I'm trying something new; micro-chapters. Three thousand twice a week or so isn't nearly as daunting as seven thousand words every three weeks, is it? Although I detest small chapters like this, I can see why people like them. This is just a trial thing, to see if I like it. Please give me some feedback on what you think of it as well.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2 nor am I making a profit from this fiction.

With a practiced motion born of many days of proud pomp, Ukyo turned her "open" sign around and unslung her spatula. The lunch crowd would soon be here and she had okonomiyaki to cook. Saturdays were always like this for the teen; sleep in, take a long bath, and then fire up the grill. It was a good life, Ukyo decided. A good life indeed.

The little bell above her front door jingled, signaling the first customer of the day. Ukyo stuck her hand out from the back room, waving it frantically while she got the ingredients ready. "I'll be there in a second!" she called out. "Just take a seat at the grill and think about what you want to order." When the chef finally found all she needed, she walked out, looking at her apron while she tied it. "Okay, ready to serve. What'll it be?"

Then Ukyo saw who it was.

Shampoo smirked at the other teen whose happy-go-lucky smile had just evaporated. "Shampoo happy to see Spatula Girl too," she said, getting a bit snarky.

"What do you want? It's kinda early." A lie, of course, but after the last few days Ukyo didn't feel like dealing with Shampoo. Only last night they had been at each other's throats and the chef's body was still aching. "You can't be here to eat."

With a shrug, the Amazon looked at the menu hanging on the wall behind the grill. "Why not? Shampoo have time off, come see Ukyo, so buy lunch. Give Shampoo special."

A customer was a customer and if Shampoo wasn't here to cause problems then Ukyo really couldn't turn her away. As she put down the batter for an okonomiyaki, the teen sized up the Amazon sitting a few feet away. To her surprise, Shampoo was doing the same thing. It seemed neither one actually knew how to go about this.

"So, have you come up with any ideas on how to get Ranma out of that Tendo mess?" Ukyo asked, trying to get a conversation going. "I figure you already have a few plans."

Shampoo shook her head. "Not know enough about deal between sneaky old men. Obstacles would be easier to just remove, but Airen would not like that."

Well, that was the understatement of the year. Ukyo flipped the seaweed okonomiyaki she was making and tried to come up with something herself. Truthfully, she probably didn't know any more about the arrangement than Shampoo did. "We have a lack of information," Ukyo decided. "If Ranchan is going to get out of this thing, we have to know what we're up against."

Well, that was obvious and both girls readily agreed with it. However, the undertaking was easier said than done; the only people who really knew about the agreement were Ranma, Akane, and their parents. Hell, knowing Genma and Soun, they probably hadn't even told their children the complete story.

"Why not ask Mercenary Girl?" Shampoo suggested. Nabiki could probably find out just about anything, after all. "We split cost."

"And what happens if she sells knowledge about our little pact to the rest of her family?" Ukyo countered. It wasn't that bad of an idea and it could work if only one of them approached Nabiki, though. Still, best to leave that as a last resort.

As the two girls were trying to brainstorm, the front door chimed yet again. Neither teen heard it, however, as they were busy tossing out ideas.

"Wow, both of you in the same room and nothing is broken yet."

The familiar voice abruptly drew Ukyo and Shampoo away from their plotting. They couldn't very well plot about someone who was standing right there, now could they? Shampoo was the first to jump up and she had latched onto Ranma before either he or Ukyo could complain.

The chef wasn't far behind, though. Ukyo stomped over to her rival/partner in crime and picked her up by the back of her shirt. "What happened to us being equal?" she hissed into Shampoo's ear. The Amazon only held up her hands in an exaggerated shrug, seemingly saying that it was first come, first serve. At least the excitable teen went back to her stool, though, after making sure Ranma was going to sit down next to her.

Although he was a little confused, Ranma managed to roll with the situation. "So, what is all this? Some kinda truce?" The boy was honestly interested. Anything that could make Shampoo and Ukyo be civil was a big development!

Instead of answering, Ukyo dodged the question. "Something like that. Just bonding over food," she said, motioning to the okonomiyaki simmering on the grill. "You want one?"

Ranma groaned. "Yeah, that'd be great. I didn't get any breakfast."

The Amazon sitting next to the boy let out a curse in her native tongue. "If Airen want breakfast, he should have came to Cafe'. Can eat here for lunch." It wasn't there for long, but Ukyo knew she saw Shampoo give her a look when she said that. Perhaps it was the other teen's own way of trying to be amicable?

"Yeah, sure. That would have gotten the Tendos even more worked up," Ranma replied. Now that things had settled down, Ukyo was able to look her fiancée over better. Ranma's clothes were dirty, his hair was more messed up than usual and he had a bump forming on the side of his head. Evidently, he noticed his friend's look and explained. "I woke up in the middle of a construction site this morning, if you can believe it." Oh crap. "When I got back to the dojo, Mr. Tendo and Pops were waiting on me. They had already ate all my breakfast. When Akane came down, the first thing she did was hit me with a flower pot and kick me out of the house." He shook his head. "I don't get it."

Shampoo and Ukyo shared a look. They hadn't taken Ranma back to the dojo themselves because they had figured Genma or Soun would have been right behind them.

"Wait, Ranma no remember anything?" Shampoo asked as she let her lunch cool. "What about before waking up?"

The young man just stared at the Amazon, scratching his head. "Actually, the last few days have been pretty forgettable. I just remember going over to your place for lunch and then...it's kinda a blur." He gently touched the bump on his head and winced. "Maybe Akane finally got lucky with one of her punches?"

Somehow Shampoo doubted that, but she nodded anyway. It was probably for the best that Ranma didn't remember anything from when he was under the effect of the Reversal Jewel. As nice as it would have been to call him on liking her, she knew it wouldn't mean anything in anyone's eyes unless it came from Ranma without being under the influence of magic. Shampoo was already on thin ice with Ranma because of things like that.

Then again, it could help Ukyo. Shampoo glanced over at her rival, sizing the chef up. Letting Ranma know that he had yet again fallen under the influence of some Chinese magical device, purposefully or not, would only make her look better. Oddly, though, Ukyo made no mention of it, only accepting Ranma's explanation before going back to her cooking.

"So come on, what's the story here?" Ranma asked. "You two never get along." He suddenly became a bit apprehensive. "You aren't planning anything, are ya?"

"Shampoo not." "Not a thing, Ranchan."

Ranma sighed; they were up to something. "I don't want to know," he stated. "Just don't drag me into it, don't let it get back to me, don't do it when I'm around. Anything that Akane or Pops can get mad at me for, don't do."

Of course, neither girl was pleased with the ultimatum. Shampoo did what she always had done when Ranma told her to do something; just put on a pretty smile, nod, and disregard it. Ukyo, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes.

"Since you're so suspicious of me, I guess you don't want your lunch. No way of knowing if I put something in it." Before Ranma could say anything to the contrary, his fiancée had picked the okonomiyaki up with her spatula and was walking towards the trashcan. Shampoo grinned as well and took a big bite out of her food, smiling as she watched Ranma start to really fret. Sometimes it was fun to see Ranma get almost frantic over something as trivial as food. Of course, Ukyo didn't throw it away. She only put it on a plate and slid it over to the boy.

"Knew you weren't that cold hearted," Ranma grunted as he wolfed down his lunch. Seeing the looks the two girls were giving him, Ranma slowed down somewhat. "Sorry. Like I said though, no breakfast."

Shampoo leaned on the countertop, looking over at her husband. "Shampoo wonder about something. Why Tendos no have to feed Ranma? Is not part of marriage agreement?"

Both Ranma and Ukyo looked at Shampoo like she had asked the oddest question possible. However, the chef soon caught on. "Ah! Um, yeah, Ranchan, don't you have a contract or something?" Ukyo had wished she had thought of this idea; just ask Ranma about the marriage agreement. He wouldn't catch on that they were fishing for information and he probably wouldn't tell Genma they had asked.

Now that both had asked something, the pigtailed boy didn't think it was so strange. His brow scrunched up as he tried to think of an answer. "You know," he said, "I ain't never thought about it too much. I didn't want it in the first place, remember?"

"But you haven't been protesting it as much these days, either," Ukyo countered. "If you have to live there, they should have to feed you or you should leave."

Ranma balked at that. "Come on, don't start, Ucchan. You know I don't want to get married." He purposefully ignored Shampoo's grumble that he already was. "If I wasn't stayin' at the Tendo's house I'd be camping out with Pops."

"What about Airen's mother?" Shampoo asked.

Apparently, she had hit a nerve and Ranma sighed even louder than before. "My mom wants me dead," he mumbled.

Ukyo, unlike Shampoo, had heard this story around school. She didn't believe it at the time, but looking at Ranma's face now it seemed there was truth to it. "Come on, it can't be that bad," she reasoned.

"Can't it? Pops made a stupid contract that said we had to kill ourselves if I didn't turn out a true man. She even carries around a sword." Ranma shuddered, thinking about just what would happen if his mother found out who cousin Ranko actually was.

The restaurant was silent as Ranma finished his meal. Neither girl had every much to say about that, as they didn't know Nodoka well enough to argue otherwise.

"Does Airen want to know mother?" Shampoo finally asked, uncharacteristically quiet.

"Of course," was the immediate answer. The Amazon flinched at the slightly angry tone in Ranma's voice, but he soon settled down when he saw her reaction. "I mean, yeah, who wouldn't? I didn't even remember her until I saw her face a few months ago."

Ukyo hummed, listening in while she cleaned the grill. "I get that, Ranma. I never got to meet my mom, so if yours is still around," she trailed off, unable to describe it properly. "It must be tough."

Characteristically, Ranma scoffed. "S'not that bad. I think mom's better off without Genma around. I don't think we'd have much to talk about anyway." The clock in the wall soon became the boy's object of attention and he hastily pulled out some random bills and coins. "Oh crap, Akane is going to kill me. She finds out I was here and I'm dead. I'll see you guys later! Thanks for the food!" Before anyone could stop him, Ranma was already out of his seat and fleeing out the door, running full-tilt towards the Tendo Dojo.

Shampoo and Ukyo just looked after the boy as he sprinted out of their field of vision. Once he was gone, Ukyo walked from behind the counter and slumped down on one of the stools, drained from the short conversation. Shampoo, though, was still sitting silently, staring at nothing in particular over the counter.

"...what happen to Ukyo's mother?" Shampoo asked, snapping back to reality.

The chef was surprised at the sudden question, but she answered nonetheless. "Died during childbirth. That's why I grew up with my dad." Ukyo's head fell back down, her chin resting on her crossed arms. "I guess that's why I grew up to be such a tomboy; it was always just me and my dad until I was six."

"What happen then?"

Ukyo drummed her fingers on the countertop. It was as if she were pulling the answers from her throat with the jaws of life, but eventually she did respond. "Ran away to go look for Ranma and Genma," she said through clenched lips.

Shampoo only nodded. She didn't offer anything herself, but the silence was appreciated by the other teen.

Wanting to break the mood, Ukyo took a deep breath, exhaled, and clapped her hands together, startling the Amazon. "Well, at least we know what we have to do now! We have to get Nodoka to see Ranchan as a real man so he'll move in with her!"

Shampoo looked confused at how easy Ukyo made it sound. The complete one-eighty in personality and mood also threw her for a loop. "How we do that? If Airen no can get mother to give up contract, what we do?"

Ukyo, though rarely boastful outside of the kitchen, puffed out her chest. "Come on, it's just because Ranchan hasn't tried. She's never even seen him as a guy." The more she thought about it, the more Ukyo was convinced this was the best course of action. "All we have to do is convince her that Ranchan is a great guy even though he's got a curse. We're smart enough to do that."

"Airen's mother no know about curse," Shampoo pointed out. "What if she find out and still want him to kill self?" It was a sobering thought that neither girl wanted to thinking about. Knowing Ranma, though, he would probably weasel out of it. Still didn't mean they wanted to put him into that position.

Finally, Ukyo just threw up her hands in hopelessness. "We can talk all day and never do anything. We need real progress or nothing will ever change." The other girl nodded, though she did so without comment.

Suddenly, her head snapped up. "Shampoo have idea!" she exclaimed. "All we have to do is..." She leaned in, whispering to Ukyo. When she finished, the chef looked confused, but hopeful.

"How will we pull it off?" Ukyo asked. "If we don't do it right it will backfire."

The smug smile, the one that just about every person in Nerima had come to fear, crept onto the Amazon's face. "Spatula Girl leave planning to Shampoo..."

"This will never work!"

Currently, the two schemers were walking through downtown Nerima. Shampoo, with fake glasses and her hair done in a ponytail, was leading a rather flustered Ukyo who was in jeans, tee-shirt, and her hair in a braid. When the latter started expressing reservations with the plan, Shampoo just tugged on the girl's hand harder.

"It will work! Shampoo disguises fool-proof," she refuted. "Airen and Shampoo use too-too good disguise on Ryoga for waterproof soap."

Ukyo scoffed. "If you're using Ryoga as proof you're good at stealth, then you've got another thing coming, sugar." Still, the idea, in theory, was sound. Now, if only they could find their mark...

Speak of the devil! Or, in this case, the Nodoka. It had taken the better part of the afternoon to do it, but the two had tracked down Ranma's mother. All it had taken was a quick look through the phone book and they were off towards one of the more out-of-the-way parts of Nerima. Of course, the woman wasn't at home so Shampoo and Ukyo had taken to the streets.

The original idea was to throw on disguises, track down Nodoka, and "accidently" mention Ranma in front of her. Ukyo had been slated as more suited to be a boy than a girl, to her aggravation, and Shampoo had went along as the "bubbly high school student". The purple-haired Amazon was really getting into her role, as well.

"You ready?" Shampoo whispered. Nodoka was looking through the selection at an open-air grocer so it would be the best time to implement the plan. Although she was still apprehensive, Ukyo nodded and the two casually walked over to the market.

To look normal, Ukyo bought them both sodas from a nearby machine before leaning up against a wall near Nodoka. "Did you see that Ranma kid the other day, Shana? He beat the crap out of that guy who challenged him." This was Shampoo's "brilliant" plan; to bring the Ranma rumors to Nodoka. Ukyo was using her best male voice to further her disguise; they were dressed up so Ranma's mother wouldn't recognize them later. Ukyo would have felt a lot better had the disguises been better, though.

Playing her part, Shampoo squealed like a schoolgirl. "I know! He's so manly!" Even though she had heard herself on the train over, the Amazon couldn't believe how she sounded. Practicing the exact conversation on the way to Nodoka's neighborhood really helped her pronunciation. As it was, only a tiny bit of her accent was evident. Instead, she sounded like a girl trying to sound overly cute. "He must be a master of martial arts to do things like that!"

As expected, Ukyo heard a gasp from her right which signified Nodoka overhearing them. The woman, though somewhat timid, walked up to the chef and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," the woman began, "but did you say Ranma? Would you mean Saotome Ranma?"

Paydirt, Ukyo and Shampoo immediately thought. "Saotome...Saotome..." Ukyo pretended to think it over and finally snapped her fingers. "Yeah! That was the guy's name. He lives over in the Furinkan fighter I've ever seen in my life."

Shampoo jumped in next. "And he's very handsome and manly." Idly, she wished that Ukyo had given her a larger script than two key words. It made her sound dumb. "Ranma is a great man and martial artist."

The acting worked and Nodoka's eyes lit up. She clasped her hands together and intently stared at the two girls. "Oh my goodness! That's my son! That's my boy!" she exclaimed and Ukyo couldn't help but smile. This was the woman that Ranma claimed wanted him dead? It wasn't until she caught Shampoo's eyes did Ukyo notice the katana hanging on the woman's back.

Okay, maybe Ranma wasn't so crazy.

"Uh, isn't that illegal?" Ukyo asked, motioning to the katana. However, Nodoka didn't even register the question.

"Tell me, how do you know my son? How is he doing? Is he alright?"

Oh boy, how to answer that? "Well, I just know someone who goes to his school," Ukyo lied. "I was there one day and I saw him fighting this guy. A big, tough guy. That Ranma guy just beat him flat without breaking a sweat."

Nodoka actually squealed. An honest-to-goodness schoolgirl squeal. If Ukyo hadn't heard it in person, she never would have believed a forty-something year old woman could pull it off. "You two have to come to my home and tell me everything you know about my son!" she said, grabbing each by an arm. "I've waited so long to hear something, anything, about my son. I'll make dinner as thanks. You will come, won't you?"

The plan didn't cover this. Ukyo looked sidelong at Shampoo, asking with her eyes what to do. The Amazon very slightly shrugged, indicating that she was game if Ukyo was. Shifting her eyes back over to Ranma's mother, the chef was torn. Nodoka looked like she hadn't hosted anyone in a long time and she seemed to honestly want some company. On the other hand, the longer they stuck around the more of a chance there would be that they would get discovered.

"We would like to come," Shampoo said, preempting any response from Ukyo. Nodoka's smile grew wider and she began walking, thankfully letting go of the two teens and letting them go at their own pace. While she was going on about how nice it will be to have company, Ukyo leaned over to Shampoo.

"What was that?!" she whispered. "We're going to get busted."

Shampoo kept a smile on her face as she hissed back, "We no have choice. Arien's mother no know secret yet; nothing changed."

As much as Ukyo hated it, Shampoo did have a point. The main reason for this entire production hadn't come about yet and if they called it quits now, it never would. The disguised girl took a deep breath, put on a big smile, mimicked Shampoo's cheery demeanor as they walked.

Whether or not they walked to their salvation or doom, though, Ukyo couldn't even begin to fathom...