Chapter 9: Trial 1 (Cooking)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Viewfinder series, I am just using the characters for my own stories.

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The couple followed the king and queen into the large kitchen. Even at such an early hour the castle staff was already working on tonight's dinner. The head chef looked towards the doors when he heard them open. At the sight of the king and queen he let out a long whistle. The kitchen staff stilled, looking towards their elder for any instructions. They too saw the royal pair and bowed their heads respectfully. The king and queen nodded in appreciation.

"We are sorry to intrude at such an inconvenient time," started the queen before being interrupted.

"Of course not! The king and queen of this estate are always welcome at any time! What is the matter of this visit? Would you like a second breakfast to be served?" Asked the head chef.

The king shook his head, "Thank you Kenji, but that won't be necessary. We would like to introduce you to Takaba Akihito. He will be your replacement for tonight."

"Excuse me?" came the slightly offended question. Kenji looked toward Akihito to see if he had any knowledge of what was happening. Upon seeing the equally surprised look on the teens face he knew that he was not the one to blame for these turn of events.

"Calm yourself Kenji," chided the king, raising his hands in a silent motion, "He is the next contestant for the Trials. This is his first challenge."

Kenji nodded and turned toward Akihito. "What is the challenge?" he called over his shoulder.

The queen cleared her throat, "Akihito will be in charge of tonight's dinner. A proper queen must know how to take care of their family, even with the luxuries of royalty. Akihito will show his skills in the culinary arts, and will be judged by every party guest. He will lead this kitchen, having the staff and materials at his disposal. Kenji, you will stay and supervise to make sure the area is safe. Akihito is allowed to consult you, but you are free to answer, or not answer, as much as you'd like. Akihito must learn how to take control of people he has never met, and prove his skills."

The king and queen turned to leave. Akihito looked towards Asami with a pleading look. Asami leaned down to give Akihito a final kiss, the bearer instantly melting at the touch of his lover. They took no notice of the kitchen staff staring at them with shock and slight amusement.

"I must leave you, but I will be checking up on you as frequently as possible. Do not fear, I believe in your abilities. Do not allow yourself to panic and if you do come find me. I have faith in you," Asami said in a calm voice, stroking a hand down Akihito's back.

Akihito nodded, leaning up to give him one more peak on the lips before his lover had to leave. He turned around only to see the whole kitchen staff looking at him.

"Umm.." Akihito folded his hands in the front of his person, beginning to rock back and forth on his feet, "Hi, I'm Akihito. N-nice to meet you."

The staff looked at him, then at their regular leader before talking amongst themselves, completely ignoring the greeting. A few of the staff looked at the bearer apologetically, but made no motion to calm everyone down. The younger, more energetic of the staff were the loudest since Kenji technically couldn't punish them for acting out against his rules. Today it wasn't his staff. Akihito looked at Kenji in desperation, trying to get even a small hint on how to control so many people. Kenji only shook his head and turned his gaze toward the wall. Don't get him wrong, he wasn't as much of a jerk as he may seem to others, but this was Akihito's kitchen (for today at least) and his challenge. The kid needed to learn how to find his voice, even if that takes all day.

Luckily for Kenji he didn't have to sit back and watch his kitchen go into ruins. He felt more than saw Akihito take in a big breath of air. The next thing he knew the kid was actually yelling!

"EVERYONE!"

Slowly, in shock, the whole room turned to look at the bearer. At this point Akihito decided to get above everyone, literally. He set aside all the kitchen utensils previously on the counter and stood on the clean surface, much to the dismay of Kenji.

"Okay, listen up!" Takaba took a second to look around and make sure everyone, including Kenji, was listening before he got started, "We have to start preparing tonight's dishes for the celebrations. I know I'm not your usual leader, and I'm not some known cook who can make everything. But I'll be damned if I let this challenge cost me a chance to stay with Asami. So you better do as I say or I'll personally hunt you down and drag you to hell by a noose. Got it?" Without waiting for the cooking staff to reply, not that they were but quit a few sported terrified faces, Akihito turned to Kenji. "What were the dishes you planned to serve tonight sensei?"

Kenji looked at Akihito in surprise, taken aback from being called such a term from someone not much younger than himself. He cleared his throat before replying, "Meat platter with cubed pieces of exotic meats from neighboring kingdoms as a first dish. The next would include enough rice for all, with each person getting miso soup, a choice between pickled or broth cooked vegetables, and an assortment of fish. Dessert has been decided to consist of mochi, dango, and daifuku."

Akihito nodded, "Has anything been prepared yet?"

Kenji grunted and pointed toward the racks of cooled boxes, "The desserts are all prepared and stored. The meats have been cut, as well as the vegetables but everything has to be seasoned and cooked at this point."

Akihito hopped off the counter and headed toward Kenji. Smiling, the youth took Kenji's apron and placed it on his own being. He then went through the shelves and grabbed wooden utensils in order to spread the seasoning evenly. He pointed at the kitchen staff, who immediately stood at attention to listen for commands.

"Half of you, go get the miso and soy sauce. The other half go start the stove and begin taking out the meats. The soup can wait to be cooked last. If we don't season the meats properly it can cause the whole meal to fail. Go!" Akihito finished, snapping his fingers to make the staff, who were already running, to move faster.

Kenji moved up to the side of the counter to observe how Takaba would prepare the meats. Like he said, he wasn't skilled in the art of cooking in the way that Kenji was known for. He needed to make sure the kid didn't accidentally end up poisoning the guests.

Takaba gathered the meat group, as he labeled the half of the group who gathered the soy sauce, as he grabbed the first casing of meat and placed it on the table. He then asked the strongest looking men to start pouring the soy sauce into the case. He watched the case as it was slowly filled with soy sauce, looking for something nobody except for Kenji knew. "Stop!" The men automatically stopped pouring.

Akihito, to Kenji's surprise, grabbed the nearby bottle of alcohol and poured a fourth of a cup in the meat. He then began to mix the meats inside the case, trying to cover them all in sauce. "Soy sauce is used to season most things in Japanese cuisine. However, I find that adding a bit of alcohol allows for the meat to soften and be easier to chew. You guys are in charge of preparing the meat. Pour the soy sauce slowly, and wait till you see the meat lift up an inch. That shows that there is a good layer of soy sauce underneath the top layers of meat, which can then be mixed without worry of spilling. If you are not confident in your judgement stick a wooden spoon inside and keep taking it out occasionally. When the soy sauce reaches the base it is ready. Do not overdo it with alcohol. This is an elegant ball, not a street festival." Takaba finished explaining, then walked away to wash his hands.

Kenji followed silently behind as Takaba approached the vegetable and rice group. He took the women with him to the side, taking a moment to leave the men with instructions, "If you do not know how to cook rice you do not deserve to be a part of the royal kitchen staff. Go make rice! Ten pots!"

He then showed the ladies to the counter where they placed the veggies. "You all know, or should know, how to cut vegetables. Some of you do that while the rest work on the broth. It is similar to the one used for the soup, so use the miso. Make a lot, because the left over will be heated over later in order to make the soup. It'll be faster this way," with that advice given Akihito walked away with Kenji behind him.

Takaba suddenly stopped, causing Kenji to almost topple over the smaller man. The bearer turned around and asked, "Will you help me cook Kenji-sensei? Pick out the best of your cooks and have them assist us. As everyone else continues to prepare the food we can take advantage of the time and begin making the dishes."

Kenji nodded. He turned his head and let out a short whistle, gaining the attention of 6 other cooks. They all hurried over and looked between both Kenji and Takaba to see who would be ordering them around.

Takaba led them all to the row of stoves along the wall. Kenji took the vases of seasoned meats off the counter and poured a good amount of the meat on the stove. Then staff took the hint and got their cooking tools ready.

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Asami peaked his head through the kitchen door. He was about to go do some business across the city and wanted to check on Akihito before he left.

As he poked his head in, ready to yell at anyone not working or disrespecting his future bride, he nearly closed the door too late before the egg he barely saw came crashing into the door. Taking a moment to not look surprised, not that Asami would ever admit to being surprised, he tried once again to open the door. He peaked inside, and witnessed an amusing scene that made him chuckle; his little bearer was yelling at a group of men who, apparently, almost overcooked the batches of rice made for tonight. He raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow when Akihito chucked another egg at the crowd. Asami saw Kenji sigh in the corner of the room. His amusement from there ended.

He watched in silence as Kenji walked up to Akihito and pull him into an embrace. The bearer struggled for a moment, then huffed and allowed Kenji to continue to hold him. Everything went quiet in the kitchen except for the sounds of the food cooking.

"Aki, calm yourself. Take a breath. They are trying their best under pressure. It doesn't help that your over their shoulders every other minute," he tenderly chastised.

Akihito looked away with a small blush, then replied in a quiet voice, "I know...I just want everything to be perfect."

Kenji pulled Akihito closer, resting his head on top of the silver hair. "I know what you mean, but calm down. Everything will be fine. The food is coming along good, the desserts taste like actual desserts, the rice is done. Everything is set to be ready with time to spare. There is no need to worry."

Akihito huffed, but nodded. He elbowed Kenji in a playful manner, "Get off will you! You're gonna piss off Asami even more."

Kenji immediately let go. He turned toward the door and, upon seeing the stone face of his ruler, he immediately turned pale.

Akihito laughed at the two men, ignoring the tense silence in the kitchen. He walked over to Asami, grabbed the man's face, and placed a soft kiss against his lips. Akihito pulled back, smiling at the pleased look on Asami's face. "Hey there," he greeted.

Asami looked over to Kenji. He moved fully into the room and gave everyone a good view on how much bigger he was from Akihito. He grabbed the smaller boy in a hug, reaching down (at this point Akihito knew what was coming but couldn't do much to stop it) and giving the bearers behind a firm squeeze. He stared straight into Kenji's eyes and bit out, "Mine!"

With that the prince walked out of the kitchen. He didn't wanna keep Kirishima waiting. Akihito stood there, trying to comprehend what exactly transpired a moment ago. Once he wrapped his mind to the fact that Asami, the freakin PRINCE of Japan, had just groped him INFRONT OF THE ENTIRE KITCHEN STAFF…

Asami counted down from 10. Once he reached 1 he immediately ducked, nearly missing the egg thrown right at his head. He glanced back with a smirk knowing full well how his temperamental bearer worked.

"BASTARD!" He saw Akihito yell before slamming the kitchen door closed.

With another amused chuckled he left to take care of business before tonight's festivities.

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Asami waited for Akihito in their usual spot behind the pillars. As the waiter passed by he grabbed two glasses of sake. The waiter bowed his head then quickly turned away to serve guests further away. He knew that the prince would want to be alone with his future bride. If he stuck around too much then other guests would surely use him as an excuse to come closer to the prince and try to seduce him.

"The food hasn't been served yet and you're already drinking. Such manners Asami!"

Asami turned around to come face to face with his bearer. His hair was slicked back, complementing the sharp black suit hugging his body. Akihito wore the top bottom open, showing off the crisp white undershirt and a bit of that delicate skin. His shoes were spotless, shining in the light. It was almost a duplicate of Asami's own attire, but the man himself liked how it looked on his future bride. He liked it a lot…

"You can stop drooling you idiot," Akihito teased, giving Asami a light slap on the cheek.

Asami chuckled. He grabbed Akihito's hand and placed a tender kiss onto the top of his hand. As usual, Asami led Akihito out to the dance floor for their usual dance. The musicians took the hint and switched the current music to something slower. Asami allowed for Akihito to hid his face in his chest. He knew the bearer was shy to show affection in public. It didn't help that the attendants created a wide, sort or circled perimeter around them. Asami glared at all of them, causing a vast amount to take the hint and scatter to somewhere else. A few stayed close, even if only to glare at the bearer in the arms of their potential riches.

As the music played the kitchen staff began to set up the tables of food. Once the piece was done the kitchen staff were waiting in the corner by the doors. They usually waited to see the crowds reaction to their cooking. Only this time Akihito walked over and stood with them to see what others thought.

First came the meat sampling, then the main course with soup, and then dessert. From what Akihito could see most enjoyed the dishes. He could hear the occasional rude comment, and pinched Kenji any time he heard a comment about the rice. From above in the balcony the king and queen were digging into their own personal dishes cooked by Akihito himself. Asami came to stand next to his lover and offered a thumbs up as he munched on a piece of meat.

"Are you not going to have any dessert Asami?" The boy asked, pointing to the slowly disappearing dessert options.

Asami made a disturbed face, "No...I don't very much enjoy sugar."

Akihito shook his head, but said nothing. I should have figured this bastard didn't like sweets.

Akihito made eye contact with the queen. He breathed a sigh of relief when she gave him a smile and a nod. He passed the first trial.

Akihito turned to Kenji and gave the man a tight hug. Although surprised, Kenji eventually laughed and hugged back.

"You did good kid. Now, go back to your husband before he orders my execution."

Akihito laughed, but did as he was told. Taking Asami by the hand Akihito led the two of them to the garden where they sat and talked the rest of the night away.

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There is the next chapter! Hopefully, if I keep to my schedule, the next one should be up some time soon. Oh well, hope you enjoyed...

Oh! As a side note, I went back and made a few changes to Chapter 3. Nothing major, just got rid of something I didn't like. I will possibly be making a few other changes, but I'll let you guys know.