THE TASTE OF LOVE

Author's note: This is my very first fanfic…and I'm nervous…

Disclaimer: I do not own Nodame Cantabile…sheesh…

The Taste of Love

By: Cantabilesonata

Nodame sat in front of her piano. Her fingers danced over the keyboard as she listens to Debussy from her mp3 player on full blast. Even across the living room, you can hear the throbbing bass leaking out from the headphones. She has to practice for the upcoming piano exam that will be held next week at the Conservatoire Academy of Music. It's been 5 months since she arrived here in Paris, she seems to adapt to the new lifestyles. Not forget to mention that she has found new friends like Tonya and Frank who have been helping her a lot on analyzing musics. Besides, she is doing all this to impress the man who she loves.

She glanced at the special edition calendar of Puri Gorota pasted on the wall of her room. 14th February. "Mukya! Chiaki-senpai is coming home tonight", she thought with joy. It's been 2 weeks since Chiaki act as escort to Maestro Stressmann on his orchestra concert in Prague. "Yosh, Nodame must do something for senpai! Tonya have mentioned that men adores a women who can cook a great meal" she droned, sliding out of the seat, flipping the mp3 player off and jostling her way to the computer table. She opens the laptop and start browsing some famous European cuisines from the internet, with a lined pad and pencil for quick notes on recipes. Most importantly, Tonya's scrumptious chocolate-chip cookies to go with a glass of milk.

After 3 hours of surveying through the menu, she could not find one that she is able to cook. "Haun…Nodame can't find anything for senpai…hm…" she sighed.

She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "Gyabo! It's time to watch Puri Gorota!" she exclaimed, ducking into the TV set, turned to her all-time favorite anime, Puri Gorota. "Gyahahaha… Mukya!" She grinned sheepishly as she watched today's episode of Puri Gorota: Valentine's Day Special. Puririn and Gorota (the main characters of the anime) sharing a plate of spaghetti while picturing the meatball scene from 'The Lady and The Tramp'. "Mukya! So romantic! That's it! Nodame must cook something delicious for senpai!"(I do not own Puri Gorota)

Nodame browsed for the recipes through the internet, she found something that she thought Chiaki loves to eat: Fettuccine Carbonara. She jotted down the ingredients to the lined pad, then quickly grabbed her Cardcaptor Sakura printed sling bag and rushed out from her room to go to the nearest supermarket. (I do not own CCS)

Frank Lantoine went out from the comic store. "Hehe…finally, I've got you! I'm saving all my money for you" he grinned as he peeked in the bag of Ge Ge Ge No Kitaro manga (I do not own Ge Ge Ge No Kitaro). All of a sudden, he saw Nodame. She was hanging out outside Bianco Restaurant. Walking over, he was about to greet her when he realized nothing was. Absolutely nothing. The girl was standing still like a statue, staring into space and, uh, drooling? "Okay, right" he thought. "This could mean only two things: 1) Nodame needed a neurologist's attention or 2) she had floated up to that Hampstead Steak again"

Nodame shook herself free when suddenly she realized someone stood beside her. "Frank" she said, wiping her chin. Finally, she had come back down to earth. He felt bad, actually. He felt bad that there is nothing he can do to get that expensive Bianco's Hampstead Steak for Nodame. "Nodame, let's go get some sandwich!" he cheered. "Ou…Mukya!" Nodame is a slave when it comes to food.

Nodame and Frank were sitting on the open-air café and all of a sudden Tonya Vasionova came up to them.

"Huh…I'm really hopelessly in love" she snapped, slumped onto a seat next to Nodame.

"What's up with you?" Frank asked, sniffed the sandwich.

"Huh! I hate Frenchmen! How could they didn't notice me? Me! A beautiful swan from Russia! I guess I'm gonna be alone again this Valentine's Day, lonely without a boyfriend in this city of amour…" Tonya sighed.

Meanwhile, Nodame is daydreaming about Chiaki. "I always thought that you're so beautiful, and well thanks for cooking me these marvelous dinner"

Nodame watched Chiaki leans towards her, his lips puckering. Nodame kissed him. Just then, Nodame opened her eyes to find Tonya and Frank staring at her, their mouths agape. She lowered her sandwich, which she'd been kissing. Tangy salsa sauce dripped from her cheeks and chin. "Nodame just thinking about Chiaki-senpai" she muttered, wiping the sauce off her face.

"Ah! So da yo, Nodame! Chiaki is coming back tonight, right? So, what do you plan to do for him?" Frank asked.

"Nodame plan to cook him a romantic dinner, but Nodame needs to go to the supermarket to buy the ingredients"

"Then, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" Tonya grabbed Nodame's hand.

Nodame stuffed the whole sandwich to her mouth and raced to the supermarket with Tonya and Frank. They have bought everything for Nodame and Chiaki's romantic v-day dinner. The fettuccine pasta, beef bacon, shiitake mushrooms, asparagus and parmesan cheese.

Back to their apartment, Nodame is cooking while Tonya and Frank were decorating Chiaki's living room with scented candles, flowers and a nice table cloth with matching napkins.

Nodame is doing her best on cooking. She cooked the fettuccine pasta according to the directions in the packet. While pasta is cooking, she fries the beef bacon. "Nodame, which scented candle do you want to use? Either rose or vanilla?" Tonya asked. Nodame sniff on both of the candle. "Nodame likes vanilla".

Then, she smells something. Smells like something was burnt. She turned into the kitchen. "Gyabo!" she cried as a smoke filled the kitchen.

Nodame put her pasta on the table. Tonya and Frank peered curiously on the wet limp thing covered by a uh, well burned beef bacon which looks crispy. They sniff at it.

"What's this?" they asked in unison with a lemon-sucking face.

"Chiaki-senpai no pasta…haun…" Nodame sighed.

"They look like they were cooked by a fire-breathing dragon!" Frank muttered.

Tonya nudged him.

"Ho gee! Nodame must not give up! Nodame must cook again!" Nodame droned with Sailormoon pose. (I do not own Sailormoon)

Chiaki already arrived at the Tokyo International Airport from a long flight from Prague. It's been a while since he had overcome his fear of flight.

"Chiaki, send my regard to Nodame-Chan" said Stressmann, shaking his hand and winked at him.

Chiaki nodded and smile forcefully at him. "Stay away from her, you hentai jiji!" Chiaki thought.

"I'll see you again. Mata ne, Chiaki," Stressman stepped away to the crowd.

Chiaki get on the taxi. "I'm coming home, Nodame."

As Chiaki entered his room, he was surprised to it. Flowers and a pleasurable aroma of scented candles is everywhere. The lights were dimmed and the soft romantic music can be heard, perfect for ambience.

"Okairinasai, senpai!"

There stood Nodame wearing a white ruffled top under purple tiered dress.

"What's all this?"

"Senpai must be hungry! Let's eat!" she grabbed his arms and he slumped onto a seat.

"Hai, douzo!"

Nodame serves the dinner that she made for him.

Chiaki peered curiously on half-cooked, grease-soaked pasta. "What's this?"

"Pasta of love" Nodame said, grinned.

"Huh? Pasta?" he ate it cautiously.

As he shoved it inside his mouth, his eyes bugged out nearly out of their sockets. If he were a cartoon, his straight hair would have stood up. He look at Nodame and said in a chipmunk-like voice "Nani ya kore? Are you trying to poison me? These are raw!" he cried, throwing a frying pan on Nodame's head.

"GYABO!"

"Thank you for all of these. That's very sweet of you. Happy Valentine's Day, Nodame…"

-The end-

A/N: There you go. Sorry for any grammatical errors. I'm still a newbie. Thanks or reading! Please review!