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FIC: Family Visit: Tokyo, Part 4 of 5
Title: Family Visit: Tokyo, Part 4 of 5
Rating: NC-17 overall
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka
Word count: ~5,850
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: Onozuka has tea and lunch with Kikuchi's parents; Kikuchi and his dad have a father-son talk.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
***
Inside, Kikuchi's father was rising up from an armchair in the living room and setting aside the newspaper he had been reading. Except for the lines on his face and his iron-gray hair, he looked almost exactly like his son.
No, on second thought, that wasn't quite true, Onozuka decided. Kikuchi nearly always had a gleam of roguish humor in his eyes, as if he were laughing at some private joke, while his father had a very stern and serious demeanor. Onozuka found it easy to imagine him interrogating a suspect, and nervously wondered whether he subjected his son's boyfriends to the same treatment.
"This is my husband, Nobukazu," Ryoko said pleasantly, not seeming to notice Onozuka's discomfort.
Onozuka bowed deeply and said, "I'm Onozuka. I'm working with Kikuchi-san, and he's been kind enough to look after me and give me his guidance."
Nobukazu bowed and said politely, "Nice to meet you."
"I can't imagine that you need much guidance, Onozuka-san," Ryoko said, with a hint of laughter in her voice. "He's the Prince," Ryoko informed her husband cheerfully.
"Oh no," Onozuka laughed, blushing, and for once his embarrassment wasn't entirely feigned. "Kikuchi-san, you didn't tell her about that silly name the magazine made up, did you?"
"For once, I am completely innocent," Kikuchi protested.
Onozuka gave him a skeptical look, but Ryoko said playfully, "Actually, I have to confess that I'm a bit of a fan, Onozuka-san. I loved your drama 'Brothers'--it was so moving!"
Kikuchi's mouth quirked into something that was half a grimace and half a wry smile, no doubt because she was referring to the TV series that Onozuka had starred in with Iwaki. Ryoko noticed, and said to him sternly, "Oh, don't make that face at me, Katsuya! I know that you don't like Iwaki Kyousuke and Katou Youji, but that's no reason not to appreciate Onozuka-san's performance." Despite the reprimand, there was laughter sparkling in her eyes, and Onozuka realized that while Kikuchi had received his looks from his father, he must have gotten his sense of mischief from his mother.
"Oh, I do appreciate Onozuka-kun's performance," Kikuchi assured his mother. "I even watched the series on video and endured Iwaki's presence to see Onozuka-kun."
"You shouldn't be bad-mouthing Iwaki-san in front of Onozuka-san," Ryoko scolded. "The two of you are friends, aren't you, Onozuka-san?"
"Well, I was friends with Katou first, and came to be friends with Iwaki-san through him," Onozuka replied with a smile. "But I'm not offended. I know that Kikuchi-san likes to joke around a lot."
"I'm relieved," Ryoko said. "It's difficult to believe, but I did teach my son better manners than that!"
"Movie stars don't need manners, apparently," Nobukazu said, deadpan, and Kikuchi and Ryoko laughed, as if it were an old family joke. Maybe Kikuchi's stern-faced father did have a sense of humor, after all.
"I do have some manners," Kikuchi told his mother, grinning. He took the bag of wagashi from Onozuka and handed it to Ryoko, saying, "These are from me and Onozuka-kun."
Onozuka hadn't had any part in buying the sweets, of course, but he didn't contradict Kikuchi, since it would have been rude of him to visit the house without bringing a gift. Of course, it wasn't really his fault, since Kikuchi hadn't told him where they were going. But he'd had enough etiquette drilled into him over the years by his parents that it bothered him to be caught empty-handed, so he allowed Kikuchi to say that the gift was from both of them. And it was true in a way, Onozuka reasoned, since his father's company had made the sweets, although Kikuchi wasn't aware of it.
Ryoko's face lit up with pleasure and she said, "Thank you, Onozuka-san!"
Onozuka bowed graciously in response, then modestly--and truthfully--replied, "You're welcome, but it was really Kikuchi-san's idea."
"Then thank you also, Katsuya," Ryoko said. "I'll make some tea, and we can enjoy these now in the tatami room." As Kikuchi started to lead Onozuka to the room, she hastily added, "But be sure to wash your hands first if you've been petting the dog!"
"I may be a big movie star, but my mom still treats me like I'm five years old when I come back home," Kikuchi laughed, as he showed Onozuka to the bathroom, where they dutifully washed their hands as ordered.
"I suppose that's what moms do," Onozuka replied, since it seemed to be the appropriate response. He was hardly speaking from experience, though, since he hadn't seen his own mother in six years, except for once at his grandfather's funeral a few years ago.
That had been hell--trying to deal with his grief, and at the same time, the awkwardness of seeing his estranged family. There had been no harsh words exchanged, as his father was too well-mannered to make a scene at a funeral, but the cold silence had been worse than being yelled at: his father and sister had pointedly ignored him and not said a single word to him other than the bare minimum required for proper etiquette. His mother had stared at him tearfully, but as usual, she had sided with his father and snubbed him as well--mostly. When Onozuka had been preparing to leave and return to Tokyo, his mother had managed to find a moment when his father was preoccupied elsewhere, and she had whispered to him sadly, "Take care of yourself, Yuu." He had merely nodded curtly in reply; her words might have meant more to him if they hadn't been spoken like a guilty secret.
Onozuka tried to shake off those bad memories as Kikuchi led him to a small room, traditionally furnished with tatami mat flooring and a low table. His family's home had one like it, only larger.
Perhaps because his family was on his mind, he automatically knelt on the floor, folding his legs under him seiza style, sitting on his heels with his back held straight, although Kikuchi and his father sat more casually, with their legs crossed.
Ryoko arrived a few minutes later, bearing a tray filled with cups of tea and the flower-shaped higashi laid out on small plates. She looked a little surprised when she saw Onozuka, and she said with a smile, "There's no need to be so formal, Onozuka-san--please, make yourself at home."
Onozuka gave her a princely smile and said, "Thank you, ma'am," as he shifted into a more comfortable cross-legged position with some relief. Sitting seiza was extremely uncomfortable for those who weren't used to it, but it was required for certain traditional arts such as tea ceremonies. And since the tea houses in Kanazawa were important clients of the Nakata confectionery, the Master and his heir had been required to make many business and social visits to them. Therefore, Onozuka had been drilled in sitting seiza from childhood, until he could do so with ease and grace, but his skill had grown a little rusty over the years.
"You have beautiful posture, Onozuka-san," Ryoko said as she served the tea and candy. "Do you practice tea ceremony? Not many young people do these days."
"Not really," Onozuka confessed with a sheepish (but still charming) smile. "But I've attended a few in the past."
"My mother has been taking tea ceremony lessons," Kikuchi explained.
"It's something that I've always wanted to do," Ryoko said, smiling. "And now that the children are grown and Nobukazu is retired, the two of us have plenty of free time."
"Ah, that reminds me, I ran into Father Osamu after the press conference for the movie," Kikuchi said.
"What on earth was a priest doing at a television station?" Nobukazu asked. "Were they doing a documentary on Christianity?"
"No, it seems that one of the Father's former pupils from the children's home is working at the station," Kikuchi replied.
"He's quite an interesting man," Nobukazu said with a faint smile.
"He certainly is!" Kikuchi laughed. "Anyway, he said that Dad was volunteering at the children's home."
"Just trying to keep busy," Nobukazu said gruffly.
"Don't let my dad fool you," Kikuchi said, winking at Onozuka. "He acts the part of the tough cop, but he's a softie underneath." His father gave him a stern glare that would have caused even a hardened criminal to quail, but Kikuchi just grinned and continued, "Hachi is a case in point."
He gestured towards the dog, who was lying just outside the room, looking rather wistful. Apparently it wasn't allowed on the tatami mats, and was obedient enough to heed that command.
"Is he named after faithful Hachiko?" Onozuka asked, referring to the famous dog who had loyally waited for his master to return home from work every day at the train station, for years after that master had passed away.
"Exactly," Kikuchi laughed. "He's actually a retired police dog, and he was going to be put down because they couldn't find a home for him."
"Normally the handler would adopt the dog when it's retired, or find a good home for him," Nobukazu explained, still speaking gruffly. "However, Hachi's former handler lives in a condo that doesn't allow pets, and it was difficult to find a home for an old dog who can't see, smell, or walk very well any more."
"So Nobu took pity on Hachi, and said that two old veterans of the police department should live in retirement together," Ryoko said, smiling at her husband fondly.
"It would be a crime to put down a dog who's served the department loyally for so many years," Nobukazu said, looking a little embarrassed.
"You see?" Kikuchi said to Onozuka in a stage whisper. "He's a total softie!"
"I heard that, Katsuya," Nobukazu growled.
"Please drink your tea before it gets cold, everyone," Ryoko urged, tactfully changing the subject.
Onozuka picked up his piece of higashi and took a bite; in tea ceremonies, the sweet was served first to offset the bitter taste of the tea. It crumbled and melted on his tongue, filling his mouth with a subtle and refined sweetness. The familiar taste filled him with a sense of melancholy and homesickness, which took Onozuka by surprise, since he had never enjoyed making sweets, and had always regarded his training as an arduous, unpleasant duty. His childhood had not been completely unhappy, but he had always felt restless and stifled, like a bird imprisoned in a cage--a gilded cage, to be sure, but a cage all the same. He hadn't thought that he was still capable of missing his home after all these years.
He sipped the tea, noting from experience that it was made from high-quality matcha, powdered green tea, and forced himself to smile politely as if nothing was wrong. "Kikuchi-san tells me that you're a retired detective, sir," he said to Nobukazu.
"Yes, I am," Kikuchi's father replied simply.
"He was in Division One of the Metropolitan Police Department," Kikuchi elaborated.
"Ah yes, the homicide division, right?" Onozuka asked, grinning. "I learned that from watching one of your detective dramas, Kikuchi-san!"
"And that's the closest either of my sons will ever get to becoming a police officer," Nobukazu sighed, but he gave Kikuchi a wry, affectionate smile.
"That's not really true," Kikuchi told Onozuka. "My younger brother is a prosecutor, so he's involved with law enforcement, in his own way."
Onozuka made an effort to be gracious and charming, making small talk about the movie and about how kind Kikuchi was to give him English lessons. And of course he also made sure to draw out his hosts in conversation--coaxing Nobukazu to talk about some of his old cases, and asking Ryoko about her tea ceremony lessons. He learned that one of Ryoko's other hobbies was gardening: she grew flowers in backyard, and also worked in the neighborhood's community vegetable garden.
"Do you like flowers, Onozuka-san?" Ryoko inquired.
"I appreciate beauty of any kind," Onozuka replied gallantly, and Ryoko laughed.
"Well then, would you like to see my garden?"
"I would love to," Onozuka replied.
"Mom has a real green thumb," Kikuchi informed him proudly.
"Oh, it's just a hobby," Ryoko protested modestly as she rose to her feet. "We'll be back in a little while," she told her husband and son.
"Take your time," Nobukazu said. Kikuchi looked a little worried, and Onozuka was torn between thinking that it served the bastard right, and being worried himself.
Ryoko led Onozuka through the living room and opened the sliding doors overlooking the backyard; Hachi ambled slowly along behind them. There were neatly arranged beds of colorful flowers, and a large wooden doghouse--presumably Hachi's.
Ryoko picked up a basket and a pair of gardening shears that had been left on the veranda, and said cheerfully, "We can pick some flowers to decorate the dining table. You'll stay for lunch, won't you Onozuka-san?"
"If it's no imposition," Onozuka replied politely.
"Oh, not at all!" Ryoko insisted, leading him into the yard. Onozuka made a show of admiring the flowers, and remarked on how pretty they were.
"Don't you have to worry about Hachi digging up the flower beds, ma'am?" he asked.
"No, he's very obedient--he received excellent training as a police dog," Ryoko replied. Then she added with a twinkle in her eyes, "And there's no need to be so formal, Onozuka-san. You can just call me 'Mother' or 'Mom.'"
"I...er..." Onozuka stammered, his princely charm deserting him for once and leaving him at a loss for words.
"Oh, don't be so shy, Onozuka-san--it seems like we'll be family soon enough, right?" Ryoko laughed.
"I think there's been a misunderstanding," Onozuka protested weakly. "I'm just Kikuchi-san's coworker..."
Ryoko smiled at him slyly--yes, Kikuchi had definitely gotten that trait from her! "There are no paparazzi here, Onozuka-san, and I promise that Nobu and I will be discreet. We would never want anyone to go through what Katsuya did, although it seems that the public is more accepting of same-sex relationships now."
"Er...may I ask why you think that Kikuchi-san and I are in a relationship, ma'am?" Onozuka asked cautiously.
"Katsuya has never brought a coworker home before," Ryoko explained cheerfully. "Of course, he wouldn't have had much opportunity, since he was in America for ten years. But he's worked on that TV drama with your friend Miyasaka-san, and that other movie by Kitamura-kantoku, and he's never brought home anyone from those projects. So I think that he must be quite taken with you, Onozuka-san, which is only natural. How could he not like such a nice and handsome young man?"
"You're much too kind, ma'am...er..." Onozuka let his voice trail off. It was impolite to keep calling her "ma'am" when she'd asked him not to, but he couldn't quite bring himself to call her "Mother," either. He silently resolved to himself that he was going to kill Kikuchi when he finally managed to get his lover alone.
Kikuchi's mother took pity on him and said pleasantly, "Just call me 'Ryoko,' then, Onozuka-san."
"Yes, ma'am...I mean, Ryoko-san," Onozuka replied. Then he decided that since he'd already been outed, so to speak, he might as well take advantage of the situation and get some info on Kikuchi. "So...has Kikuchi-san brought home boyfriends to meet you in the past?"
"Well, he went to America right after the scandal, of course," Ryoko said matter-of-factly as she knelt down to cut a few of the flowers and place them in the basket. "But we visited him in America several times over the years, and we met a couple of his partners. One was an actor--I didn't like him at all. He was good-looking, but he seemed very full of himself, if you know what I mean. And more recently, there was Daniel-san--he was a cameraman who worked on a movie with Katsuya. He seemed like a very nice, modest young man, but...well...they broke up when Katsuya moved back home, of course. Katsuya hasn't dated anyone since then, at least that I know of, and I was beginning to get a little worried, so I was very happy when he brought you to meet us, Onozuka-san."
"I see," Onozuka murmured, frowning slightly. Had Kikuchi been pining over his American lover? Was that why he had said that he wasn't looking for a serious relationship?
"Oh, don't misunderstand, Onozuka-san," Ryoko said hastily. "Daniel-san was very nice, but I don't think that he and Katsuya were meant to be. There are bound to be cultural differences between two people from different countries and backgrounds, even if Katsuya had been living in America for several years. And if it had been true love, they wouldn't have broken up over the move--either Katsuya would have stayed in America, or Daniel-san would have come to Japan with him."
"It's a big sacrifice either way, even for two people who love each other," Onozuka said doubtfully. "For Kikuchi-san to give up the chance to become a star again in his homeland, or for an American to follow a lover to a foreign country."
"If two people love each other enough, they are willing to make sacrifices for each other," Ryoko said solemnly. "It wasn't always easy being married to a police officer, but I have never regretted marrying Nobukazu."
"How did the two of you meet, Ryoko-san?" Onozuka asked curiously.
"Oh, that's quite a story," Ryoko laughed. "Nobu was still a uniformed officer back then, a young policeman working in a local kouban near the office where I worked. He happened to be patrolling the neighborhood on his bicycle when a thief snatched my purse. He heard my cries for help, chased after the thief, and tackled him to the ground."
"Wow, that sounds very exciting and heroic!" Onozuka said with a grin.
"Oh, it was," Ryoko laughed. "But what impressed me most about him wasn't the heroics. Even though I wasn't hurt and was able to get my purse back, I was very shaken by the experience. But Nobu was very kind and gentle and patient with me--he took me back to the kouban and gave me some tea, and sat and talked with me until I calmed down. That was what really made an impression on me--his kindness." She smiled tenderly, a nostalgic look in her eyes. "Of course I went back to the kouban with some sweets to thank him later, and I continued to drop by and visit, even after the thief was convicted and sent to prison."
"It sounds like you were quite smitten," Onozuka teased.
Ryoko giggled, and Onozuka could picture her as the girl who must have captivated the heart of the young policeman--she was still a very attractive woman in spite of the gray in her hair and the crows' feet creasing the corners of her eyes and mouth. Laugh lines, Onozuka's grandfather would have said approvingly--a sign of good nature.
"It was quite forward of me," Ryoko admitted, mischievously and unrepentantly, "but fortunately, Nobu didn't seem to mind. One thing led to another, and eventually we got married."
"That's such a romantic story, Ryoko-san," Onozuka said.
"Now won't you tell me the story of how you and Katsuya met, Onozuka-san?" Ryoko asked with a smile.
"Oh, it's hardly as romantic as yours," Onozuka protested, blushing slightly. Kikuchi's mother seemed very liberal and accepting of her son's homosexuality, but there was no way that Onozuka was going to tell her that he had met Kikuchi when his best friend had brought him home for a drunken one night stand.
"Oh, come now, Onozuka-san," Ryoko coaxed. "Tell me your story, and I'll tell you stories about when Katsuya was a boy. I'll even show you his baby pictures..."
"How can I resist?" Onozuka laughed. "All right, but it's not very exciting. Miyasaka introduced us on the night of the wrap party for 'Yakuza Love Story,'" he said, not exactly lying, but selectively shading the truth and leaving out certain details. "I was a big fan of Kikuchi-san, so of course I was thrilled to meet him. It's a little embarrassing to admit this, but I used to have a poster of him on my wall..."
***
Kikuchi and his father had moved into the living room, and were watching Ryoko and Onozuka through the open door. Onozuka had seemed a little nervous at first, but now they were chatting and laughing like two old friends. "What do you suppose they're talking about?" Kikuchi asked, with a bit of trepidation.
"You, I suspect," his father replied.
"That's what I thought," Kikuchi groaned.
"You know what your mother's like," Nobukazu replied without any sympathy. "She was a little upset when you broke up with Daniel-san, even though she understood that it was an inevitability of your moving back to Japan, and she was happy to have you back home. She wants to see both you and your brother happily settled down with a good partner, and you knew what would happen if you brought a male friend home to meet her. Especially someone like young Onozuka-san; he seems to be quite a charmer." As if to prove his point, Ryoko laughed coquettishly at something the young actor said. "Therefore," Nobukazu continued, "since you brought him here anyway, to knowingly face your mother's scrutiny, you must be serious about him, right?"
"Your detective instincts haven't faded with retirement," Kikuchi chuckled. "Yes, we're seeing each other, but I'm not sure how serious Yuu is about me. He's still in the closet, and has many female fans who view him as the perfect prince. That's his nickname, in fact--the Golden Prince."
"That's not good, Katsuya," his father said gravely. "For one thing, it's difficult to have a healthy relationship when you have to keep it hidden, like something shameful. For another, secrets have a way of being uncovered--you know that better than anyone. Have you thought about the damage that could be done to Onozuka-san's career if your relationship with him was made public?"
"Of course I have," Kikuchi replied defensively. "As you said, I know better than anyone what it's like to be outed. I didn't enter into this relationship lightly." However, he felt a touch of guilt, because in the beginning, he had entered it lightly and treated his courtship of Onozuka as a game. His father, no doubt honing in on his guilt with his combined instincts as both a father and a cop, gave him a dubious look.
"Well, perhaps in the beginning I took it lightly," Kikuchi confessed, wondering if his father's suspects had broken down as easily during interrogation. "But I wouldn't have brought him home if this were just a one night stand or a casual affair. And anyway, Yuu is the one who first asked me out, not the other way around. He's aware of the risks, and he isn't ashamed of being gay, but neither do we see the need to flaunt our relationship and start a media frenzy. If the relationship becomes permanent, then maybe we'll have to consider going public as a preemptive move, but for now, we're being as discreet as possible."
"There's something else that bothers me," Nobukazu said, still looking concerned. "I get the impression that Onozuka-san is hiding something--not so much like a suspect lying about a crime, but more like a witness who isn't telling the whole truth about what he knows."
Kikuchi burst into laughter. "Ah, you really are a detective at heart, Dad! Yes, Yuu is hiding something, but it's nothing criminal. 'Onozuka' is his professional name; he's actually the son of the current head of the Nakata family." His father gave him a blank look, and Kikuchi picked up one of the sugar-flowers and said, "You know, the Nakata confectionery that makes the wagashi that Mom likes so much?"
"Oh, that Nakata family!" Nobukazu exclaimed. Then he laughed and joked, "So can he get us a discount? Their candy isn't cheap!"
"I'm afraid not," Kikuchi replied. "He's been disowned for running away to become an actor instead of succeeding the family business."
"Ah, so it's like that, is it?" Nobukazu asked sagely.
"I'm afraid so," Kikuchi said. "But please don't say anything to him about it; he doesn't know that I know."
"Then how did you find out about it?" Nobukazu asked.
Kikuchi grinned and replied, "I guess I must have inherited some of your detective skills."
His father laughed, but then the grave look returned to his face. "All these secrets--it's not good for a relationship, Katsuya," he said, shaking his head. "And there's something else that I'm concerned about. Onozuka-san seems like a nice enough young man, but there's a fairly large age difference between the two of you, about fifteen years or so, I'm guessing?"
"Don't worry, Dad," Kikuchi laughed. "Old age and treachery will always win out over youth and skill."
But his father frowned, unamused by his joke. "A relationship isn't a competition, Katsuya," he said sternly. "A good marriage is a partnership between equals. It won't work if one partner holds more power than the other."
"Are you saying that you aren't the boss in your marriage?" Kikuchi teased. His parents had always had a very traditional marriage, with his father being the breadwinner, and his mother the dutiful wife who had looked after the house and children without complaint--even when Nobukazu's work had kept him out late, occasionally to the extent of sleeping over at the station when he had been working on a crucial and time-sensitive case.
Nobukazu snorted and replied with a faint smile, "Of course not, although Ryoko might let people think that I am. Do you honestly think that I could have held this family together alone? She was the one who raised you and your brother. There were times when I barely saw your faces, but she never complained about all the times that a case kept me out late at night."
"You were working to put away bad guys and keep everyone, including us, safe," Kikuchi said. "She understood, and so did Kojiro and I."
"Not everyone does," Nobukazu said gravely. "Many of my fellow detectives wound up getting divorced because their wives couldn't take the late hours, or have children who resent them for never being home. The point is that your mother and I were equal partners, though we had different roles in the marriage. In fact, hers was probably the harder job. Can you really say that you and Onozuka-san are equals at this point? There's the fact that you know more about him than he does about you, along with the age difference. I'm not saying that it's insurmountable, but people who are at different stages in their lives and careers often have difficulty settling in a relationship together, and it doesn't help that you seem to see your age as an advantage over him."
"I was just joking, Dad," Kikuchi complained. "That's why I brought him here, to sort of even things out. I know about his family, so I wanted him to meet mine. I was hoping that it might make him feel more comfortable, so that eventually he'll trust me enough to tell me about his family on his own."
"Hmm," was all Nobukazu said in reply.
Ryoko and Onozuka came back in the house a few minutes later, and Ryoko found a vase to put the flowers in. Hachi continued tagging along after Onozuka--the dog seemed to have taken a liking to him.
"Hachi is usually reserved among strangers," Kikuchi said with a grin. "It seems that the Prince's charm works even on four-footed creatures!"
"It's because he's a very smart dog," Onozuka retorted, reaching down to give Hachi a friendly pat, and the dog wagged his tail happily.
"I was planning to make some curry," Ryoko said, heading towards the kitchen when she was done with the flowers. "I'll just make a bit extra, since Onozuka-san promised to stay for lunch."
"Oh, please let me help you, Ryoko-san," Onozuka immediately offered. He added with a charming grin, "After I wash my hands first, of course!"
"Oh, but you're a guest," Ryoko protested. "That's really not necessary."
"I insist," Onozuka said firmly, with princely courtesy.
"That's very kind of you, Onozuka-san," Ryoko said, giving in graciously. She added with a pointed glance at Kikuchi, "So unlike my sons, who never offer to help out around the house."
"You're making me look bad, Yuu," Kikuchi complained good-naturedly. When Onozuka flinched slightly at hearing his given name, Kikuchi said casually, "There's no point in hiding it, right? I'm sure that Mom's figured it out, since you're apparently on a first name basis now, and Dad has, too."
"It was obvious, Katsuya," Ryoko said impatiently as Onozuka shot a quick glare at Kikuchi. "And it wasn't very nice of you to put Onozuka-san on the spot like that. You should have told him that you were going to visit us today, and you should have told us upfront that you were seeing Onozuka-san."
"I didn't want to put any pressure on Yuu," Kikuchi defended himself with an exaggerated look of innocence. "I thought that I'd just keep the visit casual."
Ryoko shook her head skeptically, then went off into the kitchen. Onozuka went over to Kikuchi and whispered in English, "You are a bad actor, and I will get back at you later, Katsuya-san."
Kikuchi grinned and replied in Japanese, "I'm glad that my English lessons seem to be effective, but I ought to let you know that my father can speak English."
Onozuka turned to face Nobukazu with a look of dismay, and Nobukazu said apologetically, "Not that well, but I spoke enough to help tourists with directions when I was working in the kouban, and as a detective, I used to get drafted for duty occasionally when we had to interview foreign witnesses."
Onozuka's face turned bright red, and he fled to the bathroom without another word as Kikuchi burst into laughter.
"You really are cruel to the poor boy," Nobukazu said, looking torn between amusement and disapproval. "Shouldn't you be kinder to someone that you supposedly like?"
"I wouldn't tease Yuu if I didn't like him so much," Kikuchi said, grinning widely, and his father sighed and shook his head.
It didn't take long for Onozuka to recover: he emerged from the bathroom looking much more composed, and went to help Ryoko in the kitchen. He acted like the perfect son--or son-in-law--and helped her chop vegetables for the curry while he entertained her with stories about the TV shows that he'd worked on and the people he had worked with. He even insisted on washing the dishes afterwards, over Ryoko's protests.
Onozuka got a little payback against Kikuchi while they were waiting for the food to cook--Ryoko went and brought out the old family photo albums, and insisted on showing Onozuka Kikuchi's old baby pictures.
"Mom!" Kikuchi groaned, although he didn't really mind that much. He liked that Onozuka was taking an interest in his past, even if it was a bit embarrassing.
"Aww, you were such a cute baby, Katsuya-san," Onozuka teased. Since the charade was over, he had reverted to using Kikuchi's given name, although he added the "san" honorific, presumably to show proper respect in front of Kikuchi's parents. At this rate, he really was going to charm Kikuchi's parents into liking him better than Kikuchi himself, and the thought made Kikuchi grin.
"He was a chubby little thing," Ryoko laughed. "People used to say that he looked like a little sumo wrestler!"
"Mom," Kikuchi groaned again, and Onozuka smirked.
They went through more photo albums, showing Kikuchi from grade school on up, and Onozuka commented on his middle school class photo, "Katsuya-san looks very handsome in his uniform."
"And here are some photos from when he was in high school," Ryoko said, bringing out another album. "Here he is in his school uniform," she said, pointing to a picture of Kikuchi with his shirt untucked and his tie halfway undone, hanging loosely around his neck. "You look like a juvenile delinquent," she scolded her son.
"What can I say?" Kikuchi asked with a shrug. "I was trying to be cool."
"And here he is in the class play at the Cultural Festival," Ryoko continued, flipping to another page. "He played the lead in 'Romeo and Juliet.'"
"I played Romeo in my high school play, too!" Onozuka laughed.
"Well, you both make very handsome leading men," Ryoko said with a smile.
Kikuchi endured their teasing with patience, and even a bit of pleasure, but he was relieved when the curry was done and Ryoko announced that it was time to eat.
Onozuka continued doing his best to charm Kikuchi's parents over lunch, and even began winning over the more skeptical Nobukazu by getting him to talk about fishing--Kikuchi's father's favorite subject. There was only one moment when the conversation faltered: Ryoko asked Onozuka about his family, and his charming smile froze on his face for a few seconds. Then he recovered and casually replied that his family didn't much care about show business, and they lived far away, so he didn't see them very often. Ryoko seemed to sense his discomfort, and tactfully changed the subject.
Meanwhile Hachi was sitting on the floor, staring longingly up at the dining table, managing to convey the impression that he was starving to death, even though Ryoko reassured Kikuchi and Onozuka that he had already been fed this morning.
"Maybe he could just have a little piece of meat?" Onozuka asked as Hachi stared at him with pleading eyes, his gaze intently focused on Onozuka's plate. "I feel sort of guilty eating when he's looking at me like that."
"Table scraps are bad for his health," Ryoko said in a stern, no-nonsense manner, the same way that she used to tell a young Kikuchi and Kojiro that no, they could not have an ice cream bar (or whatever other snack they were whining about) before dinner because it would spoil their appetites.
"I'll just get him a dog biscuit," Nobukazu said, rising from his seat. "It'll make him feel better if he has something to munch on while we eat."
"Honestly, you spoil that dog!" Ryoko said, in a tone of mingled exasperation and affection.
"See, I told you my dad's a softie," Kikuchi said, and Onozuka laughed.
Part 5
***
Afterword: Tatami mats are made of woven rush straw, and were traditionally used in Japanese flooring, but are less commonly used today--I'm guessing because of the expense, since they have to be replaced every so often. However, it's not uncommon to have one tatami-floored room in an otherwise Western-style house--you can see one in Iwaki and Katou's house in "His Best" in Book 4, when Iwaki suggests that they eat dinner in the "tatami room." Technically, the real name for it is "washitsu," or "Japanese-style room." You can also see a good example of this type of room in "First Cry, Part 2" in Book 3, when Iwaki's father explains to him that he was impressed by Iwaki's success, but angry that Iwaki didn't consider the feelings of his mother and brother. Actually, the entire home looks to be a very traditional-style Japanese house.
Wikipedia describes the process of sitting seiza-style as: "one first kneels on the floor, folding one's legs underneath one's thighs, while resting the buttocks on the heels. The ankles are turned outward as the tops of the feet are lowered so that, in a slight 'V' shape, the tops of the feet are flat on the floor and big toes are overlapped, and the buttocks are finally lowered all the way down."
It's usually reserved for formal occasions and certain types of martial arts and traditional arts, such as tea ceremony--and apparently Go, because in the Hikaru no Go manga, the main character Hikaru (a middle-school student) is taken aback when he is told he has to sit seiza when he's either entering a tournament or taking a test (my memory is a bit fuzzy). It's extremely uncomfortable for those who aren't used to it, and Hikaru's legs are numb by the time the game is over.
I think most younger people these days probably don't normally sit seiza (as shown by Hikaru's reaction and the TV dramas I watch), unless they practice one of the aforementioned arts or come from a very traditional family, like Iwaki and my fanon Onozuka. In the "His Best" chapter, Iwaki sort of seems to be sitting seiza in the tatami room while they eat, with his legs folded under him and his feet pointing inward forming a v-shape. His knees seem a little wider apart than what I thought was usual, but that basically looks like the right position. And notice that Katou is sitting cross-legged, in a much more comfortable and casual position--quite telling about both their characters, I think, although I hadn't noticed until I checked this chapter to reference the tatami room.
The story of Hachiko is famous in Japan, and there is a statue of him at Shibuya Station. When people want to meet at the station, they often say, "I'll meet you in front of Hachiko." (There are a couple of children's books about Hachiko written in English, but be sure to have some tissues handy when you read them, because the story's a real tear-jerker.) If you're a fan of the Nana manga by Ai Yazawa, you know that Nana O. calls Nana K. by the rather unflattering nickname of "Hachi," because Nana K. reminds her of a puppy. Hmm...maybe Onozuka ought to call Miyasaka "Hachi"! ^_^
The story about how Hachi was going to be put down until Nobukazu adopted him is borrowed from an episode of the TV show JAG. (If you're not familiar with the show, it's about the navy lawyers of the Judge Advocate General, who both prosecute and defend navy personnel when they are accused of crimes.) In one episode, Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie is defending a young naval officer accused of trying to smuggle marijuana through customs. The officer claims that the alleged marijuana was actually organic oregano he brought home for an aunt who is a cook (or something like that). The evidence was inexplicably lost before it could be tested, so the prosecution is basically relying on the fact that a drug-sniffing dog identified the substance as marijuana. Mac notices that the dog is old and half-blind, but the dog's handler insists that the dog's sense of smell is just fine. So Mac arranges a test of the dog's abilities in court, presenting him with bags of marijuana and oregano--and he incorrectly singles out the bag of oregano. Mac's pleasure with her victory quickly turns to dismay when she learns that the dog is going to be put down, since he can no longer do his job and no one wants to adopt him. (The dog's handler would have taken him, but his wife is allergic to dogs.) So Mac, since she feels guilty and is a bit of a softie, ends up adopting him herself.
See my meta post about Sawa (and his past as a detective) for more information on the Metropolitan Police Department and Division One.
A kouban or "police box" is a small police station staffed by uniformed officers--a smaller, more intimate type of station, where the police have more contact and interaction with the community than most US police stations. In addition to responding to crimes, they provide maps and directions, and run a lost and found, accepting found items and lost item reports. In TV dramas, you'll often see a local officer from the kouban riding through the neighborhood on his bicycle, and the residents will call out a greeting and give him a friendly wave as he rides by, and vice versa. In TV-land at least, the kouban officers get to know the local residents, particularly in the smaller neighborhoods, and know most of them by name.
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i remember seiza from (a few) aikido lessons as i was a teen.. it really hurts when you're not used to it!
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*invites self over to house as O&K's wedding planner*
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