***  ###  ***

Ukyou, Akane and Shampoo stood watching anxiously as the phalanx of doctors
poked and prodded at Ranma, eliciting occasional pained squawks and an odd
yelp or two.  The doctors were muttering quietly among themselves, and
issuing instructions to various nurse type persons who were standing ready
to assist.  None of the girls could make out a word of what was being said.
Finally, one of the doctors took pity on them and came over to explain
what was going on.  As he approached, the others gathered their tools and
left, with the exception of one nurse who was wielding a couple of wicked
looking hypodermics.

Before the doctor could even open his mouth, he was met with a torrent of
questions from the anxious girls.  Finally, he held up his hands in
surrender.  "Please, please..." he said.  "Let me talk, then I'll try to
answer your questions...  ...one at a time," he added.

Chastened, the girls waited to hear what the doctor had to say.

"First of all," he began, "As you have already noticed, Ranma is out of his
coma.  Unless there is a drastic change in the next twenty four hours or
so, I feel safe in saying that he is out of immediate danger."

The relieved sighs that greeted that news made the doctor smile.
"Furthermore, while we will have to do some tests to be sure, there does
not appear to be any brain damage or memory loss.  At this point, we expect
Ranma to make a full recovery just as fast as his body can heal itself.  He
is a remarkable young man.  Now, are there any questions?"

Ukyou was first.  "Sensei," she asked, "We will be allowed to stay with
him, won't we?"

"I don't see any reason why not.  As long as the patient doesn't object."

Akane was next.  "When will Ranma be able to come home?"  she asked.

"Well, we will want to keep him under observation for a while, but he can
probably go by the end of a week or ten days.  Will that be soon enough for
you?"

"Hai!" answered Akane.  "Arigatou!"

Not to be left out, Shampoo also had a question.  "When you let Ranma have
real foods again?  Shampoo want make special ramen for him!  No can feel
better eating hospital food.  Yuck!"

The doctor had to smile again at that.  "He should be on solid food again
after three or four days.  Talk to me then, and I'll outline his dietary
restrictions, until he is well, ne?"

"Haiyaah!" said Shampoo.

"One last thing.  Don't be surprised if Ranma sleeps a lot during the next
few days.  His body has been through a lot, and it will take most of his
energy to heal.  It's perfectly normal in cases like this.  I'll go now,
but I'll be back to check on all of you later."

As the doctor left the room, Ukyou, Shampoo and Akane gathered around
Ranma's bed.  Ranma looked up at them and grinned drowsily.  "What
happened?  Did we win?  You girls look terrible."

"You don't look so hot yourself, Ran-chan." sniffed Ukyou happily.

Ranma looked at Akane, and his expression sobered.  "Akane," he said, "I'm
sorry...  I never meant to hurt you..."  Ranma's eyes started to close
despite his best efforts to keep them open.  He was trying to stay awake,
but he simply didn't have the energy.  "Never... never wanted to hurt...
hurt any of you..." and then Ranma fell silent.

"I know, Ranma..." said Akane softly, "We know."

***  ###  ***

Ranma's recovery was incredibly rapid.  The doctors were continually amazed
at the rate at which his body healed itself.  Bruises which would have
remained on any normal person for weeks were already starting to fade.
Surgical scars were changing to become little more than angry pink lines.
Swelling and inflammation would go down almost fast enough to watch.  All
in all, the doctors were highly pleased with the results.  One or two of
them were even muttering things about blood tests, and patentable serums
from time to time.

When Akane and Ukyou told them some of the things that Ranma had been
through in the course of his training, they almost wouldn't believe them.
One of the doctors expressed the opinion that Ranma just could not be
human.

***  ###  ***

Once news of Ranma's improving condition got around, the visits started.

Genma came by to visit his son with a teary eyed Soun in tow.  For some
reason that he could no put his finger on, Ranma was intensely relieved to
see his father.  Soun looked like he might say something when he saw that
Ukyou and Shampoo were there, but a glare from Akane silenced him.  Neither
of them would shut up about how happy they were to see that the
Saotome/Tendou alliance was secure.

Dr. Tofu dropped in to see his most regular patient, and to check on his
progress.  He was quite pleased with Ranma's rate of recovery.  Fortunately
for Ranma, Tofu had already left when Kasumi stopped in.

Even Nabiki managed to drop by...  "After all," she said.  "I'd hate to
lose my primary source of income!  In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I
couldn't afford it."  She paused and looked briefly at her younger sister,
working on her knitting.  She lowered her voice.  "I really wouldn't want
to see anything happen to you, Ranma."

Nabiki's point was made when Kunou came by for a visit.  Ranma didn't
really feel like dealing with him just yet, but Kunou was insistent.  He
had a ticket, he claimed, sold to him by Tendou Nabiki.  He had paid dearly
for it, and he meant to use it.  Ranma finally decided that the fastest way
to get rid of him was to let him in.

Kunou swept into the room with his usual egotistical flair.  Once more,
Ranma wondered how he got his head through the doors.  Kunou glared down at
his rival for a long moment before speaking.

"So... you will live after all.  Truly, Saotome, the Gods have been
merciful with you."  Kunou paused for a beat, staring out into space.
"Akane said that if you were to die, the pig-tailed one would also
wither..." Ranma looked meaningfully at Akane, who grinned back at him.
Ranma scowled.  Kunou looked grave.  "I know not what your hold on her
might be, Saotome, but know ye this; I Kunou Tatewaki vow that it shall be
broken!  I shall free her from your evil magic if it is the last thing that
I do!"

Ranma rolled his eyes.  The idiot still just didn't get it.  After Kunou
stalked out of the room, he leaned over toward Akane and said, "Akane, do
me a favour, please?"  Akane nodded expectantly.  "Make sure that Nabiki
knows that if she sells a ticket to Kodachi... I will strangle her."

Akane stuck her tongue out at him, but she was still grinning.

***  ###  ***

Ranma was elated when the Doctor told him that he could have solid food
again.  Then he remembered where he was, and his enthusiasm for the idea
waned considerably.  He had never heard anything good about hospital food.
He imagined that it might even be almost as bad as Akane's cooking, but for
once he was smart enough not to say anything.

When mealtime came, Ranma was a bit apprehensive, but the nurses with
dinner trays passed his room without so much as slowing down.  Ranma was a
little confused.  He distinctly remembered the doctor saying that he was to
have real food today.  He was still pondering this anomaly when a cart came
trundling into the room, but this one was being pushed by Shampoo.  He
looked up curiously.

Shampoo smiled and lifted the lid from the first tray on her cart.  The
smell of hot ramen hit Ranma like one of Shampoo's bonbori - his mouth
began to water and his stomach growled.  Shampoo set the tray in front of
him with a flourish, handed him a small towel and some chopsticks, and
stepped back looking rather smug.

Ranma looked at her in amazement.  "You cooked this Shampoo?" he asked.

Shampoo nodded.  "Doctor say you no have to eat hospital food.  Eat Shampoo
food instead.  He say you strong enough for ramen today, maybe more
tomorrow."

Ranma's effusive thanks were somewhat muffled.  It is difficult to speak
clearly with your mouth full.  Shampoo just smiled and handed the others
their food.

***  ###  ***

The next morning was to mark another milestone in Ranma's recovery.  For
the first time since his mangled body had been rushed to the medical
centre, Ranma was going to be allowed to stand up and try to walk.  Akane
had agreed to assist and was lecturing the patient ("Now *there's* a
misnomer," Ukyou had observed) on what the doctors had told her to expect.

"Remember, Ranma," she was saying, "the doctor said that this is going to
be hard for you at first - you've been through a lot, and you've been
unconscious for a week - don't expect to jump right up, okay?"

Ranma rolled his eyes and looked impatient.  "Can we get on with this
please, *nurse*?" he asked.

Akane bristled.  "Ranma, you're tough but you're not indestructible, you know."

"Feh." said Ranma.  "You spend a couple of weeks in bed and see how patient
*you* are."  He tossed back the covers and sat up.  A wave of dizziness
washed over him, but it passed quickly.

"See?" Akane said.  "Please, be careful!"

"Feh." said Ranma again.  He hopped gracefully to his feet and stood there
smirking at Akane.  The smirk faded rapidly as Ranma went a funny grey
colour and started to waver.  He flailed once and pitched forward - right
into Akane's outstretched arms.  She held him until he started to regain
his balance.

"Baka."  she said gently.

Ranma opened his mouth to issue his stock response, but bit it back.  There
had been a warm tone to Akane's voice that he had quite liked.  He looked
into her eyes and found himself growing dizzy again.  She held him until it
passed and he was once more able to stand on his own.  His irritation
dissolved and he smiled uncertainly.

"Arigatou, Akane..."

Akane grinned at him and took a step back.  "C'mon, now!" she said,
laughter in her voice.  "No slacking off!"

Ranma grinned back and stepped cautiously to follow.

***  ###  ***

The day he walked again, there was Ucchan's okonomiyaki for dinner.  Ranma
ate like a man possessed, much to Ukyou's delight.  There was certainly
nothing wrong with Ranma's appetite, and the doctors all agreed that this
was further evidence that the patient was making excellent progress.  The
mood had shifted in the past few days from apprehensive to celebratory.

***  ###  ***

Ranma was working hard to restore his system to a daily exercise regimen,
and the harder he pushed himself, the better he felt.  He was the only one
who was not entirely satisfied with his progress, even though it had only
been a couple of days between those first tentative steps and his current
jogging regimen through the hospital corridors and his workouts in the
exercise rooms.

The evenings were a joy for Ranma.  After a good day's workout, he really
enjoyed laying back and listening to Ukyou read him one of her books, just
talking quietly with one or more of the girls, or even listening as the
girls talked among themselves.

In fact, he had decided that this past week had been one of the most
pleasant in recent memory.  It amazed him that all three of his iinazuke
had been together for so long with so little friction.  <It really is too
bad that it can't be like all the time.> he thought to himself.  <If they
always got along so well, my life would be paradise.>

That was not to say that everything had gone smoothly all of the time.  At
one point there had been an argument between Akane and Shampoo that Ranma
had been afraid might come to blows.  Ranma had groaned loudly and both
girls had been instantly at his side, their own disagreement forgotten.

Ranma made it a point to enjoy the calm while it lasted.

***  ###  ***

Late in the afternoon on the day before Ranma was scheduled for release, a
nurse came into the room carrying a tray full of small bottles, a bowl and
sponge, and a large pitcher of water.  She chased the girls out.  There
were a few tests that she had instructions to perform, she said, and some
medications for Ranma to take.  Besides, it was time for the patient's
bath.  Iinazuke or not, it would not have been proper for them to stay in
the room.  The girls agreed to wait outside, but under mild protest.

As they left the room, Ranma was protesting loudly that he didn't need to
be tested, he didn't want any medicine, thankyou, that he could *certainly*
bathe himself, and would she please just leave him the hell alone?  They
headed to the lounge opposite the nurses' station to wait.  Ukyou sat down
with her book while Akane resumed her knitting.  She was working on a scarf
this time, and so far, she hadn't had one tangle, or dropped a single
stitch.  Shampoo decided that she would go back to the Nekohanten and bring
back dinner for the lot of them.  Ranma's appetite of late had been
particularly good.

They had just been waiting for a few moments when a scream echoed down the
corridor from the direction of Ranma's room.  Akane and Ukyou looked at
each other, and then looked down the hall.  As they watched, Ranma's door
flew open, and a very pale nurse went tearing down the hallway, still
screaming at the top of her lungs.

Ukyou blinked and leaned over to Akane.  "What do you bet she dumped that
pitcher on him?" she asked in a stage whisper.  Akane could only nod.

Akane trotted off to find some hot water while Ukyou looked in on a damp
and angry Ranma-chan.  "Looks like things are about back to normal!" she
said.  Ranma-chan just glared.

***  ###  ***

Finally, the day had come that Ranma would be going home.  He was glad to
be leaving the Medical Centre, but in a way, he was sad to see the week
end.  It had been so peaceful.  Ranma was sure that he could get used to
peace like that.  Still, the price as marked was way too high.  There would
be no regrets.  He just hoped that he could manage to keep his
relationships from backsliding into quite so deep a mess as they had
previously been.  He knew that he was going to have to work on being more
patient, and more understanding.  If that was what it took to make Akane
smile more often, then he was going to give it a try.

Akane had been to the dojo and returned with some clothes for him to wear
home.  She had brought slacks and shoes, and one of his favourite shirts.
She had been unable to find any of his shorts, so she had actually stopped
and bought him a pair of new boxers.  It had taken all of Ranma's self
control to just smile and thank her when he had seen them.  Little hearts!
Really!  A guy just didn't wear things like that!  Still, it wasn't like
anyone was going to see them, and it had been a very nice gesture on her
part.  And for once, he had managed not to spoil it.  Things were
definitely looking up.

Ranma lay in his bed and watched as his iinazuke packed their things in
preparation for their departure.  After they were packed, he would dress,
and they would all walk back to the dojo together.  Rumor had it that there
was a party planned that evening, and Ranma was not sure whether to look
forward to it, or to worry that it might go nuclear.

Shampoo and Akane finished their packing first, and headed for the lounge
area across from the nurse's station to wait.  Ukyou finished packing the
last of her things and flashed Ranma a grin as she too headed for the
lounge.  Before she got to the door, though, Ranma called her back.

"Ucchan, chotto matte, kudasai."

Ukyou set her pack down and sat down on the bed next to Ranma.  She looked
at him curiously, waiting to see what he wanted.

Ranma dropped his voice, and looked furtively about - almost as if he were
afraid that someone else might hear what he had to say.  Of course, he just
might have been afraid of that very thing.

"Ucchan, do you remember what we were talking about at your shop just
before I got hit?  About whether or not I loved Akane?"

Ukyou nodded.  She remembered that particular conversation *very* well.

"I've been thinking about that alot over the past few days.  I think... I
think that maybe I might...  It doesn't make any sense.  She can be so...
so frustrating at times, but when I see her smile it makes all of that go
away.  She really is cute when she smiles, you know..."

Ukyou was trying hard to keep a neutral expression.  There was a great,
hard knot forming in the pit of her stomach.  Her dreams were all coming
crashing down around her ears, but at the same time, she was here now,
hearing these... these *terrible* secrets, because Ranma *trusted* her.
Not trusting herself to speak, she nodded for Ranma to continue.

"Of course," said Ranma jokingly, "If you tell her any of this, I'll deny it."

Ukyou managed a wan smile at that.  "Don't worry, Ran-chan... your secret
is safe with me."

Ranma's expression sobered.  "I know it is, Ucchan.  You always have been
the friend that I could count on."

Ukyou started to get up.  "I better go join the others, I guess..." she began.

Ranma grabbed her wrist before she could really move.  "Please, Ucchan...
wait.  There's more that I want... no, more that I *need* to say to you."

Ukyou looked mildly uncomfortable, but nodded, and made no further move to
leave.

Ranma paused for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts.  "You of all
people know just how much grief Pop has caused me with this whole marriage
business..."

Ukyou nodded again.  She did indeed.

"Well, the problem is more complicated than that...  Y'see, I've also been
thinking a lot about the other question that you asked me... If I thought
it was *important* that I love the person that I was going to marry."

<Oh God, here it comes,> thought Ukyou.  <Dammit, Ranma, *I* love you too!
More than Akane does!>

"Just suppose for a minute that I *did* love Akane enough to marry her...
Pop would be happy, Mr. Tendou would be happy, Akane might be happy, or she
might not.  She would have to love me too, wouldn't she?  I mean isn't it
just as important that the person I marry loves me too?"

"Well, yes... I suppose so..." Ukyou conceded...

"But you see?  I don't know if Akane loves me or not.  Heck, most of the
time I don't think she even likes me - let alone loves me.  Then if I
married her, I'd be making her miserable... and I don't want to do that..."

Ukyou thought about telling Ranma about the conversations that she had held
with Akane while he was still in his coma - but decided that it was not her
place to betray Akane's confidence anymore than she would betray Ranma's.
Besides - Akane had been no more definite in her feelings than Ranma had.
Best not to meddle.

"On the other hand, there's the matter of honour." Ranma continued.  "All
three of you are each sure that your own claim is the most valid, and I
don't know who's right!  The Tendou claim is the oldest, so old man Tendou
is sure that Akane's is the true engagement."

Ranma paused to catch his breath and take a very *careful* sip of water.
"Then there's Shampoo... According to the laws of her tribe, she and I are
already married.  The only thing saving me there is that we're in Japan,
not China."

Ukyou nodded again, still not trusting herself to speak, or knowing what
she would say if she did.

"That leaves you, Ucchan."  Ranma paused for a moment, choosing his words
with care.  "When your dad made that deal with Pop for us to marry, he put
up his yattai as the dowry... and Pop *took* it.  For honour to be
satisfied, I *have* to marry you, too!"

<So... this is what tachycardia feels like,> thought Ukyou in a detached
fashion.

"You see, Ucchan?  Without even considering love, I can't win.  If I marry
one to satisfy honour, then honour is lost on the other two.  Love just
makes it worse.  I mean I think that I might love Akane, but what really,
is love?"

"What do you mean?" Love is... well... love."

"Uh huh," said Ranma.  "Now you see.  I've heard all the things that love
is supposed to be...  You know, if you love someone then you want to be
near them, you want to protect them, you want them to be happy and all of
that.  And of course, when they are happy, you're supposed to feel good,
and if they're hurt, you feel bad."

"So?  That seems pretty straight forward to me." said Ukyou.

"Does it?" asked Ranma.  "Where does friendship end, and love begin?
Ucchan, when I was six, you were my best friend.  Back then I didn't even
know that you were a girl!  But I felt that way about you then, and I do
now."

Ukyou's head snapped up.  "Na... nani?!"

"Y'see?  No matter who I marry, someone that I care about gets hurt.  And I
don't have any idea what to do about it."  Ranma looked off into the
distance for a moment.

"What are you saying, Ran-chan?"

Ranma sighed.  "You know, I was talking to the head nurse the other day."

The change in topic caught Ukyou off guard.  "You were?"

"Yep.  She told me that when they first brought me in here, you were here
waiting.  That you've stayed with me the whole time I've been here."

Ukyou looked embarrassed.  "Well..."

"I'm not very good at this sort of thing, you know.  I don't talk much
about how I feel because, well... it's just not something guys do.  Besides
that, a lot of the time I'm not even sure what my feelings *are*.  But it
meant a lot to me, Ucchan.  It means a lot to know that you were here for
me - when I needed you most."

"Sometimes, I think that I'm worse than Kunou.  He tears himself apart, not
being able to choose between Akane and his 'pig-tailed girl'...  Am I any
different?"

"Well, for one thing, Ran-chan, all of us *want* you.  Can Kunou say that?"

"That's supposed to make it easier, is it?"  Ranma smiled sadly and
squeezed Ukyou's hand.  "If I choose, I hurt people that I care about.  If
I *don't* choose, I hurt people that I care about.  That's a tough game to
win.  The only safe move right now, is not to play."

"I can wait." said Ukyou.

Ranma looked hard at her.  "For how long?  This is one decision that I'm in
no hurry to make, for many obvious reasons.  If you girls were smart, you'd
find someone else.  You'd all be a lot happier."

"I guess that none of us are too bright, ne?"  Ranma winced, but Ukyou had
been smiling as she said it.

"Someday...  someday I'll *have* to decide.  That day is a long way off, I
hope, but it *will* come.  When it does..." Ranma glanced meaningfully in
the direction that Akane and Shampoo had taken a few minutes earlier, "When
it does, there is likely to be one major Dirty Pair event."

He sighed and looked up at Ukyou.  "Ucchan, please.  Try... try to find
someone else.  Someone that can be fair to you."

Ukyou's expression was unreadable.  "Is that... is that what you really
want, Ran-chan?" she asked in a small voice.

"What I want," Ranma said gently, "is for you to be happy.  I can't promise
that I'll be able to give you what you want."

"I'm willing to take my chances."

"Is that your final word?"

Ukyou nodded.

"I was afraid of that.  Now I'm stuck for sure," sighed Ranma.

"Is that really so bad, Ran-chan?"

Ranma gave her a small smile.  "I suppose it could be worse."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Do?  What *can* I do?  I still don't have any answers.  I still don't
really know how I feel about Akane or what will happen tomorrow.  What I
*do* know is that you were here for me, and that you always have been.  I
know that you're my best friend; perhaps the only real friend I've ever
had."

"No matter what the future holds, no matter who I marry, I just want you to
know..."  Ranma paused and took a deep breath.  "I just want you to know
that I...  that I...  that if I were to marry you, I know at least that I
would be marrying someone I loved.  God help you."

As Ranma fell back onto his pillow, Ukyou let out the breath that she
didn't realize she had been holding.  A smile as bright as the sun lit her
face.  At last she knew - knew that Ranma knew how she felt, and that he
loved her too.  She knew that it didn't mean that they would marry, but it
was a good start.  After a moment, she sobered a bit, and looked down at
him.

"You realize, of course, that nothing has changed.  You still have three
iinazuke.  You still have your curse, and you still have to deal with the
likes of Kunou and Happousai.  Your life is still a mess.  Once you leave
this room, it's going to be business as usual."

Ranma smiled back tiredly.  "I know.  Just do me one favour, okay?"

"Name it."

"Don't let Akane see you grinning like that... This is a nice place and
all, but I have no desire to return any time soon."

Ukyou's smile widened for a moment before she adopted a more serious
expression.  The smile didn't leave her eyes, though.  She hugged him.
"Welcome home, Ran-chan.  Welcome home."

EOF

Please send any comments, suggestions, etc to one of the following addresses:

-E-mail-
databank@mindspring.com

-Snail Mail-
c/o Anime-Niacs
PO Box 158392
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***  ###  ***

Author's Notes:

This is the first fanfic that Zen actually started, and the first that he
has actually finished.  The next one is already half done, but there is no
telling how long it will take.  In fact, there are no fewer than half a
dozen in process... >_<

Zen hopes that you enjoyed it.  Zen found writing it... entertaining.

A few notes for you continuity cops out there:

The story takes place sometime before volume 36 of the manga, where Nodoka
finds out about Ranma's curse.  In Zen's fics, Nodoka still does not know.

In fact, as far as Zen is concerned, the last four volumes of the manga
*never happened*.  (Zen has them, Zen enjoyed reading them, but then, Zen
also has a copy of Star Trek V)

"Ranma-chan" is used in the narrative to refer to Ranma's female form.  NO
ONE in Zen's fics uses it as a means of addressing Ranma except for
Happousai.  When another character refers to Ranma, they always say Ranma,
they always address her as Ranma, Ranma refers to herself as Ranma.  Only
the narrator uses Ranma-chan.  If you catch Zen in an error here, please
point it out.  Thanks.

Zen would also like to apologize formally to Shimazu Saeko, the Seiyuu that
gives Kodachi her ahh... *distinctive* voice.  Zen never has been able to
pass up a straight line.  (Zen has never been able to forget that laugh,
either.)

Zen wishes to thank Richard Lawson and Sebastian Weinberg, who graciously
volunteered to wade through this muck first, and pointed out a number of
pits that needed to be filled before opening the fic to the general public.
They were also responsible for the elimination of a few bits that *never*
should have seen the light of a computer monitor.  It would have been a LOT
worse without their help and encouragement. ^_^

Zen suggests that you read their fics, if you haven't already.  They are
both much better writers than Zen.

Richard's can be found at:
http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/sterman

and Sebastian's can be found at:
http://enterprise.mathematik.uni-essen.de/~bastian/

Please forgive Zen for his pro-Ukyou bias.  Akane fans can console
themselves with the knowledge that after this story, her chances are still
pretty good.  She may not fare so well in the next one. ^_^

Zen-