Chapter 7: Breakfast Burretos

Close by, touching a ladle to her lips, Sasami closed her eyes in blissful communion.

"Perfection is achieved!" She whispered. "Not too hot, not too sweet! Just enough of a zesty kick to wake you up!"

Smiling, she surveyed her realm. For if indeed a kitchen could be a kingdom then Sasami, was surly its queen! In her mind, it was all a matter of timing and order, A place for everything and everything in its place! It was still early morning and production was at full swing with her assembling the first official meal of the day with almost military precision. Always keeping an eye on the enemy, as the large kitchen clock ticked the seconds away remorseless of her deadline.

"Eight o-clock, eight o-clock, eight o-clock!" she repeated it like a mantra, moving her saucepan from stove to serving counter where her comrade in arms was assisting with the assault.

"Meow?" Ryo-Ohki asked dutifully, holding several of the households good chop sticks up for inspection, while her best friend ladled sauce into serving bowls.

"Put 'em right back Ryo-chan!" Sasami smirked gleefully. "Their not gonna need 'em!" Shrugging Ryo-Ohki complied while Sasami almost cackled with delight at what was surely to follow.

"I can hardly wait to see the looks on their faces!"

"Uh Sasami?" Mihoshi asked several minutes later. Like everyone else at table, staring dubiously at her plate. "What did you say these are again?"

Resting on the fine china in front of each of them, a pair of tan logs almost six inches in length, about the color of old rolled up rice paper. Resting next to its respective bowl filled with a steaming red sauce. The whole thing looked down right disturbing to say the least. To say the most ... well, that was as always, Mihoshi's job apparently.

"I mean, these are really strange!" she continued without pause. "I mean, I've never seen anything just like them and that's the strange part, I guess, so I was wondering what they are? Cause they do smell kind'a good, which is great! Cause I'm hungry and this is breakfast after all and stuff..." Kiyone suddenly leaned forward, placing a firm hand over Mihoshi's rambling mouth.

"Kiddo?" Key then asked Sasami with a wane smile. "So what are these things anyway?"

"BA, BA-BA-BA, BA!" Sasami announced using a grand gesture indicating the current bounty of the table. "Breakfast Burritos!" She told them excitedly. "I saw this great recipe a couple of weeks back and I've been itching to try it out!" Gesturing again at the large center tray, her luminous pink eyes shinning with unbridled glee at their various reactions. "The original recipe called for beef, which you know is way too expensive!" Sasami continued quick to point out the high lights of this strange fair. "So, I substituted chopped pork! And made a few adjustments!" She suddenly paused, making a slow pan across the room, moving slowly from face to face, lingering on Kiyone giving the contents of her plate the tinniest of pushes with a finger.

"Some sort of Jurian food?" Key asked softly her voice laden with hope. Sasami was about to reply when Mihoshi suddenly lit up.

"Oh! Now I remember!" She exclaimed turning to Kiyone. "You should too! These are one of the things we served when we worked at that fast food franchise a while back!" In response, Kiyone lightly batted her own noggin with a fist.

"Of course!" She sighed, slightly embarrassed. "Taco Hut I think the place was called?" Key then glanced away from the table. "Must have been blotting out a painful memory." She then muttered darkly.

"Thank goodness!" Ayeka breathed. "I thought it was some kind of oversized spring roll!"

Not a complete stranger to the concept, due to four or so months of Restaurant work herself, Ayeka was still drawing a complete blank as to this odd fair placed before her. Glancing about the table, She shifted her napkin. Then after failing to locate, whatever it was she was looking for lifted the edge of the place setting. Finally giving up Ayeka sat back folding her hands into her lap and waited.

"Ryoko!" Mihoshi asked brightly. "May I please have the soy sauce?"

Siting next to the princess, hands also folded before her, Ryoko had been strangely silent since sitting down, staring at her plate as if mesmerized. Across table, Tenchi was mirroring her odd behavior, long enough for everyone to notice. Kiyone in particular carefully glanced back and forth between them. Wisely opting to remain silent, though instinctively knowing something different was definitely in the air.

"Ryoko? Its right in front of you!" Mihoshi waved, attempting to capture the ex-space pirate's attention. No response however was forth coming, the object of inquiry just sat there staring at her plate. "Ryoko!" Mihoshi tried again, a little louder. This time golden eyes widened as her head snapped back.

"Wha?" Ryoko started. "Oh! Right, here!" passing the small bottle of dark liquid to an expectant Mihoshi.

"Wow! Ryoko you're really out of it!" Mihoshi said, receiving the bottle proceeding adding an extra once or so into her bowl of red sauce, eliciting a gasp from Sasami. "Maybe ya caught a bug sleeping on the roof again?" Mihoshi indicated Tenchi with a nod. "I'll bet that why the two of you are so down in the mouth!"

Ryoko's eye's shifted ever so slightly, but it was clear Mihoshi now had her full attention.

"You know," Miho continued, 'needless to say' obliviously. "I heard, there's one of those kissing viruses going around and, OW! Kiyone! If ya want some soy sauce just ask!"

"Brain cells get lonely Mihoshi!" Kiyone snapped irritably, withdrawing her hand from delivering the firmest pinch possible. "You shouldn't isolate them like that!" She then glanced, subtly as she could, given the circumstance. Noticing Ayeka, having abandoned study of her plate was scanning Tenchi and Ryoko respectively.

"Are you feeling at all well Lord Tenchi?" The princess then asked after a moment, seeming genuinely concerned. "Your face is a little flushed and you haven't touched your food."

"That's because I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with these." He told her, ignoring the first half of the question completely.

"What kind of breakfast is this anyway Sasami?" Ryoko finally asked, grateful just to 'ditch' the previous topic." Where's the rice and eggs? And how am I supposed to eat this anyway?"

"Don't you mean where's the sake?" Kiyone asked dryly, leaning forward.

"Shut your hole!" Ryoko commanded flatly.

"They're both in the burrito!" Sasami said cheerfully, reaching forward clawing at the air elaborately. "And you eat 'em with your fingers!" she finished with a dark kind of glee.

"How barbaric!" Ayeka exclaimed, clearly shocked while classically turning up her nose. Around the table, other than Mihoshi no one else was diving in ether. For Sasami, that constituted the last straw!

"I thought you might like something different for a change!" She informed them grumpily. "And all I get for my trouble is whining!" Leaning forward, Sasami placed her hands on the low table, glaring at the assembly. "You bunch a Fraidy cats!" She added.

"Hey! I'm sorry!" Waving her hands, Kiyone was immediately apologetic. "Its just kind'a weird having this sort of thing for breakfast!"

Sasami again scanned the room, aside from Mihoshi, already starting on her second Burrito, everyone else's expression indicated mild concurrence, prompting head chief of the Masaki household to draw herself up angrily.

"Ok," She announced succinctly. "If that's how you all want to play it?" She then crossed her arms. "Ya don't want my nifty burritos?" Sasami then challenged.

"Which, incidentally! I even made the tortes shells myself!" She paused glowering, allowing the statement to trail as if waiting for possible rebuttal before adding. "Then you can all have Breakfast jump up!"

"You have something else?" Ayeka asked hopefully, visions of anything eaten with chopsticks dancing in her head.

"Yeah!" Sasami snipped, siting down next to Ryo-chan in a huff. "You don't eat my burritos! You can just 'jump up' and make something yourself!"

I know, I know ... First time that joke was told, a caveman laughed so hard he fell off his dinosaur and broke his wooden underwear! (Rob.)

In response, everyone around the table finally began sampling. Hesitantly at first then with mounting enthusiasm. After a few cautious bites, Ayeka turned with an undisguised look of sourness on her lovely face.

"Would you care repeating your statement about up bringing Lord Tenchi?" Aside from a mildly embarrassed grimace, Tenchi saw no reason to respond, besides his mouth was full. After Mihoshi, Tenchi had been next to start eating. This was Sasami's cooking after all! He simply had no experience with 'Burrito's' and didn't want to look foolish. Just then, he became aware of something odd with the texture of 'the bite' he was currently negotiating. Picking up his napkin, covering mouth covertly as he could, Tenchi removed the hair. Adopting Ayeka's previous expression, he glanced towards Ryo-Ohki.

"Someone ought to shave." He muttered darkly.

"Did you say something Tenchi?" Sasami asked. Both Her and Ryo-chan were staring at him intently.

"Oh? I was just thinking this is great!" He said quickly. "That and wondering if there was anything, Key and Mihoshi could pick up for the house while they're in town?" Shifting attention their way, he caught the tail end of Kiyone, whipping sauce from the corner of Mihoshi's mouth.

"God! You are such a slob!" she was whispering, before turning to focus on Tenchi. "Well, we're taking Ayeka's jackets and some embroidery down to the consignment shop." She then responded. "And picking up a spare work outfit for Mihoshi."

"There's something wrong with the one I made for you?" Ayeka asked, her voice carrying the faintest hint of worry.

"Well," Mihoshi began, her voice seeming as usual tad too loud. "Mr. Migi said it was just too fancy and didn't fit the theme."

"Or show enough cleavage." Kiyone added dryly.

"Or her 'panties' every time Mihoshi so much as nods at his lecherous customers!" Ayeka snapped, now clearly upset.

"Aww! Come on Ayeka!" Mihoshi said defensively. "It's not that bad! Besides that only happens when I bow at the waist anyway. Which only happens when I'm out front facing the door!" She then glanced at Kiyone. "The customer I'm greeting can't see anything!"