Erina didn't often attend the parties hosted by the rambunctious residents of the Polar Star Dormitory. While she had grown closer to all of them, especially after they'd helped her during their freshman year, she still found herself more than busy between her duties as a food critic, the acting matriarch of the Nakiri family and the Second seat of the Elite Ten Council.

Regardless, she made it a point to show up at least every few weeks, both for her friends and herself. It was a chance for her to maintain relationships with people that didn't bow to her every whim, something she found oddly enjoyable. Especially since it gave her the chance to interact with a certain red head.

Which is why she found herself more than a little despondent to see the red head in question in a corner, completely ignoring her in favor of tongue wrestling with a chesty, purple haired girl. This wasn't something she could've said she ever saw coming, and the shock was more than enough to make her drop her drink.

"Oh! Erina-chan!"

Erina blinked, trying to pull her gaze away from the sight. She felt someone dabbing at her uniform and she started, finally pulling her eyes away from the entwined pair to see Megumi desperately patting at her jacket with some towels.

"Ah…sorry, Megumi-chan. Let me help."

She took a few of the napkins, wiping at the mess she'd made on herself. While she would usually be heavily embarrassed by such an event, she didn't have any room in her head for anything except the odd, crushed feeling she'd gotten when she first saw Soma in the corner with that girl on his lap.

"Is something the matter, Erina-chan?" asked Megumi, finishing up as best she could. Together, they'd gotten out most of the stain, leaving the blue haired girl free to be concerned about what had caused it in the first place.

"N-No!" she denied hotly, resisting the urge to blush. "It's just…well…I was surprised."

"By what?" asked Megumi, eyes panning around the room. Marui was pestering Yuki about cleaning up the mess she'd made with the hors d'oeuvres while Shun was debating the merits of a smoked salmon dish he'd prepared with Ryo. Takumi and Ikumi were talking animatedly back and forth, pointing at a magazine that lied between them, with Hayama observing but saying little. Everything seemed fairly par the course. Except for…

Megumi sighed, rolling her eyes. She walked over to where Soma and Ryoko sat, hands tangled in each other's hair. Her hand darted out, slapping Soma on the head, which startled them both.

"Eep!"

"Oi!"

Soma looked up at his assailant, eyes lidded as he panted, trying to regain his breath. He smiled mischievously at the bluenette.

"Tadokoro-chan, hey."

"Don't 'hey' me, Soma-kun! How many times do I have to lecture you two for being so shameless?"

Soma laughed, scratching the back of his head. Ryoko averted her eyes, her cheeks aflame. She sipped at a cup she held, trying to shrink further into Soma's lap, away from the admonishing gaze of Totsuki's Fourth Seat.

"It's a party, Tadokoro-chan! Lighten up. I wouldn't have a thing to say to YOU if you were off in the corner with Kurokiba."

He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, earning himself a forehead flick in between them.

"Behave! You and Ryoko-chan both have rooms here. It's bad manners to assume that everyone is going to be comfortable with such public displays of affection."

She glanced over pointedly, where Erina still stood, trying and failing to act as if she wasn't eavesdropping. At Megumi's glance, Erina turned away awkwardly, doing her best to seem disinterested. Soma tilted his head, idly running his hand up and down Ryoko's back, the pleasant tingles she was giving off letting him know his treatment was much appreciated.

"We're making Nakiri uncomfortable?"

Soma grinned, putting his hand around Ryoko's waist and bringing her in closer.

"S-Soma-kun!" she said, smacking him lightly on the arm. "You heard Megumi-chan!"

With a laugh, Soma released her, allowing her to stand up and smooth down her rumpled sweater. He stood up as well, slinging his arm around her exposed shoulders. He leaned in to her ear, the next words he said emerging in a whisper

"Fine, fine! I suppose Megumi's right, we do both have rooms here. Not to mention, I wouldn't mind getting a bit more…comfortable."

The sheer sultriness he put into the word caused Ryoko to light up like a tomato, glancing around to see if anyone else had heard him. He grinned down at the girl, pleased to see the effects of his statement. He released her shoulders, only to take her hand and start crossing the room, pulling the fermentation mistress along with him.

As they came up to Erina, Soma patted her on the shoulder, causing her to jump. She turned back towards them, struggling to keep the conflicting emotions off of her face. As it were, she still found herself eyeing their interlocked hands with a bit too much intensity.

"Good evening, Yukihira-kun. Sakaki-chan."

"Hey there, Nakiri." He said, the familiar form of address rolling off of his tongue.

"Good evening, Erina-chan." said Ryoko, smiling at the girl.

"Tadokoro-chan was telling me that Ryoko-chan and I were making you a bit uncomfortable?" he asked, causing both of the girls to turn to him in shock at his forthrightness.

"T-That's-" Erina stopped, trying to gather her thoughts. She wasn't sure why she even felt surprised. When it came to being blunt and direct, there was no one quite as adept at it as Yukihira Soma.

"Soma-kun! Don't just bring up something so sensitive." Ryoko chided, bumping him with her elbow.

"No, it's alright Sakaki-chan. Megumi-chan was just being a bit hasty on my behalf." said Erina, looking over at where Megumi had joined in the conversation between Ryo and Shun, her port town knowledge coming to bear as she talked excitedly about the texture of the salmon meat.

"So we weren't making you uncomfortable?" Soma asked, cocking his head at her...

"Of course not!" she snapped, folding her arms. "I was just a bit surprised by your utter lack of decorum Yukihira-kun. You would do well to treat Sakaki-chan with more respect."

Soma smiled, the familiar thorny attitude a relief. He was all for teasing the Nakiri heiress, but that didn't mean he wanted to truly offend one of his close friends. Especially not at a Polar Star party.

"Duly noted, Nakiri. Now, Ryoko-chan, let's go so I can start in on that respectful treatment." He suggested, his tone bringing a blush to both of the girls' faces. Ryoko glared at him for his brazenness but allowed herself to be pulled towards the exit.

"Goodbye Erina-chan. It was nice seeing you."

"See ya later Nakiri!"

As the door closed behind them, Erina's face fell, her haughty veneer cracking as she let the full range of emotions she felt display on her face. Her arms fell to her sides as she stared at the door, suddenly struck by the irrational urge to follow them and…and do what?

Tell Yukihira that she wanted him to stop whatever philandering he was doing with Sakaki immediately? What reason could she possibly give? That every caress he gave Ryoko made her feel like someone was stepping on her chest? That she'd found it hard to breathe when she'd first laid eyes on the pair?

Erina shook her head, trying to mentally will away her self-doubt. She was better than this. Even if she'd long accepted her utterly misplaced feelings for the boy, that didn't mean she would fawn over his every footstep. Instead she turned back to the party, attempting to lose herself in the festivities.

It was only after several cups of the mildly alcoholic rice juice that Erina built up the courage to finally speak her mind, at least a little.

"Megumi-chan?"

Megumi turned away from her conversation with Ryo, her cheeks the bright red of inebriation.

"I just had a question for you…if you're not busy?"

"That's no problem Erina-chan! What is it?"

Erina looked away, her cheeks heated from more than just the alcohol.

"Well, I was just curious. How long have Yukihira-kun and Sakaki-chan been…been…"

She couldn't even bring herself to say it. As if saying it would somehow make it any less real.

"Involved?" Megumi asked lightly.

Erina nodded, thankful that the blue haired girl had picked up on what she'd left unsaid. Megumi looked up, tapping her chin in thought.

"Well, I suppose it would depend on your definition."

"What exactly do you mean?"

Megumi hummed, closing her eyes as she thought of the best way to explain the situation.

"Technically, you could say they've been involved for about three months now."

Erina's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

"Yukihira…Yukihira-kun and Sakaki-chan have been dating for that long?!"

Did her voice sound as heartbroken as she felt?

Megumi shook her head, wondering why the girl seemed so worked up over this. It wasn't often Erina seemed so interested in gossip.

"No, Erina-chan. That's not it. Soma-kun and Ryoko-chan aren't dating at all."

Now, instead of distressed, Erina just looked confused. Very confused.

"I…I don't understand. They were kissing right in this room less than an hour ago. Why would they do that if they weren't dating?"

Megumi now felt confused as well, but she saw the look on Erina's face and realized she'd forgotten who she was talking to. This was Nakiri Erina. The same Erina that didn't know how to work a washing machine and found shoujo manga risqué.

"…why are you laughing at me Megumi-chan?"

Megumi wiped her eyes, trying to contain herself and comfort her friend simultaneously.

"No, no Erina-chan. Gomen. I'm not laughing at you. I just…I forgot that you aren't very experienced with relationships. So I understand why you may be a little confused."

Erina didn't feel it necessary to point out that she was certainly more than a little confused.

"It's like this. People can be physical with other people without necessarily needing to be in a romantic relationship with them. Now, not everyone is suited for such a thing. For example, I personally believe that things like kissing and intimacy should be done in private, with someone you hold strong romantic feelings for."

"Isn't that just how it's supposed to be?" asked Erina.

Megumi shrugged, spreading her hands.

"It's a personal choice, Erina-chan. Not everyone has the same viewpoint as you or I. Soma-kun and Ryoko-chan are two such people. When I said they've been involved for three months, what I really meant was that, starting sometime around that time, they started having a physical relationship with each other. They've never been an official couple or anything, but it isn't exactly a secret that they're having sex."

"S-s-s-sex? But…that's..." Erina stammered, shocked at her friend's casual mention of something so personal. She would've never pictured Megumi as being someone who could discuss something like that so openly.

Erina wasn't a child. She was more than aware of the "birds and the bees" as it were. Despite its culinary nature, Totsuki academy DID feature mandatory biology courses, of which the reproductive system was a topic. But aside from that, and a few of the racier romantic novels she'd read, Erina was clueless.

She always saw sex as this thing reserved for the privacy of the bed room. Something to be shared with someone you loved and were in a committed relationship with, after an appropriate length of time of course. She knew that there were people who violated these rules, people who had multiple partners and did things like "one night stands" (She'd even heard of there being people that would accept money for it!)

But she'd written those people off as uncouth plebeians. They didn't live in the same world she did, and so she'd spared no thoughts further on them or the subject of sex in general, really. At least until having the realities of such a thing forced into her face by the last person she would've expected to do such a thing.

"So…Megumi-chan…" Erina said, giving up on hiding how red her face was. "Isn't such a thing…wrong? Shameful?"

Megumi tilted her head, looking the form of the Nakiri heiress up and down. She squinted her eyes, as if she was searching for something.

"It's not really about right or wrong, per se, at least not to me. It's about what you choose to do with yourself and other people. I just choose to reserve those sort of things for my private time with Ryo-kun."

She grinned impishly at her last sentence, glancing over at where the baggy eyed chef stood, idly sipping on a cup of rice juice as he spoke in quiet tones with the Smokestack of Totsuki.

"Megumi-chan!" said Erina, scandalized. Such boldness was uncharacteristic of her fellow Elite Ten member. It seemed whatever brew Ryoko had provided them with was more concentrated than usual.

"Erina-chan. In all seriousness though, why do you seem to care so much about what Soma-kun does with Ryoko-chan?"

Erina blanched, waving her hands frantically in denial.

"I don't! It's just…as the first seat, his behavior is simply-"

"Erina-chan." chided Megumi, stepping forward, almost nose to nose with the girl. Erina could smell the alcohol on her breath, or was that from hers?

"You're a really bad liar, Erina-chan. Be honest with me." She demanded, crossing her arms petulantly. Erina gulped, looking around as if trying to escape. Without knowing it, she'd backed herself into a literal corner, trapped on either side by the walls of Marui's room. The only way out was past Megumi, who didn't seem to be willing to back down.

"It's just…I can't…"

Erina didn't even know what she was trying to say. Was she struggling to tell the truth? Was she trying to come up with a convincing lie?

"It's disgusting!" she tried, the falsity of her words apparent.

"And?" pressured Megumi. She had a feeling she knew exactly what had the blonde so bothered. It would explain quite a lot about the blonde's relationship with their fellow Elite Ten member. But it was important that she admit it to herself.

"I don't…it's just not fair." She mumbled, all of her bluster fading in the face of Megumi's unforgiving persistence.

"What's not fair, Erina-chan? It's important that you be truthful with me."

'And yourself' she thought silently.

"It's not fair that Soma has his hands all over some other girl!" she practically shouted, her voice cracking. Her eyes closed and she felt her shoulders start to shake. This was beneath her. Totsuki's Empress didn't wallow and cry over some boy like a prepubescent girl.

But despite all of her bravado, she definitely felt tears coming down her cheeks. She wiped at her eyes furiously but they kept coming, heedless of her efforts. She felt two slender arms encircle her, and she started to sob, burying her face into Megumi's shoulder.

"Some other girl, huh?" asked Megumi unnecessarily. She wasn't blind. She'd often wondered if there was some deeper meaning behind Erina's contempt for Soma, and now, with that look on her face, she could easily see past the mask Erina had put up for so long.

Megumi waited patiently, stroking the girl's back and murmuring comforting words into her ear. It was several minutes before Erina finally calmed down, her sobs dying off into hiccups as she slowly regained control of herself.

When she finally removed her face from Megumi's shoulder, she found a tissue waiting for her, courtesy of Totsuki's Mistress of Hospitality. She took it and wiped her eyes, feeling her breathing start to return to normal.

"Thank you, Megumi-chan. I'm sorry about your shirt."

She looked down at the patch of moisture she'd left in embarrassment.

"It's fine, Erina-chan." Megumi said, smiling kindly at the girl. "More importantly, what do you intend to do about Soma-kun?"

"I…I don't know. I've never thought…" Erina trailed off, still not sure just what she was trying to say. It seemed she'd been doing that a lot tonight.

"Erina. This isn't some shoujo comic or romance novel." Megumi said seriously, looking into the purple eyes of her friend.

"Soma-kun's not the hero and you're not the damsel. This is real life. Your life. And things don't always just work out on their own because of how you feel."

"Then what can I do?" Erina asked, her heart twisting at Megumi's grim proclamation.

"As I said, this is your life, Erina-chan. It's up to you to decide just what it is that you want."

"I…I want him."

"Him who?" Megumi asked, half teasingly. Erina frowned, looking away from the girl's mischievous yellow eyes. Eyes that reminded her of his.

"…Yukihira. I want Yukihira-kun."

"That's all well and good, Erina-chan. But just what exactly do you want from him?" asked Megumi.

"What do you mean?" asked Erina, confusion playing across her features. She would've thought it was obvious what she wanted.

"What I mean is that, it's obvious you have feelings towards Soma-kun. But what resolution are you seeking here? Do you just want to let him know how you feel so you can move on? Do you want to be his girlfriend? Do you want to take Ryoko-chan's place in his bed?"

Erina didn't say anything, turning the question over in her head. She had feelings towards Soma, truly, but what DID she want? Even she couldn't truly say she knew.

"Megumi." said a low, deep voice from across the room. Erina saw her friend's head turn. And all of the pieces in her head, all of the dreadfully unresolved pieces she'd been harboring for so long, all clicked together.

"Just a minute, Ryo-kun. I'll be right there." She said, before turning back to the subject of her attention.

"I want that." Said Erina decisively, a fire behind her eyes where they'd been so dim before.

"Eh?" asked Megumi, blinking. The expression on Erina's face was one of determination. And passion. Where before she'd just been sad and lost. What had caused it to change so quickly?

"Megumi-chan. The way Kurokiba-kun looked at you, and the way you looked at him in turn…it's that. I want that with Soma."

Megumi understood and she smiled, happy that her friend had finally seemed to figure things out.

"You know, I should warn you. There's no guarantee that Soma feels the same way. You could just end up with your heart broken."

"Impossible." stated Erina.

"I-It is?" Megumi asked, surprised.

"Even if Yukihira-kun doesn't feel the same way today, I'll just come back tomorrow. And the next day. I'll make him fall for me."

Megumi could scarcely believe this was the same girl who'd been sobbing and indecisive not five minutes before. She really wished she could believe in her and just send her off to win the first seat's heart as she was, but she needed to be sure that Erina had all of the facts. She refused to let her friend go off unprepared, not to this.

"But what if you never do Erina-chan? What if you try and try, and he never comes around? There IS a point where enough is enough, as they say. What will you do then?"

Erina's confidence wavered, just a bit, but she didn't let that faze her. What her friend was saying was the simple truth. She needed to go into this with both eyes open, she wasn't a child.

"Well, if that happens. If I…if I open my heart to Yukihira-kun and he rejects me, and I can't convince him. Then I suppose I'll have to just live with the fact that I tried my best and pray that I can be happy without him."

It wasn't a perfect answer, not by any means. She knew that if she was actually rejected, she would be crushed. It would be definitive proof that the boy she held in her heart, the one who'd rescued her from her father's bird cage, was forever out of her reach.

But she had faith in herself. Nakiri Erina didn't begin and end with Yukihira Soma, and she had to believe that she would survive his rejection if that's what awaited her, painful as it would be.

Megumi smiled, a bit sadly, and placed her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Sometimes that's all we can do, Erina-chan. So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find Yukihira-kun. And tell him how I feel."

It was after Erina had already marched out of the door and made it halfway down the hallway that she remembered exactly why the strong willed chef wasn't in the room. And she found her resolve paired alongside an equally large amount of nervousness.

She contemplated just turning back to the party. It wasn't as if Soma was going anywhere. She could always just find him tomorrow. But then she thought about just what he was probably doing right now and she felt her urgency double. Even though it had already been going on for weeks and weeks now, she couldn't bear the thought of Soma with another woman. Not until she had some closure at the very least.

It was that thought that took her all the way to Soma's door. She raised her hand to knock, but found her hand trembling. What was she doing here? What would she say? What would HE say? She tried opening her ears, but she couldn't pick up any sounds from inside. Not over the sound of her own heartbeat, anyway.

She raised her hand, searching for the confidence that she'd felt after seeing the way Megumi and Ryo looked at each other. With a deep breath, she knocked, the sound seeming to resound through the hall. She stepped back, fiddling with her hands, trying her best to not hyperventilate as she heard the sounds of muted shuffling inside.

As the knob started to turn, she fought down the urge to just bolt away. Or to come up with some excuse as to why she was here, knocking on his door at eleven o'clock at night.

"Oh. Nakiri? What's up? Did you need something?"

She was staring down at her hands, trying to prepare herself. After a few seconds, she clenched her fists to her sides and looked up at the boy, who took a step back at the intensity of her expression. She went to speak but paused, stunned by the sight before her.

Soma was clearly in bed, or just about to be, based on his attire. He had on no shirt, giving Erina a view of his chest and abs that she had never seen before. The boy wasn't overly muscled or defined but he clearly kept in some sort of shape. All he wore was a pair of pajama pants. Erina could confirm this because they were currently riding low on his hips, giving Erina a clear view of his waistband and its lack of adornment.

Erina found her eyes drawn to the set of muscles outlining his pelvis that formed a V that her eyes could almost follow, straight down to his…to his…

"Like what you see, Nakiri?"

The familiar teasing tone broke her from her reverie and Erina gasped, holding her cheeks as she turned away, trying and failing to calm herself down. She'd had a plan, she'd known what she wanted to say, but Soma and his stupidly prominent abs had knocked each and every coherent thought from her head.

"Nakiri? You alright?"

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Even now Soma was messing things up for her. Why did she fall for such a blockhead?

"I'm fine, Yukihira-kun…I just needed to talk to you, if that's alright?"

God, was that a simper? Erina would've thumped her head on the wall if she wasn't so conscious of the object of her affections standing right behind her.

"Sure, that's no problem. Just give me a minute here."

With a click, he shut his door and Erina sighed, finally feeling like it was safe to turn back around. She could hear some shuffling from inside and she wondered what was going on. After a second of thought, she remembered that Soma had left hand in hand with Ryoko. To get more comfortable…

By the time Soma opened the door again, Erina was beet red and looking anywhere but at him.

"Come on in then, Nakiri."

Erina blinked. He was inviting her inside? But wasn't Ryoko still…

"Are…are you sure, Yukihira-kun?"

Soma nodded, waving off her concern and opening the door wider.

"Sure, it's no problem. Come on."

He left the doorway, walking inside the room. Erina stepped towards the door, her heart pounding. She had hoped to speak to him alone. She didn't particularly relish the thought of baring her innermost feelings in front of the girl Soma was sleeping with, even if that girl was one of her friends.

She needn't have worried though, she soon found out, entering the room and finding that Soma was the only other occupant. She looked around, a bit confused.

"Something the matter?" asked Soma, pulling his chair out and setting it in front of his bed before flopping onto the mattress himself and reclining against the wall. Erina turned to him, intending to ask about Ryoko but found her attention diverted by something else.

"You put on a shirt?"

Indeed. Soma had pulled on one of his long sleeved Yukihira shirts, his body now covered up to Erina's relief (and dismay) Soma looked up at where she stood, putting his hands behind his head as he leaned back further.

"Well, yea. I figured you'd be more comfortable if I was like this. I mean, you seemed nervous enough earlier with me and Ryoko-chan."

At the mention of the girl, Erina couldn't help but ask after her.

"Huh? Ryoko-chan? She's in her room, I think. We split off after we left the party a little while ago."

"And…that's all?" Erina ventured, wishing she could find a more definitive way of asking what she wanted to know.

"What do you mean by all?" asked Soma. After a few seconds though, he grinned wickedly.

"Ne Nakiri. Did you come all this way to gossip? That's so unlike you."

"Of course not!" she snapped. She stomped over, taking the seat in front of him with a hair flick that she'd perfected on the boy over the years. "I am well aware that you and Sakaki-chan have been…doing….that. And I assure you I have no interest in what you do with her."

"Then why'd you come all the way over here to find me?" he asked, tilting his head at her.

Erina faltered, trying to find the words she'd thought up during her walk here from Marui's room. It had seemed so straightforward when she was by herself in the hall but now, she couldn't remember a single part of her carefully constructed confession.

"I…Well, Yukihira-kun. You see, I just…ugh! You are so frustrating!" she lashed out, defaulting to her usual method of dealing with the boy, who seemed even more surprised at her random outburst.

"Is that all? You came into my room to yell at me?"

"Of course I didn't, you moron!"

"Your words and your voice don't exactly match." He pointed out, grinning at the usual look of scorn that it earned him.

"Just…stand up! Right now!"

Soma blinked, caught between following the order out of habit and protesting at taking orders in his own room. Regardless, he stood to his feet, holding his hands out as if to ask 'now what?'

"Turn around."

"Why do you-"

"Just listen to me, Yukihira! For once in your life just do what I say."

Soma shrugged, turning around and facing his wall. After a few seconds of wandering just what had gotten into the girl, he stiffened as two arms wound themselves around his abdomen, settling over his chest. He felt them squeeze him once, as if checking to see if he was still there and he felt the rest of her body follow suit, molding into his back, like a puzzle piece that had figured out just where it wanted to be.

Before he could question what was going on, he heard Erina start to speak.

"Yukihira. I have something to say. But I need you to promise me that you won't say anything until I'm finished. Can you do that?"

Her voice was low and muffled, and he felt the heat of her breath directly over his spine, sending shivers up and down it. His throat felt dry but he still found the wherewithal to say something, even if it was only two simple words.

"Sure, Nakiri."

He could feel her pressed against him, and the deep breath she took did little but press her chest more firmly into his back.

"Yukihira Soma…when I first met you, you were a nuisance. Scratch that, you were a complete pain in the ass that seemed to exist purely to send me to new depths of infuriation. I can say without a doubt that I wanted nothing to do with you from the very first time you mouthed off to me at the transfer exam."

Soma felt the need to defend himself but he refrained, respecting her request that he remain silent.

"I tasted your Transforming Furikake Gohan. And it was delicious. I was blown away. I couldn't believe you'd made something so amazing out of a dish that was so commonplace. I was actually this close to passing you outright, when you just had to go and rub your competence in my face. And I snapped at you, as I always did. I rejected your application. I came very close to losing you because of my own pettiness. Before I'd even gotten the chance to know you."

Soma was more than a little surprised. While he'd always wondered whether Erina had been bluffing, at least a little bit, about the quality of his dish all that time ago, he'd still had a little seed of doubt from that time. A dissatisfied customer wasn't something Yukihira Soma tolerated well.

"Then you were here. And I was seeing you all the time. I'd see you in class. Outside of class. At the training camp. The elections. The festival. It was like you were going out of your way to pester me or I simply just had the worst luck in the world. And then soon after that…my father came back."

Her voice hitched and Soma found himself reaching up to where her hands sat, clasping one of them with his own. He vividly remembered those times, when everything they knew at Totsuki was at stake, for none more so than Erina.

"Everyone…everyone did so much. So many things happened. I thought I'd never be free of him. That I'd always be stuck at his behest. But you changed all that. Everyone here in this dorm helped me, sheltered me. But you…Yukihira-kun…Soma…"

Her hands gripped him even tighter, and he could practically feel the warmth of her gratitude flowing into him.

"You did the most. You went above and beyond for a girl who did nothing but yell at you and insult your talents. Even when I thought it was hopeless, when I'd given up on myself. You never stopped believing in me, even though I'd never given you a reason to. And you…you saved me. Arigato gozaimasu Yukihira Soma."

"You saved me from my father. You saved me from myself, from being the scared little girl that sat at his side. And while I don't know when exactly it started happening, I know that it was soon after that I started falling for you."

Soma froze. Did he just hear those words come from the mouth of Nakiri Erina? The woman set to be the veritable master of the cooking world once they graduated in a few short months? Who'd not a week ago yelled at him for always being late to Elite Ten meetings and passing his work off to Hayama?

"I didn't really know what I was feeling. Not for a long time, anyway. I just found that I couldn't stand being around you. You made me feel so…strange. But I couldn't stand being away from you either. I'd make up the dumbest excuses to come by and see if I'd catch a glimpse of you in the halls or in the kitchen. I must've borrowed almost all of Yuki-chan's collection by the time I realized that I was head over heels for you."

"After that, I tried my best to stay away from you. I didn't want to feel this way. I didn't want to…to…"

"Be in love with me." Soma finished, breaking his promise to stay silent. Erina didn't scold him for his violation, she merely nodded, the motion pronounced against his back.

"Why?" he asked, gripping the hand he held.

"Yukihira-kun…please, you promised to-"

"I know what I said, Nakiri." He said, cutting her off. He pulled at her hands, turning around faster than she could've anticipated until they were facing each other. He gripped her shoulders and leaned in, their noses almost touching, and she saw anger in his eyes. And hurt.

"Was it because I was a commoner? A simple diner chef not fit for someone as high class as you?"

Erina blinked, surprised. She'd never seen Soma react like this.

"Yukihira-kun…It's wasn't that. I just-"

"Don't lie to me." He snapped, cutting her off again, his voice sharp and biting. The expression on his face gave new meaning to the term "spitting fire".

Needless to say, Erina was shocked. She'd never seen the chef so furious, not even during some of his worst shokugekis.

"You couldn't stand the thought of actually caring about someone so far beneath your station, could you? Even after what we went through, what I did for you, all you could see was your own pretty little mansion with your butlers and private cars. There wasn't any room for me in your little perfect bubble."

His voice was resentful and angry. His attitude spoke of feelings that he'd held in reserve for much longer than a single night. Was this not the first time such a thing had crossed his mind? That Erina would disregard him for something as pointless as birth status?

"You're wrong, Yukihira-kun."

He released her shoulders, stepping back and staring down into the eyes of Totsuki's Empress. Their purple gaze was hypnotizing, and he found that he couldn't look away from them, no matter how he tried. He felt his anger drain away as swiftly as it had come about in the first place.

"You think I didn't want to love you because you weren't worthy of me. But the truth is that I didn't want to love you because I didn't deserve to."

Soma's jaw dropped and he found himself, for the first time in quite a while, utterly and completely stunned. She, Nakiri Erina, the almost literal goddess of the culinary world didn't deserve to love him? The idea was ludicrous.

Erina stepped forward, reaching her hands up to cradle his face. She ran her fingers over the sides of his profile, smoothing his hair back and out of his eyes. Her hands were trembling and her face felt like it was about to burst into flame, but she refused to back down here.

"You stopped being a common diner chef to me a long time ago Soma-kun. If there was anyone worthy of me in this world, it would be you. But who was I to ask you to love me? The girl you'd had to save from her own father, the girl who treated you like dirt and laughed at the thought of you getting expelled? I didn't deserve your love. I still don't."

She cupped his face, bringing hers even closer to it, staring into those pools of molten gold that Soma called eyes.

"I think some part of me hoped that things would change one day. That I'd accomplish something that would make you recognize me, something that would give me the freedom to tell you how I felt without feeling as if I was flying too close to the sun. But that never happened and tonight…"

"I saw you with Sakaki-chan. And I just…I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. Like someone had taken my heart, pulled it from my chest and locked it back into that lonely little cage. I felt like you were well and truly out of my reach forever. I probably would've burst into tears on the spot if Megumi-chan hadn't been so quick to explain to me just what kind of relationship the two of you had. And, after speaking with her, I realized that even if that was the case tonight, who could say what would happen tomorrow? Maybe you'd find feelings for Sakaki-chan, or for some other girl that wasn't…that wasn't me."

Erina brought her face further towards him, their noses now barely grazing one other. As she spoke, Soma could feel her warm breath glazing over his lips.

"So I decided that enough was enough. That even if I didn't deserve to, I would ask you. I would tell you how I felt and I would ask you for your love in return."

Erina closed her eyes, her arms going around Soma's neck. As she spoke her next words, her lips ghosted over his.

"So…Yukihira-kun…Soma…what do you say?"

She waited, expectant. This was it. She'd said what needed to be said and now it was up to Soma to accept her. Or reject her. Seconds passed and she felt his lips open against hers.

"You can't ask me for something you already have, Erina."

His words were barely a whisper but the kiss he gave her was anything but quiet. He leaned in, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her towards him, their bodies fitting together as if they were made for each other. Erina felt his tongue probe at hers, as if requesting permission, before she enthusiastically granted it, pulling Soma even closer as she tangled one of her hands in his long red locks.

The kiss was full of years of repressed tension and passion. It was fire and electricity and warmth. Erina felt as if she could lose herself in it. In him. She felt her body growing warm, in places she wasn't used to, but she welcomed the unfamiliar feeling, moaning into Soma's mouth as she felt her legs grow weak.

Before they could buckle beneath her, Soma's grip at her waist tightened and he broke their kiss, staring down at her with eyes dark and lidded.

"Erina…"

"Soma…"

Their eyes met and Erina found herself wanting to…to…to what?!

With a gasp, she put her hands on Soma's chest and pushed against it with what feeble strength she could muster. If he'd wanted to keep hold of her, there was no way she could break his grip but he released her, staring down at her as they both panted, cheeks equally flushed.

"We…we can't do this, Soma-kun!" she said, her eyes looking anywhere but at him.

"I have firm evidence to the contrary, Erina-chan." He countered, his eyes roaming over her flushed figure in a way that made her want to just stop talking and let him do what he wanted with her.

"No. Not…I mean…just let me focus for a second! There's some things we need to clear up."

Erina stepped away, fighting the voice in her head that told her she was an idiot for taking even one step that wasn't in Soma's direction right now. She closed her eyes, breathing in and out, trying to calm down, if even just enough to say what she needed to say.

"Soma-kun. I love you. Deeply and truly. But I…I've never felt this way about anyone before or been in a situation like this so I don't really know how to say…that is, I would really appreciate it if you would…if you could just…"

"Let me guess. You'd like me to stop seeing Ryoko-chan?"

Erina nodded, hoping she didn't seem too eager.

"I know that may be selfish of me to ask. Especially since I'm not…the most experienced in these sorts of matters. And I'm not exactly ready for things to go too quickly. And I really want this to work, but I'm scared you'll get sick of me since I don't know a thing about romance or dating or when it's a good time to invite you over versus when it's not, and I-"

Soma cut off her rant with a kiss. A kiss that left Erina speechless. His arms snaked out and encircled her, pulling her into his chest as she blushed, burying her face into the dark fabric of his shirt.

"Erina-chan. It's fine. What Ryoko and I do…did…was something we did for fun. We agreed from the start that if either of us found someone that we wanted to get involved with, we would stop outright. And I'm sure she would approve of my current choice." He added cheekily, running his hand through her hair.

"Alright then. Good." said Erina, hoping Soma couldn't tell just how relieved she was by his answer. The last thing she would want to do is start off their relationship by being some stereotypical jealous harpy.

"But then, does that mean you're willing to take her place?" Soma teased, leaning in to nip at the girl's ear. Erina squeaked and batted at the boy's face, eliciting a laugh from him.

"Soma-kun! That's…it's much too soon!"

Or at least she thought so. It was, wasn't it? Then again, she had read a few novels where the couple had ended up being intimate on the night of the romantic confession…was that what Soma wanted? Was that what was expected of her in this situation?

"Actually...if it's Soma-kun, then it's alright…" mumbled Erina, reaching up with shaking fingers to loosen her tie. Before she could get there, she found her hand stopped by Soma who looked down at her with a mixture of mirth and compassion.

"I can assure you, Erina-chan. Despite my earlier enthusiasm, we're not sleeping together. At least not tonight." He amended hastily at the crestfallen look on her face.

"I'm not rushing anything with you. We've both waited over two years for this. If we're going to do this, we're going to do it right."

Erina looked up at him, at the confident grin she'd grown so familiar with over the years, and she smiled. Her eyes closed and her cheeks ached with the force of her smile. She leaned in and pecked him on the cheek, giggling at the way it made him blush and grin back at her.

She leaned in to rest her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around him tightly and listening to his heart beat strongly in his chest.

Thump…Thump…Thump…

It may have just been her imagination, but she would've sworn that it was beating on time with hers.