A:N/ Hello readers! This is the sequel to my other story – Bird In A Cage. Hope you guys like it! Anyway so just to tell you readers right off the bat, this is probably the last edit I will make for this story, this and chapters 2-15 would go into another phase of editing just to improve overall quality. Rate and review, thanks a bunch!
Some things to remind you before reading (This is a significantly altered version of my previous beta-version of this story so please keep in mind that plenty of details and other things related to the previous story would be removed and forgotten)
Legends:"Normal text" - Main characters talking/Characters whom would appear again later in the story.
"Italicized text" - Minor characters talking/background chatter/from random people talking, conversing.
[Bracket text] - this means that the person being spoken to is on the phone.
"Bold Text" - This means that an announcer from speakers/television is talking.
Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki no Soma
Prologue
"Erina... I'm so fucking stupid... I miss you so much..." a certain young man whispered, whilst drinking whiskey at a bar.
Sōma sat on the counter of 7th heaven and continued to drink away his sorrows, tears of grief fell from his face as he played with a set of rings on his palm. A small band that tied himself to Erina when he swore his love for her in the alter three years ago.
The better years of his life, when his life wasn't this messed up - when his life was still together and not ripped apart. This day had happened like a series of flashes for Sōma. As normal as it might seem at first, something happened that would rock his world forever. The young man poured himself drink after drink, each glass that he downed being more bitter than the last. He wasn't a heavy drinker, but this occasion called for it. He felt so lost and broken without the love of his life.
Takumi entered the bar soon after. He scanned the room for any signs of his friend, eventually finding Sōma who was hunched over drinking his sorrows away. Takumi had a small frown on his face when he spotted Sōma silently crying as he dranked. His surrogate uncle tried to stop him, but the young man wouldn't listen to the older man's heed.
"- Yeah… I found Sōma… I'll meet up with you guys later, alright?" Takumi shut off his cellphone and walked towards his drunken friend, patting his hand over to Sōma's shoulder.
"That's enough, Yukihira… Let's go home, everybody's worried sick." said Takumi in a hushed voice. He wanted to be here for Sōma, but he wasn't ready to see the broken and vulnerable state of his friend. He frowned and tried to stop Sōma from further getting himself drunk. Yohan, Sōma's surrogate uncle, peered over his newspaper and put a hand on Sōma's shoulder to comfort the weeping young man. The elderly man understood the pain of losing a loved one. He he softened upon seeing the angered and hurt eyes that Sōma had upon him and Takumi.
"I think it's best that you listen to yer friend kiddo, you've had enough hooch..." he chided and tried to pry away the glass from Sōma's hand. Sōma angrily slammed his hands on the bar counter as he shoved Takumi away from him, gritting his teeth and looking hurt and broken through the welling tears of his eyes.
"Takumi… What the hell went wrong?"
"Please tell me… Why did… Why did Erina had to leave me like Mom…" Sōma's head and heart ached, but in his mind he deserved all this pain that he was feeling. All the guilt rebounded to him and it delivered to him a gut-wrenching punch to his stomach that knocked the wind out of him. He was regretting the fact that he chose to compete at B.L.U.E. Overseas instead of choosing to stay with his now-deceased wife.
Sōma drowned out the thoughts in his head and tried to resort to drinking to stave off the demons that haunted his mind. To no avail, Sōma replayed it in his head like a broken record. The voices he heard, the things he felt, the lifeless hand of Erina that he held as she let out her last breath.
He wept for days till his eyes were swollen and bloodshot. He kept blaming himself for Erina's death. Sōma couldn't stop thinking about the scenarios that could've happen if he could've been there for Erina when she was about to go into labor. The trip to the hospital after landing back to Japan kept replaying back on his mind like a broken record.
"Maybe… Maybe if I stayed by her side she would've still been here…" he slurred again, trying to walk without Takumi's help. He shoved his friend aside and sobbed into his hands, falling onto his knees outside the bar.
Their friends didn't know the whereabouts of Sōma when they were told of Erina's passing. The last time he was spotted was in the hospital by the medical personnel. For three days Sōma squandered off hopping from bar to bar in the district, his father tried to contact him on his phone, but he wouldn't answer.
This wasn't the Sōma that Takumi knew - this was a broken man that gave up on life. Little did he know that Sōma wasn't only drinking. Takumi was shocked at the several cuts he saw on Sōma's forearm. He gasped when he saw some fresh wounds being left untreated. Sōma passed out on Takumi, managing to sling his arm over to his friend before he fell. Takumi carried his friend over to Yukihira. Megumi, Hisako and the others were currently there for the past three days when they received word that Sōma hadn't come home yet.
Takumi sent Isami a short text to notify them that he had finally found Sōma. Everyone was relieved when Takumi found Sōma, albeit in his drunken state. Takumi had found him on 7th Heaven when Yohan gave them a call, saying that his nephew was currently drinking there. Takumi wasted no time heading over to the bar to find his friend. For three days, Takumi kept searching through places that Sōma could've possibly went through. He searched throughout neighboring districts as well as calling their other friends to ask if Sōma had dropped by.
"It's not your fucking fault! Stop pinning the blame onto yourself, Yukihira!" Takumi groaned in frustration when Sōma kept muttering his words of regret. Sōma shook his head and kept arguing that it was all his fault. Sōma staggered from all the alcohol that he'd been drinking for the past three days.
"You don't understand… If only I made it in time… Maybe she wouldn't have died…" Sōma whispered, choking back on his tears. Takumi knelt beside his friend and wrapped his arms around him.
"It's not your fault." Takumi reassured Sōma. He led his best friend towards the public restroom nearby when Sōma felt the urge to puke. Takumi also made sure to buy some band-aids while they were there. Thankfully a nearby shop carried them. He gingerly applied the band-aids on Sōma and saw the look of exhaustion in his best friend's eyes.
"Takumi... I'm a horrible husband and father... Why did I leave my wife to go overseas for that stupid competition…" Sōma's hands were buried on his face, trying to hide his shame. Takumi interrupted his friend and put a hand on Sōma's head.
"No you're not Yukihira-"
"Bullshit." Sōma interjected.
"We all make mistakes. You didn't do it because you wanted to leave her. Didn't you say that it was so that you can buy a new house for the three of you when your daughter is born? What happened to that Sōma? You can't just keep on disappearing like this and leaving your baby daughter alone, how afraid do you think she was when she woke up and didn't find her Dad beside her?" Takumi explained. He was the voice of reason that Sōma needed right now. The same voice of reason that reassured Sōma that everything will be fine.
Sōma rose to his feet, nodding silently at Takumi. He couldn't hold it back any longer as he sobbed onto his best friend's shoulder. He cried his heart out, he cried and let out the bottled up pain that he felt.
'I'm so sorry…' Sōma thought from the back of his mind. He was silent throughout his walk home with Takumi. The young man recounted again what had happened three days ago.
*Flashback*
"You're going?" Erina asked. She was currently nine months pregnant at the time and was due any day now. The Nakiri heiress looked at her husband in concern and wrapped her arm around his torso. She met his eye and frowned. Erina didn't want Sōma to leave. She wants to tell him that, but she couldn't. Because Sōma was at the top of his league, he was going to become worldly renowned if he succeeds on bringing home the title of Champion.
"I know that you're silently wishing for me not to go... But I want to do this for the three of us..." he whispered to Erina. Sōma hugged her from behind and kissed her on her ticklish spots. He then puts a hand on Erina's swollen belly and smiles in excitement. He caressed her and their soon to be born baby. Sōma looked at Erina with a small frown on his face, seeing her pout and frown made his heart ache.
'Do I really need to leave…' he doubted himself.
"We don't need a new house... I'm fine on where we are now... Couldn't you just stay...?"
"For the baby and me?" she mumbled, trying to convince her husband to stay. He saw Erina trying to hide that she was crying. Sōma immediately dropped his suitcase and wiped away some stray tears that were falling down on Erina's face. Sōma smiles at Erina, kissing her playfully on the cheek before wrapping his arms around her protectively.
"Hey... It's going to be fine, I'll be back in a few days okay?" he reassured his wife with his signature grin. Erina nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing Sōma square in his mouth. It was a sweet kiss that tried to make Sōma stay. He was frozen in his place trying to decide if he would still leave for America.
"Just be back soon okay?" she sobbed onto his shoulder, hugging her husband. Sōma chuckled and patted her in the back gently. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a short peck on the lips before looking deep into her eyes.
"Honey, I wouldn't miss it for the world." He said. It was all the assurance that Erina needed. She placed her trust on him and let him leave for America the next morning.
A part of Erina heart flew to America that day. It left her sad, but Erina had to remain strong. Hisako and her other girl friends kept her company while the guys were the ones that pitched in to help Sōma getting to the airport. They skyped over several times a day while Sōma was on his trip, hearing his voice made her happy and gave her assurance that he would be there when she would go on into labor.
[Honey, guess what?]
"What is it?"
[I'll be using 'that' dish we made together in the competition.]
"You are?"
[Yeah! I'm practicing it right now actually, I'll call you back again in a bit, love you Honey!]
"I love you too… You irresistible idiot…"
The day of the competition came and they were all gathered in Alice's vacation house. They all sat around the television and watched Sōma compete against world elite chefs. Many notable chefs were panel judges of the competition.
Each individual chef was put into the test and battled each other to prove who would bring home the title of Champion. The panel of, chefs Gordon Ramsey, Gottfried Prantl, Jason Aetherton and Heston Blumenthal were all present and stood atop of their individual podiums.
The pressure was on everyone but Sōma. They could feel the air around them thicken as the clock started. Sōma remained calmed through it all and when it came to the last leg of the competition, he was the only one smiling as he raised his hand in confidence.
'A dish that speaks to the heart…' he fondly thought of Erina with a smile on his face while he carried the plates towards the judges. Sōma gave them a curt bow before returning to his work station.
The judging of the food took roughly an hour. Each chef had put out their best dishes and it was enough to baffle each world class chef to the point of confusion. Every dish had their heavy hitting points.
They eventually reached a conclusion and decided on a winner after a grueling phase.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE WINNER OF THE COVETED B.L.U.E. CHALLENGE! FROM THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN THE BLAZING ASURA OF THE CULINARY WORLD, SŌMA YUKIHIRA!"
Sōma's friends that were watching swelled with pride. Erina had a small smile on her face as she tried to hide away the blush that she had when she saw Sōma shaking hands with the most elite of chefs. Gordon Ramsey and Heston Blumenthal were the first to present him the award next to the two were Gottfried Prantl and Jason Aetherton who shook hands with Sōma; taking pictures with the young man.
"You did it… I'm so proud of you, you idiot…" Erina whispered. They all celebrated while Sōma was quick on his interviews. When finally asked who to thank, Sōma took a deep breath before took the microphone from the interviewer. A huge smile was plastered across Sōma's face.
'I can finally go home now…' was all that ran through his mind. He can finally go home to his wife and soon to be baby. He couldn't be any more proud with this huge achievement.
"First and foremost, I would like to thank my wife and my friends back at home for supporting me in this journey. I couldn't have done it without their support. I love my wife so much and I miss her terribly. I'll be going back to Japan later. I know it's a bit too soon, but being away from my wife these past few days was already hard enough as it is. Erina! We did it!" He finished the interview and gave the cameraman a wink and a grin. Erina blushed deep red while Takumi and the others sighed in embarrassment.
"Remind me again why your husband can't act decently? Goodness gracious, thousands of people saw that!" Takumi exclaimed. Isami laughed at his brother and nudged him with his elbow, looking at Takumi with a smirk on his face.
"You're just jealous because he made it and you didn't..." Isami snidely remarked. All of the life seemed to have drained on Takumi's face as he withered away on the floor. He lightly banged his head on the wall by a corner and sighed in disappointment. Megumi saw her boyfriend sulking and went over to Isami, lightly slapping his shoulder with a pout on her face.
"That wasn't nice Isami-kun, you better apologize later okay?" she said seriously before going over to her boyfriend who was sulking in a corner. Ikumi went over to kiss Isami on the cheek, looking at him with a small frown on her face.
"She's right. You really hurt Takumi's feelings you know?" she worriedly glanced back at Takumi. Isami laughed nervously and nodded in agreement, wrapping an arm around Ikumi's waist before kissing her on the lips.
"Yeah... That was pretty dick-ish move on my part... He probably won't talk to me until tomorrow, but I'll take my chances." he replied before going over to his brother to apologize. Ryō saw Alice and Erina skyping with Sōma. He overheard the two women reminding his friend that he would miss his flight if he didn't hurry up. Sōma bolted out of the building and got his suitcase, ready to leave for Japan.
*End of Flashback*
It was a pretty short trip when Sōma and Takumi went back to Yukihira. Right in front of his house, Sōma already saw Terunori on the phone looking pissed as hell. The shorter man ran a hand through his hair in frustration when he saw Sōma's drunken state. Sōma gulped when Terunori started running towards him spouting something with his fist cocked back. Sōma braced for impact, feeling the punch from Terunori as the shorter man landed a clean hit on his cheek.
"YOU DUMBASS! YOU HAD US WORRIED SICK! WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU FUCKING AROUND FOR THE PAST THREE DAYS?!" Sōma hung his head low in shame at the smaller man. Takumi and the others broke up the scuffle between them.
"I'm so sorry for worrying you guys…" he replied while rubbing his now-sore cheek. Hisako and Megumi saw the commotion noticed Terunori wiping off some stray tears on his face. Hisako walked over to him and slapped Terunori on the back of his head. A stern look bore into Terunori's frightened state.
"Ow! What the hell was that for!?" Terunori hissed in pain. Takumi went over to his girlfriend and hugged her. Megumi kept asking him on for details, but Takumi kept quiet and told her that it was all fine now.
"Takumi-kun? Why won't you tell me?" Megumi asked with a frown on her face. Takumi shook his head and buried his head onto the crook of her neck before mumbling something.
"Can't tell… Boy's only secret…" Takumi argued childishly, earning him a small giggle from his girlfriend.
Terunori was still hunched over on the asphalt as he was annoyed at Hisako for continuing to berate and scold him for punching Sōma.
"You apologize to him later, alright?" Megumi told Terunori who nodded silently as she went inside Yukihira. Hisako and Takumi followed them soon after, shaking their heads in exasperation.
"What have you gotten yourself into, Yukihira?" Hisako muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose as she felt heavy from the three day all-nighters that they pulled to find Sōma. She joined Takumi inside Yukihira, giving her friend a weak smile.
"Where's Etsuko...?" Sōma asked them as he got inside his house. He saw Ryō leaning onto a corner with a look of worry on his face.
"What the fuck were you doing man?" Ryō said, seeing the numerous cuts that Sōma had on his arm - a sign of self-harm. It concerned them all. Hisako taught Ryō what to do, being tired herself after being so deprived of sleep for the past three days.
"Come on let's get you fixed up..." Ryō was usually passive and only violent whenever he would tie his bandanna around his head. This time was different however, without his bandanna he was still pissed at Sōma. Ryō was scolding Sōma while he was applying ointment and gauze on Sōma's arm.
"What the hell have you been doing, Yukihira…" Ryō frowned after fixing up his friend.
"Thanks... I'm sorry for making you guys worry so much..." he apologized walking past his friend to see Isami and Ikumi sighing in exasperation upon seeing him in his banged-up state.
"Yukihira! What the hell happened to you?!" Isami exclaimed seeing the fresh roll of gauze that Sōma had on his arm. Sōma laughed nervously at the two and explained the things that he was doing for the past three days. Everyone was more worried at his current state, feeling sorry for their friend.
"I'll see Etsuko now... I'll catch up to you guys later okay?" he said tiredly, walking upstairs to see Alice tending to Etsuko while the baby slept peacefully in her arms. She gasped upon seeing her friend's state and ran over to hug him after gently tucking in Etsuko.
"Where were you!? The nurses said that you disappeared suddenly after calling your Dad! Do you know how worried we were?! We asked around for three days Sōma! Three days! Didn't you even want to be bothered? What about Etsuko? She misses you too you know..." she whispered onto him, hugging him tighter and crying in concern. Sōma gently patted her on her small back and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"I have plenty of things in my mind right now... It's all jumbled up and... and... It's just so confusing... I'm so sorry for making you all so worried about me... I just... I couldn't handle it all and just wanted the pain to disappear..." he said honestly, rubbing his arm, wincing when he realized that it was his bandaged up arm.
"Well I'm just glad that you're here now... Hey... Chin up alright? Erina wouldn't want to see you crying like this... You have to remain stronger from now on, okay Sōma? We're all here for you when you need us..." Alice reassured to him stepping aside to let Sōma see Etsuko again.
The young woman quietly left the room and saw Ryō leaning near the doorway with his arms crossed. Alice immediately went over to her boyfriend to hug him.
"Did you tell him that the funeral is in the day after tomorrow?" asked Ryō, Alice shook her head and sighed.
"It's better if we tell him tomorrow... It's better if he can get some quiet time first…" Ryō spoke with pained expression on his face. Alice agreed that it was for the best.
Sōma changed out of his clothes and plopped down on his bed, fishing out his and Erina's wedding rings. He'd received them from the hospital after being told of her passing, that night he ran away after signing Etsuko's birth certificate. It was only supposed to be a short walk, but soon enough he found his legs carrying him far away from the hospital and his daughter.
'You're really late…' Erina's voice rang through his head, her pained words as he felt that her sickness taking a toll on her after giving birth to Etsuko.
"Please... Take away all this pain in here..." he whispered to himself, running over his chest and clutching his aching heart to trying to hold back his tears.
*Dream sequence*
White walls…
A Cold atmosphere…
A very bright hot light…
Pain…
Screaming …
And then…
Death is already knocking on the door…
Sōma came into the room as a bright light that only one person could see. Erina rested weakly, panting and gasping for the life she clings onto. She fought the battle, she fought to see it through, she fought through the immense pain, she fought through her sickness to deliver their precious child that was in her arms, Etsuko Yukihira.
It was a tender moment of love between the husband and wife. Erina gently held onto their child, fading fast by the second and feeling the fatigue finally taking its toll onto her frail body. Its eye's still closed; its cry had been satiated when its mother lulled the child to sleep.
"You're really late..." Erina coughed, Sōma buried his head onto the crook of her shoulder and apologized with tears in his eyes.
"I'm so sorry..." his heart felt an icy pang stabbing through his chest when he saw Erina's pale complexion.
'Not a good sign…' he winced, remembering that Erina's already fragile body was going through a lot of pain and stress after giving birth.
She was already handling with heart disease, in their earlier months of screening the doctors had already told about them the risks of childbirth. It would be too much for Erina to handle, but she fought on and proved them wrong.
Sōma's heart was ripped to shreds when he saw her so weak and her breath becoming shallower. He held close the baby girl in his arms and then gently placed her back down onto Erina for her to hold. She smiled faintly and ran a weak hand over her daughter's cheek, lightly pecking her on the temple.
"Sōma… Etsuko… I love you both…" he heard Erina say with a smile on her face before passing out. He gasped and looked at his wife and then his heart stopped; there were grey bags under her eyes and she was also slowly breathing. Her vitals were dropping and more doctors came rushing in at their aid. He didn't care for the tiredness he felt, all that he wanted was for Erina to live.
Frantically circling around the room Sōma clutched his hands and tensed up.
"Sir I need you to please remain calm and let us professionals handle this… I will have to ask you to step outside sir, we will be performing resuscitation to your wife immediately." he heard a nurse say with her worried eyes looking over to Erina. He grabbed her by the shoulders with tears in his eyes.
"PLEASE DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN!" he cried in agony and begged the doctors to save Erina's life. It took two doctors before they could pry Sōma off the operating room. Etsuko had been placed on the incubator along with the other babies while Sōma sat on the waiting room with his head hung low.
'This is all my fucking fault…' he screamed into his mind, banging the walls deep within his consciousness in a fit of rage and desperation.
"I don't want to lose you…" he muttered, remembering the similar pain that he felt when his mother was on her death bead.
There he remained still, praying and pleading…
Sōma was begging to whatever deity was listening that Erina would be all right, that she would live.
He silently prayed under his breath …
His hands clasped against each other…
And his eyes barred shut…
His throat feeling raw and barren…
At the operating room Erina lay unconscious, her face sprawled in a sweaty mess, her breath no longer recognizable. Numerous life support apparatuses were attached to her so that the doctors could monitor her vitals.
Warm…
This sensation…
This feeling of comfort…
This painless release...
"You'll be alright my dear..." Death reassured Erina, feeling the sorrows of the young woman on her deathbed. In Erina's subconsciousness she was still fighting to remain alive. She wanted to see the two loves of her life before she leaves.
She clung on to that light in front of her…
The light holding her hand right now…
The warmth…
It irked her to close her eyes, but all she could do is keep them open…
"It's time to go…" Death reminded her. Erina muffled her last words as it drowned amidst the multitude of doctors rushing in. She felt a strong surge on her chest, but to no avail, another surge and still she faded fast.
It was at this moment that Death conjured up something from his hands. Letting her watch her own life's stopwatch, Erina requested deep within her subconsciousness that he would listen to her pleas.
"One… Last time… Please… Let me say goodbye to them…" she pleaded, Death obliged to her wishes, and suddenly she was transported out of the operating room and back to her bed at Yukihira's, there she saw Them. A father holding his daughter in his arms protectively while the two dozed off, she reached over to embrace the two. It might have been a dream, but this was enough to let her soul find peace.
For the last time…
For the inevitable moment has come…
Death had come for her…
And death had given her the bitter sweet ending of her part on their small family…
One last chaste kiss onto them…
One last hug goodbye…
"I love you both… Please… Stay strong without me. Etsuko… I love you and your father… Please don't hate him or give him a hard time… I wish we could've met more… Played more… And I wish I could've taught you how to cook."
"I love you both so much... Sōma... I hope you can forgive yourself... Please don't blame yourself it wasn't your fault... I would've given my life to bring Etsuko to this world... You are my best adventure... My bestfriend... Most of all... You both are my most dearly beloved half in this world..."
The room faded as Erina saw her memories happily flashing by her. Each adventure that Erina had with Sōma throughout their high school days flashed by, their hardships and fun moments that happened all throughout her years, it was like a film that played and at the very last memory she saw her and Sōma sleeping peacefully on their bed as her husband kissed her belly and kissed her on the forehead with a small smile of content in his face.
A perfect last memory...
*End of dream sequence*
"Erina!" Sōma shouted as he bolted awake. He looked around wildly in his room with cold sweat falling on his face.
He remembered 'that' dream again. He remembered rushing over at the hospital after the competition. Once he heard that Erina was about to go into labor he wasted no time hollering a cab to get to the hospital as soon as he can. He remembered that day like the back of his hand, all the smiles that they had soon turned into sobs when they were told that Erina passed away.
"Liar... You said you won't ever leave me like Mom did..." he held his hand over to his heart and cried to sleep. It was a bitter night for Sōma. He deeply sighed when he could no longer cry. He scurried over to the shelves of their room and got Erina's plush toy that they both won back in their school days, he held it closer to him and breathed in her scent.
"Please... Make the pain go away..." he muttered before falling back to sleep.
'I will my love... I love you... Don't ever forget.' he heard Erina's faint voice say in the back of his mind. Sōma fell asleep with a small smile on his face. He felt lighter by the assurance of Erina's voice.
"Please don't leave me…" he mumbled in his sleep.
~ End
A:N/ So this is probably the last edit for the story, I wanted to polish up this fic. more so more people would see the effort the I put into it. Hope you guys loved the first chapter of the story, be sure to follow me and do a review, it really helps the other readers in seeing the quality of my work.
P.S: I'm also editing to patch-up some things that you guys have pointed out to me over the last few months, hope this helps you understand the story as clear as day after I'm done.
P.P.S: Leave a review if you can!