I've come to the conclusion that there is truly no other intelligent
life out there, so why the hell am I bothering to post this? :)


 
                                And Life Goes On
 
                        Part 1, chapter 7: Won't You Dream of Me?
 
        "Hey, Ucchan." Ranma greeted Ukyou.
 
        "Ran-chan! Come and take a seat." Ukyou motioned to a stool next to
 the counter, and leaned over the counter. "Where were you? I
 looked during lunch for you, but I couldn't find you."
 
        "I was walking around town." Ranma started to push
 around the ashtray on the counter with his index finger, feeling
 slightly embarrassed. "Er, Ucchan, how might you go to show a
 girl that you like her?"
 
        Ukyou felt her world get light and airy, her heart soaring. She
 had always dreamed of the day Ranma would push aside everything in
 the way of their love, sweep her up in his arms, and hear him whisper
 softly in her ears words of love and devotion. Afterwards, they'd go
 get married and begin to live their lives as one.
 
        ...Of course she'd have ratherd if she had been taken by surprise,
 instead of being asked how to do it, but why be finiqui? She had been
 waiting for so long, and did not want to add to the length of time in which
 they had been forced to live separately.
 
        "Well, you could start small... like giving her a spatula..." Not very
 romantic, but Ukyou knew how hard it was to find the right type of spatula
 for fighting, she usually had to make them herself. And if Ran-chan
 went through the trouble of finding one for her, that'd show the world
 how much he cared for her.
 
        "A spatula?" Since Ranma had no idea how to be romantic, he
 accepted this as a general rule. "I dunno, she'd get kinda violent with it."
 If he gave a spatula to Akane, that'd be only encouraging her to cook more,
 and the world was not in need to more toxic waste.
 
        Kind of hurt, Ukyou tried to think of something else. "Try telling
 her right out that you love her."
 
        Ranma eeped at the thought. If he did something so open, he knew
 that hell would be lashed upon him. Not only would his other fiancees be
 less than understanding, he would also have to worry about everyone that
 wanted Akane for themselves. "I was thinkin' of something more subtle..."
 
        "Subtle?" Ok, so maybe Ranma wanted to have a slow, smooth
 relationship. Well, Ukyou could deal with that. "A boring thing to do would
 give her roses. But it's been done so many times it's not considered all that
 romantic anymore. Instead... take her out on a date!" Ukyou's eyes started
 to shine; a date with Ran-chan, an actual, real-life date with Ran-chan! What
 should she wear? Oh, there was nothing good enough in her wardrobe. She'd
 have to go shopping, and she might as well by earrings, a purse, everything.
 A friend opinion's would hurt, either. Who should she go with?
 
        "UCCHAN!" Ukyou blinked, and realized that for the past
 few minutes Ran-chan had been trying to get her attention.
 
        "Oh, sorry. What were you saying?"
 
        "I was asking where?"
 
        "Oh, I'm sure you can come up with that much. But dress
 fancy and take her to a fancy place."
 
        "Thanks for the advice." A large and noisy crowd, a group of
 about seven or ten people, entered the restaurant. Ukyou motioned to
 a table, and she looked at Ranma. "Looks like you're gonna have your
 hands full, want me to go?" Glancing at the table, she could all ready tell
 they were going to be a hard bunch to take care of, and knowing how
 Ranma could stir up a lot of trouble...
 
        "Yeah, it might be best." Waving good-bye, Ukyou went to take
 care of her customers, and Ranma left the restaurant, barely dragging
 along his feet. If he left Ucchan's, that meant he didn't really have anywhere
 else to go, except back to the Tendo Dojo. Not there was a problem about
 the place itself, and generally he was eager to go back and relax (somewhat,
 anyway) but Akane was there. And for the first time ever, he wanted to see
 her and   he admitted it. But at the same time, he didn't, because he might ask
 her out. Something his pride had never allowed him to do; and just because
for once he let his defenses down didn't mean he'd do it.
        Then he remembered; she wasn't home, she was at the movies! Ranma 
felt safe enough to go home, now. Confident that he would get a grip on 
himself by the time she got home, he happily walked back.
 
 
 
 
        Near the center of Kuno's meditation room sat a new poster; not one
 of the pig-tailed girl, nor of Tendo Akane. It was of the creep Saotome
 Ranma; this one time Kuno allowed  a reminder that Saotome Ranma existed in this
 chamber, since Kuno considered to be an excellent picture indeed. This new
 pose of Ranma's suited him well; he was one of him falling after Kuno's
 powerful strike. The poster was surrounded by sneering pig-tailed-girls and
 Tendo Akanes. (Obviously at Ranma) The poster had cost quite a bundle,
 over regular price of a set of five photos, but to Kuno, price meant nothing.
 
        "Ah, my pig-tailed girl! At long last you no longer need fear Saotome
 Ranma! I wish I could see thee, so that I could tell the great
  news, but I know not of your location. Tendo Akane, you no longer
 have a fiancee! We soon enough shall be engaged, worry not about
 that-"
 
        Kuno's speeches of love directed to his many photos were
 interrupted, however, when one of the walls were knocked down. He
 stared at the hole, not noticing the person that stood there. Instead,
 he began to remove the rubble in a frantic rescue his photos. 
 
        "What you do?" He did notice the fact that there was now a
 foot in his face. Irked, he pushed the foot away.
 
        "How dare you destroy my precious collection! Even if you are
 a pretty girl, you have no right to destroy this museum of the greatest
 beauty on this earth." Grimacing, Shampoo threw her arms around
 Kuno. "I'm sorry, but I all ready have two true loves." He pushed her
 away with ease, mostly because Shampoo wanted to be pushed away.
 
        "You no worry anymore about other women you like." Kuno
 didn't like the sound of that.
 
        "What do you mean, I 'no worry anymore?' Have you hurt them
 in any way?! If you have even TOUCHED  them, you sh-"
 
        "No, but you are now... now Shampoo's husband." Turning her
 face to the other side, she hugged Kuno again. "We are officially
 married." 
 
        "I-is that so?...." Again he tried to push her away, but Shampoo
 clenched her eyes, and held him a little tighter. "I understand your 
 feelings, but it would be cruel of me to take one anymore loves."
 
        "They no love you. Only I l-l" Luckily, before Shampoo had to
 force out the next two words, Kuno rudely interrupted her.
 
        "Oh, even if they've never said aloud how much they adore me,
 I know it to be a fact that they do. I can see it in their eyes." Shampoo
 was almost crying now, to have to go after Kuno. "Oh! I am sorry,
 I never intended to upset thee so mu-" After gathering her courage,
 Shampoo pressed her lips against his.
 
        <Oh, I so sorry Ranma.>
 


	Hmm... I have a way to out everything back to normal. (ie. Make
Ranma Shampoo's husband again) But I'm not sure I want to, I like 
this new couple. ^_^
	Oh, and Ranma's not being mean to Ukyou, he's just truly
ignorant when it comes to women. :)
	To anybody that hasn't read the first two chapters,
or has and forgotten what happend, don't think Ranma's new behavious
is out of the blue, there's a reason. Go pick up a copy at 
ftp@ranma.net .:)


	Isabel Arantes
		terrin@netcom.com