Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Unlikely Alliances ❯ Storm Warning ( Chapter 6 )

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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Morning at the Tendos, and a purple-haired cat quietly leaped to the kitchen windowsill, and from there to the kitchen counter. Sitting up, Xian Pu looked around, and while cats can't frown she would have if she could. The bento boxes were open on the counter, but which would be Ranma's? After a moment's thought, she nodded — it was obvious: given Ranma's appetite, the biggest bento would be Ranma's.

Walking over to the biggest container on the counter, the cat sat up on her hind legs, pinned the paper packet she held between her front paws, ripped it open with her teeth, and scattered the powder it contained across the container's contents.

Then, hearing approaching footsteps from the hall, Xian Pu hastily leaped back to the windowsill and out into the yard. From there, she quickly climbed one of the compound's trees, leaped to the wall, and down to the outside sidewalk and ran down the street.

In a nearby alley, she joined Ukyo, the cute chef waiting with a set of the Amazon's usual clothing and a thermos of warm water. After changing to her human form and quickly dressing, Xian Pu smiled at her anxious ally.

“It done — spices added to Airen's bento. But Spatula Girl not wearing special clothes?”

Ukyo grimaced. “It'll be embarrassing enough wearing them at school, no way am I wearing them until I have to,” she replied. “I'll change into them when I get there. Besides, I don't see you wearing yours, yet.”

Xian Pu shrugged uncomprehendingly — foreigners could be strange, but she'd given up trying to understand them. “Shampoo join you at lunch time in own special clothes,” she said. “Unable to wear them before or Great-grandmother suspect something up.

“Now, Shampoo get back, begin chores for opening café,” she continued, getting on her bike. “See Spatula Girl at lunch.”

“Right, see you then, Sugar,” Ukyo agreed, and headed off toward Furinkan High while Xian Pu pedaled away for the Cat Café.

 

Kasumi hummed as she returned from carrying the breakfast dishes to the family room. Her night had not been as restful as it could have been — recurring dreams of a handsome pigtailed boy curled into himself in fear while being circled by cats with the faces of Ukyo, Xian Pu and Nabiki while Akane watched with indifference from the side were not conducive to a good night's sleep. Still, she was in her element, and the homey, familiar tasks were soothing to her soul.

Having delivered breakfast to her father, middle sister, and the two Saotomes, the matronly Tendo resumed preparing the lunch bentos, picking up the largest container on the counter and divvying its contents amount three bentos, then nodded. Enough left over for lunch, she thought, as she set aside the half-empty container and started preparing a breakfast bento.

Kasumi frowned slightly as delight and disappointment roiled within her as she finished the breakfast bento — Akane and Ranma still weren't speaking. Or rather, Akane wasn't talking to Ranma. Perhaps worse, Akane had started going to school early, to avoid walking to school with her fiancé. And as a result, both were miserable and doing their best not to show it. Still, there had been signs the fiery-tempered girl was softening, and the way Ranma had stopped insulting her probably helped.

Then the raven-haired Tendo walked into the kitchen from the furo, dressed in her school uniform, and Kasumi turned to her with her usual serene smile firmly in place. “Good morning, Akane, here's your breakfast and lunch bentos,” she said, and Akane actually smiled!

“Thanks, big sis,” she said, taking the two bentos and tucking them into her book bag.

Deciding that with Akane's good mood she'd risk it once more, Kasumi asked, “Are you sure you won't wait for Ranma?”

Akane grimaced — a distinct improvement over the past few days. “No!” she said brusquely. “See you after school.” And with that she rushed from the kitchen toward the front door.

 

Akane frowned as she strode down the sidewalk toward the high school. She had been feeling so good about the day, and then Kasumi had to go and ask that!

And what's so bad about that? an irritating voice she had been studiously ignoring for days asked in the back of her mind.

He knew about Ryoga being P-chan all along and didn't do a thing about it! she thought to herself, snarling. I'll bet that pervert was laughing about it all along.

Yeah, right — that's why you caught him with a tea kettle of hot water in your bedroom that first night. Are you angry at Ranma for not telling you, or for being right about Ryoga? As for being a pervert, you were the one that had to coax her into your lap a few nights back.

Akane remembered the stunned fear with which Ranma had greeted her entry to the furo, the way she'd still been blushing when she'd finished scrubbing Akane's back, the way she'd struggled when Akane had pulled her into her lap (the way her lips had parted at Akane's kiss, just before Ryoga came barging in). Akane sighed pensively. No, whatever Ranma may be, he's no pervert, she admitted to herself.

Just then, she heard a very unwelcome voice. “At last, my divine Akane has broken free of the accursed Saotome, and come alone to take refuge in my arms! Come to me, my fiery love, that we may take delight in each other's company and yearn together for the day that the pigtailed girl will join us.”

Ranma may not be a pervert, but that doesn't mean other boys aren't, Akane thought, as the familiar anger blossomed at her core. Snarling, the youngest Tendo hurled her book bag at the delusional fool and charged forward in its wake.

 

Groaning, Kuno slowly became aware of his surroundings once again. Sitting up with a wince, he leaned back against the tree he'd been crumpled against, a song in his heart. True, his first love had attacked him yet again, but this time there had been no Hammer, only her feet and fists — truly, the spell that bound her was weakening and would surely soon break!

And then, a few feet away, the world's finest kendoist saw further proof of the spell's failing — lying where his love's book bag had fallen was a bento. Quickly rising to his feet, Kuno scooped up the his glorious love's secret offering of her angelic sister's unequaled cooking and with glistening eyes vowed to eat it at lunch in honor of the future they would soon build together.