Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Shouldn't it be obvious by now?

Italics denote thoughts.


oOo

He strolled casually towards the magazine section of the bookstore, eyes trailing down and idly taking in the titles of the magazines on display.

Kagome said her review of the Blue Crescent Palace would be in this week's edition of 'Eating Out'. I wonder if they have it here. Hmm. Ah…there it is.

His hand bumped into another that was headed towards the same object.

"Eh?"

"Oh. Sorry."

The small, fair hand removed itself quickly. Green eyes rose to meet chocolate brown ones. Recognition flickered in the emerald orbs.

"Rin?"

She frowned slightly. The voice was familiar but one that she hasn't heard in quite some time now. She looked at the boy, he couldn't be …

"Shippou?"

The young boy beamed at her, glad that she remembered him as a faint blush colored her cheeks. Ever the gentleman, Shippou held the magazine out to the girl.

"Erm…you can have it, Rin. I just wanted to read an article in it anyway, not the entire magazine."

"Higurashi-san's article?"

Bright green eyes widened slightly. "Yeah, how did you know that?"

"Well, that's about the only thing people would look out for in this magazine." Rin smiled. "Are you one of her fans too?"

"Sort of. I've known Kagome for so long she's almost like a mother to me," Shippou said with a hint of pride.

"Wow. That must be great. I nearly got the chance to meet her in person the other day at the Blue Crescent Palace."

"You were dining there?"

"Nope. I'm a junior chef there. But Jaken-sama purposefully kept me busy in the kitchen that night so I wouldn't be able to even sneak a peek at her. That old toad," she said with a pout.

Shippou couldn't resist a chuckle at Rin's expression. After all this while, the girl still had not changed one bit.

"Say, would like to meet Kagome, Rin?"

"You mean for real?" Brown eyes brightened immediately at the prospect.

"Of course. Let's go. She lives in a condo not too far from here."

oOo

"He's a genius. He actually managed to combine both Japanese and Western styles in his cooking. But then, I was very disappointed to say the least."

"Disappointed in him? Why? You were just praising him a minute ago."

A pair of dark brown eyes turned towards her with confusion swirling in them.

"Did I tell you he's my dad's student?"

"You're kidding right? Your dad actually took a student? I thought he never wanted to have anything to do with students."

"I thought so too. He wouldn't teach me much of anything even if I WERE his daughter. I had to start from scratch like everyone else in a culinary school. If it weren't for Myoga's slip of the tongue, I wouldn't know that this student of his actually existed."

The older girl laughed when she recalled the little old man called Myoga. She remembered how they used to tease him saying that he would be the last person anyone would tell a secret to. It was general knowledge that when Myoga knew of something, the whole world was bound know about it soon enough.

"That is Myoga for you. He can never keep a secret to save his life. Then again, he's kept it quiet for so long, you should take your hat off to him. Still, why would your father keep it a secret from you? I mean, with him being such a famous chef and all, it's no big deal if he takes a student or two under his wing."

A slight frown flitted across the younger girl's features.

"I don't know too. Maybe it's just him. He often said he didn't want to see me following in his footsteps. He claims that I'm a nuisance in the kitchen."

"He sure got his wish. You're a critic and a journalist, not a chef although you certainly cook as well as one. Heck, even better than some. Anyway, back to that Sesshoumaru guy. How come you're disappointed in him?"

"I thought he would be able to recreate what dad used to make. A silly thought, I know. There was a distinctly special taste in dad's cooking. I never got to taste the food he cooked one last time..."

Sapphire blue eyes looked out the kitchen window with a rather wistful expression.

"And so you were hoping you could recover it in Sesshoumaru's cooking? I'd hate to break your bubble, girl, but even if he IS your dad's student; he's got his own style of cooking just as your dad has got his own singular style. There's not much of a chance his student would be able to copy it down to the dot."

"I know, but it wouldn't hurt to retain just a bit of dad's essence. There was nothing in it, Sesshoumaru's cooking, I mean. The food was just that - something you chew, swallow and digest in order to live. I thought dad would have pounded something he swears by into that arrogant brain of his."

A weird look was cast her way at her answer.

"Kagome…isn't food meant to be chewed on, swallowed and digested in order to live? I mean, its food, right? What else are you supposed to do with it? Dance the tango? You critics sure are a weird lot."

Sighing, she said, "Food is supposed to be something you savor, relish and enjoy. It's a testimonial of love from the chef that leaves you feeling cherished and satisfied. As for cooking, Dad used to say that when you cook, you cook from the heart. It's the little essence of love that you put in your cooking that makes the food taste one hell of a lot better. You can taste it in the food even if the person who cooked it is a complete stranger."

"So, you're saying that Sesshoumaru doesn't cook from his heart?"

"Yeah. The taste of his cooking is nothing special for someone so clever. You can't derive any satisfaction from it except for the fact that you're no longer hungry, that's all. Why do you think the restaurants serving home-cooked food are gaining popularity?"

"Because their food tastes good?"

"That and because people are looking for that essence of love in their food. It reminds them of their mothers' cooking, which is basically overflowing with love."

"Now I know why your cooking tastes the way it does," Sango said thoughtfully.

A bell chimed signalling someone at the door.

"I think that's Shippou."

"I'll go get it."

oOo

Sango opened the door to find that Kagome had been correct about the one ringing the doorbell. It must have been some kind of built-in maternal sensor of hers where the boy was concerned.

"Shippou-chan! You're just in time for lunch. Come on in. Who's your little friend?" she said with her head inclined at the girl standing beside him.

"Hey, Sango. This is my friend, Rin. She wanted to meet Kagome so I brought her over."

"Hello Rin. I'm Kagome's friend, Sango. Kagome's in the kitchen."

"Nice to meet you Sango-san."

Shippou took a sniff of the air. It was wonderfully scented with one of his favourite smells.

"Are we having pasta for lunch?"

"Yeah. Kagome should be done by now."

"Perfect! Come on, Rin."

Shippou dashed off with Rin in tow.

oOo

"KAGOME!" he called out, bounding into the kitchen.

"Jeez, Shippou-chan! You're going to give me a heart attack one day."

He merely grinned at her.

"I bumped into a friend just now and she wanted to meet you so I brought her over. That's okay, right?"

"Of course. Place another setting on the table, Shippou."

Turning to Rin, she said, "Hello, you must be Shippou-chan's friend. I'm Kagome, what's your name?" she said holding out her hand with a smile.

Rin took the extended hand with a shy smile. "I'm Rin. It's a pleasure to meet you Kagome-san."

"Kagome, Rin is one of the chefs at the Blue Crescent Palace. The one you went to, the other day," Shippou said.

"Really? Then you must be a very good cook, Rin-chan."

Rin blushed. "Not really. I'm still learning from Jaken-sama and Sesshoumaru-sama. I hope I can be as good as Sesshoumaru-sama one day."

"I'm sure you can if you work hard enough. Here, have some pasta. I'm sure you haven't had your lunch," Kagome said, patting her gently on the head before ushering her to the dining table.

"Kagome's cooking is wonderful, Rin. You can't get something this good anywhere else," said Shippou happily digging into his own plate.

Taking Shippou's advice, she took a large mouthful of it.

"Mmm. They're really good. I have never made pasta that is as delicious as yours. Kagome-san, you're almost as good as Sesshoumaru-sama himself. Can you teach me how you do it?"

"Of course. But it's just pasta, nothing special. I'm sure Sesshoumaru can teach you better than I can."

Rin looked uncertain for a moment before answering.

"Well, Sesshoumaru-sama, he's very busy and he prefers to let me find things out for myself. Sometimes when I'm cooking, he'll just pop in for a minute; take a look and then leave without saying anything."

"Eh? That's all? He doesn't stay to watch?" asked Sango who had stayed silent up till now.

Rin shook her head. "But he will always try a bit of whatever I make though. If it's really bad, he will ask me to try again."

"Well, at least he tries your food." Kagome said with a reassuring smile.

"Ne, Kagome-san, can you teach me how to cook? I think if you teach me I'll be able to learn faster. I want to learn as much as possible so Sesshoumaru-sama will be proud of me. Please, Kagome-san," Rin said with pleadingly large, brown eyes directed at Kagome.

"Yeah, please Kagome. I'm sure Rin will be a very promising student," said Shippou, chipping in his two cents worth.

"Erm…I can't be your teacher Rin."

"Why-"

"But I can help you as a friend," Kagome said with a grin.

"Yay!" Two resounding claps were heard as Rin and Shippou exchanged high-fives.

"Just give me a call anytime. I promise I'll pop over and give you a hand if I'm free."

"You're an angel, Kagome-san!" Rin exclaimed, beaming.

oOo


A/N: I thought writing about food when you're hungry is bad enough, but it seems like editing a piece where there is a slight mention of food when you're hungry is just as bad. :( Thanks for reading and for the reviews too.