Lunamugetsu: I do not own Toriko
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This is fine. Is what Kimiko found herself saying to herself as the Lift House shook again. This is fine, she flinched as she heard the sound of furniture hitting the wall. This is fine, the house shook again making the bottles of sauces on the counter rattle. This is fine! A stray chair flew into the kitchen hitting the fridge. Luckily it didn't break it, only leaving a dent. She can handle this, she could totally handle this. When a moment of silence passed she stuck her head outside of the kitchen to see the wreckage. Well, the living room was completely trashed with all of the paintings that were hanging being completely broken. The furniture, thankfully, was still in one piece if a bit strewn everywhere. It looked like the two were taking a breather for now as Zebra was now chugging a bottle of wine. While Toriko was splayed out on the couch.
This is fine.
And this was only the third day.
She could totally handle this.
"Brat! I'm hungry!" Kimiko jumped at the loud voice.
"Y-Yes! I'll make something right away!" She retreated back into the kitchen, cracking open the fridge.
She could totally handle this, she told herself as she internally cried.
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BANG!
Kimiko jumped as she heard the sound emanating from the first floor. It looked like Zebra had gotten bored and wanted another brawl. She shook her head, come on she had to focus. She needed to restock the fridge and some of the cabinets that had already been cleared of all food. The chef gave a sigh as she felt the house shake again, she then turned to the crate of onions on the shelf. She went and grabbed a bag of onions and placed them in the crate that she was using to transport food. She's going to have to take a couple of trips, with Toriko and Zebra's humongous appetites she'd better make sure to always have the kitchen down stairs fully stocked. After exiting the store room on the second level she went down the stairs, being careful to avoid any flying furniture.
This is fine.
"Hey! That's my wine!"
"You got cocky! It's mine now!"
Cue the never ending songs of battle.
Kimiko took a deep breath, keep calm Kimiko, she told herself, just focus on restocking the fridge and cabinets. She continued on, making sure that she filled up the kitchen. Once that was done, she went to fill up her crate again. This time she was heading for one of the walk in fridges on the first floor. She'll need to stock up on some vegetables first and then she'll focus on restocking the meat.
She hurried across the current battlefield and ducked into the walk in fridge, making sure to grab everything she needed. When she was done with that she stuck her head out of the fridge to make sure the close was clear before making a beeline from the kitchen. It would have been fine if it weren't for the stray vase that was heading for her.
"Kimi!"
The lady turned at the voice and gave a shout as she ducked and covered the food as the vase flew over her and smashed into the wall sending tons of shards of ceramic everywhere.
"That was close," Kimiko said as she looked up to see that the close was clear, she looked back down to look at the vegetables that she was carrying. "Thank goodness the vegetables are okay."
"You okay, Kimi," Toriko said as he walked over to the chef.
"I'm fine, the ingredients are as well," Kimiko told him, she looked over at Zebra who hadn't said anything, the man only stared at her making her flinch, "please be mindful when you throw things."
"You ordering me brat?" Kimiko flinched at the man's tone.
"Don't mind him, Kimi" Toriko laughed as he guided her to the kitchen, "I'll clean up the mess."
"Uh, okay," was all she could say as she walked to the kitchen.
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She felt like her arms were going to fall off, it was currently dinnertime and it was a freaking nightmare. While she was used to cooking for Toriko whenever he came to the hotel, she had help there. Now she's cooking for both Toriko and Zebra, all by herself, while also being limited by the amount of appliances she has to assist her. Toriko and Zebra were currently sitting at the dining table quickly eating all of the dishes that were on there to begin with.
"Brat! More food!"
"Y-Yes, coming right up!" Kimiko said as she cleared away the used dishes on the table and went to make more. She went to grab the food that she was keeping warm in the oven, platting them, and placing them on the dinner table. Then it was time for her to get started on making more food while they kept on eating and the cycle continued, on and on, until she ran out of her prepped ingredients.
It's okay, Kimiko told herself, she's a chef! And what kind of chef is she if she couldn't feed an army.
"Brat! More rice!"
"Coming right up!" she answered.
"Hey Kimi, aren't you hungry?" Toriko asked with his mouth full.
"I'm fine, I already ate a bit before," She said as she placed a newly filled bowl of rice in front of Zebra as she took away the empty one. She took note of how Toriko's rice was becoming pretty scarce as well. She went back to the kitchen and went to double check to see if they were still good on rice.
"Kimi, can I have more rice?"
"Coming right up!" She called out as she scooped up more rice into a bowl for him.
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"~Aaaaaaaaahhhh~" Kimiko sighed as she relaxed in the bathtub. The chef grinned as she felt all of the stress melt away as she just lied in the warm water.
"You okay in there, Kimi?" Toriko's voice rang from behind the door.
"All good," She replied as she sat in the tub, "I'll be out in a couple of minutes, if you need to use the bathroom."
"No take your time, just checking on you."
Kimiko smiled as she settled in the tub. The bedrooms were on opposite ends of the house on the second floor and they each had their own private bathroom. For which Kimiko was most thankful for, since that meant there were at least two rooms that were separating her and Zebra. The chef shook her head, she shouldn't go thinking the worst of that person, but he freaking scares her. It doesn't really help that everytime she looks at him it looks like he wants to crush her. She took a deep breath, now's not the time to think about that. She got out of the tub and went to dry herself off. She wrapped a towel around herself and reached for her clothes. The chef blinked, where were her clothes? Kimiko gave a sigh, she must have forgotten to bring them in the bathroom with her. If she's right they must still be sitting on the bed.
"Toriko-san," Kimiko called out.
"Yeah."
"I left my clothes on the bed, can you hand them to me." She said as she quickly grabbed another towel to wrap up her hair. She raised an eyebrow as she didn't get a response, was everything alright? "Toriko-san, you there?"
"Huh, oh yeah! Just a sec." She heard some rustling noises before a knock on the door, "I got your clothes." The chef cracked open the door and peered her head outside seeing Toriko holding her folded clothes out to her while looking the other way.
"Thanks Toriko-san," Kimiko said as she grabbed the clothes.
"Yeah no problem," he said in a rushed tone as she closed the door. After getting into her pajamas, she quickly towel dried her hair. Her pajamas were just a plain pants and shirt combo with a cartoon penguin on the breast pocket. She quickly brushed and blow dried her hair before exiting the bathroom. Toriko had taken to lying on his side of the bed. The room they shared was pretty spacious, having a king sized bed against the middle of the back wall and closets adjacent to the bed. That way there was a closet for Toriko and one for her. There were nightstands next to the bed that held lamps for lighting and a dresser that was across the room that held a large mirror.
"Ready for bed Kimi?" He asked, getting her attention.
"Yup, just another work filled day," She gave a yawn as she got into her side of the bed.
"It sure is, make sure you take breaks, don't go overworking yourself," Toriko ruffled her hair making Kimiko smile.
"Yeah, yeah," she gave another yawn before snuggling into her pillow and promptly falling asleep.
"Wow you really conk out, don't you," Toriko grinned as he tucked her in. "Night Zebra." he called out as he went to bed.
"Fuck off!" The blue haired man smiled as he went to sleep.
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Kimiko roused from her sleep rubbing her face to wake herself up. She looked over to see that Toriko was still resting, his arm was wrapped around her so she made sure to carefully move out of bed. She gave a quick stretch before grabbing her clothes and changing in the bathroom. The chef took a look at her phone, it was four in the morning. She quickly went to the kitchen and started to work on prepping food. She'll start on making the baked goods, the dough will need to rest and proof before she bakes them. Kimiko proceeded to grab her stand mixers and measure the ingredients. Once the dough was being mixed in the machine, Kimiko put on her headphones and started to play her music. Might as well have something nice to listen to while doing all the prep work.
She hummed the song as she worked with the dough. Checking the ovens she had, two ovens that came with the house already and two commercial ovens that she had requested to help with cooking. Once the dough is done proofing, she'll make sure to shape them and transfer them to loaf pans so they can proof again and then bake them off in the oven. Right now she'll start preparing the other part of breakfast. She went and grabbed all the potatoes and veggies she'l be incorporating into the meal. Potatoes took the longest to prepare with having to skin and chop or grate them, then cooking time depended on what way she was preparing them. She started washing her vegetables and started peeling the potatoes. The guys like hearty breakfasts, so hashbrowns would be a good idea for them. After she was done grating them, the dough would have been done proofing so she started to shape them for the loaf pans. She had to wait for them to proof again before placing them into the oven, while they wait she'll preheat the oven.
She continued to prep the vegetables, placing them in their respective bowls before going on to prepare the meat. She washed her hands before going to check on the dough to see how they were doing and then proceeded to put them into the oven. After she was done prepping all of the vegetables she turned to making batter for waffles and pancakes, the two might like something sweet to eat. It was second nature now, measure the ingredients, mix the batter, put it into the fridge to rest, see Zebra's terrifying face once she closes the fridge door. Wait, what.
"Ah!" Kimiko tripped over her feet and fell backwards onto the floor. She looked up to see Zebra standing before her.
"Brat." He said, making her shake.
"Can I help you," She managed to say as she got up and took off her headphones to fully hear him. She took a quick look at the time it's six in the morning.
"I'm hungry," Oh Acacia, why.
"Um, I can make you something to eat right now if you really want something. I'm making a western style breakfast, but if you want something else I could make that instead," She flinched as he looked down at her.
"Make whatever, I'm hungry," He went and sat at the dining table, looking directly at her.
"O-Okay, I'll make something quick for you," Kimiko said and turned around. Oh boy, she could already feel his eyes piercing the back of her head. Honestly, it felt like she was back in culinary school whenever she would have to prepare a dish, she would feel the instructors observing her every movement. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and got ready to make something quick for Zebra, she wouldn't want him to go hungry after all. She quickly whipped up a quick ham and cheese omelet for him and went to grab the bread out of the oven.
"Brat," Zebra said, getting her attention.
"Yes!" she said as she slid the bread out of the loaf pans to cool.
"You were down here early in the morning." He said.
"Yeah, I was prepping for breakfast, I'm sorry did I make too much noise and wake you up?" She asked, "I'll try to be quieter next time."
"Your music," he pointed to the headphones that she had dangling around her neck, the music was still playing.
"Oh, I'm sorry, was that what woke you up? I'll turn it down next time." She said as she turned down the music.
"More food," He gestured to the empty plate.
"Coming right up!" she said as she went to make more food. She gave another shiver as she felt his eyes pierce the back of her head again. This was starting to give her bad flashbacks now.
This is fine.
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Kimiko went over taking inventory of the food in the third pantry room as she finished up for the night. She gave a sigh, feeding two Heavenly Kings was no joke. They're eating through the supplies like it was nothing. Luckily, she made sure to buy twice what she thought she needed, better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Even with ordering twice of what she needed, they were still consuming at such a rapid pace. She gave a cough into her elbow as she felt a shiver go up her spine. Must be the cold, she went out of the pantry room and turned her eyes toward the large crack that was forming in the side of the building.
Well that can't be good.
Then the crack started to grow.
Oh that definitely wasn't good.
She felt the house shake again and shouts echoing throughout the building. Oh boy.
She looked towards the source and low and behold, Toriko and Zebra were having another fight. The bluenette was currently lodged in the side of the wall, causing more cracks in the wall to form. If this keeps up, there won't be a house to live in anymore.
"Um," she tried to get their attention as they continued to brawl. She gave a yelp as a spare chair flew past her and hit the wall behind her. That's it. "HEY!"
The two paused and looked up to the second level of the house to see her.
Oh boy, what was she going to say again?
"What do you want brat?"
"The wall." Kimiko managed to say and pointed at the growing crack, "if you guys keep on fighting, the house will break apart."
"Oh shit," Toriko said as he looked at the wall, "Don't worry Kimi, I'll patch it up."
"That'd be great," Kimiko said before sneezing into her elbow. Huh, must be dust. "I'm going to go clean up the kitchen a bit before heading off to bed."
"You do that, Kimi. I'm going to fix the wall."
"Hey! Who said we were done with fighting!"
"The freaking house is falling apart!"
"So."
"We're not fighting!"
Kimiko gave a little laugh as she carefully walked past the two and into the kitchen. She made sure to tune out the two arguing as she quickly cleaned up the kitchen, cleared out the dishwasher, and checked the fridge in the kitchen once more. Once she was done with that, she gave a yawn as she went to tuck in for the night.
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Tired.
Kimiko snuggled closer into her pillow, her breathing pillow. Wait a minute. She opened her eyes and moved away from her still sleeping combo partner. She had to stop doing that, her tendency to just hold onto anything closest to her while she's asleep, she's sure that's going to cause problems one day. She sat up and quickly held onto her head, ugh, why did her head feel like it was spinning. Must be because she just woke up. She took a look at the time and did a double take. Six o'clock, she slept in that much! She needed to get breakfast ready fast. She put on her clothes and went to go prepare breakfast. Something quick would be the best. Kimiko remembered that she had bought pickled vegetables when buying produce, so she could make a japanese breakfast this time. First she needed to make a batch of miso soup and prepare some side dishes while the rice cooks. She'll save the fish for last, since it'll cook the fastest, she could prepare some beef or pork side dishes and then some rolled eggs. She took a deep breath only to stop, her nose was clogged up, she couldn't smell a thing. What was going on with her? Well, she can't help that her sinuses were acting up, she needed to focus.
It was around seven o'clock when she heard the other two wake from their sleep and went to the kitchen.
"Good morning," Toriko yawned as he looked over to what Kimiko was cooking.
"Good morning," she replied as she took a spoon and went to taste the miso soup. Nothing. No sense of smell means no sense of taste. She tossed the spoon into the sink and grabbed a new one. "Toriko-san, could you taste the soup for me?"
"Sure," he said as he took her offered spoon and took a sample, he immediately perked up, "Delicious! That tastes awesome!"
"Then I'll start plating it up for the both of you to eat." she went to go get the dishes only to stop as her head started to spin.
"Everything okay, Kimi?"
"I'm fine, I think I'm just a little bit tired. Go ahead and sit down, I'm just going to get your food." Kimiko told him as she grabbed the dishes and started to plate up the food. She placed them all onto the dining table as Zebra looked at the food. She placed large bowls of rice for the two men as she finished putting down the last of the side dishes onto the table.
"You're not going to eat Kimi?" Toriko noticed that she hadn't prepared a bowl of rice for herself.
"Not yet, I think I'm just going to lie down for a minute. I think I'm still half asleep." She told him, "I'm going to eat later." she walked over to the couch, that was thankfully still intact as she went to sit down. Deep breaths Kimiko,everything's okay, she just needed to rest for a little bit. She closed her eyes.
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Slow.
The brat's steps were slower than yesterday. Her breathing was more labored as well. She even woke up later than usual.
"Something's wrong with your chef," Zebra said as he stuffed his face with the food. At least the brat's cooking didn't suffer from whatever was happening with the chef.
"Her name's Kimiko," Toriko said, he hadn't taken a bite of food as he looked over at the couch, he could see Kimiko's head leaning against the arm of the couch. Toriko frowned as his nose picked up a scent. Not a lot of people knew this, but when the immune system is in overdrive, it'll emit a certain smell. Doctors said that the smell was to warn others that the person was ill and needed to be avoided in order to not get sick. He immediately stood up and walked over to the chef. He placed his hand on her forehead, she's burning up.
"Brat's sick, ain't she," Zebra called out from the dining table.
"Yeah, I'm going to put her in bed, hey Kimi," he watched as his partner opened their eyes to look at him, "I'm going to carry you to bed, okay?" Kimiko didn't say anything, she only closed her eyes in response. She must have been really out of it. Toriko carefully picked her up and walked to their shared room. He made sure to tuck her into bed as she snuggled into her pillow. He rested his hand against her forehead, at that moment Kimiko opened her eyes to look at her partner.
"How're you feeling Kimi?" all he got was a pout in return, he gave a grin as he patted her head.
"What happened? I thought I was downstairs," she said as she moved to sit up only for Toriko to keep her in the bed. Oh boy, the chef was really out of it, wasn't she.
"You're sick, I brought you upstairs so you could rest," He said as he wrapped the blankets around her, "I'll get you something to eat and some medicine, okay?"
"Ah, you don't need to trouble yourself. I can do it," Toriko raised an eyebrow as Kimiko tried to get out of the blankets. He gave a grin as she couldn't get out. "I'm stuck."
"Yup, when I want a person to stay still, I wrap them up nice and tight" Toriko grinned before realizing what his words could also mean. He looked over at his combo partner who was giving him a pout.
"Meanie," she said in a whisper. Phew, it looks like she didn't catch on to what that sentence could have also meant.
"Just get some rest, you're the chef here. If anything bad happened to you," Toriko patted her head, "Who would make us delicious food. Now rest up, that's final." He gave a smile at Kimiko's resigned face.
"Don't forget to eat as well," Kimiko said before she drifted off to sleep. Toriko gave a small laugh as he left the room and went downstairs. He paused as he saw Zebra chugging down a whole bottle of wine as he slammed it on the dining table that now had nothing but empty bowls and plates on it.
BURP!
"YOU ALREADY ATE IT ALL!" Toriko shouted at his brother
"You were taking too long," Zebra said as he wiped his mouth, "that shrimp's sick ain't she. She woke up later than usual."
"Yeah, nothing that some medicine and rest can't fix though. That doesn't mean she's going to be cooking, you got that." Toriko looked over at Zebra who gave a belch in return.
"Shut up, don't go lumping me in with cocky people, I'm going to hang out in my room." Zebra said as he got out of his chair and left the kitchen.
Toriko held back giving a sigh, at least Zebra wasn't starting another fight. He's not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. The bluenette walked over to the stove and did a double take, all of the extra food that Kimiko had made for them was gone as well.
"YOU ATE THE OTHER FOOD TOO!" Toriko exclaimed
"SHUT UP!" Zebra yelled back
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"You would think that this dish is good enough."
"You're always gone, you didn't even think about me."
"Oh stop being dramatic, you're just ragging on me for being a little late."
"Well I only messed up because you were causing such a fuss."
"What makes you think that you're a good enough chef to be noticed"
"You're lucky that I'm with you."
"Stop with the nagging, you're going to talk me to death at this point."
"Oh it's my problem that I'm worrying about where you've been."
"I'm starting to think that you don't even care."
CRASH!
Kimiko snapped open her eyes as she roused from slumber. She gave a groan as she was met with a piercing headache. Why did she have to remember something so unpleasant? She winced as her body felt a shiver rush through it, even though she was bundled up in blankets. She tried to breathe through her nose only to be met with nothing, her sinuses were completely closed up. She had to settle with breathing through mouth as she tried to steady herself. She gave a sneeze into her elbow and gave a groan as she saw mucus come out. Great, it's official she hates being sick. She looked over to her side to see that the nightstand had a box of tissues on it. Kimiko quickly wiped her nose and tossed the used tissue into the trash bin that was next to her. She lied back in bed trying to see if she could let sleep take her again, but before that happened she heard the door open.
"Oh Kimi, you're awake," Toriko said as he saw his combo partner turn to look at him.
"I just woke up," Kimiko said as she saw that her partner was carrying a tray that had a bowl on it along with a bottle of medicine.
"I made you some congee, you can take your medicine after you finish it." He said as he placed the tray on the nightstand.
"Thank you," she moved to sit up, "Did you eat as well?"
"Yeah I made something for myself to eat, Zebra ate all of the food you made while I was putting you in bed." Toriko said as he picked up the bowl of congee along with the spoon.
"Is it really okay for him to eat the food I prepared, I mean, wouldn't he get sick as well?"
"Sick?" Toriko paused for a moment and gave a laugh, "You don't need to worry about that, neither of us have gotten sick, since ever. It's the same with Coco and Sunny as well. I think my old man said it had to do with our Gourmet Cells or something like that."
"You serious?" Kimiko said, just what kind of body does a Heavenly King possess?
"Yup, we're always in tip top shape. So don't go worrying about that, just focus on recovering. Here, say ah."
"Ah?" She opened her mouth to say, Toriko took it as a chance to feed her a spoonful of the congee. She swallowed it once he took the spoon out. She gave a smile, a gentle warm soothing flavor, but it was still light so it didn't upset her stomach.
"How's it?"
"It's delicious," Kimiko said only to start coughing into her elbow, her body keeled over as the coughing continued. She kept on coughing for about a minute before she settled back into regular breathing.
"Hey, you okay?" Toriko asked, getting a nod from his partner, "Never seen you actually get sick before. Do you know how you got sick?"
Kimiko's mind immediately flashed back to the memory of the Lift House employee sneezing into her face. Seriously, wear a face mask.
"I have an idea," she gave a sigh, "you can leave the food and medicine here, I don't want to trouble you."
"It's fine, Zebra's staying in his room for now and besides you're coughing up a storm here. C'mon open up." Kimiko opened her mouth as Toriko gave her another spoonful of soup "Besides we're partners, and what kind of partner would I be if I didn't help you when you're sick. So, don't hesitate to depend on me when you're not feeling well, okay."
Kimiko looked at her partner and nodded. She could tell that Toriko didn't mind, but it still didn't help that she couldn't do anything to help him. After all, what kind of chef was she if she couldn't even cook for those who were hungry.
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Kimiko hummed as she was busy prepping food along with the other chefs for the upcoming lunch service. She knew that the manager just hired two assistant chefs to help with the workload, Daisuke and Shigeo, those two were having a riveting discussion that caught her ear.
"Did you hear the time for the Puffer Whale migration is coming soon." Daisuke brought up.
"Really, do you think we'll get the chance to prepare them?" Shigeo replied.
"In our dreams, don't you know, only the most skilled chefs can take out the poisonous sack from the Puffer Whale. One mistake and the whole creature becomes inedible."
"So you think Chef Kimiko could do it?" Shigeo questioned
"I think you're giving me too much credit here," Kimiko told her fellow chefs. "I'm not that good."
"But I feel like you totally could, you're an amazing chef," Shigeo said with stars in his eyes, "I saw you working last time during the dinner service, you were like a speeding bullet getting all of those dishes out of the kitchen with no mistakes."
"Preparing dishes that I'm used to making and preparing a special preparation ingredient are two very different things," Kimiko said
"But wouldn't you like to have the chance to?" Daisuke asked, "The Puffer Whale, that ever elusive creature that no fisherman can get their hands on. Only first class Bishokuya have the chance to do it and it's still a slim chance to get a Puffer Whale that hasn't been poisoned."
"Rather than have a chance to prepare it myself, I'd like to see somebody else do it." Kimiko replied, "Like you said, preparing a Puffer Whale is no small feat, I'd like to see the skills of the one who can."
"Really, I'd just want to eat it," Daisuke said, making everybody laugh.
"Something tells me you think with your stomach," Shigeo said as the rest of the staff gave a chuckle.
"Oh c'mon, sure I love preparing food, but I also love eating it. Hey stop laughing!"
Kimiko gave a smile as she watched the group continue the preparation. Then the door to the kitchen slammed open, everybody turned to look at the panting waiter.
"Toriko-san is back," The waiter breathed out, "he's ordered everything on the menu again, twice."
Oh boy, Kimiko looked over to her fellow chefs that looked like they had seen a ghost. She could tell that they were having flashbacks to the first time Toriko was here. It was like a never ending service during rush hour. Kimiko merely smiled and clapped her hands to get everybody's attention.
"Let's not get distracted, c'mon let's go make some food," Kimiko said with a smile. The staff all gave yells of affirmation and began to work on the orders.
It wasn't until a couple hours later until the chef could finally take a break. She was sitting out in the hallway in order to rest her legs. She thought back to what the others were talking about before. Puffer Whale, she truly wished she could see it being prepared.
"Hey Chef Kimiko, you're taking your break?" Waiter Gin said as he walked down the hallway.
"Yeah, service has calmed down a lot, everybody's just taking a breather," she told him.
"I'd say, Toriko just finished eating all of the dishes on the menu five times over," Gin commented, "he mentioned that he was going to get ready to capture the Puffer Whale, he even said he knows somebody that can prepare the creature without it becoming poisoned. As expected of a Heavenly King."
"What did you just say?" Kimiko said. "About the Puffer Whale."
"He's going to go capture it and knows somebody that can prepare it." Gin repeated
"Is Toriko-san still here?" she asked.
"Yeah, he just finished with dessert, he's probably heading out right now. Where are you going Chef Kimiko?"
Kimiko had found herself moving before she even realized it. For she didn't know what was going through her mind, but her body was moving on it's own. She found herself smiling as she spotted the familiar blue haired man that was heading towards the elevator.
"Toriko-san," Kimiko called out, making him turn around.
"Oh, hey Kimiko. Didn't think I'd get to see you. Do you need something?"
"Puffer Whale," Kimiko said, "Are you actually going to go capture the Puffer Whale? And do you actually know somebody that can prepare the Puffer Whale without them becoming poisoned?"
"Yeah, I'm going to head out in a couple days to go capture them."
"Then, could I request something of you?"
"Uh, what is it?"
"Could I come with you? To see the person prepare the Puffer Whale?"
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Kimiko groaned as she roused from her dream, Puffer Whale fish, why did she remember that all of a sudden? Looking back, it was because she was on that food journey with Toriko that she was able to meet Coco and eventually Sunny and Rin. It was the one that set things into motion. Now that she thought about it, why did Toriko let her come with him? He could have rejected her request no problem.
"Puffer Whale," she muttered to herself, she curled in on herself as coughs racked her body.
"What about the Puffer Whale?" the chef looked up to see her partner unwrapping a cough drop. He handed her the candy as she gave a nod of thanks.
"Just had a dream about it," Kimiko muttered as she stuck the candy into her mouth. "Toriko-san, why did you let me come with you to capture the Puffer Whale?"
"Huh?" Toriko raised an eyebrow at the question before gaining a contemplative look. He sat down on the bed and turned to face her. "Well that's simple, when you asked me. You had the face of somebody that truly wanted to see the creature, just like me. I was pretty sure you knew about the dangers, so there was no need to deny you. Does that answer it for you?"
"Yeah, I don't remember if I told you, but I'm really happy you did. That's the journey that led me to meet Coco-san, Sunny-san, and Rin-san." Kimiko said before suppressing a coughing fit.
"Hey, how about you get some more rest, we can reminisce about the past later," Toriko told her
"What time is it?" She asked
"Oh, it's three o'clock." Wait, she slept through lunch!
"What? You mean I slept for that long?" Kimiko asked in alarm.
"Yeah, I guess you were sicker than you thought huh?" Toriko joked, "If you're hungry there's still some leftover congee for you to eat."
"I'm fine, but what about you and Zebra-san. What about your lunch?"
"Don't worry about us, Kimi. We can still cook our own meals, now you stay in bed, don't even think about going into the kitchen in your condition."
"Bu-" Toriko pressed a finger at her lips making her silent
"I'll bring up some congee for you to eat, and then you're staying in bed to rest, understand?" He gave a grin as he saw Kimiko pout and give a nod. He ruffled her hair and left the room.
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Toriko walked into the kitchen and raised an eyebrow at seeing Zebra already eating the food that was in the fridge.
"You didn't eat the congee, did you?"
"What do you take me for," Zebra said, "as if I'd eat something as bland as that."
"Well thanks for that," Toriko laughed as he walked over to the pot of congee and turned on the stove. He then reached out to the cupboards and grabbed the dishes.
"So you like the little brat don't you." Toriko paused and looked over at Zebra, "you're going to great lengths for her."
"She's my partner, of course I'm going to take care of her when she's sick," Toriko stirred the pot of congee as it was slowly starting to steam.
"Whatever, I couldn't care less about your lovelife. That brat better not get comfy just sitting in the bed, I'm not settling for your shitty cooking."
"Hey! My cooking is great! If you're so opinionated on the food, why don't you make it yourself" Toriko yelled back.
"You looking for a fight!" Zebra stood up.
"No! Because I'm going to give Kimi a bowl of congee, because she's sick!" Toriko yelled back as he scooped the heated up congee into a bowl and grabbed the tray with utensils, "And if you wanted to just say that you really liked her food and want her to get better soon, then just say it!" He yelled as he left the kitchen.
"DON'T GO SPEAKING FOR ME YOU COCKY ASSHOLE!" Toriko grinned as he moved his head to the side as Zebra threw a bowl at the space next to him. Some things just don't change.
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It was a pretty quiet couple of days as Kimiko stayed in bed to recuperate. Toriko stayed by her side when her temperature spiked, he placed a wet towel to rest on her forehead as she slept. He kept awake to make sure that the towel didn't dry out through the night.
On the fourth morning, Toriko woke up from his seat where he placed right next to the bed. He looked over at the bed to see that the chef wasn't there. He got up and cracked his neck as it felt stiff, walking out of the room and down into the kitchen. He gave a smile as he saw a familiar person stirring a pot of stew on the stove. Her hair was in it's signature ponytail and when she turned around he could see that she was wearing a face mask, probably in order to not spread germs to the food.
"Ah, Toriko-san, would you like to try this for me?"
Toriko gave a bright smile.
He hoped this wouldn't change.
lunamugetsu: And that filler chapter is done, next is when the Gourmet Pyramid arc starts. Who's ready for that?! (Seriously though, to those who hadn't caught the little message I slipped into the chapter, wear your face mask)
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