Ficlet - Gravitation
Another of the bits I found while cleaning. This one is Gravitation, inspired from when I attended a local Setsubun festival last year.
For those of you who don't know, Setsubun is a Japanese Shinto holiday to celebrate 'spring' (it's in February though). You're supposed to throw these roasted beans at someone wearing an oni mask and say 'oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi'. It means bad luck (represented by the oni) out and good luck in. Then you eat the same number of beans as your age for good luck. A lot of people also go to shrines (and temples too, even though those are Buddhist) where lucky beans, mochi, and small prizes and snacks are tossed. The crowds there can get pretty mob-like!
So, yeah. Gravi ficlet. G-rather, Ryuichi/Tatsuha on the side, but Eiri's POV.
Eiri scowled at the large gathering of people talking animatedly amongst themselves. He tugged at his monk’s robes angrily, ignoring his father’s dirty look. He knew why he was there - Tatsuha had informed him that if he didn’t come and help out with Setsubun this year, then he was going to spend the holiday at Eiri’s apartment. Following that, his father had informed Eiri that if Tatsuha ran away to Tokyo for the weekend, he could damn well stay there.
Eiri had caved. One weekend back in Kyoto was a better alternative than Tatsuha moving in with him forever. So Eiri knew why he was there. Question was, what was the brat doing there?!
And why had Shuichi felt the need to invite along practically the entire N-G staff to tag along? Tohma and Mika at least had the excuse of being family. Ryuichi and Hiro however had no damn reason for being there except for the fact that the brat considered them his friends.
Tatsuha was supposed to be throwing mocha cakes out to visitors to the temple while their father prayed in the inner sanctuary and Eiri minded the omamori window. Instead, he was off mooning over the geriatric rock star, holding a completely serious conversation about how old Kumagorou was and how many beans he would therefore have to eat to ensure good luck in the next year.
That was it! Eiri gritted his teeth. After throwing one of the protective amulets at an old woman and her grandson, he stalked over to his younger brother and ripped the bag of beans out of his hands.
He ignored Tatsuha’s protests and the states being directed their way. Instead, he dumped out a handful of beans, quickly checking the number and them pressing them into Tatsuha’s hands.
“Here, sixteen.”
Then he turned to Ryuichi and in a loud voice, very clearly counted out each one of the beans he handed to the older man.
“Twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two!” he finished off, a sadistic grin across his face.
Beside him, Tatsuha whimpered, looking rather like a kicked puppy. Ryuichi meanwhile narrowed his eyes at the blond, his voice flat.
“Thank you Eiri-kun,” he said, none of his usual child-like mask present.
Eiri bowed, returning to his post. Before he reached it, however, he did get the pleasure of hearing Tohma begin a snide reply to Ryuichi. Eiri turned slightly just in time to see Tohma’s mouth snap shut and his face burn red when Ryuichi asked him sweetly, “And just how many beans will you be needing this year Tohma-san?”
Eiri chuckled to himself the whole way back to the window. Now all he had left to do was wait for his father to come out wearing the oni mask so he could pelt the old man with the rest of the beans.
For those of you who don't know, Setsubun is a Japanese Shinto holiday to celebrate 'spring' (it's in February though). You're supposed to throw these roasted beans at someone wearing an oni mask and say 'oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi'. It means bad luck (represented by the oni) out and good luck in. Then you eat the same number of beans as your age for good luck. A lot of people also go to shrines (and temples too, even though those are Buddhist) where lucky beans, mochi, and small prizes and snacks are tossed. The crowds there can get pretty mob-like!
So, yeah. Gravi ficlet. G-rather, Ryuichi/Tatsuha on the side, but Eiri's POV.
Eiri scowled at the large gathering of people talking animatedly amongst themselves. He tugged at his monk’s robes angrily, ignoring his father’s dirty look. He knew why he was there - Tatsuha had informed him that if he didn’t come and help out with Setsubun this year, then he was going to spend the holiday at Eiri’s apartment. Following that, his father had informed Eiri that if Tatsuha ran away to Tokyo for the weekend, he could damn well stay there.
Eiri had caved. One weekend back in Kyoto was a better alternative than Tatsuha moving in with him forever. So Eiri knew why he was there. Question was, what was the brat doing there?!
And why had Shuichi felt the need to invite along practically the entire N-G staff to tag along? Tohma and Mika at least had the excuse of being family. Ryuichi and Hiro however had no damn reason for being there except for the fact that the brat considered them his friends.
Tatsuha was supposed to be throwing mocha cakes out to visitors to the temple while their father prayed in the inner sanctuary and Eiri minded the omamori window. Instead, he was off mooning over the geriatric rock star, holding a completely serious conversation about how old Kumagorou was and how many beans he would therefore have to eat to ensure good luck in the next year.
That was it! Eiri gritted his teeth. After throwing one of the protective amulets at an old woman and her grandson, he stalked over to his younger brother and ripped the bag of beans out of his hands.
He ignored Tatsuha’s protests and the states being directed their way. Instead, he dumped out a handful of beans, quickly checking the number and them pressing them into Tatsuha’s hands.
“Here, sixteen.”
Then he turned to Ryuichi and in a loud voice, very clearly counted out each one of the beans he handed to the older man.
“Twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two!” he finished off, a sadistic grin across his face.
Beside him, Tatsuha whimpered, looking rather like a kicked puppy. Ryuichi meanwhile narrowed his eyes at the blond, his voice flat.
“Thank you Eiri-kun,” he said, none of his usual child-like mask present.
Eiri bowed, returning to his post. Before he reached it, however, he did get the pleasure of hearing Tohma begin a snide reply to Ryuichi. Eiri turned slightly just in time to see Tohma’s mouth snap shut and his face burn red when Ryuichi asked him sweetly, “And just how many beans will you be needing this year Tohma-san?”
Eiri chuckled to himself the whole way back to the window. Now all he had left to do was wait for his father to come out wearing the oni mask so he could pelt the old man with the rest of the beans.