For @mandakatt. I am a trash can. And for that, I apologize. Happy Valentine's Day from the cat lord! - @han-pan
Mitsuhide stood impatiently, watching as his dearest pulled open the box he had rushed back from the market to present to her. He had pulled a few strings to get it, and now he could not wait for her to see the exceptionally rare fish he had managed to get his hands on for her to experiment with in the kitchen.
She pulled the lid from the box and furrowed her brow as she looked inside. Her head cocked slightly to the side before she lifted her face to him and gave him a sincere, albeit slightly strained, smile.
“Thank you, Lord Mitsuhide,” she murmured. “I’ve never had the chance before to work with…such a…unique and interesting fish.”
He felt like he had swallowed a rock. His stomach heavy with regret—did he move too quickly on buying this gift? She had giddily told him that she had never seen one before and heard great things about their flavor. But perhaps this one is too unusual, and the burden too great. He watched her deftly wrap the fish up again and bow to him before taking it away to the kitchen, a half smile on his face that he knew was entirely fake.
She proceeded to test the fish in a few ways and presented them to him with an anxious air, and for good reason. The fish grilled fine, but the delicate flavor was lost to the char. Raw sashimi had an unpleasant texture. It did not dry quite the way bonito does, and the onigiri made with its flakes were not as strong as preferred. Try as he might to hide these shortcomings from the foods she was making, somehow she could tell. A little bit of the pride in her straight shoulders seeped out with each failed dish.
One afternoon, Mitsuhide knelt in the gardens, dangling fuzzy grass before one of the cats who visited him. She batted at it once or twice, then seemed to lose interest and began to wash herself.
"Little missy fuzzy paws doesn't want to play?" he asked her as he waved the grass near her face again. She paused and glared at him past the grass, then turned around to continue her bath. "So you're not the only one I cannot seem to find the right gift for." He reached for her, threading his fingers through the fine fur on her back, only to have her pop up from her spot and begin to stalk away from him. He gawked--was this a sign? Would she, too, leave him because of his overenthusiasm?
Suddenly the cat stopped walking, looked over her shoulder at him, and swished her tail before disappearing around the corner of a storehouse. Mitsuhide jumped up from the ground and followed her quickly, just to spot her tail disappearing beneath the building...alongside a set of narrow, determined shoulders that he knew very well. She stood contemplating the stone beside her...a familiar conundrum he had seen before.
"My dear," he murmured to her as he stepped to her side. She jumped, startled.
"Lord Mitsuhide!" she gasped. A natural smile spread across her face. Relief coursed through his veins at the sight, his feelings slightly more secure once more that she would remain with him.
"What is so interesting about this great stone?" he inquired.
"I was just thinking about making some pickles, but would need a new stone for the weight." She turned back to the rock beside her and made as though to bend over and try to pick it up herself before he stopped her.
"We can always use more of your most delicious pickles; please allow me to assist once again."
She stared, wide-eyed, as Mitsuhide hefted the stone and turned back to her with a smile. He smiled and tilted his head at her, confused as to her unusual stare. It was not rare for him to carry the pickle stones for her, so he was unsure as to why she would react that way. A slow smile made its way across her face as she clapped her hands in excitement.
"That's it!" she cried, before hurrying off to the kitchens, leaving Mitsuhide quite on his own to get the stone where it needed to be.
When he arrived in the kitchen with the heavy stone for her, she was bustling about the kitchen, pulling items from shelves, and that blasted fish on her worktable. One of the other maids ushered Mitsuhide in and quietly pointed out where the stone was needed. After laying it down as instructed, Mitsuhide ambled across the room back to his darling and watched as she brushed the salt from the remainder of the fish and began to dress it for preparation.
"What is it?" He could not help but to ask her what she was doing now.
"I've come up with a new recipe!" she exclaimed, utterly delighted. "If we pickle vegetables and salt fish to keep it fresh, why not use a salt-pickling method on the fish? It will be fresh and light, the texture will improve, and with the right dipping sauce, the flavor is enhanced without being lost!" She turned and beamed at him, taking his breath away. "Thank you, Lord Mitsuhide!"
Still unsure as to how he helped, he simply smiled and reached out a hand to stroke her cheek. The relief at her returned exuberance was palpable; he leaned over her preparation space and pressed his forehead to hers.
"Anything for you, my love."
The shrieks of the castle maids chased him out of the kitchen, and he couldn't help but to smile again at her on his way out.