Archive of Our Own

Maki Okkotsu hates cooking.

People would probably assume the reason she hates it is because she can't cook but that's not the case. Sure, she's not a five star chef but Maki knows she's proficient enough to make simple meals. She just doesn't want to cook.

She chalks most of it up to spending the last 7 years eating almost nothing but the junkiest food she could get ahold of: microwave meals from the supermarket, convenience store take away, bags full of extra greasy fast food. She'd never gotten to experience any of those for the first 15 years of her life so it all quickly became her favorite once she could.

Then there is also that part of her that still believes in acting in defiance of the Zen'in mindset even if it's been years since she destroyed the people who held it. The mindset they'd tried to drill into her at childhood that told her cooking was just one of the many ways she'd serve her husband and that for a failure like her serving a husband would be her only purpose for living.

Back when they were around twelve, their mother had taught her and Mai how to cook solely for that reason. Not because simple cooking skills are something everyone should learn for themselves. Not because she thought it was something they might actually enjoy doing. No, it had been just another lesson of how they could be a perfect servant.

At the time, Maki had already started becoming more verbal about her issues with their life at the Zen'in household—always ready to take whatever punishment it brought her—but she also knew it was forming a rift between her and Mai who just wanted to keep everything "normal". So, instead of just arguing with their mother, Maki had lashed out by pretending to do everything poorly even though she'd retained the lessons excellently.

Measuring spices out in tablespoons instead of teaspoons. Chopping vegetables in chunks that would be too big to eat without possibly choking (and if the universe had been fairer some of those gross old men would have). Turning the burners to the highest setting instead of recommended low or medium heats.

Maki knew her mother had been suspicious that she'd been messing up on purpose but she never said anything. Just simply given Maki extra cleaning duties since it seemed she was hopeless at cooking and they didn't want to ruin any of the men's meals. 

And, other than irritation at the extra jabs from Naoya about how she was seemingly more useless than they'd all thought and how if she couldn't even succeed as a wife she'd just have to be someone's whore, Maki wasn't bothered by the loss of the cooking lessons. As they'd done with so many things in life, the Zen'ins had made cooking seem like just a joyless chore so even after Maki left she'd never had the desire to partake in it unless it was just absolutely necessary for some reason.

Which is probably why anyone who knew her would probably be super confused by the fact she was currently standing at a station in the middle of a cooking class.

***

Everything had been set into motion about four weeks ago when Panda and Inumaki had come over to hang out at the Okkotsu's. Even after graduating, the four of them remained inseparable so a weekly hangout was like a ritual for them even with their busy lives.

"So, what do you two have planned for your anniversary?"

Lounging around the living room while snacking on some takeout burgers and watching a baseball game, Panda pipes up from his spot on the floor.

Maki and Yuuta just look at each other, wondering if the other had an answer. Their one year wedding anniversary was about seven weeks away but they didn't really have anything special planned for it. "Probably just doing exactly what we're doing now," says Maki.

"What?" shouts Panda as he quickly sits up and twists around. "You don't have anything planned to celebrate such a special day?"

"Kinda hard to plan things when he gets suddenly pulled away on missions," begins Maki with a shrug. "Plus you know the school keeps me as busy as it does you."

After graduating, Yuuta and Inumaki had gone on to work as regular sorcerers taking on missions while Maki and Panda worked at Jujutsu Tech. Even though she possessed no cursed energy, Gojo, as the new principal, had decided to offer her a job teaching fighting and weapons techniques to students while other teachers like Nobara could help them with the cursed technique aspect. It was a fulfilling job that Maki was honestly surprised she enjoyed as she never really saw herself becoming a teacher (even if Yuuta would embarrassingly go on and on about what a great teacher she'd been to him).

Panda then turns to Yuuta. "Come on Yuuta, you don't have anything planned? You're normally the romantic one here."

"Um, I hadn't thought about it yet…but honestly no matter what we're doing, any time I spend with Maki is special to me," says Yuuta as he shoots her a beaming smile that only causes her to twist away from him slightly with a blush. Even after this long, Yuuta's words could still get her flustered with how sincere they were (and how he could say cheesy stuff like that without a hint of embarrassment).

The answer doesn't please Panda though. "How can you be so lovey-dovey and not want to do something more than sit around your house for your anniversary?"

"Well, what do you suggest we do if you're so invested?" counters Maki as she throws her arm over the back of the couch and stares at him.

"Simple: you two stay home, cook a nice dinner with maybe some oysters and champagne then go to bed and finally give us a little Okkotsu baby. Cause it's not like we didn't hear you two during the hot springs trip last month; I didn't think you'd be so loud, Maki," says Panda with a huge smirk.

Yuuta immediately turns beet red and starts choking on his fries at the comment while Maki clenches her fist trying not to jump across the table and beat Panda up like back in their school days. "Panda…" she growls, the vein in her forehead about to burst.

Thankfully, before a bloodbath could begin, Inumaki quickly speaks up. "Pickled mustard leaf."

The three of them all look at him in confusion over the statement. "What do you mean that plan is flawed?" begins Panda.

"Tuna mayo," says Inumaki as he holds up his burger and fries.

"You sure?" asks Panda as he puts his paw to his face for a moment thinking. Then he simply nods. "Hmm, I guess Toge is right. How come you two never cook?"

Maki just waves a hand as she reaches for her burger with the other. "Who has the patience for cooking? Junk food is just as tasty and doesn't take up so much time."

"Yep, that sounds like our Maki," laughs Panda before he turns to Yuuta. "How come you don't ever cook, Yuuta?"

"Hmmm?" Yuuta seems a bit surprised by the question at first but then just rubs the back of his neck with an awkward laugh. "Um, cooking…just doesn't interest me."

That answer seems to be enough for Panda who then returns to his original conversation by suggesting that they could still go to a restaurant for their anniversary before coming back for some baby-making and asks Toge to start searching for good restaurants that serve oysters. However, Maki's attention isn't even on them anymore but solely on Yuuta's words.

Being together for so long, Maki and Yuuta can read each other like no one else can. She's learned to notice Yuuta's little ticks, the things he can't help but do when he feels a certain way even if he's trying to hide it. That's how she can detect the slight pause in his voice, that little bit of melancholy in his tone that tells her he has something more on his mind.

So, after Panda and Inumaki have left for the night and Maki is resting her head in his lap while they watch TV and he gently plays with the hair in her short ponytail, she decides to ask him about it.

"Do you wish we'd cook more?"

Maki suddenly puts the question out there as she rolls over so that she's staring into his eyes that are filled with confusion. "What made you think that?" he asks.

"When Panda brought up cooking, you seemed almost…sad when you said it didn't interest you," she begins. "So, I thought maybe you want to cook more but you're not saying anything cause you know I like junk food."

Maki and Yuuta both know that Yuuta is the kind of person who's always more concerned about what others want before himself. And while Maki loves his sweet and generous nature, she cares about his happiness too. Ever since they started dating, she made him promise to always be honest with her about his wants.

"If you ever want to cook, that's fine. I mean I don't like to but…" she shrugs as she continues, "Not that I wouldn't help you with the prep or something though cause-"

Maki's cut off when Yuuta gently places his finger to her lips to stop her. He's lucky that he was definitely the only person in the world who could do that without her breaking it. Instead, she just frowns, blinking at him.

"Maki, you're not stopping me from cooking; I know I could just tell you if I really wanted to do it," he says with a soft smile. However, it quickly fades as he continues. "Honestly...I don't like cooking. It…makes me feel lonely."

Lonely? A questioning look forms in Maki's eyes and when Yuuta notices it he gently brushes a piece of hair off her forehead with a gentle look in his eyes. "Um…remember back at the end of our first year when we all were into cooking for a while?"

Maki nods. It was funny but they'd all been obsessed with cooking for a bit. None of them ever said it but they knew it was because it'd been right after Christmas when they'd almost lost each other. At that point they'd been glued at the hip, wanting to enjoy every moment together no matter what they were doing. So when Inumaki suggested going to this restaurant where you cook your own food they'd all went along, even Panda who didn't need to eat. From there, they decided that cooking seemed like the perfect group activity and it'd then lead to them spending a whole month's allowance on supplies, ingredients, and more outings to eat.

During most of their cooks, Maki handled the prep while Panda handled cleanup. Inumaki usually took care of cooking any meat and rice dishes and Yuuta usually cooked any noodles and vegetables. And now that Maki thought back to it, he had seemed like he enjoyed it then.

Which he confirms. "Cooking with everyone back then…working together and then getting to enjoy what we'd all made…it was really fun. And oh man, remember that time we cooked that fish for Utahime-sensei." Yuuta lets out a laugh at the memory that Maki can't help but join in with. That whole event had been a funny day, especially getting to watch a drunk Utahime yell at that blindfolded idiot when he just suddenly showed up and crashed what she said was her and Shoko's girl's night.

Their laughter dies down though and Yuuta's expression turns sad again as he reaches out to take her hand as if looking for support. "Those times…they're really special to me cause any other time cooking just…it just made me think of home."

"Yuuta…" Maki gives his hand a gentle squeeze. Yuuta rarely talked about his home life or his family. The most she'd known for a long time was that he had a little sister that he was close to because sometimes he'd give her calls.

Then there was the end of the Culling Game, the first time Yuuta ever really told Maki about his home life.

***

When everyone had reunited after the hard fought battles of the Culling Game were over, Yuuta had wanted to check on his family and he'd asked Maki to occupy him. She could tell then he was nervous about the visit for some reason but hadn't pressed him about it.

So, they headed back to Sendai City. Thankfully the neighborhood Yuuta's family lived in was pretty hard hit but not completely destroyed like some other places in the city. As they'd quietly made their way through the debris toward his house, Maki had noticed the way his steps became more and more hesitant.

In the end, they'd stopped on the sidewalk across from his house and she'd watched as the relief visibly washed over him when he saw his parents and sister wandering around the front yard, surveying the damage.

"You not going over there?" she'd asked as he stayed in place, just staring at them.

He'd shook his head, the look in his eyes unreadable at the time. "No…it's probably best I don't. It's enough just knowing they're okay."

Maki kept her gaze on him for a moment longer, watching how he gripped his holster as if it were a leash and he was tugging on it to stop himself from running over there, before he turned to her with a sad smile. "Let's go."

"Big Bro?!"

A shout from across the street grabbed both of their attention and when they twisted back around to look at the source an excited shout rang out. "Ah! It is you! Big Bro!"

Suddenly, while their parents yelled after her, Yuuta's little sister shot off across the street to throw her arms around Yuuta who couldn't help but stumble back in surprise.

So this is Yuuta's little sister. Maki had never seen an image of her before but it was clear she was Yuuta's sister. Same jet black hair, same lanky build. She must have been around fourteen, Maki guessed, judging by her height and the junior high uniform she wore.

"It's so great to see you!" she said as she pulled away to look up at him with a grin. Her long bangs fell away from her face and that's when Maki saw it: an empty eye socket and a criss-crossing of scars across her face, scars that looked like claw marks.

"There was an…incident with Rika once. She attacked my little sister out of jealousy and…and…I decided after that it was best to stay away from them…so I wouldn't hurt them again."

Yuuta had told her once that Rika had attacked his sister and that he'd felt so guilty about it that he chose to stay away from his family but he hadn't given details and Maki hadn't asked for them. It was obvious the whole thing still bothered Yuuta and she respected him too much to pry.

Even then it was clear that he must still be carrying that guilt as he looked at his sister. Maki could see it in his hesitation to return the hug but she could also see the happy tears prickling the corner of his eyes as he gave her a soft smile. "It's great to see you too, Ami."

"Ami! Please don't run off from us…" A woman who must be Yuuta's mother slowed to a stop as her eyes fell on Yuuta. 

"Ami! What are you-" Then Yuuta's father came rushing up behind his wife but he too was stopped in his tracks at the site of Yuuta.

"Yuuta…" Both his parents say his name but Maki notices the more cautious tone in his father's voice. His mother's voice has a shakiness to it, like a fear, but Maki can also sense a longing in it. His father carefully moved around so that he was standing partly in front of his wife as if protecting her while his mother looked like she's fighting not to cry.

"Mom! Dad! Big Bro's here!" shouted Ami, excitedly as she turned to her parents. Her bangs fell back over her missing eye as she closed the other when she gives them the same beaming smile Maki had seen from Yuuta before.

Feeling their stares on him, Yuuta looked over at them and gave a polite nod. "Dad. Mom."

His mother moved as if she was seeing a ghost and wanted to reach for him to make sure he's real but his father stopped her as he shakily asked, "What-what are you doing here?"

The fear in his father's eyes was evident and even though the hurt was clear in Yuuta's eyes Maki can tell he's not surprised by his reaction. Still, it did cause him to stumble with his response. "I…I…"

"Yuuta was worried and wanted to make sure you all were okay after what happened," said Maki and immediately all their attention turned to her.

She honestly never expected she'd meet Yuuta's family so she has to say she wasn't sure how she should react. She could tell they aren't sure what to make of her either: his father gives her the same cautious look he gave Yuuta as he glances at the bloody sword by her side while his mother just gives her a pitying look that she's seen from too many people since she'd been burned.

Only Ami seemed to just look at her as if she's not some sort of monster. In fact, there was just a purely apologetic expression on her face as she gave Maki a polite bow.

"Sorry, I got so excited to see my brother I didn't notice he wasn't alone. I'm Ami Okkotsu. What's your name?"

Maki's surprised by how normal the girl is treating this odd meeting but she also appreciates it. "Maki Zen'in. I'm a friend of Yuuta's."

"Oh you're Maki, huh? Big Bro talks a lot about you on our calls," said Ami as she shoots Yuuta a teasing grin. "I honestly don't know if I'm worthy to meet you because the way he describes you, you're practically a goddess."

Maki raised an eyebrow at the comment and looked at Yuuta who's got a full body blush coming over him as he whined, "A-Ami!"

Ami just begins giggling at her brother's reaction before she gives him a soft smile. "Sorry, Big Bro but you know it's true." Then suddenly her eyes light up as she's struck with an idea and she turns back to her parents. "Dad, Mom, why don't Big Bro and Maki-san stay the night with us? The house looks mostly okay. She can sleep with me in my room and we can all have dinner together and-"

"We-we have to get back to help the school," interjected Yuuta. "Sorry Ami."

Maki could see how relieved his parents were at Yuuta's words as she was sure they were trying to think of a way to tell their daughter no without coming off like the bad guys. Because it's obvious that they, mostly his father, don't really want Yuuta any closer than he is at the moment.

Ami though is filled with disappointment as she looks at her brother. "Oh…"

"The school's helping with the cleanup and any straggler curses that might still be around so that's why we can't stay," began Maki, giving Ami an apologetic look. "The school especially needs your brother. He helped a lot of people during this and they know he can help a lot more."

"Well, he is the strongest and most caring person there is," said Ami as she turns to Yuuta with a proud smile. Then she stepped back over to give him one more hug. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"

Yuuta hesitated again for just a moment to return the hug but then let out a sigh and wrapped his arms around her too. "Okay."

It's obvious Ami doesn't really want to let go but after a minute she finally pulled away and dabbed a tear from the corner of her eye before giving them both a smile. "Well, guess you gotta get back to it. It was nice seeing you and getting to meet you too, Maki-san."

"It was nice meeting you too, Ami."

"I'll talk to you soon," said Yuuta before he turned to his parents and gave them a sad smile. "Dad. Mom. I'm glad you're okay."

His parents don't respond, just keep watch on him like he's an animal who wandered into the yard and you hope it will just leave on its own. Which is exactly what Yuuta did when he moved back over to Maki, grabbed her hand, and started practically pulling her down the street.

It'd been a while since she'd seen Yuuta so nervous; it reminded her of his first days at Jujutsu Tech. He looked like he was about to cry, his focus entirely on his feet as if that would help keep all the emotions swirling within him at bay.

"Yuuta, stop." began Maki, sternly, as she rushed up beside him and gave his hand a hard squeeze.

He stopped suddenly as if broken from a trance and noticed for the first time that they're holding hands. But he can't even be embarrassed about it as he quickly pulls his away, a guilty look on his face. "S-sorry Maki. I didn't mean to grab your hand; I wasn't thinking."

"That's-ugh-that's not what I'm talking about." She let out a frustrated sigh as she reached for his hand again and intertwined it with hers to let him know it wasn't a problem; this time he does blush a bit as he gives her a surprised and confused look. "I just wanted you to stop running for a moment and breathe."

"Oh…okay." He takes a deep breath but it's still somewhat shaky when he releases it, his eyes locked back in the ground. "Sorry Maki. I-I just…"

Maki gave his hand another squeeze. "It's okay, Yuuta. You don't have to say anything…but if you do want to talk, I'm here to listen."

When Maki and Yuuta had ended up in the same colony after some moving around, Maki had told him about everything that had happened: the Zen'in massacre, Mai's death, having to fight that bastard Naoya twice, having to find freedom to become stronger. He was someone she trusted so much and for some reason she felt like she wanted to share it all with someone: her anger, her sadness, her joy. Being able to be so open with him brought her a peace that she wanted to bring Yuuta too.

He carefully raised his head and saw the reassuring smile on her face and the understanding look in her brown eyes and then took another deep breath. "Thank you, Maki."

And that night he took her up on that offer. The school had paid for hotel rooms for everyone to help with cleanup and luckily Maki and Yuuta were assigned to the same area. Just as Maki had finished getting dressed after taking at least an hour washing away the filth and grime from the past few weeks, she'd heard a knock at her door.

When she opened it, she saw a pajama-clad Yuuta standing there with two bags of convenient store snacks and drinks. "Um…I thought you might be hungry so I bought some snacks."

"Thanks," began Maki as she threw her towel over her shoulder and made her way to sit on the bed. Yuuta just remained in the doorway though. "Aren't you coming in?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

"S-sure!" he began as he made his way in and kicked the door shut behind him. He sat the food down on the desk in the room and grabbed the rolling chair to take a seat in. "Um, I didn't know exactly what you might want so I just got pretty much any snacks I could remember that you ate."

He grabbed a bag and held it open for her to peruse. She settled on a few boxes of Pretz and some popping candy while Yuuta took a cup of potato sticks. They sat there in silence munching on their snacks while an old 90's anime played in the background (it was the only channel not playing a newscast about the recent events).

After a bit, Yuuta stood up and dusted himself off as he avoided Maki's questioning gaze. "Um, well, I'm probably stopping you from sleeping and I know we have a long day tomorrow so I'll get out of your hair."

But just as he started to move Maki jumped up and put a vice grip on his upper arm. "Ow!" He looked back over his shoulder to see a stern look in her eyes.

"Yuuta, you're not leaving 'til you talk to me. That's what you came here for, right?"

"Well…I…did but I don't want to…be a burden…"

"Urgh…" Maki growled like she was about to hit him but instead she twisted him around and threw him on the bed. Yuuta's eyes go wide with confusion as he slowly raised into a sitting position and sees her standing there with her hands on her hips. "You're an idiot sometimes," she said as straightforward as always.

"Eh?"

"Yuuta, it's…amazing how unselfish you are, how you're always worried about others. That stupidly giant heart of yours is one of your best qualities," said Maki with a soft sigh before she crosses her arms and her look goes hard again. "But you're allowed to want help too. You're allowed to need someone else and not just be needed."

"Maki…"

"I want…to be like you. Strong and resilient. I want to be like that."

She moved to sit cross-legged at the top of the bed while he turned to face her. "You know, I always admired how open you could be with your thoughts and feelings; it's part of why I was able to open up to you too. But you don't have to feel like you can be open with us about the good and bottle up the bad because you think it'll be a burden."

"Let's crush the Zen'in family."

She then dropped her eyes to a loose string on the sheet that she was playing with as she mumbled the next part, trying to fight back the blush she can feel in her cheeks. "Because…I'm as willing to share your burdens as you are mine…I'm your friend after all."

She then reached across and placed her hand on top of his. Maki wasn't really sure how to be comforting but she felt like when he held his hand before that it was calming so this might be as well. And she thinks she's right when she notices the soft look in his eyes.

"Thanks Maki," he said with a smile as he kept his gaze on her hand. Then he took a deep breath and began telling her about his life before Jujutsu Tech.

How his family had been just your average family. Parents who loved their kids with all their hearts, who worked to provide the best lives possible for them, who spent all their free time wanting to enjoy being a family. A little sister—3 years his junior—who thought he was the coolest person in the world, who'd draw him get well cards when he was sick in the hospital and cry when she'd have to leave without him, who'd tag along after him and Rika because she didn't want to be left out.

How all that changed after Rika died. However, it wasn't immediate.

The first few years after Rika's death, she never hurt anyone. In fact, she never even showed herself to anyone but Yuuta. When Yuuta would talk about her, everyone chalked it up to some kind of coping mechanism, to him creating this "imaginary friend" version of Rika because he couldn't process her death. 

Her new form had scared him at first but she was friendly to him. She told him all the time how happy she was being with him and he was glad for that. He wanted her to be happy. Because, even though she looked different, she was still Rika, right? The girl he loved? His best friend? There wasn't anything wrong with this, right?

Things started to change when he got into junior high though. Teenagers are much crueler than elementary school children and as much as Yuuta tried to stay to himself that made him the perfect target for bullies. They'd beat him up, call him a freak, ask if he was talking to ghosts when he'd sit there mumbling to himself. 

Perhaps it was because he was getting older and the dormant sorcerer genes within him were growing stronger. Perhaps it was his negative emotions that were fueling Rika as a curse. Perhaps it was some odd combination or perhaps it was simply fate. Whatever it was though, Rika was getting stronger and more protective of him as time passed. Yuuta would beg her though not to come out, even when he was being beat up. He hadn't seen her be violent yet but her screaming threats at his attackers in his mind was enough for him to feel like he needed to keep her at bay no matter what.

But unfortunately, Yuuta was a human being and not a steel cage. At the time, because he didn't know how to properly control her, it felt like he was getting weaker while Rika was getting stronger.

Then there was that night when the dam finally broke. Yuuta was fifteen and had just come back from school, a bruised and bloody pulp. His mother was home from work and his sister had gotten home from school before him and they'd both rushed to his side.

His mother had set him down at the kitchen table while she ran to get a first aid kit. Yuuta had been so tired that he barely registered anything going on. All he could focus on was the ringing of Rika's voice in his head raving on and on about how she wanted to hurt the people who hurt Yuuta. How she wanted to twist them inside out, how she wanted to rip them apart until she could see red.

Between the pain of his injuries and begging Rika to stop, Yuuta's head was busting and he couldn't help but just grab onto it, curling in himself, trying to just get everything to stop for just a moment.

"Big Bro, does your head hurt?" whispered Ami as she bent down to peak under his arms.

"Mmm-hmm," was all he could get out.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of soft lips press against his temple then come off with a pop. "Mmmwah!"

Yuuta slowly raised his head up to see Ami giving him a huge, excited grin. "I kissed it and made it better, right, Big Bro?"

Ami… Yuuta couldn't help but give his sister a tired but happy smile. Then in a split second a tense energy fell over the room.

"Only Rika…kisses…Yuuuuuuta!!"

Wait, Rika stop!!

Yuuta couldn't remember what exactly happened as he tried to reign Rika in. He just remembered screaming: him screaming for Rika to stop, Rika screaming about how Yuuta belonged to her alone, Ami screaming in pain and trying to throw her arms up in defense as Rika attacked her, his mother screaming Ami's name as she came downstairs to the gruesome scene, his father screaming asking what was happening as he arrived home from work.

His dad had prepared to fight Rika off of Ami right as Yuuta finally got her to stop when he started sobbing hard enough that she wanted more to comfort him than attack Ami. "Don't cry, Yuuta. Rika will protect you. Rika loves her Yuuta." He'd felt Rika give him a hug before she finally disappeared.

"Did-did you do this?" his dad had asked as he cautiously approached him with an umbrella in his hand, the only weapon he could find as he came in the door.

"I-I-I-" Yuuta hadn't even known how to respond, too in shock by the whole thing but his mother's screams took his father's attention away from him.

"My baby! My baby! Honey! Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance! Her eye! Oh God!"

An ambulance arrived shortly and took his sister and parents away. When the paramedic asked what had happened, his father said they weren't sure and when the another paramedic asked if Yuuta was okay, his father had simply looked at him as if he was staring at an empty space and said he was fine.

That was when Yuuta decided to distance himself from his family as much as possible. He'd honestly thought about running away but he was afraid. Would Rika hurt others he ran into if he left? But would she hurt his family again if he stayed? Was he better off just not being around at all anymore…

Yuuta didn't have to make a choice about staying though; his parents insisted. He didn't learn til later that it was because he was being watched by those in the Jujutsu world then. They'd learned of the incident after his sister had been taken to the hospital. The hospital worked with those in the Jujutsu world reporting any off deaths or injuries in case it was due to a curse.

At the time they believed it was best not to shake up Yuuta's life too much, lest it cause Rika to retaliate on his behalf. So, they paid his parents for keeping him and reporting any other incidents with him and Rika to them. However, his parents were scared of him being in the house so to alleviate some of their fears they'd been paid to build an addition to the house for Yuuta to live in. His own space, close enough to watch him but far enough for them to feel safe. Similar to how it was when he first got to Jujutsu Tech.

So that's how he lived, basically doing nothing but going to school and returning to his "home" for the next year until the incident with the bullies occured. It was truly a lonely existence because even though he had Rika still it wasn't like she was someone he could talk to about his feelings, especially the guilt he was carrying. Instead, he drowned in it all alone.

***

As Maki replays those conversations from all those years ago in her mind, she's suddenly hit with the realization of why Yuuta would hate cooking before he even says it.

"I taught myself how to cook when I was living alone," he says with a sigh. "I asked myself all the time why I even bothered with it…but I knew why. I did it because I thought it was a small way of making my mom and Ami happy."

"What do you mean?" asks Maki as she gently rubs her thumb over his hand. She can see that Yuuta's already getting a little shaky, a side she hadn't seen in him since that day when she met his family. Yuuta…

"Well…my mom would leave me money and coupons in an envelope taped to my door each month and she'd put little messages about how she hoped I was eating fruits and vegetables. The Ami would send me links to easy-to-make recipes when we were chatting online and ask me to tell her how they were cause she thought I'd like them."

She can see the tears starting to well up in the corner of his eyes as he continues. "I wanted so badly to make them happy, to feel like doing this would be a way to be close again but shopping alone, cooking by myself in that tiny kitchen, and then eating in silence while thinking about the meals we used to enjoy as a family…it hurt."

"But then I thought about how it was selfish of me to want that back…I hurt my family…I deserved to be alone…I needed to be alone or I might hurt them again…and I didn't want to hurt anyone…I didn't…but I didn't want to be alone…I…I…"

Maki can see in Yuuta's face that the feelings from the past are overwhelming him so she quickly jumps up and pulls him into a hug right as the tears start to fall. She can feel her heart aching as she feels his tears wetting her shirt.

Yuuta was normally so happy all the time, a source of light to those around him. He'd grown so much since they'd first met, become so strong that it was hard to remember sometimes that his life had been full of darkness at one point. Hard to remember the sad, scared boy who'd just wanted to feel it was okay to keep living. The one who'd had to face all of these feelings he was sharing now all alone.

She squeezes him as tight as she can as she places gentle kisses against his neck. "Shhh. It's okay, it's okay. You're not alone, Yuuta. You chose to get stronger so that you wouldn't hurt anyone and you wouldn't have to be alone anymore, remember? And you worked hard to achieve that; you're not alone now."

She rubs his back as he wraps his arms around her and nods though it takes a moment before he regains himself. When he finally does, he lets out a shaky sigh and moves his forehead to her shoulder so that he can speak but still not look up at her.

"I'm sorry, Maki," he sighs. "You're right; I'm not alone. I know I don't have to feel like that anymore, it's just…sometimes…"

She tilts her head so she can press her face against his hair and breathe in his scent. "I know, I know."

And she does know. Even though both have moved forward in their lives, have let go of so much of the past and the emotions that clung to them like briars, it's hard for some things to disappear completely.

For Maki, the anger and hate and stubborn defiance that the Zen'in's created in her sometimes wells up over the oddest things. It's easier to push it away now than it was before but when those emotions were a part of you for so long it takes time—more time than they've had since the end of it all—to truly be free of them.

So it's not surprising to Maki for Yuuta to still carry some of that guilt and fear and self-hate of the person he was before and for something as simple as cooking to trigger those feelings.

It doesn't mean that she hates it any less though. Because if Maki feels there is someone who deserves to be free of their past, who deserves to acknowledge their changes and know they've atoned for their sins, who should be able to live their life experiencing every part of it without sadness, it's Yuuta. Especially because she knows he'd say the same thing about her (even when she sometimes hesitates to feel it about herself).

So, Maki's gonna do whatever she can to make that happen.

***

"Cooking classes?"

"Umph!"

Sitting in the teacher's lounge of Jujutsu Tech, Maki twists around, a mouthful of convenience store chicken puffing her cheeks out, and finds Nobara standing behind her. She's honestly surprised that the younger woman was able to enter the room without her realizing. Was I that focused on this?

Nobara just laughs as she gives her cheek a poke, the eye not covered by a rose shaped eye patch twinkling with a playful look. "Awww, I wish I had a picture of that."

Maki fishes her bite and then frowns at Nobara. "Why'd you sneak up on me?"

Nobara smirks as she takes a seat across from her and opens the bento box she's carrying with her. "Uh I actually called your name twice from the door but you seemed pretty invested in your computer so I wanted to see what was so interesting."

"So," she continues, "why are you looking up cooking classes? I thought you always said cooking was a waste of time." But before Maki can answer, Nobara quickly gets a teasing glint in her eyes. "Oh is someone wanting to treat her husband to a home cooked meal for their anniversary?"

"Kinda," says Maki as she crosses her arms and turns away, slightly embarrassed. 

Nobara raises her eyebrow in surprise. "Really? I was just joking." She then lets out a sigh and puts her elbows on the table to hold her head in her hands while she pouts. "Ugh, I knew Okkotsu must be special if he won your heart but he must be extra special to get a Maki home cooked meal. I'm jealous."

"You could always get a taste if you want to join one of these classes with me."

"Well…when you tempt me like that I guess I can't refuse," says Nobara with a shrug. Then her expression turns somewhat serious again. "So, for real, what made you want to take cooking classes? Is Okkotsu really into home cooked meals?"

Nobara knows Yuuta isn't the kind of guy who would expect Maki to give him home cooked meals just cause she's his wife so she wonders if her joke was right. Did Okkotsu like home cooked meals and so Maki wanted to treat him? Nobara had a hard time seeing the stubborn Maki doing something she said she hated like cooking just as an anniversary gift but she did know that Maki was sweeter with her husband than anyone else so maybe it was possible.

Though Nobara realizes it's probably not that simple when Maki goes quiet and starts poking at her chicken with a sigh. "Yuuta's not picky about food; about the only thing he doesn't like to eat is fatty parts of steak. So, it's not that he especially loves home cooked meals or anything. In fact, he doesn't like to cook either."

Maki can see that only confuses Nobara more so she continues. "I didn't know until a week ago but cooking…it only brings back sad memories for Yuuta…" She can't help but trail off as she thinks back on the way his body softly shook as he cried, the way his hot tears might as well have been fire on her skin.

"I hated seeing him so hurt," says Maki as she gritts her teeth; she didn't want to see any of the people she cared about hurting but especially not her kind, loving husband. "So…well, I got it in my head that maybe if we tried cooking together then he'd have better memories to associate with it."

"I mean it's not like I think that doing this will make his bad memories go away," says Maki. She knows that better than most people that sometimes there are things you can get through by can't forget. "I just thought maybe we could make enough good ones together that they'd come to mind first. But I admit I'm rusty when it comes to cooking and I didn't think it'd be that good a memory if it tasted like shit so I thought some classes might help and…urgh!" 

Maki lets out a frustrated groan as she notices Nobara just staring at her wordlessly and presses her fingers on the bridge of her nose. "Saying it out loud, this is crazy, isn't it? It's probably just gonna upset him and that'll ruin our anniversary so-"

"I think it's a great idea, Maki."

Maki turns her head to Nobara who's giving her a grin. "I gotta say determined Maki and caring Maki are my favorite sides of you so getting to see you so fired up wanting to make the guy you love feel better is a real treat." 

Then her expression softens as she continues. "You know, Megumi and I do the same thing with Yuuji when we go to Shibuya. We know nothing undoes the past but we want him to be able to think about the three of us spending time together when he's there and not always think just about what Sukuna did. So, I think you wanting to give Okkotsu good memories of cooking isn't ridiculous; I think it's really sweet and I think Okkotsu will too."

Nobara then moves her chair so that she's right next to Maki and reaches for her laptop with a determined look in her eye. "So, let's choose the best cooking class out there!"

***

So that's how Maki ended up here in a cooking class. Nobara had also gotten Momo and Miwa to join them and so the four of them stood around their own little station together. Maki was a little afraid they'd stand out but it was such a packed class that no one paid them any mind.

"I guess a lot of people want to learn how to cook," says Nobara as she glances around the room.

"Mmm-hmm," Maki agrees. She wondered what it was that drew so many people to this class in particular. The reviews online were glowing and since it said it was for busy individuals and this was just the beginner's course it was only six 3 hour classes, two a week for 3 weeks which worked out perfect for Maki's anniversary.

"Thank you for inviting us, Kugisaki," begins Miwa. "This sounded like it's gonna be really fun."

"Can't believe Maki was the one to suggest it though," begins Momo. "Her cooking isn't something I thought I'd ever see."

Nobara nods in agreement. "I know, right?" She then puts her hand to her mouth to hide a smirk as she whispers to Momo. "She wants her and Okkotsu to cook together for their anniversary though. Isn't that so sweet?"

Maki can see out of the corner of her eye the way Momo raises an eyebrow in surprise but then lets out a snort as a teasing grin comes to her face while Miwa is just excitedly sparkling in happiness over how cute that idea is. Nobara's fighting to hold back a giggle as she looks at Maki who they all think didn't hear them.

"If you guys are gonna spend all night teasing me," begins Maki in a no-nonsense tone, "then I'm moving to another station."

"Awww but Maki-" just as Nobara moves back over to Maki the door to the room opens and a cheery voice rings out.

"Good afternoon everyone!"

"Good afternoon," chorused the class as they turned to look at the bubbly woman who entered the room. She must have been around 50 and definitely gave off a motherly vibe for some reason. It wasn't surprising that she was their teacher for this course.

After she placed her bags down and wrote her name on the board, Nishino-sensei began explaining the class. "As you all know this is a six class course. We'll meet twice a week on Wednesday and Thursday for 3 hours a day for the next two weeks and get to learn some basics of cooking. Tonight we'll start with basic prep skills like knife cuts and how to use some common kitchen appliances. Then we'll move on to preparing some common simple but delicious dishes that I think you'll all really enjoy!" 

She gives everyone a bright smile before taking a deep breath and slowly closing her eyes. "But to start, I want you all to close your eyes."

It's kinda an odd request and Maki can tell she's not the only one to think that. But as she slowly watches everyone around her following their teacher, she decides it can't hurt to do the same.

"Now, I want you to picture a table and then put yourself at the head."

Okay… This definitely isn't what Maki was expecting to be doing in a class like this but she's going to be as open as she can to it. It's not like I haven't had crazier teachers.

"Then I want you to fill the other chairs at your table with your friends and family. The people you love. Whether it's just one other person or a banquet table full. Just think about those who matter to you."

Those that matter to me… Maki can't help but smile as everyone starts coming to mind. 

At the end of the table sit Megumi and Yuuji who are talking to Noritoshi and Panda on the other side of them. Then in the middle of the table Miwa is showing Inumaki some kind of video on her phone while Nobara and Momo sit there discussing some recent fashion trends they see in all the stores in Harajuku. 

Finally, at the top of the table, in the two seats directly on either side of Maki, sit Yuuta and Mai. Mai's basically interrogating Yuuta about how he better take care of her sister because she didn't give her a second chance at life for her to spend it with someone who wasn't good enough for her while Yuuta just sits there with a nervous yet happy smile as he goes on and on about all the ways he loves Maki and promises to make her the happiest person on Earth.

Sitting there watching everyone, eating and talking and just being together, brings a warmth to Maki's heart which is apparently what the whole exercise was about.

"Now, do you all feel that? That feeling that comes from thinking about the people you care about? That's how cooking should feel. Because to make great food, even if it's just for yourself, you need to put love into your cooking. So, while I can teach you all the techniques in the world, you're cooking with only really shine when it comes from your heart."

When they all open their eyes, Nishino-sensei is standing there with a smile even though tears are flowing out of her eyes because she found her own speech so touching.

"Well, I definitely think we're in for an interesting three weeks if nothing else," whispers Nobara to Maki who nods in agreement. 

This is probably crazy, Maki thinks as she stares down at the wedding band that glistens on her finger under the fluorescent lights, but it'll be worth it…

***

"Welcome home."

As Maki is taking her shoes off at the door, she's surprised to hear Yuuta's voice behind her. She turns to see him standing at the corner of their living room, holding a bowl of cereal.

"I'm home," she says with a smile as she makes her way over to him. "I thought you'd be asleep so I was trying to be extra quiet. I told you you didn't have to wait up for me though. It's kinda late."

Considering that Maki and Nobara worked at the school for most of the day, Maki had to pick the latest time slot for the cooking class which meant it was after 10pm by then. Normally, her and Yuuta went to bed early because they usually had to be up early.

"I know," begins Yuuta as he takes another quick bite of cereal. "But if I went to sleep before you got home then I wouldn't get to kiss you goodnight…and I want to do that every night."

With Yuuta looking at her with the softest look in his tired yet smiling eyes, Maki can't help but feel a blush coming on. Before she can let him catch that though she moves over to pull him into a kiss, careful not to spill his bowl.

"You're sweet," she begins as she gives him one more quick kiss on the cheek, before shuffling past him. "And not just cause you taste like chocolate milk."

Yuuta just laughs as he follows Maki into their living room which leads to their kitchen. After grabbing a soda from the fridge, she plops down on the sofa beside him, tucking her legs underneath her. "You not grab dinner?" she asks as she motions to his cereal.

Yuuta looks down at it then shakes his head. "I just wanted this as a snack. Panda and Inumaki took me out for ramen cause Panda heard you went out for a girls' night. He was still going on about ideas for our anniversary."

Maki just lets out a snort as she shakes her head from behind her soda can. "Getting relationship advice from a brainless Panda. Your night sounds like it was super fun."

"Haha, yeah you missed out," he says before he takes another bite. "So, how was your night?"

"Pretty good," she begins, nonchalantly. Truthfully it'd been better than good. Despite the strange start to the night, the class had gone great. This first class had focused all on prep which Maki definitely excelled at. She was determined to be a master of the kitchen tools as she was with cursed tools and it showed. Nobara, Momo, and Miwa were in awe of how well Maki could handle every item thrown at her. 

After prepping all the food though, everyone was surprised when they were told class was over. Nishino-sensei said that this was just another cooking lesson: if you had time, prepping what you could a night beforehand was a great timesaver for the next night. So, tomorrow would be the main event: the actual cook. Feeling somewhat more confident after this first night though, Maki actually found herself kinda excited for the challenge.

Plus it'd been a lot of fun getting to do it in a group. They'd all got to talk with each other as they worked, sharing their latest stories of their crazy work environments at the schools. When it came time to cut the vegetables, Maki had to help Nobara while Miwa helped Momo as the two of them seemed hopeless with knives. Though nothing was funnier than when Nobara beat her steak like she was hammering a nail through it and Maki, Momo, and Miwa couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight.

"…I wonder what Mai would've done if she was here," said Momo wistfully as she and Maki stood together at the dish washing station.

Maki had kinda assumed after the Goodwill Event but she'd later learned for certain that Momo and Mai had been very close, more than friends but not yet able to admit that they had feelings for each other. After Mai's death, Maki and Momo started hanging out more and had bonded over their shared grief.

While normally the mention of her sister brought some sadness to her, Maki couldn't help but simply take a moment to imagine her there. Knowing Mai, she'd probably act like she didn't need any lessons cause she could cook just fine on her own and she'd just sit back and watch. But once she saw how much everyone was enjoying it or how Momo needed some help she'd probably reluctantly join in and slowly start to enjoy it herself.

It was a nice thought and it immediately brought a smile to Maki's face. "You know I think she would've loved to have been here solely to have watched Nobara beat that steak so she could tease her about not looking cute while doing it."

"Omg she totally would've!' Momo burst out laughing in agreement and Maki could see that she too appeared less sad than she normally was when talking about Mai. Maybe doing something like this together is good for all of us, Maki had thought as the four of them had finished up the night.

"So, where'd you guys go?" asks Yuuta, breaking Maki out of her thoughts of the night. "Did you try out that bar Nobara was talking about?"

Maki shakes her head as she sets her soda can on the table and slams it down to crush it in one swoop. "Nah, not tonight. We decided to join a book club."

She says it so casually that Yuuta can't help but believe it even if he's surprised. "Really?"

"I obviously was joking," she says as she gives him a playful nudge. She then lets out a sigh and rests her head against his shoulder, turning serious as she flips around the crushed can in her hand. "But I can't tell you where we went. Because it'd ruin the surprise."

Yuuta moves to set his empty bowl on the table then wraps his arms around her so that she can nuzzle against his chest. "A surprise, huh? For me?"

"Mmm-hmmm," mumbles Maki before she tilts her head to look directly into his eyes. "For our anniversary…and hopefully you'll like it."

Maki's normally not one to doubt herself but she still can't shake the fear that Yuuta will just end up hurt by her suggestion of cooking when she saw how the memories of it took him back to such a lonely place in his head.

And she knows Yuuta can sense that out of character doubt too. He gently rests his forehead against herself with a gentle sigh. "Maki, I know you always want the best for me so I'm positive I'll love it." He then gives her a gentle kiss to the lips before moving to kiss her forehead. "Guess I gotta make sure my anniversary gift for you is just as great."

Maki just hums to acknowledge she heard him as she returns her head to his chest, the sound of his heartbeat filling her ears. Being held by you all night would be a great enough gift. Unlike Yuuta, Maki can't shamelessly voice such a cheesy thought though—she's even slightly embarrassed it even ran through her head and she thinks her husband must be rubbing off on her—so she simply smiles and lets herself enjoy the moment.

***

Well, tonight's the night, thinks Maki as she stands there unlocking the apartment door.

Three weeks had quickly flown by and it was finally here: their anniversary.

It had started off like any other morning except for the fact that Yuuta surprisingly had no missions to take care of. "So, you're just gonna be hanging around the house all day?" Maki had asked as she stood at the closet, getting ready to head to the school.

"That was all I planned to do," he began as he stretched and then hopped out of bed to make his way over to her. He wrapped his arms around her bare waist and Maki shivered a bit when his breath hit her ear. "But I guess you don't want me here cause of your surprise?"

"Yeah…sorry," said Maki as she moved to grab the shirt she'd settled on, Yuuta's arms still wrapped around her.

"It's okay," said Yuuta as he moved to place soft kisses on her shoulder. "I'll see what Inumaki is doing today; he was wanting some new stuff for his computer to make it better for gaming so maybe we'll go to Akihabara."

Maki just nodded as she turned around in his arms and took a minute just to look at him: those tired blue eyes shining as they stared down at her, his soft smile and lips she just wanted to spend all day kissing, his hair so ruffled with bed-head that made it look like he had dog ears. 

Which she appreciated how he was being as obedient as a dog by not arguing about having to leave the house on his day off. She felt a little guilty for asking him to but she wanted this evening to be the perfect surprise.

So, Maki smirked as she reached up and gave his head a scratch as if he were one. "Who's a good boy?"

"Arf-arf," he replied, which only caused her to laugh before she leaned up to place one last kiss to his lips. 

"Just know you'll have a treat waiting for you when you get back," she said as she broke away from him to make her way to the bathroom.

"Can't wait," he'd said with that dopey grin of his.

Said treat is what Maki was now getting ready for. This'll be worth it, I know it. Maki could feel the determination welling up in her as she made her way into the kitchen. The rest of the cooking classes had felt like they'd flown by but by the end Maki was much more confident in her cooking abilities. They hadn't made anything extremely complex but even then just learning the proper way to do the small things could make even simple foods taste amazing.

And Maki was positive the dish the two of them would be making tonight would be perfect. On the last day of class, everyone was allowed to bring in a recipe and prepare whatever they wanted to share with their stations and their teacher. Maki decided that was a good chance to test out what she wanted to make for Yuuta for this night: salted cabbage with sesame oil and hamburger steak with rice.

Maki had been laser-focused as she prepared it, taking extra care with everything even if it was just a test run. She looked at it like a battle with the recipe her strategy—there to be followed but might require some tweaks as she went on—and she was determined to win. Especially because she wasn't just fighting for herself; she was fighting for the happiness of the person she loved most. What better fuel was there than that?

When she'd finished plating her dish, she felt proud of it. Maybe it wasn't restaurant-level beautiful but it looked pretty delicious to her. Plus Momo, Miwa, and Nobara had all been eyeing it and so she presented it to them. "All right everyone give me your honest opinions."

She'd watched as they all took pieces of each item on the dish to put on their own plates. Then they all looked at each other and began eating. It only took a second for everyone's eyes to light up.

"Oh this rice is so perfectly fluffy!" began Miwa with a delighted sigh.

"This cabbage," said Momo as she kept shoveling pieces in her mouth. "Too good; that crunch and saltiness are just right!"

"Nope, the steak is the best part of all!" declared Nobara as she put her hands to her cheeks in excitement. "It's so juicy and—mmmm—that sauce on top is heavenly."

Maki felt a little embarrassed by all the sudden praise but before she could tell them to all stop and be honest—even though she knew they were being honest—Nishino-sensei approached them. "Oh, it sounds like someone prepared something delicious over here! May I try a bite?"

Maki nodded and held the plate out to her. Nishino-sensei slowly took her first bite and then her eyes filled with sparkles as she devoured the whole plate. She then grabbed Maki's hands in hers, her eyes still sparkling even as they filled with tears. "That food…you embraced what I said on the first day didn't you, Okkotsu? You made that food with all the love in your heart and it has brought you to another plane of flavor! Oh you must join my intermediate level class! You must!"

In the end, Maki had said she'd consider it because she knew she wasn't gonna be able to escape until she agreed. Though the idea didn't totally disinterest her. Maybe a part of her kinda liked it…

No time to be thinking about that now though, thought Maki with a shake of her head. She needed to be getting ready for tonight.

She knew that she couldn't get all the ingredients in advance or Yuuta would likely have caught on since she never came home with a ton of fresh groceries. She'd planned to rush to the store after work but thankfully Nobara had saved her the trip and the stress.

Megumi and Yuuji told me to tell you happy anniversary. She'd texted earlier with a selfie of her on the couch as the two of them were in the background lugging grocery bags into the apartment; Maki had given Nobara a spare key for emergencies. I didn't want you to have to worry about forgetting something and I only had a half-day of classes. I got everything from the recipes you shared with all of us along with a few other spices and stuff I thought might come in handy.

Maki smiled at the thought of her best friend's thoughtfulness as she closed the fridge door—all the ingredients she needed were in there or already laid out on the counter—and made her way to her bedroom to take a quick shower and change from her gym clothes.

When she stepped into the bedroom though, Maki was surprised to see two items placed on the bed. She walked over to them and then realized what they were: aprons. The first one was just a simple blue apron that went over the head and tied at the back. The other one though was a little more detailed; it was black with a fuschia trimming and small fuschia myrtle flowers patterned all around it. It had thicker straps on the part that went around the neck and looked like it tied on the side of the front. 

Maki then spotted the note that had fluttered out of it when she held it up to look at. It was in Nobara's pretty handwriting: If you're gonna be cooking you two gotta have aprons so here is my anniversary gift to you. And you know I wasn't gonna let you off with a boring one like I did Okkotsu. You gotta give him a little eye candy before dinner and I think you'll look so perfect in this (send pics)!

P.S. if you REALLY want to give Okkotsu a treat you could always wear JUST this. Easier for him to get to "dessert" after dinner ;)

Maki can feel her forehead vein throbbing as she can practically picture Nobara smirking over the full body blush that's come over Maki but as she throws the note away and takes one more glance at the aprons she can't help but smile at the gift.

And, while she's definitely not gonna cook naked, Maki does decide to throw on a pair of tight black gym shorts that she knows are Yuuta's favorite and a fuschia colored tank that goes perfectly with the apron.

After getting dressed, Maki heads back to the kitchen and begins getting everything laid out because she knows Yuuta should be back anytime now. "Let's see onions, panko, sesame oil…"

"I'm home."

"Anytime now" was just minutes later as Maki quickly whips around at the sound of Yuuta's voice to see him standing at the edge of their kitchen, a confused look in his eyes as he scans over the scene in front of him.

"Welcome home," she begins with a soft smile as she smooths her apron back out. "And surprise."

He slowly makes his way into the kitchen, still trying to process what exactly is going on. Maki can see the confusion in his eyes so she decides to explain the situation to him. "I wanted us to cook our anniversary dinner together."

Yuuta comes to a stop in front of her and tilts his head; this was clearly just getting more and more confusing to him. "You want…? I thought you hated cooking."

Maki just leans against the counter with a shrug. "I do…or I did. I don't know; I think it's growing on me after these cooking classes. That's what I've been doing with Nobara and everyone for the last three weeks by the way."

"Cooking classes," Yuuta begins, slowly as if he didn't hear her right. He pauses for a moment, just blinking at her, before he finally speaks again. "…Why?"

Maki can tell he's asking more than just why she went to cooking classes. He's wondering why she was doing any of this—going to all this trouble with something she said she hated—for him. It's obvious when Maki stares into his eyes that he's conflicted: a part of him is happy over the idea while the other feels guilty as if he's somehow forced her to do this and so he's just standing there with a blank expression until he can sort it out.

Maki takes a step forward and grabs his hands in hers. "Yuuta, even if I hate cooking, I hate seeing you hurting more. You deserve to not let the past still have a hold on things you should be able to enjoy."

"Maki, you-"

She places her finger to his lips to shush him. "I know what you're gonna say: that I do too. That's why I thought we could do this together. Honestly, I think part of the reason I hated cooking was because the Zen'ins ruined it like they did so many things. I even hated the idea of being married because of them."

Maki moves her hand from his lip to then cup his cheek as she strokes it with her thumb. "But being with you changed that. So, I thought if we tried doing things together, things that the past took the joy from like cooking, then maybe we could make better memories and possibly enjoy them."

She can see the tears starting to form at the corner of Yuuta's eyes but it's hard to read his expression so she's not sure if they're good or bad. Fearing the worst, Maki grabs his hand again and sternly says, "Yuuta, if this was too much to just spring on you, I need you to be honest and tell me cause-"

Suddenly, Maki's cut off when Yuuta grabs her face and pulls her into a kiss. It's desperate and needy and leaves Maki breathless when he finally lets her go. The first thing Maki notices after he pulls back from her is the bright smile on his face so when she looks into his glassy eyes she knows his tears are happy ones. "I love you."

Maki smiles softly as she places her hand over his on her cheek. "I love you too. So…you're okay with this?"

Yuuta nods as he takes his hands off her face. "Of course. Getting to make new, happy memories of things with you…there isn't anything I'd love to do more, Maki."

"Then let's get started," she says, her heart soaring at Yuuta's words, as she turns around and grabs his apron from the counter. She slips it over his head and then twists him around so she can tie the back.

"Oh man, I'm a little embarrassed to give you my gift now," he says as she finishes tying the apron. "It feels so small in comparison to you doing this for me."

"Hey," Maki begins as she turns him back around. "I'm positive I'll love it," she says repeating his words to her. "So, let's see it."

Yuuta runs off into their bedroom while Maki takes a moment to excitedly grin to herself over how happy she feels at the moment. When she hears Yuuta coming back to the kitchen though she quickly composes herself to a cooler expression.

"Um, I got you this for your katana but I guess we can use it for cooking knives too," he says with an awkward laugh as he holds out a small wooden box to her. Etched into the wood are the kanji for her name: Maki Okkotsu. Maki carefully opens the lid and sees a beautiful, untouched whetstone in the box. 

He really knows me too well. "It's perfect," she says as she looks back up at him with a soft smile.

Yuuta's smiling too as he walks over, takes her hand in his, and happily sighs, "Happy anniversary, Maki."

Maki simply grins as she sets the box on the counter and then grabs his apron with her free hand, pulling his lips close to hers as she whispers against them. 

"Happy anniversary, beansprout."