(DISCLAIMER : ALL GLORY TO RUMIKO TAKAHASHI, AND THIS STORY OPERATES
ON THE BASIS OF AN ALTERNATE RANMAVERSE.) ALSO, EACH PART STARTS
AND ENDS WITH A DIFFERENT DAY. ALSO THIS PART HAS NO LEMON BITS IN
IT. This is the revised part two.
-=-=-=-=-=-==-==-=-=-=-=-=-=Part Two-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
(Morning breaks over the land of the rising sun and birds soar
above Nerima Ward, chirping their greeting song to the golden
sun ascending into the sky. Dewdrops grace the tip of each
stalk of grass and every leaf on every tree. For a short moment,
the paradise that was lost when man abandoned Nature and turned
to machinery, was present and glittered with a promise to remain till
the end of time... Then the first car backed out of its driveway and
the dream was shattered. As if by chain reaction, more cars fill the
streets within minutes and the quiet morning is drenched in the sounds
and smells of a typical Tokyo day.)
(Kasumi, always up at the crack of dawn, knocks on Akane's bedroom,
calling to the girls within and reminding them of school. Immediately
what sounds like a free-for-all ensues behind Akane's door as all the girls
doff their PJ's and pull on their uniforms, desperate to get ready and get
into school before the bell rings. Kasumi, always unruffled by any daily
event, smiles and walks over to Ranma's room and knocks on it.)
Kasumi : Ranma! Ranma! Mr. Saotome! Wake up, it's morning already! Ranma and Ranma?
The both of you have school! And I won't be home to cook lunch this afternoon so
you two have to eat out just for today.
(Inside Ranma's room....)
Ranma : SCHOOL!? I forgot! (leans over and shakes Ranma-chan) Wake up!
Ranma-chan : Huh?
Ranma : We have school! Come on, dress up!!
Ranma-chan : School...!? Omigod! (leaps out of bed and grabs her clothes)
Ranma : (grabbing his clothes) Hurry up and use the bathroom! I need it next!
(In a short while, Akane, her friends and the two Ranma's are running
to school. Ranma and Ranma-chan are running in perfect balance on the
fence, while Akane and her friends bring up the rear. They manage to get
into their classes in record time and Akane says goodbye to Yuki and Sayaka
as they head off to their classes. Everybody is already seated and waiting
for the last minute stragglers to come in. As Ranma, Ranma-chan and
Akane walk in, the whole class gasps.)
Hiroshi : Hey, who's that?
Fuzaki : That's....um...Akane's cousin, or something. She sure is cute!
Ukyo : Wh-what's going on here?
Akane : (sits in her seat) You'll find out soon enough. It's kind of a long story.
Hinako : Ranma Saotome, who's the girl with you?
Ranma : She's Akane's cousin, who came to register in this class.
Hinako : (to Ranma-chan) What's your name?
Ranma-chan : Ranko Tendo.
Hiroshi : (to Fuzaki) Ranko.....it has a nice ring to it!
Hinako : Well, Ranko. You can sit next to Ukyo over there. Ukyo, will you raise your hand
please?
Ukyo : S-sure. (raises hand)
(Ranma-chan sits next to Ukyo and class starts. When Hinako
left the room to get some notes, Ukyo turns to Ranma-chan.)
Ukyo : Ranma? (whips head to Ranma, who smiles at her) Ranma?
Ranma : We'll tell you after class. Don't wanna talk about it right now.
Hiroshi : Ranko? Didn't you win that rhythmic gymnastics tournament, fighting against Kodachi
Kuno?
Ranma-chan : Yeah, I did.
Hiroshi : You were great! You looked like you had been at it all your life!
Ranma-chan : Thanks! I trained real hard for that match.
(Hinako returns and class resumes. The moment the lunch bell
rings, Ranma-chan's desk is swamped with boys. Ranma-chan is
forced to pretend ignorance as the boys fall over themselves trying
to win her favor.)
Ranma : These guys sure are picky! First, they try to go out with Akane. Now, they're trying
to go out with my female side!
Ukyo : Ranma!! What the heck is going on here?
Ranma : Umm...well. You see, I tried to cure my curse using a special potion called a
Nullifier. Problem is that it split my male and female halves into two separate people
with the same personality and everything, mind-wise, I mean.
Ukyo : So she's really you?
Ranma : And I'm really her.
Ukyo : Oh....how does she...I mean, he feel about being stuck in a female body? It must be
horrible!
Ranma : You know, you and Akane were the only people to think of her..I mean, his feelings.
Ukyo : Really? I'd better go and rescue him. Excuse me for a sec.
(Ukyo goes to the aid of Ranma-chan, laying about with her spatula
and clearing a path to her dearest friend. Ranma-chan looked flustered,
holding a handful of paper slips with telephone numbers written on them.)
Ranma-chan : Ucchan! Save me!
Ukyo : Come on, let's get outta here!
(She grabs Ranma-chan's hand and they both leap out of the window,
to soar into the air and land, without a scratch, on the ground.)
Ukyo : Ranma! Are you feeling fine?
Ranma-chan : Of course I do! I'm not gonna let a bunch of boys try and make passes at me!
Ukyo : Then throw those slips of paper away.
Ranma-chan : (looks at the bunch of paper in her fist) Huh? Oh! (tosses them away, and they
spiral upwards in the breeze and scatter themselves into the bushes.) There, all
done!
(Ranma-chan turns back to Ukyo and sees her looking at
her closely, as if unable to comprehend something.)
Ukyo : Ranchan? Is it true that...
Ranma-chan : Yup. The potion-thingy screwed up and now I'm a girl while the other Ranma
is cured. But don't worry, I'm gonna find a cure soon! After that old ghoul
remembers how to reverse the effect, I'll be back to normal!
Ukyo : You mean to say that Ranma...is cured?
Ranma-chan : Hey, I'm Ranma! I'm not cured in the least! It's the boy Ranma that's not
cursed anymore.
Ukyo : And...how do you feel?
Ranma-chan : Like I said, I feel fine! I'm not gonna let a bunch of boys.....
Ukyo : Idiot! Not the boys!! I mean, you.
Ranma-chan : Huh?
(A light breeze springs up and ruffles Ukyo's long
ponytail. She looks at Ranma for a moment longer, then
she reaches back and lets her hair loose. It immediately
dances about her face and shoulders, a shimmering mass
that highlights her features and complements her natural
and graceful curves.)
Ukyo : Ranma...I have something to say.
Ranma-chan : Go..go on.
Ukyo : Ever since we were little, we always played together. We were the best of friends,
though we certainly didn't act like it.
Ranma-chan : Yeah, I always won in the okonomiyaki contest.....
Ukyo : Remember the time we went out into the meadow and played there for such a long time?
Ranma-chan : (laughs) Oh yeah! That time! We simply lost track of time....Pop gave me a
lecturing on staying out too long on my own.
Ukyo : And mine gave me a leathering.
Ranma-chan : What?! You never told me that!
Ukyo : I was so ashamed, I didn't want to see you for a week.
Ranma-chan : Yeah, you gave me some excuse for not showing up at the okonomiyaki cart
every morning for a whole week.
Ukyo : We were such silly kids back then! (Ranma-chan and Ukyo laugh at this)
(Somehow, Ranma-chan sensed that that wasn't all that
Ukyo wanted to say to her. Ranma-chan waits patiently
for Ukyo to find the words.)
Ukyo : (takes a deep breath) I love you, Ranma. I really do. Even back when we were kids,
I think I still loved you back then.
Ranma-chan : Ukyo...(puts hand on Ukyo's) I already know that. But this is not what you
wanted to say to me. Come on, say it or we'll be late for class!
Ukyo : I'm confused...I don't know what to think anymore. Ever since the other Ranma told
me what happened, my world has been turned upside down.
Ranma-chan : Upside down? What are you talking about?
Ukyo : The other Ranma isn't cursed anymore, right?
Ranma-chan : Right....and?
Ukyo : (considers this for a moment) Never mind.
Ranma-chan : What do you mean `never mind'? You've come so far. Come on, tell me!
Ukyo : (sighs) Why don't the two of you come over this afternoon to my restaurant? And
bring Akane too, okay? I'll treat you all to free food.
Ranma-chan : You always treat us to free food, Ucchan. Even that time when Akane came in
by herself, without me with her. You still gave her a free okonomiyaki. So
what's up?
Ukyo : If you don't want the food, then don't come. (she smiles at Ranma-chan, gives her a
hug and walks back to class.)
Ranma-chan : Huh?? (scratches her head) What was that all about?
(Back in class, Ukyo is scribbling furiously in her notepad.
Hinako smiles in approval and cited her as an example of
a good student. Shamed by Hinako's words, the entire class,
except Ranma and Ranma-chan, start to take their work more
seriously. But if anybody had been looking carefully at Ukyo's
`work', they would have seen a smattering of cooking terms,
names of ingredients and a little sketch of an okonomiyaki.
Ukyo smiled to herself uncertainly as she regarded all that she
had done so far, making a few minor adjustments here and there.
This was going to be a very special okonomiyaki, the absolute
best creation of her life. She giggles a little as she looked over
at Ranma, who looked back with confusion in his eyes. He'll
soon understand. Her eyes fell on Ranma-chan, who was looking
at her with the same look of confusion in Ranma's eyes. Ranma.
Suddenly sobered by a nagging thought that had insinuated itself
the moment Ranma-chan told her of the Nullifier, she let her
grin drop and she sighed heavily, head in hand and mind far, far
away.)
Hinako : Ukyo, is something the matter? Are you feeling alright? You don't have to work
so hard, you know.
Ukyo : No, Hinako-sensei. I'm fine.
Hinako : Well...if you're sure. Okay class, back to the blackboard.
(School ends and Ukyo zips to her restaurant. The crowd
of people waiting outside Ucchan's Okonomiyaki parted
and she threw the doors open. Within minutes, okonomiyaki
were flying left and right, and diners dined to their absolute
content. As soon as the initial rush had died down, Ukyo
pulled out her notepad and started to prepare the special
okonomiyaki - pouring all her energy and effort into it.
This had to be perfect from the outstart.)
(Ranma, Ranma-chan and Akane step into the restaurant.
As usual, it was packed full, except for the counterseats,
which all the regulars knew were unofficially reserved
for Ukyo's friends. The regulars nodded at them, used
to seeing them visit Ukyo all the time. A small black
pig sat on the counter, in front of a plate with a half
eaten okonomiyaki. It looks around, and squeals in
delight as it sees Akane. Then its eyes widen in
confusion as it sees Ranma and Ranma-chan side by
side. It blinks once, then twice. Ranma-chan mouths
the words, "I'll explain later", to the pig, and it nods.)
Akane : P-Chan! (P-Chan leaps into her arms) What are you doing here?
Ukyo : Well...uh..he sorta walked in...and I gave him a free okonomiyaki.
Akane : Thank you, Ukyo.
Ukyo : No problem. Took you guys long enough to get here, though.
Akane : *You* skipped out on your classroom cleaning duties...so we had to do your share of
it, you know!
Ukyo : Aww, Akane. I'm sorry....let me make it up to you with an okonomiyaki of your
choice, okay? (she grins)
Akane : Bribery won't get you anywhere, Ukyo! (her stomach growls loudly. Ranma snickers
at this and Akane jabs an elbow into his side.)
Ukyo : A hungry stomach won't get you anywhere, Akane. Come on, take me up on my
offer.
Akane : ........Alright. But just this once!
Ukyo : Alright, Akane!
(She spins an okonomiyaki to her and Akane begins to dig into it,
trying to keep a facade of anger on her face, which softened to her
normal features after a short while. She could never really stay
angry at Ukyo for long...mainly because she was kind, sweet,
and generous. In fact Ukyo was much like her in a number of
ways. She was almost everything a stereotypical girl was not - strong,
stubborn, free-willed and quick tempered. Ukyo, when she first
arrived in Furinkan High, was dressed as a boy and acted like one
too. Since then, she had changed a great deal. She wore her a gi of a
sort, with nice blue designs on it. She wore a bandola filled with mini
spatulas, but she left the big spatula at home. The both of them compete
for Ranma's attention, not that I need his attention!, thought she as she
looked at Ranma with a slight tinge of red coloring her cheeks, and the
both of them had caregiving personalities. At least that's what she thought
of herself. I took in a lost pig and named him, I helped Ranma against Happosai
a few times, I bandaged Ranma after that fight with Mikado. I guess
I qualifiy as being nice. She looked at Ukyo, who was smiling and
chatting with another customer, even as she cooked an extraordinarily
tasty looking okonomiyaki. Akane turned away and looked long and
hard at her okonomiyaki. Ukyo was so...so...much more beautiful than
her. She had long hair, beautiful skin and a great figure. She felt so
dumpy and ugly compared to her. Jabbing her okonomiyaki with a fork
and savagely ripping a piece off, she popped the morsel in her mouth and
took great satisfaction in chewing it. P-Chan leapt out of her arms and
started gobbling his food.)
(Ranma-chan looked at Akane stabbing her food with uncharacteristic
vigor. She saw that her eyes were slightly narrowed and her brow was
creased. Yup, she's angry again. But over what? Her gaze travelled
upwards and she looked at Ukyo, who was preparing an especially
delicious-looking okonomiyaki. Ranma-chan began to lose herself
in looking at Ukyo, trying to imagine how she had looked like when
she was playing with....him in her childhood, but she just couldn't picture
her being the way she was. She had grown and changed alot since those
days. She turned around and put her elbows on the wooden counter behind
her, and let her memories travel back a decade, to a time when little had
troubled him. She could remember the town where Ukyo and him had
stayed. She thought of the `safari' adventure he had with Ukyo back then,
a wild romp through the flowering meadows........ahhh, yes....)
[Ranma jumped onto a rock in the middle of the meadow and looked
about with a hand shading his eyes. Dragonflies zipped all about and
insects filled the air. The chirping of birds drifted off a scattering of
nearby trees. He looked up into a gloriously blue sky that seemed to
stretch forever and ever, encompassing the entire world that was his
birthright. He took a deep whiff of the sweet summer grasses that
reached up from the moist earth to the shining sun which gave freely of
its light, and he exhaled slowly. It was so good! The heady aroma of
flowers seemed to swirl and drift all about him, encouraging him to take
another breath. And another. He closed his eyes and let out an impulsive
cry of exultation, the shout of somebody who was completely content with
the world about him, akin to the majestic symphony of nature which now
sang its praise and gave its thanks to the gods for creating such a wonderful
world. The cricket chirped, the birds sang, dragonflies flitted in the air
and dodged the drifting dandelion puffs swirling in the breeze and spiraling
up, and up, and upwards into an endless summer sky.
<Hey, whatcha doing, Ranchan?>
Ranma turned around. Ukyo ran up to the rock he was on and squeezed
himself next to him. Ranma graciously let him take his spot on the rock;
after all, he was his friend. Ukyo was his best friend in the world.
<Ucchan, isn't this the best?>, he said to his friend. Ukyo bobbed her
head up and down, and he sat on the rock. Ranma remained standing and
looked at the grass covered hill which lay just ahead of the meadow, then he
looked over at Ukyo. Ukyo had a handful of flowers in his hand and he was
counting out the stalks, humming a tune to himself as he did. Ranma leapt
off the rock and started to run to the hill.
<Hey, Ucchan! Come on! Let's go up that hill!>, he called to his friend even
as he ran.
<Ranchan!!! Wait up!> Ukyo threw the flowers away and started after her
friend. The two surmounted the hill with no difficulty and the two stood at the
peak, looking down at the land all around. The greenery was gone and the two
friends looked down at the town and its concrete structures. Cars rushed to and
fro, and people thronged the sidewalks. Ranma shuddered. People were not
meant to like so closely packed together. He looked back down the hill and the
welcome sight of the forest and the meadow greeted his eyes.
<Ranchan, what's wrong?>, asked Ukyo.
<Nothin', Ucchan.>
A far off voice echoed through the large meadow, <Ranma!
Ukyo!! Where are the both of you?!>. A man wearing a
bandanna, a pair of glasses and a karate gi, stepped from out
of the concealing shade of the trees at the far end of the meadow.
<Come on, Ucchan, or you'll be left behind! Race you to the okonomiyaki cart!>
With that, Ranma sprinted towards his father, eyes fixed ahead and not looking back.
<W-Wait! Don't leave me behind, Ranchan!> Ukyo shook off her lethargy
and sprinted after Ranma....]
(Ranma-chan chuckled to herself. Back then, she thought Ukyo was
a boy, like her. She turned back and looked at Ukyo, both hands under
her chin. No way anybody could mistake her for a boy again, and those
who disagreed were either stupid or blind. She legs that looked so
slim and sexy, especially while she was wearing tight, black jeans. She
smiled and closed her eyes, walking the paths of her memories, memories
of Ukyo.)
(Ranma looked perplexed. First, Akane was placated all too easily by
Ukyo. Then his female self sighed dreamily and seemed to stare off
in the distance. And now, he saw Ukyo cooking the best and most
delicious-looking, and smelling, okonomiyaki, putting her customers'
orders on hold for the time being, occasionally looking at Ranma and
giving him a smile. What's with the puppy dog eyes, Ucchan?, he was
tempted to ask, but he said nothing.)
Ukyo : Ranma! Here it is! (she scoops the okonomiyaki up, puts it on a plate and gives it to
Ranma.)
Ranma : Th-that was for...for me?! THANK YOU, UCCHAN!!! (he digs into the okonomiyaki
furiously.)
Ukyo : Anytime, Ranma. And now, the same thing for you, Ran...er...Ranko.
Ranma-chan : Thank you, Ucchan.
Customer 1 : Umm, excuse me but I ordered my food ten minutes ago. Could I have it?
Customer 2 : Yeah, me too. I'm starving, Ukyo.
Customer 3 : Where's my special deluxe super-combo okonomiyaki?
Customer 4 : I'd like to order another okonomiyaki, Ukyo.
Ukyo : Okay, okay! I get the point! Ranko, do you mind waiting?
Ranma-chan : Umm...but not for too long, Ucchan. I'm starving.
Ukyo : I'll try my best. Now, who's first?
(She starts to take orders and fill them out. However, as if on cue,
a horde of people flood the restaurant at that moment. Ukyo is kept
extremely busy trying to take orders, fill them and collect the money -
all by herself. Ranma-chan looks hopefully at Ukyo but she didn't have
the time to even talk with her. Eventually, Ranma-chan tries to say
something to Ukyo, to tell her that she was leaving, but Ukyo was
already running into the back of the restaurant to get more supplies.
The counter was already burgeoning with hungry people and when
Ukyo came back, Ranma-chan tried again.)
Ranma-chan : Ukyo, I....
Ukyo : *Not* now, Ranma!! (Ranma looks up from his nearly finished okonomiyaki. Ukyo
scowls.) Not you, Ranma. Ranm..ko, I'm very busy right now....(she looks very
flustered). Can you come back later?
Ranma-chan : ...........Okay, Ucchan.
(She leaves the restaurant, feeling cheated out of a fabulous
meal. She could hear Ukyo taking orders and cooking at the
same time. She *was* very busy....but why didn't she also
take the time to cook that special okonomiyaki for her when
she did it for Ranma? Ranma-chan knows that it was selfish
of her to get angry at Ukyo, for not getting a free meal, but
she still can't help herself from feeling....betrayed. She took
time out for Ranma, why didn't she take time for her?)
Ranma : Ranma! Wait up for us, man! (he is holding a little piece of okonomiyaki)
Akane : That was delicious! I should come here every day after school and have her
okonomiyaki!
Ranma : You thought it was delicious? Mine was the ultimate! It rocked!
P-Chan : Squee? (looks between Ranma and Ranma-chan) Bu-kii?
Ranma-chan : Can I hold P-Chan, Akane?
Akane : Sure. Just don't pick on him, or else. (she hands P-Chan to Ranma-chan, who begins
to talk to P-Chan in a soft tone. P-Chan's ears perked up and he nodded in
understanding.)
Ranma : (After watching Ranma-chan for a while) Aww, come on. Cheer up! It's not the end
of the world, Ranma. Here, you can have this piece I was saving for later.
Ranma-chan : No thanks. (cradles P-Chan).
Ranma : Huh? Come on, man. It's the best thing I've ever eaten in my life!
Ranma-chan : Let's go to Nekohanten. I'm hungry. (she starts to shuffle away)
Akane : Ranma? What's wrong?
Ranma-chan : Nothing. Here, Akane. (gives P-Chan back to Akane.)
(The three troop to Nekohanten. As usual, the place is also
packed, but the three manage to find a table. Within a
minute or so, Cologne hops over to their table with
three bowls of ramen balanced on one hand. She sets
them down on the table. Ranma-chan grabs two of the
bowls and starts to devour them. Ranma finishes his
okonomiyaki piece and starts on the remaining bowl of
ramen. He looks up at Cologne, who was wiping their
table with a cloth while balanced perfectly on her stick.)
Ranma : Where's Shampoo? Your hands seem kinda full now, with all these people in here.
(*Crack* The cup in Akane's hand shatters into pieces.
She looks over at the mess on the table underneath her
hand in shock. Cologne narrows her eyes.)
Cologne : You will, of course, reimburse me for the price of that cup, dearie.
Akane : S-sorry. I guess I was gripping it a little too hard.
Ranma-chan : (rolls her eyes) Funny how that always seems to happen whenever Shampoo
is mentioned.
Cologne : Yes, isn't it fascinating? Anyhow, Shampoo's out delivering. She won't be back
until late tonight.
Ranma-chan : Have you remembered whether or not there's a cure for my condition?
Cologne : No, I don't know. Well, I've got to be going. If you want to talk some more, come
back later at night. (she leaps away and sees to the customers - the paying ones, that
is.)
(Ranma-chan finishes her meal and the three head back home.
By now it's late afternoon, approaching evening. Ranma-chan
throws herself full on the couch and turns the TV on. Akane
walks up to Ranma-chan.)
Akane : Ranma, could you hold P-Chan for me? I'm going to go to the washroom for a sec,
and I don't want him wandering about.
Ranma-chan : Give him to me. (Akane hands P-Chan to Ranma-chan and walks off)
P-Chan : Bu-kii! (looks at Ranma-chan, eyes narrowed)
Ranma-chan : You're no catch yourself, pig. Now, shut up and lemme watch TV. (She hugs
P-Chan to her chest and P-Chan's entire head turned red with all the blood
rushing to his head.)
P-Chan : Kwee! Kwee!
Ranma-chan : What's that, piggy? (evil grin)
P-Chan : (points at his snout) BU-KIII!!
Ranma-chan : Oh yeah, the nosebleed thing. (grins at P-Chan) Of course I know. (quickly
sets an angry P-Chan on the couch, who points his snout up in the air and takes
deep breaths of air)
(Ranma walks up to the couch, holding a bag of
chips in one hand and a can of pop in the other.)
Ranma : Hey, move it! Where am I gonna sit?
Ranma-chan : Oh, okay. (she merely pulls her legs in, leaving a small space for Ranma to sit
in)
Ranma : Well, thanks a lot for the big space! (he sits down)
Ranma-chan : Anytime. Gimme some chips.
(Ranma gives her a handful of chips and Ranma-chan
devours them. Ranma puts the can of pop on the floor.
Promptly Ranma-chan grabs it and takes a swig from it.)
Ranma : Hey, that's my pop!
Ranma-chan : So that makes it mine as well.
Ranma : Gimme that back! (he swipes the can from Ranma-chan's hands and drinks the whole
thing. While he was drinking all the contents of the can, Ranma-chan sneaks a handful
of chips from the bag.)
Ranma-chan : (between munches) Do you....think there.....really is a cure for....me?
Ranma : Why shouldn't there be? (looks in his bag of chips and sees a handful missing.)
Ranma-chan : Well, if that three-hundred-year-old ghoul doesn't know, how are we supposed
to know? (sounds pretty depressed)
Ranma : She just didn't remember, that's all.
(Ranma-chan changes channels. It is a TV documentary
on the differences in thinking between men and women.
Ranma-chan watches it in silence while Ranma fidgets
about. Eventually he held out a hand to Ranma-chan.)
Ranma : Here, gimme that remote.
Ranma-chan : No, I wanna watch this.
Ranma : That's just a stupid documentary! Let me have it, let's watch something more
interesting.
Ranma-chan : And this isn't interesting?
Ranma : No!
Ranma-chan : Well, I think it's interesting. So, you can't have the remote.
(Ranma made a grab for the remote but Ranma-chan
clutches it close to herself. Growling, he launched
himself onto Ranma-chan, who squealed and fought
to keep the remote from Ranma's grasp. The two
wrestle on the couch, Ranma on top and trying to
rip the remote from Ranma-chan's hands, Ranma-chan
laughing and enjoying herself. Akane walks into the
living room - and sees Ranma straddling Ranma-chan,
who was struggling against Ranma's superior strength.
Akane stands there for a while longer, wondering if
she should run over and give Ranma a good whack
on the head, when Ranma finally pulls the remote
free from Ranma-chan's hands and held it over his
head.)
Ranma : Finally! Now, let's watch something with action in it.
Ranma-chan : (still laughing) That was great! Let's do it again!
Akane : Do what again?
Ranma : Uh, Akane! Umm...(looks at the remote in his hands)
Ranma-chan : We were just fighting over the remote, jeez. As if you have anything to worry
about when I'm around him...after all we're the same person.
Ranma : Hey, it wasn't like that at all!!
Ranma-chan : (grins from ear to ear) Just kidding!
Ranma : Oh yeah? Just kidding, you say. (picks up a pillow and whacks her)
Ranma-chan : Ohh! So you wanna fight dirty? (grabs two pillows and whacks him)
(The two release their pent-up tension with a good-natured
pillow fight, Ranma-chan hitting Ranma twice as much as
he did her, but Ranma's blows had more force behind them.
The impromptu pillow fight dissipates in heartfelt laughter
from the two of them, joined by Akane after she saw the
innocence behind everything. There is a knock on the door,
a polite rap-rap designed to draw just enough attention for the
inhabitants to notice. Akane gets up and goes to the door.)
Akane : I'll get it! (she opens the sliding door)
Nodoka : Good afternoon, Akane-chan!
Akane : M-Mrs. Saotome?! I'm sorry, we weren't expecting you at all!
Nodoka : (bows) I'm sorry, I should call or write before I come to visit. Next time, dear, I'll
remember.
(She removes her shoes and walks into the living room,
and the first thing she saw was Ranma-chan's familiar
form lying on the couch.)
Nodoka : Good afternoon, Ranko!
Ranma-chan : Ran..ko? (slowly turns around) Oh!! M-Mrs. Saotome!
Nodoka : I'm sorry, I know you weren't expecting me to visit so....(trails off when she sees
a well-built figure with black hair tied back in a pigtail, sitting next to Ranma-chan.)
Ranma : (turns around slow-like) M-Mom?
Nodoka : Ranma!! You're finally back!!
(Nodoka drops everything and hastens to Ranma's side,
and hugs him so tight that he had difficulty breathing.
Ranma-chan watches in shock, not fully comprehending
what was happening.)
Nodoka : You're real!! You're back! How have you been?!
Ranma : Umm...fine, mom.
Ranma-chan : Hey...(lifts a hand)
Nodoka : Forgive me, Ranko-chan. I haven't seen my son for sixteen years! It's only fair that
I finally get to see him now! I pray that this is not a dream......
Soun : (walks in) Nodoka! What a pleasant surprise!
Nodoka : (still hugging Ranma) If I may ask, where's Genma?
Genma : (walks in at that moment) D-dear?
Nodoka : Genma! My son is a man among men! The Saotome family honor is preserved (looks
meaningfully at her sword-shaped bundle). See how handsome and strong he is?
Genma : Likewise, I'm as happy and proud as you are....s-see how well I raised him?
Ranma-chan : Yeah right. Animals woulda raised me better than you did. Actually, come to
think about it, Pop *is* an animal. A panda, to be exact.
Nodoka : What's that, Ranko? (starts cooing over Ranma, who looks embarassed)
Ranma-chan : Nothing. Nothing at all. (takes one last look at Ranma, who shrugs in apology,
and she leaves the living room.)
Akane : Ranma? What's wrong?
Ranma-chan : Here she is, after a long while, and she finally sees me. My male form, I mean.
Akane : I understand, Ranma.
(She remembers the many times she had seen Ranma-chan's
shoulders slump whenever Nodoka visited. Although she
had the Ranko role down pat and she could truly act like
a real girl, Akane would always see the glimmer of pain
in her eyes, the slight jerkiness of her movements, the
overly-feigned high-pitched Ranko voice. Ranma-chan
heaves a big sigh and leaves the living room, and goes
up to her bedroom.)
Nodoka : Ranma, why aren't you more happy to see your dear, old mom again?
Ranma : I....am happy. I really am. I'm just, well, in shock.
Nodoka : Come on, dear. Let's go sit down and you can tell me all about your training. Your
mom's here to stay and I promise I'll make you the happiest son in the world. I have
a special meal that I'll cook right after you tell me of your travels! (hugs him again)
Ranma : O-okay. (looks after Ranma-chan's retreating figure.)
(Inside her room, Ranma-chan reaches back and deliberately
pulls her hair tie off. Her pigtail untwirls and spreads out into
a fan of red hair, covering half of her back. She brushes it out
with her fingers and looks into a mirror. How different I look
without a pigtail, she thought to herself. Now, even more so,
she looked like any normal girl, and she was a little disturbed
by that. She quickly ties the pigtail back on and flops down on
her bed, letting the soft futon accept her body and comfort it.
It's not fair, she repeated over and over in her mind, tears coming
out even though she tried hard to keep them in. Downstairs, the
chatter increased in volume, as Nodoka lets all her pent-up emotion
out, gathered over 16 years. She could hear Ranma telling Nodoka
about his training and journeys to many places, and Nodoka
exclaiming in joy and happiness. Ranma-chan pulls the comforter
closer to her, trying to find solitude in the dark confines of her
room, but she fails. At last, she grabs Ranma's pillow and stuffs it
around her ears. With the sound muffled, she drifted in and out of
sleep, always on the edge of the land of dreams, but never setting
foot within that fabled country for the sounds of merriment from
below keep her from sleeping. Her door opens and somebody
steps inside.)
Akane : Ranma?
Ranma-chan : Go 'way. Just leave me alone.
Akane : Ranma, I can't. Not now, not when you're like this.
Ranma-chan : Since when did you care?! My life hasn't been normal since I got this curse....
Akane : C'mon, stop feeling sorry for yourself. (kneels beside Ranma-chan)
Ranma-chan : I can't. I'm only Ranko to my mom, not...not (lets out a sharp sob) Ranma..!
Akane : Ranma?
(Nodoka's voice from downstairs) : Akane! Akane! Where's my son's fiancee?! Come back,
Akane, so I can see how well the both of you go together!
Akane : ACK!! I can't believe she just yelled tha-....Ranma?
(Akane sees her silently shaking with tears that rage against
the barrier of her eyelids and try to burst forth from her, but
she holds it back with willpower. Akane puts a hand on
Ranma-chan's shoulder and the dam bursts. The tears flow
freely and Ranma-chan softly cries for herself. Akane hesitates
for a second, then she tries to pull Ranma-chan into a hug, but
Ranma-chan refused to move.)
Ranma-chan : *sniff* A-Akane. You'd better go to them. I wanna be alone.
Akane : But.....
Ranma-chan : (whirls on her) JUST GO! I'M BROKEN-HEARTED, OR CAN'T YOU SEE
THAT?!!
Akane : Ranma.....(she gets up and walks from the room, closing the door as she did so.)
Ranma-chan : Stupid Akane...(shakes as a new bout of tears assails her). It's not fair...
* * * * *
(Ukyo finally closes her restaurant, relieved to be able to breath
easily once more. She counted the cash in her drawer; almost
seventy thousand yen in bills, cheques and coins. She sighed.
This money would go to paying for her overhead, and her
suppliers and a whole bunch of others. She expected to pull
out a profit of about 28 000 yen out of today, but that's about
it. She sweeps the restaurant up - in remarkably clean condition
considering how busy it was. Then she scraped her griddle clean,
threw the grease away and began to put her ingredients away.
She methodically put away the sauce, the prepared okonomiyaki
and anything she could find. At last, only a tray covered with
some wax paper remained. She lifted the wax paper, to see where
this thing would go to. An extra-large size, uncooked okonomiyaki
sat on a plate in the middle of the tray. Her specially prepared
ingredients that she thought up of during class were arranged neatly
around it, and there was a little piece of paper on the okonomiyaki
itself, written side facing down. Curious, she picked the paper up
and read it. It was in her own handwriting and it read, "For the
female Ranchan. Make it with love, sweety!". Ukyo gasped
and let the paper fall from nerveless fingers. Ranchan didn't get
the okonomiyaki that she was promised! She thought of what she
said to Ranma-chan when she came up to the counter. She remembered
her mood at that time. With the benefit of hindsight, she realized
how cruel and dismissive she must have sounded to Ranma-chan.
She sort of remembered Ranma-chan turning and leaving without
a wave or a backward glance. Ranma and Akane had thanked her,
hurriedly, and followed after Ranma-chan.)
Ukyo : (puts her hand on the uncooked okonomiyaki) Ranma......I'm sorry. You've always
been my best friend, but I failed you. I promise, I'll make it up to you.
(She picks the okonomiyaki up and sits down on one of the seats
at the counter, the one that Ranma-chan was last sitting in. She
absently twirled the okonomiyaki on a finger, and let her memories
slide back a decade....back to her childhood. Ahh...she could
almost smell the summer grasses that comprised much of the
meadow, could almost feel the wildflowers that grew in clumps and
gave the meadow its special look. Ranchan had jumped on the rock and
started to look about. Then he had yelled something and she started to
run towards Ranchan......)
* * * * *
(Sleep finally overtakes Ranma-chan, delivering her to the dream
country, where all cares and worries are forgotten. The same
landscape from before, with the flowing grasses and enigmatic
mountain ranges capped with a layer of white snow. Ranma-chan
takes a walk through the tall grasses, not flying this time. A
forest looms up in front of her and she enters the treeline. The
sunlight filters through the canopy and dapples the clearing
in front of her with bright spots of light. A pool was in the middle
of the clearing, deep, sparkling, and mysterious. Without knowing
why, she steps up to the pool and looks into the still waters. A single
drop of water fell from the canopy and struck the placid surface, disturbing
the tranquility and creating ripples that flowed outwards to the edge of
the pool. A face formed in the waters, with flowing hair and sharp
features. It was a man, and he was handsome. He turned to face
Ranma-chan and he said something, but Ranma-chan couldn't make
out what he was saying. The face moved away from the pool
and the full figure of the man could be seen. He put an open palm
out and a bottle of a white liquid appeared in his hands. On it were
marked the numbers "221". He started to walk toward Ranma-chan,
the bottle held in his hand, but the dream image shimmered and
dissolved. Ranma-chan fell into the dark realm of dreamlessness,
and the next change in her body chemistry occured. She moaned,
tossed, and turned as her body adjusted itself according to a schedule
known in full only by itself. The night is especially silent and the
radiance from a thousand stars streamed through the window and
bathed the sleeping body of Ranma-chan in starlight.)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-End Part Two-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=