Apathy 2

"Ran-chan!"

The pig-tailed boy turned around to see Ukyo waving him over to her desk. It was the end of the day and the only reason he hadn't already left the class via the window was because he had fallen asleep. Again. The bell had woken him up but luckily Miss Hinako had fallen into her own sugar laden coma after stealing and eating several boxes of Pocky sticks from her students. He nodded his head before walking over to her.

"Yo," Ranma said casually.

Ukyo flinched inwardly. Ranma had been uncharacteristically cold to her since the wedding fiasco a few weeks ago. The chef gave him her best smile, knowing he liked it when she was being cute. She also knew that the best way to to earn his forgiveness was definitely through his stomach. Her superior cooking was an advantage she had over his uncute fiancée, one that she was sure to use whenever possible.

"Why don't you come over for some okonomiyaki?"

"I don't really got any money right now," he said evasively.

"Don't be silly, it's my treat sugar."

Just thinking of one of her delicious okonomiyaki had his mouth water and his stomach grumbled loudly. He hadn't eaten since lunch and dinner was still a few hours away, so he could definitely do with a snack. Five or six okonomiyakis would totally hit the spot. His stomach growled loudly again. Maybe seven. He was a growing boy, after all.

"That sounds great. Thanks, Ucchan!" he said, momentarily forgetting any reservations he had due to hunger.

He gave her a grateful smile that had her blushing. She smiled at his renewed use of her nickname, something she had been sorely missing. Her smile faltered when he looked over to his shoulder and called out to his other fiancée who was still in conversation with her two friends.

"'Kane!"

The blue-haired girl turned at the call of her name, recognizing her fiancé's voice instantly. She turned around briefly to motion to her friends to give her a second before she walked over to Ranma and Ukyo.

"Hi, Ukyo," she said in greeting, getting a nod in return. "What's up?" she asked turning to the pig-tailed boy.

"Ucchan's treatin' us at her restaurant. Grab your stuff so we can go. I'm starvin'!"

Behind him, the chef narrowed her eyes in frustration as she deflated a little. She hadn't said she would treat Akane, just Ranma but she knew she was stuck. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew the two rarely went anywhere without the other.

"Umm…I can't go," Akane blurted out.

After the cookie disaster yesterday and watching Ranma flinch at just the sight of her in the kitchen, she didn't think she could deal with the smug, superior look Ukyo always gave her when their shared fiancé showed enjoyment of the chef's food. She definitely couldn't take watching him wolf down Ukyo's okonomiyaki gleefully as he complimented her cooking. She just couldn't.

"What, why not?" Ranma asked suspiciously.

He wouldn't admit it but after her second – or was it third? – kidnapping he tried to keep track of where she was going. That way if she went missing he would know where to start looking. But ever since they returned from Jusendo he had to know where she was at all times.

"I'm going with Yuka and Sayuri to get a snack," she said, thinking quickly.

She wasn't technically lying. They would go. She just had to ask them first.

"But…" the pig-tailed boy said, starting to object but was cut off.

"Oh, well have fun!" Ukyo said loudly over him, happy that she was getting alone time with her fiancé.

Akane couldn't miss the gleeful look on the chef's face and grit her teeth as the girl put her hands possessively on Ranma's arm.

"See ya," she said with a tight smile.

She went to her desk and grabbed her bag before walking back to her friends and motioned for them to follow her outside.

"See…ya," Ranma finally said disappointedly.

He was looking forward to hanging out with her. He watched her walk out the door without bothering to look back at him. He stared at the door lost in thought, completely oblivious to the chef happily chatting away next to him and the way she clung to him.

It was becoming harder to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.

A/N: Here is another little scene for the prompt Apathy. Just to be clear, apathy doesn't refer to Akane's feelings for Ranma but how he thinks she starting to feel about him.

alwaysZutarian has to be the best beta reader ever, helping me with this while recovering from a stomach flu. Thank you!