Chapter 2: The Broken Knife and Understandings

They moved outside to a decked out patio with a pool and cooking space. Toriko sat down at one of the stools as Kagome examined the surroundings. She saw a pink penguin floating on a tube in the pool. She watched it as it made happy sounds. She blinked and moved to be over by Toriko. Even when sitting, he was still taller than her. -_-' Then she smelled food.

She moved out of curiosity towards Komatsu's kitchen area. She looked in awe at the food she had never seen before. She jumped at a ding and tensed for an attack. She looked around, alert, until she watched Komatsu open a device to show reddish-pink grains of rice. It smelled heavenly. She drooled a bit.

Then she noticed that Komatsu was crying. She blinked and tilted her head. She walked over to him and grabbed his face on each cheek, stopping his worried/relieved blubbering. She leaned in close to sniff his tears. She had never seen this liquid before, it was salty smelling. Komatsu was blushing badly, but it died away a bit when he noticed that she wasn't going to do like he thought. Kagome used one of her hands to rub away the tears. Toriko looked on, not sure what to feel – amazed she is getting along with Komatsu or confused as to what she is doing.

"Uh, Kagome? What are you doing?"

She looked at Komatsu and then Toriko. She released her hold on the chef and went to Toriko. She showed him her now wet hand. He looked on in puzzlement.

"What – it?"

Oh, she didn't know what tears are. Well, that's unusual.

"It's called tears. They come out of the eyes when your sad, have an irritation in the eyes, or if you're really happy."

"Oh"

She looked at Komatsu again.

"Why – you – make - water – fall – from - eyes?"

"I-it's because Toriko went somewhere dangerous and I'm relieved that he is okay and in one piece. Oh, uh that's right; we haven't introduced each other properly! I'm Komatsu, nice to meet you."

Kagome was confused at his change in attitude and looked at the outstretched hand. She didn't know what to do! Is he challenging her or something else? She looked at Toriko for help.

"Well, you take his hand in yours. It's a sign of greeting."

Komatsu was confused, but he felt a small callused hand slip into his. He smiled. She smiled back timidly, until she squeezed his hand. It was painful. He let out a yelp and she immediately let go. She started to fret over him, saying 'aw' every now and then in confusion. She looked at Toriko, who was laughing.

"Ahahaha looks like she has a strong hand! Just what I expect from where she came from. By the way, her name is Kagome."

Kagome and Komatsu looked at him in puzzlement. Komatsu then processed what Toriko said. The only place he has been to recently – oh. Oh my god, she's from the Gormet World! He looked at her again, but a bit more closely. He felt kind of stupid for not noticing her clothes – roughly patched together fur with a strap going across from her chest. She was shoe-less, dirty, and a vine in her hair.

Komatsu then remembered that he was cooking and then Toriko started to divert the conversation. Toriko started to chow down on the food provided. Kagome was at a loss as to what to do until Toriko beckoned her to eat some of the food. It was delicious! She wondered why she couldn't find this kind of food where she lived.

She ignored the words she hardly understood and ate the scrumptious food. Now that she thought about it, if Komatsu said that he was Toriko's partner and his food is really this good. She wouldn't have a chance even they were both male. She glanced sadly at Toriko and sighed.

Then the reddish-pink grain in a bowl was placed in front of her. Her mood picked up as she ate. When she slurped up the clear soup, she couldn't help but smile, not noticing that her smile was different than the usual loopy grin that everyone else gets. It was a blissful smile full of radiance. She didn't notice Komatsu and Toriko staring at her as they whispered the transactions and opinions as to how she got here from the Gormet World and what she was.

She tuned them back in when Komatsu asked what the ingredients in the Gormet World tasted like. Toriko admitted that he ate a piece of unknown meat that Kagome hunted and nothing else. Though, Toriko regretted for not saving some for Komatsu. It was tasty after all. After hearing that, Kagome started to slip of the bag she had over her shoulder and moved it onto the counter. That got the guy's attention.

She opened it to show she had meat inside it. The same meat she hunted for Toriko. She offered it to Komatsu. He was so amazed that the meat was even here. It almost looked like the Jewel Meat, only it didn't glow and sparkle. After some heart-warming words and apologies Komatsu eagerly started to chop more food to cook. Toriko and Kagome cheered him on. Kagome was more silent since she didn't really know the words to have for encouragement.

That is until he broke his knife on a Don Acorn. The blade itself was intact but it flew off the handle. Komatsu was devastated. Toriko didn't really understand why it was so devastating. Kagome somewhat knew though. She walked over to Komatsu as he cried over his broken knife. She kneeled next to him and gathered him in her arms to cradle him. Her instincts are telling her to do so. Then she got a whiff of Komatsu's scent. In it, it only got a casual contact scent from Toriko.

'So partner means something else here. I've still gotta chance! But first-"

She hummed as Komatsu described his relation to the knife. She looked at it and with her hand, turned Komatsu's head so that their foreheads touched. She looked through his memories as she stared at his dark gray eyes. Then she spoke with perfect dialect as she moved her head away.

"You have good memories with this blade. It is truly a beautiful knife with good memories."

Toriko and Komatsu just stared at her in amazement. She stood, with Komatsu's position still the same, and walked over to the counter and let him sit on it. She then took the Don Acorn and examined it. She pointed at an undiscerned spot.

"Would you like to crack this open as to get revenge for your knife? All you have to do is knock on his point."

Komatsu looked at it and shook his head.

"No, it wasn't the Don Acorn's fault. I should have been more careful and focused."

Kagome blinked and smiled. She patted his head and ruffled his hair.

"A good answer," she said as she looked at him with warm eyes. Kagome turned to a silent Toriko. She didn't know that he was recalling was Jiro said about her instincts and how amazed he is at how Komatsu respects everything.

"You have a good partner."

Komatsu cried a bit more and she hugged him as he put his knife down and cried in her shoulder, even if it was dirty and smelly. He clung to her until he was out of tears. That was when Toriko remembered something – Melk. To Komatsu, it would the cutler Melk, the greatest knife maker.

It was decided with excitement that, while getting ingredient-Melk stardust- that they would ask Cutler Melk to make a new knife for Komatsu.

222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222

They walked through a rocky path. Komatsu was going to pop a fuse if he keeps on getting excited about the guy. Toriko talked about the rumors of Cutler Melk, which lowered the excitement scale for Komatsu. Kagome looked around the area. It seemed familiar to her in some parts of the Gormet World, so it comforted her a bit. They came to giant stone steps as Toriko explained the heights, how it was made, and how many steps there were, about 20,000. Komatsu freaked out about it. Kagome just looked on in tense calm. One thing about she sensed about this place is that you have to stay focused like the Gormet World.

Toriko started to step-leap on the stairs with Kagome next to him while Komatsu climbed slowly. It was dusk when they stopped for the night. Kagome was fine, along with Toriko, but Komatsu wasn't used to this kind of exercise and was exhausted. Toriko ignited a rock to cook some of the meat that Kagome brought from the Gormet World.

Kagome ate her kabob and fell asleep on the ground. It is vital that you save you energy for the next day so that 1 mistake doesn't cost you your life.

The next day, they picked up the pace to climb the stairs away from the Bernips. Kagome wondered if they would taste good if you cooked them. Kagome looked behind to see Komatsu trip. Kagome hesitated. It was ingrained in her at the very point of birth, that, if you weren't strong enough, you were left for dead. But she saw Toriko grab Komatsu. The Bermip was going to get them. Kagome doubled back and her skin turned to the stone armor from before. She kicked the Bermip in the face to slow it down and the others behind it.

She heard that Toriko already tasted them and wasn't tasty so she let it be. They ran up a bit more, with Komatsu on Toriko's back. Then up ahead there were Rock Wolves, as Toriko described. They leaped over them since they needed to go to the top and they were in the middle of the Bermips and Rock Wolves.

After about 20 steps they noticed that the beasts weren't chasing them anymore. Toriko and Kagome saw the top. Komatsu started to climb with viger. Kagome hopped the steps now. Since the gravity of the Human world is less than the Gormet World, she could move around more lightly.

Kagome suddenly got an ominous feeling coming up from behind them when they reached the top. She positioned herself a few meters from the stairs to wait for the threat. Then she sensed a startling fighting spirit coming from a small brick dome behind her. Kagome got ready for anything.

Then a Scale Kong came from the stairs. Kagome readied herself with her skin turning to stone, but it was for not. An attack came from the dome and the Scale Kong became almost completely scale-less. Kagome watched as it covered itself and fled back down the stairs. Kagome turned to the woman, but the scales caught her eyes. Cautiously, Kagome side stepped to be near the scales while keeping the woman within her sights.

When she saw the Toriko got a handle on the situation she stooped down and picked up a few of the scales. She stood and looked at them closely. She picked one up with her other hand and put it to the edge of her mouth. She bites into it gently then harder. It was some tough stuff. Then she plopped it into her mouth and swallowed it.

Her skin turned to scales. Then she turned back. She listened to the end of the conversation. This woman was Melk. Let's see if she give us a knife for Komatsu and see about the ingredient that Toriko is looking for.