Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Unlikely Alliances ❯ The Newest Alliance ( Chapter 5 )

This was originally published by me under the name Anduril at Anime Addventures, with the only changes being a few corrections in spelling, punctuation and the occasional word choice. If you like the beginning of my story but think I've gone off the rails, or have your own ideas for a great branch-off, or think I'm taking too long to update and want to continue the story yourself, come to Anime Addventures and join in the fun!

I claim no ownership rights to any of the works of Rumiko Takahashi.

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Nabiki again walked alongside her older sister on the way to the Cat Café, unaware of the slight grin she couldn't keep off her face. The last few days had gone very well for the mercenary Tendo. While sitting Ranma and Akane down together and letting him explain his reasons for not telling his fiancée that Ryoga was P-chan had succeeded in keeping her from trying to hammer Ranma every time she saw him, the two weren't yet on speaking terms — in fact, they weren't even walking to school together anymore. Eventually that was bound to change, but for now there was no danger of Akane and Ranma sharing a bed.

Then, there was the whole Obedience Pill episode, with Happosai trying to force Ranma into line — it had ended in the typical way, with everything going back to normal, and had been too sudden and unusual for her to set up a decent betting pool, but the chaos had been very entertaining.

In fact, the only cloud in Nabiki's sky had been the annual family visit to her mother's grave just that morning.

And now, the two older Tendo sisters were headed for the follow-up meeting at the Cat Café (Akane having flatly refused to join them), to try to come up with a way to get the girls into Ranma's bed — this was going to be fun....

 

Kasumi sat beside Nabiki, listening with the bare minimum of attention as ideas flew back and forth, each more extravagant than the last, her thoughts circling through the same rut they'd worn over the last few days.

Finally, unable to take it any longer, she abruptly rose. As all eyes turned to her, the eldest Tendo sister announced, “I am sorry, but I find myself unable to treat Ranma as a prize or a plaything. So, if you will excuse me, I will wish you all a good evening since I cannot wish you good luck.”

She strode to the door in the stunned silence. There, she turned around and looked back at the frozen quartet still seated at the table. After a moment, her stern expression softened. “Ukyo, Shampoo, it's possible one of your schemes to trick or force Ranma into your bed might succeed,” she said, “but have you considered what will happen afterward? You might want to think about the future before you get too eager.”

Then, again turning her back on the room, she was gone.

Nabiki stared at the empty doorway. This is not good, not even a little — what if she tells Ranma ... ? She hastily rose to her feet. “I think this meeting's over,” she said. “I'll talk to Kasumi, I'm sure I can at least convince her not to tell Ranma what we're doing.” And with that, she strode from the restaurant in her sister's wake.

The two teenagers remaining glanced at each other, then at Ku Lon, and Ku Lon nodded. “Nabiki is right, this meeting is over,” she said. “There's no point in making plans until we know how successful Nabiki is with Kasumi.”

After a moment, Ukyo nodded and rose to her feet. “In that case, I have a restaurant of my own to open. Tomorrow after school?” And with Ku Lon's agreement the brown-haired spatula-wielder left as well.

 

Nabiki caught up with her sister within a few blocks, only to find herself ignored by Kasumi. Choosing not to make an issue of it, she walked alongside the young woman that had finished raising her in silence until the dojo compound came into view, her mind racing furiously. Then, as they approached the front gate, she asked, “Are you beginning to regret dumping the engagement on Akane?”

Kasumi gasped and darted a shocked look at her younger sister as a blush mounted her cheeks. Finally, as the two stepped into the compound, she reluctantly nodded. “Yes, I am,” she whispered. “I know he's young, and crude, and not as well educated as he should be, and the curse ... But he's also brave, skilled, generous, and kind. Yes, I wish I had taken the engagement instead. But it's too late, he really only has eyes for Akane.”

Nabiki shrugged, then paused as the two sisters reached the front door. “That may be the case, but Akane may not have eyes for him. If she really decides to break it off, the engagement would fall to one of us and I'd be happy to let you take it.

“But Kasumi, that assumes Ranma's alive, and he may not be if we don't make him `manly' before his mother learns of the curse. Whatever you may think of our behavior and motives, we are trying to save Ranma's life. If you can't bring yourself to help, can you at least stand aside ... not get in our way?”

Kasumi stared at her feet and actually fidgeted, but finally nodded agreement. Nabiki blew out a quiet sigh of relief, then impulsively embraced her older sister. “Thanks, sis,” she said, then walked into the house, leaving a bemused Kasumi behind.

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Once again, Ukyo's okonomiyakis had not been her best, and once again it was because her thoughts were revolving around a certain pigtailed boy — only this time, those thoughts weren't daydreams of the two of them building a future and chain of restaurants together while raising a (large) family. Instead, she kept coming back to nightmares of Ranma abandoning her for Akane, or Xian Pu, or Kasumi, or Nabiki, or even Kodachi, and the cute chef cursed Kasumi yet again.

But even as she tried to tell herself that the matronly Tendo had simply been jealous (but when had she ever shown the least hint of being attracted to Ranma?), Ukyo couldn't keep the seed of doubt planted by Kasumi from growing as she thought over her recent past with Ranma — what before had seemed like a hidden attraction (and when had Ranma ever been able to hide how he felt?) now began to seem like simple friendship however hard she tried to pretend otherwise.

Finally Ukyo gave up, took down the noren over the entrance, and finished serving the last of her customers. As the last customer left, she locked up and took up a position where she could observe the back door to the Cat Café and waited.

Eventually Ukyo's patience was rewarded, and she stepped out to intercept Xian Pu as the purple-haired Amazon returned from a delivery on her bicycle, only to hastily step back and spread her empty hands as Xian Pu sprang from her bike and fell into a defensive stance at her rival's approach. “Easy, Sugar, I'm here to talk, not fight,” Ukyo hastily said, and Xian Pu relaxed slightly.

“What Spatula Girl want to talk about?” Xian Pu asked suspiciously.

“About Ranma, and the future,” Ukyo replied. “Do you think Cologne can do without you for a few minutes?”

Shortly, the two girls were seated in Ucchan's. “Shampoo here, so what Spatula Girl want to talk about?” Xian Pu asked again.

Ukyo was silent for a moment, then sighed and asked, “Shampoo, what happens to you if Ranma refuses to go back to China with you?”

Xian Pu jerked, then with a scowl said, “Not important, Airen will come.”

“But what if he doesn't?” Ukyo insisted. “However unlikely it might be, a good warrior should have a back-up plan.”

Xian Pu's scowl deepened, but she reluctantly nodded. “Spatula Girl right. And it bad for Shampoo if Ranma not come back to village — Shampoo become least of warriors if lucky, slave to tribe or even locked as cat if not.”

Ukyo nodded. “Thought so. Things won't go so well for me, either — if Ranma refuses to marry me, Father will insist I kill him, or be disowned. And I won't kill Ranma whatever happens, even if I could.

“But,” she continued, “what if you go back to the village without Ranma, but with his child?”

Xian Pu stiffened, opened her mouth for a hot retort then paused, a thoughtful look crossing her face. “Spatula Girl have good thought,” she admitted. “Main reason for Kiss of Marriage to bring husband's blood into tribe — even if Husband not present, child will fulfill purpose.”

Ukyo nodded, then took a deep breath. “And what if you brought an outsider with you, who also was pregnant with Ranma's child? Would that outsider be accepted — for the sake of Ranma's child?”

Xian Pu slowly nodded. “If Village Champion and respected Matriarch ask it, Council probably agree. But why? Does Spatula Girl really think it get that bad?”

Ukyo shook her head. “No, not really,” she said, “I really can't see Ranma settling for that violent maniac. But like Kasumi said, we should think about the future — and if my father disowns me, I won't have one here in Japan. Besides, if we were to get pregnant, that could give us an edge over Akane.

“So, the next question is, do you Amazons have any herbs that might get Ranma ... interested ... in us?”

“Yes, of course,” Xian Pu instantly agreed. “But use of those herbs forbidden for Husband Hunt.”

But we won't be on a ... a Husband Hunt, we'll be seeking to protect Ranma from his mother,” Ukyo pointed out, and Xian Pu slowly nodded, a broad grin on her face, then sobered.

“Spatula Girl right, and nothing convince Airen's mother that son is manly like grandchildren,” she solemnly proclaimed, and Ukyo grinned back at her sometime rival.

“So,” the chef said, “I'd say our best bet is to get those herbs in Ranma's bento somehow, then ...”

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nikichan, thanks for the good word. For the pairing, that one's already written. Wait and see.... ^_^

For the speed of updates, I've been posting stories I'd already written elsewhere, the current rate of updates is going to more or less continue until I'm caught up (it'll be awhile - I have five stories I haven't started posting yet, some longer than others). For this story, I have another nine chapters already written and another two or three yet to write to wrap it up. Hopefully, it should be done by the end of January.