Chapter 5: Cooking Lessons
Momoi lightly pressed a finger onto the doorbell of the Higurashi Shrine residence. Each passing second of waiting, nerves built up in anticipation. A few days previously, she had nearly poisoned her only girl friend with poor cooking skills and today was the day she would finally learn!
Cerulean and orange spilled across the dusk-descending sky, and for once Momoi was grateful for the fall of night. Strands of bubblegum pink hair stuck to her forehead after hoisting herself up the steep stairs. It was beyond her how Kagome managed to walk down and back up the damn thing every day. By her side, Aomine was unbothered from the stairs. Underneath a passive expression Momoi knew better to assume that he wasn't as enthusiastic as her.
Initially, she did not plan nor account for the possibility that Aomine would join her to the shrine. After informing him of her plans to visit Kagome's home, the ace simply followed her after she defected from their usual path. Even after Momoi fussed at him, he ignored her and kept walking. Glancing at Aomine with suspicious eyes, she had a feeling that he wouldn't have come with her if it were anyone else's home. However, a little sweat and Aomine's intrusion couldn't damper the pink haired girl's excitement for the evening. After all, with the Inter-High being the next day she needed to have some treats prepared for the team.
"Quit looking at me like that, Satsuki," Aomine sighed, crossing his arms. "What's taking Higurashi so long?"
Rolling her eyes, Momoi reached out to ring the doorbell again. Behind the door, a muffled voice shouted something incoherently. A few beats later, Kagome opened the door and let the two in.
"Sorry about the wait! I lost track of time." Kagome apologized, opening the door for them to come in. She quirked a brow at Aomine's presence, to which the basketball manager could only shrug and shake her head.
"Don't act like you're not happy to see me, Kitty-cat," Aomine drawled as he made his way in first.
"Watch it, Aho!" Kagome snapped.
As Momoi and Aomine deposited their shoes by the door, the manager absorbed every inch of the home. It was a simple living space, but it held a warmth to it with the many pictures hanging from the walls. One in particular was of Kagome as a child with a round, smiling face and massive bow in her hair. In her arms, she was holding a swaddled baby. Aomine followed her gaze to the picture.
"Hey, you were cute once, Kitty-cat. What happened?" Aomine teased, earning him a punch to the shoulder. Much to his surprise, a shock wave of pain spread from Kagome's strike. "Hey! What the hell!"
"Be nice!" Kagome shouted indignantly. Her eyes found the picture the other two were looking at and her eyes softened considerably. "That's me and my little brother, Sota, when he was a baby. He, Okaa-san, and Jii-san are out for the night because of a soccer game. So we have the kitchen all to ourselves!" With a smile Kagome led them towards the kitchen. She rolled her eyes as Aomine mumbled about how ridiculous soccer was.
Looking back at the old photo, Momoi couldn't help but notice that the priestess left out any mention of her father. Still, she kept quiet as she watched Kagome dig through the fridge. It felt odd seeing Kagome out of uniform. Currently clad in dark jeans and a simple pink hoodie, she almost seemed like a different person. From the corner of her eyes, Aomine was also watching the priestess. Particularly where the tightness of the jeans curved around her legs. She accidentally smacked him as she stretched out her arms, earning a small glare from him. Serves him right for staring.
Soon enough, the kitchen counter was covered with an assortment of ingredients and spices. With a determined huff, Kagome tied a white apron around herself and handed Momoi one of her own. The manager smiled at the gesture, noticing the slight glimmer in Kagome's eyes.
"Ready?" Kagome asked as she secured her bandana in place. Momoi nodded affirmatively as she fastened her own. "Yosh, let's start with something simple… How does curry sound?"
As they got straight to work washing and peeling the vegetables, Aomine reclined on the couch. Pulling out one of his discreetly disguised gravure magazines, he pretended not to watch as the girls worked. Kagome began to explain how to chop, face was firm, but her voice was gentle as she gave instructions. With the apron and bandana, Aomine had to admit she was rather… cute.
"Remember to tuck your fingers in like this so that you don't accidentally cut yourself, okay?" Kagome finished as she placed the example chop into a small bowl. Momoi smiled as she grabbed a knife from the block and began chopping herself. However, she found herself getting distracted from the total silence.
"Where did you learn to cook, Kagome?" Momoi asked. A slippery carrot wiggled out from her fingers, nearly catching unsuspecting fingertips under the knife. Kagome readjusted Momoi's fingers into a safer position before responding.
"My mom taught me the basics, but a lot of trial and error helped me get better," Kagome said, sliding a pile of chopped onions into another bowl. 'Plus I had an irritable half demon who refused to eat if it didn't taste good,' she thought with a glare pointed at no one. Another bout of silence stretched between the two once more. Momoi pushed again, refusing to let silence linger.
"How come you're not involved in any clubs?" Momoi asked, before quickly adding at a sad sheen dulling her friend's face. "I mean, you're so good at cooking I'm surprised you're not in the cooking club or something."
Looking from the corner of her eye, Momoi could see the obvious hesitation when Kagome didn't respond right away. The priestess ceased chopping for a moment, eyes concentrated on her hands. The priestess took a deep, settling breath as she faced Momoi for a moment.
"It's a long story, but I had really bad grades in middle school and I was very fortunate to have been able to graduate and get into high school." The words were slow, meticulously presented with an even tone. "I thought that if I joined a club, or something, that my grades would fall again."
Momoi had to hold her breath steady as Kagome confessed this to her. Even Aomine in the other room had slightly lowered his reading to listen in. She was rather shocked by the answer because the priestess seemed to achieve admirable marks on their tests. The manager would be lying to say she hadn't tried to do her own research on her mysterious friend. However, nothing of importance came up; just Kagome's personal information and some headline about a middle school play she was in. There was nothing within the data that suggested anything was wrong with her academically.
"What about you Momoi? You're in the basketball club, why did you decide to join?" Kagome pressed with a little too much enthusiasm, her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. She noticed the stare from Momoi, and unwilling to press further, she quickly changed the subject. The manager frowned slightly at the distraction, but allowed herself to reminisce about her love for basketball.
"I've loved basketball since I was little. I can't quite name exactly what draws me to it, but the magnetism is undeniable. Dai-chan and I, while we were growing up, we would play with each other all the time." Momoi whispered, her smile lost in her memories. "When we got to middle school, working alongside the Generation of Miracles was inspiring. Such talent and inner fire, being their manager was a lot of fun. Until it fell apart–!"
Momoi's reminiscence was interrupted by a sharp sting that split her fingertips. Her knife, now covered in scarlet blood, fell onto the floor splattering the blood about the linoleum. Cursing herself for her lack of attention, Momoi grasped the damaged digits in her other palm and squeezed them to stop the blood flow. Her mind scrambled to try to figure out what to do, but the cut in her fingers throbbed horribly.
"Shit, Satsuki!" Aomine yelled, hopping out of his spot immediately. Kagome put a steady hand in front of him, signaling him to stay where he was.
"Give me your hand," Kagome instructed calmly, leading the manager to the sink. Wordlessly, she washed off the wounded fingers and examined them carefully. "I don't think these are deep enough for stitches. Aomine, hold this tight for her and elevate it for just a moment."
With a wrap of her pink handkerchief around Momoi's fingers, Kagome dashed into the other room. Aomine listened and kept a firm pressure on the makeshift bandage. When she returned, Momoi kept quiet as the priestess pulled out gauze and bandages. Her fingers worked swiftly as they danced around Momoi's. A heart beat thrummed through the tips of her middle and index fingers as Kagome secured the bandage.
"T-thank you, Kagome," Momoi whispered as she inspected the bandages which were pristinely tucked and set. In all her years as a basketball manager, she had never seen such swift and accurate care, not even from a certain green haired player. Kagome sighed as she placed the leftover bandages back into the first aid kit.
"You're welcome, but you have to be more careful when working with knives," Kagome lightly scolded.
"Oops," Momoi awkwardly laughed, scratching her cheek.
"Don't say 'oops' like that! You have to be careful!" Aomine barked out, flicking her forehead. Kagome let out a sigh of relief after she reinspected the bandages. They would be secure enough for a while. Now it was time to clean up the mess.
Small splatters of blood stained the counter top. While her face seemed composed, Kagome's heart was pounding ferociously in her ears. The moment Momoi had sliced her fingers, surges of adrenaline took over her mind. She tried to settle her nerves by wiping and thoroughly sanitizing everything the substance had touched. However, faint traces of scarlet stained the imprints of her hands. It was as though she were back in the Feudal Era, bandaging her wounded friends after their battle with Naraku.
"Naraku…" Memories of her wounded friends crashed into her mind like a tidal wave. Everyone was grievously injured, barely holding on after their final encounter. Just as the final wish was made and the jewel struck its new home into her heart, the glittering sands of time dragged her down the well and away from them forever. Essentially leaving them there to die. Kagome's palms felt cold and clammy as she clenched them tightly.
"Hey, you okay, Higurashi?" Aomine asked after washing his hands.
"I-I'll be right back," Kagome warbled, hastily making her way out of the kitchen. Momoi knew something was wrong the instant Kagome turned her back. The manager called out for her friend who disregarded her completely. Momoi followed the priestess out of the kitchen and up the stairs, desperately trying to hear an answer.
"Kagome, what's wrong?" Momoi asked once more in a tense whisper, remaining glued to the bottom of the stairs with Aomine by her side.
"Nothing! I'll be down in a minute." Kagome croaked quickly making her way to the top. From there, a door slammed shut.
Momoi followed after the resounding slam. Pink eyes burned with thick tears of her own; she had no idea what could have caused Kagome to become so upset. The manager bit down on her lip, beginning to wonder if her own carelessness had caused it. Silently, her back rested against the bathroom door as she listened to muted sounds of sobs surfaced through the wooden barrier.
Creaks from the stairs caused her to look up from clenched fingers in her lap, Aomine looked over concerned. The manager shook her head and waved him away, signaling him to wait. He obliged with a nod going back down. Momoi took a deep breath as called out to her friend once more.
"Kagome?"
"P-p-please go home, Momoi. I'm so–" another sob cut off the plea.
"No! Kagome, don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong," Momoi scrambled to say, placing a useless hand on the door. "I'm sorry for making such a mess, I didn't mean to." Kagome wiped away a face full of snot and tears inside the bathroom staining her pink hoodie. Deep inside she knew that crying wasn't going to fix the grief glooming her heart, she didn't understand why the tears continued in earnest.
'Gods, I'm so weak,' Kagome reflected numbly, the humiliation of the situation was making her dizzy. Or was it the crying? It had been a long time since she felt this weak and exposed.
On the other side, Momoi noticed a new shadow covering the bathroom's light. Listening to Kagome's sniffing, she allowed silence to stretch over them for a moment before the manager spoke again. Momoi let out a hollow laugh.
"You know, Kagome, you're my first ever female friend," Momoi said, her voice warbling as the tears began pricking in her vision once more. "I have never had an easy time making friends, especially with girls. Many of them disregarded me, assuming I was weird for hanging out so much with the basketball team. They especially looked at me distastefully when it came to my friendship with Aomine." A pause.
"That was, until I met you, Kagome. I know we don't know much about each other yet, but around you I feel so light and free. I'm so glad that I met you, and that I can call you my friend." Drippy, unashamed tears trailed down Momoi's face as she choked out her last sentence. It felt cathartic to finally say these things out loud, but it made her chest clench at the stinging truth of it.
In the bathroom, Kagome's head was in her palms. She had been too harsh to distance herself from Momoi, and for what? Fleeting memories of traveling through the cosmos of time flashed in the back of her mind, the well was blocking her way back to the past. Yet she was blocking herself from living in her own time, her life. The loneliness in Momoi's words had pierced the armor the priestess had put up. They were so alike in their loneliness, circumstances seemingly beyond their control pushing into isolation.
'No. Not anymore.' Kagome thought with a final rub at her eyes. The door slowly opened up revealing her flushed face. Without making eye contact, the priestess patted the spot next to her on the bathroom rug. Momoi obliged silently, taking a seat next to her.
"I'm glad that I can call you my friend too, Momoi," Kagome whispered hoarsely as her fingers picked relentlessly at the shaggy bathroom rug. Sensing her friend's prickling anxiety, Momoi slid closer to her, offering a comforting hand on Kagome's shoulder. "A long time ago, I had a group of very special friends… I loved them like they were my family, we had been through literal hell together. And then, one day they were gone. I didn't even get to say goodbye."
"I'm so sorry, Kagome," Momoi whispered. The manager moved to kneel in front of the priestess, her gaze met Kagome's fiercely. Although the implication of gone was vague, as were these friends, the impact of the loss was evident. Such a weight upon a person's heart, Momoi could never imagine losing anyone she cared about that much.
"No, I'm sorry, I've been keeping you at an arm's length for so long. It's so hard to be close to anyone now. I didn't want to hurt you if I was gone too. I didn't want to lose you, or Aomine, like I did them." Shimmering blue eyes gazed upward as water streaked down reddened cheeks once again.
"I promise that you'll never lose me, okay? After all, you still have to teach me to cook edible food," Momoi tried her best to keep her tone light as she spoke; it seemed that her joke had the desired effect as a weak smile broke through Kagome's sorrow. Without warning, Kagome wrapped her arms around Momoi bringing her into a hug. For a moment, the two girls cried together in the warm embrace.
"Thank you," she whispered, pulling away. Standing up, Kagome extended a hand which Momoi took with a tender smile. "Let's finish what we started."
When the girls came back down the stairs, Aomine was standing at the bottom waiting for them. His eyes were apprehensive as they looked back and forth between the two, but softened when Kagome's gaze met his. She bowed her head in shame.
"I'm sorry about my outburst, a lot came over–" Kagome's apology was cut off as Aomine placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. There was no more teasing mirth in his eyes as she looked at him from under her lashes, rather they were clouded with concern.
"Don't apologize for feeling sad, it's okay," he said. "Losing people is hard, but unfortunately for you, neither of us are going anywhere, okay?" The place where he sat, left a spot of warmth that traveled into Kagome's heart at his words.
"Thank you," Kagome said, setting her hand on top of his. A watery smile crept onto her face accompanied by tears. Clearly not the reaction he was intending, Aomine panickedly moved his hand atop her head to ruffle the raven tresses.
"None of that anymore, c'mon," he said teasingly. There was a looseness about the air that made it easier to breathe as they went back to the kitchen. The girls began working at the curry once more, Aomine elected to sit at the table this time (still with his disguised magazine). Kagome seemed lighter, the weight of her sorrow lifted from her shoulders. Even with her red and puffy eyes, her smile was genuine. Momoi couldn't help the beaming smile that was plastered on her own face.
0-0
Some time passed as they finished the forgotten curry when finally Kagome's timer went off. Momoi held her breath in anticipation as she prepared the curry into a dish; she had diligently followed Kagome's instructions. The manager set two plates in front of Aomine and Kagome.
"Eat up!" Momoi said cheerfully, her eyes dancing between the two as they picked up their utensils. Aomine's face dripped in sweat as he suspiciously beheld the plate in front of him. The curry looked normal enough, lightly steaming from the fresh rice piled underneath the sauce. From the corner of his eye, Kagome bravely took a bite out of it.
"It's good! A little light on flavor, but you did a great job, Momoi," Kagome expressed, taking another bite of curry. Momoi beamed at the girl and served herself a plate. Since the priestess didn't promptly pass out from the first bite, Aomine went ahead with his first. As the food settled on his tongue he realized with great certainty that the curry had absolutely no flavor. Beads of sweat dripped down his temple.
'How the hell is that even possible?' Aomine thought as he swallowed. At Momoi's hopeful glance, he gave her an approving thumbs up. Satisfied by their reactions, the manager prepared herself a plate and sat down with them. She happily took a bite and realized what Kagome had meant by "light on flavor."
'Damn it!' Momoi thought as she continued eating. Although it lacked any flavor she had to pride herself that it was at least edible.
"Ne, Momoi, a tournament starts tomorrow right?" Kagome asked, taking her last bite of curry.
"Yes! These are the preliminaries though, the games there will decide who makes it to the actual Inter High tournament," Momoi chirped. "If you can, you should come and watch. It'll be so exciting, Tōō plays Seirin first. You'll get to meet Tetsu!"
"Well, if you say it's exciting how could I miss it?" Kagome laughed as she gathered their dirty dishes into the sink. "Will you be playing?" The ace regarded her with a narrow look.
"No shit I will be. I'm the best player on the damn team, no one can beat me, except me," Aomine declared proudly with a smirk. Kagome could only roll her eyes.
"Guess you'll have to prove it tomorrow, Ahomine." With that she promptly stuck her tongue at him, which he reciprocated. While she had never been to a basketball game before, Kagome was certain that it would be at least entertaining while her own school played.
"Speaking of which," Momoi interrupted, noticing the time. "I think we'll have to head out. I didn't even notice how late it was."
It was true, Kagome's phone clock read 10:32. She hadn't even noticed the hours fly by. Just as the two were about to step out the door, an idea suddenly popped into the priestess's mind.
"Wait, just a minute, I have something for you guys," Kagome called before running back to the kitchen. Rifling through the pantry, she pulled jars holding varying plants and placed them on the counter. It was a practice from the Feudal Era that she couldn't shake, collecting herbs brought her immense comfort. Once the herbs were chosen, she pulled a plastic container out.
"What's this?" Momoi asked, interest at a peak when Kagome brought out the container filled with light green powder.
"These are herbs! Since the game is tomorrow, you'll want to be able to play with strength just in case injuries happen. Jii-san taught me how to prepare them for healing," Kagome explained. It was a little white lie, her grandfather couldn't tell an herb from a weed, but explaining who Kaede was was too much to handle at the moment. Unbeknownst to Momoi, Kagome summoned her miko ki. She had infused the energy with the herbs which should give the potion a little extra kick, just in case.
"With this one, you'll only need a spoonful of the stuff for it to work. Also, you need to dissolve it in room temperature water so that it acts faster. It'll help with low energy." Kagome instructed. Aomine took the container from Momoi's hands and apprehensively sniffed it.
"Are you like a witch or something?" Aomine questioned, trying to sound disinterested. Kagome snickered to herself at his poorly hidden curiosity.
"No way. If I was, I would have casted a spell on you a long time ago" the priestess teased. "Better prove that you're actually good tomorrow, or you'll be the kitty cat." Aomine responded by flicking her forehead.
"See ya!" Aomine called as he began walking away shortly thereafter. Before she could remark about the intrusion, Momoi brought Kagome into a quick hug.
"Promise you'll come to the game tomorrow?"
"Sure," Kagome smiled. "I'll bring some friends since you'll be on the court." The manager squealed in delight at the affirmative response and ran to catch up with Aomine.
The two slowly disappeared as they descended the shrine's stairs. Once they were gone, Kagome sighed as she looked up towards the sky. Stars attempted to make their presence known, but were ultimately outshone by the city's lights. She missed seeing stars in their illuminating glory. But, she had to make do with what her circumstances were. Those of which were not so bad after all. After her emotional outburst in front of Momoi and Aomine, Kagome felt the heaviness that weighed on her chest lift. Just a bit. It made her hopeful to keep moving forward.
As she made her way back into the house, Buyo greeted her by the door. Kagome smiled and picked up the rotund feline when she felt her phone buzz. Expecting it to be Momoi, the priestess pulled out the device to check if it was. It wasn't, rather a text from her mother.
"Hi honey, I think we just ran into one of your friends at Sota's game. He says he misses you very much! Hope you had fun with your friend today 3"
Kagome stared at the text message in confusion and quickly responded, questioning who the friend was. Setting Buyo down, Kagome continued about her business getting ready for bed. Checking her phone again, there was nothing from her mother. Brushing it off, Kagome laid down under her comforter. After such a long and busy day, she swiftly found sleep. A few moments later, another text buzzed.
"He said his name Hikaru Shippo."
A/N: Drama! AoKag fluff! Intrigue! And more later on! Chapter updates will be kinda all over the place, but that's life ya know. Leaving a review would help though ;P Thank you for reading!