cooking up a storm

disclaimer: i don't own fruits basket...but if ONLY i owned hatori's sexy self...

rika taggged along with tohru as she prepared for dinner. miso soupl was already cooking in the pot as she readied the wok for veggie-lo-mein stirfry. Rika watched with much interest. she couldn't cook to save her life, when she was in college she stocked up in cold cereal, top ramen, take-out, and pizza. witnessing someone actualy cook real food was so interesting. 'the men must REALLY love having her around.'

"geez tohru, since when have you been one with the culinary arts?" tohru turned off the burner.
"what do you mean?" tohru blushed, trying to remain modest as she threw some mushrooms into the wok. it made a sizzling noise and a sultry aroma as she threw in other chopped goods from the cutting board. Rika nearly felt ecstacy when the aromas filled the kitchen and engulfed her.

"wow.. i wish i could cook..." Rika breathed in a fresh whiff, "ah...it smells so good.you'd make a good wife someday." 'i wonder which of the men are fighting for the role of her husband.'

tohru gave a large grin at this compliment. She finally added the already soft lo-mein to the wok, added soy souce and seasoning, and began stirring fiercly.

"thanks rika!" she heard rika's stomach make a sound of approval. "wow... you must be hungry!" rika instinctively covered her stomach with her hands... slightly embarassed.

"gomen for taking so long! i'll try to hurry. can u bring me that big white serving dish over there?"
"sure. this one?" she asked, holding up the large dish.
"yep." tohru turned off the burner and scraped the contents of the wok into the dish.

"don't worry rika. i'm almost done here, then we can eat!until then would you help me set the table?" rika nodded, getting hungrier by the minute. she hadn't eaten much before she came to visit, and the sweet smells of tohru's concoctions weren't helping any.

tohru went into the pantry and took a small bag of crackers out. she handed them to rika.

"take these to hold you over."
"thanks." rika munched on the crackers while they finished setting the table. tohru walked back into the kitchen to check on the salmon. it was done. she turned off the oven and took the heavy pan out. rika had already put the lo-mein dish, pot of soup, teapot, and the rice cooker into the center of the table. as tohru placed the pan down, she remembered that she still needed desert!

she looked into the fridge to see what she could find. all she found was a plain cheese cake she had bought the day before... it could work, but it was lacking... she took it out and set it on the counter. she browsed through the fridge to see what she could fo to liven up the desert... just then...

"ah hah! strawberries! here they are...hmm i forgot that me n yuki had picked these." along with the fresh strawberries she and yuki picked, and took out a bottle of chocolate syrup as the finishing touch.

"yo cuz, gotta take a piss!"
"mhm..." tohru didn't take notice. she took the cheese cake out of the packaging, and drizzled a little chocolate over it. she then took her strawberries to the sink to wash, and to the cutting board to be cut.

"viola! desert!" she smiled to herself as she called everyone to the table. "dinner is ready!"

rika wandered aimlessly through the hallway, looking for the bathroom. she was about to open the foor to her right, when it opened and the red head emerged.

"oh, its you."
"nice to see you too."
"bitch."
"your mama."
"what the fuck! you think you can come to OUR house and say whatever the hell you want to me? I'll take you DOWN, woman."
"maybe later, before i piss myself." Kyo's face turned red.
"so yeah, where's the bathroom then?"
"find it yourself!"

"well, if she doesn't find it in time, you're the one cleaning up the mess," yuki commented as he stepped out of his room.

"Miss Muyo, it's the door across from Shigure's. Shigure's room is that open door." rika smugly looked at kyo.

"thank you EVER so much yuki."
"you're welcome." rika strolled to the bathroom as yuki walked downstairs, having heard tohru's dinner call. he walked past kyo, who muttered under his breath,
"kuso nezumi."

kyo couldn't stand that girl. she was like the exact opposite of thoru. at the same time though, her outlandish-ness sparked some interest in him. like she was purposely trying to defy him. it was a good change from tohru, who ended up crying and saying "gomen!" over and over. and then kyo would feel like an idiot for upsetting her, and have to apologize.

kyo hadn't realized he'd been standing there still pondering for awhile. rika had already finished, and started back down the hallway.

"waiting for me? oh, how gentleman-like of you for a change."
"go to hell."
"only if you'll accompany me." rika held out her arm for kyo. he stared at it a second.

"you gonna escort me downstairs like a good boy or not?" kyo grumbled but reluctantly linked arms with the girl. rika couldn't help but think about the firm muscular arm linked around hers. she was having fun torturing the red head.

"i still think you're a bitch."
"and i think you're a dickhead."

downstairs, the table was mildly quiet kyo was glaring at rika, while she smirked down into her soup.

"tohru, your food rocks."
"yes, our little flower is quite the chef. so rika, what are you here for exactly?" asked shigure.

"uh, yeah. i'm in a band called Twisted Revolution. I'm the lead singer, sometimes secondary guitar."

"that sounds like a retarded name."
SLAP a hunk of smily miso met kyo's cheek. he looked with firey eyes at rika, who triumphantly sat there, with her spoon still held upright.

"slipped. sorry."
"slipped my ass!" kyo picked some miso out of his soup and was about to fling it.

"really baka neko, are you so childish as to engage in a food fight?" the nezumi interceded.

"that witch started it!"
"name calling, so much more mature. anyways miss muyo, please continue."

"yeah, well, anyways, we're playing a gig a few days from now...Tuesday. Its downtown. i check the area out. there's this one WIERD costume shop nearby. nurse outfits and school girl stuff. its kinda...perverted."

"ah yes. that would actually belong to our cousin ayame, yuki's older brother." shigure piped. yuki groaned. 'he didn't HAVE to mention that he was directly related to me...'

"figures. so, carrot top, you into that kinky stuff?" the neko's face turned red.

"dammit woman! shut up!"

"so like i was sayin. Tuesday. I came to see tohru...wondering if i could crash...but i didn't know she was staying in someone else's house...i guess i could get a hotel..."

"what! of course not!" shigure exclaimed. "you'll stay here in tohru's room. we couldn't dare send you away. now us boys are graced with the presence of TWO beautiful females." the neko and nezumi looked at the inu, rolling their eyes again.

"well carrot top! looks like it'll be a slumber party!"
"kami...kill me now..."

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