God damn, Gonna have to take this into my own hands now. My love for this shipping is too much, like it needs to happen. If Tadokoro ends up with Soma I swear to God, someone will get cut. Screw SomaxTodokoro, too predictable. She deserves better anyways, someone whose a little more interesting anyways. Might end up a bit steamy, you know how my mind works. It just happens... not my fault, I'm sowwie 3.3

She had never been so overpowered in this moment of time.

Of course she knew that this, scary looking, crazy eyed, incredibly passionate, bandana parading man, would win. Although she truly tried to believe in herself, she felt her friends cheering for her in the stands, she even believed that she would produce the amazing ramen that would make the director shed his clothes.

But she had to admit it herself, the salt smell and flavor were incredible.. her hips were about to give in. Even when her tongue tasted the thick, delicious noodles, she melted. Submitting under the overwhelming and mouthwatering, she didn't want to lose but... she had to admit. It was intense, like him with his cooking, and it would beat her into a pulp, like he could. She hated to admit it, but he rightfully won, even if she had a tiny it of faith in herself.

It felt good though, to put herself up to the test. She shouldn't have felt a little elevated but, when he asked to sample her ramen, it felt good. Good to show that because she didn't pack a punch into her ramen didn't mean she was a failure, although that was the end result.

He knew he was going to win, but by just a hair.

This tiny, female, child in her neat spotless uniform and childish little plaits that he wanted to pull loose, simply amazed him. He hated to become sentimental and touchy-feely, but it represented her best. Clear, beautiful, deep and full of flavour. He had to admit, he truly underestimated her. At first he thought she was some flouncy, little innocent country bumpkin, transferred into the big city with no idea of bad guys who always believed in friendship lasting forever. He hated those kinds of people, no idea how to survive in the big bad world, with cursing sailors who demanded food as soon as they stomped in and would drunkenly spray their disgusting alcoholic breath across his face, if he didn't make the food so flavourful to get them to shut up. The strong favour wasn't too much of a problem since the alcohol dulled their tastebuds.

But he underestimated her, even though he acted cool, it erupted within him. Mocking her friends that were uselessly cheering her on from the crowds, that damned Soma and annoying meatball head Yuki Yoshino cheering her on like an annoying preppy cheerleader. Useless fools, yet she even had the tenacity to look him in the eyes, with those strange yellow eyes and defend them. The little flower did seem to have a spine, it was actually kind of nice. Other than Alice, who was probably on the same level on his scariness level, everyone else didn't look into his eyes, but she didn't, even though she annoyingly flinched after he glared back, she still stood up to him, with those gleaming golden eyes. Even though she looked and sounded pure Japanese, if he looked more closely, there were slight nuances. Like her black hair which turned sort of blue in most lighting, and her eyes wide with sweet innocence and that damned purity.

As the director wrote his name, he let out a tiny sigh of relief, and felt his explosive energy leave his entirety as he undid his bandana and his hair fall loose. The god damn crowds went crazy, ugh he hated the crowds, but it wasn't bad seeing damn Soma lose his cool as his little girlfriend lose to him in this challenge. Were they even in a relationship? Seemed possible, those two were always seen together, it would make sense, but for some reason it didn't add up in his mind. Walking off stage, he brushed off the roaring crowds, this wasn't the final, it was only a quarter-finals, nothing much. Although in the back of his mind was itching him, was it that-

"Megumi, cheer up, listen to your senpai! You've matured a lot, you did well!" The damned pretty boy from the polar star dormitory was pandering to the country bumpkin.

"Thanks Senpai, you're right" Why was he not surprised, little kid that couldn't-

"But Kurokibaka was the rightful winner. My ramen was pale in comparison to his." That was odd, his eyebrow moved a little in disagreement. It wasn't even terrible, it was delicate compared to his fierce ramen. Incredibly light and beautiful, but it wasn't overwhelming for the judges. Just like Alice and her perfectly manicured Temari Bento, it was pretty but not tasteful enough.

"Megumi~" Even though he, Ryou held a lot of respect for his senpai, he felt irritated, watching the stripper put his arm around the little female. She didn't need to be comforted, she should learn to deal with losing, she needed to learn that all good and holy didn't win the battle.

"Senpai, I'm glad. I hate that I lost, but it was good. Makes me realise I need to get better. I'm glad Kurokiba was my opponent, even though he's really scary and intimidating, he's made me prove myself." What a pansy response, but it was the mature answer, and he liked that she didn't throw a fit, it would have been interesting to see the tiny female lose her temper but it was made him realise that maybe he really had underestimated her. Interesting little female. And he carried on walking, straight back and hands in his pockets.

(Not following the manga and taking my own course)

She trudged towards the veranda, looking at her dried spices, enjoying the warm sunshine. She felt a little dozy and wanted to walk around for a bit.

"If you want me to help you look at the top rack of your spices, you can just ask me"

"Eh?" She didn't see the bandana brandishing man, with a furious, fierce aura surrounding him, but rather a tall, gloomy inattentive guy standing a few feet from her.

"You don't have to flinch every time you see me. I'm not that scary." He brushed off the little jump she did, and ironically avoided looking at her gleaming feline eyes. He felt a little annoyed that she was willingly accepting the pretty boy's comforting hand, yet she looked shocked by 230 volt current when she saw him.

"Ohh, um Sorry" she bowed slightly, sweating a little. She didn't really expect him to be here. She expected him to take her as a worthless component and not even learn her name.

"I'm not your senpai, you don't have to bow"

"Sorry"

"Stop apologizing."

"Umm.." Trying to formulate an appropriate sentence, that didn't start with her apologizing, Kurokiba took this moment to walk up to the tiny thing and make good on his deal. He had to admit, it was kind of fun to catch her off guard. Since the quarter finals, he wasn't stalking her, persay. It was careful observation, and she was always focused or falling over things. It was kind of funny, but infuriating in a strange way.

Megumi was caught by surprise, seeing Kurokiba's infamous black undershirt in her line of vision, and just stiffened. She hated that she was immediately intimidated,

"I should be the one to say sorry."

"Eh?"

"I'm sorry for mocking your friends."

"I'm glad you acknowledge your mistake." Her usually sweet tone was underlined with annoyance.

"Where do you hide that sudden ferocity?"

"..."

"I'm guessing you're those little girls that stand up for her friends, but can't stand up for herself."

"I'm not little!" He peeked down at her blue-ish black hair, and watched her tilt her head up to meet his eyes in defiance.

"..."

"Yeah I stand up against people who think my friends are idiots"

"I'm sorry that I mocked you and your friends. It must be nice to have people support you."

"You have your friends." She lied, it was an instinct answer, already knowing the answer.

"Pfft, friends don't help you when you are cooking for fifty angry fishermen" avoiding her knowing gaze, tilting his head up slightly to gaze at her dried ingredients.

"I'm sure you have Alice-san to help you. Does she not count as your friend"

"Paying to detail are we?"

"It's not subtle."

She got him there. He owed and was always in debt to the Nakiri family, it wasn't the first time he the bastards refer to them as a "master dog" relationship. Trying to make it sound weird. He was taken in from the hellhole, although he had to admit it was his own place, where he was the commander and everyone did as he said. It was his own project, his masterpiece. He didn't get into the academy because his parents could afford to him to send him overseas, he just ended up in that dingy little fishing port pub in Denmark. It was hell on earth and he loved it. He couldn't see himself progressing over there, and that's why he was forever grateful for the Nakiri family, and strangely thankful for the fisherman that were so annoyingly demanding that made that struggle for him.

"I owe them a lot, you wouldn't understand." Brushing it off, she looked as though her parents pushed her into this academy, her parents were probably high end Tokyo chefs that pushed their expectations onto her-

"I understand. You want to make yourself worthy for that special person. Right?"

"..." It wasn't hard to understand their relationship, but when she said it, it didn't sound like such a ridiculous reason. It sounded as if it made sense.

"That's not a stupid reason, and not the craziest. Means you care a lot more than you really want to show." The tiny little thing didn't so much as blink as she gazed up at him, those damn understanding eyes.

"Who do you want to impress, your boyfriend, Soma?" He said, a little too distastefully. Expecting a whole load of wishy-washy romantic speech about winning him over and finally marrying him and other shit. Bunch of romance bullcrap that was usually found in Shoujo mangas, he found.

"My mum, and the local fisherman. They really want me to carry on my mum's restaurant, I really want to finish what she was creating."

"Fisherman?" It seemed him and this tiny female came from similar backgrounds, who would have thought? His eyes flickered in interest, he didn't want to be a puppy waiting for it's master.

"Yup, lil' ol' me born and raised in a small port town in the Tōhoku region. Betcha thought I was some country bumpkin?" Speaking in her kinda cute, distinguishable accent. She wasn't wrong, could she just read minds?

"Funny, I grew up in a fishing port in Denmark. I'm guessing it wasn't so fierce over there as it was in Denmark."

"I don't really know, I mainly worked with my mum in her inn." seems like him and this little thing had more in common than he originally thought. "But I wanna make them proud. They all believed in me." She held her small hands tightly in her grasp against her chest, her warm smile across her face. It had taken him back, just a little. It made him feel, less gloomy and it wasn't like when he was in competitions, he was affected in his most natural state.

"I worked in-"
"MEGUMI~" A familiar call echoed from behind them.

"Ahh~ I was supposed to meet senpai. Sorry to leave you like this, Kurokiba-kun." and ran off into the distance. It got him, like really got him. Looking though the drying rack of the spices. Damned pretty boy having her under his thumb. He disliked it, didn't her little boyfriend get jealous? Didn't he want to protect her and make sure she was completely his.

No, Tadokoro Megumi was just an interesting little female, nothing much.

Characters may be OCC. Look this had to be done. I'm sorry if there are any mistakes in events etc... but I am taking this by my own course and not really following the manga.

Anyways

Love

Chang

x