Arion: I would like to apologize for the delay of this chapter…but I won't 'cause it's her fault! :P
Angel: Mou! It's not my fault :( It was the writer's block…
Arion: And thus I had to step in a write lotsa stuff.
Angel: Mou
Arion: In any case, hope you'll enjoy this chapter!
Angel: And leave a review, onegai? We need motivation!
Arion: And watch out for Yoru no Angel's new fic! (Yahright, big surprise heh heh) :P
Angel: Kyaaa! Arion-san…!
Arion: Keep Sakura Wars fanfiction alive…
Angel: Hai! More Sakura and Oogami fics!
Arion: Till the next chapter…
Angel: Bai bai, enjoy and keep reading!
Chapter 7: Memorable FodderBy Yoru no Angel & Arion Wong
During the fortnight shadowing the Hikarigumi's first battle, all was surprisingly quiet in Germany's capital city, Berlin. Not so much as an escaped minion was seen from the self-proclaimed 'Forgotten Ones' and although suspicion played heftily in the Hikarigumi's minds, they were actually quite thankful for the peace.
Their regular schedule returned into play and hadn't been disturbed for days. Many were not perturbed at all by this.
But among the troops were those few who wouldn't have minded an enemy sighting or two to break the monotony.
Such feelings were shared by the likes of Thomas McPherson, the youngest of the squad. While the battle had not rendered him completely useless, having a broken arm was definitely not handy at all. When the time came for the Hikarigumi's next scheduled music and dance practice, not only did he cop one hell of a scolding from Christophe D'Aubigne, the instructor intentionally neglected him from then on!
The battle simulations were not much better since Tom found it extremely difficult to train with the use of only one arm and as a result wasn't much use to the team.
'Note to self: never get my arm broken again…' Thomas thought grumpily as he walked into the cafeteria the next morning. The day had just begun and it was as if he was already having a bad day; his arm had been paining him throughout the night so he didn't get a good night's sleep and not to mention, he awoke an hour later than usual.
"Good morning Tom!" Siti greeted from her seat at one of the cafeteria tables. Across from her, Veraiho gave him a lazy wave, a piece of buttered toast hanging loosely from her mouth.
The American Abigail Sinclair said nothing. She poked around at the food on her plate, her head leaning on her arm. Today, Abigail was seated by herself, as she always did unless the Englishman Isaac Williams was present.
"G'morning…" Tom said as he took a seat next to Siti. His tone wasn't as cheery as it usually was.
Siti noticed this at once; it was always like her to notice if something was wrong. She frowned, "Are you okay Tom? You don't sound too happy…"
"I'm fine! Really!" He said quickly, waving his hand as if it was nothing.
Before she could question him any further, Thomas hastily changed the subject, "Hey…where's Isaac this morning?" He observed, taking a fleeting look around the large cafeteria.
Abigail's ears perked up at the mention of the Englishman's name, "Mr. Williams isn't feeling well today," She replied instantly.
"Oh. Been stalking him again, eh Abby?" Tom said with a smirk.
The American heiress fumed. She was about to retort when Siti quickly interrupted before another fight broke out.
"Seriously though…" Siti said quietly, her eyebrows together in worry, "Mr. Isaac really hasn't been himself these past few weeks…"
"Yeah…that battle really got to the big guy…" Tom noted.
"Losing your friends and loved ones aren't easy to forget," Veraiho mumbled, an almost sympathetic air in her voice. If they had paid more attention, they would have seen the melancholy look on her face.
As it is, everyone remained silent in his or her thoughts.
Thomas frowned, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "You know, we should do something to cheer the big guy up. I know he won't forget the past so easily," Tom said, brightening up, "But we should at least try. Anything's better than seeing him mope around."
"That's a great idea, Tom!" Siti praised.
"But we gotta tell Katrina about this too, now that she's…" the boy grimaced and struggled out the words, "The captain. She should know what to do…and by the way, where the heck is she?"
"The same place everyday for the past week: buried in Mount Paperwork in the office," Veraiho drawled, smirking. She can't help but remember how she turned the tables on Katrina by nominating her for leadership.
Tom grinned. "No wonder she hasn't been working our noses to the grindstone. Bet she ain't too happy about that. But as captain she must be here for her troops during the times when they need leadership."
Then Tom frowned. "Say, aren't you supposed to help her?" he asked Veraiho.
"I am helping her as little as possible," Veraiho replied with a straight face. Inwardly she was annoyed. One of Katrina's first act as the captain of the Hikarigumi was to appoint the Russian as her second-in-command, a position that Veraiho couldn't worm out of despite utilizing her evasive skills.
Suddenly, Mika's voice echoed over the intercom, "Would Miss Veraiho head over to the business office please? Miss Katrina wants your assistance immediately."
"The horror," Veraiho muttered. She finished off her breakfast but made no effort to hurry along to the business office.
---
Katrina Steiner gritted her teeth as the mounds of paperwork around her staggered to nearly unbelievable heights. Her grip increased on the pen in her hand but the Swedish Mika Sorenson didn't seem to notice her increasing irritation as she unloaded yet another pile of green papers on the already packed desk.
The business office was only a rather small room. Various boxes littered the floor and under the window looking out towards the entrance was a long counter, cluttered with an assortment of papers and a telephone. A smaller desk and three chairs had been squeezed into the corner, making the office feel even more cramped.
Veraiho sat opposite her, her elbow propped up on the desk; she was obviously bored to tears. She couldn't believe Katrina had called her over for assistance of all things and now the fiery German would not relieve her anytime soon.
"Okay, these green ones are the damage reports…" The blonde Mika said checking her list, "The blue papers are various notifications from the society committee, yellow are requisition forms and the red ones are complaints…"
The seventeen-year-old continued to inform Katrina on each of the colour-coded piles. The black-haired German could barely take it anymore. All the paperwork, paperwork, paperwork!
…But as captain of the Hikarigumi, Katrina could not complain thus she suffered quietly. 'This…damn…paperwork…'
She remembered how Colonel Dornen showed her the office for the first time.
"This will be your office. And that is your paperwork," her superior officer said coolly. It took all that Katrina had not to drop her jaw.
"A-all this?" Katrina stuttered, staring at the cluttered table in horror/shock. She took a handful of the documents and sifted through them quickly before eyeing the colonel.
"Colonel, all these documents require your approval."
"I will not be here for two weeks," the colonel had replied curtly.
"What about the Vice-Commander?" Katrina asked, grasping at straws.
"He won't be here either. Now get on with it."
That was a week ago. One week of being the Captain of the Hikarigumi meant the most glorious thing Katrina had done was battling the monstrous paper mountain on her table. And most of the time, Katrina doubted she could win.
"I'm a captain, not a secretary," Katrina mumbled.
"Miss Katrina? Did you get all of that?" Mika asked, interrupting her reverie.
"What? Oh yeah, green are-"
"Crap that need to be repaired, blue is civilian garbage, yellow is for our valuable requests and red is for making paper airplanes…" Veraiho finished for her in a bored voice and yawned openly.
Mika's smile was a little strained; she tried not to laugh at the veins popping on Katrina's forehead. "Well then, I guess I'll leave this up to you…if you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask…" The Swedish teen made a move to leave when she bumped into two unexpected people.
"Hi there Mika!" Thomas greeted cheerfully, grinning.
Siti smiled, "Hello, Miss Mika."
"Oh, hello Miss Siti, Mr. Thomas-I mean, Tom," Mika said, a faint blush on her cheeks, "What brings you here this morning?"
"We just wanted to see Katrina, our fearless leader," Tom replied casually, and then in a louder voice so the said German could hear him, "I hope she's not too busy…"
He craned his neck and peered into the business office, hoping to catch a glimpse of the captain.
And he did. Or rather, he saw a pair of glowering eyes hovering just above the wall of documents that covered the entire length of the table.
Eager to have reason to get away from her work even for a little while, Katrina quickly got to her feet. In a few long strides she was at the door, staring down at the much shorter fifteen-year-old. Her brown eyes seemed to glow red in anger and she didn't even attempt to hide her annoyed expression.
Siti recoiled slightly but Tom wasn't fazed at all.
"Don't make her angry…" Siti whispered. Thomas' grinned just widened.
"What do you want McPherson?" She snapped, making a huge effort to keep her temper at a minium. "I-I am very busy at the moment," The German muttered through clenched teeth, "So hurry it up."
Tom wore a look of mock surprise, "Oh really, you were busy? I thought those papers were there just to make you look official--"
"Get on with it," she interrupted, subconsciously mimicking her superior officer's words from before.
"Geez, touch-y…" The boy muttered almost inaudibly. He then raised his voice, "Well. It's about Isaac…"
Katrina slightly raised her eyebrows, "Go on…"
"We all know he hasn't been himself over the past few weeks… and well…we want to cheer him up somehow but we're kinda stumped for ideas…so we were hoping that you'd know what to do…" Thomas finished somewhat lamely.
The German sighed and retreated back to her seat behind the desk. Thomas followed her inside the cramped business office, staring at her expectantly for a reply. For a moment, Katrina stared off into space pondering his query.
"…Well?" Tom asked.
"I don't know," She replied simply, snatching her pen off the desk and leaning forward to sign the next paper, "I am much too busy to worry over Williams' emotional state."
Thomas frowned disapprovingly, "What do you mean? Isaac's one of your troops! Your teammate! Don't you care at all?"
"I didn't say I didn't care, I said I was much too busy with all this…" Katrina said through her gritted teeth, slowly unclenching her fists to help ease her anger.
"But Katri-"
"Why don't you think of something?" she said shortly, returning her focus on her paperwork.
Thomas took this seriously, slowly backing away from the fiery woman. He exited the business office rather dejectedly. The teenager sighed, wondering what they were supposed to do now.
As he closed the door, he could hear Katrina muttering: "I'm a captain, not a cheerleader."
He joined Mika and Siti who were chatting quietly outside.
"Any luck?" Siti questioned softy. Tom shook his head and the Malayan girl sighed.
"You mustn't blame Miss Katrina, she really is busy. With both our commanders absent, she is shouldering all the responsibilities at the moment," Mika explained.
"Still, what can we do about Mr. Isaac?"
Thomas shrugged wordlessly. He was still a little peeved from the brief meeting with Katrina, even though he knew how bogged down in work she was.
"I'm getting worried about him," Siti continued, "He hasn't been eating well too. Skipping dinners and when he does show up, he only takes a nibble or two before leaving."
"Ah!" Mika exclaimed suddenly. Siti and Tom turned to stare at here.
The Swede blushed slightly. "What if we made something so that Mr. Williams have no choice but to eat?"
Siti and Tom gave her a questioning look.
"How about making hand-made dishes for Mr. Williams? We can hold a dinner party of sorts."
"A party!" Tom smiled. Siti nodded excitedly as well.
"I've never been in a western-style party before…"
"But could it be too much trouble?" Mika wondered aloud.
Instead Thomas grinned. Despite the fact that it was the only idea he'd heard, it was the best they had so far, "I like it, what about you, Siti?"
The Malayan girl nodded, "It's wonderful, especially when they say 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach'! Thank you very much Miss Mika."
"Alright, let's do this!"
The pair said something about telling Abigail about the new plan and they wasted no time suggesting things for the dinner. Siti had already made up her mind on what she wanted to cook.
"Miss Mika, do you think we have the necessary ingredients for my recipe?" Siti asked.
"Yes, I'm sure we have the things you need. We did our best to get authentic Muslim ingredients from the Berlin Muslim Mission."
Siti smiled and nodded. "Thank you so much, I've wondered about that!"
"We aim to please," Mika grinned in reply.
"But what about you, Miss Mika? Will you be cooking as well?"
"Well…" the Swede began, "between the office work and helping the captain, I'm afraid I wouldn't have the time. I wish I could though…"
"It's alright, it's the thought that counts! You've done so much already!" Thomas said cheerfully. He gestured to Siti for them to get going; they had plenty to do but so little time!
---
Isaac Williams sat on the edge of his bed, his brow furrowed, one hand cupping his chin and the other was folded over his chest. Anyone who was to sight the young man now would instantly get the impression 'I'm-not-quite-in-this-world-please-do-not-disturb-me.'
Indeed, the young man was buried deep within his thoughts. The final battle with the Red Dragons still preyed heavily on his mind, ever since the commander Lauranna Dornen mentioned his horrifying past. He honestly thought he was over the worst of it but he had proven himself wrong.
'Was I wrong, to survive the horror? My friends died to make sure I survived... what was it they were trying to do by giving me a chance to live?'
The Englishman wanted to lay on the bed, close his eyes and will himself back to sleep.
But he couldn't do it. He remembered how he was the youngest one in the Red Dragoons. The veterans treated him as the young boy he was, giving him unflattering names and generally making him everybody's younger brother. They were all dignified fighting men, some scarred, some had been wounded in battle… but all proud and disciplined. Their lessons were harsh but necessary, and Isaac never forgot how they taught him in the ways of war and the bleak realities it could bring.
And yet, they were the ones who died, not him, the youngest and least experienced of the Red Dragoons. He could still hear echoes of their dying voices, some still urging him to run… to survive… to live.
'After all these years, I still have the nightmares...' he thought to himself bitterly, clutching handfuls of his blanket.
He had no mood for breakfast, and with training due on evenings, there was really no need for him to be up.
Without looking, he reached out for the glass of water he had placed at his nightstand. He accidentally knocked over a briefcase-like object on the floor, "Goodness…" He murmured, 'The kinematron…I nearly forgot…'
He went to pick it up and that's when it all clicked, 'Wait a minute…' He thought. The next thing he knew, he was back on the bed with the kinematron on his lap. He had gotten the communications device from Mika after seeing it in the base, and she had cheerfully lent it to him.
But at this moment, Isaac didn't even remember why he wanted it.
'Oh, that's right…' he then recalled. Fumbling around his wallet he retrieved a folded piece of paper.
"I wonder if this'll…" He mused aloud as he dialled the written number.
Meanwhile across the globe in Japan, Teikoku Kagekidan: Hanagumi commander Oogami Ichirou tossed and turned restlessly in his slumber. His dreams were plagued by what he was employed to do; he'd even mumble battle commands every one in a while.
"Mmm....take the right flank...watch for...demon..."
The young man's brow creased. Something beeped in the distance.
"Beeping...beeping...it's...bomb..."
"Minna-san...minna-san, abunai yo!" Oogami yelled, thrashing about.
"UWWAAAAAH!!"
THUD!
A dazed Oogami lifted himself off the floor, rubbing his head, 'Itee…what in the world happened?' Everything clicked as he pulled his tangled bedcovers off the floor and he couldn't stop himself from blushing.
"It was all just a dream!" He muttered. He suddenly fell very silent warily listening to his surroundings, "Huh? Something really is making a noise…"
He spotted a blinking light on his desk.
'Ki...Kinematron...but, who is honestly calling this late??' The man thought grumpily, stumbling over to his desk."Eto…m-moshi moshi?" Oogami asked uncertainly.
The replying voice was confused. "Pardon?"
"Huh? That…that voice, I know that voice from somewhere…" The captain tapped at his chin, recalling where he had heard that voice. It came to him…but somehow it didn't seem possible. 'Oh, I'll just switch to the big screen…'
The screen flickered briefly. Oogami almost stumbled back out of surprise as the chestnut haired Isaac appeared on screen, "Eh??"
"Well…" The other man said blinking, "This is certainly a different experience…"
"Hey… You're that guy I met on the boat!" Oogami proclaimed, "You're Isaac! Isaac Williams, right?"
Isaac rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed, "Er...yeah, it's me Oogami."
"...It's good to hear from you." The Japanese said politely. But his eye twitched and the smile on his face looked a little strained, "Well, it would be, that is, if it wasn't eleven o'clock at night..." He pointed out as respectfully as he could after thinking about his tiring day as captain and ticket boy of the Teigeki.
Isaac flushed, "Hehe...sorry about that, forgot about the time differences..." He apologized profusely but Oogami simply waved it off.
"So what has--?"
His sentence cut off as the door violently swung open.
"Oogami-san!!"
A young dark haired woman burst inside, breathing heavily, a flashlight in one of her hands and a long Japanese sword in the other. Her sword was poised to attack, as if she was expecting some sort of monster to jump out from under the bed or from the closet as children's tales go.
"S-Sakura-kun!!" Oogami squeaked. Though he was obviously surprised by the girl's unexpected arrival Isaac could easily see the Japanese man starting to blush."What are you doing here?!"
The woman named Sakura bowed her head in deepest apology. "G-Gomen nasai Oogami-san! I heard you screaming and I thought you were under attack or something and I was so worried and I came straight away to your room!" She clarified in a hurried voice, not pausing between sentences "...And I'm sorry to barge in on you...when...you're just speaking...to...to..."
Sakura glanced from her captain and the kinematron. Her face flushed from embarrassment, "A-Ah… I'm so sorry to have interrupted you!" She hunched over into another bow to hide her humiliated face, "I-I'll just be going now…hehehe…"
"Chotto matte yo, Sakura-kun." Oogami caught her arm just as she was about to leave. Sakura's face deepened in colour as she turned around to face the man.
Isaac shook his head with a hefty sigh…although he did not understand a single word the pair said, it was painfully obvious those two liked each other in a 'more than just friends way.'
"Sakura-kun, I'd like to introduce you to a man that I met when I was on the ship home from Brazil…" Oogami said, leading the younger woman over to the kinematron.
"Isaac, this is one of the Hanagumi troops, Shinguuji Sakura…" But Isaac smiled knowingly; after all, it was her photograph that lead to their first meeting. Oogami ignored that smile, introducing him to Sakura in Japanese.
"Ah…Hajimemashita, atashi wa Shinguuji Sakura desu!" She said enthusiastically to the man on the screen. Oogami quickly translated for Isaac and he nodded thoughtfully.
"It's a pleasure to meet such a pretty young lady…" The Englishman said happily.
Oogami gave him a glare but explained to Sakura what he just said. The younger woman blushed, hurriedly announcing that she'd better get going before someone discovered that she'd been in Oogami's room at such an hour…
She didn't even make in halfway through the door when seven other pairs of sleepy-yet-cranky eyes stopped her in her tracks.
"Ehh?? Onii-chan what are you doing with Sakura so late at night!" The small blonde girl demanded, her hair crackling with electricity as she hugged the stuffing out of her teddy bear, "Onii-chan is Iris' boyfriend! Isn't that right, Reni-chan?"
The silver haired girl besides her did not faze, "..."
"Hora...Oogami-han and Sakura-han! A midnight rendezvous… I was wondering who would make the first move, hehehe..." The purpled haired woman's glasses glinted strangely.Oogami couldn't help but recoil as the curly haired European-looking woman rounded on him. "Kyaaa! You perverted Japanese man, just as I thought! You're taking advantage of Cherry-san during such hours...you...you...YOU BAD MAN!!"
The shorthaired Japanese held her hand up to her face to stifle a yawn, "Shou'i, what right do you have to wake up the whole theatre when it isn't even an emergency? Some of us have to have her beauty sleep..."
Next to her, tallest woman of the group could not pass up this opportunity, "Nan da yo Snake Woman? You'd have to sleep for one thousand years before anyone could consider you the least bit beautiful!" The redhead snickered.
The tall blonde interrupted before the shorter Japanese woman could reply. "Taichou? What's wrong, did you see a mouse?" She questioned.
Something in Isaac's mind clicked when he saw the tall blonde… had he seen someone similar?
Instantly, the group of women froze.
"... Mouse?!"
Then all hell broke loose.
"KYAAAAAAAA!!!"
"A-Ah! I saw something run past there!"
"Don't let it touch me!"
"Kyaaa! Reni-chan, Iris wa kowaii!
"Hehe, Snake Woman, nezumi wo tabete ne?"
"How dare you--!"
Oogami feebly attempted to control the group of young women. "M-Minna-san...please...calm down..." It was no good; the man sighed, hanging his head in defeat.
Isaac chuckled at the dilemma. Then, he suddenly remembered why he called Oogami in the first place, "Hey…Oogami…"
The poor man glanced up at him, "What is it?" He asked over all the noise.
"Have you…ever lost any of your troops before?"
Oogami closed his eyes and nodded, "Not exactly one of the Hanagumi…but our last vice-commander…"
"I know, this is a difficult question but…how did you deal with it?" Isaac inquired as gently as he could.
"We all helped each other…" Oogami said, fondly gazing over his shoulder at the rowdy bunch of girls. The redhead and the brown haired Japanese were now in a free-for-all together. "I know…they seem a bit crazy and at times we don't all get along…but we get through everything, bad and good, with a smile for the sake of the city we protect…"
Isaac nodded without a word, barely hearing Oogami bidding him goodbye. The Englishman remained seated at his desk, still puzzling over Oogami's thoughtful words.
---
Abigail drummed her fingers impatiently against the table's smooth surface.
In her mind, she was trying to formulate a plan of her own to impress Isaac Williams, or at the very least, make him see her. It was annoying how the polite, dashing young man exemplified the typical English politeness. Surely no ordinary men could resist the obvious charms of Miss Abigail Sinclair!
Well, it was either that he was too polite or he was infuriatingly shy.
'Why don't ever the good men make the first move?' Abigail sighed.
"Hey Abby, building castles in the air again are you?" Thomas called out, startling her out of her thoughts.
"Drop dead, McPherson," Abigail scowled. It only deepened when she saw that Siti accompanied him. 'Following him around like a puppy. Honestly, that girl is beginning to get on my nerves…'
"And what are you two smiling about?" she asked, glaring at their grinning faces.
"Geez, such hostility!" Tom complained, "And here we are, trying to tell you that we've got a plan to cheer up Isaac."
"You do?" Abigail asked eagerly, her scowl disappearing like a flash in the dark.
"Did you see that? Her face changed so quickly!" Tom exclaimed in mock amazement to Siti, who giggled. Abigail simmered.
"Oh shut up. What's this brilliant plan of yours?"
Tom then told her about the plan for a homemade party.
"That's it?" Abigail said incredulously.
"What, you got a better suggestion?" Tom shot back.
"Well, no… but a party? He's remembering his dead friends and you want to throw a party?"
Tom's face scrunched up uncomfortably. "Yeah, well… he can't mope around forever right? I mean, sure, he lost friends, but we're here!"
"Yes, we should remind him of that," Siti added.
"But cooking?" Abigail muttered doubtfully, more to herself than anything.
"Don't tell me you can't cook," Tom said.
"Of course I can! Can you?" Abigail replied haughtily.
"As a matter of fact, I'm going to make my very own tomato soup. Siti's got the main course for the dinner."
"Well then, that only leaves dessert, doesn't it? Simple enough," Abigail nodded in self-satisfaction. Then, "Unless, our dear captain and that Russian wench are cooking too."
The trio blinked and shared a dubious look among them. An image of Katrina Efeu Steiner prancing around the kitchen dressed in an apron and smiling happily with a cooking pot in her hands came to their minds. Then it was replaced by another image of Veraiho Dimitrovich slaving away cutting up vegetables and meat, sweat on her forehead but a contented smile on her lips.
The trio looked at each other again and shook their heads. "Nah, couldn't happen," they muttered.
"We can forget about them cooking. We'll just call them for dinner when it's ready," Tom suggested, and in a rare occasion, Abigail agreed.
The moment passed, Abigail rubbed her chin in a thoughtful pose. "But… cooking? I might even agree with the Russian, it might be too much work…"
"Well, as they say back home, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach," Siti explained.
The words 'to a man's heart' clicked within Abigail. The American gave them an appraising look. "Indeed. And you two come up with this plan yourselves?"
"Actually it was Miss Mika's idea," Siti answered without blinking, before Tom could retort.
"Hmph," Abigail snorted. "At least you're talking to the right Sorenson."
And at that very moment, the athletic figure of Lena Sorenson entered the cafeteria, just in time to catch the tail end of the conversation.
"Talking behind people's back again, Abby?" Lena asked acidly as she grabbed a bread roll from the pantry.
"Urgh! They actually allow a grease monkey like her in here?!" Abigail sneered and held up her nose in disdain.
One could almost see the sparks of enmity flying between them.
Again, Siti stopped the impending conflict by being earnestly naïve. Perhaps it was one of her skills.
"Miss Lena, we were just planning a feast of hand-made delicacies for Mr. Williams. Would you like to join us?" she asked in all honesty.
"What?!" both Lena and Abigail exclaimed, though for very different reasons.
"How can you even think of letting this dirty monkey wrench into the kitchen!?" Abigail yelled.
"You expect this spoiled princess to cook? Does she even know how to cook!?" Lena laughed harshly.
"I do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Will you two shut up!?" Tom thundered uncharacteristically. The arguing duo stopped and turned to glare at him. The double glares caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand.
"What Tom means, is that we're wasting time here," Siti hurriedly interjected.
"Oh, and what are you planning to cook?" Abigail asked Siti directly.
"Malay curried beef, called rendang," she answered happily.
"Oh really. Curry in Germany," Abigail snorted. She narrowed her eyes and declared, "Well, if little Miss goody-goody two shoes here is making something hot and spicy, I'll make dessert! The famous Sinclair's Lemon Tart!"
"We already have one," Lena remarked snidely, "and it's sour and way past the expiry date."
"You may laugh, you miserable little food trough wiper," Abigail sneered, not missing a beat at her usage of an uncommon insult, "but one taste of my divine cooking and Mr. Williams will be-"
"Sick to his stomach," Lena finished smoothly, causing Abigail to screech.
"Well, what can you do?" the American heiress demanded, her voice going up several pitches and causing Siti and Tom to reflexively back away several steps.
To Abigail's infinite fury, the sporty Swede grinned mysteriously and gave them a triumphant look.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" she smirked. Before anyone can say anything, she twirled around on one heel and swept out from the cafeteria, closing the doors behind her.
"Eeeeeeeee!!" Abigail screeched, "We'll just see who's the better cook then!"
"I think we should leave now," Tom whispered to Siti, who nodded quickly in agreement. They hurriedly (and discreetly) disappeared from the cafeteria.
---
Abigail wouldn't know but, but the moment the door closed behind her, Lena broke into an Olympic-worthy dashing sprint towards the business office of the Imperiales Konzertsaal.
"Mikaaaaaaaaa!!" Lena Sorenson yelled and banged the door loudly.
Katrina and Veraiho's head's shot up from their paperwork at the loud voice, and simultaneously turned to stare at the nervous-looking Mika. The younger Sorenson gave them an embarrassed shrug.
"Take five minutes," Katrina muttered, the veins on her head bulging with every bang on the door. Mika nodded gratefully and went to the door.
"Sis!" Lena grabbed her younger sister by the shoulders the moment she opened the door, "You have to help me!"
Mika placed her hands on her sister's shoulders and gripped them so tightly that Lena nearly yelped in pain. She didn't because she was stopped by the strained smile and glare on Mika's face.
"Outside. Now," Mika said through gritted teeth, her smile getting even tighter by the moment.
"S-sure. You got a scary face, you know…"
With the door firmly closed behind them, Mika waved her arms in comical anger.
"Do not ever do that again! I feel like I want to die with Miss Katrina and Miss Veraiho staring at me when you acted like a barbarian!" she rebuked. But when she saw that Lena was sheepishly twiddling her fingers and eyes looking at the floor, Mika sighed.
"Oh alright. What is it this time?"
Lena explained the matter.
"Oh, so you opened your big mouth and got yourself into a cooking test against Miss Sinclair, is that it?" Mika asked. When Lena nodded, Mika merely said:
"Oh my."
Lena's jaw dropped, having expected her sister to have a bigger reaction. "But you know how bad of a cook I am! What am I supposed to do?" she groaned.
"You…want to cook…for Mr. Isaac?" Mika said slowly, incredulously. Then she noticed the look on Lena's face.
"No," Mika curtly interrupted, before Lena could say anything.
"Oh, come on sis! You're such a good cook…you got to help me…please!" The older Sorenson sister begged, tears practically welling up in her eyes.
Mika gave her sister a stern look, "Now Lena you know those crocodile tears won't work on me…"
"But Mika-" Lena whined, straightening up, "I…I-I'll do anything! I swear! I'll…I'll do dishes…or…the laundry! That's it, if you help me I promise to do your laundry everyday for the rest of the year."
The younger raised her eyebrow, "And is that supposed to persuade me? Lena, don't you remember what happened the last time you tried that?"
"Yeah, well…"
Both sisters made a face at the memory of Lena's first (and last) attempt to do the washing. A laundry room filled up-to-the-knees with soapy water and foam, the older sister grinning sheepishly, her hand behind her head and a horrified Mika too shocked to say anything. Let's just say housework was not one of Lena strong points.
"Never mind that," Lena said briskly, waving it off, "Just, please, please, please will you help me with the cooking? You know what they say, 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach'! I really wanna help cheer up Mr. Williams…"
Mika sighed. She supposed her sister was going to use this opportunity to try and show up Abigail Sinclair, her archrival when it came to Isaac's affections. But even so, Lena did mean well…and Mika certainly didn't want her sister poisoning Isaac…
"Oh…I guess it's alright…"
Lena cheered loudly and pulled her younger sister in a great big hug, "Oh thanks Sis!" She quickly let her sister go, grinning like a maniac, "Finally I'll get a chance to show that little prissy princess who's the best around here…!"
She looked up and away with eyes gleaming and her hands clasped together, sighing, "And Mr. Williams…I promise to cook you the best meal you've ever tasted…"
Mika sighed too, shaking her head. "My dear sister, how am I going to help you? I think you wouldn't want Miss Sinclair to see me giving you a helping hand, do you?"
Lena smiled mischievously. "Watch me," she said, and entered the office.
Within minutes, Lena told Katrina that the simulation machines would be down for maintenance later in the day, and if she wanted the Hikarigumi to have training done she was advised to do it soon.
Eager to have an excuse to get out of the cramped office, Katrina nodded tersely and quickly decided to hold a simulation training session at that very moment. As she and Veraiho (with utmost reluctance) left the office, Lena smirked behind their backs and gave Mika the 'V' sign.
"I can't believe you lied to their faces just so you can get me to cook for you in secret," Mika said, her mouth hanging open the entire time.
"Anything to get a man's heart, dear sister," Lena grinned.
---
With the entire Hikarigumi down at the secret base facility for their simulation training, Lena and Mika were free to do their cooking in the vast kitchen. Mika was humming as she took out the necessary ingredients from the vast cupboards.
Lena stared in awe at the sheer size of the kitchen. "I'm glad you decided to help, sis, otherwise I think I might get lost here," she muttered.
If a cook ever wanted to design his or her kitchen inventory to have the volume and space of a library, the kitchen of the Imperiales Konzertsaal would be a shining example. Rows and rows of cupboards, an array of ovens and dedicated cooking areas; the kitchen could easily be the workplace of a dozen chefs.
Right now though, there was nobody there except for Lena and Mika, who had arranged for the chefs to be away after lunch, in effect, a half-day off. On a usual day, the chefs would prepare the meals and send for a steward to inform Mika, who in turn would call the members of the Hikarigumi. Sometimes Henry would join them, but the Hikarigumi have yet to share a meal with their commander.
"Oh, don't exaggerate. You can't possibly get lost in here," Mika said as she and Lena took the ingredients to a cooking table for preparation.
"So, what are you gonna make?" Lena asked. Mika did not answer her; instead she paused to open a larder and retrieved several fresh apples.
Lena's eyes lit up. "Mum's apple pie!" she exclaimed with a wide smile. But as soon as it appeared, the smile faded."Yes," Mika nodded as she inspected the apples, "mother's apple pie."
"I miss her. I miss our family," Lena said quietly.
"I miss them too, sister."
Lena and Mika shared a moment of silence, staring at the juicy red apples, lost in their thoughts. Remembering, their small but happy home in Sweden. Their brothers, their stern but loving father… their warm and hardworking mother…
"Let's cook," Mika finally said, handing her sister a knife. Nodding, Lena rolled up her sleeves, took the knife, picked up an apple and began to slice.
---
The recipe Mika had chosen being extremely simple, they were done within an hour. The Sorenson sisters had more than enough time to clean up and store the completed, apple pie in one of the many refrigerators. Lena purposely chose one at the furthest end to avoid discovery.
"There, all done," Mika said as Lena closed the fridge's door.
"I owe you one, sis!" Lena beamed.
"Indeed you do. Now I will just excuse myself for now, I hear the others coming," Mika said.
"I'll call you when everything's ready!" Lena said. Mika nodded in acknowledgement and quickly left the kitchen.
A few moments later Lena could hear the footsteps growing steadily louder. Finally, Thomas McPherson, Abigail Sinclair and Siti Nora binti Ibrahim entered the kitchen. Abigail, as usual, was complaining.
"…and what were you thinking, shouting 'Six Burning Lizard' out of nowhere?" Abigail demanded as she led the way in.
"It's 'Six Flaming Dragons Slash,'" Tom muttered tiredly, slightly wincing as he walked. Siti looked at him in concern.
"Are you sure you're alright, Tom? That simulation was pretty rough," she said.
Abigail interrupted condescendingly before Tom could answer. "Yes, it was. Be careful, McPherson, you might actually break a bone or two. Oh wait, you already have!"
And before he could reply to that, Lena cut into the conversation. "Well well, if it isn't Princess Abby," she said.
"Urgh, how dare you enter this place? Get out before you leave your stinking, greasy smell here," Abigail shot back, holding up her nose and waving the air below it.
"Don't worry Abby, I'm done with my cooking anyway," Lena smirked and began to walk away.
"What? So quick?" Abigail gasped involuntarily.
"Geniuses can do things quickly," Lena said as a parting shot as she left the kitchen. Then Lena popped back in and winked at Abby. "It's obvious you people have no plans to prevent Mr. Williams from coming in and thus spoiling the surprise, do you? I'll go make sure he doesn't for the next two hours. You can thank me later."
Abigail growled within her throat, unable to come up with a witty reply in time when the athletic girl disappeared from sight. Siti and Tom's giggling was stifled with an incinerating glare from the American girl.
"Ahem… heh, right, shall we get started then?" Tom suggested, still grinning.
Without saying a word, the trio proceeded to choose a section of the kitchen for their own cooking and donned an apron each (Tom with Siti's help). Seeing how Tom was literally handicapped by his injury, Siti offered to cook beside him and help. Abigail snorted derisively and purposely chose an oven away from them.
Abigail rummaged through the labelled cabinets, picking out the ingredients with ease, almost with a sense of familiarity. The kitchen was huge, even larger than the one in her home back in Texas…
'Home…' Abigail wondered absent-mindedly as her hands automatically prepared the items that she had picked out.
As her hands moved to peel the lemons for the juice that she needed, her mind wandered.
She could almost see it now, the majestic Sinclair mansion… a vast building of marble, with flowing arches and Greco-Roman styled pillars and carvings. It was large and white that it virtually dominated the horizon over the vast green gardens.
Abigail imagined that she was in one of her father's limousines, a fancy automobile that was large and luxurious enough for one of her family's stature. As the car drove up to the mansion, the massive gates emblazoned with stylised golden 'S' symbols would swing open.
From the gates to the mansion itself would take several minutes even with a vehicle, the green gardens were that enormous. Abigail could remember running in those very gardens when she was younger, laughing and giggling like a child should as she played. The flowers… she could still remember the scents and the splash of colours still so vivid in her mind.
She recalled of a time in her happier past, having an open-air picnic in the gardens, enjoying cool drinks and handmade sandwiches with her father… and mother.
"Mother…" Abigail whispered. She smiled faintly, remembering how her mother was so kind and so gentle… a person who thought Abigail that self-reliance was a virtue. She was the one who taught her this recipe, in fact. Abigail remembered how her mother showed her the correct methods of baking the tart… How proud Abigail was when she made her first ever batch, and the smile on her mother's face as she tasted it…
"Hey Abby, you alright?" Tom asked, breaking her thoughts. Abigail turned to see Siti and the young man staring at her. Abigail blinked, as if she had yet realized what she was doing.
"Miss Sinclair…?" Siti ventured.
"I'm fine," Abigail snapped. She tossed her hair and went back to her cooking. Tom and Siti shared a confused look before returning to their own cooking.
Away from their sight, Abigail shook her head angrily. 'Enough… things of the past should stay in the past,' Abigail thought resolutely.
---
"Geez, what do you think she's spacing out for?" Tom whispered to Siti, who hummed a quiet little tune as prepared the ingredients on her cooking area.
"Well, maybe she's thinking about her cooking. Cooking is a very important duty, you know," Siti replied as she proceeded to slice up the garlic, ginger and onions with ease. Tom can only stare enviously, wishing that he wasn't injured and thus be able to display the same skill to Siti.
"I can't believe how Miss Mika could find the stuff I need," Siti beamed as she inspected the exotic spices and ingredients. Then she noticed Tom's forlorn look as he held a knife gingerly, unsure on how to cut the tomatoes before him with just one hand.
Tom stared at the tomato on the cutting board, willing his hand to hold the knife steadily. Suddenly, Siti's hand covered his, and he turned to look at the Malay girl with a questioning look.
"Tom, you can't use a knife like that," she said as she gently pried the knife from his grip.
"I feel so absolutely hopeless," Tom muttered in total self-disgust.
"Well, I always wanted to learn to cook a foreign soup," Siti remarked brightly. "Let me prepare mine to cook and then you can teach me to make the soup."
"Thanks Siti, you're a lifesaver," Tom said gratefully.
The Malay girl gave him one of her very best smiles. "Always glad to help," she said.
The boy chuckled. "You always know how to make me feel better," he said.
Siti blushed, wondering if that comment had any other meaning. Luckily for her, Tom had pulled up a chair and sat behind her and thus did not see her reddening face. Unfortunately for Siti though, Tom wasn't really paying attention to what he said. Boys, as the cliché goes, are quite dense about their choice in words to girls.
Thomas McPherson was, in fact, drowning in his thoughts as he idly looked at the ripe tomatoes on the table with distracted eyes.
'How long ago was it? When I first tasted this soup…' he wondered. He remembered that it happened on a cold, rainy day. He was huddling in the back alley of restaurants, trying to get shelter from the falling rain, maybe even get some scraps of leftover food. One of the back doors opened, and the very young Thomas McPherson looked at the figure behind the door with hope.
"Stupid boy, get lost!" the irate chef shouted and waved a fist at him. Terrified, Tom had stumbled and fell into a puddle of dirty rainwater, hopes dashed.
"We don't need your kind here, go away!" was the parting shot from the chef even as Tom slowly stood back up, completely miserable and wet from the rain. Muddied water trickled down his face and onto his rag clothes, staining them even further.
He tried not to cry. 'What am I doing here? Why am I even in this world?' he had thought desolately as he stood in the rain, sad and alone with nowhere to go… with no one to turn to.
Just when he had given up on the world, just as the young boy entertained the idea of running directly into the path of a rolling horse carriage to snuff out his short life, someone stepped in to fill in the empty parental shoes.
"Ah, boy-o, what are you doing in such weather eh?" a deep male voice asked.
It took a moment for Tom to realize that although he could still see and hear the rain all around him; it was no longer falling on him. Also, a pair of tough and well-worn leather shoes stood before. In a dazed manner, Tom traced the legs up to see the owner: a barrel-chested of a person with muscular arms and powerful shoulders behind a work coverall. One hand was holding an umbrella over his head; that was the reason why Tom wasn't bathing in the rain at the moment.
And when the man's other hand reached out towards him, Tom raised his own arms in fear, involuntarily taking a step backwards. He did it reflexively, having the reaction beaten to him countless of times whenever he was being kicked, punched or spat at.
Which is why Tom was surprised when the seemingly gigantic hand, despite being calloused and scarred; rubbed gently on his drenched hair. Tom remembered staring up in half-fear at the man, wondering if the hand on his head would suddenly tighten and crush his skull.
"Poor lad… hungry?" the giant of a man asked.
Tom could only nod, not very eager to test the grip of the hand on his head.
"Well then, you want some hot tomato soup?" the man chuckled, not really expecting a negative answer.
Before Tom could answer, the man pulled Tom close and swept him up, cradling Tom with one hand.
Just like a father would.
---
"Tom?"
Thomas McPherson turned to stare at Siti bewilderedly, the cobwebs from his memories still clouding his mind.
"Are you alright?" Siti asked, putting a hand onto his shoulder and shaking him gently.
"Ah… sorry about that. I'm fine," Tom said sheepishly.
"First Miss Sinclair and now you… is it contagious?" Siti asked playfully.
Tom shook his head and grinned. "Nah… say, how's your dish coming along?" he asked to change the subject.
"Almost done," Siti replied cheerfully.
Tom's jaw dropped. "So soon? But I thought you're cooking beef! Have I been daydreaming for so long?" he asked in aghast.
"No, silly," Siti laughed and gestured at the said lidded pot on the stove. "I'm leaving it to cook inside the pot. It will take an hour at least."
"Oh."
"Now that you're wide awake," Siti exaggerated, "perhaps you can now teach me how to make that tomato soup."
Tom smiled.
"I'll be glad to."
---
And then the preparations were complete. There was no real planning on the timing, but all three of their dishes were done within half an hour of each other. Abigail's tart was done first, while Tom's soup was completed just as Siti's beef curry was ready to be served.
"Ugh, your curry's smell is overpowering," Abigail grumbled as they began to serve their dishes on one of the dining tables in the cafeteria.
"MmmMMmm, but a good kind of overpowering," Tom said as he sniffed over the plates of curry that Siti had served. Each serving was accompanied by several pieces of bread. Lacking actual rice to go with the beef, Siti improvised so that the curry could be used as a dip and the beef eaten together with the bread like spicy hamburgers.
Each serving was also complimented with a shallow bowl of rich, thick tomato soup, the red colour of it a lighter shade than the deep crimson of Siti's beef. And in the middle of the table, seated on a large plate was Abigail's lemon tart. Calling it a tart was somewhat misleading, as it resembled more of a pie than the usually small, bite-sized tarts.
In fact, Abigail was just slicing her tart into smaller portions when Isaac Williams walked into the cafeteria.
"Mr. Will-" Abigail began happily before the words froze in her throat.
For the dashing Englishman was walking arm in arm with Lena Sorenson. Despite the embarrassed look on Isaac's face, all Abigail could see was Lena locking her arms around his.
"See? I told you I have a surprise for you!" Lena gestured grandly over the table. Because Abigail and the others were still wearing their aprons, it only gave the appearance that they were acting under Lena's order/suggestion/idea.
"Y-you harlot! What are you doing being so close to Mr. Williams?!" Abigail demanded, waving her knife accusingly at the Swede.
"Eek!" Lena exclaimed in a very girlish manner, and increased her surface contact with the very surprised Isaac even more. "Mr. Williams, save me!" she pleaded, trying to hide behind his frame and yet not letting go of her grip on his arm.
Tom raised an eyebrow in appreciation of her acting skills. "She's good," he whispered to Siti who nodded in agreement, a grin on her face as well.
"Now ladies, please settle down," Isaac said, trying to settle the situation amicably with a smile. It worked magically as Abigail's knife immediately disappeared from his field of view. That is to say, she no longer pointed it at Lena.
"I'm sorry Mr. Williams," Abigail gushed, clasping her hands together. One can only imagine where she hid the knife. Still clasping her hands in a chastened, hopeful manner; Abigail took several steps towards Isaac (and Lena).
"That's the spirit," Isaac nodded in approval and slowly but firmly pushed Lena towards the American girl. Either he was totally oblivious or just plain ignoring, Isaac seemed not to notice the very strained smiles on the two girls as they faced each other.
"I see the kitchen's still in one piece. Sure you didn't leave a mess?" Lena asked, baring her teeth in a forced smile.
"I don't see your cooking anywhere, did you forget to order takeout?" Abigail countered with an equally feral grin.
"Wait and see, Abby," Lena said and proceeded to the kitchen herself. A moment later she emerged with her apple pie. She smiled triumphantly as she gently set the plate onto the dining table.
"Pardon the question, but what's the occasion for all this food?" Isaac asked as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"It's for you, big guy," Tom grinned widely, making a shooting motion with his fingers gunning at the bewildered Englishman.
"Eh?"
"We are doing this to cheer you up, Mr. Williams!" Siti said as she pulled up a chair.
"But…" Isaac muttered.
"We know you're still sad about your friends, Mr. Williams. But you cannot live in the past forever. We're your friends too now… and we're here," Siti continued.
"Look Isaac, we know it's hard for you. But it's a bloody pain to see you mope around like this. We're your friends too you know, and if there's anything we can do to help, you can always ask us," Tom added in a solemn manner. Lena and Abigail nodded in agreement.
Isaac stood there, their words echoing in his ears.
Seeing that Isaac was still standing there with a dazed look on his face, the youngest member of the Hikarigumi strode purposefully towards him.
"You mustn't let good food go to waste, Mr. Williams!" Siti admonished cheerfully as she grabbed him and forcefully pulled him towards the chair. Isaac allowed himself to be seated, and he stared at his portion of curry beef, tomato soup, bread and the freshly cut slice of tart before him.
Not allowing Siti to steal a march on them, both Abigail and Lena immediately seated themselves beside him, one girl on each side.
"Here Mr. Williams, have some of my lemon tart!" Abigail said, eagerly offering a piece of it to his mouth.
"What, you want to poison him? No Mr. Williams, have a taste of my apple pie instead!" Lena countered with a slice of the said pie.
"Ahem. I don't know about you guys, but I usually start eating dessert after dinner," Tom smirked as he seated himself besides Siti and opposite the trio.
"That's the usual case for me too," Isaac said wryly. Reluctantly the two girls withdrew their offers away from his mouth, each eyeing the other warily.
"Well then, shall we eat now?" Tom suggested, to which Siti and Isaac nodded in agreement.
As the others began to dig into their food, Isaac closed his eyes.
'I cannot live in the past any longer... the Red Dragoons died protecting me... and now it is my turn. I will gladly die to protect my friends. I know that now,' he thought.
"Hey Isaac, don't let the food get cold, eat up!" Tom called out.
Isaac opened his eyes and blinked.
"Mr. Williams, is there anything wrong?" Siti asked in concern.
"No, nothing at all," Isaac said. He looked around the table and smiled the first genuine smile they have seen ever since the mention of the Red Dragoons. Tom and Siti's eyes lit up when they saw it, and needless to say; Lena and Abigail almost swooned.
"Let's eat!"
---
Upstairs in the office, Veraiho groaned. She, Katrina and Mika were back in their desks tackling the red tape.
"I don't believe this. More paperwork right after the simulations? Give me a break," she complained.
"The faster we finish this the quicker your break comes. Get on with it," Katrina snapped.
"I'm getting hungry," the Russian replied.
"So am I, but there's work to be done," Katrina replied.
"But isn't it time to eat already?" Veraiho asked, looking at Mika.
The Swede shrugged. "Nobody has informed me yet," she said, remembering that Lena was supposed to call her when dinner was ready.
Veraiho sighed and went back to work.
---
"Ah, that's a good meal," Tom exhaled heartily.
"It was superb," Isaac agreed, "and you made all these yourselves?"
"Yes," Abigail said proudly. "Tell me, Mr. Williams, was my lemon tart the best of them all?" she asked.
"Are you kidding? It was good, but it hardly compares to my apple pie! Isn't that right, Mr. Williams?" Lena countered.
"Lemon tart!"
"Apple pie!"
As the two argued back and forth, Isaac looked at Tom. "I'm surprised that Miss Veraiho, Miss Mika and Miss Katrina did not join us. Are they really that busy with the paperwork?" he asked.
Lena's face went as white as a ghost, while Tom nearly knocked his glass of water over.
"Oh crap!" they exclaimed in unison, both equally horrified.
It only intensified when the said trio appeared in the cafeteria.
"All gone…" Veraiho said in low voice, looking at the empty plates and dishes on the table.
"Uh oh…" Isaac said while Abigail and Siti had their eyes as wide as saucers.
"WHAT IS THIS?!" Katrina demanded, her eyes blazing with anger.
"Ah-heh, uhh…" Tom muttered sheepishly. "I kinda, er, forgot to call you guys…"
"LENA!" Mika yelled at her sister.
"Hehe… sorry sis," Lena apologized and wincing.
"You better have an explanation for this," Katrina said while tapping her food.
Needless to say, things did not really go well for Tom and Lena that day.
But even as their ears caught one hell of a scolding from Katrina and Mika as the others looked on, they grinned.
'All this for friendship's sake? It was all worth it.'
-End Chapter 7: Memorable Fodder-
[1] The Berlin Muslim Mission was founded in 1922. For more information please search at aaiil.org
[2] The Sorensons' Apple Pie is based on the recipe found on this site: etherfarm.com, look for Swedish Apple Pie ;)
[3] Siti's curry beef rendang can be found at kuali.com
[4] Tom's tomato soup is from:
britishtomatoes.co.uk/recipe/classicsoup.shtml