AN: I was going through some of the Fumoffu screenshots when this ficlet suddenly came to mind. So I had to write it. I'm still working on my other projects, and have more forth-coming, my muse just has not been generous to me regarding things I've already got in the works. In the meantime, I bring you this short and sweet oneshot.

Shabu-Shabu

Standing in front of the stove as she put the finishing touches on dinner, Kaname shook her head slightly to herself, a small smile on her face. She had broken down and bought the ingredients for shabu-shabu after all, despite the cost of it. Sousuke had saved her life, again, and in a somewhat peaceful manner at that. Well, peaceful for him, anyways. Tying up a young boy and exploding the ropes holding him was hardly peaceful, but at least the boy had agreed to being in the position. He wasn't some poor innocent that had been dragged into it, and the threats Sousuke had posed to the gang members were ones she didn't think he'd ever follow up on.

Remembering those threats made her remember something else, and as she set down the bowls of food in front of Sousuke and her seat, her face turned a light shade of pink. Taking up her chair with a sudden feeling of self-consciousness, Kaname stared at her bowl for a few moments while Sousuke dug in enthusiastically. Tapping chopsticks on the edge of the dish thoughtfully, she chewed on her lip in an anxious manner. Setting down the utensils, she crossed her arms over on the table and leaned forward, "Hey, Sousuke."

"Hm?" the sound was muffled by the food and bowl blocking his mouth, and she almost wondered why she bothered to make such an expensive meal if he was going to eat it so fast that he wouldn't even taste it.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, she glanced away, sighing softly, "Well, I was just thinking. Those threats you were using..."

He swallowed his food quickly and set the bowl down, "Don't worry about those Chidori. I would not have followed up, they were just a scare tactic."

"I thought so, that wasn't what I was going to ask..."

"Oh? What is it?"

Fidgeting, Kaname wondered why she had bothered to open her mouth in the first place. Closing her eyes, she drew in a steadying breath before facing him again, "You said to them 'Everyone has something special to them,'" she trailed off, hoping he would get where she was going with that. It was too embarrassing to say.

He flushed, straightening up in his chair as he glanced away nervously, "Well, yes, they do."

Feeling braver in the face of his anxiety, she leaned over her bowl earnestly, "You said it because they were threatening me, so you threatened their 'special' things. Am I right?"

Swallowing thickly, Sousuke stared at an arbitrary spot on her wall for a long time, his eyes beginning to hurt from the strain of looking so far to the side for so long. Finally, he dropped his shoulders and let out a puff of air, closing his eyes as he felt all the energy drain from his muscles. Gathering up some will, he turned to face her and nodded stiffly, "Yes. You're right."

"So I'm special to you then?"

"Yes. Of course."

"I see," leaning back in her chair, she finally took a bite of the food she had made. Sousuke stared after her almost incredulously, surprised that the topic had been dropped so abruptly. The look of utter contentment on her face though made him give it up, and he returned to his own meal. Smiling happily, Kaname held the bowl up in hopes that it would hide her blush as she ate her meal feeling refreshed.

She was special to Sousuke.

That was a piece of knowledge she would hold close to her heart for a long time to come. It would be some time though until she was ready to admit that he was just as special to her though. In the meantime, she would continue to show it in little ways.

Like by preparing an expensive meal now and again.