The Most Important Ingredient ~Akamichi Chouji ~ One Shot
"Gimme a hand, will ya, Mimori," shouted the shop's owner.
Mimori put down the box of cake mix she'd been carrying to go and help the owner. As she reached the front desk the assistant manger immediately handed her a box and a slip of paper.
"This is for the Akamichis' celebration later today, I told them it would be early, so hurry up and get out of here," the owner said sternly. "And if you mess this up I'm gonna skin your hide, Mimori!"
Without a second's hesitation she was out the door and carefully navigating her way through the crowded streets of the Konoha market. Mimori was nearly out of the market place when an obnoxiously loud kid with spiky yellow hair knocked her down. Normally she would have gotten up to knock some sense into the idiot, but her fall had been softened by the cake box.
"Oh no," you said softly. "Please don't be completely decimated."
Carefully, she opened the box that appeared to be the least damaged only to find a pile of mush that had been a cake. Mimori winced from just thinking of the beating she'd get when she returned to the shop. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she looked at the demolished pastry.
"Are you okay?" she heard as a hand entered her view.
Mimori nodded and took the hand while wiping away the tears. She looked up to see who it was only to find a rather plump boy with long brown hair around the age of fifteen. She could tell he was a ninja just by looking at him. Mimori didn't recognize him, but she was sure she'd seen him before. He looked down at the open box and frowned when he saw the squashed cake.
"Too bad, that cake looks like it would have been delicious," he said sadly.
"I have no doubt that the Akamichi Clan would have loved to have it for the celebration," she replied with equal sorrow. "What am I going to do now? The boss is going to be angry and Akamichi-dono will be very upset."
"Did you say 'Akamichi'?" the boy asked suddenly deepening the frown.
Like lightning an idea struck. "I've got an idea. Do you think you could help me make a new cake?"
"Me?" the boy asked pointing to himself. "Why?"
"Because I need a little help if I want to get this done on time and if I go back to the shop and ask the boss I might not get out alive," she said with a fake worried expression. "Besides I want to make sure the cake is delicious not the out of the box stuff the boss uses. I'm sure Akamichi-sama would better appreciate a cake made with special care."
The boy smiled broadly, "I'll help you, but we'd better hurry, I have to be somewhere soon."
He followed Mimori to her house and nearly passed out when he stepped through the door. She smiled at his reaction. Her house was quite simply a very large kitchen filled with cooking utensils and supplies from all over the world and hundreds of cookbooks for various types of cuisine filled the shelves along one entire side of the room. Mimori grabbed a few bowls down from the cabinets as well as the necessary supplies for making a cake.
"Well then, let's get started," she said with a broad smile. "To make a cake especially for Akamichi-sama!"
Mimori began mixing the batter while the boy picked out the way he thought the Akamichi boy would want his cake done. She trusted his decision because he probably knew the boy and what he liked.
"Have you decided how I should decorate it?" she asked, pouring the mix into two rectangular pans.
"This way would be best, Mimori-chan," he said and pointed to the picture.
She surveyed the photo, "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to him to dislike the cake we worked so hard to make."
He smiled that boyish grin, "I'm positive."
Mimori smiled in response and grabbed box from one of the shelves. The boy stared at it while she opened it to reveal more than a hundred small bottles of food coloring. His eyes were wide as Mimori unconsciously knew exactly where the colors you needed were placed. With practiced ease she shut the lid after collecting the colors needed and put it back up on shelf. After setting the coloring on the counter Mimori poured the batter into the pans and slipped them inside the already preheated oven. She smiled and set the time before turning to her helper.
"Lets get started on the icing shall we," she said smiling as she pulled out a small bucket.
"Shouldn't we wait until the cake is finished first?" he asked.
"If we had the time I would," Mimori said, grabbing the tips, several small, triangular, plastic bags, and some small bowls. "But sadly the time we have to make this cake is limited. Normally I would take as long as possible sometimes even starting the day before to make the cake perfect while pouring my whole heart and soul into my creation. If I weren't limited in the time I would do the same, but instead I will make the cake with the most simple and most powerful of ingredients."
"What exactly is this ingredient?" he asked, he smiling face turning to one of worry.
Mimori frowned slightly then brightened up with a luminous smile, "You surprise me. I had hoped you would know that all great cooks create everything with a single special ingredient."
The boy seemed interested now, his eyes widening slightly, "Even barbeque chefs?"
She let out a small giggle and nod, "If you'd like, I'll tell you after we deliver the cake, would that be okay?"
He nodded vigorously and Mimori smiled brightly at his eagerness. She cut off the tip of the triangular bags and fitted the tips inside so the icing in the bag would come out neatly. Taking a long flat spatula, she dipped it into the small bucket and scoop out a fair amount of white icing which she placed into one of the bowls. Mimori repeated the process with the other bowls and instructed the boy to open the food coloring. When each bowl had a precise amount of icing she took out a toothpick per bowl from a small container on the counter and dipped each on into a different color. When each toothpick was soaked in a different color Mimori then dipped each one into a different bowl and stirred the color in. Finally the bowls were each filled with a different color of icing. In a flash she stood in front of the boy. There was something sticky on his cheek and a spatula with orange icing in her hand.
"You shouldn't be spacing out like that," she smiled mischievously. "I need your help."
He started smiling again and Mimori grabbed one of the triangular bags and a bowl of icing.
"Hold out your hand please and pretend like your holding a bottle of water," she instructed and he did as he was told looking rather confused. "Don't worry I'm not going to bite or anything."
Mimori slipped the bag into his hand and folded the edges around his fingers making the bag look like a cup.
"Keep your hand firm, but don't crush it okay," Mimori instructed as she scraped some of the icing into the baggie using his hand like the rim of a bowl or cup.
She giggled lightly when she looked up to see that he was blushing before continuing with her work. It wasn't long before she'd finished putting icing in all the bags and it was time to take a break while the batter slowly turned to a fresh cake in the oven. After all the bags of icing were filled and ten minutes left for the cake in the oven she found herself answering an odd question.
"Mimori-chan, could you like a guy like me?"
"Of course," she smiled brightly and swiped some of the icing on his cheek with her index finger then quickly ate it. "You're sweet and pleasingly plump. It's apparent that one such as you could truly appreciate my food."
He blushed and the timer ringed pulling her attention to the cake. After putting on an oven mitt she carefully pulled the cake from the oven and set in on the counter. Quickly flipping the pan over the cake plate the cake slid easily out of the pan ready for icing. Soon the cake was decorated and Mimori looked at it with satisfaction. The top of the cake was decorated to look like a barbecue grill. With practiced ease she slid the cake into a pastry box and readied it for the short walk to the Akamichi compound. The boy opened the door for her and they enjoyed a silent walk.
~ His POV ~
When we reached the compound she stopped a little ways away from the door. I looked back at her, but she just smiled and then handed me the cake box. I was about to ask what she was doing when her lips suddenly brushed mine in a sweet, chaste kiss. As she stepped back I could see her smile brighten.
"Do you know what the most important ingredient every true chef uses is, Akamichi-sama?" she asked innocently.
I nodded and smiled back, "I think I figured it out, Mimori-chan. Thank you."
She smiled and began walking back to her home, her hair swaying gently as she walked.
'The most important ingredient,' I thought as I turned and began walking into the compound. 'is love.'