"You look cold, Fumio, would you like to go inside?" asked Koutorou as he slid closer to where his date sat against the storage shed near his dorm.

Fumio looked at Kou-chan with her wide eyes, burning with a longing that she felt couldn't possibly be held back any longer. "You do know what I want you to do to me, don't you Kou-chan? Don't look at me like that, you're making me feel embarrassed. I can't say it out loud." She began to slide her bare legs against each other, the soft fabric of her dress running along her thighs, teasing the boy with short peeks of what lay beneath it.

"I...I don't know, Fumio. It's really starting to get chilly out here, we should probably head back..." Despite the fact that it was cold outside, he noticed sweat beading across his forehead. He glanced at Fumio and noticed her skin had begun to glisten with moisture, like she was sunbathing under a summer sky rather than a late autumn moon. At that moment, one of the thin straps of her dress slid off of her shoulder, coming to a rest near her elbow. There's a fire inside those eyes, this must be where the heat making me perspire is coming from... But what am I to do to satisfy that look in her eyes?

He moved closer to her until he could feel the heat radiating off of her. As he pulled her close to him, draping his arm over her shoulders, she drew her body against his until their curves rested against each other. Her head fit comfortably against him, where his shoulder met his chest, in a space that seemed perfectly tailored for her. She felt none of nature's effects while sitting so close to the man she had wanted for so long. Even so, her body betrayed her with subtle tremors that grew until she was obviously trembling, not from the cold, but from sheer anticipation.

"Fumio, you're shivering. Come, let's go inside. I know just the thing to warm you up." Koutorou whispered as he pulled himself away from the young lady and rose to his feet, offering her a hand to help her up. They walked towards his dorm building, checked for any signs that the dorm warden was still awake, and entered once it was clear.

"Kou-chan, what are you planning to do to me?"

"Right now, I'm going to bring you into our test kitchen."

"Oh really? And once we're there?" she asked, her urge to be satisfied as only he could do growing stronger.

"I'm going to pick you up and set you down on that prep table over there." he replied, gesturing to the nearby stainless steel counter.

"Mmm, and once I'm on the table, what are you going to do to me?" Her eyes flashing with desire.

He looked her over, committing every part of her to his memory. His need to satisfy her hunger heightened until he couldn't hide his desire anymore.

"I'm going to warm you up with some of my... Zuppa Toscana!"

Her face suddenly changed from a look of passion to one of confusion. "Huh?! But...but...what about propping me up on the table?" she asked, exasperated by his apparently mistaken intention of their meeting.

"Well, I want you to be able to see the soup that will warm up your body."

Fumio pushed herself away from Koutorou, frustrated over having her perfect moment broken by the same man she longed for. What is he thinking? How could I have made it any more obvious what my intentions were for us tonight?

"Are you upset, Fumio? What is it, something I said?" asked Kou, a confused look upon his face.

"It... It's nothing Kou-chan. I suppose I am a little hungry, what are you making?" She didn't see any pots or pans out to indicate he had been making a soup. All she saw were the usual appliances that lined the kitchens within the dorms. Toasters, blenders, can openers... and a slow cooker. She had heard of these new kitchen tools, but had no experience with using one. Most of her dishes weren't meant to spend all day stewing in low heat. What kind of soup could he have made that took advantage of that type of cooking style?

"It's Zuppa Toscana. I know, the name is rather generic and could mean any kind of Italian soup. But this one, it's special to me. I'm not sure you know this, but my specialty here at Totsuki is soups and stews. Since we've met, I've been longing to have you try one of my soups. But for so long I questioned which of my recipes could possibly be good enough to serve you. At least until now. When I found this particular dish, I felt something that was similar to how my heart feels when you walk into our classroom. Calm and at the same time chaotic. Fierce, yet fragile. The elements that make up this soup, they represent so much of how I see you, my sweet Fumio. Now, would you do me the honor of allowing me to serve you?"

The young lady was speechless as he held out his hand, awaiting hers. I had no idea his feelings for me had so much depth! What must this soup be made of for him to create such sweet words from it? She placed her hand in his, and followed him to the counter, where he turned her around to face him. He delicately placed his hands against either side of her waist, and gently lifted her up and set her down on the counter-top. Her legs had come to rest on either side of his waist, her face level with his now as he left his hands on her waist a little longer than necessary. He gazed into her eyes, smiling as his hands traced the curves of her body going upwards, slipping over her shoulders before resting against the sides of her face. He brought his lips towards her, moving past her mouth and stopping next to her ear.

"I know just what you need right now." he whispered into her ear. He pulled away from her and stepped back, turning his attention to the slow cooker on the counter across from where Fumio sat.

Oh my... this back and forth... to think when we were outside he seemed so shy and unsure. When he's in the kitchen, all that nervousness is stripped away to reveal a man that knows how to keep a woman anticipated. I don't know if I can stand much more of this...

From the cabinet above the stove, Koutorou retrieved a small soup bowl. He stepped to the side and pulled a spoon out of a drawer to his left. As he went back to the slow cooker, he grabbed a soup ladle that hung above the stove-top. Once he was back at the slow cooker, he stayed to the side of it, allowing her full view of the appliance. With one fluid motion, he removed the lid and set it down. The aroma that wafted up from its crock struck her like a wave crashing against a rocky shore.

This scent... It's so rich... so satisfying. I can detect the distinct smell of bacon, but that's not all. Italian herbs, basil, oregano, perhaps fennel as well? This is too much, I must know what he made!

"The look on your face tells me that the aroma pleases you. Would you care for a taste, my lady?"

She weakly answered, "Yes, please." Her body squirmed at the thought of how that soup could possibly taste if the smell alone could tantalize her so.

He dipped the ladle into the crock, giving the contents a stir, before filling it up and pouring it into the waiting bowl. Steam rose from the lip of the bowl, revealing beneath a shimmering broth. He picked up the spoon and turned to face her, presenting the bowl and spoon for her to take. She grabbed the spoon with a shaking hand. Her first glimpse at the soup revealed small bits of bacon as she had suspected. The broth appeared to be made from chicken stock, giving it a lovely color and depth. It was streaked with white, possibly cream, which provided the richness she had noticed from her first impressions of scent alone. Diced potatoes and greens of some kind, probably kale, scattered about in a perfectly imperfect display. She could see there was another type of meat dispatched throughout the soup. She teased it around with her spoon and identified it as ground pork sausage. Red pepper flakes littered the surface, as though warning her that their spice was not to be ignored.

She could no longer hold herself back. She dipped her spoon into the soup, pulling all it's ingredients into one mouthful, and after a brief blow to temper the heat, brought it into her mouth.

OH THE RICHNESS! THE SATISFYING TASTE OF THE DUAL TYPES OF PORK, COMBINED WITH THE CREAMINESS OF THE POTATOES IS SHEER DECADENCE!

Her body began to sway as her legs twitched and jerked around.

THE DEEP FLAVOR OF THE BROTH, THE KALE ACTING TO CLEANSE THE PALATE OF THE RICHNESS PROVIDED BY THE CREAM. THE BITE OF THE RED PEPPER PLAYS AGAINST THE RICHNESS IN WAYS I HADN'T BEEN AWARE OF! CALM AND CHAOTIC, FIERCE AND FRAGILE. I SIMPLY CANNOT HOLD BACK ANY LONGER! I NEED MORE OF IT INSIDE ME, IT'S WARMTH IS SO ADDICTIVE... MORE! MORE!

She pulled more of his soup into her waiting mouth, savagely slurping the broth as it dripped off of her spoon. A small piece of bacon fell and landed against the slope of her chest. She was about to pick it up with her fingers, but Koutorou's hand grasped her wrist and stopped her from doing so. Keeping his smokey eyes locked onto hers, he slowly bent towards her, and with his mouth, picked up the morsel of bacon and ate it off of her. He let go of her hand and stepped away, when suddenly he felt her hand upon his wrist.

"You promised to warm me up, Kou-chan. I don't know if you realize this, but you've overstepped here."

"Oh?" replied Koutorou as he approached Fumio, who had placed the empty soup bowl to the side and grabbed his other wrist, guiding him back in front of her. "What did I do to overstep my bounds, dear Fumio? Were you not satisfied by my offering?"

She pulled him closer to her, her tensed legs wrapping themselves around him. She put her hands against the sides of his face like he had done to her earlier, and met his eyes. "You promised only to warm me up, dear. But right now, there's a fire burning within me that you've done nothing but stoke until it's become unbearable." Her legs squeezed against him as she thrust herself against his chest and stomach. She guided his face downward until he was looking at her soft, delicate cleavage. She gently kissed him on the forehead, letting her lips lightly caress him as she lifted his head back up, tracing a line down his nose and halting at his lips. It was his turn to pull her against him as his lips met hers in a passionate embrace. He heard her squeal with delight as he wrapped his arms against her lower back and lifted her up, using his waist and lower body to keep her in place.

From there, he found his way towards her fire and fed it until there was nothing left to burn.

~~~~~~~

Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana

1 lb mild Italian sausage

1 small-medium onion, diced

2 cloves (or about 1 teaspoon) minced garlic

4-5 cups chopped kale (about one bunch)

8-10 strips of bacon, cooked and crisp then crumbled

32 oz chicken broth (homemade or low sodium)

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

3-4 potatoes

Freshly grated (or shredded) Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Crumble sausage and cook over medium-high heat in a skillet on the stove. Add minced onion to the sausage a few minutes into cooking. Once meat is mostly browned, add garlic. Continue cooking until meat is cooked through and no longer pink.

2. Drain the meat of any excess grease.

3. Pour chicken broth and heavy cream into a large slow cooker (at least 6 quarts). Add kale, bacon, ground sausage with onion and garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine.

4. Cover and cook on high for about three hours.

5. Scrub potatoes and cut into bite sized cubes with the skins on. Place potatoes into slow cooker and cook for another 40-60 minutes or until potatoes are for tender.

6. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.