FIC: Family Visit: Okinawa, Part 1 of 5

[geri_chan]

This is a WIP; I was going to wait until it was finished before I started posting, but I wrote a gift fic for snapelike that is a companion piece to this fic, so I decided to go ahead and post the first chapter so that I could get the gift up. I have a good portion of the second chapter done, and I'll try to finish the fic as soon as possible, although I'm not sure how many chapters it will run. Story is now complete.

Title: Family Visit: Okinawa, Part 1 of 5
Rating: NC-17 overall
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka
Characters: Kikuchi, Onozuka, Katou, Miyasaka, Yoshizumi
Word count: ~4,210
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, The Prince vs. the Groupie (Part 1, Part 2), Family Visit: Tokyo (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Gigolo (Part 1, Part 2), and Yoshizumi's Night Out (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). The series also includes two side-stories that are outside of the main timeline: Valentine's Day Surprise and Strictly Business.
Summary: Kikuchi and Onozuka prepare for their trip to Okinawa.

***

So far, everything was going smoothly--more so than any other project that Onozuka had worked on before. They were putting in long hours filming, even working into the weekends, but they were on schedule, and the director and producers were pleased with the footage that had been shot so far. In addition, the first set of Gigolo ads had been revealed and were a rousing success: the provocative shots of Asami and Onozuka clawing Kikuchi's back were causing a stir in the media, and everyone was talking about them. They were, in fact, causing a bit of controversy, since some parental groups felt that the ads were too risqué to be displayed in public where children might see them. However, since the controversy only increased publicity for the both the perfume and the movie, both Gigolo and the studio were happy.

The ads were even eclipsing the ones Katou had done, as Akiha had promised, much to Kikuchi's unabashed glee. And as much as Onozuka liked Katou, he couldn't help gloating a bit himself when an announcer for the Entertainment News program had commented, "I never thought I'd say this, but the new Gigolo ads with Kikuchi Katsuya, Onozuka Yuu, and Suzuki Asami are even sexier the ones with Katou Youji and his real-life lover, Iwaki Kyousuke!" Onozuka had presented Katou with a videotape of the news segment, along with a bottle of Gigolo cologne, and his friend had given him a sour smile in return and said sarcastically, "Thank you so much, Onozuka."

"Anytime, Katou-kun," Onozuka had replied sweetly.

The less racy "innocence" ads caused less of a stir, but were still popular among Onozuka's female fans, especially the younger ones, since the ads had been printed in several teen magazines that didn't want to run the more provocative pictures. "Onozuka-san is truly a prince!" sighed a girl interviewed by an entertainment reporter. There were always a crowd of fans hanging around outside the studio, and occasionally Onozuka and the other actors would go out to sign autographs for them. Lately, he'd been signing many copies of the Gigolo ads, both the racy and and the princely ones.

The increased publicity caused the paparazzi to refocus their attention on himself and Kikuchi, but so far, they'd managed to continue their affair without getting caught. Sometimes Onozuka would phone in an anonymous tip and send them off on a wild goose chase, or he'd hide in the back seat of Kikuchi's car, or even use a disguise to enter Kikuchi's building right under the reporters' noses. Dressed in a business suit and glasses, with his blond hair tucked under a short, dark wig, he looked like an ordinary salaryman, and the paparazzi didn't even give him a second glance when he walked past them.

Even Tanabe and Asano weren't being as troublesome as usual: Tanabe actually seemed to be taking Yoshizumi's advice to heart, and Asano had been oddly subdued since the night they had all gone out drinking in Shinjuku. Onozuka couldn't figure out what had caused the change in him, since they had all gone their separate ways after leaving the bar--or so Onozuka had thought. He didn't know what the others had done, since he and Kikuchi had left immediately, and had met at Kikuchi's apartment a little later for a night of lovemaking. Maybe Yoshizumi had lectured Asano as well as Tanabe, or maybe Asano had some problems in his personal life that were completely unrelated to the movie. Whatever the reason, he had dropped his veiled insults and sly innuendoes, which made things much more peaceful at work, although Onozuka sort of missed verbally fencing with his rival.

The only glitch in this almost ideal work environment was their upcoming trip to Okinawa. Most of the cast and crew involved were excited about traveling to a prime vacation spot, even though they wouldn't have much free time for playing around. However, Onozuka's grandmother, uncle, and aunt ran an inn there, which complicated matters for him. He loved them and he knew that they meant well, but they always nagged him about reconciling with his parents. He could choose not to visit them, of course, but they'd be hurt if they heard that he was in Okinawa and didn't stop by to see them, and he didn't want to alienate the only members of his family that were still speaking to him.

But the nagging was only a minor annoyance, and one that he was resigned to. What he was really worried about was that the press would find out about his family connections. He wasn't really concerned about them writing a story about Onozuka Yuu the actor being related to a family of local innkeepers--that would make a relatively harmless puff piece for the entertainment magazines. But if they managed to trace his parents' identities through the Onozuka connection, then they would find a scandal-worthy story: Onozuka Yuu being estranged from the famous Nakata family of confectioners for refusing to take up his duties as the heir.

Onozuka knew that his father would never believe that he hadn't done it out of spite, but he hadn't actively wanted to hurt his family when he'd run off to become an actor. He had known, of course, that they would be angry and disappointed, but all he had wanted was his freedom--which made him selfish, perhaps, but not malicious, although the two were probably the same in his father's eyes. In return, Onozuka resented the hell out of his parents for refusing to accept, however begrudgingly, his decision to become an actor, even now after he'd become a success. At times he almost hated them, although the hate was tempered by guilt over the way he'd abandoned his little sister. But he had wanted his freedom even more than he loved Shiori, so he tried think about her and his family as little as possible, which he supposed made him a selfish bastard and worthy of his father's contempt.

Still, as fucked up and dysfunctional as his relationship with his family was, Onozuka had zealously worked to hide his identity and protect the Nakata name from scandal as his one last act of filial loyalty--not that his father would ever appreciate or thank him for it, of course.

Naturally, if the press had sensed that he was hiding something, that would only have made them more curious, so Onozuka had carefully parceled out bits of information deliberately made as vague and boring as possible. When interviewers asked about his family and where he was from, Onozuka truthfully replied that he had been born and raised in Ishikawa Prefecture, without mentioning specifically that he was from the capital city of Kanazawa. He also said that his father was a businessman and his mother was a housewife, which was also mostly true, although he avoided mentioning what type of business his father was involved in, or that his father owned the company. He made his family sound so ordinary and boring that the press accepted his words at face value and hadn't really made an effort to investigate further.

But now he was under more scrutiny, not only due to his co-starring role, but also because of Kikuchi's notorious past, and the reporters might start digging a little deeper this time.

Well, I'll just have to be careful, Onozuka told himself. His late grandfather's inn was a small, family-run ryokan, and certainly didn't garner any mentions in four-star hotel lists. If he was discreet and didn't draw any attention to the inn, he would probably be able to keep it under the radar. Surely he could manage to sneak away and visit the inn for a couple of hours without anyone finding out; that should be enough time to pay his respects and pacify his family. He wasn't worried about evading the rest of the cast and crew, but the hard part would be shaking off Kikuchi, since they tried to steal as much time together as they could. Maybe he could slip away while Kikuchi was preoccupied with filming; most of the location scenes centered around Ryotaro and Eisuke's first meeting and subsequent relationship, but there were a few scenes that didn't involve Eisuke--a couple prior to their meeting, where the detective was still trying to track down Eisuke's whereabouts, and a later scene where protective brother Jun confronted Ryotaro and told him to stay away from Eisuke.

Then Onozuka jumped slightly, startled out of his thoughts when a hand gently touched his shoulder and Kikuchi asked, "Yuu? Is something wrong?"

They were sitting in Kikuchi's dressing room, supposedly studying English as they usually did during their breaks, and Onozuka realized that he'd been staring blankly at his textbook for at least a few minutes. "Ah, no, sorry... guess I was just a little distracted," he replied, giving his lover a deliberately sheepish-but-winsome smile.

"I'm really looking forward to our trip to Okinawa next week," Kikuchi purred, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, and Onozuka scowled at him. He never should have told Kikuchi that he had family in Okinawa, but he hadn't known at the time that they would wind up going there for work.

"Oh, don't look so grumpy, Yuu," Kikuchi laughed. "You should be happy that we're visiting such a romantic location together!"

"I doubt that we'll be having many romantic moments together with the paparazzi watching us so closely, not to mention the cast and crew," Onozuka grumbled. "You know they have that running bet on us, and you can be sure that people will be watching to see if I sneak into your room in the middle of the night or vice versa."

"Maybe we could get adjoining rooms," Kikuchi said with a grin.

"Which would be as good as confirming that we're sleeping together," Onozuka pointed out.

"We'll figure something out," Kikuchi chuckled, unconcerned. Then he asked, a little too casually, "By the way, are you going to visit your grandmother while we're there?"

"I doubt that we'll have much free time," Onozuka replied, just as casually. "But I'll try to stop by for a few minutes to pay my respects, at least." He added sternly, "And no, you can't come along."

"I didn't ask," Kikuchi protested in a tone of wounded innocence, then changed the subject, but Onozuka knew better than to think that he would give up that easily.

***

The night before he left for Okinawa, Onozuka managed to persuade Katou and Miyasaka to meet him for a drink at Lime, although really, they ought to be the ones inviting him for a drink to see him off on his trip. But as always, Katou could only be grudgingly pulled away from his precious Iwaki-san's side, and he had probably only agreed to come because Iwaki was out on a business meeting. There wasn't much point in complaining about it, since Iwaki always had been and always would be Katou's first priority, but just once, Onozuka would have liked it if his friends could have put him first for a change, even if it was only for a single night.

Still, once Katou actually showed up, he was cheerful enough, and even made a toast to the movie's success. Miyasaka, on the other hand, was a little less gracious.

"It's so unfair," he sighed dramatically. "You get to go on a paid vacation to Okinawa while I have to stay home, slaving away." After failing the audition, Miyasaka had quickly rebounded by getting a lead role on a new TV series--a demanding job that often required him to work long hours, although "slaving away" was a bit of an exaggeration in Onozuka's opinion.

"It's not a vacation, you idiot," Onozuka retorted. "The director made it very clear that we'll be there to work, not play."

"Oh, I feel so sorry for you, having to film on the beaches of sunny Okinawa," Miyasaka said sarcastically. "Especially the commercial you'll be filming for the tourism department, frolicking in the sand and surf with a beautiful actress."

"Don't be such a sore loser," Onozuka chided. "Besides, you know that frolicking with a beautiful actress doesn't really do it for me."

"Well, at least you'll also get to frolic with Kikuchi-san," Miyasaka teased, and Katou scowled at the mention of Kikuchi's name.

"Not really," Onozuka laughed. "Our big love scenes will be filmed on a soundstage in Tokyo after we get back from Okinawa. We do share a kiss on the beach in the closing scene of the film, though."

"I have to admit that I'm a bit envious, too," Katou confessed. "I'd love to go to Okinawa with Iwaki-san, but we're both so busy with work that we hardly get to see each other, let alone have time to take a vacation together."

"You don't have to brag about how successful you are, Katou," Onozuka scolded good-naturedly. "We already know that you're so much in demand that you're constantly working."

"Yeah, and you always have to brag about Iwaki-san," Miyasaka chimed in. "You should just feel grateful to have Iwaki-san by your side instead of complaining about not being able to go on a vacation with him!"

"I'm not bragging!" Katou protested. "And no fair ganging up on me!"

The indignant expression on Katou's face cheered Onozuka up, as did the conspiratorial grin that Miyasaka gave him. So Onozuka smiled and told Katou, "I promise I'll bring you back a souvenir as a consolation prize. What would you like?"

"Sata andagi!" Katou immediately replied, dropping his scowl and perking up a bit. "You can get it in Tokyo, but somehow it just isn't the same as the ones in Okinawa."

Onozuka was ambivalent towards sweets for obvious reasons, but sata andagi brought back pleasant memories of the treats his grandmother used to make when he and Shiori were children: small, fried balls of dough that were golden-brown and crispy on the outside, with a softer, cake-like texture on the inside. Personally, he thought that they were best eaten hot, but they were still delicious after they'd cooled, which was good since the pastries would be cold by the time Onozuka got back to Tokyo with Katou's gift.

"Fine, but don't blame me if you lose your girlish figure," Onozuka teased, poking Katou in the middle of his flat and well-toned stomach. There was actually little danger of Katou getting paunchy, since he worked out like a fiend--not just out of vanity or for his work as an actor, but to keep his body strong and fit in order to protect his precious Iwaki-san. He'd gotten a little paranoid about it ever since their house had been broken into awhile back.

"It's fine to indulge in moderation," Katou retorted. "Iwaki-san and I eat healthy meals and exercise regularly."

"Yeah, I'll bet you get plenty of exercise in bed," Onozuka said with a suggestive leer. "Yoshizumi-san told us about how you guys would go at it every night, all night long!"

"Oh, shut up," Katou growled, swatting Onozuka on the back of the head, but without much force--more like a playful cuff. He proved that he wasn't really angry when he looked thoughtful for a moment, then added, "That reminds me--we should have invited Yoshizumi-san to drink with us."

"I did, but he said he had plans to see a friend," Onozuka replied. It was true, but Onozuka was glad that Yoshizumi had declined the invitation, since it meant that he could talk freely with Miyasaka and Katou without having to hide the truth about Kikuchi.

"That's too bad," Katou said. "We should all try to get together sometime after you're done filming."

Onozuka turned to Miyasaka and asked, "What about you, Miya-chan? What kind of souvenir would you like?"

He thought that Miyasaka would also ask for sata andagi, or maybe for some awamori, a notoriously strong type of local alcohol, but instead Miyasaka announced, "I want a Shisa!"

"A Shisa?!" Onozuka laughed incredulously. "You live in an apartment--what the hell are you planning to do with it?" A Shisa was a lion-dog statue, commonly placed in pairs on rooftops or flanking the gates of homes in Okinawa to ward off evil spirits. A real statue would be out of place in an apartment, although there actually were plenty of miniature souvenir versions available for tourists to buy--maybe he'd get one of those for Miyasaka.

"I've always wanted one," Miyasaka said defensively. "I just think they're cool, that's all."

"They're supposed to ward off evil--maybe they'd keep Kikuchi away," Katou said dryly.

Onozuka pretended to glower at Katou while Miyasaka shrugged and said, "It's not like Kikuchi comes over to hang out at our place, anyway. Onozuka always goes over to his place." Then he grinned and added, "But maybe you could get a pair of Shisa to ward your home, Katou.

"And keep bad influences like Miya-chan away from Iwaki-san," Onozuka teased.

"Hey, who're you calling a bad influence?!" Miyasaka demanded, and Katou and Onozuka burst into laughter. It had been a long time since the three of them had hung out like this, trading the usual jokes and insults, and Onozuka enjoyed it. Of course, it also meant that he had to forego Kikuchi's company tonight, but if Katou could make the sacrifice of parting from his lover for a few hours, so could Onozuka. Besides, Kikuchi had been getting a little too cocky lately. Kikuchi's mischievous streak was part of what Onozuka liked about him, but it wouldn't hurt to put him in his place every now and then, just so that he didn't get too carried away, and Onozuka still owed Kikuchi some payback for springing the surprise family visits on him. He grinned as he recalled the sour look on Kikuchi's face when he had informed his lover that he was going out drinking with Katou and Miyasaka tonight.

"And what're you grinning about?" Miyasaka asked suspiciously. "You'd better not be planning to cut out on us early tonight when you were the one who insisted we go out drinking!"

Onozuka smiled sweetly and said, "Don't worry, Miya-chan; I intend to hang out with you guys all night."

Miyasaka looked mollified, then raised his glass and declared, "Then let's drink up!"

Onozuka just laughed and called the waiter over to order another round of drinks.

***

Kikuchi scowled into his cup of sake; he hadn't planned to spend the night drinking alone. During their break at work, Onozuka had informed Kikuchi that he was going out drinking with Katou and Miyasaka that night, saying that it was a rare occasion when all three of them were free. Which might be true enough, but the smirk on Onozuka's face had been a dead giveaway that Kikuchi's prince was playing hard to get.

The paparazzi were camped outside Kikuchi's apartment building again, so maybe it was just as well that Onozuka wasn't coming by, but Kikuchi still intended to exact some revenge against his mischievous lover at some future date.

Maybe during their trip to Okinawa, in fact. Kikuchi wasn't just drowning his sorrows in alcohol tonight; he had taken advantage of his unexpected free time to do some searching on the internet, which had proven fruitful. He had found a few references to an Onozuka Ryokan on various travel sites, and even better, he had discovered that the inn had its own homepage--despite being an old-fashioned, traditional type of inn, it seemed that the Onozuka family had no problems with taking advantage of modern technology to promote the business.

The site promised "a warm family atmosphere--your home away from home" and "traditional Okinawan cuisine." The room rates were listed (and were quite reasonable, given that breakfast and dinner were included in the price), and one could make reservations online. There were a few photos of the inn's staff posted on the site, including one of the Onozuka family: a gray-haired woman who must be Onozuka's grandmother; a forty-ish man with short, spiky black hair and a broad, good-natured grin; and a dark-haired woman of about the same age, with a less broad but still pleasant and welcoming smile. The caption listed them as Onozuka Chiyo, Onozuka Kaoru, and Onozuka Ayano.

The older woman bore enough of a resemblance to Onozuka that the family connection was obvious. She had a stern but not unkind demeanor that seemed to match Onozuka's portrayal of a woman who was strong enough to bear and raise her child alone, without the help of her fickle American lover. Neither of the younger couple looked much like Onozuka or his grandmother, but Kikuchi supposed that they were most likely his uncle and aunt, although it was possible that they were cousins of some sort, if there were no direct heirs to take over the inn. Onozuka hadn't mentioned his mother having any siblings, but on the other hand, he hadn't said that she was an only child, either. Onozuka's grandmother might well have had more children after she married Onozuka-grandpa. Toshi-chan would probably know, but it might be more fun to find out directly from the source.

Naturally, there was an e-mail address listed on the website for potential customers to contact the inn, and Kikuchi grinned wickedly at the computer screen as he began drafting a very carefully worded message.

***

They flew into Okinawa early the next morning--first class, although Onozuka was too tired to fully appreciate the luxury. As usual, Miyasaka and Katou had insisted on drinking all night long, but Onozuka had monitored his own alcohol intake more judiciously, so at least he wasn't suffering from a hangover. After drinking some coffee, he felt alert enough to make polite small talk with the director, the other actors, and Mizutani, who was coming along to observe the filming.

"You're not much of a morning person, are you, Onozuka-kun?" Kikuchi teased with a sly smile.

Asami giggled, and Onozuka fought back the urge to glare at his lover. Instead, he laughed sheepishly and said, "I must confess that I went out drinking with Katou and Miyasaka last night, and those two really like to party--I'm afraid that I can't keep up with them!"

Kitamura smiled, looking amused, but there was a slightly cautioning note to his voice when he said, "What you do in your free time is your own business, Onozuka-kun...as long as it doesn't affect your work."

"I understand, Kantoku-san," Onozuka said meekly, bowing his head. "I was mindful of the fact that we would be filming today, so I was careful not to overindulge."

"I would expect nothing less from the Prince," Kitamura replied, with just enough wry humor in his voice to let on that he wasn't completely buying Onozuka's innocent act.

"Oh no, Kikuchi-san!" Onozuka scolded his lover playfully. "Now you have everyone else calling me by that name!"

"You had already been dubbed 'The Prince' long before I met you, Highness," Kikuchi retorted with a grin.

"It's your own fault for being so princely, Onozuka-kun!" Asami chimed in. She turned to Mizutani and asked, "Isn't that so, Sensei?"

"You're all ganging up on me," Onozuka groaned in mock-dismay.

Mizutani smiled and said tactfully, "Perhaps you should consider it a compliment, Onozuka-san."

"It's not such a bad thing, to be thought of as princely," Yoshizumi agreed cheerfully. "Besides, your nickname has become so popular in the press that trying to change it at this point would be futile."

"I've certainly been called far worse things in the past," Kikuchi chuckled.

Onozuka endured their teasing good-naturedly, since none of it was meant maliciously. And he comforted himself with the fact that at least he didn't have to listen to any snide remarks from Asano. The scenes involving Akio wouldn't be shot until later in the week and the studio wasn't paying for an actor to have a free vacation, so Asano would fly in to join them a few days later. It would also provide Onozuka with the opportunity to pay a quick visit to his relatives without Asano snooping around and possibly finding out his secret.

They were attracting covert looks and whispers from the other passengers, but so far people had been too polite or too intimidated to approach them. Finally, a young woman gathered up her courage and rose from her seat. She came over to Onozuka and said timidly, "I'm sorry to bother you, Onozuka-san, but I'm a big fan of yours, and if it's not too much trouble...could I please have your autograph?"

Onozuka gave the girl a charming smile that nearly caused to her to swoon at his feet, then said graciously, "All my success is due to the support of fans like you, so it's absolutely no trouble at all."

Kikuchi leaned over and whispered to Yoshizumi, "Princely," and Yoshizumi nodded sagely in agreement.

Part 2

This chapter is also a companion piece to: Interlude

***

Afterword: I haven't been to Okinawa, but I have had sata andagi, and it's absolutely delicious! You can also find information about Shisa statues here. There actually are miniature versions, even keychains, that tourists can buy as souvenirs.