[!!]

U-um... I guess I can't.

[She slumps in her seat.]

I still need... to cook lunch.

[Sigh, you never change Tohru.]

If that's all you're worried about, then let me do the cooking today.

[Here, have a light pat on the head.]

[She couldn't help the heat that suddenly flooded her cheeks at his touch. Tohru uncrossed her arms, settling her hands on her lap. She couldn't let him do that. She's the one imposing on him! This was her way on paying him back for his kindness.]

But Kyou-kun...

[Her tone had no conviction whatsoever. Like she wasn't even going to try to protest seriously.]

[He raises an eyebrow at that for a moment but he doesn't disagree to her weak plea outright. Instead he takes a different route.]

Do you really want to risk turning this whole place into a vegetable farm?

N-no! [Shaking her head.] Absolutely not!

Then don't worry about it and let me handle it this once.

[He looks back up and moves his hand away from her head, walking towards the counter.]

What were you trying to make before... [He picks up the apple and shows it to her.] --this, anyway?

[She looks up and gazing at the apple. Her fingers brush the surface, as if she was checking if the knob had indeed turned into this.]

Oh! Um, mixed rice... I thought with the current weather, it would be perfect to eat that.

Just tell me what you do and I'll finish whatever you left undone. [Because even if Kyou can cook decently, he still needs the help of a cook book most of the time.]

Okay, Kyou-kun.

[She climbs down from the stool.]

We'll need to wash the rice first and then cut the chicken into small pieces.

[He places some uncooked rice into a container and runs the tap on for a few seconds. He then looks over his shoulder to Tohru.]

Is the chicken still in the fridge?

Um, yes it is. I'll go get it.

[There might be the slight chance of anything else she touches changing into something else, but Tohru puts that thought aside as she makes her way to the refrigerator. The handle changed into an eggplant but fridge itself is still the fridge. After taking a deep breath, she pokes her head in order to get the chicken breast.

... Looks like the container for the chicken didn't change as well. Looks like the occurrence was a random event.]

Kyou-kun, look... [She closes the refrigerator door, staring at the package in her hands.] It didn't change.

[Kyou was just about about to stop her from getting it when she reached for the handle. He couldn't warn her in time as an the handle then turns into another vegetable. Letting out a sigh, he just goes back to washing the rice. Maybe stopping her would be a bad idea after all.

When she calls for his attention though, he looks up from his work to see the chicken still in tact. And when he says in tact he means the tupperware had still been tupperware.]

Whoever's making you do this probably thinks it's funny.

[He drains the water from the container and puts the rice aside, reaching out for the container of chicken.] Want me to cut that?

[She doesn't find it very funny at all. Come on, look at this face:]



[Tohru may or may not have heard you, Kyou.]

[He finally takes hold of the container but doesn't make a move to open it right away.]

It's probably not going to last forever. Just one of the things that happen in this place a lot. Stop worrying.

I-I'm not sure if I'm going to get used to this, Kyou-kun...

You kind of do when you've been stuck here for more than a year.

[Moving back to the counter to start slicing that chicken now.]

[Did she heard right?]

... Kyou-kun has been here for a year?

[She couldn't even imagine him being alone in this place for that long.]

Yeah, about. [Not that he's been counting.]

[Still slicing by the way.]

You were... alone for so long. I...

[Her hand reaches out, placing it gently on the hand that was on counter.

But then, she realized what she was doing. The tupperware might not have changed but what about Kyou?]

[He doesn't jerk away from her touch but he's surprised to see her pull away as quickly as she could. It takes a while for him to piece together what she's thinking but he realizes that whatever was making her turning various items into food was still in effect. Luckily for him, it didn't seem to work on humans.]

I'm not a carrot if that's what you were worried about.

[She peeks, checking to see if it was true.]

... You're not.

I'm so glad! Kyou-kun...

[Tohru heaves a sigh relief, her body suddenly on its own volition. She had momentarily forgotten about the curse, flinging her arms around Kyou and pulling him into a hug.

...

In 3, 2, 1.]