[AQ] Iron Chef, Eggs Edition [Mitsuo/Yukiya]

[Yukiya]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}Food For Thought
+ Description: There’s a cute new cafe open in town that everyone’s getting breakfast at--but the owner keeps looking at you (and maybe also your friends) funny. Can he see Guardian Characters?!
+ Don’t let it bother you--you’re proud of your Guardian Character!: +1 Faberge, -1 Roost
+ Find yourself self-conscious; try to hide your Guardian Character: +1 Guardians, -2 Faberge
+ Become frustrated with your Guardian Character; tell them to leave until you’re done: -1 Guardians, -1 Faberge, +1 Roost
+ Flaunt your Guardian Character instead: -1 Guardians, +2 Faberge
+ Requirements: Minimum Level 1
+ Submitted by Pai

As promised, Yukiya was going to treat his new found friend Mitsuo to some lunch at his parents' restaurant. For once, he set up the table and made it look nice, and even pulled out the good cutlery – good as one could get in a place like this. Thankfully, his mom, the usual server, was not here to overly congratulate him on a job well done – she was buying some extra ingredients while his dad was preparing for the day in the kitchen. He was really hoping that the whole video thing was gonna happen. All he wanted for his dad was to let him cook as long as he wanted, and when he wanted to retire, he could sell the space – hopefully for another restaurant – and retire in peace. But at this rate, he might end up selling the place and end up working for his grandpa's restaurant, which Yuki never wanted to see happen, ever. His dad was too much of a nice person to work for a dictator – uh, his grandpa – and not cook his native Okinawan food.

Also, he just liked Mitsuo a lot, despite not knowing him for very long. Recently there had been so much negativity in the school, and in that darkness, Mitsuo shined like a beacon of light. And he didn't judge him too hard for being a nerd. Maybe because he wasn't aware of the extent of how much he liked 'childish' sentai stuff – and he was determined to make sure he never did. He had a reputation to protect after all.

After a few minutes, he went outside the restaurant. He looked around.

Mitsuo was coming here, right?

Mitsuo Takahashi

[Mitsuo Takahashi]

Mitsuo was ecstatic!!

The moment he had received a message from Yukiya inviting him over to the restaurant, he had immediately replied with a yes and a lot of exclamation marks. Sure maybe to others it was just food, but to Mitsuo it was an adventure!! or in fancy schmancy terms, "a culinary experience" - but ah who cares about terms like those. It was food!! And he couldn't help but bounce on his heels as the days went by, waiting for the day he could finally go over to Yukiya's family restaurant to taste all the food!!

In fact he was so excited that he left the house half an hour early, and merrily walked down the lane - before he realised he hadn't a clue where exactly he was going. What was the name of it again...? He quickly whipped out the paper in his hand, staring at the name written down. Naha Paradise. That's right! Taking out his phone, he speedily typed the restaurant's address into the Google Map, watching as the lane lit up with a light blue colour. He gave a grin, before he started to walk down again. He couldn't wait to get there!!

...that is, till he nearly walked into a pole. Oops, better be more careful with that.

He walked down again, switching his gaze from the phone and the road - before he finally caught a glimpse of a signboard. He squinted a little. Naha's Paradise.

Oh!

A wave suddenly caught his eye. Ah, it was Yukiya!

"Yukiya!!" he said, waving a grand one. He quickly walked over with a large grin on his face. "Hey!" he said, smiling brightly at him. "Sorry I'm late, it took me a while to find it," he said with a sheepish laugh.

[Yukiya]

Yuki looked around for his new friend - when said friend almost ran into a pole.

That was Mitsuo for you.

As he walked closer, he waved toward the brown haired boy too. "You found it! I thought you got lost! Don't blame you....this isn't a very easy place to find," he said. The neighborhood he lived in was unremarkable. It was about the only restaurant in the area too - he was surrounded by liquor stores, convenience stores and a cheap fast food place. It was the definition of a hole in the wall restaurant, but Yuki wouldn't trade the location for anywhere else.

"Come in, come in! I told my dad about you, and he's really excited to meet someone who loves food just as much as he does. Really. Suna told me you completed the Doki Doki Burger challenge, right? He did too. Didn't do it on the first try though," he said, laughing after. Yuki opened the door for him.

As Mitsuo entered, a man about Yuki's height was walking from the kitchen, holding a plate of the signature dish of champuru. He had dark brown hair peppered with white streaks and green eyes like Yuki's. He grinned wildly as he saw the two boys walk in, and after he served a customer's order, walked up to the two.

"You're Mitsuo, right?" the man asked, "I'm Yuki's dad. Take a seat anywhere!" He gestured through the mostly empty restaurant. He was unusually toned - and tanned - for a guy who lived in this part of Japan and for his age. And despite the wrinkles on his face, his smile had a youthful twinkle to it that made him look much younger. As the two got seated, he handed Mitsuo a menu.

"If you got any questions, Yuki here can tell ya the menu. But..I just gotta know one thing..." he said. "...was that Doki Doki Burger awesome. Or Awesome? I personally thought it was fast food's gift to mankind."

Yuki just sighed. Why did he feel like he was gonna be the third wheel here...?

[Mitsuo Takahashi]

Mitsuo gave him a mildly offended look, yet his wide grin made it all clear that he wasn't at all serious about it. "Hey man, don't diss my ability to find my way to food stores; I have an excellent sense of direction," he joked, before he punched Yuki on the shoulder playfully. He took a quick look around the area, as if he was noting about how it all looked like, till his gaze returned towards the his fellow second-year in front of him. But at the other's invitation, his eyes shone brightly and he quickly followed after him. "Yes, I'm absolutely starving. Do you know how long I've waited for this day? Since the beginning of the year! Well not exactly the beginning of the year, but like, ever since I transferred!"

The freckled boy gave out a snort of surprise. "Oh my god you heard about that?! Wait - you should since Suna and you are siblings right?" he began excitedly, pointing at the dark-haired boy in front of him as if asking for confirmation. He gave a sheepish laugh at the mention of the Doki Doki burger, raising his hand to rub at the back of his head in a slightly embarrassed manner. He had been proud of his achievement, but he wasn't the kind of flaunt it and wasn't used to hearing compliments about this sort of thing. "Well I mean, it was a large burger. I was just lucky I could finish it as quickly as I could!" He grinned from ear to ear. But it soon turned into a surprised one. "Your dad? You mean your dad likes doing this sort of thing too?" He could help but be excited! It was almost like meeting his own kin!

Mitsuo blinked at the man that walked out - and judging from the other's features, he could easily guess that it was the second-year's father. And sure enough, it was! "Yup!" the boy responded brightly, matching the other's smile with a grin of his own. He quickly choose a seat and said a quick 'thanks!' to Yukiya's father the moment he handed him the menu. He flipped open the menu with an immediate snap, his eyes already running through all of the food items on it. Oh man there were so many to choose from, he couldn't pick! "Man, I want to eat all of them!" he whined.

But the question he posed to him made him completely pause.

The freckled boy turned slowly, facing Yukiya's father directly. A pause. Before he opened his mouth and said sternly and seriously. "...It was awesome."

A pause.

A bright grin soon broke across his face and he began to laugh. "I mean it really really was!! The patty was so juicy and tender and the sauce! Oh the sauce. Tangy and sweet with a little hint of sourness! It was so so sooooooo good! And the cheesy creaminess of it all! It was absolutely heaven" He gave a dreamy sigh.

[Yukiya]

"So if we ever need to meet up anywhere I should point you to the nearest restaurant and go from there?" Yuki asked, before laughing and getting punched. Ah, man. In these days where school, manga making, and eggs were weighing down on him, Mitsuo was someone who could raise his spirits up. "Don't worry. We've only prepared the best dishes Naha Paradise can offer."

He nodded as Mitsuo asked about the Doki Doki Burger challenge. "Yeah, we're twins, actually. I'm the older one, but she's more mature than me. She...she usually watches her weight so I was surprised that she even went inside a fast food restaurant," Yuki said, feeling as if he was saying something that he shouldn't have. But it would be fairly obvious if Mitsuo had eaten lunch with Suna anyway. "I've seen the burger but I wouldn't touch it...I love food but...well, yeah, I think you and my dad have a passion for eating large amounts of food that I...just don't have," Yuki said with a laugh and a shrug.

Yuki's dad just laughed with Mitsuo, a deep, but happy laugh. "The amount of just about every meat, cheese, sauce and everything that's bad for your heart in that burger, it's just..." He clutched his chest, but was smiling. "I was not prepared the first time. I've done many a food challenge but this one was the most surprising. ...but anyway, right, you're here for my food, right? The meat's mostly pork based, just so ya know. Oh, have you heard of taco rice? It's a fusion of food from the military bases and food from the island..."

Yuki followed Mitsuo to wherever he wanted to sit down. He was glad that his dad and Mitsuo clicked quickly. Even Suna, when she was talking to him about her lunch with Mitsuo, agreed that Mitsuo was probably like this generation's version of their dad. Kanpa, who was in Yuki's bag, popped out as the two men were talking. "Good morning...something smells great, Yukiya-dono...

Thinking that Mitsuo and his dad were too busy talking to each other, Yuki whispered back, "Yeah, we'll eat soon."

[Mitsuo Takahashi]

Mitsuo blinked at the boy's words. Oh right, that was something Sunako had mentioned! Okay, he wasn't sure if she didmention that they were twins - was his memory really that bad? - but hey it was cool that he had met both of them already! Which was a silly thing to be excited about but hey! In fact, he was getting even more excited at the idea of food!

"Oh yeah, now that you said that," the second-year began, frowning a little as he remembered the meagre salad that Suna had ordered. Sure, she had a figure to keep, considering that she was a dancer but... "I don't know if you could call that watching her weight - that was literally rabbit food," he deadpanned, looking as serious as he could be. "Not that salads can't be good, but like...that's...just not enjoying life at all..." He wrinkled his nose - before he brightened up again. "But hey! I guess that just means she's just really disciplined eh?" he tagged on with a laugh. The freckled boy grinned as he patted Yukiya's back playfully. "Don't worry, it just means I'll just have to eat your share!" Mitsuo said with a wink, laughing.

The second-year couldn't help but already be charmed by the chef. A happy jovial chef that loved food must make the best plate of grub ever after all! "I know!" Mitsuo said in reply, excitedly pointing back at Yukiya's father as if he agreed with every word that the man had said. "It's totally bad for your health, but like come on we gotta live life a little you know?" the second-year said with a laugh.

But at the mention of food, his eyes grew wide and sparkling, and he eagerly lapped up every word that the man had said. Pork-based food? Good with him! He ate just about anything-- whoa, wait, what was this new dish thing that Yukiya's father was talking about? "Taco rice?" he repeated, but it was clear from the tone in his voice that he was far from being deterred from something new. "I have no idea what that even is, but now that I have, I must have it," he said, grinning wide.

The sound of a voice however, caught his attention a little.

Hearing voices wasn't new for Mitsuo. No matter how compliant he was to his medications, there was no escaping words of people in his head ever once in a while. Often there was no trigger - except for some form of stress, judging by the way they became louder whenever exams were near - but mercifully, they were nowadays soft and distant; and most importantly easy to ignore. He barely reacted nowadays even when these voices popped up.

But this one sounded different. In fact, he was sure he never heard of a voice before that was seemingly...trying to talk to his friend...?

Looking back at Yukiya, he was about to ask what he wanted to eat - until he noticed the small little human thing in the bag. A small human thing. Wait, was he having visual hallucinations again? That was strange; as he recalled, the doctor did tell him that it was a rare manifestation of schizophrenia...or was he just overthinking it? Yeah he had to be overthinking it. "So Yukiya, what do you wanna e--"

Wait wait wait, was Yukiya actually talking to it?

No no no it was a hallucination right? Right??? Okay he was getting so, so confused - and had in fact cut off his own words from earlier. Now he couldn't help but stare; he was good at pretending when it was just him and the voices in his head, but he had never seen anyone being able to talk to his hallucinations before!

Unless...they actually weren't...hallucinations...?

[Yukiya]

Yuki sighed and rubbed his forehead. "If she's athletic, shouldn't she be eating more than just salad for the energy? I don't know how she does, Mitsuo. My entire family is concerned," he said. "We live above a restaurant for heaven's sake...how does she resist?"

His father, on the other hand, was just laughing with him. "What the heck do they call it...'you only live once' or whatever? But I think food is meant to be enjoyed no matter how many calories it is! Diets are for los...oh, wait, Suna, she's always on one. Diets aren't for me," he said, correcting himself and laughing again. It was good that Yuki brought someone young who was just as passionate about food as he was. Once upon a time he had hoped Yuki or even Suna would inherit the restaurant like how his sister-in-law was inheriting her father's restaurant, but they obviously had other passions in life which he and his wife had supported. "Oh, taco rice is usually ground beef on rice, topped with melted cheese, slices of lettuce and salsa...it was originally brought by the Americans on the base. They had it inside this hard shell made out of grounded corn or flour, but the Okinawans adjusted it to their tastes. I can make some! I just use grounded pork instead," he said, grinning, "And my famous champuru too - basically Okinawan stir fry? Now, should I keep the bittermelon or are you a wimp like Yuki and hate the vegetable? It's a staple food of the Okinawan diet, after all!"

"Ugh," Yuki muttered, distracted just by the mention of bittermelon. He wouldn't be surprised if Mitsuo liked that too. It seemed like the guy could eat all the food. "I'm sorry, but I've never liked it...but you're free to try it," he said to Mitsuo.

Kanpa flew on top of Yuki and laughed, knowing full well of his bearer's tastes in food. He looked at Yuki's dad and Mitsuo. Since he was pretty sure the two couldn't see him, he made some silly faces at them. But his dad had waved to the boys. "I'll go make the food right away," he said.

[Mitsuo Takahashi]

Mitsuo paused at his words, actually having to take a moment to think about it for a second. "Oh!" he said, pointing at Yukiya as if he had made a small revelation. "That's true too! I mean, a salad isn't enough for an athlete huh..." Wasn't dancing also kind of something that requires one to be fit and stuff? He didn't really know too much about it though. But he couldn't help but laugh at the second-year's words, slapping a hand onto the table as if showing his strong agreement. "I know! I don't know how anyone can resist; this place smiles like heaven," he added dreamily, before he came back to reality. "I guess it just shows how greatly disciplined she is?"

"Exactly!" the freckled boy chimed, clapping his hands together in agreement. "We only live once, so why not enjoy everything that life has to offer!" he said, passion shining in his eyes. To taste all the food of the world and to travel all around the globe - that was one of his silly naive dreams. But as the man began to describe food, Mitsuo was already listening intently, nodding and grin growing wider the more the other spoke. "Damn, that sounds so good," he said, his mouth already salivating at the thought of the dishes. Goddamn, couldn't he have both of them?!

But the boy's face suddenly paled at the mention of bitter melon - and it was hard not to see the horror evident in his eyes. Wait, it was a staple of Okinawan diet?! Really?! "Um-" Mitsuo began, obviously unsure of how to answer the man's question. He began a nervous laugh. "I'm - uh - I don't like bittermelon either," he added in a small voice, running the back of his neck in an embarrassed manner. Man was he going to disappoint Yukiya's father so hard. He shot a sheepish grin over to Yukiya. "Guess we're the same on that one."

The laugh however, really caught his attention this time. He frowned a little and he looked up - only to see the small 'hallucination' actually making faces at him! This time he couldn't help the startled yelp that came out of his mouth, staring in a bewildered manner back at the small...human...thing obviously on top of Yukiya's head. He couldn't help it; he wasn't used to visual hallucinations like this! Not to mention that they were obviously interacting with him!