Note: Ah, my first Cleaorphen (as I call the pairing) submission to this site, so I wanted to make it worthwhile. I've read some really good ones on this site and some...yeah...

This is one of my main fandoms (I can't choose between it and DNAngel...I just CAN'T!) and Cleaorphen my OTP as I am just the biggest sucker for love/hate relationships. I just am. Nothing really romantic in this particular fic as I also enjoy the subtly of Orphen and Cleao's relationship as well. It is extremely fun to play with.

This fic is taken from the Revenge season. Thus the appearance of Licorice.

Disclaimer: I do not own Majutsushi Orphen. Though nothing much in it would change if I did. Except add some character development in the Revenge series because nobody really changes.

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Stew You!

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She suspected this day would come soon, considering the drastic rise of tempers between Miss Cleao and Mr. Orphen. Wide brown eyes blinking, she smiled at the blonde, who had raced into the kitchen in a breathless frenzy yelling "Licorice, teach me how to cook!" just moments ago.

"Anything specific you want to learn, Miss Cleao, as you can't learn how to cook in one afternoon," Licorice replied gently.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I wanna learn how to make stew," Cleao answered, blue eyes quivering with anger. "I am so sick to death of Mr. High-and-Mighty-Magician out there insulting my cooking! And I want to make him a stew so delicious, he'll be begging me to make dinner for him every night!"

Finishing with wiping down the counter, Licorice started pulling utensils out of the drawers to prepare for tonight's meal. "But you have been making stew, Miss Cleao. I've seen you pour in hours of trying to perfect it."

"Well, it's not good enough," Cleao snapped. "Apparently, I'm doing something wrong and I can't figure out what it is. So I'm asking you to help me as you have more cooking experience than I do." Actually, that was partially the truth. As much as it stabbed her pride in a bloody mass of gore, Cleao had to admit that Orphen was right. Her cooking SUCKED.

"If you really want to, Miss Cleao." Licorice barely finished her sentence before finding herself wrapped in a tight hug.

"Thank you so much, Licorice! You have no idea what this means to me!" Cleao cried. Finally, she'll get back at that Orphen. She make him wish he never dissed her cooking skills.

---

"Okay, now I'm scared," Orphen announced. Sitting on the bank overlooking the lake was not really his idea of fun, but the girls had kicked both he and Majic out of the cabin for the day, refusing to grant them entry until dinnertime. And considering they were currently lodged in a forest, there was nothing to do but contemplate the scenery. Or take a nap, but he was too nervous.

"I'm sure Licorice and Cleao have their reasons for not wanting us around," Majic assured his master. "There shouldn't be anything for you to be scared about."

"That's not the reason, Majic," Orphen shot back. "Cleao's been giving me the Look all day."

Majic blinked. "The Look? What's the Look?"

Orphen rolled his eyes, unable to believe Majic's lack of intuition. "You know. The Look."

Hopefully, planting a heavy emphasis on the word will give him clue.

"Oh, I get it!" Majic exclaimed. "You mean the planning-your-untimely-demise Look!"

Gloved palm met red-banded forehead.

"Gimme a break, Majic. That's girl's been giving me that kind of look ever since we met. Now, she's giving me the Look."

Majic thought about it for a moment, then grinned. "Oooooh, wait a minute…you mean the other Look, the Cleao-wants-a-piece-of-Orphen Look."

"You say anything like that again, I'm tying your foot to the back of a cart horse standing on a grovel road and setting its ass on fire!" Orphen shouted, not really enraged by the statement but by the blushing face and bad images that came upon hearing it.

"Then what the hell's the Look?" Majic cried, exasperated, rubbing a monstrous bump on his head.

But Orphen wasn't paying attention to him now, chin on hands as he stared intently over the water before him. He could've sworn Cleao sniggered at him earlier today. Damn that girl. She was planning something. Granted, she was always planning something, but now it was accompanied with an ominous feeling of doom. And in the middle of a forest, escape will not be easy.

The only thing to do was to somehow foil whatever it was she was plotting.

---

"Wow, Miss Cleao, that's really starting to smell good," Licorice commented cheerfully.

"Really? Thanks."

There was a definite vast improvement of scent compared to the stew Cleao used to make. Licorice even found herself looking forward to tasting the finished results. Mr. Orphen would enjoy a bowl of this for sure.

"Miss Cleao, can I ask you something?" Licorice blushed a little as she added, "…a little personal?"

"Go right ahead, Licorice, I don't mind," Cleao answered, stirring the chopped carrots into the tasty mixture.

"Are you in love with Mr. Orphen?"

The ladle clanged against the edge of the pot and almost fell out completely. "I already can tell you like him," Licorice continued. "It's kinda obvious. I'm just wondering if it's deeper than that."

"There is no depth to it at all!" Cleao exclaimed, her face burning enough to rival the oven. "Orphen and I are barely even friends."

"You know what they say," Licorice pointed out with a grin. "Sometimes those who can't be friends are because they are meant to be lovers."

"Who said that?" Now her face was practically glowing and she could feel her heart slam repeatedly against her ribcage. "Orphen and I aren't meant to be anything period!"

"Then why do you insist on making stew?"

"So he'd shut up about my cooking!"

"I don't mean now, Miss Cleao," the younger girl interjected softly. "I mean these past months, all those hours you spend trying to make your stew to perfection, no matter how much worse it got."

Cleao held up the ladle like a weapon upon hearing the not-so-flattering comment to her cooking. "What was that?"

"Oh, calm down, Miss Cleao, you're doing much better now. My point is that nobody spends that much dedication just to prove another wrong."

Cleao snorted. "You'd be surprised. Just listen to more of our arguments. Orphen is so stubborn, proving him wrong would be a dream come true!"

Licorice took Cleao's hand, the one holding the ladle, into hers. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to please Mr. Orphen, Miss Cleao. And I know that's what you're trying to do, what you've been trying to do."

She swallowed hard, the ladle shaking visibly in her hand. She hadn't even admitted it to herself and Licorice had already hit the nail on the head. In love with Orphen? Licorice didn't even know the half of it. Cleao had been in love with Orphen ever since that first night she saw him. In spite of his moments of pigheadedness, arrogance, and even cruelty, her feelings never once wavered. Every moment of fury she experienced because of him strengthened those feelings afterwards.

Even though he didn't feel the same way.

"Don't worry, Miss Cleao," Licorice assured her. "I'll help you win Mr. Orphen's heart!"

"Er…um…you don't…uh, that's not wha--…"

She meant to tell Licorice that she wasn't trying to win anybody's heart, however she was interrupted by a strange sound at the window. It sounded like a yell, and then lots of rustling. Cleao rushed to the window and peered out, scanning the outside for anything suspicious.

"What was that?" Licorice asked curiously, having heard the sound as well.

"Probably an animal or something," Cleao answered.

---

"Ohmigod, she's cooking!"

Orphen grabbed Majic after the younger boy's outburst and the two of them dived into the bushes. "Dammit, Majic, do you want us to be found out?" Orphen hissed. "If Cleao knew we were spying on her, she'll send that magical blue hairball on us."

Majic stared at him.

"What?" the dark sorcerer demanded.

"Tell me again why you're spying on Cleao."

Orphen choked. "Because…because I wanna know why the heck she kicked us out of the cabin. Licorice may have been a part of it, but I'll bet you a mountain of gold that Cleao is the one solely responsible. I will find out what she's up to!"

Majic looked away, blushing a little. "No offense, Master, but aren't you jumping to drastic conclusions? Usually Cleao's the one who does that."

Next thing Majic knew, he was tied upside down against a tree trunk. "Master--?" he squeaked.

"Just be glad there wasn't a cart horse nearby," Orphen snarled. "Now what did you say about Cleao cooking?"

---

Evening finally descended to the continent, signifying dinnertime. At least, according to Orphen, whose stomach was expressing its needs loudly and incessantly. "GAH! Can't we go back into the cabin yet?" he groaned, throwing himself on his back in the grass. "It's been hours since I last ate."

"I knocked on the door but the girls said that they weren't ready yet," Majic answered.

"Ready for what!" Orphen yelled, snapping to a sit-up position. "My God, what could Cleao and Licorice be possibly doing in there that they don't want us five feet within distance of the cabin?"

There was a long pause as Orphen and Majic stared at each other, faces growing hot.

"D-d-don't answer that, Majic," Orphen finally spoke up softly. "Please."

---

"Okay, boys! Dinner's served!" Licorice announced, still setting the table as Orphen and Majic were finally allowed to enter the cabin.

"About damn time," Orphen groaned, plopping down on a chair. "I'm starving!"

"I'm still not sure why," Majic remarked. "You didn't do anything today to work up an appetite."

"Don't make me hurt you, Majic."

"All right, everyone, here it is!" Cleao exclaimed as she entered from the kitchen, carrying a large pot of steaming stew.

Orphen felt his face drain of color.

"Wow, that actually smells kinda good," Majic commented while Cleao placed the pot on the table. "Did you both make this?"

"Actually, Miss Cleao made all of it," Licorice explained. "I just spotted her is all."

"That's what I was afraid of," Orphen spat. "Just to let you know I'm not eating that shit."

The others stared at him, not because of his announcement, but just the snide, almost malicious, tone he used.

"But, Mr. Orphen--!"

"Now, Master, usually her stew would make month-old decaying bodies smell like roses, but this is different," Majic protested.

"So what if she managed to alter the smell?" Orphen snapped. "I'm not eating it!"

"FINE!" Cleao screamed, slamming her hands against the table. "Then I guess you won't be eating at all tonight!"

He gawked at her. "WHAT?"

She threw her head back, laughing in triumph. "That's right, buster! Either you eat my stew or starve tonight. There is no other option!"

"You have got to be kidding me. Licorice!"

Licorice blushed slightly. "Sorry, Mr. Orphen, but she's right. Besides, I taught her and she's improved greatly! You should really try it!"

"No way."

"Then I guess you'll go hungry tonight," Cleao snarled.

"Better than being poisoned by this crap!"

Cleao was severely tempted to pick up the pot and throw it at him but Orphen had already stood up and marched out the door. "I'd like to see you make a better stew!" she screamed after him.

---

Damn. Maybe he should've risked Cleao's radioactive stew after all.

Sitting out here listening to his protesting stomach was not helping matters at all. "And I thought you were on my side, too," he growled at it. "Do you want to disintegrate thanks to Cleao's lack of cooking skills?"

A bubbly whine of starvation.

Traitor.

In all honesty, he had to admit that Majic was right about the scent of the stew Cleao had made tonight. It didn't have that abhorring essence that made him want to recoil to a dark corner in tears. And didn't they say that the way something tasted was mostly due to the way it smelled?

Orphen shook his head vigorously. No way! Even if it did smell good, she probably poisoned it or something. Yeah. That's why she wanted him to eat it and didn't give him an option. She wanted him poisoned!

Normally, Orphen was not the type to jump to such drastic conclusions. He was more or a less a rationalist who preferred to see the problem from all angles. Still, as far as Cleao went, he wasn't sure what to expect. Other than it was going to be unexpected. For a spoiled princess who did nothing but eat, sleep, and shop and try to start elaborate fashion discussions that were totally lost upon himself and Majic, she somehow managed to surprise him from time to time.

"So, are you just going to sit out here all night?"

Like now.

Orphen nearly jumped out of his vest when he looked up to see Cleao standing over him, holding a bowl in her hands. "You are just hell-bent in making me eat that stuff, aren't you?" he snapped.

"I made it for you, pig, of course I want you to eat it," she shot back.

"And what will you do if I don't eat it?"

"That's why I bought two spoons."

He stared as she sat down next to him, careful not to spill the contents out of the bowl. He could smell the tasty broth and feel its warmth and, in spite of himself, his stomach grumbled angrily.

She dipped her spoon in and withdrew a plump piece of meat, blowing on it gently to cool it down some before placing the entire thing in her mouth. His own practically watered. Torturing him! The royal wretch was torturing him! No amount of pride was worth this. He was famished and she was going to milk every aspect of that fact.

Growling under his breath, Orphen snatched the second spoon from beside her. She didn't make a acknowledgement as he leaned over slightly to scoop his utensil in the broth. He was still a little scared, though, as he hesitantly took a sip.

His chestnut eyes nearly popped out of his skull and he almost spit it back out from shock.

It tasted wonderful! Even if it might be stretching it a little, Cleao's stew could almost best Licorice's!

"Cleao…?" It was all he could say. He was too shocked to say anything else.

"Licorice taught me the basics," she explained softly, not looking at him but staring down into the bowl. "It took me forever to get it right."

He finally found his voice. "What did you mean when you said that you made this for me?"

She didn't answer right away but he could see her swallow hard on nothing. He took another bite of stew and simply waited for her to speak. "I…I made it so that you would quit insulting my cooking," she finally said. "That's all."

A small tink! sound of metal drew their attention to the bowl, discovering that their spoons were touching. Looking back up at each other, Orphen realized just how close to her he really was. All it took was for him to inch just a little closer and their lips would be touching. Just a little closer…

Suddenly Orphen felt the bowl being shoved into his hands. "Well, here this is your share so it's only fair that you eat it all," Cleao snapped, jumping to her feet. She marched back to the cabin, leaving him just sitting there staring after her.

Then he dipped his spoon in the bowl and took another bite.

-End-

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