Hello! Before you start reading, I just want to make some things clear:

*This is the "sequel" to a previous fic of mine. Things from the first story will be explained in this one, so you don't HAVE to read it to understand, but you'd have more insight.

*I have a T rating because I do use heavy language at times, so if that offends you I'd like to give a heads up!

*Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Toriko whatsoever! I only own my OC's.

*Hope you enjoy! Please review & tell me if you like it, hate it, think my grammar sucks, think my story is hard to follow…etc. I like to hear what the readers think be it good or bad. Happy Reading! (:

(Food Line-7 months ago)

A young ambitious woman sat up in her penthouse suite. She stood at the height of 5'1, had long black hair, and a rare shade of blue and green eyes. She stood out on her balcony as she looked down upon the bustling city of Food Line.

She thought to herself, 'It's only been two weeks since my adventure with the kings. I miss everyone so much...Seems like it's been an eternity. I think that's why I feared the end of that journey...I knew this would happen...I knew I wouldn't speak to them again...speak to him, again...'

A soft sigh escaped the woman's lips, "It's times like this that I wonder what you're up to."

As her head tilted downward, a short haired girl came to stand beside her. It was Rin.

"Talking about Livebearer again?"

Juriie shook her head "Nah, I was just thinking about something. But speaking of him, we should probably be heading out now. The E.T. Soda competition starts in a few hours."

The small woman exhaled, "This is my chance to finally meet him Rin. Livebearer-dono is a combo partner I've always dreamed of. I know he'll be there. A lot of great chef's are coming, so there's a chance that he will too. There's only one problem...I don't know what he looks like."

Rin grabbed the girl's hand, "Well then, let's leave now so we have time to weed the crowd!"

That's right, Juriie Munroe was her name. She was a striving Gourmet Hunter that wanted to become the best in the world. Her goal today was to win the E.T. Soda competition in hopes of impressing the man they call Livebearer. He was more than just a big name to her. He was the chef of her dreams, and she'd even go so far as to say he is the reason she gets up in the morning. This wasn't friendly competition to the woman, this was kill or be killed.

The reward for winning was the E.T. Soda itself. It was a phantasmal drink of ages. It is a drink that is literally out of this world. Once every hundred years a shooting star will fall from the sky bearing the seed of the E.T. Soda tree. The seed will sprout from wherever the comet lands, and a single fruit is grown. It is the fruit of the E.T. Soda!

(Gourmet City)

Finally after a long while of flying, Rin began to land her small aircraft and the duo got out. Juriie's head was literally spinning from excitement. Going to a competition this big was one of the things she was only able to dream about, but never actually do. For the first thirteen years of her life, she lived it sheltered, and for the last nine she'd been stowing away from large crowds in order to hide her identity. This was one day that she'd pull no punches…this was her day to go all out…and she would.

Juriie looked to her close friend grinning from ear to ear, "Let's party!"

They were there to look for Livebearer, but that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy the food in the meantime.

Even though it was hours before the competition, the girls went to open shops to eat before the day began. During this 'pre-full course' it would seem as though their stomachs would be too full when the competition began, but these two were mini food vacuums, and there was no stopping them. They'd stop by different shops and ask for the whereabouts of Livebearer. No one knew, but the two still maintained hope.

Only a few minutes were left before the competition was going to start, and two were sitting at a local Ramen establishment.

Juriie had her face stuffed with noodles as she was enjoying the beginning of this day. "Man, deez noodos are show yummy, an da broth ish great."

Before she could swallow her food, she heard the sound of a roaring crowd, and she knew the competition was beginning.

The small woman nearly choked on her food as she left the counter. "Oh my gosh, Rin! Let's go before I get disqualified!"

The pale woman was not opposed as she ran toward the exhilarating crowd. There were Gourmet Hunters and chefs from all over the world coming to compete. It was no Cooking Fest turnout by far, but still nothing to sneeze at.

Rin gave the girl a thumbs up, "I'll be cheering for you the whole way Juriie." The two embraced, and Juriie took her mark.

The contestants stood in two groups. One group were chefs, and the other were Gourmet Hunters. The announcer took the stage and began to go over the rules. She was quite the peppy brunette.

"Hello there! I'm your host Tina, and at this time I'll be going over the rules of the competition for those who do not know. There are 50 Gourmet Hunters, and 50 Chefs. Each Chef will have a Gourmet Hunter paired up with them. There will be a total of 3 events. The judges will be watching with a critical eye, so make sure your performance is unique, beautiful, and effective. Alright! The pairs have been randomly pre-selected. Without further ado, let's get this thing started!"

Juriie's whole intention for coming here was to meet her hero Livebearer. It wasn't about being paired with him. That in itself would be a major bonus, but she just wanted to know that he was here. It didn't matter who she was paired with, as long as she could do something to stand out and impress the underground boss, her goal would be accomplished. All she needed to hear was his name, and she'd know who he was. The man she'd been waiting to meet her whole life could possibly be in this crowd...that thought alone drove the woman slightly insane.

Tina continued, "Next is Gourmet Hunter Juriie!"

The small woman stepped outside of the crowd and took center stage. She still hadn't heard Livebearer's name, and what luck would she have to be paired with one of the top chef's in the world.

The brunette gasped, "Wow, folks I didn't even know we had such a high ranked chef competing today! He's ranked in the top 100 actually. What a treat!"

The raven haired girl's heart raced. Chefs and Gourmet Hunters from all over the world have come here, but so far there haven't been any in the top 100 ranking. The excitement built up as the woman spoke. Juriie looked at her face on the big screen, and an empty box next to it. Could that empty box be filled with Livebearer's face?

The woman whispered to herself, "C'mon Livebearer-dono..."

Tina pointed at the screen, "A surprising turn of events ladies and gentlemen. Please welcome Chef Brunch!"

Her heart literally sank. Chef Brunch? What the hell was he even doing here anyway? The man walked over to his random partner nonchalantly.

Tina motioned, "Alright Juriie and Brunch, take your positions please."

The woman walked alongside the red man and he spoke, "Guess we're stuck with each other eh?"

She put a finger to her lips, "Shhh! I'm trying to listen for something." She whispered loudly at the man.

He'd frown at the woman, "Don't shush me, I'll talk whenever the hell I want!"

Juriie glared up at the man, "You're talking too much and I'm trying to listen! Shut up!"

The red man crossed his arms as he looked at the fireball, "You're cute when you're angry."

Just as she was going to open her mouth to yell once again at the man, she stopped short. Her brain had time to process his compliment, and she did not like it at all.

"Wha- Why- ..." The tiny Gourmet Hunter crossed her arms, "Don't talk to me!"

He laughed as he realized what kind of reaction he was able to get out of the woman. It was hard to tell if his words were true or not. Maybe he was just saying this to get a reaction out of the woman.

(Fast Food)

After all of the teams had been formed, the woman held hope that during her small argument with Brunch, Livebearer's name was called. She'd perform at her best today. Even if he wasn't competing, the thought of him being in the audience or even knowing who she is at all made her mind scramble. Each team was lined up before the dense gourmet jungle of Fast Food.

Tina began her announcement, "Alright, as you know, there are twenty five teams getting ready to head into Fast Food. Your objective is to use the ingredients provided by the jungle. The pair who comes out quickest and delivers the tastiest food with the best presentation will move on to the next round. You have a limit of 2 hours. Remember, you will also be judged on how well you work as a team, and how smoothly you can gather your ingredients together. Only 8 teams will make it out of this round, so give it your best shot! Alright, ready!? Begin!"

Brunch looked at the woman, "Get on my back."

She crossed her arms, "What? No! Why? I don't even know you. Let's just get through this jungle together, okay. I'm the Gourmet Hunter here. Let me do my job."

Their arguing was sure to bring them down a few points on the team judging. As much as Brunch wanted to just leave her there or grab her and run, he didn't. The teamwork part was literally half the competition, and losing points there would mean sacrificing their entire score. The woman pranced into the jungle as she now felt like the alpha female. As she walked into the jungle, she could now see why it was called Fast Food. From the hot oil waterfall, to the french fry grass, and burger trees, yes it was very clear. This was only on the surface though. The real question is what lay deep in the forest. Much like actual fast food, the freshest ingredients were in the back. The woman was speedy when it came to evasion, but it was a different story for average running. She wasn't quick enough to explore the whole jungle in two hours. Both she and Brunch knew that.

Juriie's eyes directed toward Brunch, "You think...you think if I got on your back we could explore this place in good time?"

He'd kneel down and frown at the woman, "If you acted the way you look, you'd be much better off."

As she climbed on the man's back, she rolled her eyes, "Let me guess, you think I look innocent and cute? Super kawaii!"

He'd shake his head in disagreement, "Nope, hot."

"WHAT!?"

Before she got any answers, the man took off like a bat out of hell. She was both shocked by how fast he was running, and by his previous statement. It was her first time in 22 years being referred to as 'hot.' She didn't know how to feel about it, especially coming from a relative stranger. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, and her legs around his waist. This was a weird position to be in. She wasn't a woman that was used to getting attention, so hearing a compliment just made her feel awkward. The man continued forward until they reached what looked like the jungle's end.

Juriie yelled, "Slow down! We can't leave the jungle or we'll be disqualified!"

Brunch smirked, "We're not leaving the jungle, we're just going deeper."

As he made his way past all of the trees, he jumped off the abrupt ledge with no hesitation. It was a long fall, but he wasn't scared. Juriie on the other hand was literally gritting her teeth as tears flew from the wind force. She wanted to argue with the man, but she was too scared. The only reason she didn't fly off of the man's back is because her body locked up around him.

Once he reached the bottom, she saw why he jumped off in the first place. Her hair gently flowed down her back again as the two landed.

Slowly but surely she got off of Brunch's back. "Okay, let's not do that again."

As her eyes directed forward at the jungle in front of her, she'd gasp, "Whoa. I guess you're right. The fresh stuff is in the back."

There were nothing but the freshest ingredients where they were. It was strange to see such foods in a jungle like Fast Food. Juriie's legs were shaky as she walked, but she was still determined to win this competition anyway.

"Okay Brunch. What ingredients do you desire? I'll fetch it for you."

The man shook his head, "You don't know who I am do you?"

"Am I supposed to?" She spoke with her shoulders shrugged.

He didn't answer her question, but instead, walk ahead of her. "I've got the ingredients."

"Then why did you bother entering this tournament?" She continued her rant as she walked forward. "This thing is about teams. You know teamwork. Trust me to get my half done okay? Don't underestimate m-"

Before she could finish her words, Juriie felt herself fall into a sudden hole. It was very out of the blue, and well hidden. Brunch jumped in after her down the windy tunnel. It didn't really feel as if she were falling, but as if she were being sucked up, rather. The two of them had no idea where they were headed, but there was no stopping this crazy train now. As with all tunnels, Juriie could finally see a light at the end of it. She didn't know where it was leading her, but she was bracing herself for the worst. As the woman fell out of the passageway, she landed face first onto the dirt. She didn't know how, but she was back on the surface, and in the daylight again.

Perhaps she really was sucked up. It was as if the underpass siphoned her from one side of the jungle to the other. On her hands and knees, the woman looked up ahead of her. She was face to face with the beast that rules this jungle.

She trembled as she spoke, "No way. It's...the Red Steer."

The beast was big like a semi-truck. Its red hide made it stand out in this green jungle. It was a predator that wanted to be seen. With a capture level of 87, she had a reason to be fearful. This could be a piece of cake for Brunch, but for Juriie, the highest she could handle at this point was about half that.

She looked back to see nothing at all. Somewhere down the line Brunch had taken a different turn than she. Juriie was literally shaking in her boots. She always talked a tough game, but she wasn't very strong. She hoped that Brunch would make his way to her soon. This was no longer about the competition anymore. It was about life and death.