Hey guys - here's the fourth installment of my Ryouga-Ukyou
fic. Even if it _is_ out of season and has been done before. . .
I still like the pairing! :P

So, anyway, it's been zillions of years since I've last gotten
much of anything out on this one, so if you need any of the 
first three parts, they are all kept at
http://students.vassar.edu/~meerobin/found.html
or I can e-mail them to you.

C&C much, much appreciated, be it good, bad, whatever. . .I'm not
actually a member of this mailing list, so please reply directly-
thanks!

The usual disclaimer: all Ranma 1/2 characters belong to 
Takahashi-sama and distributers, all Oh My Goddess! characters 
belong to Fujishima-sama and other distributers...


Found
Part 4
(A Ranma 1/2 - Oh My Goddess! Crossover by Mee Robinson)


     "Hmm..." Urd ruminated as she gulped down another beer. 
Unlike Skuld, she had _always_ appreciated earth food - 
_and_ drink. 

     This place was amazing! Love polygons to the order of 
infinity. A regular playground for someone such as herself, 
Urd thought as she flipped through the voluminous stack of 
graphs and charts and case histories that Skuld had printed 
out for her, right before the ice cream high had worn off. 
Said youngest sister was now back at home, taking a long 
overdue nap. 

     Urd frowned worriedly. That girl was far too single-minded 
for her own good. If she wasn't careful, she'd end up burning 
out at the tender age of fourteen. As it was, she was missing 
all the fun in life.  

     "And you never listen to me, do you, sis?" Urd murmured 
softly. "You really think you know it all, don't you?" She 
shook her head in consternation. Maybe Bell could talk some 
sense into the - well, not a child anymore, really. The young 
goddess. 

     But there would be plenty of time for that later. Right
 now, she was on a reconnaisance mission.

     "Kuonji Ukyou," she muttered, scanning once more through 
Skuld's intricately detailed - and beautifully footnoted -
entry.

     She watched with interest as the chef dexterously 
flipped another okonomiyaki. The girl's form was admirable: 
powerful but wonderfully fluid. And such precision! Not a 
single wasted movement. You'd almost think she really 
was a man, and fine one at that. 

     Anyway, time to see what else she could find out, 
without "meddling," as Skuld so eloquently put it.

     "Hey, mister!" she called, lazily waving a hand. "I'll try one 
of those - lemme have one with some squid on it."

     "Hai! Coming right up!" came the reply, and less than five 
seconds later, one perfectly formed okonomiyaki came flying 
across the room, gently coming to a rest on the goddess's plate.

     "Niiice," Urd breathed appreciatively, taking a bite, then 
digging in with gusto. "This is great! - Hey, miss-I mean, 
mister- can you give me the recipe for this? My little sister 
has _got_ to learn how to make these!"

     The chef smiled and shook her head, one corner of her 
mouth twitching almost imperceptably. "Sorry, ma'am. It's 
a really old family recipe. My folks'd disown me if they knew 
I was giving away the family secrets."

    Urd shrugged, sighing theatrically. "Oh well," she drawled, 
"It was worth a try." Inwardly she smiled. Asking was only a 
formality for her. A goddess had other ways of obtaining 
information, after all. 

     She popped the last bite of okonomiyaki into her mouth, then 
picked up her plate and ambled her way to the counter, where the 
chef was carefully wiping off the grill with a damp cloth, lost in 
her own thoughts.

     "I wasn't kidding, you know," Urd said conversationally. "This 
was the best okonomiyaki I've ever had." 

     Ukyou looked up, noticed the scantily clad, bosomy customer 
who was now lounging on one of the counter stools, and smiled 
slightly with pride.

     "It's the best in Japan," she said softly.

     Urd nodded emphatically. "I believe it!. . .I might even come 
back here for dinner. . .if you're still open, that is," she said, 
glancing pointedly at the now clean grill.

     Ukyou flushed a bit. "Ah, _no_, we'll be closing up a little 
early today. . .I. . .I promised a friend of mine that I'd keep him 
company on his trip home. . .but we'll be open 'til eleven 
tomorrow!" she said, feeling rather guilty about abandoning her
business for the day. But Akane and Ranma would be along any
minute now to escort Ryouga back home, and she'd be damned
if she was going waste a perfectly good chance to be with her 
fiance, even if his other fiancee _was_ annoyingly present
the whole time. 

     "Well, that's too bad," said Urd, "I'll just have to come 
back tomorrow. In the meantime, since I'm new here myself, 
do you think you could recommend any other neighborhood 
restaurants?. . .What about this 'Nekohantan' I've been 
hearing so much about?" she asked, watching carefully for the 
okonomiyaki chef's reaction. She was rewarded by the tiniest
flinch.

     "I wouldn't know myself," Ukyou answered slowly, keeping 
her voice carefully low and neutral. "I've never actually sampled 
the food there. But it's been very popular these days, especially
with the high school crowd."

     "Ah, I get it," said Urd, winking slyly. "I bet the waitress there 
is one of those really exotic Chinese types - incredibly beautiful, 
unapproachable, and completely unlike any of the girls here. Bet 
she's got the local boys all panting their hearts out.     

     Ukyou sighed and then chuckled a bit ruefully. "You've got _that_ 
right. . .You _sure_ you're not from around here?" 

     "Just got here today, honest!" said Urd, "But I've been around, I 
know the type."

     "Yeah?" Ukyou said, frowning. "Well, I've done a good amount 
of traveling myself, and I never met anyone like Shampoo, at least 
not until I came here.

     The frown deepened, and Ukyou scrubbed a little harder at the 
grill, not noticing that it was already immaculate. She couldn't be 
sure if she _really_ disliked Shampoo, but somehow she could 
never stand to be around the Amazon for very long. It gave her an
uncomfortable feeling, completely unlike the way she felt when 
Akane was around.  It was so strange, the mix of wild, brazen 
wildness and bubbly cuteness that was Shampoo.

      Ukyou often thought that she and Akane could have been
good friends, if it hadn't been for. . .circumstances. Now, she
found herself wondering what it would have been like to be
friends with Shampoo. Bike rides and sparring sessions, 
training with the old ghoul. Sisters, such a foreign concept. 
She tried to imagine herself in one of those slinky Chinese 
dresses of Shampoo's and utterly failed to do so. What an odd 
kind of life. . .

     "Yo, Ucchan!"

     And there was Ranma, with Akane looking rather irritated at 
his side.

     "Hi, guys," Ukyou said, all thoughts of the Chinese amazon
disappearing. "You're right on time. I'll go get Lost Boy,
and we can leave." She turned toward Urd, smiling politely, 
"It's been really nice talking to you, ma'am, but-"

     "Got it," said Urd, sliding off her seat. " and I will 
_definitely_ be back tomorrow. Ciao."

*****

     "Ryouga-kun!" said Akane, straining to be heard over 
Shirokuro's joyful exclamaitions, "Are you sure you wouldn't like 
to lie down?

     "H-Hai," he stammered, staggering a little as Shirokuro 
continued to jump on top of him, barking excitedly the entire 
time. Her master was home for the second time in a year! This 
was a rare and precious occurence and cause for celebration, 
she told the tiny puppies who yipped and clambered happily 
over his feet. 

     Ryouga felt the same way.

     "I - I'm fine, Akane-san," he managed to say through all the 
commotion. 

     Akane smiled, and to Ryouga's infatuated senses, it seemed 
like the warmest and most gentle smile he had ever seen, its 
owner herself glowing with compassion and good intent. He was
home. He was with the woman he loved. He was in heaven. That 
is, until Ranma ruined the mood.

     "Well, looks like this place hasn't changed one bit!" he said 
loudly, not-so-casually stepping between his fiancee and the lost 
boy and slapping Ryouga roughly across the shoulders. "Though I 
guess it wouldn't've if your folks are still out lost somewhere."

     "Ranma, shut up." Akane said, tossing him an annoyed glance. She 
then turned to Ukyou, who was examining their surroundings in 
silence. "Isn't Ryouga's house nice?" she said a bit too brightly. 
"You should just see his room - he's got tons of souvenirs 
from. . .from. . .just about _everywhere_!"

     Ukyou nodded, unable to completely suppress the faint 
twinge of jealousy she felt as she trailed her fingers through 
the thick dust that lay over the table, covering a bowl of 
noodles and a note left by Mrs. Hibiki sometime that past 
summer. It _was_ a beautiful house; large, airy, and comfortably 
furnished. Ukyou dreamed of having a house like this someday, 
a house just for living, for loving, and for raising a family, with 
none of the reminders of business, rejection, or the life she'd 
left behind that cluttered the corners of her own small 
apartment. A happy home. 

     <Stupid lost boy doesn't know how good he's got it,> she thought. 
<If I had a home like this, I'd never want to leave. I'd never 
get lost for months on end and let it get all dusty like this. 
I'd clean it every day, I'd love every minute. Stupid lost boy. . .does 
he even appreciate it one bit?> She shivered. <Poor house. . .It feels 
so. . .empty.>

     "It's late," she said, noting how dark it had gotten outside. 
She wouldn't have thought it was possible for Ryouga to get 
lost on the short walk to the bus stop, not with three chaperones 
to guide him. But, of course, Ranma and Akane had squabbled, 
and she herself had been busy trying to get Ranma to notice her,
and so the inevitable happened, and Ryouga wandered off. But
it had only taken three hours to find him again, so she guessed 
she should be grateful for small favors. 

     "Wow, yeah! It's almost dinner time," Ranma said, suddenly 
realizing how hungry he was.

     "I'm sure I can whip something up," she said, smiling tiredly
as Akane frowned in their direction. "You all go clear off a table
or something. I'll be along in a while."

     "Right!" said Ranma, anxious to get Akane away from the 
kitchen. "Hey, come on, Akane, didn't ya want to see those 
puppies?"

*****

     Half an hour later, she had managed to make quite a passable 
meal with what she had found in the freezer. <Those Hibiki's> she
thought <Must have one hell of a time shopping for groceries.>

     She heard laughter and quite a lot of yapping from the living 
room, so she piled a tray, and followed the voices there. 

     The three of them, along with Shirokuro and her puppies, were
all sprawled in front of the TV, eating crackers. Ukyou silently
set the tray down on the table and joined them. 

     It was obviously a home video that they were watching, and 
quite an old one at that. In the video, it was a summer day,
and a tiny black and white puppy - a younger Shirokuro - cavorted
joyfully in the grass. 

     God, it all seemed so idyllic. Had her life _ever_ been like that?

     And a high pitched, joyful yell pealed forth from the television
as a tiny, black haired child raced into view. 

     "Happy birthday," said a kind, deep voice from somewhere 
behind the camera. "Her name is Shirokuro. . .I guess you can see why."

     "I love her Daddiiee!!!!!" the little boy cried happily as he ran to 
embrace his new friend.

     "Ooooh!" Akane cooed, "Ryouga, you were so cute!!!"

     Ranma snickered at this, and Ryouga flushed with embarrassment 
before clubbing him over the head for it. He'd forgotten what was on 
that tape. Dad. . .

     Ukyou simply stared. It was so beautiful, and so completely 
_alien_. The field, the puppy, the father. . .and the laughing little 
boy.

     Gods, you'd never expect such a happy looking child to grow up to 
be. . .well. . .Ryouga. She'd always thought that Ryouga spent a lot of
his time making mountains out of molehills, but maybe there was 
more to it than that. You'd think it would take something 
catastrophic to work a change like that. Something almost as
bad as being robbed and abandoned by your fiance when you were 
five. Ukyou frowned. Well, _almost_.

*****

     "Hey, Cologne," Urd said casually as she walked through the door
of the Nekohanten. "Long time no see."

     "Well, well. If it isn't the goddess Urd," Cologne replied good-
naturedly. I'm afraid if you're here to stir up any mischief-"

     "No, no, nothing of the sort. I'm here undercover, actually,
checking things out for my little sister."

     Cologne's eyes widened. "You're here helping Belldandy?"

     "No, my other little sister, Skuld. You've never met."

     "Ah," said Cologne knowingly. "How time does fly."

     "Unless you're watching summer reruns," Urd agreed. "Tell me,
Cologne - how is it that so much. . .romanitic chaos -" she shook
her charts in the old woman's face - "can exist in one place
_WITHOUT_MY_HELP?!_"

     Cologne chuckled. "I haven't been able to figure that one out
myself. Perhaps it's fate."

     "Don't tell me you're getting philosophical in your old age,
girl."

     "I wouldn't dream of it. Would you like to order something?"

     "Hmm. . .you know, I would _love_ a deluxe order of dumplings,
and maybe some ramen too."

     Cologne's ancient face split into a grin. "You haven't changed a 
bit." 

     "Guess not," said Urd cheerfully. "By the way, is that your 
grandaughter over there?"

     "Yes, that is my Shampoo. I warn you though, _my_ love life 
survived your efforts to improve it, but if you so much as _think_-"

     "Don't worry about it," Urd said, waving her hands in protest. "I'm
under strict orders from Skuld not to meddle with anything."

     "See that you don't," Cologne said, handing the goddess a huge
plate of food. "She sounds like a smart girl, your sister."

     "Oh, she's brilliant," Urd replied, "She takes after me, you know."

     The restaurant with the sound of the old crone's laughter.

*****

     "Gosh, it's really late!" said Akane after the video was over and
the dishes put away. "Are the buses still running?"

     Ranma shrugged and looked over at Ukyou. "I dunno. You?"

     Ukyou shook her head.

     <Wait!> Ryouga thought. <If it's that late, and the buses aren't 
running. . .>

     "Ah! Akane-san!" he said intelligently, "You can. . .I mean, here is,
I mean, you can night spend the here, I mean, if you want, I mean-"

     There was a long moment of silence.

     "That's not a bad idea," Ranma said, much as he hated to admit it.

     "Hmm," Ukyou said. She _was_ pretty sleepy at the moment, and
she didn't much relish the thought of going back out into the cold. 
Besides, it might be nice to spend the night in a real house for
once, even if it _was_ awfully dusty. 

     Akane sighed in relief. "Thanks, Ryouga. It's really sweet of you
to offer. . .I guess I'd better call home, and tell them where we are."

     "Sh-sure," Ryouga stammered. What a dream come true! "The-the 
phone's right. . .where'd the phone go?"

     Ranma shook his head. Two fiancees and one life-long rival. 
It was going to be a long night.

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end part 4
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And many tons of thanks to Meredith for the home video idea!

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It doesn't mean much;  it doesn't mean anything at all.
                                        - Sarah McLachlan "Sweet Surrender"

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