This is the expanded (greatly expanded) version of Insignificant  there
is a single much shorter part forthcoming which I will entitle
Significant.  Anyways on Konatsu, i have very little idea about him
aside that he is in love with Ukyou.  So if i treat him a tad unfairly
in this story let me know.  
Anyways lemme know what you all think.  Like i said one more part
forthcoming as Ukyou must face Ranma and more importantly herself.
Also I am not attaching a text document like i normally do, if anyone
wants it like that lemme know and i will send it out.

Eric Adams Presents
Insignificant
Characters created by Rumiko Takahashi and are not my own.


	Ukyou Kuonji sat at the bar and did her best to drown 
herself in her drink.  In her hand she held a potent blend 
of Tequila, Whiskey and Iced Tea, she had no idea what it 
was called, but it soothed her sorrows and comforted her 
soul.
	So, Ranma had married Akane, big surprise, everyone 
knew it would happen.  It was expected, almost predestined.  
In a surprising and bold move, Ranma and Akane had run away 
to elope.  In their own way they were defying their parents 
wishes and following their hearts.  Ukyou could hardly 
question their choice.  Upon their return a few days later 
there had been a more formal reception to which Ukyou had 
been invited.  
	She had gone to the reception and had smiled numbly 
and offered hollow words of congratulations. Throughout the 
whole affair she bit her lips to keep from crying and kept 
her eyes firmly trained on the floor. 
	Shampoo had attended, though Cologne and Mousse were 
noticeably absent.  Ukyou thought she heard the same 
hollowness in Shampoo's voice but kept her thoughts to 
herself.  The two of them had exchanged pleasantries and 
avoided each other's eyes.  Ukyou had wondered where 
Cologne and Mousse were, but before she had a chance to 
ask, Ranma asked for a single dance. 
	Her heart pounding she let him lead her onto the 
dance floor, where under Akane's watchful eye they had 
danced slowly, cheek to cheek.  She held back more tears, 
and let him lead, a false smile on her face.  As the song 
drew to a close, Ranma kissed her on the forehead, and told 
her that he would always consider her his friend and that 
she would always be welcome as a guest.  Her heart 
breaking, Ukyou mumbled assurances that she would stay in 
touch and always be his friend, before returning to her 
place along the wall.  She noted with some disgust that 
Ranma repeated the dance with Shampoo. 
	She had not noticed Akane approaching her from across 
the room and was subsequently surprised when the newlywed 
touched her shoulder.  Akane had smiled pleasantly and 
asked her if she was all right.  Ukyou merely nodded and 
went back to her silent vigil.
	She had thought to ask Shampoo if she wanted to get 
together some night but Shampoo had disappeared shortly 
afterwards.  Cologne and Mousse had no idea where the girl 
had run off. 
	That had been a month ago.
	Since that night, she had yet to say one word to 
Ranma and he kept his distance, out of pity or respect she 
was not sure.  Though she heard rumors that things between 
him and his wife were wonderful,  perhaps he could not be 
bothered with a depressed friend.
	But she had not come to this bar to focus on the 
past.  She was here to get piss drunk, like she had last 
night and the night before.   Thank god it was summer, so 
her grades would not slip, not that she actually cared 
about something as trivial as school.
	She sipped some more on the foul tasting concoction 
before her and scanned the room.  Two young lovers sat in a 
cozy booth drinking from the same cup.  She flicked her 
eyes quickly away.  That’s when she noticed the handsome 
man sitting next to her.  When he noticed her gaze on him 
he smiled at her.
	Quietly, she got up from her seat and made her way to 
the bathroom.  The full effects of the alcohol had not set 
in yet and she felt very sober.  
	Once in the bathroom Ukyou stood in front of the 
mirror and adjusted the ribbon in her hair, straightened 
her skirt and made sure she was real.  She applied her best 
makeup and walked back out to the seat next to the handsome 
man.  An idea already forming in her head.
	"Hi," she smiled nervously, "I'm sorry if I was rude, 
but I wanted to make myself look presentable.  My name is 
Ukyou."
	The man grinned at her and stylishly slicked back his 
hair, "I'm Toshi, it’s a pleasure to meet her."
	"I'm sorry if I'm being a bit forward," Ukyou began 
awkwardly, "but I was wondering if you would like to 
dance."  She indicated the stairs to the second floor where 
loud music drowned out all other sound.
	"Sure," he nodded for emphasis.  Toshi took her hand 
and escorted her upstairs.
	Ukyou danced recklessly, her mind far away. She let 
the rhythm of the music carry her body, her eyes closed 
most of the time.  She moved sexually her body sometimes 
coming in close contact to his, her breasts brushing 
against his chest, her crotch on his knees. He gripped her 
waist at times and when her back was turned to him he 
pressed his body close against hers till she could feel his 
hard sex against her butt.  Ukyou had no problem seducing 
the boy.
	All the while, she let him lead, allowed him to 
believe it his choice when their lips first met.  Later, as 
he bought her more drinks, she let him gently rub her 
breasts.  He grew bolder as the night wore on until his 
hands slipped into her skirt and caressed her thighs and 
her sex.  Inwardly she railed against him, outwardly she 
smiled pleasantly as he grew surer of himself.
	He leaned close to her, and Ukyou heard the words she 
wanted to hear, "Are you ready to come back to my place?"
	Grinning wildly, Ukyou nodded and let him lead her 
out of the bar.
During the ride to his house he had continued to rub 
her between her legs until she was wet and aching for 
penetration.  Barely able to control herself until they 
arrived in his apartment, Ukyou closed her eyes and held 
her breath.  Silently she called the man every foul name 
she could think of.  
	Once they arrived at his place, they quickly 
retreated upstairs to his apartment where she stripped 
naked and laid herself on his bed. 
	"You are beautiful," he complimented her.
	"Thank you," Ukyou couldn't care less what he thought 
of her.  She had failed Ranma, and she had failed herself.  
Maybe in some small way she could bring a bit of happiness 
to this fool even if the only thing he actually cared about 
was what lay between her legs.  She just wanted to make 
someone happy and if she got a small amount of pleasure out 
of it then so be it, but it was not her goal.
	The act of penetration was what she ached and longed 
for.  For years she had been saving herself for Ranma, but 
his marriage to Akane had removed any hope she had of him 
being her first.  Two weeks after the reception she decided 
relieve herself of that burden and had masturbated herself 
to a climax. Coldly and efficiently she had pierced her own 
hymen, ending her virginity.  Every night since then she 
had masturbated.  Except for the first night, she always 
stopped short of giving herself an orgasm; as if she didn’t 
quite deserve it.
	Tonight, though she wanted to be penetrated and she 
pulled Toshi down on top of her. The act of penetration 
almost brought to her orgasm, but after he was firmly 
inside her, she once again buried her lust and lay still. 
She responded when expected but gave no more of herself 
than she had already given.
	To say that Ukyou and Toshi were making love or even 
having sex was a grossly over romanticizing what she was 
doing.  If she had thought that there was any hint of love 
in this act she would not be letting him fuck her. But she 
knew better, the look in his eyes spoke of where his 
interest in her lay.  If anyone had suggested to her that 
she was doing anything other than fucking she would've 
laughed out loud.  
	He came suddenly and Ukyou reacted by faking her own 
orgasm.  She had to fake because she was no where near 
being excited, her juices having run dry shortly after 
penetration. His movement during the whole affair had only 
hurt her.  
Spent he lay on top of her until she pushed him off.  
	She realized with some trepidation that they had not 
used protection and hoped that the idiot had not gotten her 
pregnant.  Standing up she gathered her clothes and went to 
the bathroom to get dressed.
	From the bedroom she could hear him talking inanely, 
"That was great,"
	Ukyou rolled her eyes at his stupidity.
	"Was it good for you?"
	Ukyou said that the sex had been great and that he 
was the best lover she ever had. She pulled on her skirt 
and adjusted it.  A quick glance in the mirror confirmed 
that she was still real.
	"Maybe we could do it again later tonight?"  Toshi 
sounded like he had gotten up and was now moving around the 
bedroom, "What do you think?"
	She opened the door and stepped out fully dressed, "I 
think that if you want to come again tonight you are going 
to have to do it yourself."
	"Hey what the hell?"  Toshi looked at her, surprise 
on his face; "You don't have to go."
	She stopped him with a glare, then shrugged.  "I'm 
not staying."
	She walked to the door and opened it.  He caught her 
arm and she hoped that he would so something that would 
give her an excuse to hurt him.  
	"Don't I even get your number or something," he asked 
petulantly. 
	She smiled her practiced false smile at him, "Sorry." 
She pulled free of his grasp and shut the door quietly 
behind her.  She held her breath until she reached the 
elevator.  He apparently was not coming after her.
	The cool night air felt good on her face after the 
hot fever of the apartment.  Once she was far enough away 
from Toshi's apartment she leaned over and puked.  Grasping 
the lightpost near her she heaved until her stomach was 
empty then continued on her way home.  
	She quietly slipped inside and shut the door behind 
her.  Konatsu was at the counter, having fallen asleep 
waiting for her.  She smiled fondly at him and ran her hand 
through his hair, waking him up.
	"Ukyou, I'm glad you are home.  I was beginning to 
get worried about you it's getting late." He looked up at 
her the concern clearly etched on his face.
	"I'm alright," she started to make her way up the 
stairs, "I'm tired, are you going to sleep now?"
	He nodded and followed her upstairs.  Ukyou wished 
him a good night and retired to her own room.  Her legs 
hurt and she felt raw between them.  
	The single mirror in the room anchored her to 
reality.  Tomorrow she would have to get another one or 
maybe two more; there were too many bare walls in her room 
already.  She crawled quietly into bed, curled herself into 
a ball and cried herself to sleep.

	Ukyou did her best not to dream, like every night she 
failed.  Failing was not uncommon to her, she had no choice 
in the matter, she understood failure, success might have 
surprised her.  As she lay in her bed, curled into a ball, 
her thighs hurting and sickness in her stomach, she dreamt.
	Thousand of faces surrounded her.  Some she 
recognized immediately, others she had to concentrate on to 
make out.  Still there are others, nameless people who only 
pointed and chuckled.  She picked out Ryouga standing to 
one side, his eyes avoiding hers, Akane held Ranma's hand 
and shook her head in disgust, Konatsu looked in with 
concern, Happosai glomped to Akane and buried his face 
between her breasts, Akane did not seem to mind the 
attention.   Around her, a thousand other faces laughed and 
pointed.
	Ukyou realized she was naked.  Happosai glanced at 
her and laughed out loud.  Despite her nudity and 
vulnerability, he made no move towards her.  
Ryouga walked up to her first, each night it was some 
one different.  Ryouga faced her, a stern look in his eyes.  
"Is this the best answer you have?" Ryouga whispered 
harshly, "I thought better of you."
	"I tried." Ukyou whimpered as Ryouga faded before 
her.
	She picked out Shampoo standing apart from the 
chuckling crowd.  Never had never before appeared in her 
dreams.  The Amazon shook her head at Ukyou and started to 
walk away.
	Before Ukyou could call out to Shampoo, Akane 
approached, "He picked me.  Me! Me over you, and he called 
me uncute."  She smirked, "Me!"
	Ranma took Akane's hand, "Ucchan, thanks for helping 
me realize my love for Akane."  Ranma and Akane slowly 
faded before her eyes.
	Ukyou did not move she merely sat before the crowd 
and waited for her next judge.
	Happosai, without Akane to glomp on wandered towards 
her and passed right through her.
	Ukyou noticed that Shampoo had not left and had edged 
closer.  "Save me," Ukyou whispered.
	"Save yourself" the crowd laughed at her.
	"I tried," she screamed.
	"Not hard enough", the crowd roared with laughter.
	Suddenly, Shampoo stood beside her, "Go away!" 
Shampoo screamed at the crowd. Instantly, the laughter 
faded and the crowd disappeared.
	"Get up," Shampoo said harshly and yanked Ukyou to 
her feet.
"Look at what you've become," Shampoo stood back, disgust 
evident in her eyes, "Look at yourself."
	"I can't", Ukyou breathed and wrapped her arms around 
her naked body.
	"Why not?"  Shampoo demanded.
	"I can't see myself."  
	"Exactly."
	
	Ukyou sat bolt upright in her bed.  Unlike dreams she 
has previously had, this one included Shampoo. Never before 
had Shampoo appeared in her dreams. Her long time rival had 
seemed anxious and willing to help Ukyou. 
	Her heart pounding, Ukyou scanned the room, her eyes 
seeking confirmation, they came to rest on the mirror.  
When she saw she cast no reflection she started to scream.

	The next morning Ukyou slept in, her nightmares had 
left her exhausted.  As the sun rose in the east, she began 
to make out sounds from below; Konatsu trying hard to keep 
the early customers satisfied.  From experience, she knew 
that Konatsu would not be able to keep up for long and 
would need help shortly.
	With trepidation she opened her eyes and caught her 
reflection in the mirror.  Sighing with relief, she dragged 
herself out of bed.  She noticed that she had not changed 
clothes when she had gone to sleep.
	As she made her way to the shower, she made a mental 
list of things that she would have to buy later: two wall 
mirrors, perhaps a ceiling mirror, some condoms, aspirins, 
and extra bed sheets.  She turned the shower on and stepped 
in.  The cold shocked her awake and made her feel alive 
enough to face the world for another day.
	Konatsu had done surprisingly handling the customers 
this morning, though she noted that several were pleased to 
see her cooking.  While many came to see the cute waitress, 
none considered Konatsu an excellent cook.  She noticed 
that today there were fewer customers today then the day 
before, this had been a continuing trend for the past 
month.  She wondered if her depression had affected her 
cooking.
	The morning sun streaming in through the windows hurt 
eyes.  She recounted the previous night's dream in her 
head, weighing Shampoo's significance in it.  She did her 
cooking with actions she had come to know well over a 
lifetime of cooking okonomiyaki.  She was friendly with her 
customers as needed and chatted quietly about the weather, 
the day's events, and the relative calmness that had 
settled over Nerima since the Ranma's and Akane's wedding.  
Nobody would've guessed that she actually wasn't listening.  
She added another mirror to her list, one for inside the 
store.
	After the noon rush and before the evening patrons 
began to arrive, she took her leave of Konatsu.  She wanted 
to get some of her errands done before night.  She had 
plans tonight and she needed some of those items before she 
went out.
	The summer sun beat down on her, leaving her wishing 
for the cool comfort of autumn or winter.  She walked, 
practicing her smile as she went and nodding pleasantly to 
strangers.  Some smiled back others shied away.  She liked 
it better when they shied away.
	She approached the street where the drug store was 
located, and looked both ways before crossing.  The traffic 
was not very bad at this time of the day, however she could 
see a car rushing down the street.  She looked at the car 
and decided that it would not be a problem to cross in 
front of it.  She stepped out in front of it, within 
seconds the car's brakes screeched. Ukyou continued walking 
across the street taking no notice of the car that had come 
to a stop a few feet beside her.
	Walking into the drugstore, she did a quick circuit 
of store, looking for anything that might catch her eye.  
Eventually, she came to the condom section.  Not an expert 
on the various brands she looked over each box separately.  
Last night's experience with Toshi had hurt mainly because 
she was not excited, she considered that future encounters 
would continue along the same course and opted to get the 
lubricated brand. Eyeing the pack of condoms nervously, she 
looked around making sure no one was looking, she started 
walking to the cashier then stopped for a second and 
considered what she was doing.  She turned around and 
returned to the selection and picked out a second box, 
these were lubricated as well but were also ribbed.  Maybe 
getting some enjoyment out of the situation would not hurt.
	She felt somewhat awkward as she approached the 
cashier and decided to buy a candy bar.  She sucked at her 
lip and smiled at the cashier and waiting anxiously as the 
cashier rang up her purchases.  Ukyou was convinced that 
Ranma or Akane or even Ryouga would walk up behind her and 
ask her what she was buying.
	Without comment the cashier rang up the two packs of 
condoms.  When she came to the candy bar, she looked up at 
Ukyou and smirked.
	Blushing Ukyou paid the cashier and quickly walked 
out of the store.  Buying the candy had made it too obvious 
she had never bought condoms before.  Still the experience 
was behind her and she would be more prepared next time.  
To her relief there had been no surprise visits by any of 
her "friends".  She stuffed the condoms into her purse and 
continued walking down the street.
	She stepped into the home décor store down the 
street.  Several mirrors came immediately to her attention.  
The sales person was nice and helped her pick out several 
inexpensive ones. She chose two plain wall mirrors for her 
room, one large ceiling mirror for over her bed and a more 
ornate fancy one for the restaurant. She arranged to have 
the two larger ones delivered the next day and have the 
store install them. The two smaller ones she took with her.
	Feeling content with her purchases she allowed her 
good feelings to show in her smile.  After several hopeful 
smiles by passing men, Ukyou quickly returned to her wicked 
grin.  
	Konatsu had done reasonably well in her absence and 
Ukyou decided not to clobber him with her spatula.  The 
remainder of the day passed without incident as the evening 
crowd came and went.  Leaving Konatsu to clean up, she 
retired upstairs to get ready. 
	She hung her two new mirrors in strategic locations 
around the room and stopped to stare at herself in one of 
them.  Pulling up a chair from her desk she sat herself 
down in front of one and studied her reflection.
	The first thing she noticed was the dark circles 
under her eyes.  Make up would clear those up.  She studied 
her eyes next.  She noted that they had no sparkle or life, 
however she reasoned that the men she would meet would not 
be overly concerned with her eyes.  Still a little life in 
them would not hurt.  
	She practiced her smile noting the way her lips 
seemed a bit chapped and in need of some color. She chose 
her lipstick carefully perhaps a nice subdued red, garish 
colors did not mix well with her skin tone.
As she studied herself in the mirror she became 
increasingly uncomfortable and hot.  Unconsciously she 
began to rub her nipple.  Lost in her contemplation she was 
unaware of how much time had passed. 
	Her lips moved silently, at first only mouthing the 
words, she repeated the same line continuously, her voice 
gaining strength and her hand rubbing her breast moved with 
greater abandon. 
	" I dream of you,
	With my eyes open,
	With my eyes closed,
	In the day 
	In the night,
	I dream of you,
	Wherever you are, 
	Wherever I am,
	In my heart,
	In my soul,
	I dream of you."
	"Excuse me, Ukyou?  I didn’t quite hear what you 
said."  Konatsu was at the door.
	Ukyou eyes went wide and she realized where her hand 
was, even now caressing her breast.  Snarling she reached 
and grabbed her spatula, "Konatsu!" she screamed as she ran 
across the room her giant spatula upraised to strike him, 
"Don't you ever walk in on me again."
	She brought the spatula down to bear on him with all 
her strength and stopped short of hitting him.
	She lowered her weapon, her anger dissipating.  
Konatsu had not even flinched.  Sighing, she buttoned her 
top covering her exposed breast.  "I'm sorry Konatsu, my 
door was open, it's not your fault."
	Wordlessly, her turned to leave then stopped and 
turned around. "Ukyou," he began softly, "Would you like to 
go to a movie or something tonight?"
	His question caught her off guard.  Her eyes focused 
dangerously on him and he took a step back.  "I'm sorry, 
maybe some other night," she lied, "I'm going out tonight."  
She slammed the door in his face.
	She turned to look at herself in the mirror and 
realized that she hated the person she saw.

	Ukyou decided to not return to the same bar she had 
been to the night before.  She had no desire to run into 
Toshi.  She drank quietly for a while smiling at the 
passing men. Not long afterwards a bolder man offered to 
buy her a few more drinks.
	She had chosen her outfit carefully tonight.  A black 
body suit top, and some dark leggings.  It was a good look 
for her.  She had made sure to cover up the dark circles 
and she even let her smile reach her eyes.  
	As he led her onto the dance floor she began move 
already to the music.  The alcohol removed her inhibitions 
and she let the music carry her body.  She liked to dance 
and she was good at it; her movements were always in synch 
with the rhythm, her body moving sexually against her 
partners.  Before long her and Kentaro had attracted an 
audience, most entranced by her.
	Ukyou did not mind being the center of attention and 
she let her movements grow more hypnotic.  Kentaro smiled 
at her and she smiled back but she had let some of the 
spark in her eyes fade.  His smile faltered when her 
noticed her distracted vision.  She quickly pressed her 
body against his grinding her hips against his and the 
self-assured smile quickly returned to his face.
	As the night wore on, Kentaro grow bolder, his lips 
often sought hers out, and he grew fond of running his 
fingers through her hair.  By midnight, Kentaro was ready 
for more and he invited Ukyou outside.
	Once in the car they drove off to a secluded park and 
in the back seat Ukyou allowed him to fuck her.  She was 
relieved that he did not seem to mind her insisting on the 
condom.  It was a cold passionless exercise.  Kentaro 
pumping madly and Ukyou laying still and hating him for 
what he was doing to her.  
	Kentaro lasted longer then Toshi, and as he came he 
grabbed her hair, pulling on it painfully.
The lubrication on the condom had worn off and the 
latex left Ukyou feeling raw and sore.  Wordlessly she 
pulled her leggings back on and pulled down her shirt.  
Kentaro lay on the back seat of his car breathing 
heavily.  He smiled up at Ukyou and pulled his pants back 
on.  "Leaving, huh?"
	Ukyou nodded and reached for the door.  She needed to 
get into the fresh air and breath.  The inside of the car 
was warm and musty and smelled of sex.  She felt like 
gagging on the smell.
	"Well, I didn’t really expect you to stay."  Kentaro 
smiled smugly at her.  "Anyway, it was fun for a bit.  
Maybe I'll see you around."
	Ukyou stepped outside of the car and hurried off into 
the night without another word.

	Ukyou composed herself and stopped crying before she 
entered the restaurant.  She realized that the Konatsu was 
probably going to still be up waiting for her.  While a 
part of her found his devotion sweet another part of her 
found it annoying.  Still she felt as if she could trust 
him not to go away.  She needed some sense of stability on 
her life.
	As expected, Konatsu was fast asleep at the counter.  
She poked him in the back and woke him up.  "Hey sugar, I'm 
home you can stop worrying."
	Konatsu blinked furiously at her.  "Ukyou, I'm so 
glad you're home."
	Ukyou shrugged, "It's been a long night, do you mind 
opening up tomorrow again."
	"Of course not," Konatsu stood up and brushed the 
wrinkles out of his clothes, "You just sleep okay."
	Ukyou smiled sweetly at him and promised herself to 
do something nice for him.  "Good night Konatsu."
	She walked upstairs and went to sleep.

	For the next two weeks, life proceeded much the same 
as usual.  Ukyou went out almost every night, but she did 
not always let someone have his way with her.  Her first 
two experiences had left her feeling sore both physically 
and emotionally.  A week passed before Ukyou let another 
man have his way with her.
	Day's were exercises in exhaustion. Konatsu did most 
of the serving and greeting of customers, while Ukyou 
struggled to stay awake at the grill.  Ukyou went through 
the motions of living doing her best to forget Ranma.  
	After her previous dream with Shampoo, Ukyou stopped 
remembering her dreams.  She knew she had them and 
sometimes she would wake up in tears, but she no longer 
what had occurred.  To her it was a welcome relief.
	Despite Konatsu's prodding, Ukyou limited herself to 
only one meal a day.  The meals that she did eat were 
sparse, and if she ate too much she would throw it up.  It 
was not necessarily that she was being bulimic, it was that 
her stomach could not handle any more food than it felt was 
necessary.
	Day's passed with a mind-numbing fervor.  She had 
three more encounters with men.  Once, she let Hikaru take 
her to his place where she let him take her as she lay 
there, half unconscious from the alcohol in her.  
	A second time, too horny and aching for penetration 
to wait until she arrived at a more private area, she had 
allowed Tetsuo to take her in a nearby alley.  Pressed 
against the wall, his hands up her shirt and in her bra.  
She came the closest to orgasming.  Thinking upon it as she 
went home, she felt that it was the risk of being caught 
that had made the experience more enjoyable.
	The third man, Kaneda, she had brought home with her.  
As she thought, Konatsu had glared daggers at him but said 
nothing.  She allowed him to take her in her room.  While 
he was not any better than the other men she had recently 
allowed inside her, she had cried his name wildly and 
loudly. She threw him out shortly afterwards.  
	The next day she had apologized profusely to Konatsu 
and even got him a little card.  He mumbled that it was all 
right but had refused to look her in the eye.  Ukyou felt a 
pang of guilt but said no more.
	Throughout those two weeks she spent hours studying 
herself in the mirror.  Every morning she would confirm her 
reality and during her free time she studied the contours 
of her face.  She looked at her sunken eyes and her pale 
lips; her hands often shook as she caressed her face.  She 
noted the thin lips and practiced her smile. 
	Two mornings after she had brought Kaneda home she 
awoke with a pounding headache that could not be attributed 
to a hangover.  Shortly after waking up and trying to move 
she had thrown up.  The shower she took that morning had 
helped her somewhat, but as the day progressed she had 
grown sicker.  Finally, she had closed the restaurant and 
retired upstairs.
	She lay in her bed stripped down to her underwear and 
a nightshirt.  The summer heat was unbearable and the fans 
in the room did little to make her feel comfortable.  She 
alternated between shivering and covering herself with a 
cover and sweating until her bed sheets were soaked 
through.
	Konatsu sat anxiously by her side with a bowl of 
chicken soup and some ginger ale.  "Ukyou are you going to 
be okay?"
	She pulled the cover up to her chin and grinned 
mischievously at him.  "Of course, I am.  I'm all right, 
I'm fine can't you tell?"
	Konatsu once again pushed the spoon towards her, 
	"Ukyou why are you doing this?"
	"Because I'm sick you idiot."  She snarled at him, 
then stopped and stifled a sob, "I'm sorry, I didn’t mean 
to yell at you."
	Konatsu sighed as she thrust his hand away again,  
"That's not what I mean," he tried to meet her eyes, but 
every time she looked at him and noticed his look her eyes 
darted away to the mirror above her bed.  "I mean the way 
you are living you life.  If you are not careful you are 
going to hurt yourself.
	"I don't want to see you die."  He ended softly, 
tears standing out in his eyes.
	"Me die?"  Ukyou cackled and started to cough, once 
done she continued her laugh, "Honey, I'm dead already, 
can't you see it?"
	His eyes narrowed, "What do you mean?"
	Ukyou shrugged as best she could lying down, a 
shadowy look came across her face, "I know what you want."
	Ukyou reached out and grabbed Konatsu by his shirt 
pulling him close "You want to fuck me, don't you?"  
Konatsu tried to pull away,  "Its okay, that’s why you 
stick around because you want to be inside me.  I'll tell 
you what, because you are nice to me you can fuck me 
tonight.  I may be out of it but it'll be all right.  You 
can even pretend that I love you.  Just for tonight mind 
you because you know I really don't love you.  It's not 
about love, it's about punishment.  I deserve to be fucked. 
I deserve to be hurt.  I failed don't you see?  
	"So go ahead fuck me and get it over with, just be a 
little gentle and please use a condom."  She turned her 
head into the pillow.  "Just get it over with, quickly.  
I've done mean things to you in the past, now is your 
chance to get back at me."
	Konatsu looked at her in horror.  Her face turned 
into the pillow he tentatively reached his hand out and 
stroked her hair.  It was matted with sweat but he enjoyed 
the simple feel of it on his hand.  He closed his eyes, 
took a deep breath, got up and walked out of the room.
Ukyou had fallen asleep and didn't hear him leave.

	She awoke the next morning feeling better.  She was 
still weak and her hands shook.  She noted the cold chicken 
soup and the flat ginger ale on the stand next to her bed 
beside the empty stool.  She thought that Konatsu had left 
them there in case she woke up during the night.
	She got up and went to the bathroom.  It always 
helped to wash the sickness out, and a bath always felt 
good.
	Feeling refreshed after her shower, she got out and 
dried herself off and noticed that the entire building was 
silent.  She looked at the clock It read eleven o'clock.
	"Konatsu?"  She called out.
	No answer.
	Her heart pounding, Ukyou ventured downstairs.  The 
restaurant was very clean and immaculate.  Konatsu had 
obviously taken pains to clean up.  .  She gasped when she 
saw what was on the grill: a red rose and a piece of paper.
Fearing the worst she carefully opened the note.
	"My Dearest Ukyou,
	"I too have my pride even though I sometimes don't 
show it.  Like you I have had my dreams.  One of them was 
to have you fall in love with me.  After last night I 
realized that it was only a dream.  Even the wildest dreams 
can break my heart.  I am leaving you now.  I hope that you 
learn to forgive yourself.
	"Konatsu"
	Ukyou stared at the paper for a long time, studying 
the words.  After several minutes of contemplation she 
crumbled the paper up, and tossed to the side "Coward" she 
whispered to air.

Twist in life,
Standing in the shade,
Darkness falls,
I take your hand.

True to life,
I dare you to fade,
Darkness comes,
Apart we stand.

Sweet is life,
Wrapped within a haze,
Darkness tears,
I am revealed.

Bleak is life,
No one ever stays,
Darkness folds,
You are revealed

Life is hope,
To hope is human,
Darkness ends,
We stand as one.

	Ukyou spent the rest of that day clearing up some 
issues she had been neglecting.  Fighting embarrassment she 
had gone to the drug store again and bought a pregnancy 
test kit.  Though she used condoms every time she was with 
someone, she wanted to make sure.  With bated breath, she 
waited for the results to show.  She sighed with relief 
when it came up negative.
	She then cleared up business items.  Konatsu's 
leaving had forced her to consider her options.  She could 
give up her restaurant, which she considered doing or she 
could try to once again run it on her own.  Having help had 
been a luxury but she also realized that business had 
dropped off and hiring on extra help was not an option.  
She paid her bills, which had gone untouched since Ranma's 
wedding.  
	Feeling relieved and refreshed she decided to 
celebrate by going out that night.  She picked out her 
clothes carefully, searching for the best mix of clothes 
and opted for a loose sweater and a pair of black leggings.  
She put on a pair of boots, wrapped a belt loosely around 
her waist. And tied her hair into a loose ponytail.  
She stepped back from the mirror and admired herself.  
	Tonight she looked good.  Tonight she was going to break 
hearts.

	The night was unusually cool for a summer night but 
Ukyou did not mind.  She had her eyes set on one goal; too 
have fun.  She decided to try a club in downtown Tokyo.  
One she had heard some customers in the restaurant talking 
about.  
	Taking a bus downtown was time consuming but she 
figured that whoever took her home tonight might also be 
cajoled into giving her a ride back.  In fact with Konatsu 
gone she might suggest he come to her place.
	Ukyou decided to worry about such things later as the 
night wore on.  The club was packed and there was a small 
line to get in.  She waited patiently smile at the men as 
they noticed her.  
	"Boo" whispered a voice in her ear.
	She jumped and spun around. 
	"Hey," Kentaro winked at her, "I didn't think I'd be 
seeing you anytime soon.  What brings you down here."  He 
was with two other men both smiled at her.
	Ukyou smiled back and turned her attention to 
Kentaro.  After she had allowed him to take her rather 
haphazardly in the back of his car, he hadn't seemed 
disappointed by her leaving afterwards.  Perhaps another 
night with him would not hurt.  He was handsome enough.   
	"Well, I heard about this club from some friends." She 
lied, currently she had nobody she could call a friend.
	He smiled at her his eyes betraying nothing; "These 
are my friends, Koji and Koseii."  
	Ukyou greeted each in turn and they both smiled at 
her.  She felt embarrassed for a second, when she realized 
that Kentaro had surely told them about her and she noted 
that both had self-satisfied grins on their faces.
	"Anyway, why don’t you join us.  It's more fun with a 
crowd and you seem to be alone."  Kentaro smiled at her,  
	"I'll even be nice and pay your way in."
	She shrugged and nodded, "Sure, it might be nice to 
know someone here."  Ukyou took note of Koji and Koseii, 
neither had Kentaro's suave charm or looks and she 
dismissed them immediately.  She knew Kentaro to be a safe 
person to sleep with and she once again hungered for 
penetration.  Tonight was shaping up to be an interesting 
night.
	Inside, the club was packed.  There were no tables to 
be found so the group loitered by a railing and watched the 
crowd dance.  Koseii bought the first round of beer for the 
guys.  Ukyou had insisted on shots next.  Which Koji had 
been only too happy to buy.  The group downed the shots and 
wished each other well.
	Ukyou sat next to Kentaro and looked over at him and 
smiled.  His eyes on the dance floor, he barely took notice 
of her.  His eyes followed girls walking by.  
	For a second Ukyou was dumbfounded. He was ignoring 
her or at least favoring other women to her.  She decided 
to change her tactic.  She asked him to dance.  
	He declined.
	Koji then asked her if she would like to dance.  
Shocked at Kentaro's rejection she allowed Koji to lead her 
to the dance floor.  She moved half numbingly at a loss for 
words.  Koji for his part moved towards her often pressing 
his body against hers.  Each time he came in close Ukyou 
stepped back further.  
	Tears almost sprang to her eyes when she saw Kentaro 
ask one of the girls he had been looking at earlier to 
dance with him.  She had smiled demurely and allowed him to 
lead her to the dance floor.  Kentaro danced reservedly 
with her unlike the way he had danced with her almost two 
weeks ago.
	She turned her attention back to Koji who was again 
coming in close.  Stepping back, she bumped into Koseii who 
had apparently joined his friend without her knowing it.  
She felt trapped between the two men and she began to feel 
afraid.  Both pressed their bodies against her as they 
danced.
	Thankfully, the music slowed and couples began to 
form.  Though the two men tried to get her to dance she 
feigned tiredness and pulled an empty stool to the railing 
and sat down.
	On the dance floor, she watched as Kentaro and the 
girl dance slowly, her head resting on his chest.  
Ukyou remembered Ranma.
	She had wanted him to hold her like that, while 
softly swaying to a beautifully romantic song.  Dreams 
don’t always come true she told herself harshly.  A second 
song began and her heart broke.

//If ever you are feeling tired//
//And all your uphill struggles leave you headed 
downhill//
//If you realize your wildest dreams can hurt you//
//And your appetite for pain has drinken its fill//

	Ukyou remembered her past, the emptiness that had 
consumed when she was a mere six years old.  She had 
forsaken her life as a woman at that early age.  After 
Ranma had run away from her leaving her stranded.  She had 
struggled to survive.  In order to again face her father 
and herself she had opted to live her life as a man.

//I ask of you a very simple question//
//Did you think for one minute that you are alone//
//And is your suffering a privilege you share only//
//Or did you think that everybody else feels 
completely at home//

	Of course she had found him nearly ten years later.  
She had taken her revenge of Genma as best she could but 
that brief victory felt hollow.  It had been Ranma who had 
hurt her and Ranma she wanted to hurt more than anything.

//Just wait//
//Just wait//
//Just wait//
//And it will come//

	But her vengeance had to be ruined.  Her righteous 
anger dissipated in an instant and her life turned upside 
down one more time but Ranma.  Always Ranma.  Her life 
decisions in life so often taken away from her.  In one 
moment her anger towards Ranma had turned into love.

//If you think I've given up on you you're crazy//
//And if you think I don't love you well you're just 
wrong//
//In time you just might take to feeling better//
//Time is the beauty of the road being long//

	Of course the road was not easy.  Ranma had many 
fiancées', all her were as eager as she to claim him as 
their own.  She convinced herself that she was unique that 
only she loved him truly.  That their love was fated and 
written in the stars.  She had dreams of hope, love and 
romance.  This was what she had always wanted and what she 
had always waited for.

//I know that now you feel no consolation//
//But maybe if I told you and informed you out loud//
//I say this without fear of hesitation//
//I can honestly tell you that you make me proud//

	She had been blind though.  He had played her the 
fool.  She wondered if she had been the only one to delude 
herself into believing that his arranged marriage was 
unwanted.  Nobody had seen overly surprise when the two had 
run away to get married, proving beyond a doubt that they 
loved each other and were not getting married to satisfy 
their fathers wishes.  Even she could not deny their love 
for each other.

//Just wait//
//Just wait//
//Just wait//
//And it will come//

	She had waited for all of her life.  Her entire life 
was spent waiting for a chance at revenge or for Ranma to 
come to his senses and admit he loved her.  So much wasted 
time, a disaster almost ten years in the making.  She could 
not fathom the choices before her and had retreated into 
herself.  She turned her back on everything that reminded 
her of who she once had been.

//If anything I might have just said has helped you//
//If anything I might have just said helped you just 
carry on//
//Your rise uphill may no longer seem a struggle//
//And you appetite for pain may all but be gone//

	She felt so lonely, so incredibly lonely.  All of her 
life wasted and she had nothing to show for it.  Empties 
promises, empty dreams. lost hopes and a hell of a lot of 
pain.  At night when she cried herself to sleep all she 
could see was emptiness in her life.  She allowed herself 
to feel no passion in her sexual encounters because she had 
become used to feeling sorry for herself.

//I hope for you and cannot stop at hoping//
//Until that smile has once again returned to your 
face//
//There's no such thing as a failure who keeps 
trying//
//Coasting to the bottom is the only disgrace//

	Unable to fight the tears any longer, Ukyou stood up 
and told Koji and Koseii that she was leaving.   Blinking 
furiously she glanced over where Kentaro and the girl were 
dancing.
	Koji offered to take her home, but a glance at his 
eyes, even through her blurred vision, saw what he wanted.  
She was unwilling to give him that and declined the offer.
She walked briskly out of the club and into the night 
air.  The tears fresh on her face quickly dried and she 
walked rapidly down the street eyes to the heavens, 
fighting a fresh onslaught of tears.  Still her make had 
run down her face giving her the appearance that she had 
recently been crying.
	"Why you crying?" asked a sympathetic voice by her 
side.
	"Nothing" she snapped as she looked at the tall man 
walking beside her.
	"Did you have your heart broken?" he asked.
Needing someone, anyone, to listen Ukyou answered, 
	"Yes but not tonight."  
	"Tell me about it," he smiled sympathetically at her, 
"I'll listen."
	She smiled in return, "No I don’t really want to talk 
about it."
	"That’s okay," he laughed, "I'm not a really good 
psychologist anyway."
	Unable to control her sadness any longer, Ukyou 
started to laugh with tears streaming down her face.  She 
was unaware of her surroundings as he steered her into a 
side alley.
	Laughing and crying at the same time she was shocked 
when he planted a kiss squarely on her lips.  
	"Its okay," he whispered, "I understand."  He pressed 
his lips against hers again, this time his tongue seeking 
an opening.  
	She felt scared.  Her knees trembled and an instant 
later she felt his hand on her thigh sliding upward.  
	"I know how to make you feel better" he whispered 
into her ear as he licked it.
	Ukyou struggled, but his arms caught hers and pinned 
them to her side.  Her years of martial arts practice 
seemed so futile at this moment.  She tried to scream but 
his mouth was over hers.  His hand was between her legs her 
body seemed to lose all its strength.
	She closed her eyes and hoped that she could find 
somewhere the resistance she would need to stop this man 
from raping her.  Her struggles availed her nothing, his 
grip firm and strong.  His free hand was now at the hem of 
her leggings tugging them down.
	Suddenly, his grip loosened and she heard a new 
voice, "I don't think she is enjoying that."  
	"What do you care?" she heard her attacker answer.
	There was bone breaking crunch and the sound of a 
body hitting the wall next to her.  She opened her eyes and 
looked down at the limp body of her attacker.
	Raising her eyes she looked at her rescuer and stared 
into the eyes of Ryouga Hibiki.
	"Ukyou?" his face was puzzled as if he could not 
fathom what she was doing there.
	She pulled her leggings back up and soundlessly ran 
off into the night.

	Ryouga was confused and lost.  Both were not uncommon 
states for him to be in but this felt some how different.  
	He knew someone being attacked when he saw it and it had 
been his duty as a martial artist to intervene.  However, 
he had never suspected that he might be rescuing Ukyou 
Kuonji. Her reaction to seeing him had not been one of 
gratitude as he might have expected after rescuing her; 
instead it was of horror.
	She had run off, leaving him with no answers.  "No 
what was that all about?"  He asked of the night.
	"It’s a good thing you stepped in when you did, 
otherwise I would have had to have really hurt the guy," 
said a voice from the shadows.  
	Ryouga looked suspiciously at the shadow, "Oh really? 
Is that why you stayed hidden in the shadows?"
	Koji stepped into view and shrugged, "I was waiting 
for the right time to do something.  Besides I was unsure 
if she wasn't actually into it and I didn't want to interrupt."
	Koji found himself lifted off the ground by a very 
angry looking fang toothed boy.  "Ulp" he managed to squeak 
out, "you mean you weren't after the same thing?"
Ryouga dragged him very close to his face, "What do 
you mean by that?"
	Scared to out of his wits by Ryouga, Koji told the 
lost boy everything he knew about Ukyou.





Afterword:
	This story isn't quite done yet, but I wanted to 
release it first to see what the readers thought of it. 
Thanks for any comments that may be forthcoming, any 
suggestions on the story or improvements or general 
complaints on whether Ukyou would end up like this will be 
answered and thoughtfully considered.  Thanks.

-- 
"I always hated stories that ended poorly. I
always felt cheated.  But you can't feel cheated
forever.  And then she woke up...
I suppose there are worse endings."
--Rose Walker, Lost Hearts
http://www.erols.com/eda104/