Konatsu was busy serving the lunch crowd. He was worried about Ukyo,
she hadn’t come down stairs since the night of the dance.
“I wonder when Ukyo-sama is going to come
down. Its not like her to act this way.” Sigh. As he was passing
the counter, he noticed Ukyo coming downstairs. He can tell that by
the expression on her face that she is not very happy.
“Ukyo-sama, what is the matter, is there anyway I can help?”
he asked as he paused in front of the kitchen storeroom door.
“No, thanks anyway Ko-chan, but this is
something that I have to get over by myself, but it would be nice to
have someone to talk to though. I mean I . . . I always thought that
Ran-chan didn’t like Akane. At the dance he. . . he told me that
he didn’t love me and that he was going to marry Akane. I know
I didn’t want to admit that I saw what was between them and I knew
I was just fooling myself, but a girl can always hope that she has a
chance,” she said as she walked behind the grill.
“Ukyo, I know that you think you're in love
with Ranma-san, but when I first came here, I could see how much in
love those two were. I know you don’t want to hear this and it
may not help much, but I have been here by your side and I will always
be here whenever you need me," he said as he gathered his courage.
Then he went on to say in a whisper, "U. .Ukyo, I. . .I will always
love you even if you don’t love me back."
“Thanks Ko-chan, I have decided to give
up the engagement to Ranma and I don’t know what I would do with
out you, but right now I’m not ready to do that again. I realized
that Ranma was in love with Akane at the wedding when he tried to protect
her. He has been avoiding me since the failed wedding and he told me
at the dance why he wasn’t coming around. The dance was a last
ditch effort on my part to get Ranma for myself. I just didn’t
want to admit it.”
“Oh, Ukyo I am sorry for you, but. . .,”
he said just as the bell rang signaling the arrival of more customers.
“We’ll talk later. Right now we have
to finish with the lunch rush or we will never be ready for the dinner
crowd,” Ukyo said, as she started mixing batter in a large bowl
for the okonomiyaki she was about to make.
“Hey Ko-chan, Order up! Take it to table
five,” Ukyo said as she flipped the okonomiyaki into the air. Konatsu
deftly caught them and walked towards the table.
“Here you go sir,” he said as he places
the dish in front of them.
“Hey beautiful are you free tonight.”
Konatsu giggled as he heard this. “I’m
sorry sir but I’m straight and I’m not into boys.”
“What do you mean? You’re a girl aren’t
you?” The customer asked the Konochi.
“Actually, I am a Konochi, and I’m
a guy. How do I look? Do I really pass for a girl?” Konatsu replied
while posing for full affect. Secretly Konatsu was laughing because
he knew what he looked like. The customer’s eyes bugged out of
his head, then he stammered a few unintelligent answers as Konatsu walked
back to the counter with a smile on his face.
Ukyo saw the familiar expression on his face,
smirking, she asks him, “Fooled another one didn’t ya, Ko-chan?”
“Yup!, man these people are so blind. What
with all the cross-dressers running around this town you would have
to look twice to be sure who’s who.”
Ukyo just giggled as she deftly flipped an okonomiyaki
into the air. Then started on another one while the first one is still
falling. Ukyo caught the finished one and tossed it to the customer
in front of her. The customer was used to that kind of behavior, since
he started coming here a few years ago. It was very funny when someone
mistook Konatsu for a female. The man thanked her, then he proceeded
to eat his lunch while ignoring the conversation going on in front of
him.
The bell rang again. Signaling the arrival of
more customers. Konatsu grabbed a few menus for the new customers that
had just walked in and asked, "Please follow me." He led them
to a new table that he was sure that wasn’t there before but shrugged
it off as part of the Nerima weirdness factor. Ukyo had a strange feeling
that she was being watched. Suddenly, she heared her name being called.
“Ukyo! Come on a date with me!” The
table and chair set off to her left starts moving in her direction.
As it was moving head and a pair of arms poped out.
“Tsuba! Ukyo growled as her cheek starts
twitching. Reaching over her shoulder, she grabbed her spatula, and
all in one motion, she flattened him.*SPLAT*. Then, flipping Tsuba like
an Okonomiyaki into the air, Ukyo reared back and swung with all her
strength while yelling at the top of her lungs, “DRY UP AND DIE!”
She glared at Tsuba as he flew through the air to make a new skylight
in the Uc-chans ceiling.
“UUUKKKYYYOOOOOOO.. .” he yelled as
he’s flew in a southerly direction.
“Oh, Ukyo-samma, that was a good swing.
I think he’s going to land somewhere near the south pole this time,
or maybe Australia,” The cross-dressing ninja said as he brought
his hand down from shading his eyes against the glaring sun. He looked
up at the new skylight and asked. “Do you want me to call the repairman
or should I finish with the customers?”
“No, I’ll call them. I should have
known it was too good to get my hopes up. All I wanted was a nice peaceful
day today.” She said, sighing.
Just as Konatsu was about to wait on another
customers he heared a voice screaming from the kitchen storeroom.
“SHIT! WHERE THE HELL AM I NOW!”
Konatsu rolled his eyes and started to walk
faster towards the back so he could catch the lost boy before he got
lost again. “Great just when I though we would have some down time,
someone always shows up. He mutterd to himself as he walked through
the door. Konatsu spotted Ryoga standing in the supply closet, facing
away from the door. Konatsu cleared his throat.
“Ahem, Ryoga-san, Can I help you?”
Konatsu asked the lost boy as he tapped him on the shoulder.
Ryoga turns around and saw him; he rubbed the
back of his head, smiling nervously and asked, “Konatsu? What are
you doing in Okinawa?”
“Umm.., Ryoga-san this is Nerima and you’re
at Ukyo’s restaurant,” He said as he gave the lost boy a smile
while thinking to himself. “Oh boy, Ukyo wasn’t kidding
me when she said that Ryoga could get lost in a closet!”
Ryoga laughed a bit, then asked, “Um Konatsu?
Can you take me to the Tendo Dojo?”
“Sure Ryoga, just give me some time to finish
up here and we’ll go, ok?” the ninja replied as he finished
up gathering the ingredients that Ukyo needed, then turning back towards
the main room he said to Ryoga. “Just follow me please.”
“Um, ok," replied the lost boy. Turning
around, he faced the ally doorway. As he took a step towards the door,
he felt a hand grip the back of his shirt. “Huh?”
This way Ryoga-san, Konatsu said, tugging the
lost boy in the right direction, smiling at the flustered expression
on Ryoga’s face.
Konatsu stepped through the door and into the
main room with Ryoga’s sleeve firmly griped between two fingers.
Spotting an empty seat, Konatsu lead the lost boy to the chair. “Sit
here Ryoga-san, I will be with you as soon as I can.”
“Ok, I’ll wait here Kona. . .”
just then the lost boys stomach made its presents known with a loud
rumble that practically shook the room.
“Whoa! Earthquake!” Ukyo yelled as
she griped the counter top and smiled at Ryoga.
Ryoga held his stomach while he blushed and stammered.
“Gomen, I haven’t eaten in a few days and that stuff sure
smells good Ukyo!”
“Well sugar, why don’t I make you a
few, what do you want?” Ukyo asked as she started mixing up more
batter for Ryoga’s order.
“Um, what is the special for today?”
he asked.
“Shrimp, and then there is the pork special,"
she said. Ukyo tilted her head when she noticed his complexion starting
to turn green. “What’s the matter Ryoga honey, something wrong?”
“Oh, um, I’ll have the shrimp please,
the pork makes me sick and I’m against eating it,” he said
as he tried to get himself back under control. Ryoga knew that ever
since he got cursed to turn into a little black piglet, he couldn’t
stand eating pork.
If anyone knew what he went through it would
be Mousse. Ryoga hated being chased by crazy cooks, who wanted to serve
him for dinner. Just this week he had managed to escape a cleaver-welding
maniac in a white hat who spoke gibberish. Ryoga shuddered as he remembered
the few word of what he understood the cook saying.
“Come back mah tasty piggy, Ahh...wheel
make a fine pork chop tonight! Wee wee piggy, you shall be mah main
dish!” the chef yelled as he chased a fleeing Ryoga down the street
while waving his cleaver over his head.
It wasn’t until sometime later that Ryoga
realized he was in one of his most hated places. FRANCE! Ryoga thought,
shuddering with revulsion as the memory faded. All the crazy cooks lived
in that country. “I never want to go back there again,” he
thought. Ryoga glanced up just as Ukyo served him his lunch.
“Here ya go sugar," she said as she
smile at him, then stared to make two more for him all the while talking
about what has been going on lately while he was gone.
Ryoga listened while he ate his lunch. Nodding
politely, he then filled her in on what had happened to him during his
travels. When he finally finished, the lunch crowd had disappeared and
Konatsu was finished with his chores.
“Hey Ukyo, you want to come with us to
the dojo?” Ryoga asked her politely.
Sure! Let me finish up, then lock up. I can
take this last few okonomiyaki to Ranma,” she said as she finished
wiping down the counter and scraping the grill. Ten minutes later the
shop was closed and the three friends were on their way to visit their
friends.
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