Illusions Never Change
by Minako
Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I'm kinda using it without
permission, but since I'm not making any cash off it, I'll hope she
doesn't mind. ^_^
-------
Nothing's where it used to lie
My inspiration has run dry
That's what's going on
Nothing's fine I'm torn
I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor
Illusion never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake
And I can see
The perfect sky is torn
- Torn - by Natalie Imbruglia
-------
"Akane kicked you out?" Ukyou stared at Ranma, she couldn't
believe even Akane would do that to him, it was freezing out.
"Nah, Happosai's overreacting again, so Mr. Tendou kicked me
out in the cold . So, do you mind?" Ukyou shook her head.
"Do you even have to ask? Of course I don't mind." Ukyou
stepped back and opened the door to her restaurant wider for him.
"Thanks Ucchan." Ukyou shrugged.
"I just have some more dishes to do, then cleanup, then I'm
done." Ranma blinked
"Want any help?" Ukyou paused mid-stride.
"Since I doubt you wanna rinse the dishes in the cold water,"
she said, winking at him, "you can take that cloth on the counter and
wipe down the tables. Put the chairs up when you're done, and put the
stools up too." Ranma nodded.
"Ok." Ukyou walked into the kitchen and began rinsing the
dishes.
Before she knew it, she was done. She dried her hands and
walked into the serving area where Ranma was just putting up the last
of the chairs.
"Well, that goes by a lot faster with help." Ranma smiled and
nodded.
"Thanks again for letting me stay, Ucchan." Ukyou shrugged.
"Like I said, no problem. You can use the guest room upstairs."
Ranma blinked.
"You mean you finally got it fixed?" Ukyou slapped herself on
the forehead.
"I completely forgot it had been ruined." Ukyou thought back to
a couple of days ago when Kodachi had 'ambushed' her. There were
several holes in the floor from the mallet she'd been carrying around
with her, and more black rose petals than Ukyou could count.
"How could you forget that?" Ukyou shrugged.
"Who knows? Now where do I put you?" She stood there and tried
to figure out what to do now. "Oh well. Come on." She turned and headed
up the stairs. Ranma followed. Walking into her room, she turned to
look at him.
"Do you have a sleeping bag or do I have to go find you one?"
"I have one." He pulled it off the bag he was wearing and
offered it to her. She took it and spread it out on the floor. Then
turned and smiled at his bewildered face.
"Try anything and I'll kill you." Ranma nodded once slowly.
Ukyou smiled. "Glad to see you understand, now be a good boy, and leave
the room while I change." Ranma nodded again and left the room.
As Ukyou changed, she thought about the situation. Ranma was
usually so talkative, but today, he seemed so quiet. Was it her? Was it
being alone with her. She blushed at the thought. Or maybe... she shook
her head, that was a bad thought, but it wouldn't go away.
Maybe he didn't love her and felt uncomfortable because of the
way she felt. She shook her head again, that couldn't be it! She had to
marry Ranma, then she'd finally be happy again. Life would be perfect.
Would it? Asked a voice in her head. She thought about all the
chaos that seemed to follow Ranma. 'We could get through it together'
she insisted to herself.
What about Akane? 'He doesn't love her, the way she treats
him?' She thought about how often Ranma had hit the ground in front of
her restaurant after getting Akane angry. She smiled. There was not
chance Ranma enjoyed that. Sure, Ranma was strange, but not that
strange.
She thought back to when she was little, and he'd lived near
her, he'd been so talkative and open with her then, but now... 'I
wonder if we're even still friends? Should I ask him? Do I even want to
know?' She didn't know. A conversation about friendship could mean a
conversation about engagements, but she didn't know if she wanted one
of those. 'Do I want to know Ranma loves me? Do I want to know he
doesn't?'
-------
Ukyou watched her clock tick off the minutes. She could hear
Ranma breathing behind her. If it was someone else, she would've
thought he was sleeping, but she'd heard Genma, and most of the Tendou
household complain about his snoring. She gathered her courage.
"Ranchan?" She heard him roll over.
"Yeah?" She took a deep breath, she was more nervous about this
than she had been about any fight she'd ever had, to her, this was also
far more dangerous.
"What's a friend to you?" Ranma was silent. Ukyou watched the
clock tick off another minute.
"Uh, I dunno. Some one you can trust enough to tell anything
without worrying about them killin' you." He sighed, "or maybe not."
Ukyou blinked, it had sounded like a good answer to her, and it had
even proven her theory.
"Why not?"
"Well, I can't tell anyone I'd call a friend everything without
getting killed, there's certain things I can't say." She could tell he
was frowning.
"Oh." Was all she could say.
"I guess a friend is someone you trust, at least when it
counts, and they just happen to be there when you need them, and they
wouldn't force you too do something you didn't want to, try as they
might," she could almost hear him grin. "Uh, I dunno what else. Why'd
you ask?" Ukyou took a deep breath.
"I- I was... I was wondering if we were still friends." She
said quietly.
"Sure we are." Ukyou felt tears fall down her cheeks, and was
quiet until she thought she could talk without her voice cracking.
"How? I'm none of those things to you. You can barely tell me
anything without me getting mad, or sad, or hurt, I'm constantly trying
to force you into marrying me, and..." her voice cracked, but she
forced herself to go on, "and how can you trust me, if I'm neither of
those?"
"Ucchan..." Ukyou cried into her pillow, trying not to let
Ranma hear it. She felt his hand on her shoulder, but he didn't say
anything. He just sat there and let her cry.
When she finally stopped. She felt his hand leave her shoulder.
"I- I'm sorry." Ukyou said quietly.
"For what?" Ranma sounded honestly confused.
"For everything! For being a bad friend, for making you feel
bad when you were just being honest... for..." Ranma cut her off.
"I don't feel bad." Ukyou blinked, and spun around, wishing she
could see his expression in the dark.
"You... you don't?"
"Nope, none of the things you just said about yourself are
true."
"Yes they are." Ranma laughed.
"No. Listen, where would I be right now if you hadn't let me
come in?" Ukyou blinked.
"Outside?"
"Yeah, outside, in the cold, wishing I was inside. I wouldn't
have gone to ask Shampoo, I don't trust her not to do anything weird
while I'm there, I wouldn't have asked either of the Kunos, they're
just insane, and I don't really know anyone else."
"What about Ryouga?"
"I would ask him, but where's he? He's with..." Ranma stopped
short. "I just can't go to Ryouga." He said. Ukyou blinked, and
wondered what was going on there.
"He's lost again, right?"
"Uh, yeah." Ranma sounded slightly resentful, but Ukyou let it
slide. "Anyway, most of the girls I know well are trying to get me to
marry them, it's not just you. I guess it's annoying, but I'm used to
it."
"Does that mean we're friends?" She asked tentatively.
"Of course!" Ukyou smiled. Then another thought came to her.
"Ranchan?"
"Yeah." She took a deep breath.
"Can you trust me enough to tell me something? I promise, I
won't get mad."
"Yeah, I guess, what do you wanna know?"
"Do you... do you love me?" She squeezed her eyes shut, and
hoped for the best. Ranma was silent for a long time.
"Ucchan, you know I do," happiness like nothing she'd ever
dreamed of rushed through her, "you're my best friend." Ukyou's mood
fell, she could see where this was going. "But, I'm not in love with
you, ya know?" Ukyou nodded, then realizing it was pitch dark in her
room, she took a deep breath.
"Yeah, I understand."
"I'm sorry." He sounded sorry. 'he shouldn't have to feel sorry
for something he can't help' she thought to herself.
"It's ok." Ranma sighed.
"No it's not, you're crying again." She heard him get up, then
turn on the light. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to stop her
tears. She felt him sit down on the edge of her bed. "Ucchan..."
"No, it's ok." She took a deep breath and sat up wiping her
eyes. She turned and looked at Ranma, then smiled. "I thought you would
say that."
"Oh." Ranma watched her concernedly. Ukyou took a deep breath.
"I'm just glad to be your friend." She said, smiling. Slowly,
he smiled back.
"So you're not mad?"
"Nope, I promised I wouldn't be." He looked surprised, then he
smiled again. Standing up, he turned and sat in the centre of his
sleeping bag, facing her.
"Do you feel better?"
"Yeah, I do." Twisting herself around, she lay out on her
stomach facing Ranma. "So, if not me, who do you like?" She watched in
amusement as his face turned red.
"Uh... I... That is... Um..."
"Oh... so you don't trust me." Ukyou put on the best hurt face
she could.
"No! I... I..."
"Come on, tell me! Who knows, maybe I could help you out, I am
a girl after all."
"Yeah, well, um..."
"Can I guess?" Ranma nodded.
"Go for it."
"Akane." Ranma blushed again, and nodded, staring at the floor.
Ukyou laughed. "Good." Ranma looked up at her.
"Good? What do you mean?" Ukyou shrugged, still grinning.
"Well, if it was Shampoo, I'd have to beat some sense in you,
then go tell Mousse, so he'd come beat more sense into you." At Ranma's
surprised face, she winked, and he laughed, "and if you'd said Kodachi,
I would've had you committed. I really can't think of anyone else."
"Uh, yeah."
"Besides, aside from the violent thing, Akane's probably the
nicest and most sane." Ranma laughed.
"Depends on who you ask. She's the one who thinks her
cooking's edible." He stuck out his tongue, and Ukyou laughed.
"Seriously! Can you call that sane?!" Ukyou was laughing so hard she
couldn't breathe. She calmed down, then rolled onto her back, looking
at him upside down. She yawned.
"Tired?" Ranma asked her.
"A bit. Hinako-Sensei drained me for being late this morning."
Ranma grinned.
"She's terrible for that." Ukyou nodded, making the world do
funny things upside down.
"You know, it's really hard to nod upside down." Ranma laughed.
She yawned again. "On that note, I'm going to sleep." Flipping herself
around, she slipped back into bed. "Get the light, will you Ranchan?"
"Sure." She heard Ranma get up, then the room was dark. Curling
up in bed, Ukyou smiled. She felt happier than she had in years. She
felt at peace with herself. It was odd, she'd have expected herself to
be angry and hurt, but though she'd lost her fiancé, she'd regained her
best friend.
"Hey, Ucchan?"
"Yeah?"
"What do you think of Ryouga?" Ukyou started laughing again.
-------
Now let me guess. You're sitting there going "there is no chance Ukyou
would give up Ranma that easy." Au contraire. Do you all remember the
OAV "An Akane to Remember"? Good, now remember the part where Ranma
confronts Akane?
"If he makes you happy Akane, then I won't get in your way. But first,
tell me why. Tell me right now why you're choosing him instead of me!"
Ukyou loves Ranma enough that if he's happy with Akane, she'll settle
for being his best friend. I wrote this because Ucchan seems so selfish
in most fanfics like this I read, I don't like it. Ucchan's so sweet.
Another odd question, does anyone out there think Ukyou's OOC? I'm not
sure if she is or not. Comments and stuff are welcome,
daybreak_impression@yahoo.ca flames make me cry, but I can deal with
constructive criticism.
(
geocities.com/tokyo/club) (
geocities.com/tokyo)