By Robert Adam Morrison (Alpha Centaurian)

Homepage: The Bright Side of Creation: http://www.attcanada.ca/~alphac/

The World of Creation: http://www.fortunecity.com/rivendell/perilith/478/

Ryogakun99@hotmail.com

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DISCLAIMER: For those reading my fanfic 'The Malleting of Ryoga,' one comes up with a fairly honest opinion: Adam Morrison hates Ryoga Hibiki. That is true, in some sense. I cannot deny that I'm a fan of the Ranma/Akane pairing, and see Ryoga somewhat as an antagonist in the Ranma 1/2 series. However, I think that I cannot hate Ryoga in the truer sense of the word. That is, it is easy to hate yourself. I sympathize with Ryoga as well. He and I have a lot in common: we both have troubles with members of the opposite sex, we both have lousy senses of direction (even though his is catastrophic, mine stretches the bounds of reality: I get lost even if I have a map) and we both have terrible tempers and boughts of depression. As I stated in 'Malleting,' I would atone for my sins, and thus, I present here a fanfic that features Ryoga as the protagonist. A point of interest: Many fanfic authors, myself included, subscribe to the Ryoga/Ukyou pairing. There have been many debates on this, and proofs have been laid. I myself am torn; my most memorable example is the way Ukyou treated Ryoga so nicely when he was trying to date Akane. However, all examples aside, to me there is just something about the pairing that clicks. I can't explain it, but the two just seem right together. But then, that's love: do I need to bring in factual data to pair two souls together, when such is not the thing of love? Ah, love is blind. (Especially in Mousse's case, but then, that's another story...)

So, honourable readers, without further ado, I present...

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A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic

By Robert Adam Morrison

The dark cloud shifted. It had been waiting. It had just returned to where it wanted

to strike. Now what resistance had been was now gone. Although lacking in emotion, it

felt the equivalence of hunger. The type of hunger that came just before it knew it was

about to feed...

Ryoga was hungry and tired. Even with his incredible endurance, there was a

limit to the amount of fatigue he could harbour. His steps were heavy and unsure. It had

been five days since he left the Okinawa islands, and he felt he was no nearer to Nerima

then than from where he was at that moment. Ryoga wiped his brow as he endured the

rays of sunlight from the hot summer afternoon.

Ryoga's backpack was dusty and well worn. The heavy umbrella he carried was

slung on top of the pack. Canteens and cookware hung from the notches of the haversack.

The backpack carried everything Ryoga needed for his unplanned expeditions: extra

clothing, food, cooking gear, bedroll, portable lamp, and other such bits of wayfarer gear.

If his weakness was getting lost, then Ryoga had made the ability to travel into a strength.

Even his clothing itself was well prepared to different environments: he wore leg

wrappings that protected from weeds and overgrowth to hostile winds and damp

conditions. His shirt and pants were made of a heavy cloth that could shield against cold

and rain, but allowed heat to be vented and protected his body from the harmful rays of

the sun. His trademark bandanas not only absorbed the sweat that formed on his head, but

also served as formidable weapons.

Ryoga looked around the area he was in. It seemed to be a typical Japanese

suburbia, with standardised housing and the low walls that wrapped around the

neighbourhoods. It looked all-too familiar to him, but he didn't let it raise false hopes: he

was all too aware of his navigational skills. Just because he was near his destination

didn't mean he would get there.

He cursed his luck. He knew he had a lousy sense of direction and all his relatives

had the same affliction as well. Ryoga hated Ranma for teasing him about it. Even though

it was true, Ranma had no right to do it. Ryoga visibly seethed with rage, remembering

each time Ranma had taunted him about it.

Ryoga recomposed himself, and set about continuing his journey. He soon

remembered his weariness, and kept a slow but steady pace forward, praying to reach his

destination.

Ryoga travelled more or less straight for about ten minutes, before he noticed

where he was. He was standing before a long wall that stretched for an entire block. The

wall had a slight roofing to it, and he could see the gates leading inside ahead. His heart

leapt a bit, and he doubled his pace.

Ryoga reached the gates, and started to open them. The gates didn't budge. He

redoubled his efforts, carefully trying not to overuse his strength, lest he wrench the gates

from their hinges. The gates still refused to yield.

Stopping his efforts for a moment, Ryoga noticed the small sheet of parchment

tacked onto the door in front of him. Written in kanji was the simple message:

"Gone to the beach for a month.

-Tendo Family"

Ryoga audibly cursed. He had missed them. The Tendos, along with Ranma and

Genma, had left for the seaside. It was already the middle of August, and they probably

wouldn't be back for another two weeks. With no idea where exactly on the coast they

had decided to leave for, Ryoga was hopelessly stranded.

Ryoga turned around, and slid down to the ground, his back against the gates. He

looked down to the ground in depression. Two weeks, at least! What could he do?

Without Akane. And Ranma was there with her. Damn! Ryoga clenched his teeth with

sudden anger.

Two weeks. It didn't matter. Ranma couldn't be trusted. Ryoga vowed to double

his efforts, no matter what. Akane must be protected, and Ranma was nowhere near the

man able to look after her!

Ryoga stood up, gathered himself, and started off in a direction.

Ironically enough, it was the opposite direction to where the Tendo family was at

the moment.

The dark cloud lowered below the other clouds. It was still not visible to those

below, but soon it would reveal itself. It was patient. It knew it must wait for night.

As was expected, Ryoga's course wavered and changed several times. Now he

was headed southwest from his starting point. He passed through the shopping district of

Nerima, barely taking notice. Of course, this was usually his way. Perhaps if he even

bothered to look where he was going instead of focusing where he wanted to go, he might

accomplish something. Ah, but that was the nub of the curse.

Ryoga soon found himself in front of the Cat Cafe. He hesitated, slightly stunned.

The feeling increased as he noticed that the restaurant was closed, and there was a

parchment tacked to the entrance, similar to the one he had found at the Tendo

Residence:

"Closed for the summer. Moved to the beach.

-Cat Cafe"

Now Ryoga felt dead vexed. Was everyone living in lotus land, not caring for

those they were abandoning?

'Sure,' Ryoga thought, 'it's summer! We can do anything we want. Let's just

wear boots on our heads, go around buck naked and move to the beach for the summer!'

Ryoga cursed the fates, turned around and smacked his fist into the side of a

delivery van that had the misfortune of parking there. Ryoga's fist rent the metal of the

van, piercing into the interior. He pulled his fist out, which was unscathed. The same

could not be said for the van. Ryoga had left a sizeable hole behind.

Ryoga turned away from the van, feeling some momentary relief. He started his

pace again, travelling away from the Cat Cafe, and hopefully towards his chosen

destination.

Ukyou Kuonji prepared her restaurant for the dinner rush. It had been a slow day,

being hot and all, but the weather would cool down, and people would be coming in for

okonomiyaki than Ucchan's was famous for. Ukyou scraped off the grit from the grill

that had collected over the past week. It was work for work's sake, she knew, but what

else was there to do?

Ukyou was dressed in her cooking regalia. It more feminine than the school

uniform designed for boys she usually wore. She was especially thankful on this hot day

that the shirt she wore was sleeveless. Unconsciously, she had opened the neck of the

shirt wider than usual, letting more than a little sensitive flesh show.

She tried to lose herself in the work, but Ukyou was feeling a little lonely at the

moment. School was out, and all her friends were nowhere to be seen. Even an

appearance by Tsubasa would have been appreciated, albeit for the entertainment value

rather than the company. Ukyou sighed, knowing that she probably wouldn't even hear

from him.

Suddenly, a figure stepped into the okonomiyaki restaurant. Ukyou turned to look

at the new arrival, and recognition passed over her face.

'Isn't this the beach?' Ryoga asked aloud, to no one in particular.

'Sorry, Ryoga-kun,' Ukyou responded, somewhat deflated, 'but this is Ucchan's.'

'Damn.' Ryoga swore. 'Sorry to bother you. I'll just be on my way...'

'NO!' Ukyou cried aloud, and then calmed herself down.

'Careful, Ucchan!' Ukyou chided herself. 'You don't want to sound TOO

desperate.'

'Come over here, Ryoga. Maybe I can help you.'

Ryoga shrugged, and walked over to the counter where Ukyou stood behind. He

hopped up on a stool, and Ukyou began to cook an okonomiyaki for him.

'Thanks, Ukyou.' Ryoga stated. 'I just don't know where to go! Everyone's left

for the beach. I'd have thought you'd go too!'

'Not if I want to pay this month's rent, Ryoga-kun! That's the curse of the single,

independent, working girl.'

'Well, you're one heck of a g-g-ga---gaa!!' Ryoga stuttered, and he blushed

profusely.

Ukyou gazed at him with total confusion. Ryoga was just staring at her without

any real expression, other than shock. Or was it... embarrassment? Ukyou then noticed

that Ryoga wasn't staring at her face, but rather something a little lower. She peered

down, noticing her generously revealed cleavage. She wasn't wearing her usual breast

bindings that day (the heat just didn't allow for it), and her well-endowed chest was

enjoying its freedom, even behind the fabric of the shirt. Although the only thing that

could be seen was the point at which the two breasts met one another, it was enough to

cause Ryoga to nearly start bleeding from his nose.

Ukyou blushed, and readjusted her shirt so that the folds covered her chest fully.

Ryoga's colour returned to normal, and his heart stopped its incessant beating.

Searching for relief from an embarrassing situation, Ukyou returned to her

cooking. She flipped the okonomiyaki and prepared the ingredients for the confectionary.

'So, you found out that Ranma and the Tendos left for the seaside!' Ukyou started

off the conversation.

'Yeah. I was hoping to see Akane, but when I got to the Tendo Homestead, it was

all locked up!'

'You're not planning to follow them?' Ukyou asked, with some surprise. Ryoga

would be lucky if he found his way out of Nerima by the end of the week.

'I was! But it seems pointless now!' Ryoga clenched his fist. 'Ranma can't protect

Akane, so who will now? I'll never get there in time.'

'Don't you worry, sugar. Akane AND Ranma will be fine. Haven't they always

managed to endure the blows?'

Even despite his low opinion of Ranma, Ryoga was forced to agree. Time after

time, Ranma and Akane had been through some of the toughest opponents, including

Ryoga himself. However, this just added further to Ryoga's current streak of depression.

Ryoga let out a long sigh.

Ukyou finished making the shrimp and scallop okonomiyaki, and served it in

front of Ryoga. Ryoga looked down with some surprise. He had seen Ukyou's skill at

drawing on okonomiyakis with sauce before, but this current example was somewhat

uplifting to him.

Sketched out in the red sauce was a happy face. Ryoga looked at it, and smirked a

little.

'Say, Ryoga, I could use your help with the dinner rush, if you aren't too busy...'

The cloud didn't have a mouth, but somehow it managed to equivalent of licking

its lips...

The stream of customers from the dinner rush had ebbed off at Ucchan's, and

there were only a few eaters finishing off their okonomiyakis. The grill steamed slightly,

as if letting out a relaxing breath after a long stead of work.

Ukyou finished preparing the last order of okonomiyaki, and passed it to Ryoga.

Ryoga served it to the last customer, wishing the customer an enjoyable meal. Ryoga left

the customer and walked over the Ukyou, who was reorganizing her wares.

'Whew!' Ryoga breathed. 'I thought that business would never slow down! Is it

always this busy?!'

'During lunch and dinner it is.' Ukyou answered. 'Mainly during the dinner hours

this season, mind you.'

A couple of customers left, and Ukyou and Ryoga wished them a good evening.

'I envy you.' Ryoga stated.

'Huh?' Ukyou was taken aback.

'I mean, you know what you're doing. You have a trade! Years from now, you'll

probably be doing the same thing, and doing it well! For better or worse!'

'C'mon, Ryoga. It's not all that hard!'

'No, I mean it!' Ryoga was not about to be swayed from his opinion of Ukyou.

'Here you are, a young woman who owns her own business, still attending school and

keeping her head above water! You're hoping one day to marry Ranma, but that isn't

really even part of the equation: rain or shine, you've got a future.'

'Now wait a minute, Ryoga…' Ukyou was getting more than a little angry at

Ryoga's flippancy. Especially when it concerned Ranma. However, her train of thought

was derailed by Ryoga's next comment:

'I... I've got nothing.'

Ukyou was silent. She just nodded at the last customer who exited, but she never

kept her eyes off Ryoga. He was just standing there. He moved over to the wall, and

grabbed a mop and pail full of water. He started mopping the floor, busying himself.

'I've gambled it all on Akane,' Ryoga continued his thoughts, 'and I've lost. Why

deny it! Ranma can have her. She doesn't deserve me. I've got no education, and I get

lost all the time. Hardly dependable.

'All I'm good for is destroying things! Gods, I can't even create! The only skills

I've learned is how to beat people up, and how to survive where ever I've gotten lost!'

Ryoga continued to mop the floor. Ukyou just stared at him, unbelieving the

tortured soul in front of her. She had seen him fight. She had seen his anger. She had seen

him curse Ranma's very existence. But she had never seen Ryoga pour his soul with

such... honesty? No, self-pity was more the word. And she wasn't about to let him

wallow in it!

'Now listen here, Ryoga Hibiki!' Ukyou took up a scolding tone. 'You may have

made some mistakes in the past. You've let your anger decide your actions maybe a few

too many times. But I'm not about to stand here and listen to you give up on yourself!

'Just because things haven't worked out for you in the past doesn't mean you

have to give up life now and call it quits! That's what life is all about: adapting. I'm

surprised you haven't learned that by now, with all the places you've visited!

'Ranchan told me you used to go to the same school as him. You can go back and

take up the skills you want to! If you really put your heart into it, you can learn the trade

you've always wanted to follow! You can be a doctor, or an engineer: anything you want

to be!'

Ryoga looked up at Ukyou's face. She was smiling with grim determination. His

frown turned to a straight line, a neutral expression, as he pondered the new thoughts that

assailed him. Could he really give up his pursuit of revenge and settle himself into life?

'Ukyou,' Ryoga asked, 'do you really think... ?'

'I don't think, sugar,' Ukyou replied with confidence, 'I know. Look, think about

this: if you put the determination you had for punishing Ranma into the determination to

find your place in life, how far do you think you can go?'

Ryoga paused. To that point, the singularly consuming thought of revenge against

Ranma had taken up all of his life, save for his obsession with Akane, which, of course,

was related, to some extent. He had been all over Japan, including China, just to find

Ranma. He had even gone through the most gruelling training by Cologne with the

thought of fighting Ranma. Could this endless pool of energy be put to other uses?

Ukyou smiled. Clearly, Ryoga was thinking about what she had said to him. It

gave her a warm feeling inside her knowing that she could influence Ryoga for the better.

The mutual revelry was interrupted by the arrival of a couple. The pair was arm in

arm. The female of the pair was laughing, and obviously having a good time, while the

male was smirking somewhat, trying to deny he too was enjoying the experience.

Ukyou and Ryoga stared at the couple. Total recognition had not set in yet,

because of the improbability of the pairing: Nabiki Tendo had her arm locked with that of

Tatewaki Kunoh's.

Ryoga could only say one thing:

'Gaaa! What the?!'

Well, OK. Three things.

'Oh, please, Ryoga!' Nabiki clicked her tongue. 'It's not like you've never seen a

couple having a night on the town before!'

'Bu... bu... bu... '

'Perhaps I can explain.' Kunoh interjected. 'With this season lacking in school

days, I found myself unable to find relaxation. Not only that, but it seems that my two

true loves, Akane Tendo and the pig-tailed goddess have left for the almost as beauteous

coasts of Nippon.

'However, as fates would have it, Nabiki Tendo was left behind, herself wanting

to continue with certain… business activities that could else wise not be left unattended.

Fearing that she would be ill-guarded in the empty Tendo household, I availed my

services to her, and not dishonourably invited her to my spacious manor home, where she

would know not lack of anything, be it security or cuisine.

'And so, in gratitude, Nabiki Tendo is quite expertly entertaining me this eve.'

'How expertly?' asked Ukyou, not without innuendo.

'I'm quite offended by that, Miss Kuonji!' Nabiki said in her skilled false tones.

'Sorry.'

'But since you ask, I'll tell you. Kunoh here is being shown the four star tour! So,

I thought we'd stop by for a little bite to eat on our way to the clubs!'

'My grill is at your disposal.' Ukyou said, with some bitterness. 'You know that.'

'What do you mean, Ukyou?' Ryoga whispered to her behind his hand.

'It has to do with monthly payments!' Ukyou whispered back.

Ryoga had a look of well-founded comprehension.

'I trust you will keep me and Kunoh-baby's appearance here a secret!' Nabiki

said, somewhat threatening.

'Yes, Nabiki.' Ukyou replied monotonely. 'You know you only have to ask.'

'And I can expect YOU to be silent, Mr. Hibiki!'

'Huh?' Ryoga said, slightly taken aback. 'I don't understand.'

'You know that I KNOW about... you know.' Nabiki stated this with her expert

tones. She could lay thousands of subtleties in a small phrase.

'Erk!' Comprehension dawned on Ryoga.

'She knows about THAT!' he thought to himself with much dread. Clearly,

Nabiki had found all about "P-Chan," and now she was cashing in on that knowledge.

'S-s-sure, Nabiki!' Ryoga sputtered. 'I can k-k-keep a secret!'

'And so can I, Ryoga-kun! Don't forget that!'

Yoshi Yamashi was on his way to his favourite bar. He had finished his gruelling

work at the electronics plant, and was ready for a well-earned night of entertainment.

Yoshi knew his friends would be at the bar, and he was moving quickly, not wanting to

miss the first few opening rounds.

He was unaware of the presence behind him.

Suddenly, Yoshi's body stopped responding to his thoughts. He was paralysed.

Then, he felt the darkness. It grinned at him from within. He felt cold. And afraid.

Very afraid.

Yoshi's body took the colour of pitch black all over, including his clothes. His

eyes glowed with a purple energy.

A smile cracked on the face of the possessed body of Yoshi Yamashi. The dark

cloud now had form. It anticipated the night ahead.

It was going to have... fun.

Ukyou watched Nabiki and Kunoh leave her restaurant. They had both eaten two

okonomiyaki apiece (on the house, of course) and Nabiki was laughing, and talking to

Kunoh about the night ahead. Ukyou almost felt envious. Nabiki had a certain line of

business, one that she would undoubtedly follow through even after high school and

college, and she enjoyed it like some people enjoy playing video games...

Or having sex.

Ukyou suddenly started. Where had that thought come from?

She then turned to Ryoga, who was putting away the mop, having finished

cleaning the floor. He was returning to fetch the bucket of dirty water.

'So, what does Nabiki know?' Ukyou asked Ryoga.

'Huh? Oh, nothing.'

'Come on now, Ryoga. You're not fooling me. You were sweating in your shorts,

and she was smiling like a cat who has a canary trapped in its claws.'

'It's just a promise I made to her!' Ryoga protested.

'Uh-huh!' Ukyou said sarcastically, and then stepped around the counter and

towards Ryoga.

'No, Ukyou! I'm serious! It's nothing.'

'Nothing. Right, sugar. Like Nabiki would be interested in nothing!' Ukyou

continued to close in on Ryoga.

'No, Ukyou...' Ryoga tried to continue, but was interrupted as he tripped over the

bucket of water. He fell to the ground, and the bucket spilt its contents all over him.

Ukyou was suddenly taken aback. She stared at the sight in front of her.

'Oh, geez! Now I know!'

Tachi Fukaike continued his ceaseless vigil (save restroom breaks) of Nerima. He

was a proud member of the Nerima Neighbourhood Watch Program.

The Nerima Neighbourhood Watch Program was initiated less than a year ago,

after the police department adamantly refused to deal with the paranormal incidents

around Nerima, claiming that they didn't get paid THAT much. Unable to coax the police

to action (even with a sizeable pension plan), the Nerima Town Council asked for

volunteers to participate in the Watch Program.

The Watch Program was not a police force, rather an information service.

Members would keep a patrol around Nerima, and also keep tabs on the martial artists,

wizards, demons, minor deities, obnoxious aliens, rampant perverts and other

supernatural forces that were potential dangerous to the local property value. Defensive

measures would be afterwards taken.

Tachi was a founding member, and took particular pride in the fact that he was

able to keep up his patrols, even late into night. Truth be told, he didn't have much of a

life, and admired the local martial artists.

Tachi suddenly caught some movement on the edge of his vision. He turned

around with his flashlight, pointing it like a weapon.

'Halt!' he said with ill-founded bravery. His voice wavered slightly.

'Who goes there?'

A figure appeared from the alleyway Tachi had just passed. It was human in form,

but the similarities ended there. The figure was as black as the night sky all over. It was

the darkness.

The figure of Yoshi had been distorted. The figure was now large and muscular.

Its hands had been shaped into odd, claw-like appendages. Spines, at least one foot long,

came out from the shoulders of the monster. Its head was now a hideous thing with

angular, glowing purple eyes and a deep red gaping mouth.

The monster stepped towards Tachi, who was unable to do anything. Except

shudder, uncontrollably.

The monster reached out for Tachi.

His scream echoed loudly in the dusk of Nerima.

Ukyou stooped over the pile of clothes that took the place of where Ryoga had

just been. Now there was only a small, black piglet with a yellow ochre bandana tied

around its neck like a collar. The piglet had a shocked expression on its face. It sweated

slightly.

Ukyou just stared, overcome by the varying thoughts. All the thoughts were

united, however, by the one fact that she had just discovered: Ryoga was P-Chan. Ukyou

just couldn't believe it. Ryoga, who claimed there was no way Ranma could ever begin to

understand his hardships, had chased Ranma. That same Ryoga also was P-Chan, a cute

little pig that Akane kept as a pet. And slept with...

Akane was a rival for Ranma's affections. Ukyou knew that, but she just couldn't

be that angry with Akane. Ranma had his shortcomings, but his was brave and always

tried to do the best thing. Ukyou thought the best thing was for him to marry her, but she

knew that was not the best solution from Ranma's point of view.

Akane was ignorant. Ranma had kept the secret, but Ukyou realised why.

Ryoga, however, had kept the secret and had no reason not to reveal the truth to

Akane. He was P-Chan. He slept with Akane nightly. He was cursed.

Ukyou turned back to the grill and took a kettle of water she had been heating to

make tea. Filing a rogue thought aside about how heartless Nabiki Tendo appeared to be

(adding to the culminating, communal pile), Ukyou concentrated her mind on her course

of action. She pulled back the kettle as if drawing an arrow in a bow, and pushed forward,

letting the steaming water escape the confines of the kettle and onto P-Chan.

Thankfully, Ryoga transformed right into his clothes, saving himself from further

embarrassment. He was sitting on the ground. Instantly recognizing the troubles he would

soon be facing, Ryoga tried to shuffle away. It was a pathetic sight.

'Now, Ukyou! Don't... don't make any rash actions!' Ryoga sputtered.

'You... you... PIG!' Ukyou shouted with rage. 'I was actually feeling sorry for

you! I thought you were one of the few guys who was innocent and sweet and didn't

deserve to be picked on. But I guess I was wrong!

'You've been sleeping with Akane. You could have told her, but NO! You just

had to give in to your stupid male desires! Akane keeps calling Ranma a pervert. If she

only knew that YOU'RE the real pervert!'

'Ukyou! No! It's not like that!'

'Oh, yes! You're just misunderstood! Just like Ranchan! Only problem is,

Ranchan never actually does the things he's accused of doing, but you are! You have this

nice sorry act about poor little you. And...'

Ukyou's voice dropped and became apparent she was now fighting back the tears.

'And I was starting to feel sorry for you. I thought you were really opening up…

to me.'

A single tear ran down Ukyou's face. Time seemed to move in slow motion as it

fell off her face, dropped into the air and onto the floor of the restaurant. Ryoga's fear

had now turned into disgrace. He looked down, not able to face Ukyou. His heart felt like

it was being ripped apart. Not by Ukyou, but by the conflicting emotions.

There was a strange feeling inside of Ryoga. One he had never felt before. He had

feelings similar to it. Feelings that came up when he thought about Akane's smiling face.

Feelings that came when he had been on a long journey and finally came to the Tendo

Dojo, a place he almost considered home. Feelings that came when Aka... when Ukyou

had treated him so nicely when she was helping him date Akane.

This feeling, however, was stronger. It was filling and warming his heart like no

other feeling had before. Not even the anger he felt towards Ranma. No. This was

stronger.

But with that emotion came another. A feeling of betrayal. Betrayal not upon

himself, but the betrayal Ryoga had caused upon Ukyou. He suddenly realised what had

transpired that evening. Ryoga and Ukyou had shared a moment together.

And suddenly, Ryoga didn't want that to end.

Ryoga was suddenly forced awake from his thoughts by a sound. It was Ukyou.

She had buried her face in her hands, and was weeping profusely.

Ukyou had grown up as a boy. Ever since Genma Saotome had more or less

stolen her father's okonomiyaki cart, Ukyou had to give up her femininity because of the

promise between Genma and her father. She had given all girlish dreams, and devoted her

life to revenge. Then she met Ranma again.

He was suddenly there, as if filling in the fantasies she had suppressed. Ranma

was a strong and handsome young man, and he was to be her fiancee, under the promise

her father and Genma had made. The same promise that had been taken advantage of. But

like his name, Ranma couldn't be controlled. It tore her apart when she saw him with

other girls. Even Akane. Especially Akane, because, deep down, Ukyou knew that she

could never have a relationship with Ranma the way Akane did.

That evening, Ukyou left herself open. She had let Ryoga come in and affect her.

He had showed her his inner feelings, and she had played along. And then, accidentally,

he showed her his secret. The secret even Akane hadn't known about. The one she should

have known about.

It was all too much for her. One man had hurt her, and now she had let herself get

her hopes up again, only to have them shattered by the man in front of her. Long

suppressed feelings were welling up inside her.

'Ukyou...' Ryoga whispered. He had gotten back up on his feet, and was pacing

towards Ukyou.

'No!' she screamed inside her head. 'No! No matter what I want, I can't go

through THAT again!'

Ukyou cried out, turned and ran out of her own restaurant.

Natsuko Akamoto was walking home from her secretarial job. She had refused

her friends' offer to join them for an evening of dancing at the hottest clubs. She was

feeling tired. She just wanted to go home to her small apartment, draw a nice hot bath and

relax. Natsuko was just that kind of person.

Dressed in a functional and fashionable dress, she often worried about the walk

home. Even though Japan was not a known for its crime, Nerima was a larger urban area,

and the chance of accidentally getting attacked did go up. And with attacks, came other

things. Especially for attractive young women such as herself.

Natsuko put aside such thoughts, and tried to concentrate on the journey home.

She thought of the nice warm bath that awaited her. Unconsciously, she passed her hand

through her short, sharp-cut black hair.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a can skipping across the ground from the

nearby alley.

Pausing, Natsuko took a brief glance. She saw only the abandoned alley, with the

few garbage cans and pieces of debris that seemed to inhabit alleyways everywhere.

Knowing that an alleyway was the worst possible place to be when you were trying to

avoid thoughts of attacks, Natsuko hastened her pace, trying to pass the alleyway.

She suddenly bumped into... something.

Standing in front of her was the darkness. The monster radiated even more evil

now. As evil begets evil, its hunger had also grown.

Natsuko covered her hand to her mouth and screamed.

The monster reached out to claim her...

...and stopped.

It cocked its head to the side suddenly, perceiving something only apparent to its

strange senses. Momentarily freed from the fear, Natsuko ran away as fast as her legs

could carry her.

But the monster didn't care. It had smelt new prey. Female... and even more

vulnerable.

The previous female had been plagued with doubt and fear over possible attacks,

but this new female was depressed, scared and wracked with conflicting emotions.

And crying. Quite the honey in the tea for the morbid palate of the monster.

It turned to follow its new prey.

Ukyou was now well away from her restaurant. In fact, she didn't know where

she was.

But that suited her.

She slowed her pace and steadied herself. She sniffled, fighting off the last

remaining tears.

Ukyou didn't know what to do next. She had followed the instinct to avoid Ryoga

for fear of involvement, and now she was left even worse for the wear.

She walked up to a lamppost, leaning against it for stability. She caught her

breath, having been exhausted physically and mentally.

Ukyou was still fighting the emotions.

'Why now?' she asked herself. 'I've known him for months. Why now do I

suddenly develop this yearning for him. The bastard lied... well, no, but he kept an

important secret hidden!'

Could she forgive him for that? Ukyou shook her head, trying to dislodge her

thoughts. She was Ranma's cute fiancee, the one that would always stand up for him!

Ryoga was nothing to her!

Then why had she felt so angry when he told her how he felt about his life? How

worthless he felt. Why had she been so angry with him once she found out he was

actually P-Chan?

'Akane should be the one angry at him!' Ukyou thought. 'She's the one he's been

sleeping with! I'm not jealous! It's not like he was... sleeping with... me.'

Ukyou's thoughts slowed. Jealous? How could that be. The only one who was

jealous of anything was Akane when she thought Ranma was cheating on her. Not that

they were a couple or anything…

And Ranma was jealous too, Ukyou realised then. Especially when Ryoga would

sleep with Akane...

Ranma and Akane. Jealous.

Ryoga. Ukyou was jealous over Ryoga.

Ryoga and Ukyou.

Was it actually a possibility?

A broad figure walked up next to her. She was suddenly aware of its presence.

'Go away, Ryoga.' Ukyou stated. 'I'm not ready for this.'

'Is not Ryoga!' the voice that sounded like metal against stone crackled in the air.

Ukyou's eyes widened as she suddenly took in the visage of the figure next to her.

Standing, glowing with dark energy, was the darkness-taken-form evil monster. It

smiled with its red gaping mouth. Its purple eyes stared at her, telling of insatiable

hunger. Sheer evil pulsed off of its dark aura.

The monster reached out towards Ukyou with its claw-like hands. Ukyou's

trained reflexes kicked-in and she leapt away from the poorly aimed strike. The monster

had been counting on surprise to do its work, and it cursed as it realised the fight would

not be short.

And then it smiled, knowing that was exactly what it liked best.

Ukyou pulled out the three small throwing spatulas she always kept hidden on her

person, and quickly darted them at the monster. They all hit their target. The monster

swore, not expecting such resistance. Didn't females usually just cower and scream?

Hell, most males did that as well when they saw the monster.

Hesitancy was not one of the monster's strong suits, nor was retreat, and it

charged, claws forward, now consumed with the intent of destroying this female. Ukyou

sidestepped the attack, but the monster raked out with its right claw, catching Ukyou on

the thigh. The claw passed through cloth and flesh, and although the cut was not deep,

three lines of blood appeared on Ukyou's right thigh.

The monster howled to itself in its mind. There was nothing like the sight of blood

to cause it to go crazy. The more blood, the stronger it became.

Ukyou cursed. The pain wasn't great, but the monster had made a clumsy attack.

If it managed to get a good hit in... Ukyou didn't like that line of thought. Pulling herself

back to the fight, she rolled away from the monster, and grabbed the throwing spatulas

from the ground. She left one behind, using the other two like fighting daggers.

Ukyou lunged forward, feinting with the left spatula. The creature leaned back,

letting the attack pass. Ukyou then continued with an underhand stroke with the right

spatula. The monster had anticipated this, however, and caught the attack. It grabbed

Ukyou's wrist.

Suddenly, waves of icy coldness surged up Ukyou's right arm. She cried out in

pain and then lost the sensation from her right arm. The monster released his grasp, and

Ukyou's arm swung back. She tried to move it, but it wasn't responding to her thoughts.

The monster was well skilled in using such hesitancy to its advantage, and drew

back its right arm, preparing to strike with its vicious claws. Ukyou started to cry out...

'NOOO!!!' came a cry from the night sky above.

And for once, it was the monster that hesitated.

An umbrella filled its vision. Soon, the creature was knocked to the ground from

the powerful blow of the overweight umbrella. The umbrella wielder rolled to his feet

and pulled Ukyou behind him.

Ryoga Hibiki stood defiantly before the monster. His eyes were staring at the

creature with anger and emotion. Gone was the usual aura of depression that hung over

him. Now, not unlike Ranma Saotome, Ryoga was filled with ki of confidence.

'Before I destroy you and send you back to the hells from where you came,

demon,' Ryoga stated with strength, 'I would like to know your name.'

'No name.' The monster spurted out. 'Your death if anything!'

The monster sprung to its feet, and started to move for Ryoga, intent on killing

him. However, it was not quick enough.

'SHI SHI HOUKOUDAN!' Ryoga cried out.

A ball of deep crimson red ki energy sprung from Ryoga's outstretched palms. It

floated towards the monster. Unable to stop its momentum, the monster started to scream

an unearthly, hideous wail.

The ki blast hit the monster. Such conflicting energies always resulted in

destruction, and the monster was consumed in the ball. The ki ball flared up, and monster

disappeared within the sphere.

A second later, the ki ball ebbed, and dissipated.

Ryoga stood in the night air, staring out to where the creature had been. The sky

seemed still. Ukyou gazed at him for many long moments.

'I'm sorry, Ukyou. I should have told you about my curse.'

Ryoga paused, then continued.

'I shouldn't have let you out of my sight after you ran, also. This is my fault. You

nearly died.'

The confidence (and the other emotion) ki that surged within Ryoga was

threatening to escape from him to be replaced by his usual depression.

'I'll go now...'

'NO!' Ukyou cried out.

Determined not to let anything else happen, Ukyou sprang forward and wrapped

both her arms around Ryoga's torso.

'No!' She sobbed quietly. 'Don't go. Don't you ever damn well think of leaving

me! Not ever again!'

'Ukyou...'

'Damn you... I thought... I thought that it would be Ranma and me. No. It's you.'

'Ukyou, you can't think...'

Ukyou was starting to get mad.

'Now, listen to me again, Hibiki-san! Your Shi Shi Houkoudan you just let go:

think. What emotion did you use. It sure as hell wasn't depression!'

'No... no. I was feeling like Ranma. Like I knew I couldn't be beaten.'

Ukyou was getting mad again. BAKA! He's such an arrogant pig!

But she suddenly stopped her anger with Ryoga's next statement:

'But then I thought about what would happen if that demon got to you. Then I

knew I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't think of letting it or anything else hurt you.

'I guess... I guess... '

Ukyou stopped his speech. She shifted her arms from his waist to around his neck,

gazed deeply and longingly into his eyes, and kissed him, closing her eyes.

Ryoga hesitated, but returned the kiss. He too closed his eyes, and the pair let

their mouths open to each other's.

For several minutes, under the Nerima night sky, Ryoga and Ukyou accepted their

love for one another.

And they didn't let a damn thing stop it!

Epilogue

'Ranma, you PERVERT!'

'Geez! All I said was that that bathing suit made your hips look better than usual!'

It was the day after the Tendos had returned from the seaside, and Ranma and

Akane were in full swing. Soon they would have to return to school, and the resulting

tension had not helped matters.

Their entire vacation had been spent with Ranma and Akane arguing, Ranma

being angry about having to be a girl most of the time and Akane fuming at Shampoo's

flirtatious attempts to win Ranma over. Not to mention Genma's freeloading at local

business, Soun's crying fits, Mousse's homicidal rages against Ranma and Cologne's

interventions on Shampoo's behalf.

OK, maybe mentioning them.

Ranma and Akane were now headed for Ucchan's, since Kasumi had taken refuge

in her kitchen, no doubt in deep meditation reacquainting her with it. Not wishing to

disturb her, but hungry none-the-less, the pair had decided to go out for lunch, and since

they were both sick of seeing the China crew, they had decided to pay Ukyou a visit.

Ranma and Akane stepped up to the front of Ucchan's, which seemed no different

from usual at first glance. The continued on through the doorway.

'Hey! Long time no see, Ranma and Akane!' Ukyou greeted them.

'Ukyou?' Ranma was confused. Not only had Ukyou not called Ranma

'Ranchan,' but she had also greeted Akane as if she was glad to see Ranma and Akane

together, and there was nothing in the world wrong with that fact.

'Hi, Ukyou.' Akane said, somewhat hesitantly, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

'Did you two have a good time?' Ukyou asked.

'Well, I didn't spend much time as a boy,' Ranma started up, 'and Shampoo kept

bothering me, as well as Mousse and the ol' Ghoul!'

'That's too bad.'

Suddenly, Ryoga stepped in from the back room.

'Hey, Ukyou, where do you want these... hey, Ranma and Akane! Long time no

see! How's things?'

'Ryoga?!' Ranma sputtered out.

Well that just clenched it. No 'Ranma, prepare to die!', no 'Get away from

Akane!', not even a 'You're such a fool, Ranma!' Ranma just wasn't able to deal with it.

'What's going on here?!' Ranma wanted some form of explanation. Even if he

wasn't ready to deal with it.

'C'mon, Ranma, I'll show you!' Ukyou said.

She and Ryoga walked to the front door, and beckoned for Ranma and Akane to

follow. Once all four were outside, Ukyou put out one arm, loosely indicating the

flapping sign of the restaurant.

Ranma stared bug-eyed at the sign that was fluttering in the wind. Akane was a

little more composed, but was shocked none-the-less.

Ryoga beamed proudly at the sign, and wrapped one arm round Ukyou. She

didn't resist in the least, but rather leaned into him and put one arm over his chest. Ryoga

pecked Ukyou on the cheek, and the pair looked into each other's eyes.

On the sign, the following was written in kanji:

"Ucchan and Ryogachan's"

FIN

Well, that was an enjoyable experience. I've never had such a pleasure writing a story

before. Hopefully, the emotion won't end there.

Was I talking about my emotion, or Ukyou and Ryoga's?

Heh.

Feel free to send C&C, but flames are not welcome.

Arigato and Sayonara.

Robert Adam Morrison

(Alpha Centaurian)