Erina didn't like surprises. In fact, she hated them.

She wasn't like other children who liked their surprises on Christmas day, taking their time uncovering all the secrets hidden beneath the sanctuary of various wrapping paper. She was always the kid who had her wishlist drawn up a month before the date so that she could ensure she received everything she wanted.

It might seem odd at first glance for a girl as young as six to know exactly who she wanted to be; to have laid the stones of the path she knew she would take. She knew she would go to Tokyo elite elementary school, she knew she would transfer into Totsuki middle school and of course her ascendance into the elite ten and Totsuki's high school department.

Surprises haunted her. They were literal nightmares reflected in her reality.

Yet his arrival came as a surprise too. The underdog, the commoner, the one who broke through her golden cage and set her free. He was a burst of colour on her grey canvas, a polar star leading her way even when she was lost.

He was the good surprise that forced its way into her life, the only one she appreciated.

Until he left her too.

Just like her mother, just like her father, he of all people left her too.

It reminded her yet again just how much she detested surprises.

It was only a few days after graduation when he left Japan. A luggage in tow, he disappeared amidst the sea of people in the busy airport, unaware of the pair of violet eyes watching him from afar.

We are from two worlds Souma…we aren't made for each other.

They were highschool sweet hearts no longer; and she wondered if they were even friends after what she had said.

On the first few days of his departure, Erina would lie on her bed crying, the pain in her chest too painful to ignore. It was on those days that she hated herself, from top to bottom, inside and out. She hated her pride, she hated her stubbornness, she hated her name. It was also on those days when she wondered if he had left because she had become too boring …if she was no longer the challenge he yearned for.

It was stupid but she missed him more than she ever imagined and she blamed herself for ever getting this attached.

It drove her crazy when his lingering smell of sandalwood, violet and lemon, began to disappear from her sheets. And so, the hole grew larger, until one day she became too numb to even acknowledge it.

But life goes on. With or without him.

When his absence became a norm, Erina dived right back into the shit ton of paper work that had accumulated during her moments of weakness. She was the headmaster of Totsuki and the burden of her name and its reputation laid on her shoulders.

She had worked hard to be where she was now. Three years, with barely a week of rest, she had finally achieved a three star at her French restaurant in Paris whilst maintaining the calibre of culinary education that Totsuki was known for. Everything went according to her plan; successful, powerful and reputable, she made a name for herself, one respected in the culinary world. She preferred it like this, busy, so her mind didn't have the luxury to wander.

But he had to force his way into her life again. Okay, perhaps force isn't the right word to use.

More fittingly, Erina would describe it as him waltzing into her life again, with that charming smile of his and goofy sense of humour and she, of all people danced right into his arms.

She had to revert to her silly high school self, opening the doors to her heart the moment he came in sight.

If it hadn't been her moment of weakness, or rather moments (since she slept with her ex not once but twice), she wouldn't be standing in her grand bathroom next to Alice with the biggest surprise yet.

Erina could feel Alice's gaze on her when she told her she wasn't sure if she would tell Soma about the baby. She didn't blame her either, if the situation were reversed, she probably would react in the same way.

"His devil spawn is growing inside of me Alice," groaned Erina breaking the silence and sinking onto the cold surface of her marbled bathroom floor.

"Watch your mouth Erina," giggled Alice as she too sat onto the floor, "I don't want my niece being upset before even being born."

"We're cousins Alice," Erina chuckled correcting Alice's use of term.

"I'm surprised you have the energy and sass to correct me even after such a shock," puffed Alice unhappy with her remark, "We are practically sisters and you aren't telling me otherwise." Alice looked towards Erina's flattened stomach before adding softly, "I'm your aunt Alice no matter what your mummy says."

"I really messed up, didn't I?" asked Erina, suddenly serious. The calm exterior melted away, leaving a scared little girl, probably unprepared of the long road ahead of her. Right now, she wasn't the god's tongue nor was she the headmaster of Totsuki; she was just Nakiri Erina, vulnerable, scared and alone.

"You know mum once told me," Alice started softly, her pale hands reached towards Erina, giving her cold palms a quick and re-assuring squeeze, "Every baby comes as a blessing. My niece wouldn't be an exception."

When Erina had finally calmed down, Alice left her to herself to give her some space and digest the situation.

Erina had regressed onto her bed, her mind jumbled with a thousand scenarios of the ifs she could not afford to ponder.

She dialled a number on her phone, and surely enough, within two ringtones Hisako picked up.

"Erina Sama?" answered the pink haired girl, her voice laced with concern as it was unusual for Erina to call at such an hour.

"Hisako," Erina sighed, her hand naturally resting on her flat belly as she continued, "I have something to tell you…but you have to promise you won't freak out or tell anybody…even Hayama."

"Of course, Erina, you can trust me with anything."

"I know," she responded softly, "that's why I wanted you to know that I'm pregnant."

"…"

"Hisako? Hello?"

"…"

"Did the line disconnect?"

"Erina-sama," Hisako whispered after a long pause, her jaws still wide open from the news she had just heard, "Is it alright if I come over right now?"

"Of course, Hisako," Erina chuckled, "But it's already 9pm, are you sure you want to come this late?"

"I'll be there in 5." Wuth that Hisako hung up the line and made a dash towards the door, but not before she destroyed her neat pantry, leaving behind a trail of herbs, a loud bang and a puzzled Hayama as she rushed out her shared apartment.

"Erina-sama?" Hisako huffed as she wedged her head between the cracks of the slightly open wooden doors, "Oh thank god you are here, I was worried you would trip in the five minutes that I took to get here."

Before Erina could even reply, the pink-haired girl in her early twenties continued to ramble on, making her way towards the large king-sized bed, "I brought some medicinal herbs, that's why it took me so long. I have raspberry leaves, rich in iron, I brought peppermint leaves too to relieve nausea, oh and ginger root for the same purpose of course. Ah here they are, some oat straw to help boost your mineral intake and some Elm bark. Also, you need to avoid a bunch of herbs that could be potentially dangerous, but I would be happy to taste test all your food for you."

"Hisako, take a deep breath and breathe" chuckled an amused Erina as she hugged her best friend, "thank you for all that."

"Sorry I didn't mean to ramble," she apologised, taking a deep breath, "I'm just worried, nervous and most of all shocked."

"Believe me," Erina smiled solemnly, "I'm shocked too."

"If you don't mind," Hisako started looking at her best friend, "I want to be in charge of your diet for the next nine months."

"Mou-chan might protest," laughed Erina, "but I'd be so grateful if you would cook for me and the devil's spawn for the coming year."

"Devil's spawn?" repeated Hisako, catching onto her choice of word. Her eyes met Erina's and they widened with realisation almost immediately, "God, it's Yukihira's."

Erina nodded slowly, unsurprised by how fast her best friend caught on.

"He doesn't know," Hisako whispered looking at her childhood friend, "He doesn't know does he?"

"I don't plan on telling him."

"I'm not surprised when it comes to him," Hisako sighed, she crawled her way beside her friend and snuggled beside her, "Your decisions were always so unconventional and spontaneous when it came to him."

"You don't think I'm doing the wrong thing?"

"To be honest," Hisako started, "I think he has the right to know. But, at the same time it is your choice to make and I will support you through it all. I'll always be here for you, right by your side so you never stray."

"Hisako," Erina sobbed, her large eyes filled with tears as she turned to her best friend. The sincerity behind her words were undeniable and only now, after a day of rollercoasters and surprises did she allow herself to cry like a baby in her friend's arms.

Hisako looked sadly at her friend, her hands finding their way around her shoulders, patting her gently, an attempt to ease her shaking body. Never in a million years would she have predicted this to happen to her best friend.

"I, wha-, what if I," chocked Erina in between her sobs as she buried her face deeper into her friend's embrace, "I am a horrible mother."

"You won't be Erina."

"What if I can't love him," she whispered, peaking behind the blonde locks of hair and tears which have blurred her vision.

"You will."

"I've never been great at love Hisako," she replied sadly.

"You loved him," she corrected looking at the vulnerable girl who had shed her armour in front of her, "You love me, you love your grandfather, you love your friends, you are compassionate Erina and no amount of terror from your father can strip that away from you. Come on, stop crying, I heard if you cry too much when you are pregnant your baby will be born like a grandpa with a scrunched-up face."

Her words were met with a long silence. The girl on her lap seemed to have stopped crying, her breaths slowly coming to a rhythmic pace. Red-nosed, puffy eyed, Erina sat up before she turned her body to face her best friend.

"Do you know why I don't want to tell him?" Her voice so soft that Hisako had almost missed her question. She shook her head slowly in response.

"You and I both know I fell in love with him; helplessly. When he told me he wanted to see the world, I knew I was no longer enough to keep him by my side. If I was no longer his challenge, I wasn't about to become his chains. So, before he stopped loving me, I put it upon myself to stop loving him first, I didn't want to lose our last battle. I'm crazy, I know."

"You broke up with him?" Hisako asked, "I always thought he had just left without telling you."

"He isn't like that," Erina sighed, flashes of his golden pained eyes surfaced from her memories, "I was the crazy bitch in the relationship."

"Erina…"

"I was STUPID, thinking that if we broke up I would just suddenly stop loving him. Everything I did, seemed to remind me of the hole I had created myself. And when I saw him again, I was back to the stupid high school girl I was, throwing myself in his arms without a second thought, a literal stupid moth playing with fire." Erina sighed before continuing, "and although I am pregnant with his child now, I still don't want to be that person, nor do I want my child to be the one, who butchered his wings and curiosity for the world Hisako. I don't want to be the one who placed him in a cage when he was the one who had set me free."

"He wasn't just passionate with cooking," Hisako sighed at her friend's insecurities, and although she understood where she was coming from, her friend had always underestimated Soma's love for her, "He was far more passionate about you."

"Even if he was," Erina chuckled lightly, "I wasn't enough for him to stay."

"You could've asked him to stay. I see it in his eyes, the way he looks at you Erina. He would've."

"Nakiris don't beg."

With that, Hisako knew there was nothing she could say to change her friend's stubborn mind on this matter. This was something no one could resolve other than the pair themselves.

"That's why," Erina started slowly after the prolonged silence, a smile forming on her face, a rare genuine smile adorned her face as she continued, "I want you to keep your godson's existence as a secret."

"You want me to be the god parent?" Hisako gasped, her eyes twinkling with excitement as she snapped out of her worried trance.

"No one else can deal with me and the devil's spawn," laughed Erina as she hugged her best friend. When she pulled away from the pink-haired girl she added, "But only if you are up for it."

"Is that even a question!" shrieked an excited Hisako, "but why are you already convinced it's a he?"

"Just a feeling," replied Erina giggling, her chest feeling a lot lighter after sharing her burdens with someone.

However, even though she had spilled some of her worries, her chest was still filled with a thousand unspoken words, worries and fears she simply wanted to ignore. At least for now.

In a small town of Ghana, a certain red head stared tentatively at every move the chef next to him made. The chef, better known as the tribal leader, was famous for his unconventional ways; you see, it is extremely rare for a male to cook in these traditional tribes let alone its tribal leader. Word has it that this man is the embodiment of Ghana's tribal cuisine.

"Cocoyam is really a big part of the diet," remarked Soma as he watched the tribal leader scoop the last of the five dishes onto a plate.

"Yes, it is used in many dishes." The large man chuckled at the latter's curiosity and placed the piping hot dish on the table top. "I use it mostly because my wife loves it." Soma walked towards the large wooden table situated in the middle of the room, and within minutes, 3 young kids came rushing into the hut, spoons in tow.

"Did you call your mother?"

"Yes father," replied the triplets in unison. And surely, a woman emerged from the entrance of the hut, her black hair and white hair twisted into a large bun at the top of her head.

Dinner passed quickly as Soma indulged himself in flavours that would be deemed uncommon in japan. Sure, taro is a common vegetable used in japan but it was rarely prepared in such ways. When dinner concluded, the three kids were ushered into their rooms by their mother, leaving Soma and Akuba in the room alone.

"Akuba if you don't mind me asking," Soma started looking at the older man, "What got you into cooking?"

"If I said love would you believe me?" chuckled Akuba, "My wife was very sick and she couldn't keep any food down, that's what prompted me to learn cooking; look at her now, she is so picky that she won't eat anyone else's cooking."

"And since you asked me a question, how about I ask you one?"

"Sure, Akuba, go ahead," Soma laughed.

"Why are you travelling the world to learn how to cook? From what I've tasted your dishes and they have been refined to standards well beyond your years."

"The knowledge of food is endless and I wouldn't be able to experience them all if I had just stayed in Japan."

"Is that what you plan on to do 10 years, 20 years from now? What happens when you have visited all the places in the world, what happens when you have nothing to learn? Will you still cook?"

Soma looked up to meet Akuba's eyes, it wasn't as if he hadn't thought about the question. 3 years, he had been to all these countries, across 4 continents, and at times he wondered what he would do when he eventually reached the end of his map.

In all honesty, he didn't know what he wanted. Or more precisely put, he wasn't prepared to go back to Japan, whether it be the loss of freedom or the fact that he would have to face the reality of her rejection. It was different when he travelled because those painful memories seem to blur away and the further he goes, the less vivid they seem. When he first decided, he would travel around the world, he never imagined years aboard, perhaps a few months, but he knew he would be back before he missed her too much. Yet here he was, 3 years later, 3 years of solitary and foreign drift, all because of his didn't want to accept the end of their story.

However, travelling has taken a toll on him. Some days when he wondered down streets of foreign cities by himself, he would start missing the familiarity of Tokyo, the warm smiles of customers at their family diner and at times he would even miss the annoying gloating smile of his father.

Then there were the harder nights, where he would catch himself thinking about her…thinking about their time Totsuki. On those nights, he would remind himself she no longer loved him and that they are ultimately from two worlds. The pain almost unbearable.

So, when he saw her again, that day in the bar, he stood there bewildered. It took him a while to build up his usual confident façade before he approached her since his pounding heart was just beating far too loudly.

When he had told her he just needed a good reason to stay; he meant it.

One look, a smile and a simple touch was enough for him to be lured into her trap yet again.

For her, he would do anything. But he knew she didn't need him. With or without him, she was the same Nakiri, one who excels at anything she sets her heart to and he was just a stupid boy, silly enough to think he was anything more significant than a rusty old page in her history book.

"I have someone I want to cook for just like you," he replied simply, the image of a certain someone flashed before his eyes as he let out a soft chuckle, "Though I'm unsure how she would react when I eventually do."

"Why does it have to be eventual?"

"That's because the girl Iwant to cook for, can be a handful," Soma responded, "actually several hands full."

"Too scared to cook for her huh?"

"Oh, I ain't scared to cook Akuba, I am scared that she won't give me the chance."

"What it's like to be young and in love," laughed Akuba, "Juna refused to eat my dishes at first, she didn't trust my cooking she said. But when she finally gave it a taste, she told me I had to make it for her every day. Is this girl your wife?"

Uncharacteristically Soma flushed slightly, caught off guard by the term wife he used to refer to Erina as. "No, unfortunately she's my ex actually."

"Then what are you doing here?" Akuba replied sternly, his eyes ablaze, almost angry at his response.

Hopefully this wasn't too slow paced, I didn't want to rush it because I thought it might be annoying if I just did a massive time-skip and everything was normal again haha. But this means you all have to deal with some slow updates as I want to do light-hearted stuff between this angst. Hope you enjoyed and there are A LOT of issues and misunderstandings between the two sprouting from Erina's insecurities. Soma isn't someone to give up easily though and this is Erina we are talking about, he is a fighter. However, we all know how stubborn she can be when she has her mind set on something - and right now it's keeping her baby a secret at least from Yukihira (damn girl why).

Side note: One exam down today, 3 to go and then I can finally get my holiday.

Please review and let me know what you thought of the chapter and pacing. Thank you all once again.