Hello guys, that's me. Long time no see.

The last year was quite... eventful for me. Ups and downs and all in between. Along the way, I lost my inspiration to write and I ended up in the metaphorical hole of stagnation as a writer.I also took a part-time that takes a lot of my time and kind of kills any creative mood I have.

Right now I am working on rebuilding myself.

About two my most successful stories so, far: I think I am going to keep them "discontinued" for now.

Now, I would like to give you my reasons why.

Over the time I had, I tried to analyze what I did wrong with the stories and I came to these conclusions:

The Tootsuki Trinity:

While the idea seemed cool at first, I came across the problem of the actions of all three main protagonists being far too similar. I mean, they all come together, do everything together and it just seemed too unoriginal and boring.

Additionally, it was about how little actually changed. Basically, I kept Kurokiba and Hayama so close to their Canon selves that the fact that they grew up in a different environment seems almost non-existant.

But here... I hope some of the mistakes are fixed.

ENJOY!

The Culinary Academy of Tootsuki stood as the bastion of perfection. People who graduated from here would uphold the high standards of cuisine all over the world. Attending this place and surviving here for at least one year already guaranteed your status as a good chef cemented. But those who graduated...

They were the pinnacle amongst their generation. Those who would lead the future of the cuisine and define what gourmet food meant in the modern world.

Countless students applied for the place here, ready to throw away crazy money and gifts just to make sure their children could attend the academy. But, no matter how great the riches promised were, nobody would-

"Please!" The annoyingly loud voice of a man interrupted his thoughts and Akira stopped, his eyes looking coldly at the scene in the coriddor. The man in his late forties was on his knees, hands wrapped around the other one's leg. Judging by the clothes, it was easy to tell that the one on his knees was of higher status and income. And yet he was sobbing and begging, "I shall pay you double! No, triple the amount! Just-"

With a roll of eyes, Akira tuned the man out, instead focusing on a young man behind them both. He looked absolutely crushed, his skin pale, his body weak and lifeless. As he proceeded to continue his walk, they looked each other in the eyes. It briefly lasted a second but, looking in those hollow eyes filled with nothing but despair, Akira could do only one thing.

He scoffed.

For the young men and women from far more influential families, studying here was one of the most basic requirements, the lack of which would either severely reduce the said child's standing in the family's business or even result in their disownment.

In the merciless world the cuisine was, you either perfected your skills and lived...

... or you would stagnate and be forgotten.

Huh, not so different from the rest of the world when you think about it. Some people liked to live in fantasy and delusion that, once you reached the top, you could enjoy the fruits of your hard work and success. That you could stretch your legs and arms out, snap your fingers and let the entire world treat you like a king.

Those who fooled themselves into believing this were the first ones to be smacked around by the harsh reality.

The world was far less forgiving and certainly didn't treat anyone better just because they worked harder than the others. In most cases, it was quite the opposite. The more you wroked, the harder you tried and the more accomplished, the more people would expect from you. The praises and compliments would cease as your success would become a norm.

And very soon, you would find yourself alone on the top, people watching you.

Waiting for your failure.

For their opportunity to strike.

And then they will-

No! He throws the brief memory away. As far away as possible, deep into the very corners of his consciousness. And instead, he focuses on another memory. Another episode from the past. The happy one. The one he cherishes the most.

His eyes close for a moment, that fate defining episode flashing through his mind. Curled inside a makeshift tent, made of cardboard and dirty rags he managed to find, a bunch of garbage barely keeping him warm in the rain, his stomach rumbling from hunger and body aching from a beating he got for rummaging through the garbage near that small pub. And then...

Then this woman just appeared before him.

He still remembers how he tried to run. Adults never brought him anything but problems. And while he never had to be beaten by a woman, he didn't want to take any chances. But his body was too weak from days of going without food. His legs had no strength to let him even stand let alone run. And so he fell, face first into a puddle, his silver hair getting caked in mud and small trash. He closed his eyes, resigning himself to whatever she wanted to do. Beat him, kick him, he was ready.

What he doesn't expect is a sudden realization the rain drops no longer hit him. Weakly looking up, he sees the woman. Her form black and devoid of any light. Her skin was, in contrast, almost deathly pale. One glance at her, and he was shaking in fear from the strength her presence held but...

One look at her smile and he feels warm inside.

"Hey there," she says simply, crouching down, her umbrella shielding him from the cold rain even more. The momentary sense of safety vanishes when he reminds himself of all the times the other adults tricked him. No! No more! "Hey, no need to scowl... I am not going to hurt you."

He remembers the weak attempts to resist. To get back up and run. But all he is able to do is just feel the woman's hand hold his own.

Do you have a name, boy?

"Akira," he whispers, his eyes still on the woman searching for any sign of malice behind her smile.

"Hey! You alright, man?" Akira snapped out of his memories, quickly refocusing on the world around. He was in line to the headmaster's office. Not so many people here, which is not surprising when considering how specific the case was. "Come on, you are next."

Fear. Obvious as day.

Not many people are allowed such way to enter the academy. From what he heard, most of the applicants were supposed to take an exam under the proctorship if one of the Elite Ten. The prespective was terrifying when you thought about it. You would have to be evaluated by people, who would rather chop of their own arms than let another talented student in and risk their chances.

He didn't worry though. Impressing some stuck-up second years with his cooking to the point they could do nothing but nod in approval was not something he would fail at. He was ready for the exam.

This, however, was different.

Taking a deep breath, Akira opened his eyes, the emerald green orbs full of steel resolve.

Well... He stepped inside the dark cabinet, feeling like he was on the trial for his soul and the man in front of him was the Devil himself. Here we go.

"Hurry up, Ryo-kun! We are going to be late!"

The young man only groans in response to his blue haired companion, his gaze unfocused and wandering around the halls. Students of their class are all heading the classroom, ready or not so to take one of the written exams required to go to the high school.

Some of them are idly chatting with friends, some are quickly going through their notes and the most part are checking if anyone can see cheat lists on them or not. That girl over there is sneaky. With a cheat list in her bra, it is going to be a messy thing for the teacher to call her out.

But he?

He just wanted to get done with it.

Why bother with all the written crap anyway? In Tootsuki, cooking was all that mattered.

And that was not some metaphor or other shit like that.

Cooking literally decided almost everything around here. Newest equipment. Contracts with suppliers. Hell, you could even get yourself personal assitants! If you played your cards right with the arrogant pricks here, you could get more than enough to open your own restaurant by the time you graduated!

And as long as his practical score was in the top five, he had nothing to worry about.

One would definitely say something about him being too arrogant. Pride comes before fall, this is what most people said, right? After all, getting to the top five was no easy task. The teachers here were no pushovers or easy to bribe either, the school made sure the payment and punishment were enough to discourage anyone from such actions.

So yeah, to normal students around here, his laid back attitude and disinterested, almost relaxed mood was the clear indication of great arrogance.

But he was not a normal student.

While the people around him were pampered and busied around, he has always been on his own.

They were trained and educated by tutors in fancy ass schools. The ingredients they got were always provided by someone, be it parents or big name suppliers. Only the shiniest tools and finest silver was in their hands.

And when they failed?

They all would be cooed at and busied around, parents coming up with ridiculous excuses for the incompetence of their children. And, of course, the losers would lap it up and convince themselves that it was not their fault that they failed. That it was anyone but them.

And he?

Well, let's just say that his life, up until a certain point, was... a bit different from theirs.

Bottom line is, they just had too different perspectives on what cooking was. For them, rich brats and pricks, cooking was a career choice. Just one of the many.

But for him, cooking was the only thing he could do to survive when he was nothing but a little street rat.

When that man in a fancy suit came to his small pub, with an "offer he couldn't refuse" promising him opportunity to become a better chef that he already was and open new doors for him, he told the walking mountain of muscles these two simple words:

"Fuck off."

But hey, can you really blame him? He got where he was by his own eoffrt. Through sweat and blood, he got himself the place he could call his own. And then some bastard comes and treats him like a small fry? Naturally, he had to teach the guy a lesson or his pride would be tarnished.

Even after he got his ass handed to him in numerous food fights, Ryo still growled at anyone who suggested doing even anything for him when it came to cooking. He wouldn't let some asshole pick the ingredients for him. He didn't need any of the teachers to act like some mother hen either. All he needed - wanted - was power.

And that man have him an opportunity to acquire it.

"Alright, class, you can start... Now."

What a pain... Well, just get done with it and get some sleep after.

Contrary to what the people around him believed, Ryo did study. Not crazy ass sleepless nights like Marui, thank God. That guy looked like he would drop dead by the second year.

But he did read what he needed to know. The questions are not that hard really. Some basic calculations here and there. Some theory thrown in. Nothing that is worth getting worked up about.

Which is why he is irritated to see Tadokoro shake and mumble under her nose the moment they leave the classroom an hour later. One would think that, living under the same roof for the last two years with the girl around, he should or would have grown used to the smaller girl's personality. Maybe even form a bond and mutual understanding.

Yeah... As if.

Just as he said before, he wasn't your regular champ. And he sure as hell wasn't going to grow attached or even acknowledge someone as weak as Tadokoro Megumi. Sounds cruel? Well, tough beans then.

He didn't hate her, per say. No, that was reserved for some special cases of assholes. If he had to describe it, the closest thing that came to mind was annoyance. Plain and simple annoyance at how weak the girl was.

If he were some anime protagonist, sure, he would smile at her and say something like "You've got this!" or whatever other crap those morons with odd hair color are constantly talking about. But this wasn't some anime where people won through the power of friendship. You needed skills and will to survive in the world. And you could rely on noone but yourself.

This is why he wouldn't even bother stopping the bavy haired wreck of a girl from writing home. This is why, as she broke down in self-depreciating mumbling, he leaves for his room while the rest of Polar Star students calm her down and try to make her feel better.

Because, in the end, why bother getting close to someone who won't survive her first year anyway?

The cooking world was the endless journey. So much to try and taste! So much to experiment with!

Ever since Soma learnt about this amazing world called cuisine, he did nothing but try to unlock all the secrets it held. His father often said that ten lifetimes wouldn't be enough to explore it but hey! What's life without challenges?

And yet today his journey came to an abrupt end.

"Wait, you are kidding me right?" Soma felt his right eye twitch. This wasn't happening. No, there must have been a mistake! Or a bad dream! Hallucination from some of his dried frog skins! "What do you mean somebody took my baggage for me?"

The plane was leaving in less than an hour and he really needed it! Clothes and toiletries didn't really matter (although some people would argue with that), but all his cooking utensils and notebooks were in there!

His thoughts were interrupted when the familiar name turned up on his smartphone and Soma beamed in realization. The old man definitely could sort this whole thing out while he prepared for the flight. But as he explained his current situation to him, his old man dropped a bomb on him.

And, oh God, the literal bomb would be so much better than the metaphorical one!

"I am not coming with you?" Ever since he was four, Soma joined his father on every single trip across the world in search of new and exciting combinations and cooking techniques. Sure, he had to be home schooled and there were other issues with such lifestyle when they didn't stay anywhere for longer than a year... But neither of them appeared even slightly burdened by it. "Wait, what do you mean by "no time time to explain"?!"

His eyes widened as the old man started speaking in very formal and responsible tone. About how it was time for him to think about the future and try to-

"Don't you pull this 'responsible father' talk on me now!I bet you are laughing your ass off on the other end, dammit!" The booming laughter that followed only made Soma's eye twitch more. Alright, he was not done until the answers were given! "Hey! At least, tell me what the- Hello?"

Did he just hang up on him?

Great. Now what was he supposed to do? He had some money from all the odd jobs and work as a part-time chef in small cafes saved up on his bank account. (Something that he would thank his old man later). Come to think of it, they were in Tokyo, right? If he remembered correct, there should be a small inn in the Sumiredori district. Heck, he could probably use that house they used to live in.

Still, that didn't answer where his baggage went.

"Are you Yukihira Soma?"

Soma turned around and was surprised to be greeted by the sight of a girl, roughly his age if his eyes didn't lie to him.

"Yes, who is asking?"

He didn't want to sound too suspicious or distrustful. However, while living around the world, you end up seeing people of all sorts. And trust him on word, Soma had seen his fair share of unsavory characters. Enough for him to last a lifetime.

"The name is Kobayashi Rindou." She introduced herself with cheerful voice, something seemed both natural and fake at the same time. Why though, Soma couldn't even guess. For some reason, the way she spoke and moved reminded him both of a stray cat and a wild cheetah. Why he couldn't think of anything but feline animals, he didn't know. "I am here to take you to Tootsuki."

"Take me where?" The girl's eyes widened a little, though her surprise was still obvious. Judging by the way she looked at him, he should - No - he must have known what this place was. But he didn't. "What's Tootsuki?"

"Wait, you seriously don't know?" Was it him or her voice just grow intrigued? Nah, he must have heard her wrong. Hmm, Tootsuki... The name should have meant something. And in the back of his mind he could tell that he remembered something...

"Yup, doesn't ring a bell." He said simply. Well, whatever this place was, he always could look it up on the Internet. The more time he lost here, the less he would have to find his place to live and decide what the hell he was going to do now that his old man seemingly abandoned him. "Look, Kobayashi-san, it was a nice talk but I think I am going to take a rain check. There is something I need- Er, who are you calling right now?"

"Hello, Eishi?" Okay, so she was calling a friend. Seeing no need to stay any longer, Soma turned around ready to leave only to feel very strong grip on his shoulder. Under his breath, Soma cursed at the overwhelming strength of the cat-like girl. Seriously, what did she eat? And where could he get some of it? Since the escape was no longer an option, or even a possibility, Soma resigned himself to waiting for the conversation to end, caring to catch only the pieces of what the girl said to the person on the other end of the line. "I really appreciate this, Eishi! I will make it up to you later, promise!"

For some reason, Soma doubted the sincerity of the last line. And seriously pitied whoever this Eishi was. Dealing with the girl like that seemed like a lot of work. And he only met her!

"So you are saying that you have absolutely no idea about what Tootsuki is, right?" Was she talking to him? Snapping out of his thoughts, Soma turned to see the pair of golden yellow eyes looking at him with cattish curiosity. The same one a cat was watching a mouse trapped in a corner. "That you have no idea why are here?"

"Besides my old man leaving me here, no idea." Soma sighed, reasoning that the sooner he dealt with this girl, the sooner he was free to go. Any other guy in his situation would probably try to talk to her as much as he could, seeing that she was quite attractive in her own right. But this was no manga or anime, and Soma never allowed the looks to fool him. This girl was bad news. "Miss Kobayashi-"

"Just call me Rindou."

"Alright, Rindou," better agree with her than argue. "What do you want from me and- Wait, where are you dragging me?"

In his musings, he failed to notice the girl wrap her arm around his waist and lift him from the ground, essentially making him look like a sack of potatoes.

"It's a surprise!" The famous last words every man heard before shit hit the fan. "Don't worry though, I won't bite."

Somehow he doubted that.

Maybe he should run? If he tried very hard, he could weasel his way out of her grip and call for help. Come to think of it, why the hell were people just standing there doing nothing?! This was or, at least, looked like kidnapping! Shouldn't anyone at least stop and question her?

"E-Excuse me, miss?" The security guard approached the girl making Soma gain more respect for the Japanese airport service.

However, one glare from the girl and the man fled like he has just pissed off the Cerebus.

Traitor!

"Now now, where is the cafe around here?" Soma had to suppress the urge to sarcastically point at the numerous places she could get food from. From small stores to the freaking vending machine a few steps away from her. "Oooh! I found one!"

Did she possibly forget about him?

Suddenly he was forced into a pink frily apron and the girl sat at the table, cattish grin on her lips and almost manic look in her eyes. Somewhere, at the same time, Soma knew,his old man was dying from laughter.

"Now feed me!"

Somehow, this was all his fault.

So...

What did you guys think?

I should also inform you that, since starting to write for other fandoms, I came to realize that longer chapters are a go so this is going to be the shortest one for now.

To all those who submitted OCs, don't worry. They'll be introduced in the following chapters! Otherwise, it would be just mean!

Until next update folks!