Snow Day

By: Bunny

Rated: T

Genre: Romance

Summary: Soma gets lost in the snow. Only a snow bunny with a god tongue can save him.

Disclaimer: Shokugeki no Soma is a fantastic manga series written by Yūto Tsukuda, and illustrated by Shun Saeki in collaboration with Yuki Morisaki. There is also an anime adaptation, which this fanfic is based off of, and a light novel series. I do not own these characters or universe in any shape or form and have much respect for the creators of this story and universe. All credit goes to them for the characters and universe. I'm just using them for fun.

Author's Quick Note: This is a one-shot that I wrote for my sweetheart. I can expand it into more if there's enough interest in it though, so please tell me if you like it best like this or would be interested in reading more. xoxo Bunny

Soma tucked his hands into his pockets trying to get the chill out of them as he walked the long pathway from the Polar Star Dormitory to the building his class for the day was in. Somehow, without him noticing the weather had turned from a lovely crisp autumn into a chilly winter. The frost on the trees around him and the warm puffs of breath coming from his mouth quickly dissipating into the frigid air were proof of that fact.

He kicked at a random pebble along the dirt road as his thoughts moved away from the weather and quickly into his favorite subject, namely, coming up with some new recipes. After all, Soma was in the top cooking school in the country, and one simply didn't get into said school without thinking about cooking pretty much 24/7. Not to mention Soma was hell bent determined to make his way to the Elite Ten, the best students of the entire school.

It was as he was shuffling along coming up with some new spice mixtures that the snow finally began drifting it's way to the ground. Soma welcomed the snow, enjoying it's inherently ethereal beauty. He caught a few snowflakes on his tongue, trying to think of a fun recipe he could make that used snow.

Before he realized it, his surroundings were covered in white, his world around him had quickly been transformed into a white snowy wonderland. It was lovely. Now then... how could he make something good to eat using snow...hmmm...

Lost in his thoughts, he almost forget himself completely. He was enjoying the quiet tranquility of the new snow world. The only sounds were the crunching of his boots into the snow and the light sound of the snowflakes hitting the ground and trees around him.

He stopped for a moment and looked around.

Wait just a minute...where was he anyway?

Soma looked quickly to the left, to the right...he spun around in a circle.

Oh, but he didn't recognize anything around him at all.

He looked back where he had come from, the long road now a road of freshly heaped snow going off into more snow. All he could see anywhere around him was snow and snow covered trees, and dammit if it wasn't getting colder by the second.

In fact, it seemed that the lovely light snowfall had somehow transformed itself into quite a heavier snowfall, and Soma was beginning to think he should get out of the poor weather before it caused him some troubles.

But...where was he?

He heaved a big sigh and stuffed a grilled squid between his teeth.

Great. Now what.

He decided to head back from the way he'd come from, hoping at the very worse case scenario at least he would end up back at his Polar Star Dormitory. Though...with all this snow he couldn't be sure. In fact, even his footprints were now covered up with more snow, and he just couldn't be sure if he was going the right way at all. Oh, why had he bothered to turn around in a few circles? Now he was feeling like he was well and good lost, and in a snowstorm no less.

His stomach growled out a loud protest. He patted at it with his hand.

Right...well, no use standing here feeling sorry for himself. There was nothing to do but to keep moving forward and hope he found some shelter and something he could cook up to eat as soon as possible.

He began trudging along through the snow, each step leaving behind a distinct crunch as his weight smashed the snowpack together towards the ground beneath his feet. His pace becoming more and more sluggish as he got colder and wetter. He stopped for a moment and sighed in displeasure. He was tired, cold, and hungry. He wanted food and warmth. Now.

He began walking again feeling disheartened.

It was as he was looking down watching how the snow that was now up to his ankles was seeping into his now soaking wet cold socks, that he heard a call out.

"What are you doing here?"

Startled at the sound of another voice, Soma looked up quickly.

There was a person standing off to the side of the road where another path began, clothed from head to toe in baby blue with a white fur type of trim giving him a cold look.

Hmmm...must be some girl, he thought...based off of the snow bunny look.

He couldn't tell too well with the snow drifts clouding over his vision from the distance, or the hood covering over most of her face. However...despite the cold look and the not very cheerful greeting, he felt like he'd been saved. He sent a grin a mile wide at the baby blue snow bunny girl and waved, "Hello!"

"I said what are you doing here?"

Soma grinned as he continued to approach the girl, "I'm not sure, I got lost from this snow."

"Yukihira Soma?" She asked as he got closer, her voice becoming even less inviting, if that was even possible.

Soma scratched the back of his head, "Do I know you?"

The hood was pulled back, and Soma was met with the usual disdainful glare of one Nakiri Erina.

"Oh. Hi Nakiri," Soma greeted, his grin still in full form.

"Yukihira-kun," she paused for a second to let out a big sigh that sounded completely irritated at his presence, "What are you doing here?"

"I told you, I got lost in the snow," Soma replied, now feeling a little annoyed himself at her usual completely unwelcoming attitude. Couldn't she ever be nice? He was freezing cold and starving after all...and here she was looking like some kind of fluffy cute snow bunny.

He bet she was still nice and toasty warm under all those layers of clothes.

Erina spun on her heel, flipped her hair over her shoulder and began walking down the side path from the road as she huffed, "Well, come with me then. There's no helping it, you're too far away from anything else for this storm."

Soma grinned as he almost skipped to follow after her, hoping she was promising a warm meal and some hot blankets. He would be thrilled, to say the least, just to get out of these freezing cold wet socks that were turning his ankles into ice cubes.

Erina seemed to be muttering something under her breath as she marched through the snow drifts towards a building that had smoke billowing out of one end of it.

"Yukihira Soma lost in the snow indeed," Erina muttered to herself as she tried her best to elegantly walk through the growing taller by the second snow drifts heading back to one of her private workshops.

She looked behind her to send another death glare at the boy whose existence drove her to the point of distraction. Why in the world did he have to be out here?

And why did she have to notice his pathetic sopping form whomping through the snow like some kind of lost yeti?

Why did she decide to go save the poor soul that got lost in her woods?

Well, of course it was the proper thing to do. She was a nice properly bred girl after all. Not like this neanderthal following behind her in the snow.

Now she was going to be stuck with this boy; this bane of her perfect existence, mucking up her space until who knew when the snow plows would come to clear a path for him to leave her workshop. She grumbled to herself as a blush spread across her cheeks at the thought of being trapped in her workshop all alone with Yukihira Soma for some unknown amount of time.

If it was a boy she liked, maybe she would feel like she'd just dropped into some shojo manga, but…

She looked over her shoulder again at the boy behind her in his oversized red coat as he waded through the snow drifts.

Sigh…

Erina quickened her pace, suddenly feeling the need to get out of the poor weather as soon as possible and back into her warm workshop.

Within a couple of minutes she was back at the side door she had left from, and quickly yanked the door open. A gush of the warm air inside hit her flushed face, instantly warming away the cold chill that had set upon it.

She smiled at the feel of it and turned back to see where Yukihira was.

He was only a few steps away, his eyes were roving around her workshop taking in the building. They stopped as they met her own eyes. She watched as he paused. He blinked. Then he moved forward closer to her.

Erina spun around quickly, feeling a blush burning up on her face. What was that look he just gave her? Why was her heart beating so quickly all the sudden? She moved into the building and began yanking her boots off of her feet, making enough room for Yukihira to follow her inside.

Soma had been really looking forward to a nice warm place and a hot meal when he'd ran into Nakiri on the road, but as she'd opened her door and turned back to look at him his heart had stopped.

Her long hair had flown for a moment around her before settling, her face was flushed warm, and a surprisingly breathtaking smile landed on him.

Woah.

Good grief she was beautiful. How had he not noticed it before?

His heart had stopped. His breath had stilled. The world froze for he didn't know exactly how long.

Then she'd broken the sudden spell she'd put on him as she'd turned back to the doorway and moved inside. Now Soma didn't know what to do. He suddenly felt nervous. He wasn't sure why. Nakiri was...well...she was...

She was….

"Yukihira-kun close the door! Don't make such a mess! What is it with you? Were you raised in a barn?"

Ah...there it was...she was back to normal Nakiri.

Erina fumed as she slammed the door Yukihira left open shut. He was letting all the warm air out like some kind of stupid idiot.

What was it about this boy that got her so flustered every time she was around him? He was only taking off his shoes and socks, but she felt like she wanted to push him right out of the door he'd just come in from so she wouldn't have to be around him anymore. He unnerved her like no other person she'd ever known before in all her life.

Soma laughed, feeling relieved somehow that the generally hostile Nakiri he knew was back, because he didn't think he could be around that beautiful goddess that had smiled at him a moment ago. He shook his head to dispel the memory of her image smiling at him as it formed in his mind just thinking about it. He really needed to scrub his brain of that picture of her.

Finishing his task of removing his wet and cold boots and socks he slapped his hands together, "So Nakiri...don't hold out on me. Show me to the kitchen. I want to make a warm drink."

Erina scoffed, "As if you could make something worth drinking." She turned and began walking down the hallway towards the rest of the building as she added, "You had best just get comfortable somewhere while I make you something instead."

Soma followed after her, grinning like a cat that just licked all the cream from the bowl, "That sounds like a challenge, Nakiri."

Erina felt more irritated than she should have. After all, their school was nothing if not competitive and cooking challenges were practically a daily occurrence. Still...the thought that this little diner boy thought he could challenge her...HER! This is what always annoyed her about Yukihira Soma...he was always thinking he was going to be the best when he was nowhere close to her league. She was the best. She would always be the best. She was born the best. No-one her age would ever come even close to touching her.

Entering her workshop kitchen she turned to Yukihira and gave him her best glare, "Your cooking is disgusting!"

He grinned at her which annoyed her even more as he said, "As I recall...you kept eating my cooking the one time-"

Erina put her hand up, "Enough, enough! You want to challenge me to a hot drink for a snowed in day? It's your funeral."

Soma grinned as he pulled his bandana off of his wrist and tied it around his forehead, "Let's do this Nakiri!"

Erina stomped her foot in annoyance, but began making a hot drink worthy of a god nonetheless. She would show that Yukihira Soma once and for all that she was in a different cooking universe than his stupid diner food.

About ten minutes later, the two stood facing each other over a kitchen counter, each holding out hot mugs to the other person. Erina's annoyance had only grown tenfold as they'd been making preparations. That stupid grin on his face had stayed, and as much as she'd spied looks over at him trying to figure out what he was doing she'd been further and further irritated at having no clue what he was up to.

Soma was feeling confident in his drink. Even miss god-tongue herself would love this comforting drink on a cold snowy day like today.

As they traded mugs Erina felt her heart skip a beat feeling Yukihira's fingers lightly brush against her own. It had taken all of her self control not to pull her hand away abruptly as if burned with fire. THIS BOY! He was SO ANNOYING in EVERY POSSIBLE WAY!

Having Yukihira's drink in her hand she stared down into it's depths for a moment wondering what it tasted like. She scowled into the warm liquid. Why did she care what his drink tasted like?

Why did she always want to taste his food?

"Ohhhhh! Nakiri! You sure do live up to your reputation!"

Erina looked up, seeing a big smile on Yukihira's face as he quickly sipped down her drink she had prepared for him.

"This is amazing. I love it."

She wanted to hit him.

Of course it would be the best drink of his pathetic life! She was a goddess. He would be so lucky to taste anything she touched.

Still feeling annoyed, she unthinkingly took a sip of the drink Yukihira made for her.

Warmth spread through her body languidly. She felt like she was wrapped up in a big hot chocolate hug. She was swimming in a bath of rich, hot milk chocolate. Little puffs of whipped cream with cinnamon were floating past her as she leisurely floated along the stream of hot chocolate.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh it was so honest and good. She felt completely safe.

"What do you think?" Yukihira asked, snapping her out of her hot chocolate dream.

Erina blushed, "I-It's disgusting!"

She watched as he reached for her mug, but she pulled away, keeping it out of his reach.

"Let me try it Nakiri."

She moved back further, not even sure what she was doing, as she took a big gulp of the delicious drink, suddenly feeling the need to drink it all down before he could have a taste of it.

He moved around the counter, pursuing her with a wide grin on his face, "Why are you still drinking it?"

She didn't answer, instead moving away from him quicker still, as she took another big gulp.

"Nakiri...what are you doing?" Soma said laughing at as he tried yet again to reclaim the drink he had concocted.

Erina ducked under his arm as she moved around, taking yet another big gulp of the drink.

"Stop!" Soma said, moving after her quicker still.

She was laughing hysterically now, taking in big sips of the drink as quickly as possible as she ran from him.

"I said stop," Soma said softly as he finally managed to corner her.

Erina smiled up at him as she turned her mug over, showing there was none left. For some reason she felt unreasonably smug, as if she had won some great prize.

He laughed, once again not sure what to make of this strange, beautiful, talented girl.

She laughed with him, and he saw it again...that smile directed at him. His heart stopped again. She was soooo beautiful.

"Ok then," He said before he leaned down slightly and brushed his tongue into her mouth just enough to get a lingering taste of his drink.

Pulling away, he knew it...the drink he'd made was good. Even better was the taste of Nakiri. Her lips were soft, her tongue was sweet.

Waitaminute.

Did he just kiss her? His heart started beating a million beats per second with some kind of insane hyper anxiety.

Erina turned red as a tomato as she stared up at Soma with eyes as wide as saucers, frozen for a moment.

He kissed her. Yukihira Soma just kissed her.

Yukihira Soma just kissed her, and oh….he tasted like heaven itself. She wanted more. That was...

Then she shoved him away from her with great force, knocking him onto the floor as she screamed, "D-D-Disgusting! You-you-you-YOUUUUU kissed me! Disgusting!"