Hello all!  I have changed the name of my fanfic from "Money" to "The
Money Pit" at the request of Stefan Gagne.  Stefen already wrote
"Ranma 1/2: Money"  So as to not cause any further confusion, the
name has been changed.


Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction
"The Money Pit- Part Two"
by Suds-kun (suds1964@tir.com)

============================================
Ranma 1/2 characters are created by and copyright Rumiko Takahashi.
Published by Shogakukan Inc. and VIZ Comm.
Story copyright Shaun Schillinger.
Intended for the sole non-profit use of R.T. fans.
============================================

"And that's the last time I saw her." Ranma said as he finished his
third okonomiyaki.

Ukyo looked at him and tried as hard as she could to keep from
jumping up and down and screaming in joy.  She only allowed a small
smile to come to her lips.  "And that was how many days ago,
Ran-chan?" she asked, trying to make it look she was really concerned
for him.

"About two weeks ago." he said, as he dug into his fourth
okonomiyaki.

"Where have you been staying?" she asked with genuine concern.

"Oh, sometimes in the park, up in the trees. Or other places, it's
just like when we were on our training trips. This past week has been
a real nightmare." Ranma rolled his eyes for emphasis.  "Happosai
took pop and me on one of his 'training' trips.  We went to this
remote town where there was an old hot spring.  You can probably
guess what happened.  Pop and I got out alive and left the old lech
to face his 'admirers'."  Ranma laughed as Ukyo set another
okonomiyaki in front of him.

"I'm just glad your back, Ran-chan." her smile grew a little.  "Where
are you going to stay, now that your training trip is over?"

Ranma swallowed his mouthful of okonomiyaki, "Pop and I basically
stay anywhere there is a place for us.  Trees in the park, empty
lots, stuff like that.  Where going to be some place close to school,
though.  I got to catch up on my school work."

"Well, you can stay here with me, Ran-chan."  Ukyo beamed at Ranma,
who completely missed the beam.

"You mean that pop and I can stay with you for a while?  Great!"
Ranma gulped down the last of his meal.

"Uh, yeah, you and your dad can, um, both stay here."  Ukyo replied,
her smile not as bright as it was.  "BUT, you and your dad are going
to have to help in the work here."

"Pop still has his job at Tofu-sensei's and can help that way.  I can
help serve and bus tables and"

"Then it's settled," Ukyo interrupted cheerfully, "you and your dad
move in here tonight!"

Ranma stood up and was going to leave when he stopped and turned to
Ukyo.  "Uhm, Uc-chan?"

"Yes, Ran-chan?"

Ranma fidgeted a bit.  "I do have a request.  Remember when you were
sick and you stayed with us at the Tendo's?"

"Yes."

"Well," Ranma scratched the back of his head, "you snuck in bed with
me.  Uhm, could you not do that this time.  I'd really appreciate
it."

Ukyo sighed, "O.K. Ran-chan, I promise."

Ranma smiled and waved as he left to find his father.

"There goes THAT plan." Ukyo said to herself.  Then she started to
smile.  Her smile grew bigger and bigger until she started to dance
around.  "YES!" she said, over and over.

===

"Time to wake up, sleepy head!"

The bright and cheerful voice broke through Ranma's sleepy haze.
Rubbing his eyes, Ranma looked around and saw Ukyo poking here head
out from behind the door.  "Good morning, Uc-chan."  he said
groggily.
"What time is it?"

"It's 5:00 a.m.  Time to get up for school!"  She replied cheerfully.

"5:00 A.M.!"  He shouted, waking his father.  "Why so early?"

"Because we have to leave school for the lunch rush, Ran-chan."  Ukyo
smiled.  "Hurry up, or we'll be late."

Ranma slowly got up and made his way to the bathroom.

===

Akane smiled at her onnechan.  "Arigatoo, Kasumi!" Akane said as she
picked up her bowl and began eating.  Her father was reading the
paper, while Nabiki was looking over the business section.  They all
quietly ate their breakfast and made small talk.

Akane looked around and thought, "It's been so long since we acted
like a normal family.  Father looks so relaxed."

"I'm leaving for school now." Nabiki said as she stood and walked
towards the door.

Akane stood up and started for her room.

"Akane!"  Kasumi called.

"Yes, onnechan?"  Akane replied as she returned with her school bag.

"Do you think Ranma has returned from his training trip, yet?" Kasumi
asked.

"Not yet," Akane replied, "I haven't seen him at school and it really
has been pretty peaceful there.  If you don't count Kuno-sempei."
Akane smiled at her sister, "I'll see you after school."

Akane left and began her walk to school.  On the way, she
absentmindedly looked at the fence.  "Baka." she said under her
breath.  She then smiled and twirled about and began walking with a
bounce in her step.  Not skipping, but close.  Enjoying her freedom,
she began to hum a happy tune.

===

"Baka!" she yelled at Ranma and hit him over the head.

"Nani sunde?" onna-Ranma yelled back.

"Can't you and your father keep the fighting outside?  You're going
to destroy my store!"  Ukyo was glaring at onna-Ranma and the panda.
She then looked at the two demolished tables and the broken window.
"That's TEN tables, FOUR windows and one door.  In just two weeks,
you two have demolished almost half of my store!"

Onna-Ranma and the panda look at the floor.  "Gomen, Uc-chan." she
said quietly.  She looks at the panda and elbows him in the side.
The panda holds up a sign that says "Gomen."

Ukyo's face softens a bit. "Just clean up this mess, so that we can
start serving the dinner customers when they come in."  Ukyo turned
back to her preparations as onna-Ranma and the panda began the clean
up.

Onna-Ranma gave an icey stare at her father as she started picking up
pieces of the broken tables.  The panda waived a sign that said,
"It's a good thing that Ukyo got such a good deal on tables
yesterday!"  onna-Ranma humphed and set about to finish the cleanup.

===

"Ran-chan!"

Ranma turned towards the voice.  "Uc-chan!"

They hugged each other and began to kiss.  A kiss that seemed to last
forever. Ukyo broke the kiss and whispered in his ear. "I'm glad were
living together, now all we have to do is get married to make us
legal."

"You're right, Uc-chan, let's go now!"  Ranma then grabbed Ukyo's
hand and began to walk down the street.

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Akane sat bolt upright in bed, her eyes wide and mouth open.  She
covered her face with her hands. Thinking of what happened earlier
today.  She had finally talked to Ranma.  Oh, she had seen him in
class since he returned from that training trip, but had never had a
chance to talk with him.  She stopped him when lunch began.  That's
when he told her.  Him and his father were staying at Ukyo's!  For
the past two weeks, yet!

"I guess it must have bothered me more than I thought." Akane mumbled
to herself.  "The baka can marry her, if he wants.  It feels too good
without him than it ever did with him around here."  Akane closed her
eyes and searched for sleep, sleep that seemed quite elusive.

===

Ukyo stared at the ceiling, thinking.  "Ran-chan only thinks of me as
a friend.  Well, promise or no promise.  I'm going to make Ranma
mine."  Smiling, Ukyo fell asleep.

===

Ranma cleaned the dishes off of the table as the last of the
customers for the day left.  He looked around and felt a little proud
at how well everything looks.  All of the windows have been repaired
as well as the tables and the door.  "That insurance agent didn't
look too happy when he was talking with Uc-chan." Ranma thought as he
brought the dishes to the kitchen.

One of the tables followed Ranma towards the kitchen.  He stopped and
turned.  "Somebody's watching me," he thought.

Just then, Ukyo came out of the kitchen and the table jumped towards
her.  "Ukyo!"  It announced in a kawaii voice.  With lightning
reflexes, Ukyo knocked the table backwards with her giant spatula.

"Tsubasa!"  Ukyo and Ranma yelled in unison.  Ranma opened the door
as Ukyo tossed the table out through the doorway.

"Persistent, isn't he?"  Immediately after Ranma made the statement,
a coffee machine broke down both doors to Ucchan's.

Ukyo's face turned to a mask of red hot anger.  "Tsubasa!  I can't
afford to replace those doors every week!"  Ukyo ranted as she
pounded on the coffee machine.

"Ranma, now you die!"  Ranma turned towards the voice.  Ryoga was
standing in the doorway.

"You will pay for the humiliation that I suffered at the hot springs.
I followed you to exact my revenge and I am attacked by murderous
women.  It's all your fault, Ranma!"  Ryoga let fly five bandanas.

Ranma dodged the bandanas and watched as three tables became fire
wood.  Ryoga charged, throwing a series of punches at Ranma's body
and head.  Blocking the blows, Ranma jumped over Ryoga and pushed him
headlong into two more tables.

Ukyo stared in disbelief as Ranma and Ryoga systematically destroyed
every table in the restaurant.  "Oh, no." she said, barely audible.

Tsubasa looked through the little door of the coffee dispenser.
"Uh,oh." was all he could say as Ranma flew backwards into the coffee
machine.  They continued on until the wall stopped their momentum.

"My shop..."  Ukyo said as she saw Ranma knock Ryoga into the last
table.  Pieces of broken wood flew up and shattered the last unbroken
window.

Ranma glared at Ryoga.  "Why did you come here, 'P-chan'?  Akane is
probably wondering where her 'widdle piggy' is."

"Enough!  It ends right here!" Ryoga yelled. "Shi Shi Houkoudan!"

Ranma grabbed a table leg and threw it at Ryoga, causing him to
stumble backwards.  The off target ki blast destroyed one whole wall
of Ukyo's shop and part of the roof.

Ukyo stared in shock at the humongous hole in the wall.  She came
back to reality when a panda walked through the hole.

In flurry of motion, Ukyo scooped up coffee machine Tsubasa and
tossed him out the "new" door.

"I have had enough!"  Ukyo screamed as she flattened a surprised
Ryoga. She then tossed him out the "old" door way.  She then came
after Ranma and was ready to pound him with her spatula when she
stopped short.

"Out."

Ranma looked at Ukyo, surprised and a little afraid.

"Get out, Ranma."  Ukyo stared at him, her giant spatula
shaking in her hands.  "I can't afford to have you and your father
living here anymore.  My insurance will cover this one, but I don't
know about the next time."

"Uc-chan?"  Ranma looked into her eyes.  She was angry, but the pain
from her stare burned into his heart.  "Hai.  Gomen, Uc-chan.  I'll
clean up what I can and then leave."

Ukyo watched Ranma arrange piles of broken tables, then headed
towards her room in back.

===

After filling the dumpster outside Ucchan's and erecting a temporary
barrier where the wall used to be, Ranma walked towards Ukyo's room.
As he drew near, he could hear Ukyo crying.  Bowing his head, he
turned and left.


============================================

Well, this is a petty rough draft.  It's also my first attempt at a
fight scene. :)

Originally, I had planned on a fire destroying Ucchan's, but I
couldn't figure out a way for Ranma to start a flame.

C&C welcome and definately needed on this one. ;)

--
suds-kun (Shaun Schillinger)
suds1964@tir.com
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/8222/
"THIS time, we didn't forget the graaavy!" Cat & Mouse to Dog