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FIC: Family Visit: Tokyo, Part 3 of 5
Title: Family Visit: Tokyo, Part 3 of 5
Rating: NC-17 overall
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka
Characters: Kikuchi, Onozuka, Yoshizumi, Asano
Word count: ~6,390
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Unexpected Opportunities, Comeback (Part 1 and Part 2), Forgiveness, Firsts, First Date (Part 1 and Part 2), Going Steady (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Audition (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Cookout (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Press Conference (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Sanctuary, and The Prince vs. the Groupie (Part 1, Part 2). The series also includes two side-stories that are outside of the main timeline: Valentine's Day Surprise and Strictly Business.
Summary: Kikuchi gives Onozuka English lessons, along with some extra incentive; and Kikuchi reveals the surprise that he has planned for Onozuka for their "special" weekend.
Part 1, Part 2
***
Even though filming hadn't started yet, Onozuka and the other actors were still kept busy with rehearsals, costume fittings, and interviews--many interviews, since the movie studio was heavily promoting this film. Kitamura grumbled in private about the interviews taking time away from their "real work," but even he knew that it was a necessary evil of the business, and at least it was a sign that the studio was putting their full support behind the film.
Personally, Onozuka didn't mind the interviews. As he had told Kikuchi before, he thought of his public persona as just another role to play. And he had to tread a particularly fine line while promoting this movie: flirting and joking with Kikuchi just enough to titillate the press and the public, while not going so far that people might suspect that he really was gay. It was difficult to strike the proper balance, but Onozuka enjoyed the challenge.
During their breaks, Onozuka and Kikuchi would go to the latter's dressing room for the English lessons he had promised. Kikuchi had made a show of giving Onozuka the English textbooks in public, so that everyone would know the official reason why they were spending their spare time together, although there were a few whispered rumors and snickers behind their backs among the cast and crew.
Still, the rumors didn't make the tabloids--although Katou and Iwaki's night under the stars did--and Onozuka dutifully demonstrated his progress by conversing with Kikuchi in English during lunch in the cafeteria (and dinner, if they worked late).
However, some of the things that Kikuchi taught him were not fit for polite company.
"I am not saying that!" Onozuka protested, laughing, as Kikuchi gave him a sentence to recite.
"Why not?" Kikuchi asked, with his typically devilish grin. "You say it to me often enough."
"In Japanese!" Onozuka retorted. "How often am I going to need to say 'I want to fuck you' in English?" Then he purred slyly, "Or do you want me to go around picking up American guys?"
Kikuchi wrapped his arms around Onozuka from behind and growled into his ear, "You aren't allowed to fuck anyone but me, your Highness."
That low growl, and the jealousy in Kikuchi's voice--whether real or feigned--sent a mingled surge of satisfaction and lust through Onozuka's body. Kikuchi still deserved a little payback for flirting with that groupie, after all.
"Then teach me something practical," Onozuka commanded.
"Fine," Kikuchi sighed. "Let's see, how about...'Can you please tell me where the auditions are being held?'"
Onozuka repeated the sentence, but Kikuchi said, "Try it again, and be more careful with the 'l' sounds this time. There's no 'l' in Japanese, so we tend to get the 'l' and 'r' sounds mixed up in English."
"I know that, but it still sounds the same to me," Onozuka complained.
"You should try watching some subtitled American movies or TV shows," Kikuchi suggested. "That's how I learned English. Well, of course I still had to take classes to improve my grammar and diction and all that, but that's where I got the basics from."
"I have most of your American movies on video or dvd," Onozuka said flirtatiously. "I suppose I can study those."
"Please tell me that you don't have the ninja one," Kikuchi laughed. "I'm embarrassed to be associated with it; I only did it because I hadn't worked for awhile and really needed the money at the time."
"Oh, it's not so bad if you think of it as a comedy," Onozuka said with a grin. "It was pretty funny to see a band of ninja running through the subway wielding swords in broad daylight! Actually, you were really good in it, but I don't think that the writer or the director knew anything about ninja--or Japan in general, for that matter."
"I tried to politely point out a few of the...shall we say...historical inaccuracies," Kikuchi said sourly. "But the director told me that we were making an action film, not a documentary."
There was an uncomfortable silence as they left unsaid what they both knew: that no one in Japan would have dared to treat Kikuchi that way a decade ago, when he had been at the height of his fame. But the public was fickle, and today's star might be a nobody tomorrow. And there was also the fact that Kikuchi had been a huge star in Asia, but still mostly unknown in the U.S. at the time.
"Well, that's the way it goes in this business sometimes," Kikuchi said briskly, breaking the silence. "There are always a few idiots that you have to put up with, no matter what country you're in. At least Kitamura is a capable director who cares about his work, not some hack trying to crank out a blockbuster to appeal to the lowest common denominator."
They resumed the lesson and Kikuchi continued correcting Onozuka's pronunciation, although it probably would have earned him a passing grade in his high school English class. "You're stricter than any of the English teachers I had in school," Onozuka told his lover accusingly.
Kikuchi grinned at him and replied, "Well then, maybe you need a little incentive, Yuu. Each time you pronounce a word correctly, I'll give you a reward." He kissed Onozuka, and let just the tip of his tongue slide between Onozuka's parted lips before withdrawing, and Onozuka moaned softly in protest.
"That's just a taste of what's to come," Kikuchi whispered in a velvety voice.
Onozuka continued reciting, in a somewhat hoarser voice, but with renewed determination. With the proper incentive, his pronunciation did indeed improve considerably, although his recitation was broken up by several kisses, each deeper and more lingering than the last.
"That's very good, Yuu," Kikuchi finally said. "In fact, I think you've earned yourself an extra reward."
"What kind of--?" Onozuka started to ask, then let out a startled laugh as Kikuchi knelt in front of him and began unzipping his trousers. "Just what do you think you're doing, Kikuchi-san?" he asked with mock-sternness.
"It's 'Katsuya' when we're alone," Kikuchi reminded him, then grinned roguishly and asked, "What does it look like I'm doing?"
"Ah!" Onozuka gasped as Kikuchi's hand wrapped around his cock. "It looks like...you picked up...some of Iwaki and Katou's exhibitionist tendencies," he continued, with some difficulty, as Kikuchi's hand began moving in slow strokes. He took a deep breath, then said more forcefully, "What if someone walks in on us?"
"I locked the door," Kikuchi replied calmly. "And haven't I told you that it's rude to talk about other men when you're with me?"
Kikuchi lowered his mouth and let his tongue replace his fingers, moving in light, teasing strokes--his way of punishing Onozuka, no doubt. Onozuka couldn't hold back a loud moan, and had to clap his hand over his mouth in order to muffle it.
"Damn it, Katsuya!" Onozuka hissed, once he'd recovered enough to speak. "Even if the door is locked, people might hear us!"
"Then you had better be quiet, right, Yuu?" Kikuchi replied with an evil grin, then set to work with a will before Onozuka had a chance to protest further.
Onozuka nearly cried out when Kikuchi's mouth closed around his cock, and he had to clamp both hands over his own mouth to keep from moaning loud enough for the entire studio to hear him. Even so, faint muffled noises managed to escape, and Onozuka desperately hoped that they couldn't be heard outside the room.
At least Kikuchi had stopped teasing him, and was sucking on him quite enthusiastically--almost like a starving man devouring a feast, in fact. Onozuka was on the brink of orgasm when a knock sounded at the door. Startled, Onozuka jerked forward, causing him to bury his cock a little too deep in Kikuchi's throat for comfort, which in turn caused his lover to gag.
Onozuka lifted his hands from his mouth and whispered, "Sorry." Kikuchi released him and coughed, waving off his apology impatiently with one hand.
When Kikuchi had recovered, he called out irritably, "What is it?"
"I'm sorry to bother you, Kikuchi-san," Yoshizumi's voice replied, somehow managing to sound both cheerful and apologetic at the same time. "But a gift basket arrived for you--I think it's a thank-you present from your American friends."
"Okay, I'll be right there," Kikuchi said, then whispered to Onozuka, "We had better make this quick, your Highness."
That was all the warning Onozuka got before Kikuchi's mouth began devouring him again, and he only just managed to clamp his hands over his mouth in time to keep from crying out loud enough for Yoshizumi to hear. The faintest pressure of Kikuchi's teeth against his cock was enough to send Onozuka over the edge, and he came in Kikuchi's mouth with a muffled grunt.
Kikuchi rose to his feet, grinning smugly as he licked his lips, then kissed Onozuka and whispered, "Better make yourself decent, Yuu."
Onozuka cursed under his breath, hastily fumbling with his trousers and his still-hard cock, but managed to be seated in his chair fully clad, with a textbook lying open across his lap, by the time Kikuchi opened the door. Onozuka smiled serenely at Yoshizumi and Asano, looking perfectly composed except for a faint blush still coloring his face.
Yoshizumi handed Kikuchi what looked like an expensive fruit basket, and asked mischievously, "Did we interrupt anything?"
"Actually, you've saved me from struggling with verbs and participles, so it's a welcome interruption," Onozuka replied.
"Then why are you blushing, Onozuka-kun?" Asano asked slyly.
"Oh, it's just that Kikuchi-san is being very naughty," Onozuka laughed. When Asano and Yoshizumi raised their eyebrows, Onozuka smiled mischievously and clarified, "He's been trying to teach me to say some rather, ah, inappropriate things in English."
"I've just been trying to teach him a bit of American slang," Kikuchi said innocently. "You might need to know it if you ever work in the U.S."
"I don't know how things work in America, but I can't picture myself either propositioning or swearing at a director if I want to get hired," Onozuka said skeptically.
"I meant that you might need to say it in the script," Kikuchi laughed. "Although with the right director, a proposition might get you hired!"
"I would prefer to be hired for my acting skills," Onozuka said primly.
Kikuchi laughed again, then read the card that had come with the basket. "You're right," he told Yoshizumi. "It's from the director. He says that he enjoyed his visit, and wishes us good luck with the movie."
"Kitamura-kantoku and the producers got gift baskets, too," Yoshizumi informed him.
"Well, thanks for bringing this over," Kikuchi said, setting the basket down on the dressing room table. "There's no way that I can eat all this by myself, so did you guys want to share some of this with me?"
Yoshizumi grinned and replied, "Why do you think we offered to deliver it to you?"
Asano flushed and muttered, "Speak for yourself, Yoshizumi-san," but Kikuchi just laughed.
"Help yourself to whatever you'd like."
Asano munched on a few grapes, looking more interested in what might be going on between Kikuchi and Onozuka than in the fruit. Yoshizumi took an orange, then asked, "What would you like, Kikuchi-san?"
"An apple, I guess," Kikuchi replied, and Yoshizumi tossed one over to him.
"I'll peel it for you," Onozuka offered, smiling sweetly, and Asano gave him a sour look that silently accused him of being a suck-up. Kikuchi grinned at Onozuka, and handed him the apple, along with a small paring knife that had been included in the basket.
Onozuka wanted to show off a bit, and although he was a little out of practice, he began cutting the peel away in one long, spiraling strip easily enough. Asano looked decidedly unimpressed, but Yoshizumi whistled and said, "That's pretty good, Onozuka-kun! I never quite got the hang of it. I tried when I was a kid, but gave up after I nearly cut the tip of my finger off!"
"Oh, it just takes a little practice," Onozuka said modestly, and Asano gave him another sour look.
"You know what I really liked when I was a kid?" Yoshizumi mused nostalgically, more to himself than the others. "Apple bunnies! I used to pester my mom to make them for me when I was little."
Yoshizumi's words reminded Onozuka of his sister, and that sudden flash of startled guilt caused his hand to slip. "Ow!" he yelped as the tip of the knife jabbed into his thumb, and he lost his grip on the apple, which fell to the floor.
"Are you all right?" Kikuchi immediately asked.
"I'm okay," Onozuka replied sheepishly. "It's nothing; just a little scratch."
"Let me see," Kikuchi insisted, taking hold of Onozuka's injured hand. It really was only a small and shallow cut, with a single bead of blood welling up on the pad of his thumb. "Hmm, it doesn't look too bad," Kikuchi observed.
"That's what I said--" Onozuka started to say, but broke off into another yelp when Kikuchi lifted Onozuka's hand to his mouth and began gently sucking on his thumb. Yoshizumi raised his eyebrows again, looking mildly amused, while Asano narrowed his eyes and stared at them speculatively.
"Kikuchi-san!" Onozuka protested, feeling his face flush, and it wasn't just an act for the sake of Asano and Yoshizumi. It was quite erotic to feel Kikuchi sucking on his thumb, his tongue moving gently against the wound--especially when Kikuchi had essentially been doing the same thing to his cock a few minutes ago.
Kikuchi continued sucking a little longer, then released Onozuka's thumb and smiled innocently. "There, is that better now?" he asked. "Do you need a bandage?"
"No, it seems to have stopped bleeding, thank you," Onozuka replied, hastily reclaiming his hand. "Sorry I ruined the apple."
"No problem," Kikuchi said, tossing the fallen apple into the trash. "There are more in the basket. I can peel it myself..."
"No, I can do it," Onozuka said. "I just got a little distracted, and the knife slipped. I'll be more careful this time."
"Apple bunnies are distracting?" Yoshizumi asked curiously.
"Oh, it just surprised me because I used to like them when I was a kid, too," Onozuka lied smoothly.
"Didn't we all?" Kikuchi chuckled. Then his eyes gleamed with mischief, and he said casually, "Say, Onozuka-kun, why don't you make us some apple bunnies?"
Onozuka attempted to subtly give Kikuchi a cold look, while still smiling pleasantly for the benefit of Yoshizumi and Asano. Kikuchi couldn't possibly know about the apple and manju bunnies that Onozuka used to make for his sister, but his very wicked and cunning lover must have noticed Onozuka's reaction and assumed that the bunnies held some special significance for him.
"I'm not really very good at it," Onozuka protested modestly.
"Just do your best--no one's going to be judging you on them, after all," Kikuchi said pleasantly. "Please indulge this old man's whim."
"You're not old, Kikuchi-san," Onozuka replied automatically, then set to work on the second apple with a faint sigh of resignation. If he tried to resist further, Yoshizumi and Asano would wonder why, and he couldn't afford to arouse their suspicion any more than he already had.
Onozuka couldn't quite decide which of the two actors was the greater danger. Yoshizumi seemed to be the more clever and subtle of the pair, but he also seemed to be the honorable and trustworthy type, at least according to Katou. And since Katou trusted Yoshizumi to be alone around his precious Iwaki-san, Onozuka figured that was a pretty good testament to his character.
Asano, on the other hand, was clever, but not quite as clever as he thought he was, and he had a malicious streak. Onozuka didn't know the exact details, but he knew that Katou was convinced that Asano had engineered the sleepover scandal with Iwaki to advance his own career. However, he had chosen not to press the issue, because Iwaki trusted Asano, and Katou didn't want Iwaki's feelings to be hurt.
Which had only served to lower Onozuka's opinion of Iwaki further. Iwaki ought to trust his lover, who was completely devoted to him, over a manager that he'd known for only a short time. But while Katou occasionally grumbled about how naive and trusting Iwaki was, he wouldn't tolerate anyone else criticizing Iwaki, so Onozuka mostly kept his opinions to himself.
"Oh, how cute!" Yoshizumi laughed when Onozuka had finished cutting the apple into wedges and trimming most of the peel off to leave two red "ears" on each wedge. He was surprised to find that he felt a touch of pride that they had come out so well, considering that he was years out of practice.
"It's almost a shame to eat them," Yoshizumi added, although he cheerfully popped a wedge into his mouth without any hesitation.
"If you weren't an actor, you could probably be a good chef," Kikuchi teased, hitting uncomfortably close to the truth, and Onozuka smiled nervously.
"Actually, I'm a really bad cook," he protested modestly. "Miyasaka jokes that all I can do is boil water for instant ramen."
"I'm sure you're not that bad, Onozuka-kun," Kikuchi chuckled.
Meanwhile, Asano looked rather sullen at being ignored and having to watch Onozuka be the center of attention--a sentiment that Onozuka could almost sympathize with, having been in that position himself with Katou, Miyasaka, and Iwaki. At least, he would have sympathized if his best friend hadn't gotten tangled up in Asano's scheme to promote himself.
Onozuka smiled sweetly at Asano, who scowled at him in return and viciously bit the head off an apple bunny.
***
"Those two are so obviously doing it," Asano muttered under his breath as he and Yoshizumi left Kikuchi's dressing room.
"Maybe, maybe not," Yoshizumi replied amiably. "Certainly, there's a lot of chemistry between them, but Onozuka-kun strikes me as a very clever and calculating young man. I'm sure he knows that teasing the public with rumors of a possible romance will bring additional publicity to the film."
"True, but do you really believe that's all there is to it?" Asano asked skeptically.
"There's a danger in believing the 'obvious,' Asano-kun," Yoshizumi replied pleasantly. "After all, it was 'obvious' to the public awhile back that you'd been having an affair with Iwaki-kun, and we both know that wasn't true."
There was no hint of accusation in Yoshizumi's voice, but Asano flushed and fell silent.
***
On the morning of his "special" weekend with Kikuchi, Onozuka stared into his open closet and frowned. Kikuchi had refused to give him any hint of where they were going, so he had no idea if he should wear something dressy or casual.
Well, he had a slight hint--Kikuchi had at least promised that they weren't going fishing or camping, and Onozuka supposed that if they were going somewhere with a dress code, Kikuchi would have warned him.
"What, are you primping for your big date with Kikuchi-san?" Miyasaka snickered from the doorway. "It really must be love if you're dithering over what to wear like a teenage girl on her first date!"
Onozuka snatched up a pillow from the bed and hurled it across the room. Miyasaka uttered a muffled grunt of surprise when it hit him in the face with a very satisfying thwack.
"You jerk," Miyasaka grumbled, throwing the pillow back at Onozuka, who easily sidestepped it. However, Onozuka privately conceded that Miyasaka was right, and it was ridiculous to be fretting over what to wear like a teenage girl in a shoujo manga.
He made his decision, grabbed some clothes from the closet and threw them across the bed, then began undressing. To his surprise, Miyasaka abruptly vanished instead of teasing him further about his primping. It was hardly the first time that they'd undressed in front of each other, being roommates and coworkers. An actor couldn't really afford to be shy: the stars got private dressing rooms, but the supporting actors and extras didn't, and even a star would sometimes have to strip down for costume fittings or to be dressed. The elaborate women's kimono in period dramas could not be put on without assistance, for example. Men's costumes were usually simpler, but some of them also required help to put on.
"Why the sudden shyness, Miya-chan?" Onozuka called out with a grin. "Does the sight of my body turn you on that much?"
"In your dreams!" Miyasaka shot back scornfully. He poked his head back in the doorway and added, "It's just that I have better things to do than stand around watching you preen like the peacock you are. I'm going to hit the gym--I've gotta keep this body in shape, you know!"
Miyasaka slapped himself on the chest, and Onozuka chuckled. "Okay, have fun, then," he said. "I'm going to spend the weekend with Katsuya, so I won't see you for a couple days."
"The two of you might as well get married already," Miyasaka grumbled, then left the apartment, slamming the door behind him.
Meanwhile, Onozuka continued donning his chosen outfit: black designer jeans, strategically ripped, with contrasting blue cloth sewn beneath the rips; and a long-sleeved white pullover shirt, cut wide around the neck to temptingly expose his throat and a bit of his chest. He knew that Kikuchi liked nipping at his neck, although Onozuka had strictly forbidden him to leave any marks. Honestly, sometimes he thought that the man had been a vampire in another life!
He added a pair of silver chain necklaces to further draw attention to his throat and tease Kikuchi, then slipped on a matching silver-and-turquoise ring and bracelet. The entire ensemble was made up of pieces that had been gifted to him after he'd modeled them at photo shoots. It was a nice perk of fame, that designers wanted to give you clothes and jewelry because it was free advertisement if a celebrity was photographed wearing them.
He packed a change of clothes in a duffle bag, then threw on his favorite black coat and hid his trademark blond hair under a knit hat. A pair of sunglasses completed the disguise, although Kikuchi had said that they wouldn't need to worry about the paparazzi.
Onozuka had arranged to meet Kikuchi at a convenience store parking lot a few blocks away, and managed to get there without being followed by the paparazzi. Maybe they were still concentrating on Iwaki and Katou--their late night outdoor tryst had caused quite a stir in the media.
"You look great, Yuu," Kikuchi said, giving Onozuka an admiring look as he got into the car.
"Thanks," Onozuka replied. "So do you." And he meant it, although Kikuchi was clad casually in a t-shirt, jeans, and leather jacket; he thought Kikuchi managed to look sexy in anything he wore--or nothing at all.
Onozuka grinned at the thought, then made the more practical observation that Kikuchi's clothing meant that they weren't going to a fancy hotel or restaurant, although that still left a wide range of possibilities.
"So do I finally get to know where we're going?" Onozuka asked.
Kikuchi just grinned and replied, "You'll see when we get there."
"Determined to be mysterious until the bitter end, eh?" Onozuka asked with a wry smile. "This surprise had better be worth it."
Onozuka was startled when Kikuchi looked nervous for a split-second, before he quickly covered it up with his usual rakish grin. "It will," Kikuchi promised confidently.
"If you say so," Onozuka replied, feeling more intrigued than ever. Well, he supposed that he'd find out where they were going soon enough.
He was startled a second time--no, more than startled; panicked was more like it--when Kikuchi pulled into the parking lot of one of the Tokyo branches of the Nakata confectionery.
"What are we doing here?!" Onozuka demanded, wondering if Kikuchi had somehow found out his true identity.
Kikuchi gave him a puzzled look and replied, "I just need to stop and pick up something here. It'll only take a minute; I didn't think you'd mind." He gave Onozuka a closer look and said in a concerned voice, "You look kind of pale, Yuu--are you all right? If you're feeling sick, we can cancel our plans and do this some other time..."
Onozuka saw only concern in Kikuchi's eyes, with no hints of his usual mischief or slyness, and he relaxed slightly. Maybe it really was just a coincidence--his family's stores could be found all over the country, after all, and it was inevitable that some of his acquaintances would occasionally shop there.
"Ah, no, I'm fine," Onozuka replied sheepishly. "I'm just getting a little paranoid about the paparazzi spotting us together, that's all."
"Okay, why don't you wait in the car, then?" Kikuchi said with a smile, looking reassured. "I'll be right back."
Kikuchi left the car, and Onozuka slouched down in the passenger seat, trying to look inconspicuous. He was relieved that at least Kikuchi hadn't asked him to go into the store with him, since Onozuka was afraid that he might be recognized--not as the actor Onozuka Yuu, but as the young master of the Nakata family. It was less likely that he'd be recognized by the staff here than in his hometown of Kanazawa, but he had paid visits to all the branch stores with his father a few times. There would have been some staff turnover in the past six years, but Onozuka remembered the manager of this store, a former Kanazawa apprentice named Sugiyama who had been hand-picked by the Master to run this particular branch. Sugiyama had been very loyal to Onozuka's father, so it was almost certain that he would still be working here, and since he had worked in the main shop for several years, he would remember "Young Master Yuu." And Sugiyama probably knew the scandalous story about how Yuu had heartlessly abandoned his family to become an actor.
Onozuka only had to fret and brood for a few minutes before Kikuchi returned, carrying a shopping bag emblazoned with the store's logo, the Nakata family crest of two hawk feathers enclosed in a circle, gold on a black background.
"Here, can you hold this?" Kikuchi asked, handing the bag to Onozuka without waiting for a reply. Onozuka took it gingerly, as if the bag contained explosives instead of boxes of candy.
Kikuchi chuckled, not seeming to notice Onozuka's reluctance. "You know, it's funny--the store logo is almost identical to the Kikuchi family crest: two hawk feathers, only without the circle. We're supposed to be descended from the Kikuchi samurai clan."
"Really?" Onozuka asked with a weak smile. If he were Katou, he would probably consider this coincidence a sign that they were meant to be together, but Onozuka wasn't anywhere near so sentimental, and it seemed more like an ill omen to him than a good one. It was almost as if fate was conspiring against him: first, the announcement that they would be filming in Okinawa, and now this visit to his family's store.
"Well, that's what my grandfather always used to say," Kikuchi laughed, seeming completely unaware of Onozuka's inner turmoil. "I have no idea whether it's actually true or not. But it makes a good story, doesn't it?"
"Sure," Onozuka replied distractedly, cautiously peeking into the bag. There was a large square box which, according to the label penned in elegant calligraphy, contained an assortment of higashi, or small dry cakes made of the finest premium wasanbon sugar. The most popular ones were molded into flower-shapes, but they were made in other shapes as well, such as leaves, fruit, butterflies, or even just simple squares.
There was also a smaller unlabeled box sitting on top of the larger one, and Kikuchi explained, "The manager gave me a box of manju, gratis. I guess because I'm a regular customer, or maybe he's just a fan. He asked me about the film, and what it's like to work with the Prince." He grinned at Onozuka.
Onozuka tensed for a moment, then tried to relax and hide his concern. "And what did you say?" he asked casually.
"Oh, I said that you were a pleasure to work with--very hard-working and dedicated," Kikuchi replied.
"That's good to know," Onozuka said, wondering what Sugiyama's motive had been. Was it simple concern, or was he trying to find out if Onozuka was going to do anything to shame the family? As if playing the role of Kikuchi's male lover wasn't scandalous enough!
"I didn't know that you liked wagashi so much, Kikuchi-san," Onozuka said.
"I like it well enough, but I don't have a huge sweet tooth," Kikuchi replied. "It's actually a gift for...well, for a person we're going to visit today who likes it very much."
"What?!" Onozuka exclaimed, slightly alarmed. "We're going to meet someone? A friend of yours?"
"Relax, Yuu," Kikuchi said, smiling at Onozuka reassuringly. "I promise that there's no danger. Trust me...you introduced me to your friends, after all."
"The last time you said 'trust me,' I ended up getting an impromptu blow job in Katou's bathroom," Onozuka said dryly.
"And that's a bad thing how?" Kikuchi retorted with such a wicked grin that Onozuka couldn't help but laugh.
"You're evil, Katsuya," he said reproachfully, and Kikuchi's grin grew even wider in response. But all joking aside, Onozuka supposed that Kikuchi had a point: Kikuchi had willingly agreed to meet his friends, so it was only fair for Onozuka to return the favor. On the other hand, Kikuchi wasn't in the closet anymore, so it wasn't like Kikuchi had been taking a big risk.
But Onozuka didn't believe that Kikuchi would deliberately put him at risk, after everything Kikuchi had been through with his own scandal. If anything, Kikuchi had been taking pains to make sure that Onozuka's reputation was protected. Well...except for the blow job in the dressing room, when Yoshizumi and Asano had nearly discovered them. Maybe he shouldn't have introduced Kikuchi to his friends--it seemed like Katou's exhibitionism might be rubbing off on him.
Still, Onozuka didn't think that Kikuchi would introduce him to a friend who wasn't completely trustworthy. So he tried to relax, although hanging out with a third party wasn't really his idea of a romantic weekend getaway.
"Who are we meeting?" Onozuka asked. "Your stuntman friend with the fishing cabin?" Kikuchi often mentioned his American friends in casual conversation, but the stuntman was the only close friend in Japan that Kikuchi had told Onozuka about so far. He knew that most of Kikuchi's so-called friends had turned against him after the scandal, so maybe Kikuchi didn't have any other close friends left. He sometimes went out for a drink after work with the cast and crew, but he didn't seem to have any regular drinking buddies the way that Onozuka had Miyasaka and Katou.
"You'll see soon enough," Kikuchi replied, with maddening evasiveness.
"You're such a tease," Onozuka complained, glaring at his lover.
"I just don't want to spoil the surprise," Kikuchi protested innocently.
Eventually they reached a Tokyo suburb, a quieter family neighborhood compared to the busier parts of the city where Onozuka lived and worked. They passed by rows of houses and shops, a school, and a park--nothing out of the ordinary until they drove by a small stone building with stained glass windows and a steepled roof topped with a cross.
"Wait a minute!" Onozuka exclaimed, straining against the seat belt as he turned to try and get a better look at the building as it receded into the distance behind them. "Is that Father Osamu's church?!"
"You're very observant, Yuu," Kikuchi said approvingly. "Yes, it is."
"Then the friend that you wanted me to meet is the Father?" Onozuka asked, then answered his own question. "No, you would have stopped at the church if you wanted to visit there. But if the church is here, then that means this is the neighborhood where you grew up."
"Very good, Yuu," Kikuchi said with another approving smile.
"Then...don't tell me..." Onozuka said in dismay. He left his suspicions unvoiced, but they were confirmed soon enough when Kikuchi pulled the car over in front of a modest house. It was nice, but hardly a mansion--the sort of place that would be within the means of a civil servant's salary. More specifically, a detective's salary, because the nameplate next to the front gate said "Kikuchi."
"Katsuya!" Onozuka said, glaring accusingly at his lover. "You said that we were meeting a friend of yours!"
"No, I never said that," Kikuchi calmly defended himself. "You made that assumption on your own."
Onozuka opened his mouth to protest, then went back over their conversation in his mind and realized that Kikuchi was right. It was galling to know that he'd fallen into almost the exact same trap that he'd once laid for Katou and Miyasaka.
"Why didn't you tell me that we were meeting your family?" he demanded.
"Because I wasn't sure that you'd still agree to come if I did," Kikuchi replied frankly. Then he smiled placatingly and said, "Relax, Yuu. There's no pressure. I wanted to spend time with you, but I also wanted to visit my folks since I'll be too busy with filming to see them for awhile. I thought I could kill two birds with one stone, and besides, I thought you said that my family sounded nice. I told you that I was going to introduce you to them someday."
"I thought you were joking!" Onozuka protested. "Have you told them about us?"
"Not yet," Kikuchi replied. He grinned and added, "Actually, I didn't tell them that I was bringing you today...I wanted to surprise them, too."
"Damn it, Katsuya, there are certain types of surprises that you just don't spring on people out of the blue!" Onozuka snapped.
"It's no big deal," Kikuchi insisted. "They'll be happy to meet you."
"Do you bring home men to meet your parents all the time?" Onozuka asked suspiciously.
"No, but they've met a couple of my American boyfriends," Kikuchi laughed, causing Onozuka to scowl jealously. "Relax, Yuu," Kikuchi repeated, reaching out to caress Onozuka's face soothingly. "Look, if it will make you feel better, I'll just introduce you as my coworker, not my boyfriend."
"Okay," Onozuka agreed grudgingly. He pulled off his hat and sunglasses, then hastily tried to comb out his hair with his fingers as he gazed into the rear-view mirror. "You should have told me that we were visiting your parents," he grumbled. "I would have dressed more conservatively."
"You look fine," Kikuchi said, then added with a grin, "Good enough to eat, in fact!"
He leaned over to press his lips against Onozuka's throat, then gently nibbled along his collarbone. Onozuka pushed Kikuchi away, protesting irritably, "Not in public!"
"It's your fault for looking so temptingly sexy," Kikuchi retorted good-naturedly. "Anyway, you don't need to worry about my folks. Since you're just here as my coworker, it's fine if you dress like the Prince rather than a nervous boyfriend trying to impress his future in-laws."
Kikuchi got out of the car, and Onozuka reluctantly followed, still holding the bag of sweets. The house was surrounded by a wooden fence, not so high as to seem unwelcoming or intimidating, but still high enough to provide some privacy--and to prevent the family dog from wandering off, judging by the barking noises that Onozuka heard.
Kikuchi unlocked the gate, and as they stepped through it, a German Shepherd ambled into view. The dog moved slowly and stiffly, as if it were suffering from arthritis, but it wagged its tail enthusiastically.
"Hey, Hachi, how're you doing, boy?" Kikuchi said, kneeling down to give the dog a vigorous scratch behind the ears, and the dog barked happily and licked his face. Then it--he--seemed to register Onozuka's presence and sniffed at him in a suspicious manner, growling softly.
"Friend, Hachi," Kikuchi said clearly, and the dog wagged his tail again.
Onozuka cautiously held out his free hand, and the dog sniffed at it and gave it a friendly swipe of his tongue. Onozuka scratched Hachi behind the ears and told Kikuchi dryly, "You could have warned me about the dog, too."
"He's harmless, as long as you're with me," Kikuchi replied, grinning. "If you were an intruder, it would be a different story, of course. Anyway, he's old and arthritic--you could easily outrun him if it came down to that."
Before Onozuka could reply, the front door swung open and a woman said, "I thought I heard Hachi barking...Katsuya, you're here!" It was Kikuchi's mother--Onozuka recognized her from the family photo at Kikuchi's apartment.
She smiled warmly at her son until she caught sight of Onozuka and exclaimed, "Oh, you brought a friend!" Then she gave Kikuchi a reproving look and scolded, "You should have told me that you were bringing a guest--I would have tidied up the house!"
"I'm sure the house is fine, Mom," Kikuchi laughed. "This is my co-star, Onozuka Yuu. He's working on the movie with me."
Onozuka bowed with princely grace and said, "I'm very pleased to meet you. I apologize for dropping by unannounced, but Kikuchi-san surprised me, too. He didn't tell me that we would be visiting his family."
Kikuchi's mother bowed in return, almost as gracefully, and said, "I'm Katsuya's mother, Ryoko. There's no need to apologize; I'm sure that the fault is all Katsuya's."
From behind her, a man's voice called out, "Let them in, Ryoko, before someone spots them standing outside and calls the media."
"Oh, of course, please come in," Ryoko said hastily said, ushering them into the house; Hachi trailed along behind them.
Part 4, Part 5
***
Afterword: The nameless ninja movie that Kikuchi is ashamed of is based on "The Hunted," starring Christopher Lambert and John Lone. The actors all gave good performances and did the best they could with the bad script--particularly Lone (who, incidentally, is half-Chinese and half-Caucasian, not Japanese) as the ninja lord Kinjo. I love John Lone, and he was so compelling that I actually took a guilty pleasure in the movie, but afterwards my friends and I laughed about the ludicrousness of a bunch of ninja (dressed in stereotypical ninja costume) running through a train in broad daylight, attempting to kill Lambert's character with swords.
See, the thing about ninja is that they were spies and assassins, who struck by surprise and tried not be noticed. They also used weapons that were efficient and which could be easily concealed. If ninja did still exist in the present day, they would probably use guns, not swords, or maybe just have one of the ninja disguise him or herself as an ordinary passenger on the train, and discreetly and subtly prick Lambert with a poisoned needle as they walked by him. But of course it's more important for the film to be exciting than logical!
Actually, as one of the Amazon reviews said, it's a fun movie if you don't take it too seriously. Anyway, I was picturing Kikuchi in this movie in the John Lone role.
The fruit basket: I've seen a number of them in J-dramas, mainly as get-well gifts for someone who is hospitalized, and in at least one instance, the basket actually did come with a paring knife. (This was a detective show, so I think the knife ended up being a murder weapon, if I recall correctly.) And the Japanese characters always seem to peel the apples very deftly with a knife--something I marvel at, since I know I would chop off my fingers if I tried that! ^_^
Apple bunnies were previously mentioned in Part 1 of Press Conference.
Licking or sucking an injured finger seems to be a standard shoujo manga trope, so I included it for fun, although personally, I find it more gross than romantic.
Onozuka's outfit for his big date with Kikuchi is modeled on what he was wearing in Chapter 2 of Book 13, where he and Katou and Miyasaka are hanging out at Lime. See my scrapbook for a scan.
There really was a Kikuchi samurai clan. And you can see the Nakata and Kikuchi family crests in this scan (the 3rd and 4th crests in the left-hand column). The scan is from "Mon: the Japanese Family Crest" by W.M. Hawley and Kei Kaneda Chapplear. The picture is black and white, so I wasn't sure what the clan colors really were, so I chose gold and black for the Nakata store logo because I wanted something elegant and striking. I wish I could claim that I planned it, but it was pure coincidence that the Kikuchi and Nakata crests turned out to be so similar.
Higashi is a type of wagashi served at tea ceremonies, a sort of dry cake or candy made with sugar and rice flour, or sometimes just pure sugar. I've heard them described as being somewhat bland to Western tastes, but I've never actually eaten any myself. Wasanbon is a premium type of Japanese sugar made from Shikoku sugarcane. I watched a cooking show once that showed how it is made: an extremely lengthy, tedious, and laborious process where the raw sugar is pressed and kneaded by hand several times to squeeze out all the liquid, leaving behind the refined white sugar. You can see some examples of higashi and wasanbon candy here--so very pretty!
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maybe they really are fated to be together, and not even you as the writer know about it! your charas do have a tendency to have a life of their own XDD
the fruit peeling: aren't japanese (or/and chinese) cooks the ones who sculpture veggies so nice you feel more like looking at than eating them?
wagashi again *sob* - i really feel like trying some.. but here, no chance
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I'm not sure if the veggie sculptures are Japanese, but the Japanese sure know how to make food look pretty as well as tasty! Sorry to make you crave wagashi--I'm always making myself hungry when I'm writing, too!
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*also licks Lone, whom I love, love, love*
*eats sweeties*
Many cultures on the Continent (ex. Spain), also peel fruit.
Hungry now.
*wants to go for lunch with John Lone. Instead is forced to eat leftover extra-hot chili that husband made for tea last night*
Blech.
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And yes, Onozuka looks very lickable! ~_^