A:N/ Hey there! First and foremost, I'd like to thank you all for still reading this story, like woah, I have an audience? It's really hard to tell when the community of SnS fanfic. Is really silent, but anywho, I'd still 'wow' you all at the end of the day. It might not be today or tomorrow, but I will make you all say that my story is one of – if not the best story this fandom has to offer in terms of depth and emotional ride. It's a promise!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki no Soma

Healing Hearts

It had been a few days since Sōma had been staying in Saint Gallen. Waking up on a bright and sunny Tuesday, the young man stretched his limbs and prepared for another day out of adventure.

"Alright, time to hit up that famous library Victor was talking about." He then proceeded with his daily rituals, brushing his teeth and going towards the many food stalls outside of the hotel for his breakfast. Having already made friends with the locals there, the young man decided to visit the old man who gave him free complementary baked goods yesterday after attracting business from his fans.

"Good morning, Sir!" Sōma greeted to the old fellow, tapping him on the shoulder and giving the older man a friendly hug. The silver fox smirked at the young man before pointing out to the numerous teenagers that were gushing at Sōma from afar.

"What'll it be today, Kleiner Fuchs?" asked out the old man whom Sōma remembered as being one of the few person who calls him by that nickname that Tsubasa gave to him days ago. Sōma put a hand on his chin and scanned through the contents of the glass display, wanting to pick out something that matches the bright and sunny weather.

"Hmm… It's hard to pick something out… Everything here is just top-of-the-line good…" Sōma sighed out, hearing the old man laugh. The old baker took out a fresh tray of newly made baked goods that Sōma had never seen him sell before, wondering why the new type of bread had a peculiar humanoid-shape.

"Kleiner Fuchs is interested, I see. Why not try my Stutenkerl?" offered the old man. Sōma never heard of this type of seasonal bread before, nodding on the offer as he curiously waited for the bread to cool for him to eat.

"Oh! It's like a gingerbread man with raisins!" Sōma gushed out like a kid after taking the first bite off of the scrumptious bread.

After finishing his bread, the young man once again resumed wandering around the city to look for the place that Victor told him to visit. Hailing a cab to reach the said place, he was immediately stunned at the architecture of the Abbey Library once he arrived.

"Damn…" he mouthed out silently, turning his head around to admire more the wonderful rustic smell of old books and wood from the place. Sōma was allowed to walk around and read some of the books there for a while, marveling at the sheer volume of old books that were said to have been stored there for the last few centuries.

"I can see why Erina wanted to come here…"

A few hours after the tour to the Abbey Library, Sōma went to find a place to have late lunch. The young man looked around for new places to eat, hoping to try more of the Swiss delicacies offered there. Spotting a nearby diner, Sōma had a breath of fresh air when he remembered Yukihira back home. It was a nice change of pace from previously eating in restaurants or cafés.

"Uwaa! Emma! My Dad is going to kill me when he finds out that I botched booking that chef that he wanted for their corporate meeting!" he heard a familiar voice whine out nearby his table. Using his menu for cover, the red-haired young man saw a stressed out looking Atra along with her brunette companion. The two women were currently gouging out on cheesecake whilst Atra was complaining through it all.

"Honey, get a grip! Just find another chef from one of these cafés who can do the job." Emma suggested while pointing her fork at her panicking friend. An idea popped into Sōma's head whilst placing his order, coughing out loud, the young man asked for the waiter to deliver his business card to Atra and Emma's table.

"Miss Atra, some weird guy over there wanted you to have his calling card…" being shop regulars at the diner, Atra thanked the older man and read over Sōma's business card.

"Wait… Sōma Yukihira-"

"What? Where?" Emma nearly jumped out of her seat and looked around wildly, wanting to see this year's best rookie chef. Atra looked at her friend curiously, sporting a confused stare towards her friend.

"Wait, you know him? Is he famous?" Atra asked bewildered on how the young man she met on the church a few days ago could be a famous chef. Emma pulled out a magazine issue that was recently published a few months ago. Sōma then realized that Emma was onto him, he tried to eat quietly while sneaking glances towards the two women.

"Oh wow, he's really cute in that cover." Atra complimented, she then walked over to a panicking Sōma's table when she noticed him looking at her from afar.

"You eavesdrop on us earlier didn't you?" the woman in front of Sōma asked with an amused smile on her face. Sōma tried to play it cool at first, trying to act like he didn't saw Atra coming.

"Oh! Are you talking to me?" he feigned innocence and tried to hide the growing smile on his face. Atra pulled the seat in front of him before begging him to help her.

"So… The recent winner of B.L.U.E taking a vacation here in Switzerland…" Atra muttered out, trying to break the ice between the two of them. Sōma kept silent upon being mentioned that he won the recent prestigious competition earlier that year.

"Don't wear it out too much, I don't like remembering that day…" he admitted to her, seeing her gaze soften.

"I'm sorry to mention it then, but can you help me out? I know you're on vacation, but I don't know any other chef in town who can put out a high-class dinner."

Sōma pondered for a while with the offer, knowing that he already gave his business card to her, he might as well already accept her plea. It also didn't help that Emma was at their other table already waiting anxiously for her friend to ask Sōma to take a picture with her.

"I already gave you my business card, I might as well do some cooking myself while I'm here at Saint Gallen." He beamed towards her, accepting Atra's request.

"Oh, my friend over there wants to take a picture with you, is that alright?" Sōma nodded and finished his late lunch, after that the three continued their conversation outside. Emma then handed to Atra her phone before standing next to Sōma, a little bit taller than the young man.

"Thank you so much!" after handing back Emma's phone to her, Atra immediately took Sōma's hands and kept shaking them.

'At least she's excited…' Sōma chuckled at the thought, being left with Atra after Emma had to go run a few errands herself.

"So… When's the dinner going to be held?" he asked.

"It's on Thursday night. You can still make it right?" Atra nervously asked, Sōma nodded to put her fears to an end. Atra let out a sigh of relief, the two of them eventually reaching a snowy forest clearing.

"Wait, where are we?" Sōma asked, looking around dumbfounded when he realized that he didn't recognize the place where they walked through.

"Oh, I believe we walked through the Fischer Adventures Tour. This is part of a tourist spot here that lets you have a sled dog course!" Atra informed him, guiding Sōma through the forest as the two of them eventually reached the start of the tour.

"Huh, sled dogs…" Sōma repeated, patting the numerous friendly huskies that pounced onto him and started licking his hands and face.

"Want to try it?" Atra smirked at him, seeing him grinning ear to ear and nodding furiously.

The two registered and got into gear with the professionals not long after. Sōma was being told a step by step procedure on how to navigate through the forest, Atra on the other hand was already experienced with it, not needing the extra help from the staff there.

"Oh, and be sure to be back by sundown! And don't forget to watch out for thin ice!" was the last thing Sōma heard from the staff there after he and Atra started to race down the course.

"Hey! This must be how Santa feels like when he's riding his sleigh, huh?!" Sōma yelled out feeling the wind blowing past his face. Seeing her nod before pointing out something and yelling towards him, Sōma didn't realize it soon before he struck a dead shrub. He was tumbling through the snow, managing to roll over a few times before spitting out some snow that he managed to eat.

"I'm pretty sure Santa doesn't crash like that…" Atra's smug face says it all, laughing at Sōma's misfortune as the young man got out of the snow, red-faced and feeling the heat coming out of his skin.

"Come on, help up!" he whined out, grinning while he held out his hand for Atra to help him get up from the snow.

"Sike!" he dragged her down hard and sent her down the cold snow along with him.

"Why do I still fall for that old trick?!" Atra complained, laughing along with Sōma. She hurled a snowball towards him, striking the young man in the face. The two of them frolicked in the snow and played with the huskies, making snow angels, building forts all the while not noticing that it was already getting dark out.

"Yikes, I think we played around a bit too much, don't you think?" Sōma teased to Atra, pulling her up from the snow. The two of them gripped their coats tighter to themselves, wanting to get out of the increasingly cold weather.

"All right let's head on back. The sled dogs know the way so we should be fine if we go slowly and let them lead us." Atra suggested, looking towards Sōma if there was any objections in their plan. They packed up their belongings and went back to the lodge, thanking the professionals who were looking for them earlier.

"You guys are lucky to have made it in time! You should probably stay for dinner while you're here, it's getting cold out there you know?" suggested by one of the sled experts there, the two of them looked at each other before nodding, accepting the staff's kind offer.

"Hey Cap! Can we get an extra hand here?"

Sōma heard the faint smell of something burning in the air, not wanting to sound rude, the young man volunteered to cook for them all dinner for tonight as a way of saying thanks for the staff's hospitality. Sōma got out his headband from his backpack and tied it to his forehead, inspecting the ingredients that they had.

"What're you making?" Atra pranced beside him, tying an apron herself to help him cook. The young man curiously glanced at her and smiled, she looked cute in an apron.

"With the ingredients here, I can probably make our special Yukihira-style beef stew. I made it a long time ago during our culinary school years."

"Sounds good then!"

The two prepped their ingredients, slicing and cutting the vegetables as well as marinating the meat in Sōma's special mix of ingredients.

"Eep-" a trickle of blood running down Atra's finger caused Sōma to drop everything that he was doing. He asked around for a band aid from the staff their and gingerly took Atra's hand.

"You're supposed to do a cat's paw when you're cutting vegetables." He quipped, wrapping the bandage around Atra's.

'His hands are so big…' she thought, feeling comfort in Sōma's touch. Atra snapped out of her reverie and quickly turned around nodding at what Sōma had told her.

'Well that was weird.' The young man noticed the tense movement of Atra's hands.

The food was ready and they all sat down graciously savoring the delicious meal that both Sōma and Atra cooked. The staff members were all smiles, teasing at the two who looked like a married couple when they were working together.

"Damn… It's already nine-thirty, I gotta get going now everyone. It was nice cooking with you, Yukihira-san. I'll contact you again to notify you on where the dinner will be held." Atra bowed towards them as they all nodded towards her. The oldest member of the staff, poked at Sōma, urging the young man to accompany Atra and walk with her.

"Well aren't you Humphrey Bogart? Come on, get up Lad! She's getting away! Go!" he continued on egging Sōma till the young man had a nervous smile on his face, briskly running towards the door to catch up with Atra.

"Ten francs says that he'll walk her all the way home." A member of the staff confidently puffed, pulling out a fresh bill from his wallet to place down onto the table.

"Not this again…"

"Double, twenty says that he'll come back here making up a lame excuse that he couldn't catch up to her." Another one of them matched and raised the pot. The old man couldn't contain his excitement and joined them in, betting another twenty into the prize pool.

"Another twenty says that the young Lad would walk her home AND still be clueless that the girl has taken quite some fancy towards him." He challenged his younger colleagues, finishing up the last of the stew.

Sōma ran towards the nearby bus stop, fearing that Atra would already be gone by the time he gets there. Stopping for a breath of air after making it, he looked around and over his head to find it empty.

"Hey, why'd you follow me all the way up here?" Atra quipped, tossing a can of coffee towards his direction. She got her own can and offered to sit beside Sōma while they wait for the bus to arrive.

"Well, the old man did say that I should accompany you till you get home. You know how it gets at night?" he chuckled, seeing the deadpan look that Atra shot towards him.

"Yukihira-san, I'm alright. You don't have to keep on trailing behind me you know?" Arta crossed her arms and looked towards the bus that was nearing by.

"I know, I know. But I just can't leave someone all by themselves before I got to thank them for a fun day." He grinned, humming in delight by the sound of freshly opened canned coffee.

"Did you have fun the entire time that we hung out?" Atra asked.

Sōma turned towards her as if Atra asked him a ridiculous question, grinning at the young woman and nodding.

"Of course!" his heart fluttered and sent a jolt throughout his chest. Atra practically melted at Sōma's quirky grin, smiling at his silliness and pure glee.

"Well, I'm glad then. Do you still wanna come along for the bus ride? There's a shop nearby our house that sells my favorite snack at this time." She offered, climbing onto the bus with Sōma in tow. The bus ride was fairly quiet, the snow outside was once again falling and it made the two unconsciously huddle together for warmth. They got down the bus when Atra pulled them over, offering to pay for both of their pays.

"Here we are!" Atra lit up with glee upon seeing the familiar shop. Sōma glanced up and down at the store before crossing his arms and tilting his head in confusion. It was a strange cross between a western fifty's diner and European style café. The two of them went inside and it was then when Sōma realized that this must be one of the older stores that must've been there for ages.

(Play the song: Take On Me, Acoustic)

"We're talking away

I don't know what I'm to say

I'll say it anyway

Today's another day to find you

Shying away

I'll be coming for your love, OK?"

The atmosphere of the shop then completely came to a sudden stop. The whole world felt mellow and slow as Sōma was taken aback by the song that played on the speakers there. He noticed his surroundings' colors getting warmer and a feeling of relief washing over him. The young man gaped and turned his head around to take in his surroundings; the neon lights, the checkered tiles on the floor, the soft cushions of the booth that he and Atra were sitting on. He saw her gentle smile towards the staff that greeted her with familiarity, not minding the fact that he was nodding all the way as he spaced out on everything that she was saying to him.

"Take on me (take on me)

Take me on (take on me)

I'll be gone

In a day or two…"

He closed his eyes for a brief moment and immediately, he was back from the day before his wedding with Erina. He saw her gentle smile and felt being tugged in his heartstrings. Erina walked towards him in his imaginary plane, before he felt her caressing his cheeks and staring deep into his eyes.

"I'll be here…" she said to him, pulling them together for a soft kiss.

"Yukihira-kun?" he snapped back into reality and heard Atra's concerned voice. Scratching the back of his neck, he pretended to have been feeling tired. A buzzing from his phone sent a sigh of relief from

"I'm alright, I'll go take this call, be right back." He smiled at Atra. Sōma walked out of the store and answered Takumi's call.

"Hey what's up Takumi?"

[How's Saint Gallen holding up for you over there?]

"Well, you can say that I've been having the time of my life. How's Etsuko over there?"

[She's good! Megumi and I just got home from babysitting your little bundle of joy.]

"So… I'll be going home in Friday, don't forget to pick me up at the airport alright?" he teased to his friend, earning him a snobby 'whatever' and a chuckle.

[Alright good talk, I'll see you on Friday then.]

"Thanks for calling, Takumi." Sōma added, shutting off his phone with a smile on his face as he walked back to the store.

"Oh, things that you say

Is it a life or just to play my worries away

You're all the things I've got to remember

You're shying away

I'll be coming for you anyway…"

He came back and saw Atra waving towards him with a grin on her face, their orders already placed on their table. He sat down opposite of her and marveled at the baby seal-like snack that was in front of them.

"Uhh… Are these mochi?" Sōma asked, poking at the cute animal snack and feeling a little bit queasy when red filling came out of it. He looked up at Atra and saw her giggling in delight, biting off the heads of the baby seal mochi.

"They're super yummy!"

'It's a wonder why PETA isn't trying to shut down this shop by now…' he nodded and took the first bite out of the snack. Sōma's mouth was filled with raspberry goodness accompanied by the marshmallow-soft mochi that had the right amount of chewiness and texture on it.

"Wait… But why's a place like this serving mochi?" Sōma asked Atra, utterly bewildered at the unorthodox menu of the place.

"Hmm… The owner of this place and my mother were really close when I was young. She was also Japanese, so bringing over mochi here for the first time was a real treat from her." Atra gingerly took apart the cute seal mochi before dipping it in a blueberry sauce.

"Let me guess… You begged them to keep on making them?" Sōma teased, seeing Atra nodding furiously.

"Take on me (take on me)

Take me on (take on me)

I'll be gone

In a day or two

Take on me (take on me)

Take me on (take on me)

I'll be gone

In a day…"

Atra smiled towards Sōma as the song from the shop finished. There was it again, the tugging from his chest the felt to be getting tighter from seeing Atra's heartwarming smiles.

"I love that song…" she smiled, humming to the tune of the song well after it finished.

The two of them walked outside and it was already around eleven at the time. Sōma was walking beside Atra, hearing her humming and skipping along the icy pavement on the ground. He felt something in his mind that anytime soon, Atra would slip and fall. Steeling himself, he remained vigilant of her incase the young woman would surely slip on the thin ice.

"Hey I forgot to ask, but what do want for Christmas- AHHH!" Atra took a misstep on of the stone bricks on the ground, slipping and bracing herself for the harsh fall that was soon to come.

'It was a good thing I'm here…' Sōma took a breath of relief, catching Atra just as she was about to hit the ground. He had wrapped his arms around her waist and held her hand, pulling her just a little bit too close for comfort, feeling their breaths just inches away from each other.

"Oh… Uhm… I… Uh… I think… I…" she was a bumbling mess when Sōma let go of her. Atra felt dizzy and could feel the heat seeping out of her face as well sneezing from the cold. Sōma thought nothing of Atra's nervousness, dismissing it from how Megumi used to stutter when she got nervous back then.

"I gotta get going now, Yukihira-san… Th-Thanks again for not letting me fall and for the time…" she bowed, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.

Sōma placed his hands on his waist before grinning at her.

"I'll see you on Thursday then!"

~ End

A:N/ I know I said back then that the songs wouldn't be placed anymore, but I just couldn't help but adding that one scene in my mind. It's just so fitting when I watched Deadpool 2! You'll see a bit more references from famous romcom movies out there so be on the lookout ;)

P.S: If you're wondering why the chemistry build up is slow, you're in for a treat because I'm basing Sōma and Atra's budding friendship and feeling of closeness from my own experience. That's right folks! What you're reading as of this moment are part of my own experience (some may be a little bit exaggerated or altered) but it's all of the things that I've fantasized about/have done over the past few years.

P.P.S: Just a few more chapters to go on the overhaul bois, I'm so stoked to hear from you guys your reactions after I'm finished re-editing huge chunks of this story.