.
I knew if I looked up, I would........well I would probably drop dead from the look I got right then and there.
"Oro, Ei-chan..what took you so long?"* blink**blink*
The grip wavered.
"They have beer here. I think they have Bud."
The grip loosen.
"And they have strawberry shortcake for dessert."
The grip.....let go.
Yuki sighed and hung his head. He reluctantly took a seat between Mirei and myself.
'I really need to learn how to do that!'
A bud was placed in front of Yuki. I promptly grabbed the bottle and popped the top with my handy dandy Swiss Army bottle opener. I never got tired of using the little gadget that Hiro had bought me last Christmas and usually it pissed off Yuki every time I whipped it out but I got was a defeated 'thanks'.
Mirei suddenly jumped from the table, quickly excusing herself by saying she needed to help her aunt carry out the trays, and the table once again fell silent. Shun had apparently found something interesting on the ceiling, Nanami was humming some unknown tune to herself, Yuki was on his second beer, and Tatsuha was turning purple?
I watched as Yuki stopped in mid-chug and turned his eyes to glare at his younger brother. "What's so damn funny?"
"Not a damn thing."
"Oh really, MIREI DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!"
Mirei's head popped out from the kitchen. "Oro?"
Yuki glared.
Mirei blinked.
Yuki glared harder.
Mirei blinked twice.
Yuki sighed in defeat.
Mirei smiled wide.
I turned to Tatsuha and saw him hold up 4 fingers in one hand and zero in the other. Yuki caught that too and promptly smacked Tatsuha in the back of head. Mirei had suddenly appeared behind Yuki and after placing the tray she was holding in front of him, she smacked him in the back of the head as well.
"Don't hit your brother."
Yuki glared at Mirei.
Mirei glared back.
Yuki glared harder.
Mirei glared harder.
Mirei smiled, "Aren't you going to eat?"
Yuki blanched and looked accusingly at the tray in front of him. He gingerly lifted one side of the cover on the tray, made a 'disgusted' face and pushed the tray to my side. Curiously, I took the cover off the tray only to find a heap of steamed celery. On top of the pile was a note, which read 'Long live the Celery Stalker'.
"Celery Stalker?" My voice squeaked. Yuki was sliding down his chair with a pout on his face. Tatsuha fell to the floor, laughing maniacally.
Mirei had returned with a new tray, one that was exposed with a very large piece of strawberry shortcake. She lightly kissed Yuki on the cheek as she placed the tray in front of him.
Yuki seemed to regain his composure as he took a rather large bite of his shortcake.
Both Shun and Nanami had been watching the entire exchange like it was some sick television sitcom. Nanami looked at me and laughed, "Don't worry, they do this all the time. Just know if you hear the words 'Wet Willy'.....hide."
"Wet Willy," I repeated rather loudly and Yuki all but jumped out of his chair and clamped his hands protectively over his ears.
The look on his face was just too funny. He had this cute accusatory glare on his face as he looked at me. I finally began to loosen up for the first time in days.
Mirei had been right; things were starting to get fun.
As if sensing my thoughts, I met Mirei's smiling eyes. It was so strange to see eyes exactly like Yuki's except hers were clear and bright. I felt a blush on my cheeks as I realized I was staring. Mirei just threw head back and giggled.
Yuki was watching the two us carefully, one eyebrow raised. He learned over to me and whispered in my ear, "Stop flirting with my sister or I will have to punish you like kid you are........" My blush went from pink to deep crimson as I felt Yuki's hand on my thigh; he was a little too close for comfort. Then I noticed the five beer bottles littering the table. Ah.
An hour and several trays later, everyone was content and well fed. Yuki seemed to calm with some food in his system but Mirei and the others were practically climbing the walls.
"Ei-chan, we have one more thing to do before we go home."
"Do I look like the bus, Mi-chan?"
"If I say yes..........."
"I'm still going to say no."
"We're not all going.......and its on the way home."
*Sigh* "Where do you want to go?"
"MASTER'S!"
"You're too young."
Mirei rolled her eyes. "Eiri.....I've been going there since I was 6."
Yuki rolled his eyes at hearing his full first name. "Okay so why do you want to go there?"
"Ummmm.....to see Master?"
Yuki snorted.
"To get an ice cream float."
"A special ice cream float," Tatsuha snickered.
Mirei elbowed him and put him in a headlock, effectively shutting him up.
Yuki pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Will this shut you two for the rest of the night? I am assuming Mika is dumping you on me tonight, right Tatsuha?"
Tatsuha nodded, trying to get the feeling back into his face.
"Yippee!" Mirei squealed. "We are going to Mmmmmmaster's."
I could see whatever magical tolerance Yuki had earlier start to fade. 'Maybe I could get some more alcohol into him at Master's,' I thought evilly, remembering his threat about 'punishment'.
"Bye, bye obaasan.....Shun, Nanami?" Mirei nodded to her two cousins.
"Cell?" Shun questioned, head cocked to the side.
"One hour," Mirei responded casually.
And with that we were out the door.
No body loves me.. reviews help to foster love....please save a child's love and give reviews.
************************************************************************
I have to admit. It was the best meal I've had in a while. The restaurant itself wasn't much to talk about; it was located right on the outskirts of the classy part of the city. It was pretty big, the first floor having ten large tables that easily fit about 12 people each. Upstairs was more intimate, having smaller tables and the seating was on the floor. Everything in the place looked like it had been stolen from a shrine; it definitely had a Kyoto old world feel to it.
We squatted at a large table at the back of the restaurant, near the kitchen. Mirei made a joke about it having something to do with being able to feed us faster, to which Tatsuha responded with a wicked smirk. Apparently it was an inside joke.
"You look like a girl."
The entire table burst out laughing as a voice from behind me issued the statement. At first I thought it was directed at me but when I noticed that Shun was frowning I knew better.
"Okaasan, must you......"Shun blushed as Mirei handed him the clip she had been wearing. A woman who bore a striking resemblance to Mika was brushing the hair out of Shun's eyes.
Mirei giggle. "Shu-cha, this is my obaasan, Natsuki. She was my okaasan's younger sister," she pointed at the woman.
The woman gave me a half-smile, "Oh so this is the infamous Shindo Shuichi. Its very nice to meet you, Tatsuha has told me a lot about you."
"Its, uh, nice to meet you too?"
Natsuki laughed. "I guess its fair to say that our little Ei-chan doesn't speak about his family much."
I meekly nodded.
"Don't take offense auntie. Ei-chan doesn't speak unless it involves the words 'sleep', 'cigarette', 'beer' or 'baka'," Tatsuha smirked as he winked at me. At that I had to chuckle.
"Speaking of mister personality, where is your brother? Mika called me to let me know you were on your way and I got the distinct impression he was with you," Mirei's aunt's eyebrow raised.
"He's playing in traffic."
"Oh really now."
"Yes, he broke another little boy's toy."
"And how did he manage to do that?"
"He wasn't playing nice. Auntie do you have any celery?"
"Of course," Mirei's aunt chuckled as she simply shook her head walking back to the kitchen.
Mirei turned to Tatsuha and winked. Tatsuha smirked in response.
'That can't be a good sign,' I thought to myself. My fears (as well as my body) nearly jumped through the roof as I felt a hand clasp on my shoulder in the tightest death-grasp I have ever felt.
I knew if I looked up, I would........well I would probably drop dead from the look I got right then and there.
"Oro, Ei-chan..what took you so long?"* blink**blink*
The grip wavered.
"They have beer here. I think they have Bud."
The grip loosen.
"And they have strawberry shortcake for dessert."
The grip.....let go.
Yuki sighed and hung his head. He reluctantly took a seat between Mirei and myself.
'I really need to learn how to do that!'
A bud was placed in front of Yuki. I promptly grabbed the bottle and popped the top with my handy dandy Swiss Army bottle opener. I never got tired of using the little gadget that Hiro had bought me last Christmas and usually it pissed off Yuki every time I whipped it out but I got was a defeated 'thanks'.
Mirei suddenly jumped from the table, quickly excusing herself by saying she needed to help her aunt carry out the trays, and the table once again fell silent. Shun had apparently found something interesting on the ceiling, Nanami was humming some unknown tune to herself, Yuki was on his second beer, and Tatsuha was turning purple?
I watched as Yuki stopped in mid-chug and turned his eyes to glare at his younger brother. "What's so damn funny?"
"Not a damn thing."
"Oh really, MIREI DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!"
Mirei's head popped out from the kitchen. "Oro?"
Yuki glared.
Mirei blinked.
Yuki glared harder.
Mirei blinked twice.
Yuki sighed in defeat.
Mirei smiled wide.
I turned to Tatsuha and saw him hold up 4 fingers in one hand and zero in the other. Yuki caught that too and promptly smacked Tatsuha in the back of head. Mirei had suddenly appeared behind Yuki and after placing the tray she was holding in front of him, she smacked him in the back of the head as well.
"Don't hit your brother."
Yuki glared at Mirei.
Mirei glared back.
Yuki glared harder.
Mirei glared harder.
Mirei smiled, "Aren't you going to eat?"
Yuki blanched and looked accusingly at the tray in front of him. He gingerly lifted one side of the cover on the tray, made a 'disgusted' face and pushed the tray to my side. Curiously, I took the cover off the tray only to find a heap of steamed celery. On top of the pile was a note, which read 'Long live the Celery Stalker'.
"Celery Stalker?" My voice squeaked. Yuki was sliding down his chair with a pout on his face. Tatsuha fell to the floor, laughing maniacally.
Mirei had returned with a new tray, one that was exposed with a very large piece of strawberry shortcake. She lightly kissed Yuki on the cheek as she placed the tray in front of him.
Yuki seemed to regain his composure as he took a rather large bite of his shortcake.
Both Shun and Nanami had been watching the entire exchange like it was some sick television sitcom. Nanami looked at me and laughed, "Don't worry, they do this all the time. Just know if you hear the words 'Wet Willy'.....hide."
"Wet Willy," I repeated rather loudly and Yuki all but jumped out of his chair and clamped his hands protectively over his ears.
The look on his face was just too funny. He had this cute accusatory glare on his face as he looked at me. I finally began to loosen up for the first time in days.
Mirei had been right; things were starting to get fun.
As if sensing my thoughts, I met Mirei's smiling eyes. It was so strange to see eyes exactly like Yuki's except hers were clear and bright. I felt a blush on my cheeks as I realized I was staring. Mirei just threw head back and giggled.
Yuki was watching the two us carefully, one eyebrow raised. He learned over to me and whispered in my ear, "Stop flirting with my sister or I will have to punish you like kid you are........" My blush went from pink to deep crimson as I felt Yuki's hand on my thigh; he was a little too close for comfort. Then I noticed the five beer bottles littering the table. Ah.
An hour and several trays later, everyone was content and well fed. Yuki seemed to calm with some food in his system but Mirei and the others were practically climbing the walls.
"Ei-chan, we have one more thing to do before we go home."
"Do I look like the bus, Mi-chan?"
"If I say yes..........."
"I'm still going to say no."
"We're not all going.......and its on the way home."
*Sigh* "Where do you want to go?"
"MASTER'S!"
"You're too young."
Mirei rolled her eyes. "Eiri.....I've been going there since I was 6."
Yuki rolled his eyes at hearing his full first name. "Okay so why do you want to go there?"
"Ummmm.....to see Master?"
Yuki snorted.
"To get an ice cream float."
"A special ice cream float," Tatsuha snickered.
Mirei elbowed him and put him in a headlock, effectively shutting him up.
Yuki pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Will this shut you two for the rest of the night? I am assuming Mika is dumping you on me tonight, right Tatsuha?"
Tatsuha nodded, trying to get the feeling back into his face.
"Yippee!" Mirei squealed. "We are going to Mmmmmmaster's."
I could see whatever magical tolerance Yuki had earlier start to fade. 'Maybe I could get some more alcohol into him at Master's,' I thought evilly, remembering his threat about 'punishment'.
"Bye, bye obaasan.....Shun, Nanami?" Mirei nodded to her two cousins.
"Cell?" Shun questioned, head cocked to the side.
"One hour," Mirei responded casually.
And with that we were out the door.
No body loves me.. reviews help to foster love....please save a child's love and give reviews.