Shuu
Mirror and Image
Mei Ryu snuck into his big brother's room, as he had for the last several mornings. The sun was beginning to raise, the only indication of just how early in the morning it was. A bed sheet was wrapped around his neck to act as a cape. A broken mop from downstairs acted as his mighty staff.
His objective lay under a pile of blankets, so deep in sleep that he did not notice his little brother's coming. Mei Ryu readied himself, his body tense in anticipation as his heart raced. Taking a deep breath, he pounced.
"Haaaaaaaaaa!" The twelve year old jumped up and landed on the pile of blankets, sinking into them and getting absolutely no reaction from his brother.
"Huh?" Mei Ryu untangled himself from the blankets and lifted them off of the futon. Underneath was only a mass of pillows.
"Huh?" he said again.
"Roooooooar!" An ash haired young man leapt from the closet of the small room and proceeded to pounce upon the young Mei Ryu.
"Aaaaaaah!"
After tickling his little brother into submission, Fuan Shuu Rei lifted brother into the air. "So, Mei Ryu. Are you ready to say uncle? Huh? Are ya?" Shuu shifted Mei Ryu to one hand and used the other to tickle him some more.
"I am not Mei Ryu!" the boy tried to shout between giggles. "I am Sun Wu Kong, the monkey king! You cannot defeat me!"
Shuu tickled his little brother some more, raising the volume of laughter. "Well, Sun Wu Kong, I think that the monkey king should be ready for any and all surprises."
"Okay! Okay, okay, okay! Just stop tickling me!"
"Oh, I don't know. I think you're enjoying it."
"No I'm not!" Mei Ryu managed to shout. His face was red from the laughing. "Put me down, Da Ge! Please!" Chinese for eldest brother
"On one condition," Shuu said. He paused from the tickling and grabbed Mei Ryu's feet, so that the boy was upside down, yet still at eye level with him. "No more morning crusades."
"Alright, alright, alright! Just let me down!"
Shuu emitted a wide grin. "As you wish." Shuu let go and his little brother fell into the pile of blankets and pillows that was once called Shuu's bed. Mei Ryu struggled to get himself upright without strangling himself on his bed sheet cape. His mop staff had long since dropped to the ground, and Shuu picked it up and then crouched down to where his little brother lay. "Wasn't this supposed to be fixed this morning?" he asked.
Mei Ryu shook his head. "Dunno."
"Well, don't you think that if it comes from downstairs, then you shouldn't touch it unless you're working?"
Mei Ryu gave a sheepish grin and nodded. "Guess so."
"Then why did you take it?"
The twelve-year-old boy lowered his gaze, still trying to sit upright.
"So here you are."
Shuu and Mei Ryu looked up to see Rinfi standing in the doorway looking bored.
"Mama was wondering why no one was downstairs to help her make breakfast. I see that you were too busy trying to get in Da Ge's way. Just so you know Mama's getting breakfast all by herself. I'm sure she'll manage somehow. I suppose you can come down whenever you're ready. Of course, by then supper will be long since cold. But hey, it's not my call. I'll just take your share." (Chinese: Eldest brother)
Mei Ryu finally managed to sit up, his large eyes wide in shock. "You wouldn't dare! You're supposed to yield to the kids."
"A fact that you have been taking advantage of, if you gut is any indication."
"Da Ge!" Mei Ryu looked up to his brother pleadingly. (Eldest brother)
Shuu was about to open his mouth when suddenly there was something clinging to his leg.
"Shuu-nii! Shuu-nii! Come quick! It's really bad!" (Japanese: Big brother Shuu)
Shuu looked down to see Chun Fa, the smallest Fuan at nine years of age, clutching his leg. He blinked, as did Rinfi and Mei Ryu, as all three wondered how she had managed to sneak in. But then, Chun Fa was undoubtedly the only quiet member of the Fuan family. Well, quiet in terms of everyone else.
"What's the matter, Chun Fa?" Shuu asked, lowering his hand and running it through her thick main of dark ash, almost blue colored hair.
"It's Yin-nii! It's Yin-nii!" she cried. (big brother Yin)
"Hey, hey, hey!" Mei Ryu interjected. "I'm the only one allowed to repeat myself like that!"
"Yes," Rinfi said. "It is a talent that succeeds in annoying everyone. One in the family is enough." She pulled at her pigtails and continued to look bored.
Shuu ignored the two and focused at the upset Chun Fa. "What happened to Yin?"
"I was watching!" she explained in a high voice. "I was watching, and he was shavin', and he cut himself shavin'! I've seen on it on movies! You cut your neck and then you die! There's blood everywhere and it wouldn't stop and he's gonna die!"
"Da Ge, it's not that serious at all! Don't listen to Chun Fa at all." (Eldest brother)
Shuu looked up to see Yin, indeed with a cut-on his cheek not his neck-standing in the doorway. Yin's hair had yet to be combed, and his school uniform was obviously hastily put on.
"Isn't fifteen a little young to be shaving?"
"It's not my fault. I was left with no alternative!" Yin put the band aid he had been holding on his cut. "I've told you how they won't leave me alone! My back was against the wall! I had to do something. I thought if I disfigured myself, then everyone would leave me alone."
"Back up," Shuu said, raising a hand. "Who are 'they'?"
Mei Ryu looked up. "You don't know?"
Rinfi snorted. "Of course he doesn't. He has a life, unlike you." Turning to Shuu, she added, "Poor, abused, frightened little Yin is talking about the one thing that all men loathe and fear in high school. Girls."
Shuu blinked. "Let me get this straight. You deliberately cut yourself shaving… to avoid girls?"
"Finally! You understand. Da Ge, they don't leave me alone! The second I walk past the main gate they converge on me! They're like a tsunami or a hurricane; they're an irresistible force." (Eldest brother)
"More like you're an irresistible force, Yin."
"Shut up, Da Jie! Don't think I don't know that you're helping them, feeding them lies about me so that I look cuter!" (Chinese: eldest sister. i.e. Rinfi)
"I hardly have to do anything, Yin," Rinfi said evilly. "After all, you're just naturally fetching."
"Do I look like a dog to you?" Yin responded.
"Yes," said Rinfi and Chun Fa in harmony. The youngest then added, "You're gonna make a good bishounen when I grow up." (Pretty boy)
"Why do you have to grow up for me to be a bishounen?" (Pretty boy)
"So I can marry you."
"WHAT!"
Mei Ryu, who had taken off his cape, promptly threw if over his little sister. "Why to girls always think of stupid things like marriage? Chun Fa, that's your Er Ge! You don't marry your family!" (Chinese for second oldest brother)
Chun Fa threw off the blanket. "Well, I'm gonna! So there!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Now do you see what you've done?" the seventeen-year-old Rinfi asked Yin, grinning wolfishly.
"No. What?"
"You're the center of attention. They're fighting over you."
Yin hung his uncombed head in defeat. "I give up!"
A sixth face entered Shuu's small bedroom. "Breakfast everyone!" She paused as she surveyed the situation. The two smallest, Chun Fa and Mei Ryu, had entered an "Oh Yeah? Yeah!" contest, while Yin was sporting a band-aid on his left cheek and mumbling something about being cursed. Rinfi was just grinning as she taunted her younger brother Yin, happy to have the opportunity. Shuu meanwhile was ignoring everyone. He had managed to get dressed somewhere along the way and was running a comb through his ash colored mane.
The sixth face, Mama Fuan, continued to look. "… How did you fit in here?"
All five Fuan children looked over, only just noticing their mother just inside the doorway. "Perhaps the question I should be asking is why you are all here?"
Everyone pointed to someone and shouted, "He started it!"
"… I see."
"Well," said a seventh voice. Everyone in Shuu's room saw Papa Fuan just outside the doorway. "If you all are busy, then I think I'll go downstairs and go through the prep. We open in half an hour you know."
Papa Fuan continued down the hall as if nothing had happened; and his feet could be heard clunking heavily down the stair and into the restaurant.
"Wait a minute. Half an hour?" someone said.
"WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!"
The heavy clunking of Papa Fuan's feet was nothing compared to the relative avalanche that followed him down the stairs. Papa Fuan smiled and calmly continued to make his way to the kitchen to grab his light breakfast.
"Why does this always happen?" Yin asked rhetorically.
Rinfi felt obliged to answer. "I think it's because of your constant striving to not be noticed!"
"Leave Yin-nii alone!" the nine-year-old Chun Fa demanded. "He's my husband!" (Big brother Yin)
"Why me?"
"Do you want me to answer that?"
"Sun Wu Kong, the monkey king must avenge the blow dealt upon him!" Mei Ryu, now dressed in his uniform, moved to jump onto Shuu's shoulders. The ash haired youth was very familiar with the maneuver, and simply side stepped. Mei Ryu went flying into the kitchen. Thankfully, he landed on his feet. Not so thankfully, his feet were where Rinfi's were supposed to be.
"What do you think you're doing, gakki? You know I can chop you in half any time I want!" (Brat)
"I am the monkey king! I fear nothing!"
"The hell you won't! Lemme get my hands on you!"
"Yay! Follow the leader!" Chun Fa joined in the chase around the kitchen.
"Now, now," Mama Fuan shouted over the commotion. "What did I say about running in the kitchen?"
"Don't worry Mama," Rinfi replied, a bright smile on her face. "I won't kill them. I'll only skewer them." She continued the chase, albeit at a much slower pace.
The band aided Yin, toast in his mouth and a glass of milk in his hand, stepped in front of his parents as Shuu started to chow down on his cereal.
"Itekimasu," he munched. He paused to guzzle down his milk and stuffed the toast back in his mouth as he searched for his book bag. Finding it, he bent down to get it at the precise moment that Mei Ryu, Rinfi, and Chun Fa-in that order-quite literally ran into him. The crash resounded throughout the restaurant. (I'm leaving now)
"So much for you not being noticed!"
"Ha, ha! The monkey king wins another battle!"
"Says, you, gakki! Come back here!" (Brat)
"Yin-nii, are you okay?" Chun Fa crawled over to the spiral eyed Yin.
"Pretty stars…"
Shuu calmly walked over to the pair. Picking up each sibling with one hand, he set them on their feet. "Okay!" he said loudly. "I think two people are going to be late for the subway."
Rinfi paused from her chasing and Yin immediately stopped seeing stars.
"Itekimasu!" Yin said again as he raced out the front door of the restaurant. (I'm leaving now)
"Yin! Wait! Don't you dare by the rail cards without me!" Rinfi grabbed a slice of toast from a plate and ran after her little brother. "Leave without me and I'll make sure that that everyone from your grade knows you're single!"
Shuu gave a smug smile and took his seat again, eating the last of his cereal. Mei Ryu and Chun Fa, the two youngest, had also sat down and were eating their cereal and toast.
"Mama," Mei Ryu asked. "Can I have Rinfi's share?"
"Yes, you may, Mei Ryu."
"I'm not Mei Ryu! I'm Sun Wu Kong the monkey king!" Mei Ryu forestalled saying more when he saw his mother's face and instead helped himself to his sister's breakfast. Chun Fa helped herself to two more slices of toast before drinking her milk.
"Shuu-nii, Yin-nii is going to be okay at school right?"
"Sure," Shuu answered. "What makes you think otherwise?"
"'Cause I don't want my husband to get beat up."
Shuu laughed. "If anyone even thinks of beating up Yin, then they have to deal with me, the youngest and bestest master of Wushu! I'll tear them limb from limb; and that's if I'm in a good mood!" Shuu raised his fist, showing off well-muscled arms underneath his light colored Chinese silk shirt. "Do you see that? There isn't anyone in Yokohama who can beat me!"
"I thought no one in Japan could beat you?" Mei Ryu asked as he helped himself to Yin's leftovers.
"That was until I met Shin-tachi," Shuu replied. The blue eyed boy leaned back in his chair. "I must say, it is nice to have people who are on the same level as me. It makes fights that much more interesting. Those high school wimps are pushovers! I could take them with one hand tied behind my back." (Japanese: Tachi is a plural, like "et all". He means the Troopers.)
"Shuu-nii?" Chun Fa asked.
"Yeah?"
"You scare me."
Shuu blinked, and then laughed good-naturedly. "Don't worry, Chun Fa. I only beat up people when they start things. You should know that by now."
"Honto?" (Really?)
"Yes, really. If anybody ever gets on your case, just let me know."
"Arigatoo." (Thank you)
Mama Fuan stuck her head into the kitchen. "You haven't left yet?"
"Ah!" the two children cried. Quickly they gulped down the last of their food and hurried off with their back packs. "Itekimaaaaaaaaaasu!" (We're leaving now)
The front door of the restaurant slammed shut and for the first time that morning, there was silence.
Papa Fuan let out a low sigh of contentment. Shuu hadn't even noticed that his father was there, as the balding man had been reading the paper along with his breakfast. "Another quiet morning," he said facetiously. He turned the page and continued reading. Shuu finished up his cereal and helped himself to the rest of the toast on the plate. Meanwhile the rest of the kitchen bustled as Shuu's mother began to section off the chunks of dough that was to become loaves of bread. With practiced skill she placed them on trays and slid them into the oven, which had been preheated when she came down to start breakfast half and hour ago.
"Mama?" Shuu asked. "Did you want any help at the tables, or am I gonna go straight to the basement?"
"Don't worry," Mama Fuan replied. "Your father, as soon as he decides to get off his butt and stop reading that blasted newspaper, is a wiz with setting up the tables." Shuu's mother looked down at his father as he continued to blissfully read the morning paper. "I expect that he'll get all fifty tables set up in five minutes."
"Do I look like a miracle worker?" filtered Papa Fuan's voice from behind the paper.
"Then you had better get moving. I expect that the second restaurant is already open by now. They're setting a better example than we are."
"Fine, fine," Shuu's father replied as he reluctantly put down the paper and entered the main hall of the restaurant.
"Shuu, honey, be a dear and let in all the workers who are waiting outside."
Shuu blinked. "They're already here?"
There came a knock from the front.
How did she do that? Shuu gulped the last of his milk and half ran to the front door.
"Sorry, guys," he apologized. "We ran a little late this morning." There came no reply, and Shuu nodded goodbye as he made his way to the basement.
What a morning it had been! Granted, Shuu's family tended to be noisy, even first thing in the morning, but this morning was something akin to a fiasco. How was a man expected to get dressed when the entire family was going at each other in his room! The closet was no place for a guy to get his clothes on. Shuu had had a hard enough time waiting in there for fifteen minutes for his little brother Mei Ryu to come in and pounce.
Shuu loved his family; there was never any doubt about that. But like any child in a house full of children, he wanted time to himself by himself. He didn't ask for it often, but he did want it from time to time. And he would never get it. Not to be rude, but Shuu had been going through the same routine for over two months now.
The last break he had gotten was when his parents had gotten called in at their second restaurant for some reason of another, and he and Rinfi were left to hold the fort. Rinfi had spent most of her time with friends, and Shuu was given the lay of their empty home. It felt nice, in a way. Shuu had never realized how big his house actually was. The square footage for the restaurant below was substantial, but he had never thought that the level above where his family lived was all that large. For the longest time he had given himself the smallest bedroom so that his siblings could share the bigger rooms. The kitchenette, for lack of a better word, was almost never used because Mama Fuan was so used to using the big kitchens downstairs; and the family room had always had someone in it. The quietest the house ever got was very late at night when the smallest two, Mei Ryu and Chun Fa, were asleep and the next two in line; Rinfi and Yin were doing homework. It was at those times Shuu could actually hear himself think when Rinfi wasn't on the phone or Yin trying to read his English out loud.
Shuu suddenly wished that one of the other Troopers would invite him over for the weekend or something. At least then he would have a better opportunity to get down time. Granted, there didn't seem to be much difference between four siblings and four friends, but his friends were so totally different from everyone else. Shuu supposed the same could be said about him, but he didn't really notice it until he was with the Troopers. All five of them had a sense of each other; a well-conditioned instinct on what another was feeling or thinking. Shin could often finish Shuu's sentences for him. Seiji could tell what he was thinking. Ryo would know when someone wanted company, Touma when someone wanted to be alone.
A smile crossed Shuu's face as he thought about the good old days. Now there was some GOOD ass kicking back then! Too bad no one else in Japan knew about it. Well, except Grandfather, but he was a WHOLE different story.
Shuu climbed down to the basement and turned on the lights. The boxes and packages for the day's food had already been moved up the previous night, leaving the far end of the basement open for the day's deliveries. He walked quickly to the far end and opened the large double doors just as one of the delivery trucks was backing in to Shuu's location.
"Ooooooooi!" Shuu waved to the driver. "Kochi, kochi!" (Heeeeeeeey! Over here, over here!)
The truck parked; its back end right at the double doors. The truck was unmarked, leaving Shuu with no clue as to which delivery it was. The driver, tall and lanky, jumped out of the truck and moved to the back.
"Fuan deshou ka?" (This the Fuans?)
"Aa," replied Shuu. "Which one are you?" (Yup)
"Vegetables," the man replied.
"Couldn't tell. Aren't your trucks marked?"
The man laughed. "Yeah, they are. Three of them broke down all at once yesterday. Gotta say we were hard pressed to find replacements. The old ones should be fixed by the end of the week."
"I see," Shuu said as he watched the man open up the truck. "You're well informed."
"Nii-san is head of the company. Be surprised if I wasn't." The man sifted through the boxes slowly, a clipboard appearing in his hand from somewhere as he searched for the Fuan order. (My older brother)
"What happened to the trucks?"
"A particular son of a particular family who shall remain nameless was allowed access to the keys. He didn't have a license. He won't get one either when I get through with him. Ah, here we go." The driver marked off a set of boxes.
Shuu hopped up into the truck to join the driver.
The driver filed through the boxes, checking his clipboard and checking again. "Yup. Everything's all here."
"Good," Shuu replied. "I'll help you unload and we can check the goods." The blue-eyed man easily picked up two boxes and walked to the edge of the truck. Hopping down, he walked a ways and set the boxes down. He cut the strip of tape and started pulling out the cans, one by one inspecting them. When he cleared each he placed them on a table that was nearby. It was a practiced routine that he had been doing since he was thirteen. The first box cleared, he opened up the second and repeated the process.
Reaching the bottom, he pulled out a can that had a dent in it.
"Got a bruised good," Shuu said. The truck driver, placing his last box on the ground, walked over.
"That's a bad one. Couldn't have been me, I'm too good a driver."
"I'm not placing blame. It's not too bad. I'd say about a thousand yen."
"Sounds fair," the driver replied. "Hang on a sec while I get the money and the order." The man jogged off to the truck, again jumping in and disappearing into the back. He returned with the clipboard and a strongbox. Jogging back, he the box on the table and pulled out a pen. "Better to list it all at once than pay you in bits."
Shuu nodded. "This was a can of pre-diced peppers. Clear dent. One thousand yen."
"Got it. How are the other boxes?"
"Let me check."
Shuu continued filing through the boxes, listing any damages that he came across and pricing them as he went. When he opened the last box, he found it filled with onions. Rotten onions.
"Woah!" Shuu said as the smell made its way to his nose. "What happened here?"
The truck driver groaned, as he smelled the bad onions. "That's putrid! What on earth--?"
Steeling himself, Shuu began the arduous task of filtering through the onions, picking apart the good and bad ones. The driver quickly began evaluating the damaged goods.
"That about doubles everything," the tall man said finally when the sorting was finished. Pulling out a key he opened the strongbox on the table and carefully counted the money before handing the agreed upon value to Shuu.
"Still," Shuu said, trying to breathe through his mouth. "That's not too bad for a delivery. You weren't kidding when you said you were a good driver. What's your name?"
"Yamakuro."
"Well, Yamakuro-san, how do I go about making you our regular vegetable delivery guy? I like good, informed drivers. Mama-tachi does, too. How do I contract you out?" (Mama et all)
"Well, call up Nii-san, and tell him that his Ototou really does know his salt," Yamakuro replied. He pulled out a small card from one of his many pockets and handed it to the ash haired man. On it was the title of the company and contact information. He grinned and bowed to Shuu. "Good workin' with ya." (Big brother… little brother)
Shuu returned the bow. "You too."
"Oi! Shuu! Got some pork for ya! Promise you won't eat it this time!"
Shuu laughed. "The other trucks are here. You better get going before you can't get out."
"Hai. Ja ne." (Yeah. See ya.)
"Tokinawa!" Shuu called as he walked out to the pork delivery truck. "You're twenty minutes late!"
"Wakateru, wakateru! Kio wouldn't let me out of the house until I'd promised to be better in bed. Hey, where's that sad excuse of help at?"( Yeah, I know, I know.)
"Hasn't shown up yet. You got just me today. You bring anybody?"
"Yeah, I got some of the rookies just so you could show them how it's done. They're in the truck."
"Well, then let's get started. We're late as it is."
"Oooooooi! Someone's in my spot!" Shuu peeked beyond the pork truck to see the flour truck.
"Be right with you!" Shuu called, wishing the burly and not very bright Katsuhito would show up. He needed the extra hands to get everything in the basement. Turning, Shuu said, "Tokinawa, can we make this quick? Much as you want to talk about your wife, you're still twenty minutes late, and I can't unload two trucks at once."
"Wakateru. Not a problem." The small eyed Tokinawa turned to the loaders. "Oi! We gotta make up for lost time, so hurry it up, you slackers! There better not be any torn chunks of meat, or it'll be YOUR pay that's docked!"
Shuu quickly helped in unloading the pork. Thankfully, there were little damaged goods, and Tokinawa didn't have to return much money. When he left the flour truck backed in and Shuu began helping in unloading THAT truck. The same process was done with the chicken, soda, and water trucks as they arrived. It was not long until the halfway full basement was filled to brimming. The only truck that had no arrived was the rice truck. Shuu was starting to get worried; as that was the largest delivery of all.
"I'm finally here!" Shuu looked up to see Katsuhito coming down the steps.
"Where the hell have you been?" Shuu asked, more than a little annoyed. "You were supposed to be here over two hours ago." He yanked at the cords of his apron and watched as the dim witted Katsuhito put his on.
"Gomen. I slept through the alarm." ()orry
"Again? After working here for almost two years that the only excuse you can think of? How many times have I told you to get another alarm? Heck, get your mother to come in. I know she's loud enough on the phone when we're trying to ask where you are."
"I sleep deeply. It can't be helped."
"Yeah, right?" Shuu replied sarcastically under his breath as he waited for the very late rice truck.
"Oi, Shuu-senpai. Where's the stuff I'm supposed to be lifting?"
Shuu restrained himself from batting Katsuhito over the head. "Since you weren't here to help me, I had to take care of it all by myself."
"Oh. So it's all done."
"Everything except the rice."
"Well, then. I'm going to go take a cigarette break. Call me when the truck arrives."
"I will not deck him," Shuu whispered to himself. "I will NOT deck him. I will calmly go upstairs after the truck gets here and ask Mama to FIRE him. But I will not deck him."
Taking a deep breath, Shuu stepped out of the basement yet again and looked around to see if the rice truck had arrived.
Everything was always late. The family was late this morning, the pork truck was late in arriving, and so was the rice truck. Katsuhito was always late, and now Shuu was getting late in getting back upstairs.
Shuu's thoughts were interrupted as there came a honk. The rice truck had finally arrived. Shuu almost ran up to the driver as he backed in to the basement.
"You're late!" he shouted. However, his anger was immediately diffused as he saw a new face in the truck. Said face had light mouse brown hair and thick glasses.
"Honto ni gomen nasai," replied the driver. "I could not find the place." (I'm really sorry)
"Well, that's fine," Shuu replied, making the best of the situation. "I'll help you unload in back and we can charge as we go."
"Charge?"
Shuu blinked. "Yeah. I inspect the goods and if anything is damage, then you have to pay back some of the money we paid you."
"Out of my own pocket?"
"No! Of course not. Didn't they give you a strong box along with all the rice?"
"Rice?"
Shuu blinked again. "You don't have rice?"
"No. I'm supposed to be delivering office equipment. Paper, staples, etc. This isn't a warehouse?"
"No, this is a restaurant!" Shuu cursed and took a deep breath. It was alright. Everybody made mistakes. He could handle this. Sure he could. Hopping up to the door of the truck, Shuu said, "Let me see the order form."
The driver handed it over without comment.
Scanning it quickly, Shuu saw the problem. "Okay, I see. Everything's fine, but somewhere along the way the addresses got changed. I feel bad for the warehouse that's getting a truckload of rice. Can you call up your boss and the other truck and tell him about the mix up? Also see if you can get the real address."
The driver nodded and pulled out his radio. Shuu hopped off the truck and back into the basement. "Katsuhito? Katsuhito!"
"Hai?" Yeah?
"Go upstairs and tell Mama Fuan that there was a mix up with the rice truck and that it's going to be late."
"Hai." (Okay.)
Shuu walked back to the truck and hopped up to the door again.
"You got the address?"
"Yeah, but I don't know where it is. I just moved in from Hokkaido and I'm not that familiar with Yokohama yet."
"Let me see," Shuu said. "I've been from Sendai to Osaka and almost everywhere in between trying to get places." Shuu looked at the address. "Okay, I know the general area. It's clear across the city, but I can give you a few short cuts and at least get you on the right road. Here." Shuu grabbed a pencil he saw on the dashboard drew out a rough map. "That'll get you in the general area; you can either call home for more directions or stop and ask someone."
"Hai. Sumimasen." (Yes. Forgive me.)
"Hey, things like this happen. Don't sweat it."
Shuu waved off the poor truck driver and made his way back up the stairs. Katsuhito was exactly where he left him. "Did you tell them?"
"I haven't finished my cigarette."
Shuu took a deep breath, reminded himself not to deck the guy and stomped upstairs.
"Mama! We have a problem!"
"Shuu, honey! Where's the rice?" Mama Fuan called from the kitchen. Shuu joined her to see that it was already bustling with the other cooks. Waiters were rushing in and out with the breakfast orders. Shuu could tell that the restaurant was already full with customers.
"The trucks got mixed up along the way. It's gonna be late."
"Honey, it's late already! Why aren't they here yet?"
"The addresses on the order forms got switched with some office warehouse across down."
"Oooooooooooh! Phooey!" Mama Fuan made a face. "Shen! Shen!"
"Hai?" Yes?
"Could you take over with these loaves? I need to call a man about rice."
"Hai." (Yes.)
"Shuu, I can take care of the rice, you get back to work."
"No problem, Mama." Shuu quickly went back upstairs. Upon entering his small room, he changed out of his jeans and Chinese shirt and into the restaurant uniform. The uniform consisted of traditional Chinese clothing, the pants being black and the shirt being a stark white with black trim. Shuu noticed that his hair had gotten messy yet again and picked up his comb. Satisfied, Shuu rolled up his sleeves and went back downstairs just after ten. The breakfast rush had finally died down, with only three of four tables occupied. Two of the waiters covered them easily, so Shuu sought out the head waiter and good friend.
"Quan Ko!"
"Shuu Rei!" Quan Ko was short in comparison to the massive Shuu. His black hair was kept in a tight bowl cut and his large eyes were a light brown, almost hazel in color. The two clasped hands. "I hear you're having trouble with rice."
"Nothing the parents can't handle. How've you been? I heard you were sick."
"Ah, nothing major. Little sister had a cold, so I had to leave here early and take her home. Of course, that was the day that it was pouring. I couldn't run home, and I didn't bring an umbrella, stupid me, so I had to walk all the way home crouched over so she wouldn't get too wet."
"Why not take the subway?"
"Na, she gets motion sickness from them. She hasn't figured out how to stand in them yet. The last thing I wanted was her throwing up all over the car. So anyway, next morning I start off fine, except I have no appetite."
"And no one noticed this?"
"Na, Tou-san was too busy looking after my sister. By the afternoon, though, I was feeling it. Not only had I caught her cold, but gotten worse from all the rain." (Dad)
"That's harsh."
Quan Ko shrugged. "It happens. Can't complain. Got two days of total spoiling, and trust me when I say that doesn't happen often."
"I bet," Shuu said. Quan Ko's father had to work all day to support his two children. Quan was trying to supplement the income with his own work, but things were tight to say the least. "How's your Tou-san?" (Dad)
"Now's he's sick. I wanted to look after him, but he wouldn't let me. Besides, I don't think I could afford another absent day."
Shuu shook his head. "We would have understood."
"No, I couldn't afford to miss another day."
Shuu put his hand on Quan's shoulder. "Quan-kun, some day you're just going to have to accept the fact that you can borrow money from me and not expect to pay me back. You started off at the register; you know how much yen we pull in. Trust me when I say that I can afford it."
Quan smiled, took Shuu's hand off his shoulder, and then replied in kind. "And some day, Shuu-kun, you will just have to accept the fact that I don't like to owe debts. To anybody."
Shuu showed the concern on his face. This was not the first time they had had this conversation. Shuu had known about Quan's financial situation since he had started five years ago, when Shuu was fifteen. Quan was now a first year Ronin-someone who not passed college entrance exams; and his little sister was still in junior high school. Quan was very capable, though. His skills with trays and customers was above anyone else; it had not taken him long to be promoted to head waiter.
"So, let's look at those applicants," Quan suggested after a pause. "How many do you think we'll go through before we want to start chopping?"
"For me, not long," Shuu answered playfully. "I came darn close to decking that Katsuhito. He came in late for work, and ended up not doing anything."
"Ah, the joys of camaraderie. You do know why I had Fuan-san fire those two dolts, right?"
"The ones who couldn't add?"
"I swear, they put one and one together and get sixty nine. Their minds were on completely different things."
"Yeah," Shuu said, blushing. "I noticed."
Quan blinked. "One of them came on to you?"
"Let's just say she wasn't subtle about what her type was."
"Big eyed and broad shouldered. You gotta love it. Did you get anywhere?"
Shuu face faulted. "Are you nuts?"
"Just asking."
Shuu rolled his eyes and changed the subject. "How many appointments do we have today?"
Quan paused at the register, reaching below it and pulling out a clipboard. "Three that we know of. There are always the walk-ins, too. Had a few come in this morning. Told them when the interview hours were. Now that I think about it, one of them was a big burly fellow. Might make a good replacement for Katsu."
"Only if he doesn't dent cans."
"I'll make sure SHE knows that."
Shuu face faulted.
Finally, they made it to the entrance of the restaurant where three people did indeed stand waiting.
"Right this way, lady and gents," Quan said smoothly. "Right this way. Now, I assume you are all here for the one of the new waiter openings?"
"No," said the lady. "I was here to schedule a banquet."
"Very well, then," Quan said. "Shuu, the lady is yours. I'll start interviewing."
"Follow me," Shuu replied as he left Quan with the two young men. "I can get you started, but Mama and Papa have to give the actual approval. When were you planning to hold the banquet?"
"Two weeks from tomorrow," the woman replied.
"That's awful short notice. How many people are going to be there?" Shuu stopped at the register and went under it to retrieve a form. He quickly started to fill out the information as the lady gave it out. The process went by very quickly. "Now, wait here while I track down one of my parents." Shuu offered the woman a seat and then made his way back to the kitchen.
When Mama Fuan saw her oldest son, she immediately converged upon him.
"Shuu! The rice delivery STILL isn't here and we're almost out! We're not going to make it through lunch at this rate! I've been on the phone with the company for over an hour! They refuse to admit that there's any kind of mistake on their part. They had the audacity to say it was our fault; that we somehow filed out the form wrong. Well, I told him that we had been using his company for ten years now, and that they've been causing us problems from the get go! And then the man at the other end said that he had never heard of problems at all since the company started. I told him that we'd already filed several complaints, but that nothing is ever done. Their deliveries have almost always been late, but this is the first time they've never shown up! I told him that our rice had better be delivered by noon today, of I would drop them and move on to another company!"
That reminded Shuu of something. Searching his person, Shuu realized that he had left the card that Yamakuro had given him with his clothes upstairs.
"Mama," he said. "One of the delivery guys, Yamakuro. He's contracted out to where we get our vegetables?"
"Yes?"
"Well, this guy was a really good driver; and he was well informed too. There was next to no damage to the cans or the bundles, and he had no problem explaining some of the problems his company had the other day without making it sound like a major problem. He was capable and fair. He gave me his number, but I left it upstairs. If we were to contract his company to take care of all our deliveries, then the only problem that we'd have would be stock side."
Mama blinked. "That sounds like a good idea. Where's his card?"
"Upstairs in my room. Before you take care of that, though, there's a woman outside who wants to rent out our hall for a banquet."
"Papa can take care of that. I'm still on the phone with that damn delivery company. The nerve they have!" Mama went off muttering to herself before added, "Your father should be in the basement, getting the deliveries up here."
"Gotcha!" Shuu went back to the main hall, finding the woman. "I'm sorry to take so long. It should only be a few more minutes."
"I quite understand."
Satisfied, Shuu took off to the basement. Shuu hoped that the rice truck did arrive, or Mama Fuan would bring her wrath down on the company. The ash haired man grimaced as he remembered the one and only time she had brought her wrath down on him. Mama Fuan was one to get upset, but almost never angry. When she did, you KNEW it was at you. Shuu shuddered. It was the first and only time he had gone somewhere without letting her know. His friends had invited him somewhere-Shuu couldn't even remember where-and he had accepted without leaving word to his family. Well, they lost track of time, as children do, and he had gotten home well after dark. At first his mother was just upset, and pouring over the boy, glad that he was safe. But the next morning… The stillness and utter quiet at breakfast sent shivers down Shuu's spine. After eating, she had given him a VERY long lecture on how mad she was. It had lasted well into the afternoon. And then there were all the punishments…
Shuu shook the memory off as he entered the basement.
"Papa?"
"Yeah?"
"There's a lady upstairs who wants to rent us out for a banquet. I filled everything out; all that's left is your signature."
"Be right up as soon as I finish this load."
"You need any help?"
"Haha! I'm old but I'm not that old. You go back up to Quan. I'm sure he needs the help. I think he was ready to pull his hair last I saw him."
"Okay," Shuu replied as he made his way back up the stairs.
Shuu wondered how his father knew that Quan was ready to pull hair, but upon seeing his good friend, he saw why. Quan had "the look". As much as the stereotype had been used in movies and such, Quan somewhere along the way had perfected "the look". His normally large eyes were narrow, his bowl cut hair was standing on end, and his mouth was turned down into a frown. His head bowed, he looked like he was about to take a knife from the kitchen and use it to start carving people.
"Quan Ko!" Shuu said brightly in hopes to diffuse the situation.
"Shuu Rei," he replied in a low whisper. Shuu walked up to his friend and pulled up a seat next to him. There were no people around, suggesting that he had already thrown the potential waiters out.
"Okay," Shuu said in a low voice. "What happened?"
Quan grinned, and unnatural thing to do given how his face looked at the moment. "You know how I have very little patience for unintelligent people, right?"
"Do I! If I wasn't there, you would have thrown Katsuhito out on his butt after cracking every rib in his cage. Of course, looking back on it, that may not have been a bad idea."
Quan smiled despite himself, and then went back to looking ticked. "Well, let me put it this way. The first applicant couldn't balance an empty tray with both hands. The second just stood there and said no to every question I asked. The first walk in, in so many words, said that we should be grateful that he was going to work for us, and the second walk in…"
"The second walk in?" Shuu prompted.
"He doesn't like girls."
"Huh?"
"He doesn't like girls," Quan repeated.
Shuu caught on. "Let me guess. You were his type."
"That's the nice way of putting what he did."
"So, did you get anywhere?"
Quan took his first turn of the day to face fault. "Shuu!"
"Turn about is fair play," Shuu said loftily as he crossed his arms. "Were there any others?"
"No; and to think we have another hour and a half of waiting for someone else to walk in."
"Things could be worse."
"How?"
"Well," Shuu said expansively. "We could be attacked by an evil king from another realm and kidnapped. We could be dragged to the dungeon of this mighty castle and tortured while the evil king absorbs all of our negative emotions; or worse, left out in the open as bait to wait for the heroes to come."
Quan's mouth quirked.
"We could be fighting for our lives and eating nothing but devil's tongue, without any knowledge of the passing of time except for the fact that we're both growing beards. We could be forced to fight each other in open combat like Gladiators or something. Of course, by that point I'd have to swallow my pride and kick your butt."
Quan was openly smiling now.
"Worse yet, we could be forced to take the Toudai entrance exams without any prep time or cram schools. Shin was telling me that the math was torture. All that trigonometry and calculus and wave theory and abstract mathematics and real analysis. They'd expect us to read an entire play of some dead writer like Shakespeare or something, in English, and answer all the question, in English." Shuu paused. "Have you ever read Shakespeare? Shin read me a passage once. You think English is hard to learn now!"
Quan finally gave in and chuckled.
"But back to the torture. The evil king of a another realm would bring us to the throne room, intent of killing us purely for his pleasure, then-"
"Then you would don that kick ass ancestral armor you're always talking about and save the world."
Shuu smiled. "Pretty much."
"I'd like to see you try."
"I have!" Shuu said defensively.
"Yeah, but you had other people helping you, as I recall. Apparently there's more than one kick ass ancestral armor-five or nine, I can never remember the number."
"Can you imagine me wearing it to a cosplay! I'd win every contest out there."
"I'd have to SEE the fabled armor before I make any judgments on that. But the deep dark secret of where it is will forever remain a mystery to the likes of me." Quan was openly smiling now. "I bet you look like something dog's were munching on and got sick off of."
"No way!" Shuu said defensively. "I looked way cool! Coolest of the team!"
"With a face like yours? Not likely!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Where's the proof?"
"I told you I don't have it anymore now. I got a different one."
"Which is still butt ugly."
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Ano…" (Um…)
The pair looked up to see a young teen, still in her school uniform and holding her book bag with both hands. Her hair was long, and her eyes were small.
"Yes?" Shuu asked; a smile on his face.
"Is this where I apply for the opening?"
"It is indeed, Jyo-san," Quan replied. He rolled up his white sleeves and stood. "Could you please tell us your name?" Lady
"Takagi Yumi."
"Well, Yumi-san. We'll start with a few simple questions and then see what skills you have."
"Hai." The girl placed down her bag and sat in the open chair that Quan had used for previous applicants. (Yes.)
"To begin with," Shuu said. "There's obviously a lot of basic mathematics in waitressing. You have to be able to do a lot of adding and subtraction and multiplication. How are you at math?"
"Next semester I will be starting Calculus," Yumi replied smoothly.
"But are you passing?" Quan replied.
"I was third in my class last semester."
"Omedeto," offered Shuu. "So if I were to give you some sample problems," he offered a sheet. "You would be able to answer them correctly?" (Congratulations)
Yumi glanced at the sheet. Pulling out a pencil, she paused for a moment and wrote out the answers for each question. She handed the sheet back to Shuu. Upon looked at what she had written down, he found all the answers correct. "Without a calculator," he murmured.
"Our school doesn't believe in calculators. They are a crutch for people without any ability."
"Yumi-san," Quan said. "This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Tell me, have you been a waitress before?"
"Hai. Well, sort of," she replied. "There is a ramen shop across the street where I live. It is small, fitting only about twenty customers. I helped cook the ramen and serve it." (Yes.)
"So then, you've probably never had to carry things on trays before?" Shuu asked.
"Iie desu." (No.)
"Well, we'll get to that in a moment. Do you have a good memory? If you are hired, you will be given a list of our menus and their prices. You'll have to commit them to memory because, as you can see, our work clothes don't have many pockets." Quan stood and showed off the loose black pants and white silk shirt.
"My memory is good enough. It may take me a few days, but I can do it."
"Very good," Shuu said. Getting up, he pulled out a tray and handed it to Yumi. "How would you hold this?"
Yumi took the tray and held it with both hands in front of her.
Nodding, Shuu took out several empty dishes and began loading them onto the tray. Piling them on, he watched in slight amusement as she began to sink down with the weight of the tray. "Now," he said. "Try to walk around with that and not get in anyone's way." Yumi gulped in reply, but started to walk around. It was getting on eleven o'clock, and people were starting to file in for the lunch rush. Yumi quite nearly ran into one of the waiters, but managed to side step rather deftly to one side. Finally, she managed to come back.
Shuu took the tray from the grateful Yumi, lifting it and placing it on his shoulder with practiced ease. The long haired girl looked on enviously.
"Well," Quan said; who had been quiet up until that point. "I'd say you have a pretty good shot at becoming a waitress. Training starts next week. I assume you'll come straight here after school?"
"Hai." (Yes.)
"Well, we look forward to seeing you there. The first day you will have to fill out the official paperwork, but welcome to the team."
"Arigatoo! Domo arigatoo!" Yumi bowed excessively and with a giddy air, exited the restaurant. (Thank you! Thank you so much!)
"That's one," Quan said, sitting back down. Shuu joined him.
"She wasn't so bad."
"No," Quan replied. "No, she wasn't." Shuu noticed that his gaze was far away.
"Don't tell me that the ever busy Yang Quan Ko has finally noticed a girl?"
Quan blushed furiously and tried to look angry. "Look who's talking!" he huffed. "What were you doing with that customer last week, eh? Eh?"
"Absolutely nothing!" Shuu said defensively.
"Well, good, then I was doing absolutely nothing just now, then."
"You're a fine one to talk! I saw your eyes. They were rather firmly planted on her skirt. I saw that!"
"I was watching where she was stepping! You were doing the same thing!"
"Not to her skirt I wasn't!"
"Do I look that hopeless?"
"Yes!" Shuu said; his grin as wide as Quan's flush.
"Then you must be at least twice as hopeless," scoffed Quan as he turned away and crossed his arms. There was a moment of silence before the two of them burst out into laughing.
Shuu liked Quan. He was a math man, much to Shuu's envy, with the ability to automatically calculate any sum in his head, much as the high school girl Yumi had. His sense of humor was often self deprecating, but it was light and always meant to be funny. His continual competition with Shuu was another matter as well. The pair would always be playing off each other, be it at work or when they were spending time together on breaks. Quan was almost always a bright person, despite his hard financial situation. Between his father, who worked as a repairman, and Quan himself, they had managed to scrimp enough money together for their little sister to go have music lessons. Shuu meanwhile had offered to teach Quan Wushu-Chinese martial arts and Tai Chi. That had taken some convincing, because Quan was the type to never accept favors. He was very proud that way. But after finally giving in, Shuu discovered that Quan was gifted in physical prowess and loved learning.
That reminded Shuu. "Will you be staying on for any sparring?" he asked.
"I doubt it. Tou-san is still sick, so I'll probably be working right up till closing. I've already missed two days, so I have to make up for it and try to build up a buffer in case he's sick longer that my little sister and I were."
"Hey," Shuu offered. "I know you never will, but anytime you need a hand, let me know."
Quan's face darkened slightly, and replied, "I think you already know the answer to that."
Shuu did. Quan was a proud person. He did not like to associate himself with people he didn't like, and he never, never, asked for favors. He always tried to work out his problems by himself. Shuu remember one time when his father had gotten hurt on the job and was sent to the hospital. Quan worked from opening to closing for a whole week to pay for the bill and to make up for the lost work time of his father. Shuu didn't learn of it, and probably wouldn't have, were it not for the fact that Shuu overheard a conversation Quan had with his father over the phone. Shuu confronted him about it, and Quan was furious that he had to confide in Shuu. That had resulted in a very strong scolding from his friend, and from then on Quan was a little more forthcoming with information. A little.
"Shitsureshimasu, is this where I apply for the waiter job?" (Excuse me.)
There were no other hires, but finding the mathematical Yumi was progress in itself. At noon the audiences were over, and Quan followed Shuu into the kitchen.
"Mama? Got any scraps for lunch?" Shuu called out.
"Fuan-taitai?" Quan added. "It's only two lowly waiters trying to feed themselves between tables! Surely there are little crumbs that you can bestow upon these lowly workers." Chinese for Mrs. Fuan.
"Shuu! Hon, and Quan! Just in time!" Mama burst from somewhere deep in the kitchen. In her hands was a plate of egg rolls and a helping of pork rice. Well, it was more pork than it was rice.
"No rice truck, I take it," Shuu said as he pulled out two pairs of chopsticks. Offering one to Quan, he took the plate and started to dig into the rice. Quan picked up one of the rolls.
"No! It hasn't! Your Papa and I are absolutely furious! That sham of a company refuses to tell us where the truck is or what is going on. Your Papa left an hour ago to try and see if any of our other restaurants can spare some rice at least until we get through the rest of the day. I'm waiting for him to call any minute now. Oooooooooo, I am so furious! I have never in my thirty years of owning a restaurant ever had a truck THIS late before. Rice is the primary part of any Chinese dish and I have to use it sparingly because some BAKA doesn't feel like delivering it! Humph!" (Idiot)
"I'm sure the entire kitchen shares in your annoyance," Quan replied as he helps himself to the second egg roll.
"Hey! That's mine!"
"But you're the one eating all the pork!"
"I like meat!"
"Well, this is an egg roll, so I'm sure you won't miss anything."
"Says who?"
"Children!" the experienced Mama Fuan shouted over them. "There is enough for both of you! But eat quickly. This is the lunch rush!"
"Haaaaaaaaai!" both of them replied simultaneously. (Yeeeeeeeeees!)
The two finished their food quietly-well, quietly for them-and went back into the main hall to begin their work. Shuu ran a hand through his hair as he surveyed the restaurant. Not as full as it could get, but it was only a little after twelve. The lunch rush often didn't pick up until closer to one.
"Hey," Quan said in a low voice. "As your senpai I recommend you run a comb through your hair. You look horrible." (Superior)
"Hai, Hahaue!" (Yes mother.)
"And clean your shirt too!"
"Hai, Hahaue!" (Yes mother.)
Shuu ran upstairs and into his small room. Looking in the mirror, he saw Quan's point. Somewhere through the day, his hair had yet again started to point every which way. His Chinese silk shirt wasn't too bad, but there was evidence that he had been eating. Grabbing his comb, Shuu went down the hall to the bathroom. Running the comb under water, he again ran it through his hair as he had done twice already today. Pulling out a towel, he dampened it and ran it across the bits of rice, making sure it was once again the stark white it was supposed to be.
Shuu went back downstairs and found the waitress he was replacing.
"Any tables left for you?"
"Four and six. I'll finish them, and then I am so gone. It's been a long morning."
Shuu laughed. "You don't know the half of it. I'll clean them when you're done, it'll get you out earlier that way."
"Thanks."
That taken care of, Shuu checked the seven tables he was going to waiter today. Tables one and three still had empty plates on them. Obviously, they had not been picked up yet. Walking over and picking up a tray as he did so, Shuu cleared the plates from table one to the tray and, pulling out a cleaner, spritzed glass cleaner on the Plexiglas that covered the dark green tablecloth. Pulling out a towel from the same place he had gotten the glass cleaner, he wiped the table clean. Shuu repeated the process with table three and carried the now full tray to the kitchen, dropping off the contents on the dishwasher's counter. The men there looked at him rather pleadingly before taking the dirty dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. He replaced the tray to where he found it.
"Shuu!"
The blue eyed man turned to see the host motioning to him. He half jogged over. "What tables?"
"Seven, eight, and two. They came all at once."
"That's fine. You already gave out the menus?"
"Of course."
"Then I'm off." Shuu pulled out the notebook and pencil that the waiters were all allotted from his only pocket and moved off to the closest table.
"Konnichi wa, minna-san. I will be your waiter today. Are there any drinks that you want to order?" (Good afternoon, everyone.)
The table consisted of two women and an older man. The man replied, "What do you have to offer?"
"We have water, tea, root beer, iced tea, and soda."
"Do you serve any sake?" the old man asked.
"We do. Would you like me to give the liquor list?"
"No," the man said. "Give me a bottle of sake."
Shuu wrote that down and looked to the two ladies.
"Two green tea, please."
"Of course," Shuu replied. "I'll give you some time to order." Shuu walked off to the kitchen and gave them the order before going to the table seven.
"Konnichi wa, minna-san. I will be your waiter today. Are there any drinks that you want to order?" (Good afternoon, everyone.)
"Shuu-senpai!" Shuu smiled as he looked at his underclassman. He was a tall, burly looking boy named Asuma and with him was a frail looking girl that he did not remember.
"Hey, Asuma. Why are you here and not at school?"
"I decided to take the day off and treat my girl, here," Asuma replied. He looked to the frail girl and grinned lecherously.
"I see you haven't changed," Shuu supplied, looking directly at the frail girl. "What line did he use on you?"
"Ano… He didn't use any line," the girl said, her face a bright red.
Shuu grinned even wider, but said nothing. "So what'll you have?"
"I'll have the tea, of course, and Yukiko will have green tea."
"Alright. I'll have them in a minute." Shuu went back to the kitchen, placed that order, and repeated the process again with table two. By the time he came back to place the third order, the drinks for table eight had already been placed. Shuu took the tray and headed over to table eight.
"Here are you drinks, minna-san," Shuu said politely. He placed the two teas before the ladies and opened and poured the sake before he placed the cup on the table. He placed the bottle on the table and pulled out his notebook one handed, flipping to the order sheet. "Are you ready to order yet?"
"Yes," said the old man. "I'll have the egg rolls."
Shuu wrote that down. "Do you want pork or chicken rice?"
"Chicken."
"Hai. And the Jyou-san-tachi?" (Yes, sir … ladies?)
"I will have the chicken chow main, pork rice."
"I will have the dumplings, chicken rice."
"Those are all good choices," Shuu replied. "I'll be back with your orders in a bit."
Shuu went back to the kitchen to get the second set of drinks and moved off to the second table with his old classmate, noticing that table four had a woman sitting there.
"Here are your drinks, Asuma, and Yukiko-san." Shuu placed the two teas by the respective customer and again pulled out his notebook. "You must be ready to order by now."
"Hai, senpai. I'll be having the egg fuu yung, and she will have the dim sum."
Shuu wrote it down with practiced speed. "Knowing you, Asuma, I'm sure you want the dumplings, too."
"You should already to know the answer to that." Shuu nodded and added dumplings to the list. Pausing before going to table two, he went to table four.
"Konnichi wa, jyou-san. I will be your waiter today. Are there any drinks that you want to order?" (Good afternoon, lady.)
"I would like tea," the woman replied. "What is the day's special?"
"That would be the dim sum," Shuu replied politely. It was the days special because it was about the only dish that didn't require rice.
"I'll have that, then."
Shuu wrote that down. "I'll be right with you." He dropped off the two orders and finally took the drinks for table two. The restaurant filled quickly and it was not long before Shuu was waiting on all seven tables. It was no problem for Shuu, though. He had been waitering since he was fifteen, the same year Quan was hired. Shuu had liked working with the people, and had opted to stay a waiter, letting Quan have the headwaiter opening.
Half an hour later, Shuu checked on table seven.
"Asuma, you and Yukiko-san are enjoying everything, I hope?"
"We are indeed!" Asuma replied. Shuu looked to the frail high school girl to see her almost inhaling the dim sum. Shuu blinked, unable to picture such a petite girl eating so fast; and with such ferocity!
"Do you need anything?"
"Refills, but that about it."
Shuu nodded, writing it down. "I'll be right with you." Shuu walked back to the kitchen and placed the order for the drinks to see the third bottle of sake for table eight had already been set out. Picking it up, he walked back to table eight and opened the bottle for the old man. "Here you are sir," Shuu said politely. The man's nose and ears were red, and he said nothing as Shuu poured. Turning to the ladies, he asked if they needed anything.
"No, we're quite settled right now."
Shuu nodded and continued to check on his tables and place more orders until the headwaiter Quan waved him over.
"What's up?"
"How much sake has table eight had?"
"Three. He's not getting disruptive, is he?"
"No, not yet," Quan replied. "But keep an eye on him. The jyou-san-tachi are awfully quiet now, and I don't like how they're looking at the old man."
Shuu raised his thick eyebrows. "You act like you know how this is gonna happen."
"I do," Quan said quietly. "Classmate of mine had a mother like that. Took us out to eat and while we ate she got drunk. It got ugly."
"Sorry that happened to you," Shuu said sympathetically. "I'll keep watch."
Quan nodded. "If he starts anything, I'll take responsibility."
Shuu shook his head. "I can handle it. You forget who's been training you."
Quan offered a wry grin but said nothing as Shuu went back to the kitchen to see what orders were in. Three tables worth of orders had been set out almost at once. Nodding, Shuu picked up the tray for one table and easily carried it one handed to table five. After setting his table, he walked back to the kitchen, picked up the food for table four, and again placed it on the table, setting the dishes to the appropriate people. He walked back to the kitchen again and repeated the process for the newly seated table two.
Waitering involved a LOT of walking.
Shuu noticed Asuma waving him from table seven and he quickly walked over.
"Is everything all set?" he asked.
"They are indeed," Asuma replied, his grin broader than when he had entered the restaurant.
"Will you be wanting any desert?"
"Na, we'll be having desert later," he replied with a little too much enthusiasm. "Denpyou o, kudasai." (Check please.)
"Right away, Asuma," Shuu replied, rolling his eyes. "I wouldn't want to keep you from that desert." Asuma laughed as Shuu pulled out his notebook and walked to the register. He pulled out a small leather bound folder, and ripped out the order list he had used for table seven. He calculated the cost easily. While he may not have been overly great with advanced mathematics, he was an undisputed wiz with arithmetic. Writing out the total clearly, he walked back to table seven, glancing at table eight briefly, and placed the leather folder on the table. He disappeared without a word, knowing that any conversation would delay what Asuma had in mind. Teenagers.
Shuu stopped at table eight. "Is everything alright here?" he asked politely.
"More sake," the old man said, his words slurred.
Shuu looked to the two ladies. True to Quan's words, their faces were concerned, but one of the women nodded. Keeping his face expressionless, Shuu said, "Right away, sir."
"Bett'r b'fast. Take too damn long t'serve."
"Hai." Yes, sir.
Shuu walked stiffly back to the kitchen and to place the order for a fourth bottle of sake. A frown crossed his face and he hesitated for a moment before logging the order. He glanced at Quan's direction, finding him easily. The headwaiter nodded. Shuu moved on to the other tables, checking how his customers were doing and getting orders from newer arrivals. With Asuma and his latest girl gone, Shuu was left with no one to talk too, one of the minor problems with working during the rushes. One was often so busy so that one did not have the time to chat, and Shuu really wanted a chance to talk with Quan or someone about the man at table eight.
"Waiter!" Shuu could hear the slurred words of the old man.
Shuu forced himself to wait. "Is there anything else you would like?" he asked the family at table one.
"No, that would be fine."
"Waiter! Wherz th'damn sake?" The old man stood up, swaying for a second before making his way to Shuu.
Shuu looked to the family he was serving. "You'll have to excuse me, minna-san." He stepped away from the table and faced the drunk old man. "How may I help you, Ojii-san?" (Everyone… sir)
"Don'chu 'Ojii-san' me. I wanna know where m'sake is."
"Yes, sir. I have placed the order, and it will arrive shortly."
"I's not fas' enough!" he shouted, waving his hands wildly. "Yer givin' bad serv'ce! I ain't gonna tip ya!"
Shuu nodded. "That is your choice to make sir." He glanced over to the kitchen and saw that Quan was eyeing the conversation wearily. So was everyone in the restaurant, for that matter.
"Wherz m'sake?" he demanded. The old man lurched forward, his fist raised.
"Ojii-san!" one of the women finally walked up. "I think that's enough. Please don't upset the waiter, or he won't serve us." (Grandfather!)
"Go 'way, Kikyo! I'm talkin' man t'man here."
"Sir," Shuu said slowly. "I think if you were to take your seat we could talk about this without interruption."
"You shhhhut up! You don' know whut'chou're talkin' 'bout! I wan' m'sake!"
"Suminasen, waiter-san," the woman said, bowing low. "Ojii-san just lost his job, dakara…" (Forgive me… grandfather… so…)
"He do'n't haf t'know that!" the old man slurred. He put a hand on his granddaughter's shoulder and shoved her out of the way. "You go 'way!"
Shuu saw his opportunity. He stepped gracefully up to the old man from table eight and put his hand on his shoulder. "Sir, I must ask you to either take your seat again or to leave the restaurant. You-"
Before Shuu could say more, the old man swung his fist toward Shuu. He had anticipated the move, however. The waiter blocked the drunken punch and tightened his grip on the old man's shoulder, placing his thumb on a nerve in the neck. Quan was already making his way to the pair as the old man fell. With Quan's help, Shuu escorted the now unconscious man to the entryway. The two granddaughters followed, grabbing their things as they went.
Shuu pulled up a chair and set the old man on it, making sure that no one coming in would see him. Shuu stayed by him as the two ladies rushed over to Quan and him.
Quan stepped in front of Shuu. "Jyou-san-tachi," he said in a level voice. (Ladies)
Both women bowed lowly. "Honto ni gomen nasai," said the woman who had been pushed aside-Kikyo. "Neither of us expected…" We're so very sorry.
"That is beside the point," Quan said evenly. His face had once again obtained "the look", his hair on end and his eyes narrow. "Your Ojii-san got drunk. That in and of itself is not a bad thing, but he was an angry drunk, jyou-san-tachi. He made a public display of himself in a respectable restaurant and assaulted a waiter who was doing everything under his power to keep the situation from becoming what it did. I am very disappointed that two granddaughters, who are supposed to love and take care of their elders, let such a mess occur while simply sitting and their table and wishing they were somewhere else. You, Ojyou-san," Quan said, looking to Kikyo. "Tried to stop things too little and too late. You, Ojyou-san," he looked to the other woman. "Did nothing. You just sat there with your head down." (Grandfather… ladies… ma'am… ma'am)
Both women bowed again.
Quan took a deep breath. "At the risk of casting aside tradition, bowing won't help matters. I know that you are both probably more embarrassed than you are sorry. I can accept that. Pay the bill," Quan glanced to Shuu who went to the register. "Take your Ojii-san home, and please make sure that he never comes here again. Never," he adds in a low voice.
Kikyo and the other woman bowed sincerely. When Shuu handed them the bill, Kikyo pulled out the appropriate yen and handed it to Quan the headwaiter.
"What are you giving it to me for? Shuu was your waiter for the day."
Nodding, Kikyo handed the money to Shuu.
"Now," Quan said, his voice not as low as before. "I expect that you can take care of your Ojii-san now while Shuu goes back to his tables. I'm sure you won't mind my remaining here to make sure everything goes smoothly."
Shuu offered a small grin to Quan, who nodded, and Shuu went back to his tables.
Thankfully, the rest of Shuu's shift as waiter went without event. At four o'clock, Shuu's feet were only slightly sore and he sat in the kitchen gratefully as he watched the various cooks do their work. Pulling off his slip on shoes, Shuu rubbed his feet. Even after waitering for just over five years, his feet still got sore. Granted, it was not nearly as bad as when he first started, but Shuu often wondered when he would go through a full four-hour shift without having to rub his feet. Cocking his head from side to side, he rolled up his sleeves-now that he could, and satisfied himself with watching the controlled chaos of the kitchen.
Shuu wondered briefly if any of the Troopers were going to invite everyone over for a weekend. He had had the gathering last time, and he was getting a little impatient for the next get together. He really wanted some time away from the restaurant and from his family. He was getting downright stir crazy. But then, the other Troopers had their own routines and schedules, they probably got stir crazy at different times than him. Shuu knew that if was very rare for Ryo to invite everyone over because he almost never got bored. Hell, he lived in Tokyo most of the year; there was too much going on for him TO get bored there. Touma didn't invite the Troopers all that much either. But when he did it was usually one of the best get-aways. Touma, ever the planner, would practically have an itinerary for them, and was always very thoughtful about what everyone wanted. Seiji invited the others over when he could. He was just about as busy as Shuu with work at the dojo, but Seiji had an easier time planning out weekends together-Friday and Saturday included. Shin would have weekends to. His were great because Shin insisted on doing all the cooking at his house. Shuu smiled at the thought of Shin's decorated rice balls or his famous teriyaki sauce.
"Shuu! Hon!"
He blinked as he looked up to see Mama Fuan looking down at him. A bright smile was on her face.
"Hon, the rice truck arrived! It finally got here! Could you please help unload it?"
Shuu blinked.
"Mama," he said. "I just got off shift. My feet are sore and I'm done working for the day."
Mama Fuan blinked. "That's right. But there's no one downstairs in the basement right now! Oh, I hate to have to ask you, but…"
"Tadaima!" Yin walked into the kitchen from the back door. The bandaid that had been on his cheek that morning had been taken off sometime during the day and his cut showed, a small red line against his otherwise flawless skin. (I'm home!)
Mama Fuan grinned broadly as she looked at her second oldest son. "Okairi nasai, Yin-kun!" (Welcome home.)
Yin visibly blanched. "NO," he said firmly.
Yin's mother tried to feign innocence. "Whatever do you mean?"
"I mean whenever you call me Yin-kun, then I have to do something I don't usually do. It normally involves physical labor that I haven't been trained for."
"I haven't said anything yet!"
"You don't have to. Last time you called me Yin-kun I was stuck trying to clear all the tables after hours because Papa and Rinfi weren't home. The time before that I had to sub for Shuu during the lunch rush. The time before that I had to lug up the food from the basement because Ikenawa was sick. And the time before that wasn't even restaurant related! You had me baby-sit the kids while you and Papa took care of business at the second restaurant."
"But Yin!" Mama Fuan said brightly. "You look so cute when you're suffering!"
"No! No, no, no, no, no, no!"
"Yes!" replied Mama Fuan. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! The rice truck just arrived, and Shuu's already worn out having to deal with everything that's happened today. Several trucks were late, one truck wasn't even ours, there was a drunk in the restaurant, and I've been on the phone all day trying to get our rice truck here before we run out of yesterday's delivery. He's tired, I have little patience, and you WILL help unload the rice truck downstairs." Mama Fuan gave a healthy, if evil smile. "You know where the aprons are."
Yin hung his head dejectedly. "Hai, Hahaue." Then he looked up to the ceiling and asked, "Why me?" (Yes, mother.)
"Mama said it best," Shuu said, smiling broadly. "You look cute when you suffer. I'm sure all the girls would agree with me."
"Don't even get me started on girls!" Yin said with an overly depressed air as the fifteen-year-old put down his book bag where it wasn't in anyone's way and grabbed an apron from the peg. "I hate them!"
"I'm sure you do," Shuu said as he watched his mother run off to somewhere else in the kitchen. "But then you'll find one that you like and your entire attitude will change."
"Not likely."
Shuu grinned again. "You just mark my words."
Yin muttered something and then went down to the basement.
"Tadaimaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" (We're hoooooooooooooome!)
Mei Ryu and Chun Fa burst into the kitchen; and immediately paraded to Shuu. Not far behind them were three other kids, also running into the kitchen. "No running in the kitchen!" he yelled in a voice loud enough that even people across the large room slowed down noticeably.
"Shuu-nii!" cried Chun Fa. "Where's Yin-nii?"
Shuu smiled broadly. "He's suffering right now."
Chun Fa blinked. "You mean he's acting cute again?"
"Yep!" Shuu said brightly. "And he's doing it in the basement. We've been having some problems today, so he's been enlisted."
"Mama used her charm?" Mei Ryu asked.
"She did indeed. So you guys are stuck with your old Da Ge-nii." Chinese for eldest brother, with Japanese suffix for older brother. '
Mei Ryu and Chun Fa jumped up and down, their three friends doing the same. "Yay! Yay! Yay!"
"Does this mean we get to play hide and seek?" one of the children asked.
"If that's what you want," Shuu said brightly. "I even offer to be it on the first round. But! There's one condition."
All five children frowned.
"Do you see all these people working around here?" The children nodded. "Well, they all are working very hard; and they still have a lot of work to do, okay? So we don't want to interrupt their work, right? So we have a restriction. You can hide anywhere you want, but it can't be here on the ground floor. Is that understood?"
"Yeah!" came a chorus of replies.
"Okay then!" Shuu stood up, again rolling up his sleeves. "You all better be hidden by the time I get up there! I'm gonna start counting. Ichi…" Before he had even started counting, all five children came as close to running as they dared as the made their way the upstairs. "Ni!" Shuu cocked his head and rolled his shoulders, looking ahead to a long afternoon. "San!" He was going to be stuck at the restaurant all day at this rate. "Shi!" Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he called up, "Go!" He waited for a moment before shouting, "Roku, shichi, hachi, kyu, juu! I'm coming up!" (One… Two, three, four… do I need to translate this?)
Without further ado, Shuu bounded up the stairs, making sure his steps were loud and heavy. "Ready or not, here I come!" he shouted. He paused, listening. There were giggles here and there, but otherwise there was silence. He debated where to start. Shuu decided to start in his room. He stepped into the doorway and examined his small domain. It SEEMED no different than when he had last been there. His futon was folded and placed in the corner--Shuu had not had time to put it away with everyone in the room that morning. The closet door was closed; there were empty wrappers scattered about the floor; Shuu's Tai Chi, Fung Shue, and Kung Fu books were still in a neat pile at his desk.
Was that an extra foot under the desk?
Shuu gave a feral grin as he made a show of tiptoeing to the desk. "Oi," he whispered hoarsely. "There isn't anyone under my desk, is there?" (Hey)
"Iya! There isn't," came the equally whispered reply. (No!)
"Are you sure?"
"Hai!" (Yeah!)
"Oh. That's good. I thought there was someone under my desk."
"Well, there isn't."
"Okay!" Shuu said in a normal voice. "Then I guess since no one's under my desk no one will mind if I get to work." Pulling up a chair, Shuu sat down at his desk. "Man, are my feet sore from being a waiter. My legs, too. It feels so great to stretch them!" Shuu deliberately stretched his legs under the desk, running into and rubbing against the desperate child who was trying not to be caught. "I sure am glad there's no one under my desk. If there were, I'm sure I'd end up tickling them."
To emphasize the point, Shuu jerked his feet over to where the boy was, and succeeding in creating a very loud gulp of giggles.
Being a ham, Shuu put his hand to his ear and said. "Say, now that's funny. I thought I heard someone laughing under my desk. Are you sure there's no one under there?"
"Positive!" came the reply between giggles. "There's no one down here!"
"Oh, okay. Then I can stretch my feet all I want."
"No, you can't!"
"Why not? I'm enjoying myself."
"Because!"
"Because what?"
"Because I said so!"
"Oh, I see." Shuu put his feet to the floor momentarily. "I haven't heard logic that good for a while. Tell me, can you elaborate on the subject?"
"Iya da!" (No!)
"Well," Shuu said, sighing. "I guess that works to my advantage. Since I don't want everyone waiting for me when I go to find them, then it means I can to THIS much quicker." Shuu, who has slowly extracted his feet from under his desk, shot his hands in instead and grabbed the little boy who had tried to hide there. "Well, I'll be! There really WAS someone under my desk!"
"Okay!" the boy cried. Shuu couldn't remember his name, but he had seen him at the house a lot. "You found me! Now put me down!"
Shuu grinned. "Are you sure?"
"Hai!" (Yes!)
Promptly following orders, Shuu let go, and the boy fell lightly to the floor. "Care to follow me while I find the others?"
"Haaaaaaaaaaaai!" (Yeeeeeeeeees!)
Shuu slipped out of his room, the twelve-year-old boy whose name he didn't know following loudly, he walked across the hall and into the room Rinfi shared with her little sister, Chun Fa.
"Ew, a girl's room!"
Shuu shrugged. "Did you know girls say the same thing about boy's rooms?"
"But boy's rooms are cool!"
There came a scoffing sound from the general area of the bunk bed followed by a shushing sound. Shuu recognized the laugh as Chun Fa's. The boy pulled at Shuu's sleeve. "There's someone in here!" he whispered hoarsely.
The babysitter said nothing, but nodded and looked around the room. The desk in the girls' room doubled as a bureau, with a large mirror over the desk area and some make up off to the side. The other side of the wall held the bunk bed. The wall to Shuu's left held the built-in closet, to which Shuu lightly walked over toward. He knew where Chun Fa was; the nine-year-old always picked the same place when playing hide and seek. The shushing noise, from her friend, came from the same place. Glancing around with a conspiratorial air, he reached out to the fusama. With a large "karararara" sound, he flung open the door to reveal-
"An empty closet!" the boy said, his shoulder's slumped. "Hey, I thought you were good at this!"
Shuu looked down and smiled, winking. He put a finger to his mouth, indicating for the boy to remain quiet.
"Well," Shuu said in a loud voice. "If there's no one in the closet, I wonder where they would be." Turning his back to the still open fusama, Shuu moved across the room to the window. "Maybe someone's hiding outside the window?" Shuu unlocked it and again made a dramatic show of flinging it open. There was of course no one there, but Shuu was not done yet.
"This is getting hard," Shuu said, deliberately overacting. "I'm running out of places." Shuu again looked around the room. "Oh wait! I know!" Shuu went to the desk. "I bet someone hid in the drawer!" He opened one of them. "Wow, there are a lot of girly things here," he said loudly. "I'm glad no girls are in here, or they'd kill me."
He continued to make rummaging noises. Neither of the girls could see him from under the bunk bed. His back was directly to them, and they were not aware that he was looking through the one drawer that Rinfi years ago had deemed "safe" to look through. Shuu smiled at the memory. On one of his never-ending quests to find a snack, he had thought that there might be one in the desk/bureau. He found other things instead, things that prompted Rinfi, despite being three years younger, to beat on him soundly to teach him a lesson. Shuu never looked in a girl's drawer again, except for the one safe drawer that held pencils, papers, and other stuff.
"Gee, what's this?" Shuu said. "This must be Chun Fa's. I wonder why she would be something this kinky. And this is just gaudy! How do girls think this stuff is cool? Woah, and how do you even put this thing on?"
"Hentaaaaaaaaai!" cried Chun Fa as she burst from her spot under the bed. At the tender age of nine, all she understood were that hentai liked underwear. She ran all of the four steps to Shuu and jumped onto his exposed back, throwing her small arms around his neck. "Hentaaaaaai!" she cried again. (Pervert!)
Shuu carefully disengaged himself from her and lifted her to eye level. "Found you," he said; his smile bright.
Chun Fa, upon seeing the junk drawer opened and not another drawer threw her fist into Shuu's chest. "No fair! You cheated!"
Shuu laughed. "No, I didn't! How I play is what makes the game so popular!"
"Liar! That wasn't fun at all!"
"Really?" Shuu asked. "Then why are you smiling so much?"
"Shut up!"
Lowering his little sister back to the ground, Shuu then looked around the room. "So I guess that's everyone in this room," he said cheerily. "Since no one else is here, then we can leave this room alone for the rest of the day. Chun Fa, I don't think you're gonna be in here until late tonight; and I know that Rinfi is always the last one to bed. Yep, we can shut the door and not open it for several hours." Shuu went to the door. "Come on, minna. There's no more reason to stay in a girl's room." everyone
"Matte!" cried a small voice from Chun Fa's place under the bed. "Matte, matte!" Another little girl Chun Fa's age, burst out from under the lower bed and raced to them. "Matte!" (Wait!)
"Ah, so there you are!" Shuu said brightly. The little girl looked down, realizing her fatal mistake.
"Daijoubu. He always cheats." Chun Fa stuck her tongue out at Shuu. Shuu made a face right back. (It's okay.)
The next room was next to the girls' room. It was the parents' room. There was no one in there.
The room after that was the boys' room-Yin's and Mei Ryu's. Their room was a mirror image of Rinfi's and Chun Fa's room, accept instead of a mirror and make up, they had different sports balls scattered about the floor and Yin's school books strewn about his upper bunk bed. On the lower bed was another twelve-year-old boy, reading manga.
"Hey!" shouted Chun Fa. "You're supposed to be hidden!"
"I was," the boy said. "But I got bored waiting for you."
"Then you missed the best part!" cried Shuu's little sister. "Shuu is the best at playing Hide and Seek! Are you crazy?"
"Na," answered the boy. "Just bored."
"Where's Mei Ryu?" asked the first boy that Shuu had found.
"Dunno. Got hungry a while back. Haven't seen him since."
Shuu smacked his hand against his forehead. "I TOLD him not to go into the kitchen. He is SO going to be in trouble for this!"
"Don't worry," Chun Fa said. "I'll keep an eye on everyone." She turned to the three other children. "All right, now! I have a great idea!" She reached into her school uniform and pulled out a deck of cards. "I just happen to have a freshly created pack! Let's play and see who the champion is!"
The two boys' eyes immediately lit up, the other girl looked on blankly.
Shuu made sure that the four were deeply engrossed in their game before tromping downstairs. True to form, Mei Ryu was in the kitchen, begging the cooks to give him scraps of something and stealing them when they weren't looking. Mama Fuan was nowhere in sight, and most likely in the basement helping Yin. Papa Fuan was also nowhere. Shuu wagered he was still at the other restaurants, as was his custom. Because of this there was effectively no one to look after Mei Ryu.
What was Shuu saying earlier about needing to get away from his family? Suppressing a sigh, he calmly walked over to Mei Ryu, who was munching on some of the freshly delivered and cooked rice. Without a word, he picked up the well fed boy, who cried out with the motion. Several cooks nodded. They were happy to get the boy out of their hair nets.
Mei Ryu kicked and screamed, saying that the monkey king shouldn't be treated in such a manner, but Shuu didn't reply until he was back upstairs and in his room. He plopped the twelve-year-old on Shuu's desk chair. Sliding his door closed, Shuu sat on the desk in front of the boy. It was this way that Shuu retained his height and then some, giving him the clear advantage and the look of an authority--which he was without the parents around.
"Do you know what you were doing?" he asked in a low voice. This was not the time for light laughter and teasing.
Mei Ryu shook his head.
"You were eating in the kitchen."
"I always eat in the kitchen," Mei Ryu said off handedly.
"Then let me clarify, you were eating in the kitchen during hours."
Mei Ryu hung his head but said nothing.
"Do you know how many times we've told you not to eat during hours?"
"But I was hungry!" the boy said. "I'm a growing boy!"
Shuu pursed his lips but resisted the urge to sigh. Instead, he said, "Don't use my line."
"But you said it all the time."
"Did you ever see me eating from the downstairs kitchen while the restaurant was open?"
"… No."
"Did you ever see me eat from the upstairs kitchen while the restaurant was open?"
"… Yes."
"Have you ever seen Rinfi eat from the downstairs kitchen? Or Yin? Or Chun Fa? Or even Mama and Papa?"
"No."
Shuu nodded. "Did you ever see me eat all the time and not work out afterward?"
"Huh?"
"Mei Ryu," Shuu said. "The reason why I and Rinfi were always hungry, especially me, was because we were always practicing. We sparred; we trained under Papa or Grandfather. We were always running around doing chores. We burned off almost all the food we ate, so we would always have to eat more. And yes, I was a growing boy, but I was literally a growing boy. When I was thirteen, I jumped three shoes sizes in six months. I grew almost an inch a year."
"… hai." (… yes)
"You haven't hit puberty yet. You're not interested in Kung Fu, and you take advantage to the nth degree the fact that we let the kids have first dibs on the food. Now you're pilfering from the kitchen. Nobody really minds, except we've made it perfectly clear that you're NOT supposed to do that while the restaurant is open. Would you want food that had been partially eaten by someone else?"
"Of course not. I'm always eating your leftovers."
Shuu looked sternly at his little brother.
"Okay, okay. I get the point." Mei Ryu hung his head again.
"No, I don't think you do. Let me put it this way. What you're doing could close us down. Japanese regulations state that if you put out bread and take back the leftovers after the customer left, you cannot for any reason send out those loaves to another table. Suppose someone who had the bread the first time was sick. He or she picked through the bread to find one that they liked. After handling the food, that sick person transferred their germs to the bread. If we were to give that uneaten bread to other customers, and they got sick, then we could be sued for it and shut down for it. The cooks wear hair nets and use plastic gloves every time they use or cook the food. Dishes are cleaned in a hundred and eighty degree water. Can you imagine what happens if it gets out that a dirty little boy--"
"I'm not dirty!"
Shuu didn't say anything about that. "--got his hands on the food, let alone the dishes, that were going out the customers?"
"But I'm just nibbling!" Mei Ryu continued to protest.
"Fine. Were you wearing a hair net, or gloves? Did you wash the food thoroughly after nibbling on it? Did you throw away anything that you didn't finish?"
Mei Ryu couldn't reply.
Shuu nodded. "I'll have to confirm this with Mama, but your punishment is to come straight home after school to work in the kitchen." At Mei Ryu's smile, Shuu added, "NOT to work with the food, but to act as a runner. If a cook needs some vegetables, then you will get the vegetables for him. If they need a fresh leg of pork, then you will go down to the basement if you have to and cut it off. You will wear the net and gloves, and I don't care how hungry you are, you will NOT eat anything that is in front of you. You won't because Mama and Papa are going to make sure that you don't."
"But Da Ge--" (Chinese for eldest brother.)
"No buts. Now you're going to go to your room and watch Chun Fa beat everyone at that card game they've got going over there."
"They were playing a card game and you didn't tell me?"
"Consider that another punishment. At least I'm letting you go watch it. You won't play it, however."
"Da Ge!"
"Move!"
Mei Ryu muttered something under his breath, but Shuu ignored it as he followed the twelve-year-old into his and Yin's room to watch the game.
Fifteen minutes later Rinfi came in.
"Good timing!" Shuu said gratefully. Maybe now he could finally get out of the house. "You can take over watching the kids."
"Da Ge… Shuu… can I talk to you?" Rinfi asked in a quiet voice. "I really need some advice."
Oh, well.
"Sure," Shuu said, concerned. "On what?"
Rinfi promptly turned bright red.
Shuu cocked his head. "Guy problems? I though you were going out with what's-his-name. Wong, right?"
"That's just the problem."
"You don't think you should be going out with him?"
"No, no! That's not it." Rinfi blushed brighter, and Shuu realized what she wanted to know.
"Okay, parent room," he said. He glanced to the children, but they would be engrossed in the game for a while. The pair crossed the hall into Mama and Papa Fuan's room. Shuu slid the door shut as Rinfi sat on the bed. Shuu was the only one in the family who preferred the futon to an actual bed. Rinfi tugged at her pigtails and nibbled at the ends of her hair as Shuu sat beside her. For the first time since turning thirteen, Rinfi had once again retained the form of a little girl.
"What happened?" he asked. "Tell me from the beginning."
Rinfi didn't say anything for a long moment, her eyes fixed on something far off as she tried to figure out what she wanted to say. "You know that Wong has been seeing me for a year now, right?" At Shuu's nod, she continued. "Well, I'm starting to… I'm starting to… I think I want more than what he's been giving me."
"What does he give you?"
"No, that's not what I mean. I mean, well, you see, we kiss. A lot. And we hug, and we hold each other. But I find that even after all that I still want more. I think I'm ready for… you know… the next step."
Shuu nodded again. "Do you know what he feels?"
Rinfi shook her head. "I don't know how to ask him. I've tried a couple of times. But today…"
"Today?" Shuu prompted.
"Well, we were planning with the other students for the party. We decided to leave early because we have this big not-so-pop quiz in English and a test in Japanese. We were walking like we always do." Rinfi's face once again took a far off look as she remembered the moment, obviously happy. "We were just talking, it was really nice. We both want to go to the same college, and we were talking about going to the same cram school. It just sort of happened. We started kissing. I really liked it. I mean I really liked it. I wasn't thinking, I just reacted to it. We were starting to go somewhere when… he stopped."
"Stopped?"
"He pulled away." Rinfi's face became sad. "He grabbed my arms and practically pushed me away. Then he took off. I went after him, but he pulled away again." Rinfi looked up to Shuu with bright eyes. "Da Ge, how am I supposed to take that? We've always wanted the same thing, but if he doesn't want that, then where to we stand? Has his feelings about me changed? Does he hate me for trying to go further? Doshiyo? Doshiyo, Da Ge?" (eldest brother… What should I do? What should I do, eldest brother?)
Shuu took a deep breath.
"My first reaction, I have to admit, it to give you a very long lecture about certain facts that I know Mama-tachi have gone over with you. But I won't. Much as I may not like it, what you do is your decision. You know my opinion about taking that kind of step?" (Mama and Papa)
Rinfi smirked. "I do. You were the first one to educate me, remember?"
They both laughed at the memory.
"Then I won't bother repeating myself. So on to the second thing I feel this burning need to tell you. Talk to him. Call him up or get him alone at school and just talk to him. Find out how he feels about the subject and where the two of you stand. It might just be something as simple as his not being ready. That was what happened to me once."
Rinfi blinked. "You? Weren't ready for something?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's the guy's who are supposed to think about that kind of thing all the time and stuff. But I made a decision when I was fourteen."
"While you were saving the world?"
"Yeah, actually. I wanted to stick by it. But you remember Ming. She was all head strong and determined to get her way with things. After going with her for a while, she made it perfectly known that she was ready for things to start happening."
"She wasn't your most subtle date, Da Ge." (eldest brother)
"Yeah!" Shuu laughed. "Not my best choice. We had 'the talk', and I told her point blank that I wasn't ready. Well, she didn't like that at all. She went on one of her 'her way or the subway' rants, and even tried to twist it around so that I was the one who didn't love her enough to wait for her. We broke off after that."
Rinfi nodded. "So that's what happened. "You never said why the two of you broke up."
Shuu looked at his seventeen-year-old sister. "Do I look like the kind of guy who would talk about that?"
"So sorry," Rinfi said; the smirk back on her face. "I temporarily forgot that I know you best."
Shuu grinned back. "You just explain everything to your proclaimed koibito. If it's 'he isn't ready'. Then you wait. If it's meant to work out, then it will work out." (boyfriend)
Tossing her pigtails behind her head, Rinfi gave a full smile. "Thanks, Da Ge. I'll take care the gakki-tachi. You can satiate yourself with knowing that I won't give them one moment's peace." (Chinese for eldest brother… brats)
"That's the Rinfi I remember! And I can finally get out of the house!"
The two stood up and walked out of the parents' room. Rinfi joined Mei Ryu and the children while Shuu went back to his tiny room to finally change out of his waiter uniform and back into is original clothes. Rolling his shoulders and cocking his head, he went back down to the restaurant.
"Oi!" Hey!
Shuu looked over to see Quan motioning to him. "What's up?"
"You're leaving?"
"I've been cooped up in here, Quan. I need to get out."
"I can more than empathize," the headwaiter said, his face serious. "I just got a call from Tou-san. He's horrible."
"Is there anything I can do?" Shuu asked.
Quan gave a wry, sardonic grin. "Pray that he's back on his feet by the end of the week?"
"You have it. If you want, I can stay around and help you out."
Quan shook his head. "I'm earning every sen of my paycheck, thank you. I'll probably see you when you get back."
Shuu nodded. "Okay. If you need anything, let me know. I mean it."
The headwaiter just shook his head and shooed Shuu away. The late afternoon air was slightly chill, despite the bright sun. Of course, this was the first time all day that Shuu had had time to notice the weather. Pausing slightly, Shuu decided to head to the gamer's center and see who was there. It was a five minute subway ride or a thirty minute walk. Shuu opted for the walk. Enjoying the noisy air, he rolled his shoulders again and allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts. Another thing he hadn't done all day, seldom any day for that matter.
The first thought that came up in is mind was his sister, Rinfi. Shuu sincerely hoped that she could work things out with Wong, no matter what her choice was. Rinfi was always the biting Da Jie to Yin and the others, but Shuu she looked up to. All the children did, really. Shuu was sometimes called the third parent by Chun Fa. Of all the siblings, he was closest to Rinfi. The two shared everything when they were younger. She was the first one he had told about inheriting his armor. He was the first one that she came to when she found blood on her sheets one morning. Granted, all five of them were close to Mama and Papa Fuan, but Shuu and Rinfi were really close. Shuu told her about things that happened to him and through that prepared her for a lot of things she would not have been otherwise. Shuu explained what guys were thinking, or not thinking, when they teased girls. Rinfi told Shuu what girls were thinking when they were trying to be flirtatious. It was a good relationship. (Chinese for eldest sister)
It was kind of like with Quan. Quan, however proud, was also very close to Shuu. After five years of talking to each other on breaks, the pair had gotten to read each other every well. Their interaction was great; Shuu really enjoyed his company.
Thinking about the headwaiter made Shuu send up some silent prayers that his father would get better soon. A repairman didn't make much money, but every yen was needed to pay the bills. Quan once said that his father sometimes doubled as a heavy laborer. That was how he had ended up in the hospital that one time. He had met Quan's father once. He didn't look at all like a repairman. He was short, slight in build, balding and grey haired. Now to have the father up in age and with a fever, well. Shuu hoped for the best.
Shuu turned the corner and entered the market area. In many ways it was just like a mini Hong Kong. Granted, Shuu had only been six at the time he had seen the big city, but the market area he walked down reminded him a lot of what he remembered of Hong Kong. The crowds were huge. There must have been hundreds of people crowding around people selling fresh fruit and goods. The smell of fish and ice filtered into Shuu's nostrils and he found himself smiling. Shin would have a field day trying to sort through all the different types of foods, carefully examining each specimen for quality and freshness. Of course Shin wasn't a good haggler. Shuu was. They would be a dynamic duo if they ever entered the market together. Maybe they could do that the next time the other Troopers were down this way.
Shuu had to sidestep several times while trying to cross the market, and more than one person bumped into him. His size and weight, however, kept his feet on the ground and thankfully he was fast enough to keep the smaller people from falling over completely. Some people called him by name and waved. Shuu smiled as he waved back, glad beyond anything that he was out of the restaurant. The ash haired youth had earned quite a reputation in the market when he was a child. The sheer size of the crowds in the market made it very hard for people to catch thieves or ruffians. It was long since accepted as the norm. Shuu however, on his first day at school did not like having half a dozen elementary students trying to pick on him. So he promptly beat them up. The process was repeated whenever he saw someone being manhandled, and had quickly earned recognition in the market as one of the good guys. As he got older and the adults started to pay more attention to him, he did favors for whoever needed them and ran errands for the older people who frequented the market. His face was recognized by more people than Shuu could store in his memory, but he always made a point of waving back to each one.
Shuu smiled at the thought. He did not have such a glowing reputation in school. It had taken his teachers a long time to figure out that he only fought when someone else was being picked on.
"Oi! Shuu-san!"
He turned his head to find an elderly man huffing as he tried to catch up to him. Obliging, Shuu backtracked and met him halfway.
"Aa?" he asked. (Yeah?)
"You walk fast," the old man puffed, breathing heavily.
"You should see me when I'm in a hurry," Shuu joked. "What's up?"
"A moment," the old man wheezed. After finally catching his breath, he looked up to Shuu, saying, "Grandfather wanted to see you. It wasn't serious; he said you could take your time, but today would be nice."
"That'll be fine," Shuu answered. "I've been meaning to stop by for a while, but I've been so busy with the family."
"Shuu-san," the old man said. "With you everything is busy. I've never seen a boy who does so much in one day."
"No kidding!" Shuu said laughing. "Maybe someday I'll get a day off."
"If that ever happens, boy, make sure I'm nowhere near you. I think my old heart would stop."
"I'll keep that in mind, Jii-san." (Old man)
"Well, I'm off," the old man replied. "You're not the only one with things to do."
"Sore ja!" Shuu called off as the old man disappeared into the crowds of the market. (Well see ya!)
Grandfather wanted to see him? Now what did he want? One never knew with Grandfather. Reasons to see someone ranged from the very serious to the very ridiculous. More often than not it was the latter. It didn't stop Shuu from wondering though.
Finally exiting the market area, Shuu hastened his pace slightly. Twenty of his supposed thirty minute walk was spent navigating the market. The last ten went without incident.
The gaming center wasn't all that big, certainly not in comparison to some of the places in Tokyo. But it was enough for Shuu, and he often dropped by after school or work. He liked the 1st person shooters and tournament games. Stepping in, Shuu navigated his way with practiced ease through the crowds until he made his way to another favorite game of his, Dance Dance Revolution. He had managed to get all the Troopers, even the ever-reserved Seiji, addicted to the game. Waiting there were a few people he already knew.
"Hey! Shuu-kun!" Not missing a beat to the music, Gao Sheng waved to him. She was the one who had introduced him to the game and had won several championships. Sheng continued to stomp on the dance pad in accordance to the patterns that were on the game screen. Shuu didn't recognize the song, but nodded as she expertly danced the finishing patterns. She won a high score and a high combo, earning an A for the game.
"Nice!" Shuu said as she slipped off the pad, only slightly winded.
"Naturally," Sheng said smoothly. She wrapped her thing harms around Shuu's thick torso and hugged him tightly. "Do you think I would mess up when my koibito was watching?" (Boyfriend)
"Probably not," Shuu supplied. "What brings a temple maiden out here?"
Sheng laughed. "I'm hardly a temple maiden."
"No," Shuu said. "But that kimono you have to wear on New Year's makes you look damn sexy."
"You shut up," Sheng said lightly. She playfully hit Shuu's arm and went back to the dance pad. "Just for that, I challenge you! I pick the game."
"Uh-oh," Shuu replied as he stepped onto the second dance pad. Watching her cycle through the different mixes, Shuu started to wince as she selected what was probably the hardest song and set it to the hardest level of difficulty. Shaking his legs to loosen them, he prepared himself to be beaten soundly.
Shuu's prophecy came true. He failed the song before the intro even finished, and Sheng made her way through to the finish.
"Didn't take you long, did it?" she asked, a smile on her face.
"Ha!" Shuu said. "You're a fine one to talk. You got a C."
"That's only because you were too busy jeering and distracting me."
"I'm soooo sure."
"Care to try again?"
"You're on!"
"Hey guys," said another voice. Both looked around to see the brothers Kong Fu Shen and Kong Tan Rui had finally noticed Shuu's arrival. Fu stepped up, adding, "I want to challenge the Jyou-san. If she wants to be beaten so badly, the least I can do is oblige her." (lady)
"Be my guest!" Shuu said, stepping aside.
Fu smiled and stepped up to the dance pad as Sheng continued to cycle through the mixes to find an appropriate song. Tan, only fourteen, stood next to Shuu as he watched his older brother start the song.
"So how are you doing?" Shuu asked the small boy.
"I'm fine," Tan replied, his eyes still on his older brother. "Nii-san got the day off from working at Nogeyama. He thought he should treat me here before the day was wasted."
"Funny," Shuu said lightly. "I was having similar feelings about wasting the day."
"Really?"
"Yeah," the young man replied. "I've spend the last few days cooped up in my restaurant, so I figured I'd earned some time off for good behavior."
"You're weird," Tan said, running a hand through his red brown hair. "I thought you liked working at the restaurant."
"I do. Right up until I don't."
"Hen no yatsu," Tan scoffed. (Weirdo.)
"I bet Fu likes working at the park right up until he gets tired of it."
"That's never happened."
"If you say so."
"I do say so."
"Do you think you can back it up?"
"Name the game."
Shuu smirked. "Well, I could challenge you to DDR, but then Sheng-chan would have to challenge the winner, and I never like losing to her."
"That's assuming you'd beat me, of course," Tan said, grinning evilly. Tan was known throughout his school as an ardent gamer, from dating sims to first person shooters to RPGs. Very few people challenged him and won.
Shuu was one of them.
They played through three different tournament games and two shooters before Tan threw his hands up.
"I can't believe you beat me!" Cocking his head, he studied Shuu. "You don't look like a gamer."
"Ha! Why?" Shuu asked. "Because I don't wear glasses or live like some otaku? Do you look like a gamer?" (otaku, unlike here in America, is a derogatory term for someone who has no life aside from anime or games)
"I guess not."
"Besides," Shuu said. "I've already saved the world a couple of times. So fighter tournaments like these are cake walks."
"Oh, please, not that dumb old story!" Tan rolled his eyes and eyed a dating simulation that was free.
"It's not a story!" Shuu said. "I really did save the world."
"In a magical armor that conveniently doesn't exist anymore with four other people from all over Japan who have nothing in common in an epic battle that no one can remember because the media conveniently covered it up for fear of starting an international panic that could cause more destruction than that otherworldly ghost floating head thing that wanted to take over the world? Please. You could at least try to be original when you try to come up with something so stupid."
Shuu made a face but said nothing. He couldn't expect everyone to believe him. But he couldn't lie about it either.
"Oh, the 'story' again?" Sheng slid up to the pair. "I thought you'd two had disappeared. Another challenge?"
"I'm still the unbeaten champ," Shuu said confidently. He brusquely slapped his hand on the fourteen-year-old's back, not-so-accidentally sending the boy flying forward. Fu caught his little brother deftly.
"Does anybody want some soda?" the older brother asked. "I'm buying."
"An offer you will regret," Sheng said. "You might as well give Shuu you're wallet."
"Oi! I'm a growing boy."
Sheng smiled. "So desu. But in the wrong direction!" (That's right.)
Laughing, the four left the gaming center in search for vending machines.
Shuu had known Fu and his little brother Tan since high school. Fu knew about and believed in the armor story, as did Quan and a few others. Tan, however, was only eight at the time everything had started. Fu has apparently decided to keep the boy out of it. Fu worked at the Nogeyama Park. Mostly he welcomed people and was the one that people came to if there was a problem. Much like Shuu himself, Fu was a people person and always preferred large groups. In school, Fu's friends were always diverse and sometimes ever changing. Tan, his little brother, was quite the opposite. A solid gamer, Tan preferred living in his room with his eyes locked on a screen. Tan was enamored to his brother and visa versa, but beyond that the boy had trouble dealing with people.
Kind of like Ryo, now that Shuu thought about it. At fourteen, Ryo had no comprehension whatsoever on how to handle his huge heart. Some of the trouble that it got him in; it brought a smile to Shuu's face. He remembered one time when Ryo was told that he couldn't pick up a girl even if he wanted to. Determined to prove everyone wrong, he deliberately went up to a known flirt and tried to make a date with her. It was a disaster in the making, but Ryo didn't know it until it hit him. The look on his face when she was through with him was priceless.
Sheng meanwhile was a priestess. She worked at the Iseyama Kotai Shrine where the two had met a year ago. Shuu's family had wanted to spend New Year's Day there and had managed to drag everyone and their brother over. Sheng was part of the festivities, wearing a beautiful blue and white silk kimono and attending to people. Shuu, despite his best intentions, had managed to spill his plate all over it. Granted, he had offered to help her change into something else, but that was rather steadfastly refused. Shuu and Sheng laughed about it now, an auspisious meeting for a mismatched pair.
"Ja, miko-sama," Shuu said. "Has Oise-san found out about me yet?" (So, priestess… the goddess worshiped at Iseyama Kotai Shrine)
Sheng laughed at the ongoing joke. "No, Shuu-kun. Amaterasu-sama hasn't noticed you yet. Although she is asking questions about me." (Amaterasu is the formal name of the goddess; Oise-san is the short form.)
Fu blinked. "Eh?"
"Running gag," Shuu replied.
"This faithless lecher keeps asking if the mighty Amaterasu-sama has noticed that my heart doesn't belong entirely to her. I have tried to tell him that my heart has never been entirely devoted to anyone, but he doesn't seem to believe it." Sheng jabbed a small elbow into Shuu's ribs to emphasize the point.
"When I first met you I didn't think you heart belonged to anything," replied Fu. "But then, I guess Shuu can worm his way into anything, if you catch my drift."
"Just what do you mean by that?" Shuu demanded.
"Oh, nothing!" Fu said as he looked away, trying to look innocent.
"Are you making another dirty joke, Nii-san?" Tan asked, entering the conversation. His face was skeptical.
"Ano, na!" Fu replied, sending his fist lightly into his little brothers head. "Mataku. I thought we were getting drinks." (Hey! … Really.)
"Well," Sheng replied. "I would suggest there." She pointed lazily across the street to where a small Western café sat.
Nodding, Fu lead the way over and the four sat down at an empty table. It was not long before a waiter came over to them, dressed in a white collared shirt under a black vest and black slacks.
"Hello, I'm Hui Shi Zhi, your waitor for the evening."
"Hi, Shi Zhi-san!" Shuu said brightly. "What kind of drinks do you serve?"
"We have water, sake, beer, tea, western tea, soda, and coffee."
"I'll have tea," Shen replied.
"Beer," ordered Fu.
"Me, too," Tan said.
"No, he won't," Fu replied over his little brother. He gave a narrow "do-and-you're-dead" glance before looking back to the waitor. "Tan will have soda."
"And I'll have tea," finished Shuu.
The waiter nodded and left before Fu promptly started ringing his brother's neck. "Are you nuts? You're fourteen!"
"So?"
"Your body can't handle the stuff yet."
"Nii-san, you're always telling me how you started when you were thirteen."
Fu turned bright red.
"The boy has you licked," Sheng said as she moved her chair closer to Shuu's. "It's chilly today."
"I can always keep you warm," Shuu offered.
"The same way you offered to help me change kimonos?"
Everyone laughed. The drinks arrived and the conversation continued as they started to drink.
"You know," Shuu said. "We had a drunk in our restaurant today. Some Jii-san lost his job and thought he'd take it out on the guy serving him sake." (Old man)
Fu shook his head. "Some people just can't handle the stuff. Hahaue was like that before. She'd go out on weekends and not come back for days. That stopped very quickly when she lost her job." (Mother)
Shuu nodded. He remembered how Fu used to be before his mother gave up the sakezawa. "How is she now?" (A sakezawa is the cup used to drink sake from.)
"Still goes out on weekends, but she's much better off. Chichiue's back in the picture too. When he found out what happened, he crawled back and made the first honest attempt in his life to be there for us. Things have been really good the last year or so."
Tan didn't say anything but kept staring at his soda.
"And you, Sheng-chan?" Shuu asked. "How's life at the temple?"
"I hardly live there, I'm hardly a miko, and I hardly think anything I say will change what you say."
"You got that right."
"Well, Baa-san and Jii-san are still healthy as oxen. They say it's because I work at Oise-san. I doubt that has anything to do with it, but it keeps them happy. Of course I'm still flooded with guys trying to capture my heart." (Grandma and Grandpa)
"Except they don't realize how cold it is," Fu replied. "If it weren't for Shuu, I think you'd still be scaring away your customers on New Years."
The comment earned the fabled cold stare from Sheng, and the red headed boy shied away, suddenly becoming very interested in his beer.
"You haven't stopped by," Shuu said, changing subject quickly. "I haven't seen you around the restaurant all that much."
"I haven't had the time," Sheng replied, shivering with a sudden breeze. "Between cram school and Oise-san and people coming to pray I've barely had two minutes to myself. This was the first day in almost two weeks that I was able to get out on my own."
Shuu nodded. "I know the feeling. I've been feeling a little cramped in my quarters too. I was hoping to get out early today, but the rice truck went MIA and I was left looking after the kids while Mama and Papa turned Yokohama upside down trying to find the damn truck."
"One of those days?"
"You said it."
"Well," Fu replied. "At least you're out now."
"Yeah," Shuu said. "I'm hardly one to complain."
"You never complain," said Sheng.
"Don't need to, most of the time. I'm complaining now, though, aren't I?"
"I suppose," Sheng replied as she moved her chair even closer to Shuu. She drew up close and whispered, "You can talk to me anytime, you know that, right?"
Shuu smiled and whispered back, "I do. Do you?"
Sheng blushed suddenly despite the cool day and leaned back into her chair.
"Sweet nothings?" Tan asked.
Sheng soundly smack the young boy.
Their drinks finished, Shuu said, "I've got to meet Grandfather. I'll check back with you guys later."
"Alright," Fu said. "Thanks for putting up with my otaku of a brother."
"I'm not that bad!"
"It was nothing," Sheng said lightly. The four separated as Fu and Tan went in one direction and Shuu and Sheng in another.
They walked for several minutes in silence. Shuu watched, as the sun was low in the sky. He would make it to Grandfather's just before sunset. Despite the first two thirds of the day, Shuu was in a good mood. Smiling, he took Sheng's hand and walked that way for a while. The city was even busier than normal as the rush hour hit and the streets quite literally flooded with people. The thick crowds were nothing for Shuu, however, as he nimbly navigated the terrain, still hand-in-hand with Sheng.
Shuu liked these types of days. Full days like this were common, and Shuu found a certain appeal to them. Moving from one opportunity to another to another, managing your time and trying to get even one thing accomplished, and yet still being able to find a quiet moment like now, walking through the crowds of Yokohama with his koibito. Ryo and Seiji didn't quite get it. Neither did Touma. Shin sometimes understood, and sometimes didn't. As much as the Troopers had shared a lot together, they were still very much their own people, and that was something Shuu loved the most. The five of them understood that they were individuals and respected each other for it. They even tried to accommodate one another when the situation called for it. It caused for some very amusing times when they were all so busy trying to be there for the others that they didn't realize they also had to be there for themselves.
Shuu laughed at the thought.
"What's so funny?"
"Betsu ni," Shuu replied. He couldn't really explain it to Sheng. He had tried on several occasions. While skeptical about the armor, Sheng did accept the fact that Shuu had been through something life altering when he was a teen, and that the other four had shared the experience with him. Shuu had once explained that it was like having a separate family, one that didn't have all the sibling rivalry or seeing the same faces for twenty-four hours. The closeness was there, no matter where they were. Shuu felt the same way with Mama and Papa Fuan and all his siblings. Wherever he went, there were a people who would always be close to them. He hoped one day that Sheng would be one of them. (Nothing really.)
"What are you thinking about?" Sheng asked.
"… Life, I guess," Shuu said.
"That's unlike you."
"You hurt me!" Shuu said. "I'm not the ox that charges at the first sniff of a red cape, you know."
"Really?" Sheng said. "I would never have guessed."
They continued to walk for a short time before Sheng spoke again. "Ne, Shuu-kun. What did you mean earlier? About talking to you anytime?"
"Just that you don't seem to," Shuu replied. "Fu was right. Sometimes you can be downright cold. You're so concerned about not being emotional that you become emotionless sometimes."
Sheng didn't say anything for a while. Shuu satisfied himself with just walking with her. Quan was like that too. He wasn't emotionless, but he made damn sure no one knew about his problems. For Quan, it was a matter of pride and hating charity. Rinfi secured herself with biting remarks and a thick sense of sarcasm. But there were times, like just a few hours ago, that she let everything out. Even Fu was guarded to a point. It was not common knowledge about what his family had gone through immediately after the divorce. Even Shuu, himself, he supposed, was guarded in some way. But Sheng took the trait to the nth degree.
"I suppose," she started.
Shuu looked to her.
"I suppose it's because I have to deal with people. At the Shrine, I can't let any of my personal problems show through. If I'm having a bad day, then I can't show it to anyone who's coming to me for advice. At school, if I didn't look like the perfect student, then I would become the laughing stock of the entire class. It's kind of like the moral in Kareshi Kanojo no Jyou. I've never learned really to be myself. I'm starting to, though." (His and Her Circumstances)
"I can live with that," Shuu said. "I like what I've seen so far."
"So desu ka?" (Is that so?)
"Sure. You've shown me a lot on that DDR machine. You're competitive, and you like to be the best at everything you do. You strive for perfection. Those aren't bad qualities. They'll get you pretty far in life."
"… Thank you," Sheng finally replied. "I needed to hear that."
"No problem! Do I get a kiss now?" Shuu grinned.
Sheng replied by throwing a fist at him.
"You also have a lousy right," Shuu added.
"Anata ne!" (You!)
The rest of the walk passed by very quietly. The two continued to hold hands, and Shuu enjoyed the silence in the noise of the city of Yokohama. Shuu was having a really good day.
"So," Shuu said as he stopped off. "Any tearful goodbyes before I go off to face whatever Grandfather has in store for me?"
"You wish," Sheng said lightly. She gave a soft smile and hugged Shuu before heading off to her home.
Shuu nodded to himself as he walked the last few blocks to Grandfather's. Sheng really was starting to open up, and like he had said earlier, he liked what he saw. He was really starting to fall for that girl.
Grandfather was, obviously, an old man. He was short, almost squat, with solid white hair pulled into the traditional Chinese queue. His mustache was thin, almost imperceptible. He still had the vigor of youth, and his eyes were as sharp as his mind.
If slightly insane.
"Ah! Shuu!" Grandfather looked up from where he was having his meal. Shuu's stomach rumbled as he remembered that he had not eaten anything since lunch; which was several hours ago. Grandfather remained seated and offered Shuu a seat. "Did you want any rice balls?"
Shuu's stomach growled again. "I guess that means yes." Shuu sat down on a tatami by Grandfather and kept his mouth-watering minimal as a plate was set before him.
"Well? Go ahead, Shuu. Don't wait on ceremony."
Grinning, Shuu said, "In that case, itadakimasu!" He then promptly dug in. (Literally, thanks for the food. Like a Bon Appetite)
"Well, now. You look fine this evening," Grandfather said as he continued to eat his meal. "Yes, you look positively vibrant. You must have had a good day."
"I wouldn't've said that earlier today, but yeah, it's been good."
"Making any progress with Sheng-chan?"
"Grandfather!"
"Ah, gomen, gomen. Just an old man wanting a little excitement in his life." (Sorry, sorry)
"Yeah, sure."
"So what's new in your life?"
"You asked me all the way over here to find out how I'm doing?"
"Hai." Yes
Shuu rolled his eyes but said nothing. Grandfather never called anyone over for something that simple. Or that reasonable for that matter. Shuu continued to eat his rice balls, swallowing some tea that had also been set before him. When he finished, he sighed happily. "That was a good snack."
"You think that was a mere snack?" Grandfather asked, gaping at the three empty bowls. "That was a full course meal for me!"
"Hey, I'm a growing boy!" Shuu protested.
"If you're growing so much, then show me what you've learned!" Grandfather shouted. He tried to maintain a serious statute of a respected old man, but the lop sided grin on his face didn't quite make the image.
"Name the game, Granpa!" Shuu said, equally non-serious.
"Tai Chi!"
Shuu blinked.
"Tai Chi?"
Grandfather nodded stoutly, his queue bouncing with his head. "So desu. Tai Chi. We'll both go through it, and whoever did better gets the desert."
"Desert? You're on!"
Shuu stood up, towering over the old man. The moved to an open area of the room and faced each other. Both had determination in their eyes.
"Do you think you can beat an old master like myself?"
"There is a reason why you trained me personally to save the world."
"Ungrateful pupil!"
"Hurry up, old man!" Shuu retorted. "Or I'll beat you to the punch."
"I'll bet!" Grandfather replied.
The jeering and taunting done, the young man and the old man entered the qi shi, the commencing form of Tai Chi.
Shuu knew several styles of Tai Chi, and that evening he did Yang style. He parted the horse's mane with his hands, breathing in deeply, and then took the stance of a white crane spreading its wings. Shuu started to become aware of the chi around him, a powerful aura ordinarily, were it not for the old man whom he was competing with. Grandfather's chi was at least twice as large as Shuu's. It was an aura that Shuu strived for constantly.
Shuu stepped gracefully forward, starting the zuo you lou xi ao bu, the brush knee and twist step. Shuu would hold his hands as if he were holding a large ball, and then step out, placing one hand in front of him as a guard and another at his side. He repeated this three times. The next form was strumming the lute, and then he entered yet another form of the Yang style, stepping back and whirling arms. Shuu had found this part very hard when he was a child. It required stepping backward while holding your arms out, one in front and the other in back. When Shuu was smaller, he always lost his balance.
After that was the lan que wei, lefth and fight version. For Shuu, this was the part he felt his chi the most keenly. It was a series of graceful moments of the hands, and during them Shuu felt his chi nearly double. It felt as though his entire body was made of sand, moving and drifting to his movements. His sore feet from earlier in the day were forgotten, and the tight muscles he was not even aware of were slowly kneaded away. The center of his chi calmed, and all feelings of wanting to get away from his family completely dissolved as he went through the stance.
Shuu proceeded to the dan bian, hooking his hand and stepping almost immediately into the yun shou--moving his hands like clouds. Shuu realized something as he did so. As he was walking with Sheng, he was thinking about how he loved busy days because it despite running around from one place to another, one was still able to find a quiet moment to just be.
Shuu performed a high pat on the horse and moved fluidly into a right heel kick, followed by a strike to the ears of his imaginary opponent. A small step and he repeated the process with his left heel.
Quiet moments were found all the time. Shuu could be around his family all he wanted and still be able to get a quiet moment to himself. Now that he thought about it, he had hardly been with his family at all today. He spent more time with Quan or the delivery people then he did with his family. He had plenty of moments to himself. What was he complaining about?
Shuu shifted his weight to his right leg and slid the other out. He pushed off and switched where his weight was, lifting his right leg into the air and holding it. It was a perfect xia shi du li. He performed the maneuver again, and then took the form of a jade girl, the zuo you yu ny chuan suo stance. He slid easily from that to the needle at the sea bottom, the hai di zhen stance.
Shuu's chi was radiating off of him as he entered the final section of the Yang style. Entering the closing stances, Shuu's breathing continued to be slow and deep, his heart was beating in his head, and he found himself glad that Grandfather had challenged him to Tai Chi. The old man, no matter how crazy, always did things for a reason. Today, he made Shuu perform the Tai Chi so that he could calm down. Shuu had not even been aware that was behaving poorly during the last few days.
The image of his friends flashed in his head as he entered shou shi, the closing for of Yang style Tai Chi. He would have to let the fellow Troopers know about this. That a person could find a quiet moment whenever they wanted. That they only needed to look for it. It was something that Shuu had known for a long time, but had never really acknowledged it. Now, the lesson was re-taught, and Shuu wanted to show it to others.
"Well done, Shuu! Well, done!"
Shuu looked over to see Grandfather was helping himself to the desert he had promised as reward.
"Hey!" Shuu ran over to the old man, grabbing the sweet cakes out of his wrinkled hand. "You never intended to share, did you? You just let loose you chi to make me think you were going along with me.
"Oh?" Grandfather asked, trying to look innocent. "I just thought you were superior to anything I could produce, so I simply sat down to watch. You too so long, though, and I got hungry again."
Shuu glanced at a nearby clock. It had taken him that long to do the Tai Chi? His eyes widened.
"I was supposed to be home fifteen minutes ago! I'm late." Shuu glared at Grandfather. "Thanks a bunch, old man!"
"Any time, Shuu! Let me know when you get somewhere with that little miko!"
"Hentai no jiji!" Shuu called back as he ran out to the street. (Perverted old man!)
Shuu took off at full tilt. He was between subway trains, he would have to risk running all the way home. It wasn't like he didn't know the way. Shuu took every shortcut he could remember from all the OTHER times he was late from a meeting with Grandfather.
Panting only slightly, Shuu made home in record time. He took a deep breath before entering the restaurant. There were only three tables still occupied at this late hour, and Shuu could see two of them already getting ready to leave. Papa Fuan was already clearing and cleaning the empty tables, with the help of Rinfi. Peaking into the kitchen, he saw only Mama Fuan left, and she was putting dishes and ingredients away. Chun Fa and Yin came up from the basement, apparently finished moving the food. Mei Ryu was nowhere to be found. Neither was Quan.
"Tadaima!" I'm home!
"Oh! Shuu, hon!" Mama Fuan converged upon the young man. "Where have you been?"
Shuu flushed. "Grandfather wanted to see me. I got late. I didn't even realize it until I left."
Mama Fuan made a face. "He does that every time. I don't think he let loose a single guest on time. What did he want?"
"Just checking up on me," Shuu replied.
"He probably wanted to see how far Shuu got with Sheng," Yin supplied.
"Yeah, that too." Shuu looked around. "Where's Quan? He said he'd be here until closing."
Mama Fuan's face changed. "He got a call about an hour ago. His father's sick."
Shuu nodded. "Yeah, he was telling me about it this morning."
"Well, it would appear that he's gotten worse."
Shuu's eyes widened. "That bad?"
"Quan rushed home right afterward. His face was white as a sheet."
"Dammit!" Shuu cursed. "Dammit! I wish he would let me help him!"
Shuu's mother put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Shuu, hon. I'm sure everything's fine. And if it isn't, then it will all work out in the end. Now, why don't you help me finish making supper?"
"Sure," Shuu replied, his mind far away. The image of an old, small sick man passed across his mind, and Shuu send up prayers to whoever was listening that the old man would be alright. For his children's sake, if not for his own. Shuu wanted to call Quan immediately, but he knew that was an intrusion. The last thing Shuu wanted was to make it seem as though he was forcing his caring onto the headwaiter. If he did not leave any kind of word by tomorrow, Shuu resolved to go to Quan's home to see what was up. That way at least, he would have the excuse that he was there and might as well help out. If Quan still didn't accept the help, well, Shuu would have to teach the headwaiter a lesson about friendship.
Setting the kitchen counter for the seven people having dinner in the same manner as it had been set up that morning, Shuu stepped into the restaurant and pulled over some extra chairs so that everyone could sit down. Mama Fuan was dishing out, Mei Ryu and Chun Fa looking on with watering mouths. The customers had finally left, and Rinfi and Papa Fuan finished replacing the tablecloths and putting the chairs on the tables. Yin wandered in from somewhere and took his place at the table, the two youngest joining him. Shuu followed their lead and it was not long before everyone was sitting at the table.
Mama and Papa Fuan lifted their chopsticks, signaling it was alright for everyone to start eating. True to Fuan tradition, everybody dug in. In Mei Ryu's case, literally.
"So," Papa Fuan said expansively. "I hope that everyone had a good day."
Various replies came from the children.
"I see." Papa Fuan went back to eating.
Yin cocked his head from side to side, eliciting several cracks. "I'm never, ever, working in the basement again for as long as I live."
"I've heard that before," Rinfi said sarcastically. She pulled on her pigtails as she continued to eat. Shuu noticed that she looked much more relaxed, while Mei Ryu looked even more despondent.
"Well, I had a good day," Chun Fa said. "I saw the old steam trains that they used to use. We even took a ride on one that went all the way to the ocean!"
"No train goes to the ocean," Rinfi admonished. "Although watching you try to swim ashore if it sank would be interesting. I wonder if you'd even notice that you were drowning."
Chun Fa made a face. "That's not nice, Da Jie!" (Chinese for eldest sister.)
Shuu suddenly grinned. "Cut Rinfi some slack, Chun Fa. After all, she was having boy problems today."
Rinfi started, shocked stupid. "Sh… Shu… Da Ge!" (Chinese for oldest brother.)
Yin looked up, gaping at his source of torture. "You? The mighty Da Jie, the terror of all younger siblings? You might be imperfect? You might, gasp, have boy problems?" A wicked grin passed across his cut face. The look didn't suit him at all. "What happened?" he asked in a low voice. "Dare I suggest, you made a mistake?"
"Da Ge, I'm going to kill you!"
Shuu tsked her, replying, "Like you didn't do the same thing to me any number of times."
"That was for your own good!"
"The hell it was!"
"Wanna bet?"
"Name the price!"
Mama Fuan cleared her throat, silencing the table. "That's better," she said as she continued eating.
Yin, however, would not drop the subject. "Tell, me, Da Jie, have you ever heard of karma? Of how whatever you do comes back to you? I am suddenly left thinking to all the times you deliberately set the girls on me, just to watch me squirm." Yins face suddenly turned sour as a memory hit him. "I can't believe they thought I was even cuter disfigured! The very thing I was hoping would drive them away instead drives them TO me! It's so unfair."
"I was wondering why the band aid had come off," Shuu said as he reached out to have another helping of rice. "They tackled you, I take it?"
"Worse," Yin replied glumly. "When they demanded to know who was so evil as to cut my face, my stupidly honest answer sent them in squealing fits. Even my logic is cute! Do you have any idea how damaging that is? I want a normal life!"
Shuu and his parents merely grinned. "You'll live through it somehow," Mama Fuan supplied. "High school is never as bad as it seems when one looks back on it."
"That's easy for you to say!" Yin protested. "You're not living it!"
Mama's grin only widened. "My point exactly."
"Huh?"
The adults laughed as Yin, Mei Ryu, and Chun Fa looked on, confused. Well, Yin and Chun Fa did. Mei Ryu just continued eating.
"And what about you, Mei Ryu?" Mama Fuan asked.
"Hmmph mmm a mmnn," he replied, his mouth full of rice and sauce.
Mama's Fuan's face took an overtly motherly look. "Would you like to try hat again? This time without food in your mouth?"
"Ah sed giff me a minut," he said again.
"One more time, Mei Ryu," Mama said.
"I SAID" the boy drawed out. "Give me a minute! Geez, do I have to spell it out for you?"
"Mei Ryu," Mama Fuan said in a stern tone. "There is a reason why it's bad manners to talk when your mouth is full. There is a practical side as well, one that you have yet to notice."
"Whatever," the boy said as he continued to eat.
"Mei Ryu's attention cannot be held long," Rinfi said conversationally, "if there is food present. Worse yet, if the food is ready to be eaten, then the chances of holding polite conversation drop down to nil."
"Da Jie!"
"What?" she asked. "I've known that for a long time, now. Why do you think I never talk to you at mealtime."
"You're talking to me now."
"That's because you're not eating. Miraculously, when that happens, I can keep your attention. You haven't even noticed that Chun Fa is stealing your food."
The nine year old, her hand in to cookie jar, or rather her chopstick on the plate, froze as the family saw what she was doing.
"That's mine!" Mei Ryu cried out.
"We have another empty pit in the family," Mama said with a resigned tone. "That makes all five children. I suppose that means it's normal."
"Daijobou," Papa Fuan said in a comforting, if light voice. "You can always send them the bill." (It's okay.)
Mama Fuan's eyes lit up. "Yes, I think I can. I think I can." Her smile returned as she considered the possibilities.
"Meanwhile," Rinfi said, taking advantage of the fact that Mei Ryu was distracted with his little sister. "Poor, poor Mei Ryu is determined to suffer over his own mistakes. He thinks if it looks like he's sorry he won't have to put up with not only working in the kitchen with the food without eating it, but with the added chore of helping you out in the basement every morning before school."
Shuu winced. "Mama must have been even madder than me!"
"That I was, Shuu, hon," Mama supplied. "Our next inspection is two weeks from now, that last thing I want is it getting out that my son, my SON! was eating food that I served. The entire chain would be shut down solely on the count that Mei Ryu was irresponsible. So every morning before school, you will supervise him in the basement. He will go to school, come home immediately after, and Papa will oversee him as he acts as a runner up to and through the dinner rush. Then, he will help Papa and Rinfi clean up and maybe, MAYBE, after a month or so of this, he will understand how a restaurant works and how to respect it."
Mei Ryu made a face, wanting to say something but at the same time not wanting to dig himself any deeper than he already was.
"Anyway," Chun Fa said in an attempt to change the subject. "I still rule at cards. I beat everybody this afternoon."
"That's only because I wasn't playing!" Mei Ryu cried out in his defense.
"And Shuu-nii still cheats at hide and seek!" Chun Fa continued, oblivious to her older brother.
Mei Ryu muttered something about monkey kings and suffering under his breath and took another serving of rice. Shuu helped himself to what was left and refilled his tea.
"I'm sure we're all sympathetic towards you, Mei Ryu," Rinfi said. "Right up until we remember that you put this on yourself. You've only yourself to blame." The twelve year old opened his mouth to say something, but Rinfi interjected, "And don't even think of trying to pin this on circumstances, or family tradition, or forgetting, or any other excuse you're about to use. Us adults know better than to listen to you."
Yin looked up. "Who ever said anyone in this family was an adult?"
The family paused for a minute, and then everyone went into peals of laughter.
After dinner, Shuu watched the two smallest get ready for bed as Rinfi and Yin set down to do their homework. Mama and Papa stayed downstairs in the restaurant to take care of some last details, and Shuu let them have the time to themselves. Entering his small room, Shuu sat at his desk, listening to the surprisingly loud silence of his home. He remembered his tai chi, and the lesson he had realized while doing so reasserted itself. There was quiet whenever you needed it. Indeed, it was everywhere.
On his desk was the day's mail. There were letters from Seiji and Touma. He would read them tomorrow, or the weekend if he got around to it. He wanted to tell them about what he had learned.
There was always tomorrow. Shuu looked forward to it as he changed and slid into his futon. He would have to get up early again; Mei Ryu would most likely try to pounce him again. If the boy didn't, Shuu would still have to get up and get the basement ready for the twelve year old.
Shuu looked forward to it.