A/N: So...I've decided to extend this one shot into a larger story! Huzzah! I wanted to spend some time fleshing out Ryou a little bit more in this chapter and I'll get into Megumi more in the next. Since this is likely to be a lengthy story, I really wanted to iron some stuff out. Trying to establish the story's direction from the last chapter was a little bit difficult for me so I'll be picking my way through it for another chapter or two until I can get some momentum going. I have some ideas of how I want this to go, and I'm kind of excited to develop it further! Eeek!

More importantly: Thanks for all the kind reviews you guys have left! Your comments are very much appreciated and I hope you guys continue to like the story!

Here's to chapter 2!

That night had been the most peaceful night's sleep he ever had.

His eyes drifted open slowly, savouring the way his bed enveloped his body as though trying to embrace him. He had been sleeping on the same mattress since he started at Toutsuki but never recalled feeling the way he did upon waking. The weak sunlight of the early morning filtered through a crack in the heavy curtains, casting soft shadows in his room. His decoration sense could best be described as spartan, the massive expanse of the room made all the more evident by a distinct lack of furniture. Where Alice favoured the dramatic, grandiose and colourful, he leaned more towards the simple. His furnishings consisted of one table, a chair and a wardrobe. Against the wall was a large print out of a photograph of the sea taken from the pub he worked in. The only reason it was even there in the first place was because Alice had insisted it be there, and most days he hardly took notice of it. This morning, however, he sat on the edge of his bed and took a good look at it. It had been a gloomy day the picture was taken. The skies were overcast and the sea looked to be somewhat unfavourable. Boats lined the edge of the image and one or two were dotted along the otherwise clear horizon. In his mind he could almost hear the boisterous laughter of the sailors as they burst through his door. He could just about smell the salt air and the scent of stale liquor that hung around some of the men. That had always been the closest thing to home for him but he never really belonged there. It had always been his reality, yet this morning it made his chest feel heavy and hollow.

"Tch." he made a face before leaving to find breakfast. The hallways of the mansion were lit though there was no sign of life, which he was grateful for. While he was usually quite alert in the mornings he had woken up in a strange mood and did not feel for company. Not that Lady Alice would be up at this hour, but she was always full of surprises. Flicking a switch, he illuminated the kitchen and began to prepare breakfast for himself. Or he would have, if he knew what he wanted. He was hardly a picky eater, but this morning he found himself feeling for something with a light flavour.

"Whatever that means." he grumbled to himself, quickly throwing together a chicken stir fry. He looked at the pan blankly for a moment before putting on some noodles to go with it. The broth was simple and savoury but light. That breakfast had been one of the most enjoyable one's he'd had in a while.

Days later, after catching himself craving yet another light breakfast, he realised that he actually liked her ramen dish. He didn't just appreciate how it was put together, how the flavours intertwined or the mouth feel of it. He had also enjoyed the way it made him feel. It was an odd experience for him, given how he wasn't prone much to sentimentality. It was rare for him to find a chef he respected enough to say he admired. Rarer still for him to genuinely like a dish. He gave credit where it was due, depending on his mood, and could appreciate another's technique or use of flavour. But for him to move beyond appreciation and yearn to savour a dish again was unheard of. He couldn't even imagine subconsciously recreating a meal either. That Tadokoro was the one to make such a dish was unfathomable. Just a few days ago, he hadn't even respected her, let alone registered her general existence. Now, he had to rethink his stance on her.

He hadn't seen her much since she suffered defeat at his hands. Mostly glimpses of her in the hallways on her way to class, accompanied by either Yukihira or two girls he assumed were her friends. From what he saw, she was the same clumsy soft spoken girl. It was as if she had never faced off against him. That she seemed so unaffected in the face of his cuisine, while he was so deeply moved by hers provoked a strange kind of ire in him. He couldn't conceive a world where that was possible. And yet, he thought as he looked around him, everything seemed to continue as if normal. It was almost as if they weren't waiting for two chefs to eventually take everything they had in them and put it onto a plate to see who was the last man standing. That the world around him seemed so unaffected by such an electric atmosphere bothered the shit out of him.

"This place is too complacent."

Alice registered the sound of his voice and turned her face to him. Her silver eyebrows were quirked upwards and her eyes had a slyness about them.

"My, my. Life at Toutsuki is too complacent for the mad dog? And I thought you just had fun with Megumi-chan."

His eyes narrowed at the mention of her name in what he knew to be Alice's teasing voice. She was obviously trying to provoke him by bringing up the other girl, but he wouldn't take the bait.

"I don't know how anyone is supposed to put up with this waiting." He huffed slightly, much to her amusement. She knew him better than anyone. Waiting around like this was hardly something that he was suited for. He was itching to get back on the stage and face down his next opponent, Hayama Akira, before going on to snatch the top place.

"Hmm. You'd better not lose to this Hayama guy Ryou-kun, or all your big talk will go to waste." She looked at him with that stubbornly childish look he'd grown accustomed to over the years. Even when she was trying to encourage him, she had to be childish about it. Internally, he rolled his eyes.

"I won't."

And he didn't.

Technically.

But he didn't win either.

Megumi felt like she could finally relax into her seat after Souma won his Election clash cum Shokugeki against Mimasaka. She had faith that he would pull through, but there were some moments where her breath caught in her throat. But ever the reckless showman, he managed to reverse what seemed like a done deal at the last moment to snatch victory out of nothing. She closed her eyes and allowed herself a deep breath to settle her nerves. The next match was sure to start soon and it was sure to be just as exciting as the one that preceded it.

"How did Yukihira get up there?" Megumi started at the sound of Ikumi's voice and followed her gaze to see Souma sitting quite comfortably next to Erina. Between that, and the hint of jealousy in Ikumi's voice, Megumi felt a sharp pain in her chest.

"Ah..."

The crowd began to roar and her attention changed from her disappointment to the two boys entering the stage. Hayama Akira's presence was elegant and sophisticated. While his was a restrained entrance, it still had a way of commanding the eye. Her eyes flickered to a dark, broad shouldered figure also making his way into the arena. Kurokiba cut an imposing figure, even from a difference, and somehow, having been privy to that up close made him appreciate that even more. He had yet to put his bandana on, but she felt as if she just watched a tiger stalking its prey. They took up their positions and eyed each other down. To call either of them boys seemed like a gross injustice, she decided. Their maturity was far above that of their fellow students, as was evident by their craft.

Western style dishes was announced as the theme for their match. Hayama had chosen to cook duck. Kurokiba took out an impressive specimen of an eel. And without further ceremony, their match began. Megumi watched Kurokiba make quick work of the eel as though enthralled. To say she admired his technique would have been an understatement. She knew her way around fish and was no shrinking violet when it came to working with knives, yet his knife work was beautiful. In a strange way, she was glad that she had lost to him, if it meant she got a chance to really watch him work. He was so quick and precise, with a level of power she hadn't seen outside of the docks. It was odd, being reminded of home by her ex-rival. The way his muscles flexed and twitched reminded her of seeing the men at the docks hauling in a fresh catch in the summer. She remembered the others mentioning that he too had come from a harbour town after their match and in that instant, she could see it. Even though his expression was terrifying, to say the least, she could almost sense it in his movements. He felt at home among seafood, and took comfort from manipulating it into one of his potent culinary concoctions. The corners of her lips turned upwards slightly.

"Megumi-chan!" She started and the spell was broken. She turned to Ryoko, who was watching her with an odd glint in her eyes.

"Ah...yes?"

"We were wondering who you think would win." Ryoko offered. Megumi paused as if to think.

"Yeah, though I think we have an idea of who you want to win." Yuki chimed in, waggling her eyebrows suggestively before sneaking a grin at Ryou. Catching onto the insinuation, she coloured.

"Eh? N-no...that's, t-that's not it a-at all!" Waving her arms as though trying to physically clear the misunderstanding. In the distance, they heard Kurokiba shouting at Hayama. Their eyes looked down at the stage before turning back to Megumi.

"Man, Kurokiba-kun is scary...but he is kinda hot, now that I think about it." Yuki held her chin as she looked back at the stage.

"I see what you mean," Ryoko added, "he's like the strong silent type, but a bad boy at the same time." Megumi's eyes jumped from one face to the other, blood rushing to her face til it was almost beet red.

"W-wha...uh. W-what?" her voice was shrill. Ikumi turned to look at them concerned.

"What the heck are you guys talking about?"

"Fufufu, our Megumicchi is finally growing up." Yuki said with a sigh. Ryoko turned a sly smirk at Megumi who spluttered in response. Ikumi blinked owlishly at them before turning her gaze back to the stage. Megumi fumbled with her skirt hem a little, turning her attention away from her two grinning dorm mates and back onto the stage. Her heart started to beat fast as Ryou came into her line of sight. Suddenly self conscious about watching him, her gaze flicked over to Hayama instead. He wiped a fine film of sweat from his forehead before lightly dusting something with spices. His movements were meticulous and graceful, almost soothingly so. His fine features hardly betrayed the immense pressure he must have been under. She idly wondered what she must have looked like on that stage, trying to maintain composure when Ryou was being scary. The same as she always did, she figured.

Her eyes drifted over to Ryou, his body tense with concentration as he put his vegetables to sautee. In moments like that she thought he wasn't all that bad. He was just passionate about flavour. It just so happened that his passion could boil over in...scary ways. He moved something off the open flame and looked into the crowd. Their eyes connected for a moment and her breath caught in her throat. The corners of his lips curled upwards into a smirk that sent a shiver down her spine. The look he gave her was downright predatory and it didn't matter the amount of physical distance between them. His gaze froze her in her seat and she could tell, even from this distance, that he relished it. While she had felt his eyes on her ever since they clashed, this was the first time their eyes made four and it drove the air out of her. She blinked and in an instant their connection was broken, the air rushing back into her lungs. Her chest heaved as she tried to gain control of her breathing and a light flush dusted her cheeks. Yuki's sharp eyes darted from the black clad figure on stage to her friend and opened her mouth to speak only to have Ryoko turn a knowing smile to her. She gingerly rested a hand on the smaller girl's leg, giving it a gentle squeeze before shaking her head slightly. They looked at each other for a moment, Yuki flashing a cheeky grin to match Ryoko's sly one. Beside them, Megumi hardly stirred. This was going to be interesting.

The crowd erupted with a range of reactions. After a tense battle, the judges were at an impasse as to who should win the match. In the end, it was decided that it was to be a draw, making the final the first three way clash in the history of the Autumn Election.

To say Ryou was pissed was an understatement.

Draws didn't exist in his world. It was eat or be eaten and everything in him was honed to be the predator who sat at the top of the food chain. So how could he fail to deliver the decisive blow to an opponent like Hayama? He clenched his fists until he was white at the knuckles, rage swirling violently throughout his body. To be faced with a judgement like this was not just a grave insult to him. It was a question, pointed and sharp that slid between his ribs and pierced his lungs. His next breath was shallow and ragged as his thoughts raced. He was spooked but his uncertainty coalesced into anger. Due to his failure in crushing the spice bastard, he was now in a three way match up with him and that transfer kid, Yukihira. He wasn't about to fail again. A hush fell over the stadium as their senpai hammered into a giant block of ice. Inside it lay a single pacific saury of immaculate condition. Under entirely different circumstances he would have smirked at his good fortune. Pacific saury was a fish popular in pedestrian dishes and the qualities it held at this time of year made it extremely aromatic. He was in his element, but so were they. He wasn't sure sure when they had come to stand so close together but their proximity to him was making his blood boil.

"Ah...Souma-kun," A soft voice found its way into his thoughts, pulling him back to reality, "congratulations on winning your match. I knew you could do it." Hearing those words fall from Tadokoro's mouth somehow made his stomach lurch.

"Heh, thanks. I couldn't really have done it without you guy's help ya know? And thanks for the tea." He turned to see Yukihira grinning down at the petite girl who beamed politely up at him. Under the flooded lighting of the stage, her skin glowed almost pearlescent, contrasted by the deep midnight blue tones of her braided hair. In her unruly bangs, he caught the glimmer of her white flower hairpin. Her eyes opened and those glittering amber orbs found him almost instinctively. She turned away from Yukihira though seemed almost shy about facing him fully. Her slender fingers were lightly tangled together as if she could not decide whether to clasp her hands. It took him a moment to notice that she was looking at the floor rather demurely before redirecting her gaze at him. The shyness of it contrasted sharply with the hard stare she had given him the last time their eyes locked on that stage. It reminded him of something, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"That was a g-good match, K-kurokiba-kun." He was loath to admit that hearing those words soothed something inside of him. Unthinkingly, he relaxed a little.

"A draw isn't worth celebrating." He turned his murderous gaze on Hayama. "I've seen through you, spice bastard. Next time, I'm going to bring you down for sure." The other boy glowered in response. Good.

He felt the sweat laden bandana slide off his head and his energy dropped as though he had been powered off by a switch. Nimble fingers snagged the back of his collar before tugging gently to pull him away. Somewhere behind him he could hear Alice humming a light tune to herself.

"As fun as it's all been, it's time for us to go home!"

He tilted his hand as a way of signalling farewell. Hayama's green eyes bore holes into him before Yukihira roped him into a brief conversation. Tadokoro's smile seemed somewhat embarrassed, for whom he wasn't entirely sure, but she waved earnestly at him before turning to some students who had come to join her and Yukihira. After a while he righted himself, taking his case from Alice and carrying it over his shoulder. She allowed him to walk ahead of her, letting him navigate the space as he saw fit. He appreciated it.

"Milady, once we get back can we have a cook off? If I leave things hanging in the air like this, I won't be able to sleep until the finals..."

She obliged. That night after settling on a recipe, he chopped, seasoned and sauteed his frustrations into his dish against Alice, featuring a fearsome fish fillet. He won, but even then he couldn't quell the restlessness that had taken root inside of him. He wanted something hearty that would warm the tension out of his adrenaline wired body. Something that would help him relax, if only a little. Something light, and sweet. After washing up and a long hot shower, he made his way to bed.

Sleep came easily to him that night, as did dreams of pale, radiant skin and deep blue hair.

A/N: Thanks for reading! This story (and snippets that I'm hoping to write for it) are haunting my sleep, so I'll hopefully be able to keep updating regularly :P See you soon.