[Ranma][FanFic] Ukyou's Other Woman

[The Sebastians]

This is a fanfic work in three parts. This part contains the prologue and
the first two chapters. Any comments can be sent to me at
<sebas...@earthlink.net>

Ukyou's Other Woman, 1/3
by Trisha Sebastian
[insert standard disclaimer here. Megumi is my character, so
nobody uses her without my permission]

PROLOGUE

Sometimes I wonder if the fates were smiling on me that day. I was
walking home from school alone, something my parents had taught me never,
ever to do. But it was a beautiful day, and I decided to take the shortcut
through the temple gardens. After all, what harm could come to me there?

I was wrong, because I had just reached the middle when I saw them.
They were from the all-boys school just down the street. I recognized
them immediately. They were bullies, plain and simple. And they were
after my brother because he tattled on them.

One day, they'd stopped by the house whem my parents weren't home,
to see if they could catch him off guard. But I sure put a stop to that.
A quick flick of the wrist, a leg extension and an arm lock sent them
scurrying away from me. Now they were after me, too.

Usually, I don't like to pick fights, but when it's family, there's
when I draw the line. I also know my limits. I can fight small groups,
but the group that was laughing and kicking the cherry trees in the gardens
was larger than I could handle. So naturally, I ran in the other direction.

Unfortunately, one of them spied me. It was Kaneda, the ringleader
of the little gang. He shouted, and they all gave chase. Normally, I could
outrun them, but I twisted my ankle during the track meet last week, so they
caught up to me just as I had reached the temple wall.

One of them grabbed my arm and yanked me back towards him. I tried
to punch him in the gut with my other hand, but another goon grabbed it and
together, they pinned me to the wall.

I had no leverage whatsoever, since they were so close to me. I
tried to knee them in the groin, but they evaded the blows easily. They
laughed in my face, the whole lot of them, before Kaneda finally spoke.

"What have we here?" he sneered. "A pretty girl like yourself all
alone?" He tsked in a condescending manner. "Didn't your parents ever
teach you not to walk alone from school?"

"What do you want?" I spat in his face. He recoiled and wiped the
spittle from his cheek. His eyes narrowed. Kaneda grabbed my chin with
one hand, squeezing until tears blurred my vision.

"What do I want? I'll tell you want I want. I want you to
apologize for getting me in so much trouble. I want you to apologize for
kicking me in the head last week. And most of all, I want you to hurt,
like you hurt me." Kaneda laughed harshly and I flinched away from the
sound. He released my chin and gave me a sharp slap in the face.

"Get her, boys," he commanded, eyes glittering. One of the goons
who was standing behind Kaneda replied, "With pleasure," as he advanced
towards me.

His name was Hikaru, and I'd kicked him in the shins, before
kneeing me in the chest. Something told me that was going to do the same
to me. I braced for the impact as his foot swung back--

--and then he howled in pain, hopping around on his other leg. He
fell to the ground, and I saw that a small spatula was embedded in his calf.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said a voice above me. I looked
up and saw that a young boy was perched on the wall. He was wearing the
usual school uniform, but he'd added a bandolier of spatulas, and slung a
larger spatula on his back. His brown eyes were flat as he surveyed the
scene.

"Get out of here," Kaneda snarled. "It's none of your business. We
were just having a little fun, weren't we, sweetheart?"

"In your dreams," I retorted, and I wriggled out of their grasp. I
was about to run for the gate, when Kaneda grabbed my arm and put a hold on
me.

"You're staying here, kid, and you--" he pointed to the boy on the
wall, "are going to butt out."

The other boy sighed, and brushed his hair back from his shoulder.
"I see I'm going to have to do this the hard way." He leaped down from the
wall, landing close to Kaneda. With one deft movement, he unslung the large
spatula and brought it down hard on Kaneda's arm.

Kaneda howled and released me. I backed into Kaneda and elbowed him
in the guts. Turning, I lashed out and struck him with a forward kick.
Then I crouched down and swept his legs out from under him.

The goon squad had recovered by that time, and charged me. The boy
took two of them out with two swings of his spatula, while I punched one in
the nose, and another in the chest. Then, he swung again, and knocked out
the one I was fighting. Hikaru hobbled up to us, and yanking out the spatula
in his leg, he taunted the boy.

He answered by throwing more of his smaller spatulas towards Hikaru,
pinning him to the wall by his clothes. Then as he kicked a final goon in
the knees, I lashed out and punched him in the back of the head.

It was all over in a matter of seconds. Above the groans of the
felled goons, I heard the other boy muttering how boys weren't supposed
to gang up on girls.

"Thanks for the help," I said, sticking out my hand to him. "You
fight well for a boy. My name is Megumi." He looked at my hand, and then
gave me a strange look before shaking it tentatively.

"I'm Ukyou," he said.

I grinned up at him. "So, you do this sort of thing often, saving
lives?"

He grinned back. "Not normally, no. Are you okay?"

"Sure, I'm fine," I said, taking in a deep breath through my teeth.

He looked at me again, and said, "No, you're lying. You've hurt
your ankle, haven't you? I can tell because of the way you're standing on
it."

"But I'm not," I protested.

Ukyou smiled. "See what I mean? Let me help you home."

And that's how my friendship with Kuonji Ukyou started. He walked
me home, and explained to my parents how I hurt my ankle without mentioning
Kaneda and his goons. We started talking that evening at supper when he
insisted on preparing okonomiyaki for dessert. We found out that we liked
the same sort of things, felt the same way about martial arts and we started
training together. He explained about his fighting style while giving me
pointers on my own and we got along great.

He walked my brother and me home from school everyday. At first I
thought that he was doing that just to protect me, but then I realized that
he really wanted to be around someone that didn't ask stupid questions about
his cooking or his other habits. He needed a friend.

We talked about everything. I found him to be, well to put it
bluntly, the sibling I never had. He didn't brag or boast like all the
other boys did. He was quiet and reserved, a little melancholy, but on the
whole, fun to be with. He never made fun of me, never talked down to me,
and just understood me.

There's one thing that understood, though, and that was about his
past. He mentioned his father every now and then, like someone would
mention an acquaintance, or someone you met on the street. Every time I
asked him about his childhood, he would clam up immediately, his brows
would darken and a strange sneer of malevolence crossed his lips. And once,
I caught him killing a tree in the park. That was the only time I was
afraid of Ukyou. He was vengeance personified. I wasn't surprised, then,
when two days later, he disappeared.

A week after, I got a letter from Ukyou. It said that he had to
leave because of a debt he had left uncollected. Ukyou was going to finally
seek the peace he'd longed for since he was six years old. He said that
he'd miss our walks, and that we'd always be the best of friends. The
postmark read Nerima, Tokyo. My eyes watered up, and I pounded my fist on
my bedspread. It was then that I realized that I was in love with my best
friend.

Well, after that revelation, there was only one thing left to do.
I finished out the school year, and gathered up all my savings to take a
holiday trip. I kissed my parents and brother goodbye, and boarded the
train to Tokyo.

I just hope Ukyou still remembers me.

CHAPTER ONE

Not five minutes into the train ride, I started to wonder if I was
doing the right thing. I sat back in my seat and thought back to that day
when my feelings for Ukyou started to change.

I couldn't find him anywhere. He wasn't waiting at the corner where
he usually waited for my brother and me. I walked my brother home, and then
ran back to the spot, hoping that I could find Ukyou there. No such luck.
I went back to the temple, to the arcade, to all the places where we went
together. Still no sign of Ukyou. I was passing the park when I noticed a
glint of metal through the trees, deep into the wooded area.

Weaving my way around the people milling in the walkways, I
rushed to that spot. When I got there, I saw something I will never forget.
Ukyou was wearing an okonomiyaki chef's outfit, holding only his big combat
spatula. He had squared off against the biggest tree in the park, his feet
planted and his eyes steeled. Then he attacked.

His combat spatula whizzed through the air in complex patterns,
almost too quickly for me to watch. He jabbed and feinted, his opponent
whirling and kicking around and above him. It was a beautiful sight.
Then I heard him shout, "Ranma! This is the day you die!" And then he
proceeded to slice through the tree as if it were mere butter. As he
attacked and sliced and screamed, my ears were pounding. I couldn't
believe my eyes. My Ukyou, the calmest, most centered person in the
universe was a fury personified, a whirling dervish of raw anger. For one
brief moment a glimmer of indigo light shone around Ukyou. Then it
flickered out as the tree began to fall.

It landed heavily, and no matter what those Zen koans tell you,
when a tree that big falls, everyone can hear it. I jumped back in
surprise and that's when my surprised eyes locked with his dark angry ones.
I was truly afraid in that moment. I got the feeling that if Ukyou wanted
to, he could cut me down in a flurry of strokes without me even noticing
the pain. I didn't even know that my feet were taking me to him until
we were face to face.

"Ukyou, what are you doing?" I asked. I knew it was a stupid
question the minute it left my mouth, but I had to know what was going on.

"You wouldn't understand," he snorted. "It's a guy thing."

"Please, tell me what's going on," I pleaded. "How can I help you
if you don't tell me what's happening. What was that," and I gestured
to the fallen tree, "all about?"

"I said, you wouldn't understand," he replied, gathering up his
things. "Go home, Megumi. Just go home and leave me alone. I don't need
your help."

Well, right then I got pissed, for lack of a better word. I
reached out for his shoulders, and spun him around. I placed one hand
on each shoulder and held him firm. "Like hell you don't need my help!
You demolish an innocent tree over 'a guy thing?' Ukyou, honey, if that
isn't a cry for help, I don't know what is!" I softened my tone and
loosened my grip. "I'm here to help you. We're best friends, right?"

His eyes widened in surprise. "You mean it, Meg-chan?" he asked
in wonder. "You think we're best friends?"

"Of course we are, silly," I answered. "I always mean what I
say, Uk-san." Looking straight into his eyes, I pronounced, "You are
my best friend, Ukyou, and I will never let you forget it."

He started to cry then, ugly wrenching sobs. I held him tightly and
borrowed from my mom all the soothing gestures and words she used on me
when ever I was hurting that badly. He clutched at me and howled his
sadness into my shoulder. I felt so protective right then. I felt that
whoever this Ranma person is, he better not meet me anytime soon.

As his sobbing subsided, he pulled back from me, a little
embarrassed. "Guys don't cry," he said, rubbing his eyes on his arm.

"Yes, they do," I insisted, pulling out a handkerchief from my
pocket. "They're just too stupid to admit it."

Ukyou laughed, and I began to wipe the tears from his eyes. He
caught my hand easily, as to forestall me and suddenly, I realized how
firm his grip was. I saw his hand for the first time, small, but firm,
callused from years of working as a chef, but still gentle. He saw
mine, and then we saw each other.

My heart was beating so loud I thought he could hear it. For a
moment, it was just me and Ukyou, alone in the world. Two people in
a bond, responsible only for each other. I leaned forward slightly,
and so did he. Our eyes locked for the second time this day, only they
were filled with meaning, instead of fear and anger. We leaned in a
little more closer and then-

A voice rang out from behind us. "Who is responsible for this
mess!" We turned to see one of the park officials gesturing towards
the tree. The spell was broken. I broke away from Ukyou to try an come
up with an explanation. I was so busy talking to the official that I
didn't even notice Ukyou slip away.

That was the last time I saw him. I sighed and sat forward in
my seat on the train. When I decided to go after Ukyou, I didn't know
what I was going to find. Would I find my best friend? Or would I find
a murderer? I think I made my decision as I passed that same park one
day. I knelt at the spot where the tree stood. I realized that no one
would ever remember him except for me, and I had to find Ukyou.

The train started slowing down as it entered the Nerima station.
The sun was almost setting and I got off the train with the rest of the
commuters. They had people to go home to. So did I.

I didn't know where to start looking for Ukyou, but I knew I was
in the right city when I saw a small advertisement in the waiting room
at the station. It was for a new okonomiyaki shop in the business district.
The name of the restaurant was Ucchan's. I figured that if Ukyou was to
get a job anywhere, it would probably be at an okonomiyaki shop. He might
even be the head chef!

When I reached the restaurant, the dinner hour was in full swing.
A pretty girl called out the welcome, and I took a seat near the back.
She was about to take my order when a couple entered. Instantly, the
room fell quiet. The waitress glared at the couple, the boy in particular.
He was dressed in a Chinese shirt and a pair of baggy trousers. He, in
turn, glared at the waitress.

The tension broke when the chef barked at the waitress, "Tsubasa!
Get out of my restaurant! You are not a waitress here! Get out!" The
chef bounded over the counter and with one quick motion flung the erring
waitress out the door. He slammed down the spatula and the customers
returned to their meals.

I couldn't believe my eyes. It was him. "Ukyou!" I shouted.

He turned and a huge smile spread across his face. "Megumi!
What are you doing out here?"

I held up the letter. "I got your message. Thought I'd stop in
to see how my best friend was doing!"

The boy in the Chinese shirt bristled and the girl beside him
elbowed him fiercely in the gut. Ukyou's smile faltered as
she took in what I just said. I began to worry.

"Listen, Ukkun, I just got in, and I'm beat to hell," I continued
ignoring the boy's gaping look. "Can't you give a proper welcome to your
best friend?" I walked over to Ukyou and gave him a big hug.

That's when I noticed that something was very different about Ukyou.
He was wearing a white bow in his hair, like a hair band. And his hair was
flowing down his back. And when I hugged him, I knew that something was
terribly wrong.

Ukyou Kuonji had breasts.

CHAPTER TWO

Megumi stepped back a little, and I could tell what she was
backing away from. She looked at me, really looked at me, and started to
giggle.

Her giggle grew louder and louder, and she finally started to belly
laugh, drawing odd stares from Ranma and Akane. She clutched her stomach
and howled all the while pointing at me and shaking her head.

"Ukkun," she laughed, "you know, for a minute there, I thought
you had breasts!" She laughed again, this time slightly hysterically.
I saw Ranma grimace at the sound. It was eerie to hear it coming
from Megumi. "I must be really tired! Because if you really do have
breasts, then you wouldn't be Ukyou Kuonji, would you?"

I scratched the back of my head, and gave a sheepish grin. "No,"
I said. "I'm not the Ukyou Kuonji you know." I didn't know what
else to say. Of all the people I have ever known in my life, she is both
the first and the last one I had ever wanted to meet again.

"That's what I thought," she said, her giggles subsiding.
Megumi edged towards the door. "No, you're not Ukyou, and I'm in the
wrong place. I'm sorry to have troubled you folks." She turned to
leave and found Ranma standing in her way. "Excuse me," she said.
"I have to find Ukyou."

Ranma gave her a funny look and opened his mouth. Before I
knew what I was doing, I crossed the distance and clamped my hand tightly
over his mouth, effectively shutting him up. "Go on, now," I said,
"and I wish you luck."

Megumi paused at the door, then opened it briskly and took off into
the evening. I had almost forgotten how quickly she could run when she
wanted to. Right now, she was running like a demon was after her.

The restaurant was deathly still. All the customers had turned
in their seats to watch the little drama play out. I felt the weight of
a dozen pairs of eyes on me, daring me to explain what just happened. I
snapped.

I slammed my spatula down on one of the tables real hard. "Eat!"
I screamed. They all turned back to their dinners muttering about the
incident. I knew, that within hours, the gossip mill of Nerima would
be all a-buzz over the latest incident in Ucchan's. That was the last
thing I needed.

Ranma leaned over and inquired, "So who is she? Another loopy person
from your past?"

Akane shoved him in the shoulder. "As if your past isn't any more
loopier." She turned towards me with a look of compassion. "Is she a
friend of yours?" she asked gently.

Tears began to form in my eyes. I brushed them back with my arm.
"Yes," I replied, "she was a real good friend of mine. She was probably
the only person who really understood me." I looked out the window
into the night. "She probably hates me now."

Akane smiled, "I don't think things would be all that bad."

Sometimes Akane's optimism is so blinding that it borders on Kasumi-
ness. I managed a weak smile in return. "I think they might. Listen,
Akane. I don't ask you for favors much, but this is a real big one.
Could you try and find her?" I asked. "I have the feeling that she's
gone somewhere else in the business district to try and look for me.
Can you put her up for the night?"

"What will I say to her?"

"Say that you're a friend of mine and that I heard she was here." I
paused. "And please, promise me you won't tell her I'm not a boy--"

Ranma interrupted, "Why not?"

I sighed. "It's a long story, and I'll tell you tomorrow, Ranchan.
Please, find her."

Akane smiled again. It's almost contagious the way she does that.
"It would be my pleasure." She grabbed Ranma by the shoulder. "C'mon,
baka," she said.

"Hey, I don't want to go looking for some crazy girl," he protested.
"I wanna find out what's going on."

"Please, Ranchan, go with her," I begged. "I want to be alone right
now."

Ranma looked like he was about to argue the point, but Akane
gave him another strong poke in the shoulder, and the both of them left
the restaurant. After that, the evening dragged closer and closer to
quitting time. As I cooked and avoided the prying eyes of my customers,
I thought about Megumi. I thought about what might have brought her all
the way to Nerima to find me. And I shuddered at the thought. Finally,
when the last customer left the shop, and the grill was
turned off, and the lights dimmed, I began to cry.

I didn't get much sleep that night. I kept wondering if Megumi
was alright, if she was mad, if she would stay. Most of all, I was
hoping Akane would keep her promise and not tell her anything.

The following day, I didn't open the restaurant. I sat there
in the dark, my mind going around in circles. Tsubasa knocked on the
door several times, but I didn't even move to spatulate him. I just kept
thinking and worrying.

I was about to go over to the Tendou's when I heard a knock at
my door. Enough was enough. I yanked the door open and screamed, "Get
away from me, you cross dressing freak!"

"Gee, if that's the way you treat your friends, I'd hate to see how
you treat your enemies," Ranma grinned. Akane was standing next to him,
a strange expression on her face.

My heart leaped. "Is there anything wrong? Did she stay in
Nerima? Did you get to her in time?"

"Yes, we did," Akane replied. "Megumi's resting up at our house
right now. She had a long train ride and she said she was exhausted
from the trip." Akane cocked her head at me. "She also kept asking me
about you."

I froze. "What did you tell her?"

Akane smiled. "I kept my promise, like you asked me to."

I sagged against the doorway. Ranma stuck his hands in his pockets
and whistled. "So, she thinks you're a guy?"

I grinned weakly. "Yeah, it seems to be my curse in life."

Ranma flinched and I asked them to come inside. Automatically
I started up the grill and began cooking their orders. When the
okonomiyaki were steaming on their plates, I began to speak.

"Remember when I made that vow, never to live as a woman
again? I took it seriously. So did my parents. So much, that they
forced me to go to school in another city and take on a whole new
identity. I couldn't tell anyone, because to do so would compromise
my family honor. So, everywhere I went, I was a boy."

I looked down at my hands. "I never made any friends because
I went to all-boys' schools, and I didn't like any of the boys. They
were all bullies. One day, I caught some of them overpowering
a girl in a temple garden. I guess you could say I snapped. I
went into samurai mode and stepped into help her." I grinned at the
memory. "But Megumi proved that she could handle herself in a fight;
that day, she was just outnumbered. I helped her home, and that's
how we became friends."

"Hey, that sounds pretty normal," Ranma said. "So why'd she
follow you here?"

I lied, "I don't know. Maybe she just got worried about me." I
changed the subject. "That's not important now. All I need to do is
get her out of here. I can't let her see me like this."

"Wait a second, Ukyou," Akane broke in, "You're not ever going
to tell her the truth?"

I shook my head. "I'll go visit her at your house tomorrow,
let her know I'm fine and get her back on that train. She'll thank
me for it later."

Akane stood up. "I think that's a rotten thing to do. She came
all this way, and you're just going to tell her to buzz off?" She leaned
over the counter towards me. "I may not have told her about your
gender like I promised you, but I did tell her about you. She's real
excited to see you. I'm not going to let you do this to her."

"Oh, come on, Akane," Ranma interrupted. "Let Ukyou handle
this in her own way. She don't need you butting into her business."

Akane growled at Ranma. "Oh really, Mr. Know-it-All?
What do you think she should do?"

Ranma shrugged. "If it were me, I'd walk up to her and say,
'Gee, you've been real nice to come all the way out here, but I can't
let you stay. I have a secret life-threatening illness, and I have
only four days to live.'"

I looked at Ranma as if he'd turned into a panda. "You really
are your father's son, aren't you?"

Ranma bristled, "Hey! He may not be the smartest man in the
world, but he's right about some things. Like telling the
truth only gets you a table in the head." Ranma glared at Akane
while he said this, and I knew what was coming next.

As I watched them argue, I thought about what Ranma said.
Of course I couldn't lie like that; I couldn't tell her the truth,
either. She would never believe me, and most importantly,
she'd hate me forever.

Akane booted Ranma out the window, and slammed her mallet onto
the counter. "Honestly, he's got no sensitivity whatsoever!" she
huffed.

I suppressed a grin. "You're no better, Akane Tendou,
and you know it."

Akane's eyes widened, and then she settled down. "Well anyway,
there's something else Megumi told me." She paused and fidgeted with
her fork. "She said that she thinks she might be in love with you."

I sighed. "I was afraid of that. Now I know I can't tell
her I'm really a girl."

"All the more reason to tell her, Ukyou," Akane replied. "You
may think that she'll hate you for it, but it will all work out in
the end." Akane turned to leave. "At least say you'll come for
dinner tonight?" she asked. "I told Megumi I'd at least try for that.
What do you say?"

"I don't know, Akane. We'll see."

Akane stopped by the door and turned to give me one last pleading
look. I turned my head away, and I heard her close the door, shuffle over
to Ranma and heft him over her shoulder.

I went back to my supply closet and got out the spare building
materials. As I repaired the window, I pounded out my decision.

WHAM! I go. WHAM! I don't go. WHAM! I tell her. WHAM!
I don't tell her.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Needless to say, dusk approached very quickly.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

TO BE CONTINUED......