Four Seasons of Love

Author's Note: This was supposed to be written for Sorina Week Day 4: Seasons, but as you can see it was really really REALLY late.

Disclaimer: Titles were not mine. These were taken from the album of someone named Donna Summer. I don't really know her and I haven't listened to the songs but thought that it would be perfect for this fanfic.

Also, all characters belong to Yūto Tsukuda, except for Gordon Ramsay (he's his own person).

-Spring Affairs-

"Just a moment Soma-kun!"

He stopped and turned towards the direction of the voice. He didn't notice that he walked quite a distance from the others. He smiled when the girl caught up, clutching her knees as she struggled to catch her breath.

"You okay, Tadokoro?" he asked guiltily as the blunette took a huge breath and greedily took a gulp from her water bottle.

Not long after, the rest of the Polar Star residents came to view, though not as much as exhausted as Tadokoro.

"Well, this is a first. Who knew Soma-kun could wake up early on a school day?"

"I know right? I was shocked when I saw him humming on the kitchen. For a moment, I thought he was having a Shokugeki this morning but then I remembered that it was only the opening ceremony."

"I haven't seen him this excited to go to school."

"Except maybe if there was a cooking battle."

"Or a new recipe was being introduced in class."

"True. I couldn't believe that there would come a time where Soma would wake up earlier than 6 AM for a regular class, and on an opening ceremony no less."

He couldn't believe it either. He woke up this morning feeling energized and itching to get back to Totsuki Academy.

'We're going to become second years together, okay?'

He was probably grinning from ear to ear. The others joked about his sudden enthusiasm but he didn't care. Heck, all he cares about is the fact that starting today they'll be second years. All of the rebels had made it. They've fulfilled their unspoken promise to each other.

He has fulfilled his promise to her.

"You guys. Aren't you excited that we've finally advanced for another year?"

"I would've preferred it more if they've given us at least a month of vacation." Shoji muttered sullenly. "At least long enough to recover to the physical and emotional stress that we've undergone these past few months."

"You shouldn't have expected less." Marui said as he adjusted his glasses. "This is Totsuki, after all."

;

There wasn't anything interesting that happened at the opening ceremony. Unlike last year.

So when it was done, they all went to get their schedules and proceeded to their respective classrooms.

There we're only nine of them in his first class so he took the first station that was closest to the exit. A minute before the class officially started, someone hurriedly entered the room and slipped by his side, claiming the station beside his.

"Oh, Erina!" He beamed, causing her to jump before abruptly turning to him.

"I see we're neighbors again." He added and before the blonde could formulate a reply, their teacher entered the room and ceased the conversation around them.

"This is 'World Cuisine' and throughout the semester you'll be working in pairs. Those who are in the same station would be partners. No questions asked. "

Most of their classmates groaned at this but Soma just grinned and turned to his side.

"I guess you're stuck with me for the whole semester."

Erina just rolled her eyes then organized her things.

If this was the case one year ago, he had no doubt that she would be throwing profanities at him and would be listing reasons on why she should be allowed to work by herself and why he should be expelled.

The fact that she was doing neither of the two, well, he'd like to think that she's already warming up to him.

-Summer Fever-

Summer wouldn't be complete without a trip on the beach. At least, that was what Alice had said as she dragged Erina to the nearest beach at Totsuki.

She frowned when she saw so many tourists on their bathing suit. She didn't understand why people would willingly display that much skin in a crowded place. She would've preferred it if they went to a private villa but she knew that there was no stopping Alice when she made up her mind.

"Is that Yukihira?"

Hearing his name, Erina's head swiftly scanned her surroundings before setting her sight to direction Alice was pointing. And indeed, Yukihira Soma was sitting atop the lifeguard post wearing nothing but red shorts and a whistle hanging on his neck.

"I didn't know that he works as a life guard."

Erina didn't know either. She had thought that he'll be going back to his diner and reopen Yukihira's for the summer. Apparently her assumption was wrong.

They watched him long enough for Erina to witness a group of girls headed to his direction. There were only two of them, one with light brown hair and the other with short black hair—both wearing their swim suits, she observed. As soon as they've caught Soma's attention, he climbed down from his seat and conversed with the two. One of them laughed at something the redhead had said, while the latter was sporting a pleased and easy smile.

Erina wondered what they were talking about. She discretely squinted her eyes trying to read the movements of their mouths, but of course they were too far away for that to be possible.

Then all of a sudden, the short haired girl grabbed Soma's hand and pulled him away from his post as the other girl pushed him from his back.

Alice didn't miss the way her cousin's face contorted and decided to have a little fun.

"Well, at least he was popular with the tourists." She commented lightly.

"See if I care," Erina replied impassively, her mouth set in a firm line. She flipped her hair and turned her back from the scene and briskly walked towards the direction of their cottage.

This highly amused her cousin, who was already thinking of ways on how she can use this little incident to mess with the blonde. That, until she remembered that the only one who knew where their cottage is was Ryo since he was the one that reserved it for them.

"Mou! Hurry up Ryo-kun. We don't want Erina stealing someone else's cottage. Gosh. That would be embarrassing."

;

As they were headed towards the changing rooms, Alice knew that something was bothering Erina. She can tell, what with her scrunched eyebrows and the way she bit the insides of her cheeks. She would bet a thousand that her cousin was doing it unconsciously.

It doesn't really take a genius to figure out the reason why her cousin was making such a sour face. If looks could kill then the brown haired lady who had touched Yukihira's bare back would have been dead 10 times over.

"You know Erina, if you're jealous then you should have said so. We could've both marched in front of them. We both know that he can be oblivious at times."

"I don't know what you're taking about." Erina replied in instinct. A smirk slowly made its way to Alice' mouth. She knew first-hand how often that phrase have gone out of her cousin's mouth that it's almost reflex by now.

"Oh, please. Like you and Yukihira haven't been all chummy chummy with each other this past semester," she said teasingly, eagerly awaiting her companion's reaction. And to her delight, Erina abruptly turned to face her with a slight blush on her face.

"We did nothing inappropriate!"

"Ooh. So you admit that at least you have done something?" Alice asked feigning interest and innocence at the same time.

"Wha—that's not what I—we didn't—ugh. Not another one of these, Alice." She chided as she hurriedly walked towards their destination.

"Well, you don't have to leave me behind." She shouted as she hurried her pace to catch up to Erina.

"Anyway! Don't let it bother you. For all we know, they were just asking for help with setting up their umbrellas."

"It doesn't bother me at all." She snapped as she entered one of the cubicle and slammed the door on her cousin's face.

"Suuure. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

;

Incidentally, they bumped into Yukihira on their way back. Like, Erina literally bumped into him since she was focusing more on ignoring her cousin than on her surroundings.

Yukihira's face visibly brightened as he saw the two.

"Hey! I didn't know you were here." He said cheerfully, Alice replying in the same manner.

They chatted for a while but eventually, golden eyes settled on the other Nakiri who was being too quiet. He sent a confused look at Alice who only shrugged in response.

He folded his arms on his chest and squatted until he was on Erina's eye level then schooled his face in a serious expression, his mouth pouting exaggeratedly which ruined the look. He stared directly at her purple eyes and waited for any reaction.

Erina rolled her eyes with his antics before returning her gaze to the golden ones, her expression betraying nothing.

They indulged in a staring contest and when Erina remained quiet, Soma frowned and examined her face.

"Are you seriously ignoring me right now?" Soma asked as he poked Erina's cheek, an action which caused Alice to raise an eyebrow.

"Stop it Yukihira." The blonde said as she swatted the red head's hand.

"Oh no, not the last name basis," he gasped jokingly as he continued to poke her cheeks, then her hips causing her to squirm.

Alice watched their interaction, no doubt in her mind that she was forgotten but not being able to leave since the scene was more amusing.

When he didn't draw a laugh from her, Soma suddenly scooped up the blond and thrown her over his shoulder. This earned him a gasp.

"Put me down, Yukihira!"

"I don't know who you're taking to."

He started to walk towards the water and Erina squirms on his hold.

"Put me down!"

"Nope, not gonna happen."

"Soma!" The moment the words left her mouth, Soma had submerged on the water taking her with him.

When they finally resurfaced, Erina smacked Yukihira while the latter just laughed. And even though it seemed like the man was getting an earful, Alice could still make out the curve on her cousins mouth.

"Gosh. Can they be more obvious?"

-Autumn Changes-

Two days before the Autumn Leaf Viewing, Soma decided that it was a good time to challenge Erina for her 4th seat.

;

The two of them arrived together on the day of the event, one of them irritated while the other sporting a smug face.

"I just got a new assistant for the Moon Banquet Festival. And a personal bodyguard. Plus my workload have been greatly reduced!" Erina said cheerfully, as a way of explanation to the questioning gazes coming from the rest of the Elite Ten.

"This is slavery, I tell you. This girl has no mercy." Soma informed them dramatically while pointing a finger at the girl by his side.

She rolled her eyes at him as she sat down at her assigned seat, Soma following suit.

"It's not my fault that someone arrogantly thought that he could beat me at a Shokugeki." She eyed Soma as she added, "It's too early for you to even think you could beat me."

Soma crossed his arms and was about to rebut her when Satoshi interjected.

"Now, now children," he said, clapping his hands in front of him to catch the attention of everyone.

"I think it's time to meet our precious first years, no?"

With a sigh coming from the others, all the members of the New Elite Ten stood from their seats and walked towards the place where the promising first years of the 93rd Generation await.

;

The Moon Banquet Festival was bustling as ever. Soma handled everything regarding their booth, from reserving their place at the Yamanote Area, talking to the contractors, to directing the placement of the tables, just so Erina could focus more on the menus.

It was hectic but he discovered that he enjoyed working beside the blonde. She would often let him try one of her creations and he would tell her what he thought of it, even though she would always say the she didn't ask for his opinion.

The fact that she hadn't kicked him out yet gave him confidence. She was starting to acknowledge him, he knew it. And even though she was denying it verbally, he knew that it was only a matter of time before she'll recognize his cooking.

;

They came in 2nd for the overall ranking, with the Trattoria Aldini taking in the 1st place at the Uptown Area. If it weren't for the nature of their booth, he had no doubt that they would've taken the top. Hisako had a hard time managing the reservations on day one alone. No doubt that the presence of the two seated members in one booth had attracted the attention of most of the patrons.

It was past midnight when they finished cleaning up and went back to the dorm. She had been staying there for the duration of the Moon Banquet Festival for "convenience purpose" since she and Soma were working together.

It was maybe around two when Soma woke for whatever reason. He sat up on his bed and reached for the water bottle in his night stand. He laid down and was about to go back to sleep when he heard it.

It was faint and he wasn't even sure if it was real or just his ears deceiving him but then he head it again.

He sat up abruptly and when he heard the soft whimper for the third time, he was already up and running out of his bedroom before he even realized what he was doing. His feet automatically brought him on her door and entered the room without bothering to knock.

Everything looks normal at first that he almost thought he was just hearing things. But then Erina jerked on her sleep and Soma was instantly at her side.

Her face was scrunched up and she was sweating like crazy even though the AC was on. He found a face towel at the corner and started dabbing on her face.

"No! Please no!" She squirmed.

"Father please. I'll do anything. " Tears started to flow from her closed eyes and the mention of her father almost sent him to find the man so that he could beat his face for ever causing her these pains.

"No more. Please."

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay. It's okay." He said as he caressed her face. "It's just me, Erina." He set aside the hair that was sticking on her forehead, wiping her face in the process.

Her eyes snapped open and what used to be clear purple eyes stared up at him. Her eyes were unfocused and confused as she stared up at him. It took her a moment to clear up before recognition dawned on her.

"S-Soma…kun?" she whispered.

"I'm here," He said as he took hold of her hand. He helped her sit up and offered her glass of water that she greedily drank. She was still breathing heavily and he was rubbing circles on her back to help herself calm down.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked softly.

She hesitated for a moment, then took a shaky breath before opening herself up to him.

She started crying in the middle of her story and Soma couldn't help it any longer. He hugged her.

"It was t-terrible. He w-was b-back and I w-was a child again. B-but this t-time, g-grandfather wasn't there to s-stop him. A-and I d-didn't enter T-totsuki. A-and I d-didn't had a c-chance to m-meet any of y-you."

She cried and cried, baring all her vulnerabilities to the man that she had claimed to hate in the past. He cradled her fragile body, murmuring comforting things as she cried on his chest.

"I-I'm sorry." She said afterwards. "I'm r-ruining your s-shirt."

"Don't worry about it."

He tightened his hold on her. "You don't have to worry about anything else, as long as I'm here. I'm going to protect you, don't worry."

She snuggled closer to him, her arms thrown on over his shoulder and her face nestled on his neck.

It took quite a while for her sniffles to die down and her breathing to even out.

Seeing her so helpless and broken, something akin to a glass breaking seemed to be happening inside his chest.

At that moment he knew, no he swears that he was going to protect her. He would do anything in his power to never let her experience that kind of hurt, ever again.

If he had to be her personal clown, then so be it.

- Winter Melody -

From: Yukihira Soma

I need a favor Hishoko! ~8:02AM

I know this is a selfish request… ~8:03AM

And of course you can tell me no… ~8:03AM

But…

Could you free Erina's schedule on the night of the 25th? ~8:04AM

"So aside from the client that Mr. Ramsay referred to us, you're basically free the whole day and the days after that," Hisako finished as she summarized Erina's schedule for the duration of her time outside of class.

"Thank you Hisako. You can email me all the details later so I can go over them this evening." She said over her laptop before dismissing the pinkette.

Even though it was their winter vacation, her schedule just wouldn't allow her to take a break. There were Elite Ten matters, taste tests to a couple of restaurants, and she even had to fly to New York for a consultation just before Christmas.

Not to mention that she had to shop for gifts for Hisako, Alice, Megumi and some of the rebels that she had gotten close to. And although she had already decided what to give to them, she still had no idea what to give him.

She told herself not to worry. Besides she wouldn't see any of them until after New Year, when they get back to school, so she still had a couple of weeks.

;

Her trip to New York was uneventful. Mr. Ramsay introduced her to the winner of some cooking show. The man cooked a dish, presented it to her, she tasted it, said her assessment, gave a bit of advice and business was done. She said the customary 'You had a lot of potential' line but of course, it wouldn't be Erina if she didn't say some unkind words. Though, she had to commend the man for listening to her little speech without a flinch. She guess he was used it—Mr. Ramsay is an expert at profane words, especially when he's talking to the chefs under his care.

"We have a few hours before out flight to Japan, Erina-sama. Do you want to go back to the hotel, or maybe you want to go sight-seeing?"

She was about to reply that she wanted to catch a few hours of sleep when her cell phone rang.

"I think I'll go sight-seeing for a while. You can go ahead, Hisako. Make sure that all of my things were packed. I'll see you later!" She said as she clicked the answer button and held the cell on her ear. She was out before Hisako can reply.

"Did you know that Santa Claus has eight reindeers to pull on his sleigh? And one of them has red nose! His name's Ralph, I think."

Erina rolled her eyes as she listened to the other line. This man really had no manners. He didn't even bothered to say 'hello'. But still, just hearing his voice and the nonsense he was spouting put a smile on her face.

"It's Rudolph."

"Oh, yeah. That's the one. Hey, how do you think I'll look like if I wear a red nose, like Rudolph? They have got to have that on the store, right?"

"You'll probably still be ugly."

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I would assume that you meant what you said."

"Who's to say that I didn't mean it?"

"Har, har! Anyways, how was your meeting with Chef Ramsay?"

"It goes the same as my other meetings."

"Please tell me you at least asked for his autograph?"

"And why would I do that?" Why would she care about Ramsay's autograph? He may be popular but so was she (this was her pride talking). Both he and she belong to the same circle in the culinary world. Besides, her client wasn't him but his apprentice.

"Well, he's Gordon Ramsay. I would say that he's your male equivalent when it comes to insulting a dish."

She was about to reply indignantly when she saw it, displayed over a glass window from across the street.

"I'm gonna have to call you back."

"What? Wait, I was just kid—"

She hanged up the phone before he can finish what he was saying and didn't waste any time running towards the shop.

The belled chimed as she opened the door and the shopkeeper greeted her as she entered inside. "Welcome, ma'am. Can I help you with something?"

"Oh, umm. I would like to purchase that one on the display."

"We have quite an assortment of colors for that one." He said as she led her towards the counter. "We have that in red, blue, plaid—"

"The one on the display will do." She said, cutting him off.

"Of course, ma'am. Do you want it wrapped?"

"Yes, that would be great."

"Right away."

;

Is it weird to be asleep on Christmas day? Because that's the state she was in when she received the message. The vibration of her phone from under the pillow rose her from her much needed sleep.

Soma: Meet you at the park later? ~ 11:57 AM

She frowned as she read the text message. Not even a 'hello' or 'good morning' or 'how was the flight' or 'please'.

Me: You can't tell me what to do. ~12:01PM

Soma: So that means….? ~12:01PM

Me: Meet me by the fountain at 7. ~12:02PM

Soma: Great! Sleep well. :D ~12:03PM

And she did just that. She slept until 4 when her stomach was begging for some food. And by 5, she proceeded to scrounge her closet for something to wear.

She wasn't trying to look good. She wasn't.

It was just Soma, after all. But why can't she decide what to wear?

After an hour of wearing then undressing different outfits (yes, an hour), she settled for pants, sweater, boots, winter coat and a beanie.

Just as she was about to leave, Alice's head poked from the staircase and called in a teasing voice, "Off to see Yukihira, I see?"

She didn't bothered to reply and just slammed the door.

;

Soma was leaning in the clock's pole when she arrived at the park. He was wearing headphones that he slipped off when he finally noticed her arrival.

He gave her a smile that she swears made her heart race a hundred times per second.

He was bad for her health, she had decided long ago and yet she couldn't get herself away from him. It's like he had a magnet that always pulls her in no matter how hard she resists.

He grabbed her hand when they started walking, and although she was quite surprised, she didn't take it back or commented on it.

They admired the Christmas lights and the giant Christmas Tree at the central area. They also visited a few booths and Soma even convinced her to try the customary fried chicken at a fast-food chain. When he suggested to eat some strawberry fruitcake, she demanded that they buy it at her favorite bakeshop or 'so help me, Soma, I will ditch you right here. I'm eating cake from that store and that store only. Give or take.'

They were sitting at a bench while eating their cake when the term present was mentioned and she thought that it was a good time as ever to give him her present.

When he opened the box, however, instead of a thank you that she was expecting, he burst out laughing.

To say that she was shocked was an understatement.

"If you don't like it then just give it back!" She said, snatching the box from his grasp. He cried in protest but she was already walking away.

To think that she had a hard time choosing for his gift. She wanted it to be valuable and not just something that he would appreciate on one day and forget on the next, like a figurine for example. Her first chose would be an accessory but that would only hinder him while cooking so she settled for the next best thing. And when she saw that neckerchief she thought it was perfect! It matched perfectly with his precious white cloth and she thought he would appreciate it. Too bad it was only in her head, she thought bitterly.

"Hey give it back. You can't take back what you've already given." He said as he tried to close the distance and match her strides.

"I can." She snapped.

He grabbed both of her arms when he caught up to her and spun her around so that she was facing him.

"Give it back or else you'll regret it."

She scoffed. "Please. Like you could do something that would—"

She didn't finish her sentence. She couldn't even if she wanted to.

Not when his lips was pressed on hers. She was so caught off guard that her mind went blank. She couldn't think of anything else except for the warm and soft lips that was gently pressed on her mouth.

It might have been only for a few seconds before his face moved away but she swore that it almost felt like an hour.

When she finally cleared out of her daze, the first thing that she noticed was that the box wasn't in her grasp.

That man. He only meant the kiss as a distraction!

She was about to yell at him but she stopped short when she finally saw his expression. Instead of the smug grin that she expected he was wearing, Soma wasn't even looking at her. He would peak at her from time to time but he would always divert his attention.

And was he blushing?

The thought that he would blush also heated her cheeks. She never would've dreamed that she would witness a blush on his face. It was her job, after all, not the other way around.

She flushed when he finally looked directly at her eyes.

"I know that I said that you'd probably regret it, but I sure hope not. " He gave an uneasy chuckle.

"And besides, I didn't say that I didn't like it. You could've given me a food wrapper and I would still love it. I'll always love the things that you do. Or give, for this matter."

Now it was her who couldn't look at him.

"And the reason I was laughing earlier because of these." He hands her a wrapped present and urged her to open it.

What she got inside was a grey knitted scarf. Almost the same as what she had given him.

"May I?" He asked and she silently handed him the scarf. He carefully put it around her neck and she couldn't calm her heartbeat as much as she tried.

"I don't know about you, Erina, but I like you." He confessed softly. "I don't know if it's love. Not yet. But I like you Erina. I have been for a while. I like to hear your voice, your laugh, I wanna see you smile and also the different kinds of expression that you can make but wouldn't make in front of strangers. I wanted to know everything about you, how creepy it may sound."

Soma continued on but she couldn't hear it anymore. All she can hear was the sound of her heartbeat that was beating faster and faster. It felt like her chest was going to burst from all the emotions that he was causing her to feel. She couldn't take it anymore so she did the only thing that she could think of.

She stood on her toes and kissed him, cutting off his monologue.

She looked him in the eye and with as much bravery as she could muster, she muttered her reply, "I-I like you too."

Soma's answering smile made her embarrassment worth it.

"So, will you go out with me?"

- Spring Reprise -

"Just a moment Soma-kun!"

He stopped and turned towards the direction of the voice. He didn't notice that he walked quite a distance from her. He smiled when the girl caught up, clutching her knees as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Tired already? It's okay to back down." He teased.

The blonde scoffed and flipped her hair, standing straight and folding her arms on her chest.

"You can dream on. I just thought that it would've been better if you've waited 'till the end of the program, not when the program was about to start."

"Oh, c'mon." He said as he grabbed and intertwined their hand and led her to the biggest building on the school ground. "The opening ceremony was only for the first years. We aren't needed in there. Besides, this is more important."

He dragged her inside the room with the name "Administration Office" and presented the written letter that he have prepared, with both their signatures on. The staffs, despite being surprised, nodded their affirmation and sprang into action.

Nodding to each other, Soma and Erina both walked toward the opposite direction.

;

"Is it true? About Yukihira Soma and Nakiri Erina?"

"I think so."

"Oh my god. This is so exciting!"

"The first and second seat, huh?"

What he thought to be an exclusive event turned into a wide scale one. News traveled fast, he thought with grin as he closed his case and got ready to go out.

"THANK YOU FOR WAITING! THE SHOKUGEKI ADMINISTRATION BUREAU HAVE RECOGNIZED THIS AS AN OFFICIAL SHOKUGEKI, WITH THE TITTLE OF THE FIRST SEAT ON THE LINE! AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET US START! Well then, from each corner both contestants will enter!

The first to appear is the current 2nd Seat, dubbed as the "Jack of all trades", Yukihira Soma!

And next comes our current 1st Seat, the Bearer of God's Tongue herself, Nakiri Erina!"

The cheers were loud on both sides as the two of them stood face to face at the center of the hall. Erina raised an eyebrow at him with the number of their audience.

"And now the program is ruined."

He just shrugged. "This is more interesting, I guess."

"All right, both contestants at your station!"

Before Erina could turn and head towards her station, Soma leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips.

In front of the whole Totsuki body.

"Good luck, princess." He whispered. "I'm going to be the First Seat before this school year starts."

"Huh. I'm going to make you eat your words." And then Erina flipped her hair and finally left the stage, Soma doing the same with a huge grin on his face.

The hall finally stilled, the audience confused on what was more shocking—the impromptu Shokugeki on the day of the Opening Ceremony, or the kiss that they had just witnessed, solidifying the two's relationship.

;;;

Author's note: Hi! So you finished it 'till the end, huh? :D Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Feedback is greatly appreciated.

;

.thatgirl.