A/N: thanks to my reviewers, here's your update.
Once Upon a Time
Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, a young jester named Shippou was having a very severe identity crisis.
His friend Souten only stood back and laughed at him.
Well, she did until he approached her with a strange offer.
"…Will you help me find my niche in life, Souten?" he asked desperately.
Souten groaned. It was going to be a long night.
Glimpse 2: Of Identity Crises and Royal Balls
"Pull!" Souten called, raising the strangely shaped blade that crackled with electricity.
Shippou tossed the vegetables as his as he could and as they began to land she dove to chop them through with the blade, cooking them as well as cutting them into interestingly shaped pieces. Finally, they landed soundly on the plate in Shippou's hand.
Doing this routine three more times with other pieces of foods, they began tossing them from plate-to-plate until they each had a very interesting combination of foods and one plate was tossed aside, empty.
Souten smirked. "I didn't know you were good at juggling," she said, biting into the roasted lamb.
"It never got me anywhere," he replied, shrugging. "I didn't know you could either."
"I'm better at it than you too, I should've told you," she replied nodding.
He glared. "You are not better then me at it!" he snapped.
"Oh yeah? You barely good your food onto your plate!" she retorted fiercely.
"You toss too fast," he accused as he finished his food, glaring daggers at the girl, a glimpse of blue flames shooting from his eyes.
She glared back, sparks flashing angrily. "I do not toss fast. That's how my brothers taught me to throw it, you're just slow!"
"Fox Fire!" he called, blue flames spurting from his hands.
"Raijininka!" she called back, they shot the attacks at each other, a dead standstill before both attacks diminished.
Panting a little they continued glaring before a group of girls walked by singing.
"There's going to be a ball! There's going to be a ball! Spread the word and tell them all there's going to be a ball!" they all sang giddily.
"A ball?" Souten asked curiously.
"A ball!" they sang in response. "Young Prince is getting married, and who knows what else. A ball, a ball, A BALL!"
"Okay, okay we get the point," Souten grumbled.
A girl ran up to Shippou as they sat back down after the chorus line disappeared from sight.
"Shippou, Shippou, go to the ball with me!" she said rubbing her hands together hopefully.
Souten rolled her eyes in an uncaring manner and Shippou winced. "Sorry, Satsuki, I already promised to go with Souten," he said, blushing and staring at the ground.
Satsuki looked let down, and walked away.
"That was a lie," Souten pointed out once the girl was out of earshot.
Shippou smirked. "I would want you to be jealous, now would I?" he asked smugly.
"I would not be jealous! Don't flatter yourself, Shippou!" she snapped, a flush rising in her cheeks.
Shippou's eyes caught on a flyer posted on a pole just behind where the pair was sitting.
Royal Chefs Wanted To Cater Princes Jakotsu & Renkotsu's 1st Annual Ball. Many Prestigious People Will Be There So We Request People With Talent. Spicy Food is a Must.
"Let's be chefs for the royal family!" Shippou exclaimed, jumping in the air.
Souten turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Well, we'll have to go cook dinner for the Princes and Queen tonight, do you think we'll make it?" she asked.
"I know we will!" he said confidently.
"Then lets go sign up!" she retorted, and they got up and started towards the castle.
Renkotsu paced, they had everything but the chefs. And those were signing up tonight, he wondered if they'd find any.
Jakotsu smirked. "So, who all is coming to this Ball of yours?" he asked smoothly.
"The Prince of…that place up in the Mountains, and his fiancé, King, Queen and Prince of Ushitora, King, Queen and the Princes of the Western Lands, all those people," he said waving a hand in disinterest.
Jakotsu nodded. "Any of them cute?"
"I'm pretty sure there's one or two…cute ones in there, I'm not one to judge," he said shrugging. "There will be Princesses too, so watch out."
"Those are your forte aren't they?" he asked slyly as their stepmother entered the room.
"I'd hope not," she spoke up dangerously. "I'll kill you and whatever slutty princess you go after if you try it," she told him in a low voice.
"Father hasn't died yet, Mother," he replied coldly.
"We have a deal, remember?" she stated flatly.
"Deals are meant to be renegotiated," he point out matter-of-factly.
She glared. "We are not renegotiating my position in this kingdom after he croaks!"
Jakotsu slipped towards the door. "You two can have your lovers spat in peace," he said with a nod as he shut the door.
"What happens to you after Father dies is completely up to me, remember that. If you keep on my good side you can keep the title of Queen, and you are not on my good side," he told her, leaving the room.
She left the room after a moment of deep breathing; the chefs were going to be coming in any minute and she needed to seem composed.
They sat in the Royal Testing Room, long tables set up in front of them with ingredients for the most common food choices to be at the ball.
The first three were mediocre, and the food was bland. The forth was a duo, a black haired girl and a red-haired boy that resembled the jester that had been tossed out the day before.
Jakotsu was entertained by their juggling and methods of cooking, using lightning and kitsune magic to make the simplest dishes.
They dinner they made was most impressive, not bland or regular at all. The other chefs didn't compare to them.
"You're hired," Jakotsu told them after they had dismissed the other dismal contestants.
They gave each other high-fives and then turned to bow before their employers. "You are to wear these," he added, tossing them each a plastic bag with a white and black outfit in each, they bowed again and left the room.
Opening them Shippou raised an eyebrow at the dress in his bag and the pant-and-shirt combination that Souten got. "I think this is for you," he said handing her the bag. Taking the other bag from her, she glared at him.
"I'm not wearing a dress," she told him harshly. "I'll alter this when I get home," she added under her breath.
He nodded. "I think you'd look cute in a dress," he muttered to himself with a little blush.
She stared at him for a moment. "…I'm still not wearing it," she told him with a little laugh. They eventually both began laughing, still in shock from the earning of a new job.
Preview for Glimpse 3: The ball is here! So many Princes for Jakotsu to choose from and some other unknown and mysterious circumstances.
A/N: Review, please!