Culina Memoria (Shokugeki no Soma FanFiction)

Recipe 0: Watermelon

Just wanted to publish something to make sure I keep writing anything and everything. Hope you enjoy.

1/29/2017: Here's the full version I finally finished!

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Recipe 0: Watermelon

"Daddy?" She called out in the living room.

No reply.

She peeked into the master bedroom. "Padre?"

Again, no reply.

She wandered into the dining room. "Vater?"

Silence.

She knew he could hear her, but apparently he didn't respond to the English, Spanish, or German word for father today.

Irritated, she stomped her foot. "OTOU-SAN!"

"In the kitchen, Suika!" He finally replied in English.

Ah, so it was Japanese today.

Her tiny feet pitter-pattered on the white porcelain tiles and over to the quartz countertop where her father was cutting something up.

Pink doe-like eyes peered over the counter as the young girl sat atop a stool that her dad had prepared for her. Pulling back her petite teal locks to see better, she figured he was carving into produce.

"What's that, Otou-san?" She asked.

Suika guessed it was some sort of fruit by the evident black seeds embedded in the red flesh, but she's never seen this kind before.

He momentarily paused his cutting at her mixture of Japanese and English. He remembered that despite Japanese being his tealette daughter's second language, she hadn't gotten that far in her Japanese besides greetings and family terms.

He smiled and spoke in her primary language, English. "Why, it's a watermelon, Suika!"

She blinked before cocking her head to the side. "Wa-ter-mel-on?" She repeated slowly, taking delight in the strange sounds her lips formed. "That's a funny word!

"You know what's even funnier?" The corners of her father's lips finally quirked up into his familiar warm smile. He was always so serious when he was cooking that one would not believe this smiling person was the same as his cooking persona.

"What?"

He crouched down to her level. "You're named after this fruit!"

Suika's eyes swam with confusion. "I thought you said this is a wa-ermelon."

Her father chuckled, amused by her confusion and pronunciation. "In Japanese, your name means watermelon."

Suika frowned petulantly, narrowing her eyes. "Why?"

Why would you name me after this fruit? She didn't ask that in those particular words, since she didn't know them yet, but he understood regardless.

"Because..." He drawled before bopping her nose. "You're our sweet little melon!"

Suika furrowed her eyebrow, unsatisfied with that answer. She made to retort before her father pushed a cube of the pink melon into her open mouth.

She chewed rapidly in order to free her voice, but slowed down as the juices gushed and splashed in her mouth. She rolled her tongue around the remnants of watermelon, relishing the cool refreshing taste.

Upon swallowing, Suika's eyes sparkled brightly. "So sweet!"

Her father smiled just as brightly. "Just like you." He picked Suika up and lifted her up high, her squeals of joy filling the air. "My precious little melon, Suika."

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That's what Suika remembered when she groggily put on a cream white dress with watermelons scattered all over it. Her mother had awoken her up early in the morning and urged her to quickly get dressed.

"We're leaving, Suika." Her mother walked briskly. She was desperate to leave this place.

"Mo-Mommy, where are we going?" She tried to follow, but tripped over her own short 5-year-old legs and tore her watermelon pink dress.

Tears welled in her pink eyes at the pain and she whimpered, her cry slowly building up to a wail before her mom came back and scooped her into her arms.

Cradling the child, her mother hushed her, rocking her soothingly. "It's okay, Suika. Don't cry. You'll swell your pretty eyes."

Suika sniffled. "Where are we going?"

"Why, we're going on another adventure, sweetie! I know you love those!" Her mother cooed softly, caressing Suika's teal tresses.

Her tears stopped as quick as they started. "Where's Daddy and Sudachi-nee then?"

"Daddy and Sudachi-nee..." Her mother hesitated before smiling bitterly. "are not coming with us, honey."

Oh.

Oh.

In that instance, Suika understood what her mother didn't want to say.

They were never going to see the two of them again.