Fry Hard
Disclaimer: I don't any characters, people or products already previously owned. The only property of mine featured in this fic are the original characters, original products and the island.
Summary: AU. Renowned chefs(or wanna-be chefs...) from around the world are invited to a special cook-off on the secluded island of Parsley Paradise. But the contestants are disappearing, one by one. (Featuring cooks from different anime/shows.)
Warning: Rated for later language, violence and murder scenes.
Main Characters featured in this fic are as follows:
Chef's name-anime/show
Pan Uten- (original character)
Rachel(aka Ran)- Case Closed/Detective Conan
Tohru Honda- Fruits Basket
Jet Black- Cowboy Bebop
Emeril- Live With Emeril
Cherry- Saber Marionette J
Risa Harada- D.N.Angel
Takeshi Saehara- D.N.Angel
Kagome Higurashi- InuYasha
Brock- Pokemon
Kaoru- Rurouni Kenshin
Martha Stewart- Martha Stewart Living
Chapter one: Collecting Culinary Creators
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Martha Stewart delicately opened the pale pink envelope, extracting the invitation inside. The white piece of paper was decorated with little tulips and rose petals dancing around the words.
"'Ms. Stewart," she read to herself, "you are invited to the beautiful, secluded island of Parsley Paradise where a fabulous cook-off with stupendous chefs from around the world will be hosted. Please go to dock #96 at 8:00 PM on the 13th of July, friday, if you wish to attend. We await your arrival.' Hmm, sounds absolutely delicious!"
She hurried to her well-decorated room to start packing.
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Himura Kenshin held the small light blue envelope in his hand as he searched for Kaoru in the yard. She was hanging clothing up to dry, when the red-head samurai found her.
"Ms. Kaoru. There's a letter addressed to you." Kenshin said, handing the young woman the envelope.
"Thank you, Kenshin." Kaoru replied, opening the letter and reading the invitation to herself. "Hmmm."
Kenshin, trying to remain polite, waited quietly for Kaoru to explain.
"Kenshin, this invitation says I'm invited to a cook-off on an island! Isn't that great?" Kaoru laughed.
"Yes, it is, Ms. Kaoru." Kenshin replied with a smile.
"Who would invite you to a place full of chefs? You can't cook." Yahiko, sneaking up behind Kaoru and reading the invite, asked with a smirk.
"Why you!" Kaoru took a swing at the small boy, missing as he ducked and ran away, taunting her all the while. "You're lucky I have to go pack, Yahiko, or you'd be dead!" She yelled as she headed toward her room to prepare.
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At a Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy handed Brock a dark orange envelope. "This came for you." She said with a smile.
Brock, for once more interested in something other than the pink- haired nurse, opened the letter. A small hologram of a dancing Raichu appeared. The hologram began to talk, "Mr. Brock, you are invited to the beautiful, secluded island of Parsley Paradise where a fabulous cook-off with stupendous chefs from around the world will be hosted. Please go to dock #96 at 8:00 PM on the 13th of July, friday, if you wish to attend. We await your arrival." The Raichu disappeared.
Ash peered over Brock's shoulder, trying to get a good view of the card, "Are you going to go, Brock?"
"Of course I am. Having the title of World's Greatest Chef could help my reputation, and that can aid my goal of becoming a Pokemon Breeder." Brock replied.
Nurse Joy smiled, "Then you should head to the docks, they're a good way off, and tomorrow is Friday."
"Right! Thanks, Nurse Joy. See ya, guys!" Brock called, hurrying out of the Pokemon Center in the direction of the docks.
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"Kagome! Kagome, where are you?" Sota, Kagome's younger brother, called through the house, "Kagome!" Still silence. Sota sighed to himself. "All right then Kagome, I'll just throw out this letter from a secret admirer!"
He smiled as Kagome pulled open her bedroom door, "Secret admirer? Really?" She snatched the letter from Sota's hands.
"I don't know. It just has your name on it." Sota replied, strolling off to find some form of entertainment.
Kagome ripped open the green envelope hastily, reading the invitation inside over twice. "Wow, 'stupendous chefs'. They think I'm a great chef! Awesome!" She ran into her room, yelling to Sota as she went, "Sota, I'm going on a trip! If InuYasha comes looking for me, tell him I'll be back in a few days!"
Kagome scanned her room, "Okay, what will I need?" She began packing anything she believed would be required; completely ignoring the huge pile of unfinished school work.
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Inspector Saehara picked up the stack of mail on the floor, "Hmm, bill, bill, bill, bill, huh? A letter for Takeshi?" He inspected the brown envelope. "Takeshi! You've got mail!"
Takeshi emerged from the kitchen wearing an apron and holding a pot of soup, "I do?" He set the pot on the table, taking the envelope from his father. "Wonder who it's from."
"Open it and find out." Saehara muttered.
Takeshi ripped open the envelope, scanning over the letter, "I've been invited to an island for a cook-off with other chefs." He grinned, "I'm going! This is so awesome!"
Saehara, occupying himself with eating the soup straight from the pot, shrugged, "Suit yourself."
"Cool!" Takeshi raced into his room to prepare for tomorrow's trip.
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Risa Harada sat in the living room, watching the news in hopes of seeing more images of the handsome Phantom Thief Dark.
"Hey, Risa. You have a letter." Riku, Risa's twin sister, said. She frowned, waving a hand in front of Risa's face, "Earth to Risa. You have a letter!"
Risa looked up, "Huh? Letter? Let me see." She held out her hand. Riku sighed and placed the white-blue envelope in her sister's hand.
Risa examined the envelope for a moment before tearing it open carefully and pulling out the invite. She read the letter out loud for Riku's benefit, "'Ms. Risa Harada, you are invited to the beautiful, secluded island of Parsley Paradise where a fabulous cook-off with stupendous chefs from around the world will be hosted. Please go to dock #96 at 8:00 PM on the 13th of July, friday, if you wish to attend. We await your arrival.' Wow, I really must be a good cook if they invited me!"
Riku rolled her eyes, "Uh huh, yea sure."
Risa ignored her sister, climbing to her feet and hurrying into her room, "I've got to pack..."
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"Cherry!! Looky Cherry!" Lime, the ever energetic marionette, called as she danced around with a rosey pink envelope.
Cherry entered from the kitchen wiping flour from her pale pink kimono, "What is it, Lime?"
"A letter!" Lime replied, still dancing.
Cherry blinked, "For who?"
Lime grinned, "You!" The blue-haired girl handed Cherry the envelope. "Read it!"
Cherry looked at the envelope, "I've never recieved a letter before. How exciting." She delicately peeled the envelope open, pulling out the invitation within. She read over the letter, blushing. "Oh my, I did not realize anyone believed I was a good cook."
"Of course you're a good cook, Cherry." Otaru said as he entered the apartment.
Cherry blushed even more, "Thank you, Otaru."
"Otaru! Cherry is going to an island to be the best chef ever!" Lime announced after reading the letter.
Otaru blinked, looking at Cherry, "Really?"
Cherry bowed slightly, "If you will allow me, Otaru."
"Sure! You go prove to everyone that you're the best, Cherry." Otaru said, giving the marionette a thumbs up.
"Oh, thank you, Otaru!" Cherry said, hugging the young man.
Otaru laughed, "No problem, you deserve a trip. Now, go pack whatever you need."
"Yes, of course." Cherry bowed again, "Thank you." She left the room, Lime right behind her,determined to help with the packing.
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"And that's a rap! Great job out there, Emeril." the director said as the cameramen turned off their cameras and ceased to film Emeril's show.
A young red-haired girl with glasses appeared on the set, holding a clipboard and envelope, "Emeril, sir. There's a letter for you." She held out the white envelope.
Emeril took the envelope, tearing it open and scanning over the invitation.
The director walked up to Emeril, "What does it say? More fan mail?"
Emeril raised an eyebrow, "I've been invited to a cook-off against other world-renowned cooks. I leave for the island tomorrow."
The director frowned, "You're going to go?"
"Of course, " Emeril replied, "I must prove to everyone that I am the greatest chef in the world."
"Then take this." The director handed Emeril a small camcorder, "You can pay someone to tape you as the contest takes place, we can turn it into a mutlipart episodes."
Emeril nodded, "I will be the greatest chef that ever lived."
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"Jet has mail, Jet has mail!" Edward, seated in front of her high- tech laptop, sang happily.
Jet looked up from feeding his Welsh corgi, Ein, "From who, Ed?"
"Ed doesn't know. There's no sender name." Ed replied, dancing over to Jet to show him the email.
Jet read the email aloud, "'Mr. Black, you are invited to the beautiful, secluded island of Parsley Paradise(located on Earth) where a fabulous cook-off with stupendous chefs from around the world will be hosted. Please go to dock #96 at 8:00 PM on the 13th of July, friday, if you wish to attend. We await your arrival.' Ed, where is this dock #96?"
Edward grinned as she typed rapidly on the laptop, "It is near Tokyo!"
"So, you going?" Spike asked, leaning against the doorway while smoking a cigarette.
"Yea. Can you take care of yourself while I'm gone?" Jet asked with a small smile.
"Of course, " Spike replied, "just make sure the shower is working, so Ms. Wandering-Gypsy won't bug me about it."
Jet laughed. "I will, as soon as I'm done packing." He climbed to his feet and headed to his room, Ein waddling behind him.
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"Tohruuuuu-kuuuuun! You have a letter!" Shigure called in a sing-song voice as he hopped into the kitchen.
Tohru looked up from the onigiri she was making, "I do?"
"MmmHmm." Shigure replied, wearing a grin as he presented the pale green envelope.
The young blonde girl excepted the envelope. She opened it slowly, causing Shigure to bounce around in anticipation.
"For someone who's in his thirties, you act like you're six, Shigure." Kyo remarked as he passed through the kitchen on his way outside, not taking notice of the envelope Tohru held.
Tohru, having finally opened the letter, read it aloud, "'Ms. Honda, you are invited to the beautiful, secluded island of Parsley Paradise where a fabulous cook-off with stupendous chefs from around the world will be hosted. Please go to dock #96 at 8:00 PM on the 13th of July, friday, if you wish to attend. We await your arrival.' Oh, I couldn't possibly go."
"Why not, Tohru-kun? Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun and I can fend for ourselves for a few days. Take a vacation, you deserve it." Shigure said, smiling reassuringly at Tohru.
"Really, Shigure-san? I can go? You wouldn't mind?" Tohru asked breathlessly.
"Not at all." The raven-haired man replied, waving his hand at Tohru, "You run along and pack, okay? Don't worry about us."
"Thank you!" Tohru said as she hurried out of the kitchen.
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"Rachel, you have a letter." Conan said as he walked the kitchen, holding the blue envelope in his small hands.
"Let me see, Conan." Rachel said, taking the envelope from the boy. "Hmm, it has no return address."
Conan blinked, scratching his head, "That's weird."
Rachel shrugged as she pulled the letter out, "Yea. Well, it says 'Ms. Moore, you are invited to the beautiful, secluded island of Parsley Paradise where a fabulous cook-off with stupendous chefs from around the world will be hosted. Please go to dock #96 at 8:00 PM on the 13th of July, friday, if you wish to attend. We await your arrival.'"
Rachel's father, detective Richard, entered the kitchen as she finished reading the invitation, "You're actually going?"
"Yes, dad. It would be fun." Rachel replied, smiling as she looked down at the letter.
Richard frowned, "You're going to leave me to take care of Conan? I'm not a babysitter, you know."
Conan glared at Richard, muttering under his breath, "I'm not a baby, you know."
Rachel glanced at her father, "Of course not. Don't worry dad, I'll take Conan with me." She smiled down at Conan, "I bet they wouldn't mind if I brought you along, Conan. I doubt they'll even notice a little kid." She laughed as Conan cheered with joy. Richard sighed with relief as Rachel ushered Conan out of the kitchen to go pack.
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Date: July 13th, Friday
A young silver-haired girl stood at the end of a long wooden dock, bright blue eyes focused on the thick swirling fog. She looked like any other girl if one excluded the fact that she had wolf-like ears rather than normal ears and four long, fluffy white fox-tails. She was dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt, blue jeans and a white trench coat, with a pair of dark sunglasses on despite the fact that it was night time and it was foggy. She also had a communication headset on, which she was currently talking into.
"No, none have arrived yet. But it is only 7:45. I believe the first guest is here. MoonShadow over and out." The sound of an approaching car could be heard.
A van pulled up at the beginning of the dock and a young girl and small boy climbed out, each carrying a bag of luggage. Both waved at the car as it pulled away.
The silver-haired girl strode up to the pair, "Greetings, I am Tsuki Aisutai. You must be Ms. Rachel." Tsuki smiled warmly.
Rachel nodded, "Yes, I'm Rachel. And this is Conan." She suddenly looked worried, "Is it okay that I brought him?"
"Yes, of course!" Tsuki said, smiling down at Conan, "I highly doubt Pan will mind you on the island. She absolutely loves kids." She suddenly looked to her left as the sound of footsteps approached.
Brock appeared out of the fog, "Hello. I hope I'm at the right place. This is dock #96, right?"
Tsuki nodded. "Yes. I am glad you could make it Brock." She looked at the three guests, "If you don't mind, please wait on the dock for the other guests."
Two more cars crawled up the path to the dock. Out of the smaller blue car stepped Tohru Honda, accompanied with the loud farewells of the Sohma's. From the large silver and gold--and rather futuristic--car came Cherry.
"Thank you, Hanajima." Cherry called as the large car pulled away.
Tohru waved merrily as the Sohma's car disappeared into the fog.
"Welcome, Cherry and Tohru. Please stand with the other guests for a few moments." Tsuki said, bowing slightly to the pair, who bowed respectfully in response.
Rachel smiled a welcome to the two girls, Brock offered a hand in a friendly handshake.
A large patch of fog was blown away as a strange silver aircraft descended from the sky. As its whirring engine grew silent, the aircraft landed softly on the ground and out climbed Jet Black, Ein tucked under one arm.
"Greetings, Mr. Black. So glad you made it. Only a few more guests are to arrive, so please wait at the docks." Tsuki greeted, directing Jet with a simple hand gesture.
Jet nodded, "I am glad to be here. You don't mind that I brought my dog, do you?" He glanced down at Ein.
"Not at all. Dogs are quite welcome." Tsuki responded.
Jet smiled, setting Ein on the ground as he strode over to the other guests. He waved at the guests, who each waved back. Ein found Conan to be a wonderful source of ear-scratches and pats.
The blinding headlights of an enormous vehicle penetrated the fog as a large bus pulled up. With a hiss it came to a stop, its doors swining open to allow Kagome, Risa and Takeshi a chance to climb off. All three looked a bit nervous as they walked up to Tsuki.
Tsuki watched the three approach slowly. "Hello. Pleased all three of you could make it. Please stand to one side. I believe I here another one of our guests now." She turned as Kaoru emerged from the fog, accompanied by the tall Sano and not-so-tall Kenshin.
"Am I late?" Kaoru asked anxiously.
"No, no. It is 7:56. You are on time." Tsuki replied, smiling as Kaoru sighed with relief.
"Oh, good. Okay, Kenshin, Sano, you can go home now. Thank you for escorting me." Kaoru said, smiling a thanks at the two men.
"My pleasure, Miss Kaoru." Kenshin replied with a nod as he turned away, Sano behind him.
"Seeya, Missy." Sano said, waving slightly.
"Bye!" Kaoru called as the pair became invisible in the fog.
Tsuki's wolf-ears twitched, "I hear our final guests."
Just as she said this, two long black limos crept up the path, coming to a halt before Tsuki. Both limos' doors opened. Emeril stepped out of the first carrying two large suitcases. Martha stepped out of the second with a young man--he was carrying five large pink suitcases.
Without any words of greeting, Tsuki gestured for the two to stand with the other guests.
As the limo's pulled away, Tsuki stood before the eleven guests. She waited another moment before clearing her throat and speaking. "As you all know, you've been invited here tonight to go to the island of Parsley Paradise. Once there, a cooking tournament will be held to determine who is the world's greatest chef. There will be twelve contestants. The twelfth chef is the one who organize this entire thing, Pan Uten. Now, do you have any questions?"
Everyone present held up their hand. Tsuki's ears drooped, "Is it the ears and tails?" She recieved nods to confirm her guess. "I figured you would ask about that. As it is, I am a wolf demon, therefore I have the ears and tail--or tails for this matter--of my demon animal. And, for your information, demons are quite dangerous but we are not evil, vicious or bloodthristy. As a matter of fact, Pan Uten is a demon as well. A fox demon to be exact. Do not be surprised when you see any crew members with animal tails and ears. Most of us are demons. Now that that's taken care of, any other questions?"
Kagome raised her hand, "Uh, yes. How long will this contest take?"
Tsuki looked over her sunglasses at the girl, "That is yet to be determined." She looked past the group to the end of the dock, "Our transportation has arrived. Please follow me." She led the guests to a large white cruise ship that had not been there earlier. Tsuki gestured to the ramp leading up to the ship's entrance, "Please go aboard. We will set out to Parsley Paradise in a moment."
The guests filed up the ramp and into the well lit main room of the ship. Tables were set up all around with large arrays of food.
Tsuki walked past the guests to a door labeled 'Crew Only', she glanced back at the eleven people, "Help yourselves to the banquet. If you need anything, one of the crew members can assist you. Oh, and most of the crew are demons." She disappeared inside the door.
"They sure are hospitable." Rachel said as she picked up and dinner plate and began piling food on it.
The others followed her example and made their own meals.
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Tsuki sat in a metal chair before a large control panel. The entire wall in front of her was made of television screens with images of the guests in the dining hall, empty corridors, the engine room, and cabins. Also in the room were two young female demons.
The first demon had her eyes locked on the screens as she typed away on the control panel. She constantly brushed tufts of black hair from her face, her white-tipped black wolf ears twitched occasionally. Her bushy black tail was wrapped around her feet. She was dressed in the white robes of a medic.
The second demon was leaning back in her chair while eating a popsicle, her eyelids were drooped. She ignored the locks of red-orange hair as they hung in her face. Her small brown squirrel ears were perked forward, showing she was, in actuality, quite alert. Her huge squirrel tail swished back and forth in relative boredom. She was dressed in a black tanktop and blue jeans.
Tsuki glanced at the squirrel demon, "Spork, has Pan contacted you yet?"
Spork sat up, blinking, "Don't use our names. Use the nifty codenames Sou-chan, err BlackSun, gave us!"
Tsuki sighed, "All right, SpoonForkHybrid,has SkilletQueen contacted you yet?"
The squirrel demon grinned, "Yup. She wanted to know if all the guests arrived and if everything was going according the schedule. I told her yes."
Tsuki nodded, turning to the other demon, "Roha-" She sighed when Spork made a 'tsk-tsk' sound, "I mean, Winter'sLittleNurse, is everything working properly?"
Roha looked up from the control panel, "Yes, everything is working with 100% efficiency. We'll should be at the island by 9:00 PM." She frowned, an ear twitching irritably, "And please don't call me by my codename. I can't believe Sou-sama gave me that name!" She began to mutter darkly about some lecher.
Tsuki chuckled, leaning back into her chair with a satisfied smirk, "Perfect. Pan's plan is working perfectly..."
=========================== End of Chapter One
Disclaimer: I don't any characters, people or products already previously owned. The only property of mine featured in this fic are the original characters, original products and the island.
Summary: AU. Renowned chefs(or wanna-be chefs...) from around the world are invited to a special cook-off on the secluded island of Parsley Paradise. But the contestants are disappearing, one by one. (Featuring cooks from different anime/shows.)
Warning: Rated for later language, violence and murder scenes.
Main Characters featured in this fic are as follows:
Chef's name-anime/show
Pan Uten- (original character)
Rachel(aka Ran)- Case Closed/Detective Conan
Tohru Honda- Fruits Basket
Jet Black- Cowboy Bebop
Emeril- Live With Emeril
Cherry- Saber Marionette J
Risa Harada- D.N.Angel
Takeshi Saehara- D.N.Angel
Kagome Higurashi- InuYasha
Brock- Pokemon
Kaoru- Rurouni Kenshin
Martha Stewart- Martha Stewart Living
Chapter one: Collecting Culinary Creators
-----------------------------------------
Martha Stewart delicately opened the pale pink envelope, extracting the invitation inside. The white piece of paper was decorated with little tulips and rose petals dancing around the words.
"'Ms. Stewart," she read to herself, "you are invited to the beautiful, secluded island of Parsley Paradise where a fabulous cook-off with stupendous chefs from around the world will be hosted. Please go to dock #96 at 8:00 PM on the 13th of July, friday, if you wish to attend. We await your arrival.' Hmm, sounds absolutely delicious!"
She hurried to her well-decorated room to start packing.
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Himura Kenshin held the small light blue envelope in his hand as he searched for Kaoru in the yard. She was hanging clothing up to dry, when the red-head samurai found her.
"Ms. Kaoru. There's a letter addressed to you." Kenshin said, handing the young woman the envelope.
"Thank you, Kenshin." Kaoru replied, opening the letter and reading the invitation to herself. "Hmmm."
Kenshin, trying to remain polite, waited quietly for Kaoru to explain.
"Kenshin, this invitation says I'm invited to a cook-off on an island! Isn't that great?" Kaoru laughed.
"Yes, it is, Ms. Kaoru." Kenshin replied with a smile.
"Who would invite you to a place full of chefs? You can't cook." Yahiko, sneaking up behind Kaoru and reading the invite, asked with a smirk.
"Why you!" Kaoru took a swing at the small boy, missing as he ducked and ran away, taunting her all the while. "You're lucky I have to go pack, Yahiko, or you'd be dead!" She yelled as she headed toward her room to prepare.
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At a Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy handed Brock a dark orange envelope. "This came for you." She said with a smile.
Brock, for once more interested in something other than the pink- haired nurse, opened the letter. A small hologram of a dancing Raichu appeared. The hologram began to talk, "Mr. Brock, you are invited to the beautiful, secluded island of Parsley Paradise where a fabulous cook-off with stupendous chefs from around the world will be hosted. Please go to dock #96 at 8:00 PM on the 13th of July, friday, if you wish to attend. We await your arrival." The Raichu disappeared.
Ash peered over Brock's shoulder, trying to get a good view of the card, "Are you going to go, Brock?"
"Of course I am. Having the title of World's Greatest Chef could help my reputation, and that can aid my goal of becoming a Pokemon Breeder." Brock replied.
Nurse Joy smiled, "Then you should head to the docks, they're a good way off, and tomorrow is Friday."
"Right! Thanks, Nurse Joy. See ya, guys!" Brock called, hurrying out of the Pokemon Center in the direction of the docks.
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"Kagome! Kagome, where are you?" Sota, Kagome's younger brother, called through the house, "Kagome!" Still silence. Sota sighed to himself. "All right then Kagome, I'll just throw out this letter from a secret admirer!"
He smiled as Kagome pulled open her bedroom door, "Secret admirer? Really?" She snatched the letter from Sota's hands.
"I don't know. It just has your name on it." Sota replied, strolling off to find some form of entertainment.
Kagome ripped open the green envelope hastily, reading the invitation inside over twice. "Wow, 'stupendous chefs'. They think I'm a great chef! Awesome!" She ran into her room, yelling to Sota as she went, "Sota, I'm going on a trip! If InuYasha comes looking for me, tell him I'll be back in a few days!"
Kagome scanned her room, "Okay, what will I need?" She began packing anything she believed would be required; completely ignoring the huge pile of unfinished school work.
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Inspector Saehara picked up the stack of mail on the floor, "Hmm, bill, bill, bill, bill, huh? A letter for Takeshi?" He inspected the brown envelope. "Takeshi! You've got mail!"
Takeshi emerged from the kitchen wearing an apron and holding a pot of soup, "I do?" He set the pot on the table, taking the envelope from his father. "Wonder who it's from."
"Open it and find out." Saehara muttered.
Takeshi ripped open the envelope, scanning over the letter, "I've been invited to an island for a cook-off with other chefs." He grinned, "I'm going! This is so awesome!"
Saehara, occupying himself with eating the soup straight from the pot, shrugged, "Suit yourself."
"Cool!" Takeshi raced into his room to prepare for tomorrow's trip.
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Risa Harada sat in the living room, watching the news in hopes of seeing more images of the handsome Phantom Thief Dark.
"Hey, Risa. You have a letter." Riku, Risa's twin sister, said. She frowned, waving a hand in front of Risa's face, "Earth to Risa. You have a letter!"
Risa looked up, "Huh? Letter? Let me see." She held out her hand. Riku sighed and placed the white-blue envelope in her sister's hand.
Risa examined the envelope for a moment before tearing it open carefully and pulling out the invite. She read the letter out loud for Riku's benefit, "'Ms. Risa Harada, you are invited to the beautiful, secluded island of Parsley Paradise where a fabulous cook-off with stupendous chefs from around the world will be hosted. Please go to dock #96 at 8:00 PM on the 13th of July, friday, if you wish to attend. We await your arrival.' Wow, I really must be a good cook if they invited me!"
Riku rolled her eyes, "Uh huh, yea sure."
Risa ignored her sister, climbing to her feet and hurrying into her room, "I've got to pack..."
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"Cherry!! Looky Cherry!" Lime, the ever energetic marionette, called as she danced around with a rosey pink envelope.
Cherry entered from the kitchen wiping flour from her pale pink kimono, "What is it, Lime?"
"A letter!" Lime replied, still dancing.
Cherry blinked, "For who?"
Lime grinned, "You!" The blue-haired girl handed Cherry the envelope. "Read it!"
Cherry looked at the envelope, "I've never recieved a letter before. How exciting." She delicately peeled the envelope open, pulling out the invitation within. She read over the letter, blushing. "Oh my, I did not realize anyone believed I was a good cook."
"Of course you're a good cook, Cherry." Otaru said as he entered the apartment.
Cherry blushed even more, "Thank you, Otaru."
"Otaru! Cherry is going to an island to be the best chef ever!" Lime announced after reading the letter.
Otaru blinked, looking at Cherry, "Really?"
Cherry bowed slightly, "If you will allow me, Otaru."
"Sure! You go prove to everyone that you're the best, Cherry." Otaru said, giving the marionette a thumbs up.
"Oh, thank you, Otaru!" Cherry said, hugging the young man.
Otaru laughed, "No problem, you deserve a trip. Now, go pack whatever you need."
"Yes, of course." Cherry bowed again, "Thank you." She left the room, Lime right behind her,determined to help with the packing.
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"And that's a rap! Great job out there, Emeril." the director said as the cameramen turned off their cameras and ceased to film Emeril's show.
A young red-haired girl with glasses appeared on the set, holding a clipboard and envelope, "Emeril, sir. There's a letter for you." She held out the white envelope.
Emeril took the envelope, tearing it open and scanning over the invitation.
The director walked up to Emeril, "What does it say? More fan mail?"
Emeril raised an eyebrow, "I've been invited to a cook-off against other world-renowned cooks. I leave for the island tomorrow."
The director frowned, "You're going to go?"
"Of course, " Emeril replied, "I must prove to everyone that I am the greatest chef in the world."
"Then take this." The director handed Emeril a small camcorder, "You can pay someone to tape you as the contest takes place, we can turn it into a mutlipart episodes."
Emeril nodded, "I will be the greatest chef that ever lived."
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"Jet has mail, Jet has mail!" Edward, seated in front of her high- tech laptop, sang happily.
Jet looked up from feeding his Welsh corgi, Ein, "From who, Ed?"
"Ed doesn't know. There's no sender name." Ed replied, dancing over to Jet to show him the email.
Jet read the email aloud, "'Mr. Black, you are invited to the beautiful, secluded island of Parsley Paradise(located on Earth) where a fabulous cook-off with stupendous chefs from around the world will be hosted. Please go to dock #96 at 8:00 PM on the 13th of July, friday, if you wish to attend. We await your arrival.' Ed, where is this dock #96?"
Edward grinned as she typed rapidly on the laptop, "It is near Tokyo!"
"So, you going?" Spike asked, leaning against the doorway while smoking a cigarette.
"Yea. Can you take care of yourself while I'm gone?" Jet asked with a small smile.
"Of course, " Spike replied, "just make sure the shower is working, so Ms. Wandering-Gypsy won't bug me about it."
Jet laughed. "I will, as soon as I'm done packing." He climbed to his feet and headed to his room, Ein waddling behind him.
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"Tohruuuuu-kuuuuun! You have a letter!" Shigure called in a sing-song voice as he hopped into the kitchen.
Tohru looked up from the onigiri she was making, "I do?"
"MmmHmm." Shigure replied, wearing a grin as he presented the pale green envelope.
The young blonde girl excepted the envelope. She opened it slowly, causing Shigure to bounce around in anticipation.
"For someone who's in his thirties, you act like you're six, Shigure." Kyo remarked as he passed through the kitchen on his way outside, not taking notice of the envelope Tohru held.
Tohru, having finally opened the letter, read it aloud, "'Ms. Honda, you are invited to the beautiful, secluded island of Parsley Paradise where a fabulous cook-off with stupendous chefs from around the world will be hosted. Please go to dock #96 at 8:00 PM on the 13th of July, friday, if you wish to attend. We await your arrival.' Oh, I couldn't possibly go."
"Why not, Tohru-kun? Kyo-kun, Yuki-kun and I can fend for ourselves for a few days. Take a vacation, you deserve it." Shigure said, smiling reassuringly at Tohru.
"Really, Shigure-san? I can go? You wouldn't mind?" Tohru asked breathlessly.
"Not at all." The raven-haired man replied, waving his hand at Tohru, "You run along and pack, okay? Don't worry about us."
"Thank you!" Tohru said as she hurried out of the kitchen.
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"Rachel, you have a letter." Conan said as he walked the kitchen, holding the blue envelope in his small hands.
"Let me see, Conan." Rachel said, taking the envelope from the boy. "Hmm, it has no return address."
Conan blinked, scratching his head, "That's weird."
Rachel shrugged as she pulled the letter out, "Yea. Well, it says 'Ms. Moore, you are invited to the beautiful, secluded island of Parsley Paradise where a fabulous cook-off with stupendous chefs from around the world will be hosted. Please go to dock #96 at 8:00 PM on the 13th of July, friday, if you wish to attend. We await your arrival.'"
Rachel's father, detective Richard, entered the kitchen as she finished reading the invitation, "You're actually going?"
"Yes, dad. It would be fun." Rachel replied, smiling as she looked down at the letter.
Richard frowned, "You're going to leave me to take care of Conan? I'm not a babysitter, you know."
Conan glared at Richard, muttering under his breath, "I'm not a baby, you know."
Rachel glanced at her father, "Of course not. Don't worry dad, I'll take Conan with me." She smiled down at Conan, "I bet they wouldn't mind if I brought you along, Conan. I doubt they'll even notice a little kid." She laughed as Conan cheered with joy. Richard sighed with relief as Rachel ushered Conan out of the kitchen to go pack.
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Date: July 13th, Friday
A young silver-haired girl stood at the end of a long wooden dock, bright blue eyes focused on the thick swirling fog. She looked like any other girl if one excluded the fact that she had wolf-like ears rather than normal ears and four long, fluffy white fox-tails. She was dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt, blue jeans and a white trench coat, with a pair of dark sunglasses on despite the fact that it was night time and it was foggy. She also had a communication headset on, which she was currently talking into.
"No, none have arrived yet. But it is only 7:45. I believe the first guest is here. MoonShadow over and out." The sound of an approaching car could be heard.
A van pulled up at the beginning of the dock and a young girl and small boy climbed out, each carrying a bag of luggage. Both waved at the car as it pulled away.
The silver-haired girl strode up to the pair, "Greetings, I am Tsuki Aisutai. You must be Ms. Rachel." Tsuki smiled warmly.
Rachel nodded, "Yes, I'm Rachel. And this is Conan." She suddenly looked worried, "Is it okay that I brought him?"
"Yes, of course!" Tsuki said, smiling down at Conan, "I highly doubt Pan will mind you on the island. She absolutely loves kids." She suddenly looked to her left as the sound of footsteps approached.
Brock appeared out of the fog, "Hello. I hope I'm at the right place. This is dock #96, right?"
Tsuki nodded. "Yes. I am glad you could make it Brock." She looked at the three guests, "If you don't mind, please wait on the dock for the other guests."
Two more cars crawled up the path to the dock. Out of the smaller blue car stepped Tohru Honda, accompanied with the loud farewells of the Sohma's. From the large silver and gold--and rather futuristic--car came Cherry.
"Thank you, Hanajima." Cherry called as the large car pulled away.
Tohru waved merrily as the Sohma's car disappeared into the fog.
"Welcome, Cherry and Tohru. Please stand with the other guests for a few moments." Tsuki said, bowing slightly to the pair, who bowed respectfully in response.
Rachel smiled a welcome to the two girls, Brock offered a hand in a friendly handshake.
A large patch of fog was blown away as a strange silver aircraft descended from the sky. As its whirring engine grew silent, the aircraft landed softly on the ground and out climbed Jet Black, Ein tucked under one arm.
"Greetings, Mr. Black. So glad you made it. Only a few more guests are to arrive, so please wait at the docks." Tsuki greeted, directing Jet with a simple hand gesture.
Jet nodded, "I am glad to be here. You don't mind that I brought my dog, do you?" He glanced down at Ein.
"Not at all. Dogs are quite welcome." Tsuki responded.
Jet smiled, setting Ein on the ground as he strode over to the other guests. He waved at the guests, who each waved back. Ein found Conan to be a wonderful source of ear-scratches and pats.
The blinding headlights of an enormous vehicle penetrated the fog as a large bus pulled up. With a hiss it came to a stop, its doors swining open to allow Kagome, Risa and Takeshi a chance to climb off. All three looked a bit nervous as they walked up to Tsuki.
Tsuki watched the three approach slowly. "Hello. Pleased all three of you could make it. Please stand to one side. I believe I here another one of our guests now." She turned as Kaoru emerged from the fog, accompanied by the tall Sano and not-so-tall Kenshin.
"Am I late?" Kaoru asked anxiously.
"No, no. It is 7:56. You are on time." Tsuki replied, smiling as Kaoru sighed with relief.
"Oh, good. Okay, Kenshin, Sano, you can go home now. Thank you for escorting me." Kaoru said, smiling a thanks at the two men.
"My pleasure, Miss Kaoru." Kenshin replied with a nod as he turned away, Sano behind him.
"Seeya, Missy." Sano said, waving slightly.
"Bye!" Kaoru called as the pair became invisible in the fog.
Tsuki's wolf-ears twitched, "I hear our final guests."
Just as she said this, two long black limos crept up the path, coming to a halt before Tsuki. Both limos' doors opened. Emeril stepped out of the first carrying two large suitcases. Martha stepped out of the second with a young man--he was carrying five large pink suitcases.
Without any words of greeting, Tsuki gestured for the two to stand with the other guests.
As the limo's pulled away, Tsuki stood before the eleven guests. She waited another moment before clearing her throat and speaking. "As you all know, you've been invited here tonight to go to the island of Parsley Paradise. Once there, a cooking tournament will be held to determine who is the world's greatest chef. There will be twelve contestants. The twelfth chef is the one who organize this entire thing, Pan Uten. Now, do you have any questions?"
Everyone present held up their hand. Tsuki's ears drooped, "Is it the ears and tails?" She recieved nods to confirm her guess. "I figured you would ask about that. As it is, I am a wolf demon, therefore I have the ears and tail--or tails for this matter--of my demon animal. And, for your information, demons are quite dangerous but we are not evil, vicious or bloodthristy. As a matter of fact, Pan Uten is a demon as well. A fox demon to be exact. Do not be surprised when you see any crew members with animal tails and ears. Most of us are demons. Now that that's taken care of, any other questions?"
Kagome raised her hand, "Uh, yes. How long will this contest take?"
Tsuki looked over her sunglasses at the girl, "That is yet to be determined." She looked past the group to the end of the dock, "Our transportation has arrived. Please follow me." She led the guests to a large white cruise ship that had not been there earlier. Tsuki gestured to the ramp leading up to the ship's entrance, "Please go aboard. We will set out to Parsley Paradise in a moment."
The guests filed up the ramp and into the well lit main room of the ship. Tables were set up all around with large arrays of food.
Tsuki walked past the guests to a door labeled 'Crew Only', she glanced back at the eleven people, "Help yourselves to the banquet. If you need anything, one of the crew members can assist you. Oh, and most of the crew are demons." She disappeared inside the door.
"They sure are hospitable." Rachel said as she picked up and dinner plate and began piling food on it.
The others followed her example and made their own meals.
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Tsuki sat in a metal chair before a large control panel. The entire wall in front of her was made of television screens with images of the guests in the dining hall, empty corridors, the engine room, and cabins. Also in the room were two young female demons.
The first demon had her eyes locked on the screens as she typed away on the control panel. She constantly brushed tufts of black hair from her face, her white-tipped black wolf ears twitched occasionally. Her bushy black tail was wrapped around her feet. She was dressed in the white robes of a medic.
The second demon was leaning back in her chair while eating a popsicle, her eyelids were drooped. She ignored the locks of red-orange hair as they hung in her face. Her small brown squirrel ears were perked forward, showing she was, in actuality, quite alert. Her huge squirrel tail swished back and forth in relative boredom. She was dressed in a black tanktop and blue jeans.
Tsuki glanced at the squirrel demon, "Spork, has Pan contacted you yet?"
Spork sat up, blinking, "Don't use our names. Use the nifty codenames Sou-chan, err BlackSun, gave us!"
Tsuki sighed, "All right, SpoonForkHybrid,has SkilletQueen contacted you yet?"
The squirrel demon grinned, "Yup. She wanted to know if all the guests arrived and if everything was going according the schedule. I told her yes."
Tsuki nodded, turning to the other demon, "Roha-" She sighed when Spork made a 'tsk-tsk' sound, "I mean, Winter'sLittleNurse, is everything working properly?"
Roha looked up from the control panel, "Yes, everything is working with 100% efficiency. We'll should be at the island by 9:00 PM." She frowned, an ear twitching irritably, "And please don't call me by my codename. I can't believe Sou-sama gave me that name!" She began to mutter darkly about some lecher.
Tsuki chuckled, leaning back into her chair with a satisfied smirk, "Perfect. Pan's plan is working perfectly..."
=========================== End of Chapter One
