Work Text:
"What are you cooking?"
Iori stood in the kitchen doorway, looking at the man in black who had his back to her. The man paused for a moment, then turned around while lifting a large, heavy-looking pan.
"Pasta carbonara. Char wanted it after seeing an ad on TV, but it's better not to go out too often for now," he said as he put the pan of spaghetti on the table. After that, he moved to the spice rack to get other ingredients.
His words jabbed Iori's heart a little. "For now"..... deep down, Iori still couldn't accept this new reality. A few weeks ago, her biggest worry was just getting a bad grade exams. Now..... she couldn't even think about it coherently. Too many things had happened in a short time. She sighed.
...
"May I help you?" Iori spoke up.
"Sure. Please chop these for me," replied Chihiro. She handed him the garlic and onions.
Iori took the wooden cutting board hanging on the wall, then began to peel the ingredients given to her. After that, she lined them all up on the cutting board. However, her hand stopped just before slicing the onion. She closed her eyes. Her hand slowly turned the knife until it was in reverse grip, like someone using the iai technique.
Just like she did nine years ago, during her mother's final days. When her father was still by her side, trying to comfort a grieving child.
"Iori?"
Iori gasped. Chihiro looked at her with concern.
"Are you okay?" He continued.
"Ah... yes, sorry. I was lost in thought," Iori replied. She continued his task, this time with the knife in the correct position. After that, she gave the neatly chopped onions to Chihiro who then put them all into a frying pan. He began to sauté the onions while Iori mixed the sauce.
Even though they did their own tasks without a word spoken, Iori felt like she had gone back in time, when she was cooking with the person she loved. She remembered her mother's laughter when Iori chattered in the kitchen. She remembered her father's panicked expression when Iori accidentally got hurt, either by the knife or the fire. She still remembered her young, naive self, imagining herself cooking with her parents, laughing and chatting in the kitchen. Her mother was healthy again, her laugh was louder and her face was brighter. Her parents remarried, and the three of them lived under the same roof, happily ever after.
Of course, all those dreams were shattered when her mother passed away. Again, when her father left her. Iori was alone, again and again.
Iori looked at Chihiro. They had only known each other for a few weeks, but he had already become someone precious to her. She had seen his kindness, his self behind the blood-soaked samurai, many times.
When this was all over, would they go back to being strangers? Would they go their separate ways, living their own lives without any interaction at all?
Or would this journey of revenge kill Chihiro before that? Would Iori lose someone she loved again?
"The food is ready," Chihiro said.
"Ah, wait, let me add something," Iori took a few things from the spice rack and put them into the dish, "it's more delicious like this."
Chihiro looked a little hesitant, but his expression changed after tasting the pasta with the other ingredients added.
"Hm... that's right. It tastes more savory. Do you like cooking?" Chihiro asked.
"... Yes, I used to cook a lot. I often saw mom put this ingredient in when we were cooking," Iori smiled, "it became one of dad's favorite dishes... we often made this together after mom left."
"I see," Chihiro said.
"What about you? You seem to be quite good at cooking," Iori continued.
"I used to cook for dad all the time. He had no talent in the kitchen at all. Whenever he cooked, his food looked more like charcoal than something edible," Chihiro smiled, "this was one of the few dishes he managed to make. Even then, we did it together."
For a moment, they stood in silence, lost in a sea of nostalgia. At that moment, Iori saw herself in Chihiro. Iori remembered herself when she was a child, missing her mother. Iori remembered himself crying because her father had left her. In the end, they were not that different. Chihiro was just a child who was grieving after being left by his father. Chihiro just wanted to see his father one more time, to live happily with him again. Just like Iori.
Iori couldn't imagine the pain Chihiro felt when he saw his father being killed.
"We'd better get this food out before it gets cold," Chihiro's voice broke the silence.
"Oh! That's right."
The two of them came out of the kitchen, carrying the large portion of food. They were greeted by Char with a beaming face and Hinao who reminded Char not to finish it all. Hakuri who had just come home after running an errand for Hinao began to shout his appreciation and move his body expressively. Shiba suddenly appeared in the room without warning. After that, the six of them began to eat together. The room was filled with laughter and exclamations.
Iori remembered when she ate in the hospital with his parents.
She looked at Chihiro. He was listening to Hakuri telling a story. His eyes were filled with warmth, different from what Iori saw when he was fighting. At that time, Iori was determined to protect Chihiro as much as possible. Chihiro had helped her see her father again. Now was the time for her to help Chihiro, to hold him back from falling into the abyss of revenge. Iori would work harder to save him, to protect everyone in this room. To protect everyone she cared about.
Iori didn't want to lose anyone she loved again.