Author's Note: This story idea has been on my mind for the past few days. Yes, this will be a Fantasy-esque AU. Will there be Fantasy monsters and such? Most likely but like it's source material, it will still be about food.

Or something like that. Either way, I hope you enjoy!

She had everything. Everything she ever wanted.

Her room, the cleanest in the kingdom. Filled with nothing but the best. From clothing, sown from the best breed of animals. Her jewelry, refined as the Gold glistened from the reflection of the sun.

Like stated, she had everything… Everything that didn't satisfy what she truly wanted; a great delicacy.

Erina Nakiri, born from one of the greatest nobles. An heir to the Nakiri throne, her family ruled all of the Totsuki Kingdom.

Kingdom had 4 different sections: the center, which house her and all of the nobles. The shopping district, which surrounded the center, filled with many shopping areas to many restaurants and such. The "Posh" district, where the non-nobles, but fordable citizens lived. Outside of the city walls, the farming and trading district we're located. And lastly, the outskirts of town, the poorer district.

With all of these to rule, yet no one in the city has every given the 15 year old a great dish that would finally satisfy her "God" tongue, a unique trait that no other person has ever had.

Erina sat at a table with her personal guard and advisor, Hisako Arato; skilled in swordsmanship as well as being one of many people to cook for the lovely Noble that is Erina.

The honey blonde with the most beautiful lavender eyes waited for the next chef to bring her, her next meal. This time, it was Quail.

With her fork and knife, Erina cut a piece of the small breast. Some of the juiciness peered out as she cut. The aroma seemed normal, just like the rest of her dishes.

Finally she took a bite, only to for her tongue to immediately reject it as the quail was not properly cooked. Even more so, unseasoned well. "Is this your best dish, chef?" She gave glare.

The bulky chef shivered as those words were muttered. "Y-Yes ma'am."

"You don't deserve to be a chef," she pushed the quail of her table, plastering everything on the floor. "The quail was not only undercooked but badly seasoned."

"No! No! This can't be happening!" The chef quickly tried to pick up his failure of a plate.

"I'm sorry to say but if this is all your restaurant can muster up, then by my right, your shop will be closed down." Erina got up from her chair and Hisako followed.

"Miss Erina, please!" The man sobbed, begging on his knees. "Give me a second chance! I won't fail you!"

"You had your chance, now leave my Chambers." The two now started to walk away.

The chef quickly became angered. He grabbed one of the broken plates barehanded and started to run towards them. "YOU STUPID BRAT!"

And a few seconds later, the man was on the floor with a sword drawn to his neck. "You will not harm Lady Erina."

"I'm sorry!" He yelped.

"Escort the man outside the castle please." Erina instructed one of the main guards.

"Of course milady."

…

"I see the chef I sent you failed, just like the rest, hm?" A man in black said at the end of the table. This was Azami Nakiri, the king of Totsuki, the father of Erina.

"Why do you keep on sending me failure after failure?" Erina scoffed at her father.

"I thought this chef would be better than the last one." The man sipped on his wine.

"No, he was a huge disappointment." Erina now crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry then, shall I arrange for my men to find another chef?" Azami asked. "One that won't disappoint?"

"That won't be necessary father," Erina now started to walk away from her father's chambers. "I have my own plans to find one."

"Do you now?"

…

At the outskirts of town, a boy, no more than 15 years old with the most ferocious, red hair stood as he tried to fix up his garden filled with many fruits and vegetables.

"Souma!" An older man yelled from their old looking wooden home.

"Give me a second dad!" Souma Yukihira. He and his father are poor. Mother died when he was younger sadly, due to health reasons.

He wasn't that special. But he was cursed. The curse of not being able to taste nothing.

No matter how spicy, how sweet any food can be, he would not be able to savor any flavor whatsoever. But that never stopped him from cooking with a passion.

At the age of 4, his father gave him his first knife as a birthday gift, with the last bit of money he had. Now at the age of 15, Souma still cherishes that knife.

"Come on now, you said you were about finished already!" His father, Saiba Joichiro, was his name.

"Okay, done!" Souma was finally done with the last bit of farm work and proceeded to head back home.

It was dinner time. The two sat down and began to eat. Their meal, a Saffron styled soup with an assortment of Vegetables.

Souma never knew any kind of taste but whenever it came to his own cooking however, his mouth always simmered for it, almost like he can feel the flavor rather than taste it. "Tell me dad, how does the food taste?"

"Well son, the food is delicious," Saiba gave the boy a smile, an honest truth to his cooking. "It has a good balance between the spices and sweetness from the vegetables."

"Good to know!" His answer only brightened his son's eager smile.

Even with that smile, Saiba knew that the boy only wished to finally have a sense of taste.

As they ate, there was a knock on their door. "I'll get it!" Souma got up from his chair and sprinted to the door.

As soon as he opened he saw a small familiar sized woman. "Hi Souma-kun."

"Hello Jun," he greeted her. Behind her was his childhood silver haired friend, Hayama, who Jun adopted. Hayama has the best sense of smell due to the fact that he lost his eyes. Just like Souma, the man also can cook. "Hey Hayama, come on in."

The two entered. "The dish smells really delicious." The two sat down at the dinner table.

"Would you like some?" Souma asked.

"We don't mind."

As Souma poured them their tables, Jun, Hayama and Saiba began their conversations. "So what brings you here Jun?" Saiba asked as he was just about to be done with his plate.

"Oh thank you." Jun thanked Souma.

"Thanks." Hayama thanked as well.

Souma took his seat again.

"Well me and Hayama were walking about in the shopping district and we stumbled on to this!" Jun took out a small piece of paper. She unfolded it, turning out to be a poster.

"Hmm?" The two read as Jun placed the paper right in front of them.

"Hello citizens of Totsuki," it began. "You all are eligible to become a fine chef to the heiress of Totsuki Kingdom, Erina Nakiri. A competition will be held at the start of June for a number of spots. The main team to win however will also get the chance to open up a restaurant of their choice in the shopping district as well. A team of 3 is advised. Best of luck, Hisako A."

"A food tournament?" Souma raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm, interesting." Saiba chuckled.

"Thought you might be interested." Jun smirked.

"I am but I'm in no condition to cook," Saiba sighed. "The last few days, I've been feeling rather sick."

"What? You haven't told me this why?" Souma surprised to hear those words from his father.

"I didn't want to spook you-"

"DO YOU KNOW HOW BAD THIS COULD BE!?" The red haired boy started to yell.

"Stand down Souma, we have guests-"

"I DON'T CARE! I DON'T WANT YOU TO END UP LIKE MOM!" A tear escaped the boy's eye.

Saiba could see the worried expression on his son. His words were true however. His mother died of a sickness, who knows if this is the same as the one that killed her.

"I'm sorry for not telling you Souma." The man quickly hugged his son, in hopes of comforting him.

"I'm… I'm sorry for my loud outburst." The boy apologized.

"It's fine."

"Ahem, as touching as that may seem, how about if?" Jun returned them back on topic.

"Well if he can't go, I can go? I just need two more people on the team." Souma snickered as he scratched the back of his head.

"I can join." Hayama offered as he finally finished his plate.

"Cool, now we need one more person." Souma thought of another person.

"That's good, Hayama's sense of smell should be able to help a lot in the competition." Jun patted Hayama on his head like he was some sort of puppy.

"Stop doing that."

"How about Ryo?" Saiba suggested.

"The deaf guy? Yeah, he's got a wicked eye!" Ryo Kurokiba was also one of Souma's childhood friends. And just like them, he had some sort of defect, which was the loss of his hearing. Being poor, they don't have the same capable doctors as the ones in Central, so they being born with a form of a disability wasn't uncommon.

"Well then Souma, you have your crew right there now." Saiba told his son.

"Well it looks like all of them would be on board with being a team I see," Jun and Hayama got up from their chairs. "Well it's time to head back home now."

"Yeah," Saiba and Souma got up from their chairs as well. "Before you leave, here are the vegetables and fruits that are perfectly ripe that you asked for." Saiba got a basket, filled with many of the said vegetables and fruits.

"Oh thanks, Hayama and I will prep the spices for you tomorrow." The two now stood outside of the house, door still open.

"Thank you again," Saiba said as he and his son waved goodbye to them. "See you tomorrow."

"See ya."

"Wow, that was pretty cool," Souma said as he picked up all the plates on the table. "You think low commoners like us can win something like that?"

"Souma, what have I taught you?" Saiba stared back at his son, wanting to know the answer to what he always tells him.

"That cooking comes from the heart, that it expresses how a person feels." He answered.

The man suddenly patted his son's back. "That's right, and that's one thing most chef's in the city always seem to forget: to pour your heart out in all of your dishes."

"Do you think with just that knowledge would get us that far, Dad?" Souma raised an eyebrow at his father. It's one thing to pour your heart out, it's another thing to just keep using that as an "ingredient."

"You know my answer," Saiba gave his son a cheerful and inspiring smile, to build his son the confidence he needs. "This'll be a good experience for you as well, not only as a person but also as a chef."

"Well I guess you're right."

"Good, now go and wash the dishes, I have somewhere to be right now."

…

"What do you mean you don't want to join us?" The three young boys met the next day, by the near by pond the hand out by.

Ryo silently gestured. I just don't want too.

"But this would be a great opportunity for us." Souma gestured as he talked his words out loud.

It'll just be a drag, Ryo continued to decline. Besides, I don't want to go and be disappointed.

"You won't know unless you try, you idiot." Souma gave his friend a dumb look.

Ryo crossed his arms, almost as if he's thinking about it.

"Well, what did he say?" Hayama asked. Considering he can only rely on his sense of hearing to hear the conversation, he can't tell what the silent deaf man had to say.

"He's thinking about it." Souma told Hayama.

After a couple of minutes of total silence, the young dark haired man reluctantly joined. Fine. When is it?

"In a few days, the start of June." Souma revealed.

Where? Ryo swayed his index finger left and right.

"In Central." Souma answered.

"Alright, it's settled, we'll meet tomorrow again to plan out our dish for the competition." Hayama along with his cane began to walk away.

"Yeah, we could do that." Souma agreed.

Ryo only stared in confusion. He wasn't the best at lip reading.

"Oh sorry, we're gonna meet tomorrow, plan our dish for the competition," Souma explained with hand gestures. "Make sure you bring plenty of different fish, I'll bring plenty of foods and vegetables whole Hayama will bring different spices. We're gonna do some trials."

Fine by me. And with that, the deaf man started to wander back home.

Only leaving Souma, he remembered that he had to go get some more fresh seeds from inside Central, as his father instructed him to do so. So with that in mind, the boy went his separate way as well.

It wasn't long before he entered the Kingdom.

Not many commoners entered the city, only a few.

Souma easily stood out amongst everybody. His ragged out clothing and worn out shoes told his story pretty well to the nobles in the city.

People would give him weird looks but it never bothered him.

He continued to stroll around the shopping district until he made it to his destination, one of his Dad's friends restaurants. Shino Shino's, the sign at the top said.

"Yo!" He greeted as he entered the restaurant. And right away did he look out of place, considering most high end nobles come here for the food.

"Who the hell is that?" "A commoner? In this part of town?" "What's that poor kid doing around here?" Many of the nobles whispered amongst each other.

"Oh, Souma, what brings you here?" Shinomiya Kojiro, owner of the restaurant and the friend of Saiba Joichiro, questioned the presence of the young boy.

"Shinomiya-senpai, dad wanted me to give you you're fresh fruit that you asked for in return for the fresh seeds." Souma had a bag, filled with nice, ripe fruit and veggies.

"You can set them right over there, next to the counter." Shinomiya instructed.

The boy did as he was told.

"Oi, Shinomiya, you allow that peasant to stroll around your restaurant like that?" One of the nobles asked.

"That kid is tainting your restaurant!" Another one of them said.

"Hey kid! Go back to the slums!" Another rude as ever.

It didn't get the best of Souma, as he continued to do as he pleased.

"Why don't all of you shut the hell up." Shinomiya fixed his glasses, defending the teen.

"Shinomiya senpai…" Souma was surprised to hear those words come out from him, especially against the nobles.

"What'd did you say?" One of the nobles got up, walking up to the pink haired man.

"I told you to leave the boy alone and to shut up." Shinomiya corrected himself.

"You got balls, that's for sure," the nobles commended him. "But you shouldn't be talking to me like that, especially since I really like your food and it'd be a shame if I put in a bad word with Azami, all because of that low peasant you got strolling around here."

"Shut up!" Souma now spoke for himself. "You can threaten me all you want but leave Shinomiya sensei and his restaurant out of this."

"Sensei? What you call yourself his apprentice or something like that boy? Please don't make me laugh! As if a low commoner like you can hold a handle to Kojiro san." The nobles in the restaurant all began to laugh.

"Why you-!"

"He isn't my apprentice if he didn't make exceptional food to begin with." Shinomiya shit the mouths of all the nobles.

"What? You mean this kid can make food better than you can? Please, don't continue to make me laugh, after all, the mere sight of this boy is a laughable thing." The nobles grinned.

"Souma," Shinomiya handed the boy an apron. It surprised Souma to say the least. "Shut these men up with your cooking."

"You go it."

…

"All I'm saying is that a team of three is just a bit excessive lady Erina." Hisako voiced her concerns to the princess.

The two strolled around the shopping district with a group of knights surrounding them ready to protect them.

"Are you even listening to me?" Hisako asked.

"I am, and while I hear your concerns loud and clear, I made that decision and is final," Erina finally spoke. "If a single chef can't properly make me a meal, then at least a team of three chefs or cooks should be enough to make a passable meal."

"I see, well then, as you wish." Hisako didn't bother to argue her point.

As they continued to stroll, suddenly, a strong vibrant scent passed them as they strolled passed one of the restaurants, making Erina stop in her tracks. What's that amazing smell? She thought to herself.

"Lady Erina?" Hisako, along with the knights stopped to look at her.

"That smell… it's amazing." Erina walked towards the source where she finally stumbled in front of the restaurant known as Shino Shino's.

Hisako took a whiff. Erina wasn't wrong, the smell was amazing. "My goodness."

"Hisako, who owns this restaurant?" Erina asked.

"If I remember, that was Shinomiya Kojiro and his crew," Hisako answered. "If I remember correctly, he was the personal chef to your father before he decided to open up this shop."

"Come, let's go and see what the buzz is about." Erina could hear chanting inside.

"SOUMA! SOUMA! SOUMA!" All the nobles chanted as only Erina and Hisako entered, leaving the knights outside to wait.

They all waved beers over their heads, enjoying their well done meal.

To Erina's surprise, the man cooking the food was none other than a low commoner. He's causing all this racket? She thought to herself.

"MORE FOOD!" Another Noble yelled out.

That smell… the scent grew stronger, making Erina almost taste it. She looked back at the kitchen to see the boy who looked no older than her. Who is that boy?

Author's Note: And cliffhanger. That's the end of chapter one.

Hope you guys enjoyed it! See you next time when I update again!