Shokugeki No Soma: The wasteland truly is cruel
Chapter 2: Lost in the darkness
There he stood watching everyone eat as it felt as if his soul was being consumed by a greater being. All the dishes he had made they did not matter they were failures they could not be served to the gourmet world. In the end all that was going through his head while they all ate and smiled was who am I? where am I going? The simple questions he thought he had answers for and now his head seemed so empty.
Erina sat there staring at him with eyes of concerning tasting nothing in the dish as if it was void of all things that made Soma who he was and looking around she could tell everyone else had also noticed most importantly her mother who was looking for a trash can. "Soma what is wrong with you?" Erina whispered hoping nobody could hear her as she was hoping it was nothing, but her heart would not have it.
Soma walked right past them all as if nobody was there not even noticing the eyes following him even when they all called his name. He walked to the end of the block and turned the corner once out of everyone's sight he walked towards his mother's grave not knowing what else to do not knowing who he was anymore any direction he could get would be better than what he was doing right now.
Everyone sat there staring at the door not knowing what to do when Joichiro finally stood up "Follow me" he said as he walked outside knowing only a few knew what they might be about to see. They all slowly walked out as he locked the dinner behind him only to see the whole community outside waiting as Joichiro walked out in front of everyone just to have the community bombard him in a huge hug knowing what today was more than anyone else could in the world "Did my son go to the spot" was all he said as they all nodded leaving the group in the darkness it was as if everything they knew about this family was all a false reality as the community finally parted ways for the group to continue on its way only to leave the father in fear that his son may end up like him if not further in despair as he hoped that Erina being there would save him from the endless wasteland but seeing how his son had disappeared right after the Blue competition cause him worry even if he told nobody he was hoping that his son's resolve was enough to get through it and comeback unscathed but that seemed to be the exact opposite the eyes looked like his life was gone as if his spark completely died out as if Soma himself was dead the pain in his heart causing him to fall to his knees knowing full well if he lost his son he might lose himself to the storm also as his son was all he had left no woman was able to stir his heart like Tamako did no woman loved him as much as she did because she didn't see him as the legendary Asura but as a failure when they met and she made it known to him maybe that's why he fell in love with her no without about it was the whole reason their love started – he thought as they wandered before calling them to a stop before Soma came into their sights as he turned around and looked at everyone before taking a deep breath to explain everything to them. "Well, everyone to be honest I think Soma might be where I was when I was his age if not deeper into the storm and the worst part about it is that he decided to cook for us on the day his mother died and usually we make her fried rice but he had completely abandoned it as if all the life in my son was taken to the darkest parts of the wastelands further than even the Noir would ever go where no light shines it's the part of the wasteland that destroys a chefs will to cook to define themselves anymore its what drives them to insanity to make only the highest of dishes even if it does not represent who they are as a chef and Soma losing his mom hurt him but when he had found Erina, Alice, and all of you I had hoped that he would be safe from this happening but when he left without any warning I had a bad feeling about this happening but had hoped his bonds with everyone would be able to save him no matter where he went and seeing as your guys final year is about to start I worry more that he will make Totsuki a school known for only the highest dishes but not the best dishes as a high dish can have the best ingredients but it lacks the heart and soul of a chef where as the best dish may not have the best ingredients but it has the heart and soul of the chef and that is what makes a specialty so great it has everything a chef has to offer in it and so Azami the reason I left was because of the wasteland and my wife saved me and I had hoped your daughter would be able to stop Soma but now I don't know if anyone could stop Soma it would be the friends he had made but I had not expected him disappearing on everyone and now that you know you can see him" he said as tears that he had held back trying not to let fall would finally fall.
Soma's POV
He just stood there staring at the grave not knowing who he was anymore not knowing where to go next everything he tried to do it was never good enough he finally realized it when he started to explore the world people don't care about you putting your heart and soul into a dish, they only care about the ingredients being the best possible ingredients. Mother why can't I go further no matter what I did I slowly lost myself and now I just don't know what to do anymore and I don't know where to go when I cooked for everyone I wanted to make your fried rice but it felt like I wouldn't be able to make it I felt like a shell like nothing mattered anymore I mean what is the point in even cooking it doesn't matter if I cook right after all I don't even know what I am cooking for anymore or who I want to cook for before you left I always wanted to cook for you and when I got sent to Totsuki I wanted to make Erina say my food was delicious but then there is also Alice who act like she is the best and I enjoy talking to her its like I no longer know who I am cooking for I left to figure out everything but yet I could not get them out of my head and then you add Megumi who is my little sister and my brothers Ryo, Hayami, Takumi, and Isami but yet whenever I would cook for them I felt more and more conflicted each time I would cook for Erina and Alice my heart would race for both of them whenever I made them food – Soma finished as tears fells harder and harder as he curled up on the ground just as the rain started to pour down on him not seeing everyone approaching as they heard him talking slowly closing his eyes as he laid there next to his mother's grave letting the sweet rain embrace him as he slowly drifted off to sleep in the sweet embrace of the hope to see his mother again after all he had nothing left to strive for as the world slipped away from him not hearing everyone running to him yelling his name hoping praying for some miracle anything at all.
Flashback
Entering Totsuki everyone had just ran out from Erina after she had given them thirty minutes to make her an egg dish that could please her palette. "Hisako, everyone has failed so I can go home now, right?" Erina questioned her not noticing Soma walking in to take the challenge. That was the first time she ever had met a guy so crude that did not care about her gods tongue just who did he think he was as she could only wait to see what pitiful dish, she would make her until he had presented her with the Transforming Furikake Gohan upon first seeing the dish it looked normal until he had added his secret ingredient to it coating the rice in chicken umami.
Soma goes and makes an appetizer that looked like a main course and then challenged me to a Shokugeki while he was on her team fighting to stop Azami and he didn't even have a care in the world as he smiled making another one of his weird dishes that so happened to save the school and she could help but admit at that time she was falling for him and she couldn't help it but pride would never let her admit it to him even if he had been given the first seat. He had the audacity to say she had to be director just for him to be first seat like what the hell was he thinking after claiming he would be at the top and he had his chance and would throw it away if I wouldn't be director, he knew how to hit every nerve in her.
Then, in the blue competition he showed everyone how much cooking meant to show all his heart and soul in his dishes but even when she went and was falling in the storm he kept walking through with a grin knowing that failure it didn't matter to him as he pressed forward to ideas and dishes that had never been seen before he made the world so much brighter he didn't have a care in the world where he was going but he always made me eat his dishes and yet I slowly wanted more and more of them I could never get enough of the food he made just being made by him made the food the most delicious food she ever he wormed his way into her heart and when he left she felt empty like nothing was left for her in the world without him there.
Present time
There he laid rain pouring harder and harder as everyone ran up to him to get him back inside the house. He had shown her the world and now it was her turn to return the favor she would show him the beauty of cooking again. "I am going to lay with him to warm him up after all he did admit his heart was for me" Alice shouted out smirking at Erina seeing what would happen now. "No, I will I caused him all the trouble the least I can do is take care of him and he also admitted his heart was for me" Erina pouted as she grabbed his arm while Alice grabbed his other arm both smiling at him while glaring at each other both hoping he would pick her but then again maybe that would only destroy him more as they walked back to the diner with him passed out in their arms hoping and praying he would be ok nobody could afford to lose the light he brought into everyone's eyes the hope that he poured into his dishes as the two girls finally got him to his room to strip him only to be embarrassed as they had never gone this far with any man before and they knew that they could never go this far with anyone else as they whispered an agreement of truce that if he would take them both they would not fight for his attention as he was the only man who would risk anything to save anyone and not care about what happened to him now it was their turn to save him from this darkness as they slowly got him into clean clothes and did the same as wearing wet clothes next to him would not help anything. Erina then left the room with Alice to let everyone know they would be staying with Soma until he recovered and that nobody would be changing that. Alice pulled Ryo to the side explaining to him that she realized how much she loved Soma and that she would attempt to pursue it with Erina at her side to make Soma happy and to prevent him from never cooking and to give him hope again. So that he could be save from being lost in the darkness as Erina told everyone else the same.
