Chapter 6: Come with Me

Anime Show: Shokugeki no Soma

Genre: Romance/Drama

Pairing: Shun Ibusaki and Ryoko Sakaki

Overview: Ryoko has a dream from the past, and after the party's events, both Shun and Ryoko are left puzzled. The next day, Ryoko begins to plan something to patch up her friendship. (*WARNING: LIGHT SEXUAL CONTENT APPROACHING*)

The world went blank. The scene was a void of darkness, until it faded away and revealed the familiar surroundings of the Polar Star Dorm.

Third-year, Ryoko Sakaki, walked back to the dorms, after another day of classes. She took her time, keeping her pace slow and uniformed. The walk of a mature and peaceful woman.

Wafting through the air, the smell of freshly grown vegetables, sawed wood chips, and stinky livestock, from her dorm's areas of work, overwhelmed her nose. And yet the smell represented her entire place of living. A home that was both unbearable and yet pleasant.

Entering the tall, wooden doors, she was surprised to see Zenji and Shun near the entrance. She would've thought that they would be busy studying and researching.

Zenji was yelling at Shoji and Daigo for making a mess in his room, while Shun stood against the wall, acting as cool as a cucumber. He turned his head and met her gaze, giving her a slight nod and a smile to greet her. In return, She smiled and waved to him, before turning toward the side kitchen.

When opening the kitchen door, she was instantly hit by a burst of a variety of distinct smells: chicken, rabbit, duck, goat. The entire room reeked of animals. If anyone were to walk in here, they might mistake it for a zoo or farm, rather than a clean, well-organized kitchen.

She noticed a lone pot of stew, with its lid tightly closed. Trying to sneak a peek of the inside of it was nearly impossible, due to the flow steam building up from the heat. Curiously, she opened the lid to first meet eyes with the steam, but she was then able to view a boiling, rich-looking broth filled with meat and vegetables. Unable to resist her curiosity, she reached into a nearby drawer and grabbed a spoon. Scooping a bit of the mysterious stew from the pot, she tasted it.

"Hmm, this needs some more spice." She made a comment to herself, and out of instinct, she made her way towards the pantry closet to collect spices. Before she could open the door, it swung open abruptly. Amazingly, her fast reflexes allowed her to back out of the way in time, before she got thwacked by the heavy, iron door.

Looking past the alarming experience, Ryoko's eyes steadied themselves on the source of the opened door. It was none other than her best friend, Yuki Yoshino, who was already holding an abundance of spices, overflowing throughout her arms. Her foot was dangling in mid-air, most likely because of her kicking the door open.

"Woah! I'm so sorry, Ryoko-chan! I didn't expect anyone to be in here. Did I hit you?" Yuki scanned her friend with a worried expression, only to find relief when she saw that Ryoko wasn't hurt. Her friend gave off her signature smile. A smile full of sugar, spice, and everything nice.

"Oh no, you didn't get me! I was just lucky to step out of the way in time. I was just about to grab those spices for that pot you have over there. Is that some kind of meat stew you're cooking up?" Ryoko crossed her arms and lightly tapped her finger in anticipation.

"Yes, it sure is! Ever since Ikumi came up with a way to combine a turkey, duck, and chicken, I was inspired and wanted to create my own meat-filled dish. With her advice, I'm trying to combine the flavors of different cuts of meat and balance them out in a stew. It seems to be working pretty well so far, and with these spices, it's definitely going to be a delicious masterpiece!" Yuki put her hands on her hips, feeling proud of her dish. Whenever she showed any sign of her charisma, it always seemed like a mist of glitter and brightness shone around, showcasing a glow of happiness she supplied.

"Well it sounds good already!" Ryoko returned her smile, but she then had a sudden realization. Something that's been going on for quite a while. "Say, don't you have a class today? I thought you usually have that restaurant business class at this time."

Yuki's smile grew more awkward and twitchy, and she reached her hand back to scratch her head.

"Yeah, about that. I've been doing so many of these little projects lately, that I haven't really been making my way to class." She let out an uncomfortable giggle.

"Oh, Yuki," Ryoko said, putting her hand on her forehead, "you have to go to classes. It has to be your priority as a student at this school. I don't want your grades to suffer."

Ryoko twiddled her fingers in anticipation for her answer. Her worries slowly faded, as she saw a big smile and giggles on her friend's face. Yuki threw her arms around her in a tight embrace, with her face buried in Ryoko's chest.

"Ryoko, you silly goose! My grades are goinice g to be just fine, and I'm going to graduate with you! I'm not going to give up something like that! We're in this together!" Yuki let go of the embrace and looked out the door to see the rest of the dorm members.

"We're all going to graduate from here! Every last one of us! I'll do everything I can to make that happen! It's a solemn promise!"

The view of the kitchen disappeared, and Ryoko found herself once again in darkness before the sight of her own dark dorm room came into focus.

All of it a dream. A memory from her last week with Yuki. The last sighting of Yuki with her good old charisma and cutesy charm.

Ryoko curled her legs up to her chest. Her head ached as her thoughts about getting her friend back piled up. She glanced at her alarm clock and saw that it was only 2:00 a.m.

With a yawn, she decided to put her thoughts of Yuki to rest and return to her doze. But trying to go back to sleep was nearly impossible with a different wave of thoughts overwhelming her.

She suddenly had a rush of images of her friend, Shun. Ones that she knew were wrong, but from tonight's events and the events in the wee hours of the morning, she couldn't help but think about him.

The thought of how well-toned and sculpted his muscular body was, how the warmth of his body against hers made her shiver with delight, how his gentle touches on her body made her feel butterflies, and how the look in his deep, romantic eyes, as they peered down into her own eyes, made her feel such comfort.

A sudden thought came to mind. One that brought a sudden flush to her face. One that made her curse under her breath at Ikumi for even bringing up such a topic, during their discussion at dinner.

Sex with Shun Ibusaki. It made her tingle with heat throughout just thinking about it. His tongue, his hands... his cock, his whole body making her feel absolute bliss. She imagined him tearing off her clothes to expose her nude self. She pictured him being the gentle type of guy but would secretly have some kinky wants. The image of him on top of her,... inside of her.

When she thought about his cock inside of her, Ryoko sat up suddenly and clutched her head. The sexually erotic scenarios of her and Shun together were getting out of hand. She realized just how heated she had become and how her once-clean panties were already extremely wet with arousal.

"I'm not going to get any sleep, am I?" she asked herself, shaking off her dirty thoughts and putting on a robe over her nightgown. She slipped on her slippers and headed out into the kitchen.

"Might as well get something to eat while I'm awake in misery."

She left her room quietly, with her thoughts still swirling through her mind overwhelmingly.

"Yuki. Shun. Yuki. Shun. My god! What is wrong with me?!"

Ryoko walked down the hall with mixed intentions, unaware that Shun himself was having thoughts of his own. Thoughts that didn't allow him to get a wink of sleep.

Shun turned to the other side of his bed again, facing the wall. He had been stuck in a pattern of the same motions for hours upon hours. He clutched his pillow and pulled it over his face, staring into the dark abyss it created. The last moments of the party encircled his brain.

The image of him leaning in to kiss her stuck. The quiet, loner, who was always the bystander to the dorm's commotion, was extremely close to making such a bold move. And the way she reacted to the approach was mind boggling to him. He threw his pillow at the end of his bed out of frustration.

"Why would she want to kiss me? I mean, I'm basically known for giving everyone the cold shoulder, so why does she, the most gorgeous, sweet, and lovable person in the world, want to get close to me?" Exhausted from contemplating this question, Shun finally got up from his bed, no longer having any hope of getting any sleep.

He quickly put on a T-shirt, shorts, and a pair of plaid slippers. He had made up his mind and decided to put his time of consciousness to good use. Heading downstairs to work on a splendid, new dish sounded like something he desperately needed right now, to take his mind off the unresolved tension between him and his dearest friend.

--

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Ryoko took another bite into the creamy, ice cream sandwich. Ever since the first night the gang got hooked on her rice juice, Isshiki had made it a priority of the dorm to keep a stash of the ultimate hangover snacks. Though, on this particular night, Ryoko would use them as a late-night snack to finally put the day's commotion to rest. And she chose to accompany her snack with her famous rice juice beverage. Alcohol has the tendency to make someone drowsy, so she figured she would give it a whirl.

Finally taking her last sip and bite, Ryoko looked up to the ceiling from the stool she was sitting on. She gently tapped her finger as she stared at the ceiling fan, spinning around and around. She figured it was pointless to wait out the hours of the night like this. With an audible sigh, she got up from the stool and headed for the door.

She flicked off the light switch and grabbed the door handle. Before she could turn the knob, the door swung open suddenly. Deja vu from her dream, she walked backwards, taken aback by the similar occurrence. With the dark hallway and kitchen, she couldn't make out who it was.

She took another step back only to find herself slipping on a plastic bottle, likely to have been carelessly left by another dormer. The moment her back faced the ground, mid-air, the light flashed back on. She braced herself, ready to hit the ground and feel horrible pain. But then, she stopped.

She felt the warmth of two meticulous hands. One held her up by the small of her back, the other was placed under her legs, dangerously close to her thighs. Her eyes finally drifted from her shaken-up state and took notice in the figure who came to her rescue.

"Are you alright Sakaki? Looked like you were going to take a nasty fall."

There he was. His handsome face above her, as if he were her angel. His bangs dangled away from his eyes, letting them stare back into hers.

"Ummm...t-thank you. W-what are you doing here this late, Ibusaki?" She gazed thoughtfully at the hand now gripping directly on her thigh, perhaps wanting it to move a little closer.

"I should be asking you the same. Why are you this late?" His eyes were gentle and concerned, causing Ryoko to feel a rush of warmth throughout her body.

She would be left in such a trance for days, but a sudden movement in Shun's gaze from her face to her chest made her realize the big mistake she made in her choice of clothing. The parting of her throw-on robe was wide enough to show her tight, lacy nightgown, bringing lots of attention to her cleavage. A nice bit of red blush mingled on Shun's cheeks, unsure of how to handle this situation. The red of his blush wasn't the only thing growing now, as he would notice later on that a member of his had become hardened.

He, however, was so mesmerized by her body that he didn't notice his hand traveling farther up her thigh.

Feeling the maneuver, Ryoko jolted up out of his arms and turned her back to him, quickly rewrapping her robe for more coverage.

"I-I just got up t-to get a snack. I was... hungry." She peered back at him, to see his expression.

His fingers dwindled with the front tips of his bangs, making that guilty, busted-looking stance. She swore she could hear him make a loud gulp before he spoke.

"Oh... well, I couldn't sleep, so I figured I might as well practice my cooking skills. It's better than just sitting around doing nothing, right?" He scratched his head, scanning her once again. He hated that he made her feel uncomfortable, but he couldn't help the way she looked to him at the moment. It was rather alluring.

"Well... just don't stay up too late, okay? It's not healthy to get a lack of sleep. On that note, I'm going back to bed." She turned to the door, ready to leave, until a hand gripped her wrist before she could bolt.

"Shun?" she turned her head, startled.

"Wait... don't you want to talk about... what happened in the closet?"

Ryoko thought back to that moment and everything she could possibly be referring to. She couldn't tell if he wanted to discuss her mental breakdown or their almost kiss. She took a deep breath and let her heart take the wheel.

"Listen, it was a rough night. A rough day in general, might I add. I just became a bawling mess, and you didn't deserve to deal with that. So if I made things awkward between us, I'm sorry."

He removed his hand from her wrist and gazed at her in complete bewilderment.

"You didn't make it awkward. It was just... a lot to take in. Please, don't feel bad about it. You can talk to me whenever you'd like. I happen to be a very good listener." He gave off a cocky smile. She giggled lightly at the sight.

"That's good to hear. Really, you don't know how much that means to me. Having you by my side, I can't help but appreciate it. So, thank you."

She swiftly moved closer to him. Her gorgeous smile appearing for the first time in a long time. Shun couldn't remember the last time he saw her with that precious smile.

"You don't have to thank me for anything. I'm willing to stand by you no matter what."

Ryoko couldn't hold back her joy any longer. She jumped into his arms and gave him a tight hug. He froze completely and felt flustered by their contact. She clutched the back of his shirt and pulled him closer.

"I'm glad your still here, Ibusaki-Kun." He came back to his senses and embraced the hug. It felt magical to him, as he looked down at her figure against him. A smile couldn't help but form on his face.

They stayed like that, holding each other for a while. Ryoko wondered why it felt so nice being with him like this, but then she noticed how they were practically grinding their bodies against each other. She broke away from the hug, facing down and twiddling her fingers through the strands of her hair.

"I-I should go back to bed," she saw the emotion written all over his face. Disappointment. He wished he could share the entire night with her in his arms. Before leaving, she walked back to him and went to his ear, bringing her voice to a whisper.

"Good night, Ibusaki. Don't stay up too late." She leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on his left cheek. In response, his face turned the reddest of reds. She quickly left the room, not looking back at his reaction.

--

Morning came, and Ryoko found herself sitting in her bed once again. She had been unable to let go of her thoughts about Yuki and Shun. She had barely gotten any sleep, managing only to get two hours, after her midnight snack.

She stared at her ceiling, her walls, and out the window by her nightstand, searching for some type of answer, any sign that could lead her in the right direction.

She caught a glimpse of Zenji outside, preparing to leave on one of the motorbikes the school provided for long-distance travel. He zoomed off, leaving tracks of the tire behind him.

And then, it clicked. Her next move. The ultimate plan to solve her worries and problems. She may not be able to make Yuki's expulsion invalid, but she could at least try to patch up their friendship.

She jumped out of bed and ran across the room to her work desk. Despite her legs still being half-asleep, she managed to open the desk's drawer and pulled out a framed picture of herself and Yuki at Yuki's house. Turning it over, she loosened the bolts of the frame, then carefully pulled out the picture. Written on the back were the date and address of when and where the photo was taken, along with a little note.

"January 2nd, 541 Blossom Drive. The best winter break ever, with my dearest friend! - Yuki Yoshino." The time of their vacation together had happened three years age. The last year of their middle school lives.

She then reached for her laptop on the desk and opened it. She typed in the address and searched for it. The house was ten hours from Totsuki Academy. No way she'd make her way there by motorcycle, but she knew she could easily make her way to the bus station, which was less than twenty minutes away from her.

She thought to herself, 'Perfect.' She pulled up the website for the bus tickets, but before she purchased one, she paused. She'd never had to travel so far alone before. A bit of fear crept into her thoughts, imagining the worst-case scenarios.

An idea came to mind, so she left her desk and immediately went out the door.

--

The counters were lined with plates of different smoked dishes. There amongst them was Shun Ibusaki, who happened to fall asleep, while writing down dish concepts.

Someone came through the kitchen door and was shocked to see him slumped over, on the stool. Shocked enough to shake him awake dramatically.

"YO SHUN!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU MAN?! DID YOU FORGET WHERE YOUR ROOM IS?!" His eyes shot open to see the signature prickly, red hair of his dormer, Soma Yukihira.

"S-Soma?... What are you doing here at the dorms?" He grumbled, forcing Soma's hands off of him, only for Soma to start giving him a noogie.

"Well that's not how you should greet your friend, huh Shun?" He backed away and crossed his arms, "I thought I told you all that I was coming back for the long weekend. Me and Erina have got some big plans to take care of, you know."

"Right. Sorry, I forgot." Shun adjusted his position in his chair, sitting up straight and attentively.

"No worries man... so, do you got anything cooking this weekend?"

Shun said bluntly, "Probably just more smoked dishes."

"Nahh, I didn't mean that to be literal. Do you have plans for this weekend?" Soma asked him curiously.

"Nothing much. I'll just do some more cooking practice." Shun received a disappointed look from Soma. Almost as if he had just hurt his feelings. He didn't know what to say next, so he just kept quiet and waited for his reply.

"Really?! Nothing but practice?! C'mon buddy! You've gotta do something relaxing or fun once in a while!" Soma patted him on the back, and went to the exit door. "Welp, I won't force you into anything, but at least think about it, okay?"

Shun gave an affirmative nod, as Soma strutted out of the kitchen.

"Oh, hey there!" The faint voice of Soma talking in the hallway grabbed his attention. He wondered who it could be.

"Hello, Soma! Welcome back!" A gleeful voice replied.

He had heard that angelic voice. A voice he could always listen to, with its calming effect on him.

"Ryoko..."

Soma replied to her, "Thanks! Sorry, I've got to cut this reunion thing short, but I kind of have to meet with Erina now."

"Oh, please go! I don't want you to make her worry! I'll see you later!"

"Will do! See ya, Ryoko!" Their footsteps retreated, one moving farther and one moving closer to him. And there she was. Beauty in its true form. But her sudden look of disappointment made him realize his error.

"Shun! I told you not to stay up too late! Were you here all night?" She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. Her eyebrows scrunched down, as she frowned. In response, Shun got up from the stool.

"Not exactly... I kind of fell asleep at the counter." He scratched the back of his head and looked to the side.

"That's no better, Shun! You need to sleep in a proper place next time! At least somewhere with a pillow and blanket."

She sighed deeply and retracted her gaze from him, just to look back at him with a different look. A more questioning one. "Anyways, I wanted to ask you something?"

"Yes, Ryoko?"

Shun straightened up. He peered at those eyes of hers. Those clear, red-rubies that would sparkle whenever she laid her eyes upon him.

"Would you... uhhh... like to come with me?"

He was now puzzled. He raised an eyebrow beneath his bangs. Ryoko blushed realizing she hadn't really given him much to go off of.

"I mean, well, you know we have this long weekend and all, and well, you know what I had said at the party. I... want to fix my situation with Yuki. But I'm afraid of going alone. And since you told me that you would stay by my side, well, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to find Yuki?" Ryoko's eyes widened and she cupped her cheeks and squeezed her eyes shut, "B-But you don't have to, of course! It's your choice! I don't want to force you into anything you're not actually willing to do! Am I talking too much?"

The presence of a hand on her shoulder caused her to open her eyes and see Shun's tired but charming hand resting on her.

"Yes... I'll come with you."

Concluding Statements: Sorry this one took longer to make! It is the longest of my stories so far!!! Stayed tuned for chapter 7!!!