26. Cooking Lesson

Tomoe yawned and hit the snooze button on his clock. Last night his heart had been throbbing hard inside him. That and he had to work on his English homework. He had again fallen asleep. When he did wake up his phone was blaring with his set alarm.

It was the weekend and he had forgotten to turn it off. The teen yawned; HIs dad was at work and his Sobo had said something about going to bingo last night. He had a feeling she was lying about that but it wasn't his busyness.

Tomoe hauled his body up out of his bed and stumbled towards his door. He was so tired, What time was it?

He had went to his bathroom and found out that his toothbrush wasn't there. Why he didn't know but it meant he needed another one. Tomoe ran a hand through his sloppy hair and trudged to the halfway bathroom. He yanked on the doorknob and threw it open.

He walked in and opened the supply closet. He grabbed a toothbrush and turned quickly. He wasn't expecting to be face to face with Nanami.

She blinked as Tomoe jumped up in shock, " What are you doing?"

" I was going to the bathroom."

Tomoe looked at her with wide eyes and then coughed, " Let me leave first Blockhead. I don't want to watch you pee,"

Nanami looked at him shocked and Tomoe almost face-palmed. What did he just say!? He was out of it!

"Forget it." Tomoe mumbled and started to push past her.

Their hands brushed against each other and Tomoe chewed his lip. He needed some time to himself or something. The teen glanced at Nanami before he started to walk out the door. Then he stopped and Nanami crossed her arms.

Why was she covered in..

Flour?

The teen narrowed his eyes and stared at the icing that was on her cheek. He had a strange urgh to lick it off but then he shook if off and ran his finger over her skin instead. Nanami tensed as the Teen stuck his finger in his mouth and coughed at the icing sour flavor.

"Oh...Wow, " He coughed and looked away. He could of sworn his face was green or something. That stuff was nasty! He glanced at Nanami and sighed. She was pouting,

"You don't like it?"
Tomoe's eyes narrowed as he glared at her.

"If you cook I'll die from food po-"

She stomped on his foot and he bit his lip, " OW!"

"Don't be a jerk! AT LEAST I'M TRYING!"

Tomoe glared at her. She did know this was his fathers house. A.K.A. His? He rolled his eyes as she threw her apron off and sighed, " Can you leave the bathroom now?"

Tomoe blinked and realized he never did leave. He sighed and turned on his heel. Once out the door it slammed shut.

The white haired teen rolled his violet eyes and went to his rooms bathroom. He started to brush his teeth when he started to smell something burning. It sent fear through him and he quickly spit into the sink. He threw his door open and rushed down the stairs to the kitchen.

It was no surprise when he saw Nanami's coughing and hacking hard at all the black smoke filling the room.

"Ah Crap!" Nanami muttered.

It took a few mintues for Tomoe to breath correctly but when he did he saw a black lump on the counter. He reasoned in his head that it was supossed to be a cake...Because the icing from earlier was sitting on the counter too.

Tomoe nearly retched at the sight of it all. Egg shells were all over the floor and flour was scattered agianst the walls. The teen ground his teeth knowing good and weel that he would be cleaning up everything that was out of order.

He started to storm towards Nanami to kick her out when he slipped on some flour on the floor. He slipped backwards and flopped into the floor with a flurry of curses and swearing included.

"Ah..Ow."

Nanami turned around and gasped, " TOMOE!"

She reached down but Tomoe brushed her away and got up himself. He dusted himeslf off and then glared at her.

"YOU BLOCKHEAD! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US ALL!?"

"YOUR THE BLOCKHEAD!" Nanami stomped her foot and then blew a piece of her hair out of her eyes.

Tomoe crossed his arms and motioned to the havic that he had to clean up. This was not the weekend he had been hoping for. This was a curse... A jinx a...a..

Tomoe sighed as Nanami pouted,

"This is your mess and I am now the one that has to clean it up. Your so foolish! To think you take Home-Ex. Do your fail it?"
Nanami froze up and Tomoe looked at her surprised.

"Actually, " Nanami paused and looked down, " I am, Thats why I'm studing the arts of cooking!" She looked at him with determination and the teen rolled his eyes.

"Why is there since in it? Your not suc-"

Nanami fumed, " SAYS THE GUY THATS FAILING ENGLISH! I NOTICE YOU STUDY ALOT TO!"

Tomoe paused and looked at her. That was something he had tried to keep to himself; but that day when Mizuki yanked his test away and Nanami saw it? She had seen his poor grade..

And now she was throwing it in his face. He clenched his fists,
"AT LEAST I CAN COOK!"

"AT LEAST I CAN SAY A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE!" Nanami came back.

Tomoe looked at her blankly. She didn't get it.. He was trying so hard, It was just that..He couldn't grasp it. Now she was throwing it up it his face, But then again.

He had thrown her bad grades up too.

He looked away form her and stared at the door to the kitchen. He could just leave and let her burn the house down, But his father wouldn't allow that. The white haired teen glared at her and then crossed his arms.

"I will show you a simple recipe to cook." He muttered.

It was quiet and he wasn't sure if she had heard him right, but when he looked up? She was staring at him shocked.

"Really?"

He nodded and grabbed her...Um..Cake? He tossed it in the trash and Nanami whimpered.

"I worked all morning on that."

Tomoe rolled his eyes, " A dog would not eat something so foul."

Nanami glared at him as he opened the fridge and pulled out some Onions and And Other vegatables. He closed the fridge with his foot and placed the ingredients on the counter. Then he pulled out a knife started to cut the onions rather quickly.

His hand seemed to glide with the blade; making Nanami's eyes open wide.

"How come you can cook Tomoe?" Nanami walked over to him and leaned against the counter.

Tomoe thought for a second and then shrugged his broad shoulders, " Dad is at work a lot and I come home from school before him. I prefer home-cooked food more than take-out." His voice was low as if he was remembering something.

And in a way he was. When his Adoptive mother was found cheating on his father she moved out and the divorce was finalized. So Tomoe had to deal with a lot of things. He would come home to an empyt house because his father was at work; but he was never neglected. He was always happy when Mikage came home. He would feed his father rice-balls and fish. it was fun to see his father be happy after such hard times.

If only Tomoe knew that Mikage saw past his fake smile. Mikage knew that the divorce hurt the child even more then it hurt him. Tomoe had lost his mommy, Again. For the second time actually, and Mikage hated to see it.

The child would try to cry alone in his room but Mikage would walk in and rock him to sleep. Tomoe remembered those cold nights...When the thunder raged hard outside.

Flashback

Tomoe blinked and tugged his covers close to his head. It wasn't like he was scared. He had been through things more scarier than this. It was a strange situation and for the child he wanted to walk around. It wasn't again st the rules to walk around in the hallways right? He didn't know..He wasn't used to this place.

The child threw his covers off and grabbed a floppy teddy-bear. It was a comforting object even though if anybody knew this he would deny it. Mikage got it for him and it was his first...

His first Toy.

He walked into the dark hallway and gulped, It was so Dark...Suddenly lightening hit ouside and the room lit up. The child whimpered and let his bare feet travel down the cold hallway. He was almost halfway when he heard a loud creak. He froze and turned around.

Nothing was there. Phew. The child relaxed and saw this big door that led to his Adoptive mommy's room. He peeked inside and noticed she wasn't in her big bed. He furrowed his brow and backed up. Thats when his back hit a wall. The child froze and looked up. He had run into someone's legs.

The lightening flashed again and all Tomoe saw was lady with the freaky green stuff on her face. She glared at him and snarled.

"Get in bed squirt."

Tomoe's eyes widen as he gripped his teddy bear, Tears welled up in his eyes and he took off running down the hallway in fear. He ran towards the one place he knew no-one could hurt him at. He ran to Mikage's large door..

Tomoe stood on his tip-toes and twisted the knob letting himself in. He wasn't afriad. He was okay it was just.. It was dark and that lady had to of been a spirit.

He gulped and saw Mikage laying in his bed, his chest rising and falling peaceful. The little boy reached for the blanket that hung slightly off the bed but he heitated. He could wake Mikage.

He would get rid of him because he took his sleep away. Thats what his other foster did. Tomoe whimpered and walked over to a corner. He was used to this..This lonely feeling. He was okay with shivering and thinking about other things. He had to do it all the time. So...He would do it now.

He sat down and pulled his legs to his chest. His teddy bear sat on his lap as the little boy hugged himself. He whimpered.. He...Didn't want to say it but.. He was..Scared. So scared.

"Uh..Uh.." Tomoe choked out as thunder shook the house. He wanted to cry.. But crying was for those who were afraid. He couldn't be afraid..

Was he?

Suddenly the light flicked on and Tomoe looked up. He was on the verge of tears as the figure in the bed sat up slowly and pulled on his glasses. He blinked a few times and looked at the clock. It was really Late at night.

Mikage looked over at Tomoe and blinked in shock.

"Tomoe? What are you doing up?"

"M-Mikage-y.." Tomoe choked out. His little eyes started to turn red and he bit his lip.

"Are you scared of the thunder?"

Tomoe blinked and then started to sob.

He was scared..

HE WAS SCARED!

Mikage smiled and stood up out of his bed. He walked over to the whimpering child and knelt down.

"Can't you sleep?"

Tomoe looked at him and closed his eyes, " N-No.."

Mikage smiled and tugged the little boy into his arms. Tomoe gasped...

He wasn't used to...Being hugged. It felt nice..and weird. It felt...

Warm and comfortable.

Tomoe closed his eyes and whimpered, he wrapped his little arms around his foster. Mikage smiled and lifted him up to the bed.

"There, There. Its only thunder. Its just a big noise, theres no bite in it at all." The man chuckled and opened the covers. Tomoe looked at him confused, What was this person doing?

Mikage got a pillow and fluffed it, then he sat it on the other side of the bed. Then he lifted Tomoe up and placed in there. The little childs hair fell gracefully over the pillow as he looked at Mikage with wide eyes. Then Mikage pulled the covers over the fragil child.

"There, You can sleep here tonight. Now the darkness and Thunder can't scare you; right?"

Tomoe looked up and wiped some tears from his face. He blinked and then nodded slowly.

Mikage smiled and turned out the light, but all Tomoe could do was stare at the dark roof. He whimpered and pulled the covers up to his nose. Mikage opened one eyes and looked at him. A small worried pout formed on the man face, He sat up and climbed out on bed again. When he came back he stuck a light into the wall.

"There, A night-light."

Tomoe looked at him surprised, And when the light went out? The room wasn't completely dark anymore. The little child snuggled down in the covers and slowly fell asleep.

Did...

Did Fathers really do this for their children? It was so caring...So different. Tomoe sighed, He never had a daddy before. They were nice...

They protected you from the scary things...

He got to be protected, For the first time in his life.

End of Flashback

Nanami looked at him and then coughed to get him to snap out of his Thoughts.

"Um Tomoe?"

The teen looked at her and then cursed. That was...Embarrassing. He didn't exaclty mean to trail off like that..

"Um..Right." Tomoe muttered as he handed the knife to Nanami.

She blinked and stared at it, " What do I do with it?"

Tomoe sighed and crossed his arms, " Finish cutting the onions. I'll start on the chicken. We need all those vegtables cut because we're having stir-fry."

Nanami nodded and started down at the onions in front of her, " Hey Tomoe?"

The teen sighed a bit annoyed. Didn't she like the quiet? He ripped a package of chicken open and looked over at her, " Hum?"

"Whats your favorite food? Other than Sasamochi?"

Tomoe paused and looked back at the chicken. Why would she want to know? It wasn't like she could cook it or anything..

"Thats not important."

Nanami pouted, " Please?"

Tomoe bit his lip and started to cut the chicken, " Fish, Fried fish. With Lemon.."

He heard Nanami giggle and for some reason his face burned. He didn't know if she thought it was funny or...Ugh! He didn't know.

He started to chop away when Nanami spoke up, " Thats a great food to like Tomoe."

His knife paused as his muscles tensed. Why did she say that? It...It made his heart throb. She didn't laugh at him..She laughed because she liked his point? The teen coughed into his upper fore-arm as his cheeks tinted a light pink.

She liked his point of view; Plus the other day... She said he looked Sexy. Tomoe froze and his knife almost fell from his hand.

Ha...Like he cared what she thought! Right? He chewed his lip and glanced over at Nanami. She was cutting slowly but she was getting there. His shoulders sagged as he placed the chicken into a skillet and turned it on low. Then he washed his hands off.

"Hey Tomoe?"

Tomoe turned his gaze to Nanami, " Hum?"

"I'm done!"

Tomoe looked at the onion and sighed. It was...Okay; But her eyes were watering from the stench on the Onion. She winced and raised her hand to wipe her eyes.

"NO NANAMI! DON'T DO THAT!"

But he was too late. Nanami rubbed her fingers over her eyes and then started yelping in pain.
"OW! OW! OW! Its burns! Tomoe!" Nanami whimpered and started to rub more and more, Sady she was only making it worse.

The white haired teen grabbed her wrist and guided her to the sink. He stood behing her and wrapped his arms around her. His hands grasped her wirst as he stuck them under the water, then he truned it on and shrubbed her hands together. Once that was done he tilted her head back and started to flush her eyes out with cold water and a rag.

Nanami whimpered a few times and even tried to pry his hands away, But Tomoe only glared at her and held tighter. This girl couldn't do anything right could she? He sighed and forced her eye open. Then he dripped some water in.

After some time the girl settled down and her face returned to normal color. She placed the rag under the sink and looked up at Tomoe. He didn't know why but he was still standing behind her.. Holding her hands firmly in his.

Nanami was so delicate. She was so fragil that an onion caused her pain. Tomoe didn't like that... The way it looked like she was crying made shivers go down his spine. At least it wasn't emotional, but still. It was tears...

And her tears made his chest feel tight.

He stood there, his grasp not loosing. He didn't know why.. But...He didn't want to let go.

Nanami blinked her eye trying to get the pain to go away, Then she looked up at Tomoe and his mouth formed a line of embarrassment. His face tinted a light pink and maybe even turned crimson. His hands...

Engulfed hers.

He never thought of it like that before.

Where you supposed to think that when you were just friends? He hoped so.

"Tomoe? My eye is okay." She blinked and Tomoe swallowed.

They were so close, and he had to fight the thought of hugging her from behind and pulling her close. He had to fight the idea of burying his face in her hair and whimpered at her touch.

The teen let go and backed away. He had to stop these thoughts. It was stupid to think them.

Namami was his first friend. He was not going to ruin that.

"I'll put the onions in the skillet, Cut the other vegtables. They won't hurt your eyes."

Nanami nodded, as if she was unaware of the awkward feeling floating through the room. He had gotten to close for comfort. He felt so stupid!

Pervert,

Yep, That was it. He chewed his lip and stired the chicken in the skillet.

"Hey Tomoe?"

The teen looked at her, " Huh?"

"Maybe..." She paused, " Maybe next time you can teach me how to cook Fried Fish!"

Tomoe looked at her and this time he couldn't hide his blush. It tinted his face and he jerked around so his back faced her.

"Focus on what we have now you Blockhead!"

Nanami blinked, " You okay? Your all re-"

Tomoe glared at her, " I-Its Hot..It here..C-Cooking does that to you."

Such a stupid lie..

Nanami nodded, " I get it! Its because of all the steam!"

Tomoe blinked, This girl was so... Stupid..

He rolled his eyes and stirred some more. He needed to calm down his heart...

Thats all he needed to do.

'Bonus scene'

"AH! This is so good!" Mikage cooed, " You made this Nanami?"

Nanami looked up from her stir-fry and smiled, " Tomoe helped me, He very talented Mikage! He helped cook AND! He cleaned while he went!"

Tomoe rolled his eyes, " Everyone does that idiot. Your just unexperienced."

Mikage smiled and bit into some chicken, " Well, Its wonderful. You two should cook together more often. You Two are pretty good together, Neh?"

Nanami nodded, " YEP! Best of friends!"

Tomoe froze up, Ugh! WHAT WAS HIS FATHER SAYING! STUPID MAN! The teen shoved some chicken in his mouth and stood up, " I'm doing the dishes.."

He turned on his heel as his face flushed, THEY WERE NOT GOOD TOGETHER! The teen threw his plate in the sink and started to shrub. His father was a dope sometimes..

"Hey!"

Tomoe sighed and glanced at his father, " What?"

"Thats was good kido, Its been a while since you cooked."

Tomoe shurgged his shoulders, " I was taking a break.."

Mikage smiled and as Tomoe turned around his father patted his head, " Your as stubborn as always. Good."

Tomoe sighed as his shoulders sagged, " Dad...Thats not.."

"You two did do good together though, That was a compliment Tomoe."

Tomoe rolled his eyes, " Yeah sure.. " He looked at Mikage with a blank expression.

Thats when the blond haired man sniffed as if he was crying, " My little boy is growing up so fast!" He looked at Tomoe with teary eyes, " Just remember not to.. " He coughed,

"Not to MAKE other things with her.."

Tomoe's face turned red in an instant , " I HATE YOU!"
Mikage started to laugh hard as Tomoe glared at him and turned crimson.

"I was kidding! KIDDING!" Mikage laughed out,

Sadly his laughter didn't help and Tomoe stormed past him and went to his room. The door slammed and Mikage started to laugh harder..Oh yeah..

That kid had it bad. He wished he would stop with the denial though, But Mikage knew that wouldn't come any time soon. Tomoe was just to stubborn..