Disclaimer I don't own Inuyasha or Ristorante Paradiso

Summary: Kagome has been on her own for a long time. Living life as best as she can, but what happens when she becomes entangled in the world of the Italian cuisines.

A/N: I love Ristorante Paradiso, if you don't know it's about a 21 year-old girl named Nicoletta who leaves her grandmothers' home in the countryside to work in Rome, at a restaurant owned by her estranged mother's second husband. And the best part is that she can't tell the man she's her mother's daughter and the restaurant Casetta Dell'orso is staffed by older gentlemen wearing glasses (because the mother prefers gentlemen with glasses). The anime is cute because she falls in love with this older guy named Claudio. The people have really wide smiles and the anime has a nice cozy feel to it.

Edited: 2/5/13

Italian Beginnings

September 23rd:

"Tadaima," Kagome whispered entering her apartment. Slipping off her day shoes and slipping on her pink bunny house slippers. Walking into her living room that held sparse furniture. Two creme cushions were kept neat on the floor with a low-rise circular table in between. She headed into the kitchen, turning on the lights. Her kitchen was the pride and joy of her apartment. With state of the art kitchen supplies from her keibo (step-mother) and neighbors over the years. Shiny, sleek tableware, designer plates and cups. A deluxe pink fridge, microwave, and stove. A bookshelf on the left side of the window filled with cookbooks and her own recipes.

"Blup blup." Grinning, another pride of her kitchen, her friend and pet Ponyo, a little red goldfish. Placing her book bag and purchases in the corner. Her trip to the bookstore had proven successful and she now owned Chef Anton's new French cuisine cookbook, as well as her school supplies for the new school semester starting tomorrow. She took out some fish food sprinkling a pinch in the fish bowl. "Hey Ponyo, sorry I was gone so long!"

"Blup blup."

"I missed you too Ponyo" She put the fish food up and flipping on her ancient radio nestled in the corner of her desk. The radio had been a gift from her Oji-san before he passed when she was five, so she made sure to keep it in good condition. Making her way towards her pink mini-fridge, a new pop song echoed throughout her kitchen.

Scanning the contents of her fridge, nibbling on her upper lip when she realized how little was there. 'I knew I should have restocked right after that congratulation's party last week.'

"Looks like I'll have to go shopping after school tomorrow Ponyo." Her ears perked up when the catchy music from the radio beat sped up, playing a funky rythym.

Her hips automatically swaying side-to-side, listening to Fashion Monster by Kyary Pamyu.

Bobbing her head about, getting into the feel of the beat.

But as she looked over the contents of her fridge her mood dropped a little. 'Never a good sign when the first thing I see is old takeout from Ah-jeima's, bread, and cheese.' Here stomach chose that moment to growl loudly pleading for food. "I knew I should have bought that dango earlier today," only the fear of getting fat, because of her constant eating of sweets and good cuisines, had pressed her to walk away from the dango stand.

Sighing she looked deeper, her eyes like a hawks zeroed in on the leftovers Aki-chan had brought yesterday, but she had been too tired to eat. "Aya, leftovers from Aki-chan!" Akitoki-chan lived on the floor above her in apartment 32B. Aki's mother always made too much when it was her day to cook, so she would climb down the fire escape and deliver it to her. "Thank God, I have Aki-chan."

Doing a little nerd dance in delight. She shut the fridge with her foot, the leftover crab and shrimp salad from the other day in hand.

Dancing her way over to the microwave, before popping the leftovers in for three minutes. "Yummy leftovers~in my belly, hehe."

She began to sing along with the catchy song."Fasshon monsutā, fasshon monsutā...tetsu no kubikazari o hazushite tada jiyuu ni ikitai dake, fasshon monsutā, fasshon monsutā..."

Kagome pulled out a bag of tea and put some hot water to boil in her kettle. Pulling the honey and sugar down from the cabinet. "...kono semai kokoro no ori o kowashite jiyuu ni naritai no..." She did a little roll of her hips. Like she had seen the columbian singer, Shakira, do on the internet.

Ring

Ring

Ring

Turning down the volume, Kagome ran to get the phone. "Mushi mushi Higurashi residence des, Higurashi, Kagome speaking, may I ask who's calling?"

"Ah this is Kuchiyo-sensei the director of the honor's program at Johou High Academy. Could I speak with your stepmother?"

"Oh of course Kuchiyo-sensei, give me a second," fake calling for her stepmother. She pressed seven-four-four patching the call through to Maria, before hanging up. A system that Kagome and her stepmother came up with, so the school would never finds out about her living alone.

Beep. Beep.

"Oh yay!" Jumping off of the small stepping-stool she used to reach the phone. Curse my shortness. Flipping back on the radio. Opening the microwave her face was met with steam from her food. "Nothing like good food to put a smile on my face and warm my belly."

*Three Hours Later*

Kagome placed her brush back in the cabinet, hanging her towel back on the towel rack. Wearing a large pink t-shirt for bed. The apartment was quiet when she left the steaming bathroom, then again it always was quiet. She had been living alone since she was seven years old. 'Ever since mamma and brother's passing.'

"I wonder how Maria and the boys are doing?" She thought about keibo and half-brothers absentmindedly. She hadn't talked to them in a little while.

Her father lived in Germany with his legitimate family. A wife and three sons. Her father was originally from Italy and a cold-hearted man. 'A man who wouldn't even acknowledge his own daughter when she had no one.' It was only thanks to her stepmother secretly funding this place behind her father's back, that she was allowed to stay in this apartment. This was where she had lived with her mother and brother until their untimely death in a car accident nearly eight years ago.

'It's all that I really have to hold on to them.'

Her thoughts turning cynical when she thought about her father. "Ma you always spoke fondly of him, yet the second the solicitor told him about me he ran." Who knew what would happen if her father found out about what Maria was doing.

'Probably would cut my funding.' Her stepmother arranged for a maid to come in twice a week to check up on her, as well as she had to call twice a day to report where she was. She also had a tracker in her anklet that she always wore. Maria even paid the bill for getting her into Johou High Academy so she could have the best schooling. 'Talk about overboard, but it was still nice to know someone cared, even if she wasn't blood.'

Quickly saying goodnight to Ponyo before returning to her room.

Her room was small her platform bed taking up most of the space and a small closet built a foot up in the wall that was filled with six uniforms for school and three outfits for casual wear. Her pajamas consisted of a simple large pink t-shirt that she kept in a make-shift drawer in her closet. Looking at the space where her platform bed was brought back fond memories.

"Sis scoots over."

"You scoot over, I'm bigger."

"So."

"Sota, Kagome stop fighting."

"Yes ma"

Eight years ago there hadn't been a platform bed, instead a large futon and lots of blanket. Her mother, her brother Sota, and her would cuddle together, since it was a one bedroom apartment. The room always felt crowded back then, but now that she was alone, she longed for that crowded feeling. Turning off the lights, she slipped into bed. Her little hello kitty alarm clock glared at her in glowing red numbers. It was 9 o'clock at night. Rolling over to look at the opposite wall that had a single poster on it and her calendar for the year. Tomorrow was circled with a red marker.

First day of second semester and my birthday

TBC. Done with first chappy woohoo!