Ma Petite Marieé (My Little Bride)

Summary: When Tadokoro Megumi is asked to fly to Paris to support her mentor, Shinomiya Kojiro, her role as sous chef is turned into more than what she signed up for. Wedding bells, anyone?

Prologue

"Has she arrived?" Dojima Gin asked, speaking to Shinomiya Kojiro over the phone.

"When I asked you to send over people, I meant Yukihira, not that noruma."

Dojima chuckled, still in that upbeat disposition. "You said you needed all hands on deck. She was the only one available. You know Soma is on his honeymoon with Erina."

He immediately clicked his tongue in reply. Honeymoon. Why would anyone want to get married so young? Surely, he expected more from Soma. When Shinomiya was 21, he had already opened his restaurant and he was on the cusp of gaining the Pluspol award. Had his mentee not learned anything about the pursuit of excellence?

"They're very happy." Dojima proceeded.

"Yes…" Shinomiya absentmindedly replied. "I'm sure."

"Well, how about you, Shinomiya?

"What about me?"

"Will I hear wedding bells anytime soon?"

Kojiro could just imagine the annoying grin on Dojima's face. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Chef Dojima, please." there was so much resentment in his voice.

Again, the General Manager chuckled. "Anyway, you did send someone over to pick her up from Charles de Gaulle, right?"

"Uh, no." he flatly replied. "What is she now, 21 too, right? If I have to babysit her during the time that she's here, you can expect me to be hurling her back to Tokyo on the next flight."

There was a knock on the door.

"Door's open - "

There she was by the door, a suitcase in one hand and a small carry-on backpack on one shoulder. Shinomiya stopped and was caught by surprise at the sight before him. Tadokoro Megumi was bright and polished like a glistening diamond. She was donned in a beige pantsuit, her long blue hair no longer in that childish braided pigtail, but now soft and loose and...is she wearing perfume?

"Chef Shinomiya," she greeted. She might have looked a little different, but that sheepish voice and bright smile was still the same. "It's been a while."

"Shinomiya?" Dojima called.

"She...just got here." he recovered, taking a second to let reality sink in.

As Megumi looked around his office, Kojiro couldn't help but stare at this girl - no, woman in front of him. Long gone was the clumsy-looking noruma that annoyed him to the core. For one thing, there was a drastic change in her posture. Next, she had grown curvy in all the right places. As much as it disgusted him to even think about it, he couldn't help but notice it. So much had changed with Tadokoro, up until the moment she pulled a book from the shelf and the set of "A Collection of French Cuisine Volumes 1-6" came tumbling down altogether.

He sighed. Yup, still that noruma I remember.

"I-I'm sorry!" she cried, slowly looking at him. Her eyes were wide and misty, like a deer in headlights.

Yup, still that noruma.

He ended the call with Dojima and reclined in his seat, arms crossed over his chest and examining her as she continued to pick up the books from the floor. There was something quite amusing with Tadokoro Megumi. She was the same bashful little chef he had always remembered, but her change in appearance stirred a newfound curiosity within him. She was predictable and yet, as the French would say, she had that certain je ne sais quoi.

Shinomiya pulled his drawer and reached for a bright red scarf. "Tadokoro," he called and threw it to her without warning. She panicked and barely caught it, to which, he shook his head in distaste and stood up. "Put that on and make sure it stays on."

"Oui, Chef!" she beamed, but then pursing her lips in deep thought. "But…"

"But what?" he barked as he walked to the door.

"What do you mean 'make sure it stays on'?"

He waved his hand, hotly replying, "Because if you're not careful around here, I'll personally be the one to strip it off your pretty little neck."

Not even a second later, he stopped and realized the double-meaning in his words. He nearly choked on his own breath as he turned and saw the horror in the bluenette's eyes. She had instantly gone pale. Tadokoro Megumi was, after all, a woman now.

"No! I didn't mean - oh god." he grumbled, shamefully putting his palm to his face.

Oh dear, this was just the beginning.

a/n: hello readers! thanks for taking the time to read this new fan fiction piece of mine. i love oc-stories, but as i was writing this, i realized that megumi fits the character better! so, i decided to write with ship instead. any shinomiyaxmegumi fans here? if you read the manga, you'll also know why i chose to write about them.

by the way, i have another shinomiya story, its called 'two can play that game' and its ending soon! i hope you guys can check it out. :) 'til the next chapter!