Cook for the one you love…
That's what his father had said to him before leaving for America.
As the last few seconds counted down on the timer, Soma's mind thought back on his fathers parting words, wondering if for the first time he had finally come to understand them. His hands moved as though he were conducting a symphony, sharp and precise, yet smooth and graceful, fingers all but paralyzed from fatigue.
It was truly finest display of a skill and technique that no one would have ever expected from him.
The dish was nearly complete, needing only the last final touch before it would be ready for her.
Mana Nakiri.
The Book Master.
The Mother.
The Goddess forever cursed with a standard for cuisine so impossibly high that it was a wonder she had even the finest amount of flesh on her body at all.
He could feel her watching them with that smile of hers. A smile that was both gentle and cruel, filled with boredom and contempt. There was no doubt in the mind of any that the Nakiri matriarch was enjoying the site of both he and Asahi throwing everything they had into their cooking, pushing themselves to the brink.
Soma knew this was hopeless.
He knew that Asahi outclassed him in every possible way when it came to cooking.
Deep down a part of him truly believed that all of this would be for nothing as so many had predicted it would be.
That was nothing new, though. How many times, after all, had he watched and listened as entire crowds of Shokugeki spectators told him that he had no chance of defeating his opponents and openly cheering for his humiliating defeat?
And yet, in spite of his disadvantages and in spite of how badly the odds were stacked against him, Soma had pressed on. He had pressed on knowing the full weight of the consequences should he lose this match and what the results of that failure would bring not only to himself but to Erina as well.
The buzzer rang, signaling the end of the match and Soma's hands finally stopped moving. A single drop of sweat fell from his chin and the sound of it hitting the counter might as well have come from an iron safe being dropped off a building. His senses turned to a whirl of light flavored fuzz as the world suddenly became a kaleidoscopic succession of soundless moments.
The announcer telling him and Asahi to present their dishes.
The weight of the covered platter pushing down on his trembling hand.
The look of smug satisfaction on Asahi's face as he steps forward to present his dish first, even though it was Soma's name that had been called.
The sad look of hopelessness in Erina's eyes.
The look of anticipation in Mana's hauntingly beautiful face as Asahi closes the distance between them.
The twitching of a sensitive nose followed by the sudden look of horror that explodes across that same beautiful face before she throws a pale hand over her mouth.
The violent heave that causes her to double over and cry out in disgust and anguish
The sound of a plate shattering wetly as Asahi's dish slips from his fingers, splattering his pristine shoes in a mess of sauce and dressing when it hit the floor.
The look of shock on every face in the stadium.
The sound of Soma's feet as he slowly steps forward with his own dish still in hand.
The look of scorn and revulsion on Mana's face just at the mere sight of him.
Plebeian.
Commoner.
Swine.
Filth.
The look of surprise on her face as the platter draws closer without triggering her nausea.
The softening of her glaring eyes as he removes the lid.
The flutter in her eyes at the first smell of the aroma now wafting all around her.
The way she clumsily holds her chopsticks as she pinches off just a tiny piece of egg and few grains of rice.
The sound of a thousand breaths being held at once as she brings it closer to her mouth.
The way her delicate lips part to receive the morsel.
It was only then that Soma realized that he was no longer sure if was still breathing or if he had even been breathing at all. The silence that had been swirling around in his ears suddenly turned to a dull, hollow whistle that reached all the way to his teeth. Cold icy numbness filled the tips of his fingers while his heart thumped painfully against his ribs.
Everything seemed so far away.
Where were his friends?
Where was his father?
Where was Erina?
Where was he?
The stadium was gone as was the world beyond the stadium.
Only he and Mana remained, staring into each other's eyes. Only it wasn't Mana's face he was looking at, but someone else the Soma felt he should have recognized but couldn't.
Her smile was warm and her eyes her gentle, full of love and tenderness.
His hands were being held in hers. For some reason they seemed so much smaller than they should have been, covered in so many cuts and bandages that there was hardly an inch of unmarked skin between all ten of his pudgy little fingers.
"Is this for me?" She asked, taking the small plate he had been holding anxiously. Her voice was so soft and gentle and loving that Soma felt something hot and painful twist its way through his chest.
Her fork sang through the air as she held it in her hand, lowering it to the ittle piece of half burnt food and bringing a tiny piece to her mouth in one fluid motion.
A smile spread between her cheeks, so bright and full of joy, the sort of smile that could only ever be found on a mother's face.
"It's Delicious!"
Mana's words echoed across the stadium, but Soma did not hear them.
He did not see Erina's look of shock quickly give way to tears of joy.
He did not hear the announcer declare him the victor.
He did not see his friends cheering for him.
He did not feel his legs give out beneath him, nor the crack of his head hitting the floor.
He did not see the burning white glare of the overheard stage lights.
He did not hear the sound of his father's voice calling his name from what seemed like miles away.
He did not feel Megumi take his hand into hers nor did he feel Erina's tears as they splashed upon his cheeks.
The only thing Yukihira Soma saw as he lay there on that floor, surrounded by friends and family and teachers and rivals, was Asahi's face as he looked down upon him.
The older boy smiled at him before turning to walk away.
He was laughing.
The Laughter followed Soma as he fell from consciousness.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading chapter 01. If you'd like to listen to the music that inspired this scene, you can listen to it here: The Fifth Element - Protect Life