LEGALITIES: Neither Ryouga or Ukyou are mine (of course), they belong to Rumiko Takahasi and whomever she decided to lease the rights of Ranma1/2 to. Matoko and Kenji Hibiki, however, are mine, so no touching without MY permission.
NOTE: This is a WAFFy fic through and through, so if you don't like feeling warm and fuzzy, well, this may not be the fic for you. Hopefully, everyone likes getting that feeling every once in while. ^_~ (For those of you who don't know: WAFF = Warm And Fuzzy Feeling)
TIMELINE: approximately 11 years after the show ended
***
"Momma?"
"In the kitchen, honey."
A young girl entered the room and watched her mother wash their restaurant's dishes. Although the woman had had a difficult life, none of that showed on her face or body. She was still finely toned from physically exercise and her face had lost none of its quiet beauty.
"What are you doing up, sugar? It's way past your bed time," the woman said without turning.
"Yes, Momma, I know. I couldn't sleep." The child walked to her mother's side and looked up at her. Their identical blue-green eyes met for a moment as the woman looked down at her daughter. The questioning look in the girl's eyes made the woman sigh resignedly.
"All right, let's go sit down and you can tell me what's wrong." The woman wiped her hands off on a dish towel and led her daughter out into the dining area of the restaurant. They sat down at the counter and the child leaned on her mother's shoulder.
After a few moments of silence, the little girl spoke.
"When is Daddy coming home?"
"Oh, Matoko, you know that your father goes away for a little while once a year." The woman wrapped her arms around her daughter, caressing the child's dark brown hair.
"But he's been gone so long this time," came the mumbled reply.
The woman frowned slightly. As long as she had known the man she called her husband, he had been a wanderer. He had thought that he would be able to settle down once they started living together, but after living on the move for so long, he found that the wanderlust hadn't left him. So, they made an agreement. Once every year, her husband would leave to go wherever his misguided sense of direction took him. Usually he was back within a couple of weeks at the most, but this time it had been over a month.
Her daughter was right, it had been a long time.
"Don't worry, sugar, he'll be home soon," the woman said in a soothing voice. "Your father always finds his way back here, no matter how lost he gets."
The girl sighed and nodded.
"Now, go to bed. You have school in the morning."
"Yes, Momma. I love you." The girl stood up and gave her mother a peck on the cheek.
"I love you, too. Good night."
The woman gently pushed her daughter towards the stairs. After the girl had disappeared into her bedroom, the woman sighed. Instead of returning to the kitchen to finish the dishes, she walked over to the window and looked out into the night.
She willed her thoughts towards her absent husband, wherever he was. 'Ryouga Hibiki, where are you now?'
***
Somewhere
Ryouga sneezed, waking himself up from a deep sleep. He sat up, blinking in surprise.
'Hm, must be catching something,' he thought. 'I'm going to have to start using more blankets at night.' He lay back down and tried to go back to sleep, but years of training himself to wake up instantly prevented it from coming.
He sighed and got up, exiting the small one-man tent, and walking into the cool night air. Crouching down next to the remains of that night's fire, he stirred the coals until he saw a small flame. As he added tinder and wood to the fire, his thoughts strayed...
In his mind's eye, he sat on the steps of a building. Turning his head, he looked at the woman sitting next to him. The slight breeze ruffled her long hair, but a white ribbon tied in a bow on top of her head kept the dark brown tresses out of her face. She seemed to feel him looking at her and turned towards him. Her ocean blue eyes lit up as she smiled at him.
"A yen for your thoughts?" He remembered her asking. He loved the sound of her voice, the gentleness that had brought him out his depression countless times.
He reached over and brushed his hand against her soft cheek.
"I was just thinking about how beautiful you are." He smiled, his fangs showing.
She had blushed slightly in reply and brought his hand to her lips, kissing it gently.
Anything further had been interrupted when a small body tackled him, shouting, "Daddy, you're home!" He hugged his daughter tightly. She grinned up at him, displaying her own fangs, her turquoise eyes sparkling happily.
"Yes, Matoko, I'm home."
...Ryouga sighed as the memory faded into the night. That had been his homecoming after he'd returned from his annual trip last year. He had somehow found his way back to Nerima after two weeks of wandering aimlessly across the country. Just as he always did. Eventually, he reached his home of almost eight years.
He smiled slightly as he remembered the joyous expression on his wife's face. He couldn't wait to see that face again
'I'm coming, Ukyou. Soon. I promise.'
***
Ukyou dreamed that night, her subconscious reliving a day she could never forget...
She stood behind the grill of her restaurant, carefully cleaning it from the day's business. She was still young, the few stress lines she would acquire later in life had yet to appear on the smooth skin of her face. She hummed softly, her eyes watching her hands guide the rag over the grill.
She didn't bother looking up when she heard the door open. Her eyes continued to examine the dark surface for any spots that she may have missed.
"We're closed," she stated. "You'll have to come back tomorrow."
"Ukyou?" Her eyes widened at the sound of the voice that had said her name. Her heart leapt in chest and her hands stopped in their motions. She almost didn't dare to look up, but when she did, she nearly cried out with joy.
Standing just inside the door was a much bedraggled Ryouga Hibiki. His clothes were dirty and torn, his ever-present backpack had seen better days, hanging off his shoulder by the one unbroken strap. Dirty smudges covered his face and hands; his thick black hair was more tangled than the chef had ever seen it. Despite all this however, his eyes glowed a warm brown that melted her heart. Ukyou felt her face heat up.
"Where have you been, you jackass? It's been three weeks. I've been worried sick about you!" She yelled at him, trying to hide her blush in outrage.
He hesitated in the doorway, uncertainty warred with an unidentifiable emotion on his face. Finally, he took a deep breath, walked the rest of the way into the building, shutting the door behind him and placing his pack carefully on the floor next to the entryway.
Ukyou didn't miss him wince when he straightened again. Her angry expression melted and was replaced with concern. Despite her advanced pregnancy, she ran quickly out from behind the grill and reached him before he could take more than a few steps towards her.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Now that she was closer, the chef could see the scratches that the dirt had hidden. She reached up with a gentle hand and touched his face. He flinched as her fingers brushed the faint wounds. She saw it and began to apologize when he placed a hesitant finger on her lips. After she closed her mouth, he lowered his hand and looked into her eyes.
"Ukyou, I... I tried to come back as fast as I could," he took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he seemed a little more confident. "But, even though it took me so long to find my way, the whole time I was... lost... all I could think about...was getting back to you."
"Oh, Ryouga, honey, I..."
"Please, let me finish." His eyes pleaded with her and she nodded. "I had a lot of time to think about you... about us... about what you mean to me...and I have something I have to tell you."
'Oh, God, he's going to break up with me. He doesn't want our baby. He met up with that Akari girl on the way back and found out he really loves her, not me. Oh, God, it's Ranma all over again...' Her tumbling thoughts came to a halt when he took her hands in his.
"Or maybe I should have said, 'ask you'." She looked up at him in confusion. The hesitation was gone now, and only surety shone in his gaze. "Ukyou Kuonji, I would be honored if you would consider me worthy to... be your husband."
She gaped at him in shock. She couldn't believe her ears. Did he just ask her to... to MARRY him?! The sight of his face falling back into its familiar depression snapped her out of her surprise. He lowered his eyes and started to pull his hands away.
"I... I'll understand if you say 'no'," he said quietly, "After all who would want to marry someone who can't even find his way out of a clos--"
Ukyou had wrapped her arms around his neck and was kissing him full on the mouth, stopping him. His eyes widened in surprise at first, but he recovered quickly and closed his eyes, wrapping his arms gently around her broad waist. She silently thanked the gods that he had finally out-grown the nose bleeds.
When they finally broke the kiss, Ukyou leaned on his chest as he hugged her shoulders carefully. She smiled blissfully, as she closed her eyes and said quietly, "Yes, Ryouga Hibiki, I will marry you."
***
As he wandered down an unfamiliar street, a sharp wailing brought Ryouga to a halt. He turned to look in the direction of the cry and saw a tired looking woman leaning over a baby carriage. From the expression on her face, the child in the carriage was obviously baffling its mother as she tried to figure out the reason for its crying.
Ryouga winced in sympathy. While he loved both of his children dearly, there had been some times when he had wished they could have held their peace. Ukyou told him that it was the nature of babies to cry when they want something, but he still missed being alone with his wife _without_ Matoko, Kenji, or both interrupting. He smiled sardonically as he thought back to one of those interrupted moments...
"Ryouga," Ukyou's voice was hushed as she rocked the sleeping baby, "are we getting married for the right reasons?" He gave her a puzzled look from the chair across from her and the cradle.
"What do you mean 'the right reasons?'" He asked. She looked down at the child in the cradle.
"I mean... are we really ready to get married, or are we just doing it for Matoko?"
Ryouga rose from his seat and walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle embrace. She sighed and leaned back against his chest.
"It's not just for Matoko," he started, "though, I will admit, our daughter is one of the reasons I thought about it. Both you and I spent most of our childhood on our own, without our parents, or anyone to care for us." Ukyou squeezed his hand comfortingly as he continued. "I want Matoko to grow up having both of her parents here for her."
His fiancee turned in his arms, so that they were facing each other. She looked up at him and he met her ocean colored eyes with his own warm brown ones. "But I asked you to marry me because I love you." He smiled softly, fangs barely showing. "I need you, your strength of spirit; your optimism that brought me out of my depression more times then I can count and kept me from destroying anything, including myself. I can't imagine my life without you in it."
"I love you, too, Ryouga, honey. I was so lonely before you came. Konatsu and Yasubi were around when the store was open, but we were never really close. They couldn't make up for the fact that I really had no family, no one who loved me and that I could love in return." She nestled her head against his shoulder. "When you came, you gave me that, and finally, I had someone who loved me as much as I loved them." A spur of the moment thought came to her and she grinned. "Besides, what girl could resist being 'Mrs. Ryouga Hibiki?'" She giggled.
He chuckled and ran his hand through her soft brown hair. He slowly moved the hand to her chin and gently tilted her face upwards. She closed her eyes, a smile playing on her lips. Just before their lips met, a loud cry announced Matoko's awakening. The two parents sighed and looked over at the cradle, then back at each other.
"Your turn."
***
"Matoko," Ukyou called out absently as she readied a customer's order, "could you catch your brother before he wanders out of the store?"
"Yes, Momma!" The brown-haired little girl dodged around the tables, carefully evading getting stepped one by Konatsu or one of the customers, and grabbed her three-year old brother by the arm. "Kenji! You should know better! Momma said to stay upstairs. Come on, I'll lead you back."
The little boy in question scowled resentfully at her and tried to shake himself free from his sister's grasp. "No! Don't want help!" He finally slipped his arm free and began to head for the door leading to the restaurants living quarters... at least, that was the intent. His sister grabbed him again before he left the restaurant and this time dragged him physically into the back room.
Amid slight chuckles from the customers, Ukyou sighed. Kenji was continually wandering in the wrong direction... much like his father. It appeared that their son had inherited the fateful Hibiki sense of direction, or lack thereof. Ukyou was grateful that Matoko showed no signs of missing her internal compass. She didn't think she could handle having to keep an eye on all three of them.
At the thought of her children's father, a slight frown appeared on her face. She was really beginning to get worried about him. It had been a week since Matoko had asked her when he'd be coming home and the conversation hadn't been far from her thoughts since.
The chef handed Konatsu the order she had been finishing and started on the next, her eyes intent on the grill in front of her. Behind her, at the grill used for making the non-okonamiyaki parts of the orders, Yasubi Ichikowa prepared the side dishes. Letting herself fall into a rhythm, she partially phased out the rest of the restaurant and, like she used to do when she was younger, she began to hum quietly. She was so in tune with what she was doing that she failed to notice the man standing across the grill from her until he spoke.
"Do you think you could spare one of those for a weary traveler?"
Her head whipped up. It only took her a second to take in his features, the bandanna tied over thick black hair, the toothy smile, and the warm brown eyes that were so dear to her. Ukyou set down her utensils and moved swiftly around the grill where he met her halfway.
She embraced him tightly. "Oh, thank God you're safe! We were beginning to wonder if you'd ever make it back."
He returned her embrace and kissed the top of her hair. "Don't I always make it back? I'm just a little later than usual this time." He looked down at her, a serious expression in his eyes despite the smile on his lips. "I will always come back, Ukyou. I would never leave my family forever." He brought a hand up and touched her face. "I would never leave you, my love."
She grinned up at him. "Shut up and kiss your wife, you jackass."
He grinned back and swept her up into a deep kiss.
Ukyou's heart warmed and she continued to smile to herself through the kiss.
Ryouga was home.
***
So, there it is, my first Ranma 1/2 fanfiction. Before you yell at me, I DO have my reason for making them so OOC. I'm assuming that time and each other will change them. Ukyou's influence will certainly change Ryouga in time and, since even the earliest flashback is over four years after the end of the series, they WILL have changed. That's besides the fact that I believe them both to be helpless romantics at heart.
Author's Notes: The purpose of this fic is to give a little bit of insight into Ukyou and Ryouga's life after Ranma and Akane's wedding, and to introduce their children to the Ranma 1/2 universe. While this is not nearly everything that happens during that time, it at least gives a little bit of an intro. into future stories about them and their children. I have a full "Ryouga-and-Ukyou-fall-in-love" story coming, but it's slow going. If you want to see it soon, write me at matoko_hibiki@excite.com and give me encouragement. ^_~
Notes on flashbacks:
1st FB: approximately ten years after the anime leaves off, eight years after Ranma and Akane get married, five years after Ryouga and Ukyou get married
2nd FB: more than four and a half years after the end of the show, almost three years after Ranma and Akane get married, about a month before Matoko is born
3rd FB: about seven weeks after the second flashback, three weeks after Matoko is born, one week before Ryouga and Ukyou are married (Yes, Matoko is born a month before her parents marry)
***
Song to Ryouga, sung by Ukyou: "To Comfort You," Bette Midler, Bette of Roses
Lyrics:
You've been down in the dumps It's seems like forever Now what have they done to you Not a single thing's turned out The way you'd imagined It all looks unreachable to you You don't know for the life of you What is missing Or why it always happens to you And you don't like yourself You feel nobody's list'ning You don't need another platitude For a moment you forget And a smile comes to your face Ah, but it doesn't last too long It's like a string you've got tied around your finger Reminding you of everything that's wrong I won't try to say I know what you're feeling I won't try to second guess you And I won't try to give advice You won't be heeding I'm only here To comfort you I'm only here to comfort you And I'd love to be the reason A smile comes to your face Even if it doesn't last too long And I'd love to take that string You've got tied around your finger Reminding you of everything that's wrong I won't try to say I know what you're feeling I won't try second guessing you And I won't try to give advice You won't be heeding I'm only here to comfort you I'm only here to comfort you I'm only here to comfort you