the_brightest_sun | 007th Meatbun ☼ Action / Voice

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007th Meatbun ☼ Action / Voice

[It has been already a month, hasn't it? Goku isn't really sure, he remembers that a month is supposed to have around thirty days and though he hasn't been counting he has the impression that such a length of time has passed. At first he hadn't minded it too much, even if he had asked Hakkai to promise to leave a note next time he left before the kid woke up Goku was aware that there were times in which it wasn't possible. And seeing that there was nothing left that belonged to Hakkai in the apartment the kid had assumed it had been one of those times rather than Hakkai merely leaving on his own.

So he had waited. He had kept going to play around the village and helping Ukyo at the okonomiyaki restaurant. He ate at the restaurants before returning to the apartment to wait for Hakkai. And he kept waiting. Eventually the days turned into weeks and he got tired of waiting. He wanted his friend back already, it was lonely without him, the apartment was big and cold and the drawings hanging on the walls didn't make him smile proudly anymore, happy that the older man appreciated his work, instead they made him want to cry and hurt inside. It wasn't the first time that being alone hurt, but the pain this time felt worse. Why wasn't Hakkai coming back? Had he done something bad? Had he got the other man angry? Had he been a burden? An annoyance?

Sitting and crying wouldn't help, so he had grabbed a bag, left a note at Ukyo's restaurant and gone to search for Hakkai. Everyone said they were trapped inside that barrier, they only went outside during those draft-things, so, of course, wherever Hakkai was it had to be somewhere inside, he just had to search for the man. He knew Hakkai's scent so he could track him, he was sure of it. Wherever Hakkai was hiding or trapped, he would find him and bring him back home with him, even if Hakkai was angry with him, it wasn't a reason to hide from everyone else too.

More weeks passed and Goku is finally back at the village. Alone. Hakkai was nowhere to be found. He isn't in Luceti. How had he left? Why? Had he gone back to search for Kenren and Konzen and bring them to Luceti? The two men were taking a really long time to get there after all... But why hadn't he left a note. Why leave without a word? And what if he hadn't found them? What if the army had got them instead and hurt them as Nataku got hurt? Goku has no idea, he can't understand and he is tired, exhausted and hungry.]

[There's a kid walking slowly around the streets, he wobbles and trips at times, but he keeps moving. His appearance is a real mess, he's dirty, full of mud and looking very much as if he had been out and without an umbrella during yesterday's rainfall. He isn't paying much attention to where he's going, or what or who he bumps into, mumbling a soft sorry before he continues his way.

It feels strange inside. It has stopped hurting as the days went by with him unable to find Hakkai, but he doesn't feel well either. It feels as when he's hungry, but he isn't sure how to fill that gap. Sure, he is also hungry now, if the growling stomach is any indication -no, people of Luceti, that's not a lion trotting around the village and roaring, it's just a hungry monkey-, but he knows it's not only that. He feels hungry in the chest too, where it hurt before.

He probably end at Seventh Heaven, he should go with Ukyo but he's worried about seeing her now looking like this. She probably won't like it, maybe she's angry that he left to begin with. So he just sits there, dirty and hungry, waiting for someone to ask him what he wants to eat before he starts munching the table.

Eventually he will open the journal and ask a question he didn't want to ask.]

How long does it take for someone who leaves Luceti to return here? Anyone knows?

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[If this were a normal restaurant in a normal city where currency existed, it'd be quite the hefty bill. But here? Well, Sanji may not be too happy at one person eating up all the bread, but Ginia will make a grocery run herself later.]

Yes, you can. You can have all the bread you want.

[...She'll probably regret writing that.]

[So hefty that only a gold credit card that belongs to deities could pay for all his food. The good news are that, despite eating a lot, he doesn't eat as much as he would once he's older, so he won't eat all the bread. Just half of the total amount. And only because he has ordered more food besides that, so Ginia will just half regret it?

At any rate Goku smiles happily and bounces on his chair a bit.]

Then I want some more, please! I'm really hungry!

[Ginia nods and briskly walks back to the kitchen, loading up a tray with another loaf of bread, a few bowls of soup, two types of salad, some chicken strips, dressing, and utensils.

Returning, she sets everything in front of him, placing the bread in front and working back to the salads.]

[Goku makes an excited sound at the food and smiles brightly as he proceeds to eat. He'll poke at the salads warily for a bit, considering what to eat first, at the end he decides to go with them first. Better get them out of the way before he goes to the other food that he likes.]

The food here is always really yummy! I like it!

[He also likes Ukyo's restaurant, though. Really the kid likes food in general, he hardly has a preference. Good thing Ukyo's pretty specialized so there's not too much competition.]

Sanji and the others here are wonderful cooks. There's a lot of good cooks around I've noticed.

[With things being slow in the restaurant and no one tables to wait, Ginia takes a seat in the chair opposite of Goku. She can't help it; she's always had a soft spot for kids.]

What kind of food do you like?

[That's okay, Goku smiles even brighter and seems obviously cheered up as she sits. Eating with someone around is always more fun than eating alone, even if just eating is fun by itself.]

I like everything! But... Meat is really good, I like it the best! Vegetables taste weird so I don't like them too much, but Hakkai said I had to eat them too.

Most kids don't like vegetables, but they are healthy for you. They'll help you grow big and strong. Hakkai is right.

But they aren't tasty! Can't one cook them so they are yummy?

[He wouldn't be against them if they tasted well.]

How big and strong can I get if I eat them?

There are different ways to make them taste good. Stir fry vegetables are good, corn is very good cooked. But sometimes vegetables taste best raw. [She taps the side of a salad bowl and smiles.]

Very big and very strong.

[Goku makes a face as he reads the first part and eyes the salad bowl warily, as if expecting it to jump at him.]

But they really aren't yummy if not cooked.

[He will never like those, he knows. But... Very strong and big... Maybe he could be as big as Konzen and Kenren, and as strong. If he eats a lot, by the time they come maybe he would be able to protect them as they protected him? He pokes at the salad, pondering and then starts wolfing it down, making faces of distaste but eating it all.]

The food here is so good, if I don't like vegetables here I don't even want to try anywhere else. Hakkai's vegetables weren't yummy either but everything else was.

That's why there's dressing to give it flavor.

[Ginia watches him eat the salad, laughing quietly at his expression. Well, at least he's eating it.]

Vegetables are the same just about everywhere, though you'll never know with some worlds. What did Hakkai like to make?

[He's a good kid, even if noisy and annoying and hyper at times. Hakkai often told him to eat his vegetables and Ginia said they were good so... He will do the sacrifice. But he will eat them first and then go for the meat and fish he loves.]

Uhm.... Many things? Hakkai cooked a lot, he was really good too.

[He will then start a list of dishes Hakkai used to make as he eats, it's not terribly long but unless Ginia wants to sit there for five minutes listening only to types of food she may want to try to cut the kid somehow.]

[Patience is one of Ginia's best virtues and Goku seems happy enough rattling off food so she'll listen to the full list.]

Hakkai sounds like quite the cook. Is he a good friend of yours?

[Goku nods enthusiastically.]

He was Konzen's friend from long before I arrived and then he became my friend too! He taught me to read and count and to write, and he had tons of books. We got separated but when I woke up I was here and he was here too! He looked a bit different but his face was the same and he knew me so I knew it was him, and we lived together waiting for Konzen and Ken-niichan to come.

I really liked to live with Hakkai, he was nice and smiled, he also got angry but he was always kind. He let me sleep with him and took care of me when I was sick and taught me a lot and he always liked the drawings I made for him and he hung them on the walls of the room!

[He's smiling though by now it looks like a broken smile more than anything. He's going to miss Hakkai so much, now he's starting to realize how different everything is going to be with Hakkai gone. He didn't notice it before because he was confident it was temporal but now...]

[Ginia listens, quite curious about the man Goku mentioned because really, it's always nice talking with other cooks. But as she listens, from the way he uses "liked" and "was", it's apparent he's no longer here.

She knows that smile too, the expression of someone trying to keep it all together even when it really hurts inside. It's an expression she wears often, but seeing it on someone else, especially one so (seemingly) young, hurts to see.

Getting up from her seat, she crosses over to his side and leans in to give him a gentle hug.]

[Goku is an affectionate kid by nature, his first memories are of being all alone in an apparently empty world where the only thing of reference was the bright sun in the distant sky, so he starves for human contact, specially for affection. So normally he's prone to hug even those he barely knows, still he also knows that not everyone likes those so he tries to control himself. Of course, when it's the other person initiating the hug, though, the kid isn't going to fight it.

Food gets forgotten for a moment as Goku quickly returns the hug, his hug isn't light, it's scared, needy, searching for protection from something he doesn't fully understand. But he will let go whenever he feels her doing so.]

[Oh, Goku. It breaks Ginia's heart as he clings onto her and she holds him a little tighter, wishing there was something she could do to ease his pain. She knows what it's like to lose a close friend and there's few things that can heal that wound. Time, yes, but even that takes awhile.

After several more minutes, Ginia gently breaks the hug, moving her hands to gently cup his face in her hands. It was in those moments she wished she could speak if only to reassure him or comfort him. Instead, she gave him a tiny peck on the top of the head before drawing back.]

I'll be back with the rest of your food, all right?

[It's okay, talking is easy but Goku is a special kid, as noisy and everything he can be, he's capable of getting along with those who can't talk. Even if she can't say anything the kid understands she wants to comfort him and he smiles at the peck she gives him, looking positively better than before even if still hurt. But that's natural, only time will heal that.]

Okay, I'll be here, Ginia-neesan. Thank you.

[Ginia gives a small bow of her head and clears away a few of the empty bowls before leaving for the kitchen. There's a smorgasbord waiting for her to carry out and Ginia drops off the tray of empty bowls and loads up on the new trays of food. Sandwiches, hamburgers, hot soup, fried chicken, steak, and other entree delights awaiting Goku.

She carefully heads back to the floor and begins unloading the new plates onto the table.]

[Goku welcomes Ginia and the food with a big smile, but it soon drops after something comes to his mind.]

Do you want help, Ginia-neesan? I can help you carry things, I promise I won't drop anything.

[He's the most interested one in not dropping anything after all, it's his food.]

[Ginia gives a gentle shake of her head as she begins setting everything on the table. Having worked as a waitress for a good part of her life, carrying around trays of food is nothing.

Soon the last plate of food is on the table and Ginia takes her seat across from him again.]

[Well, if she doesn't want help... Goku starts eating and stares at her as he does so for a bit.]

Where are you from? Was it a good world?

[There's a question that requires some thought. Ginia nibbles on the end of her pen as she thinks about how to answer the question.]

I come from a world called Earth, a big world with many different countries. There's a lot of fighting and unhappiness, but there are still many beautiful and wonderful things too.

What beautiful things? Does your world have cherry trees?

[It doesn't sound too different from the world he's from as far as he knows.]

There are some beautiful landscapes. Mountains, open fields filled with wildflowers, rivers, the ocean. But yes, we have cherry trees. Not in all areas, but they're beautiful in the spring.

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