Disclaimer: Ranma ½ and all related characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Comics, Kitty Film, Shogakukan and Fuji TV. My name is, sadly, not in this list.

Recap: Ranma tried to talk to Ryoga and was met with a wall of anger then Ryoga left. Ukyo is trying to sort through things and so is Ryoga. Akane was witness to a role reversal that may have left her questioning reality. Ryoga went to Ucchan's. Some other stuff happened too. (I don't blame you if you go back and read the last chapter!)

Chapter Five: Recipe for Disaster

The sunlight on his tent walls woke the fanged boy. Unlike yesterday morning however, he was looking forward to the day. A smile crept across his face and he hummed the tune of a cheery little folksong as he got dressed. The humming trailed off as he stared at the cups of instant ramen that were stacked down one side of his backpack.

"I wonder if Ukyo is up yet. Would she mind an early breakfast customer?" Ryoga asked aloud. Neither his backpack, sleeping bag or tent answered, not that he'd expected them to. He shrugged, figuring it couldn't hurt to ask. She wouldn't turn away a paying customer, right? Although she had told him – and proven – that she would feed him for free.

The Lost Boy snorted. There was no way he would start mooching food off Ukyo like Ranma. He'd had enough free meals from her already. If she protested against him paying then he'd simply leave the money under the counter or something when she wasn't looking.

Ryoga glanced around his tent, debating whether or not to pack it all up. It was Sunday so Ukyo did not have school. He was looking forward to spending a day in town, with a friend, no plans and plots, as a human, without having to worry about hiding his secret. Shrugging, he stepped out of the tent, locked his gaze on the back door and cautiously made his way to it. He heaved a sigh of relief as he shut the door behind him.

Shuffling feet echoed up the hallway and down the stairs. Ryoga saw a pair of slipper-covered feet descend the stairs, closely followed by a nightgown-clad Ukyo. His eyes widened and he turned his head in embarrassment as the chef stepped off the stairs and noticed his presence.

"Ryoga…? What are you – oh, that's right. Did you want breakfast, sugar?" she asked, flashing the cursed martial artist a smile as she skirted around her grill-counter and started gathering ingredients.

"I'd love some," he gratefully replied, sitting on a stool directly across the counter, "but I'm going to pay for it, okay? I don't want to be a freeloader."

"But Ryoga, I've told you that you can eat for free, so you're not exactly freeloading," she replied.

He sighed. "It just doesn't sit right with me."

"This really bothers you, huh?" Ukyo asked, raising one slim eyebrow. At his firm nod, she glanced around to find something to say when her eyes swept across the tables. "Say, sugar, I have an idea…"

"What sort of idea?" he asked warily.

Ukyo simply grinned. "Instead of paying me, which would make me feel like I've broken my word, how about you help me out with wiping down some tables? If you did that for me after breakfast I'd have enough time to try out my new experiment!"

"New experiment?"

A sizzle split the air as the chef poured some batter onto the now hot grill. "Yeah, it's a new recipe I've created, but I haven't really had the time…or been in the right mood…to try it out," she answered a little awkwardly, not quite meeting his eyes.

Ryoga nodded, understanding completely. "Need a taste-tester when you're done?"

Ukyo's gaze shot straight to his in surprise. She noted the light blush dusting his cheeks and wondered how hard it had been for him to say that. He seemed to hide in his shell a little less with her. "Of course!" she replied with a laugh. "Every chef needs a second opinion. Does that mean you accept?"

"It's a great solution to me," he said with a genuine smile.

Akane Tendo could not get Ukyo and Ryoga's strange behaviour out of her head.

Ukyo hadn't thrown herself, or her food, at Ranma for two weeks. She was still friendly, always greeting 'Ranma-honey' with the same bright smile she kept just for him. Whatever Ryoga had accidentally taken must have been really important. Still, it had been returned, so she was expecting Ukyo to start fawning over Ranma again in the next day or two.

Then there was Ryoga.

The Lost Boy had always been a mystery to her. Here one day, gone the next; forever returning just to be picked on by Ranma. He was such a nice boy – always polite and well-mannered despite being a bit…weird sometimes.

Ever since returning Ukyo's possession he was acting much the same, yet very different.

Ryoga Hibiki was usually angry at Ranma, but the raw fury she had seen him display had been different. It reminded her vividly of the time Ranma had told the other boy that he'd had his way with her in Yomogi Valley, just to get Ryoga mad so he could learn the Hiyrū Shoten Ha.

Akane frowned deeply. There was only one reason she could see. She was surprised she hadn't thought of it earlier.

Ranma must have done something!

She had tried speaking to Ryoga, but even before Ranma ruined things she hadn't exactly made any headway, so it might not be worth trying to track the Lost Boy down for another try. Perhaps she'd have better luck with Ukyo?

"I'm going out, Kasumi," she called out in the direction of the kitchen.

"Will you be home in time for lunch?" Kasumi's soft voice asked.

"Oh, uh, I'm not sure…"

"I'll keep some aside for you."

"Thanks Kasumi!" Akane shouted as she went out the front door. The youngest Tendo walked swiftly to her destination, her mind churning over what she would say the entire time. She was glad she had left so early – Ranma was still asleep and blissfully unaware of what she was doing. Akane felt that Ranma getting involved, even to 'help', would no doubt end in disaster as he had an acute case of Foot-in-Mouth disease, giving him the uncanny ability to piss off most people without even trying.

Ukyo placed the plate in front of her friend, looking equal parts excited and anxious. Friend, huh? Yes, Ukyo Kuonji definitely liked the sound of that. She glanced down at her own plate, identical to the other, then back up to Ryoga, looking into his deep brown eyes.

She cleared her throat a little nervously. "Well, shall we?"

"Sure," he replied with an encouraging smile.

The two teens picked up their respective okonomiyakis and took a bite, chewing slowly and reflectively. Ukyo was the first to place hers down, Ryoga following a few seconds later.

"Not bad. Maybe I should cut back on the onion though. What do you think?"

Ryoga nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, just a little bit. Still tastes fantastic you know," he said with a shy smile.

"Flatterer," she giggled, making the boy blush. "Anything to add?"

"Got any paper and a pen?" he suddenly asked.

Ukyo's eyes widened and she blinked. "What? Gonna write out a list of faults?" Her eyes narrowed into a glare of anger and hurt. He'd said it tasted fantastic, so why…?

"Huh? What? No, of course not! Apart from cutting the onions back a bit, I don't think it can be improved. This is for something completely different!" he hastily assured her.

She gave a sceptical, "Hmm…" and fetched the notepad and pen she kept under the counter for writing down orders. "Here you go."

"Thanks." He wasted no time in putting pen to paper, his hand seeming to glide as he wrote. When he was done he handed them back to her, looking nervous all of a sudden.

Ukyo looked at what he had written. He had beautiful handwriting, she noted. Her eyes widened once more as she read. "What is this?" she asked in confusion when she was done, staring at him curiously.

His blush deepened and he ducked his head with a nervous cough. "M-my…my mother…she used t-to m-make that all the t-time. It was r-really g-good, so I thought…if you h-had the t-time…y-you m-might l-like to uh…g-give it a g-go…"

Ukyo felt like someone had slapped her. When was the last time the poor boy even saw his mother let alone tasted her cooking? "Oh Ryo-chan…" she breathed out.

Ryoga froze, certain he had misheard, but unwilling to look up, afraid of the pity, or even scorn, he would find. "N-never mind, it was j-just a s-stupid idea," he quickly stuttered, twisting his hands in his lap.

The girl observed the Lost Boy. He looked very much like he was trying to curl in on himself and disappear into the floor. "I don't think it's stupid at all," she said firmly yet sincerely. "I think it's a wonderful idea. I'll try it out for our dinner tonight, though we'll have to make a trip to the market. There are a few ingredients I don't have, but they'll be easy to get."

The fanged warrior was spared from answering when the restaurant door started to slide slowly open.

"Hello? Ukyo, are you there?" came Akane's slightly hesitant voice.

Ukyo glanced at the still-frozen boy briefly before calling out, "Hey Akane, come in."

Akane slipped inside, carefully shutting the door behind her. She started for the counter but paused, a little shocked to see Ryoga there, especially this early. "Oh, hello Ryoga," she said politely, letting go of her surprise and settling onto the seat next to him. Akane had only planned to speak to Ukyo, but this way she could speak to them both. It saved her from trying to track him down too.

Spell broken by her presence, Ryoga tried very hard not to squirm in his seat. With his eyes focussed somewhere between the counter and his knees, he missed Ukyo's gaze sliding to his form for a split second with an unreadable expression she quickly schooled.

"So, Akane, here for an order?" Ukyo asked.

Now it was the short-haired girl's turn to suppress the urge to fidget. "No, not exactly. I…uh…came here to talk to you. I wanted to talk to you as well, Ryoga," she said.

The bandanna-clad boy tilted his head slightly. "Is this about what you tried to talk to me about before…well, before?" he asked, having no desire to think of his pigtailed rival.

Akane nodded. "Yes, it is. You've both been acting…a little weird lately. I know that sometimes we don't see eye to eye," she said quickly, shooting Ukyo an odd look, "but I do care. Is everything alright? I mean, if either of you need help with something, just ask. That's what friends are for, right?" she finished with a smile tinged by nervousness.

Ukyo just blinked, unsure what to make of things, while Ryoga's body stiffened.

Friends. Of course. During his duel with Ranma, directly after he had learnt the perfected version of the Shishi Hôkô-Dan, had she not said 'Let's be friends forever'? Despite all his efforts, would she ever see him as anything more?

It was a very discouraging thought and Ryoga didn't like it one bit.

"R-right…" he squeaked.

"Everything's fine, Akane," Ukyo said, unknowingly echoing Ryoga's answer from yesterday. "I'll admit I was…a little off my game for a while, but I'm back on track now. Thanks for the concern, but it really isn't necessary."

"But…" Akane piped up, not quite convinced.

The chef held in an annoyed sigh. She knew the other girl meant well, but Ukyo seriously did not want to deal with this right now. Or ever if she had her way. She simply wanted to go back to a quiet, stress-free morning hanging out with her friend. A grin lit up her face as an idea came to her. "By the way, Akane, I saw P-chan last night-"

"P-chan? Where?" the young Tendo interrupted.

To Ryoga it felt as if his heart stopped for a moment before jolting back into action, pounding quickly away, as the breath seemed to be robbed straight from his lungs. He thought Ukyo was his friend! Yet here she was, dangling his secret in front of Akane's nose! He tuned back in, ready to intercede if needed.

"-saw him run past being chased by a dog last night. I'm not sure if he's still around, but maybe you should go look for him?" he heard Ukyo say. The cursed teen took a quiet, shaky breath and let it out, relieved beyond measure. Okay, so Ukyo was his friend.

"Oh no, P-chan! He could be anywhere! Sorry guys, but I have to go look for him," Akane said in a rush, hopping off the seat and heading for the door. She tossed a quick "Bye!" over her shoulder just before the door slid shut.

Ryoga faced Ukyo and raised one eyebrow. "…chased by a dog?"

The chef, still grinning, shrugged. "I had to say something to get her to leave. I'm sorry I cut your time with her short, but I'm not in the mood for her prying, well-meaning or not."

Ryoga shrugged also. "It was nice to see her…and sit next to her…but I wasn't ready to answer those questions. I'm honestly not sure what sort of answers she's looking for… And now my meal has gone cold," he finished with an odd half-smile that exposed the tip of one fang.

Ukyo stared at him for several long seconds before bursting out into loud laughter.

He stared back, nonplussed.

"Sorry sugar," she said when she got control of herself, "but I needed that."

Ryoga continued to stare uncomprehendingly.

The Lost Boy had seen Ukyo cook before, but he'd never seen her cook in her own restaurant during a busy lunch hour. He was sitting at the counter in a fairly out of the way spot, watching her take orders, set them to sizzle, carry the food to the tables and repeat the process as fast as she could without making a mistake or sacrificing quality.

He frowned, feeling like a useless space-filler.

He glanced at her back as she moved to a table with an order. He just as swiftly looked away, worried that she would catch him looking and think he was some sort of weird pervert. Ryoga wanted to help. She was his friend and he was just…sitting there. But he was too afraid to offer with all these people around.

What if she refused? He'd be left looking like an idiot. What if she accepted and he froze, unsure what to do, or got lost on the way to a table? Then Ukyo would look like an idiot. What if she simply laughed at him?

Ryoga frowned before closing his eyes, picturing the candle flame in his mind. He tried to tune out the voices and clattering that filled the restaurant.

It was much harder than the real candle. The tiniest errant thought sent his mind-flame flickering dangerously. A sudden vision of pummelling Ranma into the ground and claiming a legitimate victory popped into his head and the candle vanished as if it had never existed.

Two teenage girls walked past the counter. Both were staring avidly at a manga book. Random bouts of giggles erupted from the pair and one of them caught their foot on a seat by the counter. The cup of water she carried flew out of her hand and headed straight for the building's current water magnet.

Ryoga, angry and sulky, noticed nothing until the sudden shock of cold water swiftly turned into the familiar tingle of transformational magic.

"Quick, let's get out of here!" one of them whispered. Both girls hastily left the building without looking back to see the results of the accident.

The small black piglet scowled and shook off as much water as he could, his porcine ears swinging wildly. Not wishing to be seen, Ryoga hopped to the floor and snuck behind the counter. He plunked down on his haunches and snuffled unhappily as he muttered under his breath.

Ukyo had seen the whole thing. The chef had been sneaking peeks at Ryoga ever since the first customer entered. It wouldn't do to discover that he'd wandered off when her back was turned. With the order now delivered she returned to the grill and gave Ryoga a sympathetic smile. She ducked down.

"Can you wait until after lunch or do you want some hot water now?" she asked quietly. "Nod for now, shake for later."

Ryoga shook his head.

"Later?" Ukyo asked, confused. At his affirmation she shrugged. "Okay then, sugar. When lunch is over and I close for the day, I'll give you some hot water and we'll go shopping for those ingredients. One thing though…"

The little piglet tilted his head to one side. "Bwee?"

"Do you think you could pull your clothes back here? I really don't want them to attract attention."

Ryoga's eyes widened and he tried to conceal a blush as he scampered around the counter's corner, making Ukyo giggle.

"You gonna say something or should I start humming to myself?"

The chef and the cursed martial artist walked amongst the throng of shoppers. Ukyo was walking along with the air of one who was in their element, while Ryoga was walking slightly behind, head bowed and eyes fixed on the ground in front of his feet. Every now and then he'd suddenly look up with a panicked expression, worried that he'd lost her. He looked up now.

"Huh? Oh, uh…you can hum if you want, I don't mind," he answered absently, only having half heard her question.

"Jackass," she replied, swatting his arm.

"What was that for?"

"I wanted you to talk to me," she said in exasperation.

"Oh…sorry. What do you want to talk about?"

Ukyo stopped dead and Ryoga almost ran into her. The tide of shoppers split and flowed around them, creating a bubble that separated them from the rest of the world. She turned to him, her head tilted slightly to one side and eyes fixed on his face.

"Ryoga, listen. Despite how long we've known each other we don't actually really…know…each other, y'know? Still, I get the feeling that something's bothering you. Wanna talk about it?"

Ryoga shook his head slowly. "No, it's fine, my mind sometimes wanders as bad as my feet. It's probably half the reason I get lost," he said with a nervous little chuckle. "Although I can be completely focused and still not get to where I want to go," he added wistfully.

Ukyo patted his arm, the one she had hit not two minutes before, and smiled. "We're working on it, aren't we?"

Ryoga returned the smile and the two re-joined the crowd.

Ukyo made sure to involve the Lost Boy whenever they stopped for an ingredient. The chef drew him into small debates over food and what went good with what. The pair were so engrossed that they ended up buying more than was on the list, for 'future experiments' Ukyo had said.

They made one other stop where Ukyo ordered two dozen candles. Before she could do anything else, Ryoga had paid for them and grabbed the bag. She let it slide as she figured she knew the reason why.

Kasumi's kind grey eyes watched the pair leave the shopping area.

Ukyo stared at the range of ingredients scattered across her counter with a mix of amusement and bewilderment. She put her elbows on the counter and rested her head in her hands. "Okay, we've got everything. Now what, sugar?" she asked, raising a delicate eyebrow at Ryoga, who was seated across the counter.

"Oh, uh…well…I was kind of hoping that you'd know what to do. I only remember that she had the sauce simmer for about fifteen minutes," he mumbled, staring intently at the ingredients as though they would reveal the answer.

"We'll make educated guesses as we go along," Ukyo replied with a grin. She was determined not to let the cursed teen get into one of his funks.

This time it was Ryoga's turn to raise an eyebrow. "You mean we're going to wing it?"

"I like the way I said it better – sounds more professional," she said as deadpan as she could manage.

Ryoga gasped dramatically. "The secrets of Ukyo's kitchen revealed!"

"Jackass," Ukyo said through laughter. "Right, judging from what we've got here, I'm gonna say we start with this…"

To anyone walking past Ucchan's Okonomiyaki, the sounds coming from within would have people wildly speculating as to what was happening inside.

"Maybe this one?"

"Nah, I don't think that'll fit."

"I reckon this one. Now, just ease it into place gently…"

"Ow!"

"Oh my gosh, Ryoga, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, it just stung for a moment."

"Now let's see…"

"This should go next from what I remember."

"Ooh, yes, that's perfect!"

"Is it a little of this and double of that or the other way around?"

"Ah, no, don't put that there!"

"Where should I put it then?"

"That particular part, in my professional opinion, goes here."

"Oh yeah, I see where you're going with that."

"I'm glad you see it my way or you know there'd be pain involved!"

"Are all girls so violent or just the ones I know?"

"What? Not tough enough to handle a girl who can get rough?"

"H-hey!"

The enticing aroma of cooking food made Ryoga's mouth water. He forced himself to sit semi-patiently while Ukyo added the finishing touches. After what seemed like hours she slid a plate, filled to the brim with sumptuous-looking food, to him and sat back with a slightly nervous sigh.

She darted a glance at him. "I apologise in advance if I completely botched your mother's dish," she said with a grimace.

Ryoga smiled shyly back. "I don't think you could botch a dish if you tried," he murmured softly, though Ukyo still heard every word. Feeling the chef's eyes on him he focused on his plate and took a mouthful of food.

The cursed boy was transported back in his mind; back to the days before he wandered more than a couple of blocks away from wherever he was trying to go. His parents had managed to stick around for a good portion of his childhood, so he had grown up with a decent amount of his mother's cooking.

It felt like he had managed to steal back one of those moments long gone.

"This…" he began, staring at Ukyo, "is perfect," he finished emphatically.

"Oh, you're just saying that," she replied, trying to brush off how much the compliment meant to her.

"I never just say things," he said lowly, but loudly enough to be heard clearly.

Ukyo's mind ran through all the declarations and whatnot that she'd heard him say. Even if he didn't accomplish what he vowed, usually due to Ranma, he always put his whole body and soul behind his efforts. She found that admirable, even if he failed more often than not.

Dinner that night at the Tendo's was a little different from the norm. The food was, as always, delicious when made by Kasumi. The difference was a beautiful scented candle sitting in the middle of the table. Its presence did not go unnoticed.

"That smells really nice, Kasumi," Akane said between mouthfuls.

"Is there any particular reason this dinner comes with candlelight?" Nabiki asked with one slightly raised eyebrow.

Kasumi simply smiled. "There is no particular reason. I saw Ukyo and Ryoga at the marketplace buying food and candles. The idea of a candlelit dinner sounded so nice although I didn't want to make it romantic like theirs."

Ranma choked on his mouthful of food and spluttered for several seconds until his airway was clear. "Romantic candlelit dinner? Ukyo and Ryoga?!"

"Yes," Kasumi replied happily, either blithely unaware or choosing to ignore the fact that it wasn't really a question. "They looked so happy shopping together. I must say they do make a rather cute couple."

"If Ukyo is going after Ryoga, does that mean she's breaking off her engagement to Ranma?" asked Nabiki. She leaned on the table with her elbows and rested her chin on her linked hands, her eyes locked on the pigtailed boy appraisingly. How would it affect the relationship dynamics in Nerima if the 'cute' fiancée hooked up with the 'eternally lost boy'?

"I wonder if that's part of the reason Ukyo has been acting strangely lately?" Akane pondered aloud.

Ranma frowned. "I dunno about her, Akane...but Ryoga only seemed angrier than usual to me."

Akane glared at him and crossed her arms. "I didn't expect you to pick up on anything. It's female intuition."

"Want a glass of water to help with your intuition?" Nabiki asked sarcastically, picking up her mostly full glass and wiggling it invitingly.

A/N: Life got me. Sorry.

Recently started watching Ranma 1/2 with a friend that hasn't seen it before and got inspired all over again, so I'm gonna try and milk this streak of inspiration for all that I can. Wish me luck!

I know it's been absolutely ages, but I do hope you guys enjoy this chapter. And to new readers - welcome!

Please leave a review and let me know what you think!