C&C very welcome. Thanks to those who put in input the first time this 
was posted. Those areas that needed fixing (at least, those pointed out 
to me) were fixed, and several areas were expanded upon. 

------------------------------


                  Aftermath: After the Wedding

  [Version 1.1 -- Redid sections on Mousse and Ryoga]
  Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflife@hotmail.com)
  http://www.crosswinds.net/anaheim/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html
  Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. And 
all that other good stuff. Proper licenses belong to respective 
properties and characters. 
  This file can be freely distributed so long as it appears in its 
complete form and proper credit. No part may be reproduced for monetary 
gain without permission from the author. (to which the answer is 
probably "no")

  Author's note: This series takes place after the final manga story, 
Vol.38. It sort of runs over the wedding fiasco story and is a prequal 
to my series of fics. The scene opens just after the Jusenkyo-cursed 
return from battling Saffron in Jusenkyo. 

Plot Points (from previous stories)
==================================
1. The waters of Jusenkyo have mixed during a hard rain, raising the 
water levels of the springs to overflowing, meaning that the curses are 
jumbled together now. The cursed believe the Jusenkyo springs' curses 
are messed-up permanently. Of course none of them thought to ask the 
Guide about it....
2. Nodoka knows of Ranma's curse, but thinks him manly. Her idea of 
manly is pretty much Happosai.... In any case she now lives at the Tendo 
dojo after the destruction of the ancestral Saotome home at the hands of 
Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi. 
3. In her mind Akane hears Ranma confess his love. That's about as far 
as it goes, anyway, as he never actually _said_ it. 

------------------------------------------------
Opening: Love Seeker (Can't Stop It)

  It was a quiet Sunday morning. It was also the morning the lives of 
the people of Nerima would change forever. 

  A wedding invitation? 
  Ryoga walked alone in the quiet streets of Nerima as he unsealed the 
envelope. The Eternally Lost Boy read it over once, twice, three times. 
He sighed. Continuing to walk in silence, Ryoga thought, Akane, I wish 
you the best. 
  It wouldn't do any good to think of Akane anymore. It was the day 
Ryoga half-expected from the beginning. Sure, he thought he had a chance 
with Akane, but now....
  Thinking of Akari, Ryoga thought, I'm going on another journey, Akari. 
I'm afraid the gift I got for you expired.

  A few blocks away Ucchan's was closed, but passer-bys could hear the 
sizzle of okonomiyaki on the grill. Ukyo stood behind the grill, 
absorbed in her cooking, Konatsu being the only other occupant in the 
dining room. 
  "Ukyo-sama?" started Konatsu, "are you okay?"
  "I'm making special okonomiyaki," Ukyo replied. 
  "Are you sure you're alright?" Konatsu persisted, thinking back to the 
moment Ukyo read over the wedding invitation. It shocked her, to say the 
least. The reprucussions were unknown to the lowly servant. 
  Ukyo lifted her head from the grill, staring out into nothing. "I knew 
this day would come." She sighed. "All there's left for me to do is 
devote myself to my cooking."
  Konatsu let a single tear slip as he turned away. Ukyo-sama is strong, 
he thought. Everything will be fine.

  The Nekohatten was also closed for the day. Shampoo busied herself 
wiping tables that didn't need cleaning. She stopped as Mousse 
approached. 
  "Shampoo," Mousse started, "I know you won't give up on Ranma easily, 
but I want you to know.... I'll always be here for you."  
  "Shampoo understand," Shampoo replied. She turned her head over her 
shoulder, smiling. "Can you help me prepare some nikuman?" [Note: 
nikuman is a sort of round dumpling/bun with beef in it; if you play KOF 
that's the thing Kensou chokes on :) ]
  Mousse burst with joy. "Oh thank you Shampoo!!" 
  If he'd been wearing his glasses, Mousse would've noticed he'd been 
hugging old Cologne. 

  Nabiki and Kasumi, both dressed in kimonos, looked on as their father, 
Soun Tendo, clutched a barrel, sporting a malicious grin. The side of 
the barrel read 'Drowned Man Water,' enough, according to the Jusenkyo 
Guide, for one. 
  The Guide sent the barrel as a gift for helping save Jusenkyo from the 
bird people of Phoenix Mountain, retrieved after the flood levels of the 
springs subsided. After all, it wasn't the first time the Jusenkyo 
springsoverflowed in its long, tragic history. Had his honored customers 
listened, they would've known that the springs were back to normal. 
  "Really, Daddy, did you have to hide it from Ranma?" asked Nabiki. 
  "I won't let Ranma have it until he and Akane are happily married!" 
cried Soun, his eyes flowing with tears of joy in anticipation. Already 
he envisioned the two youths happily married....
  "Is that how you persuaded Akane to marry him?" accused Nabiki, not 
the least bit surprised. 
  A hand planted on Soun's shoulder. "I'm surprised you had it in you to 
keep it to yourself, Tendo." 
  Soun looked over his shoulder, and saw his old friend, Genma Saotome, 
dressed in a tuxedo, but retaining his bandanna, covering his bald head 
as usual. 
  "Did you think I'd try to take it for myself?" asked Genma. Not 
waiting for a reply, Genma snatched the barrel in his arms, and dashed 
off. "It's mine!!!"
  At that moment one of the dojo walls burst. Ryoga popped his head 
through the new hole, shouting, "Where the hell am I this time?!"
  Mousse burst through the dojo entrance, shouting, "Ranma, Akane! Hurry 
up and get married before you change your minds!"
  Genma ran into Mousse, sending the barrel flying. Both Mousse and 
Ryoga saw the label on the barrel. 
  "Drowned Man water!" the two shouted. They scrambled after the flying 
barrel, Genma close behind. 
  Ranma, wearing a white tuxedo, burst into the dojo, Akane behind him, 
wearing a Western-style wedding dress. "What?!" Throwing a hard look at 
Akane, he shouted, "Why didn't you say something sooner?!" With that 
Ranma joined the other men in the mad dash for the barrel. 
  At least, until a nikuman and okonomiyaki flew his direction. The 
resulting explosion knocked Ranma down. 
  Shampoo, in a hugging dress, and Ukyo, in a kimono, were at the 
entrance, holding plates of nikuman and okonomiyaki respectivly, with 
hard, cold expressions on their faces. 
  "Aiyaaa!" Shampoo cried. "That one was for pervert-girl!" Blast it, 
Ranma got in the way!
  Ukyo reached for another okonomiyaki on her plate, fires burning in 
her eyes. "Yeah, well there's still plenty of special okonomiyaki to go 
around!"
  Konatsu shook his head as he descended from the dojo ceiling. Perhaps 
the news hurt Ukyo-sama far more than he expected.
  Kodachi descended from her position in the rafters with the help of 
her ribbon. She wore a black wedding dress adorned with roses. She 
helped Ranma to his feet. "Ranma-sama! Speak to me!"
  Shampoo and Ukyo reached Kodachi and Ranma at that moment. 
  "Ranma belong to Shampoo, crazy-girl!" cried Shampoo. 
  "Get away from him, you imputent bitch!" spat Ukyo. 
  Kodachi dropped Ranma on the floor. "How DARE you speak to me in such 
tones, plebians!"
  Ranma regained his senses, just as his sight caught a flash of cold 
steel. He leaped out of the way in time as Kuno's sword cut the air 
where Ranma was a moment before. 
  Kuno brandished his sword in one hand, and held a fan in the other, 
with the symbols of 'reject' on it. "I, Tatewaki Kuno, never gave 
permission for this wedding!" Throwing the fan away, gripping his blade 
in two hands, he spat, "Now taste the ancestral blade of Kuno, cretin!"
  Ranma dodged Kuno's violent swings. "Get away from me! I've no time 
for you!" 
  "Ahhahahahahahaha!" Kuno laughed as he swung. "This very sword was 
passed for generations in our family! The blade tasted the blood of 
enemies and traitors, and now it hungers for you, Ranma Saotome!"
  Great, not only was he swinging a real sword, Ranma thought, but he 
was also spouting stupid Kuno historical crap. Kuno proceeded to list 
off the names of his great ancestors and their honors with each swing. 
  Shampoo and Ukyo discarded their explosives, and proceeded to brawl 
with Kodachi. 
  Akane confronted Nabiki, and shouted, "You sent out the invitations to 
them, didn't you?!" It wasn't supposed to be like this! 
  Nabiki produced a fat wad of yen. "Look at the bright side, Sis!"
  Kasumi commented, "My, look at all that money. It won't be a problem 
to pay for the wedding with that."  
  Meanwhile Ryoga, Genma, and Mousse fumbled with the barrel. 
  "It's mine!" shouted Genma greadily. 
  "No, it's mine!" protested Ryoga. 
  "Give it to me!" shouted Mousse. 
  The barrel was sent flying. It tipped over as it flew in the air, the 
watery contents of the barrel spilling. 
  "The water!" Ranma shouted, breaking free of Kuno's assault. 
  Happosai entered, carrying a bag filled with his treasures. He noticed 
the spilling barrel in mid-flight, and shouted, "Sake!!!" The water went 
down the old lecher's throat as the Jusenkyo-cursed men watched in 
horror. 
  Happosai smashed the barrel in anger. "It's... water!"
  The four cursed men stared. "He drank it all...."
  Genma grabbed Happosai's body as the others set to work at prying open 
his mouth. "Give back the water!"
  "Happodaikarin!!" the old lecher shouted. The explosion was brilliant, 
as it caused a chain reaction with the discarded nikuman and 
okonomiyaki. 

  Just outside the dojo the other guests arrived. Miss Hinako danced 
with joy, the thought of food foremost in her mind. Gosunkugi sobbed to 
himself, carrying a straw doll. Hiroshi and Daisuke glanced over their 
wedding invitations with skepticism. 
  "Ranma and Akane getting married?" voiced Hiroshi. 
  "Seems too good to be true...." said Daisuke. 
  The guests entered the dojo. The scene was total chaos. 
  Miss Hinako lamented, "Aaaaahhh, the wedding cake...." Sure enough, 
the table the wedding cake once rested on tipped over from the 
explosion. 
  Nabiki approached Hiroshi with an open hand. "Cash please."
  Kodachi ran all about, calling, "Ranma-sama! Where are you, my 
darling?!"
  Kuno ate Akane's foot as he said, "Akane Tendo! We'll have a wedding 
this very instant!"
  To which Akane replied, "In your dreams!" 
  Happosai clung to Akane's skirt, ever ready to fetch another prize. 
"Heeheee... my young bride...."
  Genma threw cold water on himself, and pretended to play with a ball. 
Hopefully nobody would notice.... 
  Depression built in Ryoga as he sat alone in the corner. 
  Mousse called, "Shampoo!" as he grabbed Cologne. His glasses were 
nowhere to be found. 
  Shampoo and Ukyo held Ranma in their arms. 
  "Ranma! Speak to Shampoo!"
  "Ranchan!!"
  Konatsu tried to melt in the shadows, too afraid to approach Ukyo. 
  Soun passed out from the disaster. Nodoka tried to revive him. 
  Kasumi couldn't help but say, "My, what activity we have today."

  In light of the disaster, the wedding was postponed until Ranma and 
Akane could put their affairs in order. 
  Until then, it was overtime....

  It was the day after. The day after Ranma and Akane were to be 
married. The day after friends and enemies alike ruined the wedding. The 
day after the last of the water from the Spring of Drowned Man was lost, 
consumed by Happosai. It was the day after everything changed. It was 
the end of history. It was the beginning of a new future. It was Monday.
  Ranma and Akane walked together to school, not the least bit angry at 
each other, hand-in-hand. If this were truly not love, then nothing was. 

  As Miss Hinako proceeded with the day's lesson as usual, Ranma 
couldn't help but notice that Ukyo wasn't there. That wasn't like Ucchan 
to skip out on class for no reason, he thought. Maybe she's sick? 
  Other classmates gave their condolences, for what it was worth. The 
skeptics can have their way, for now. 
  Kuno behaved as usual, announcing to all that he'd successfully 
twarted the unwarrented marriage between Ranma and Akane. A scoundrel 
such as Ranma Saotome certainly didn't deserve Akane Tendo, he claimed. 
Ranma couldn't help but let his blood boil, but Akane stopped him from 
confronting the upperclassman, as the words were semi-flattering to her. 
  "Are you trying to say you agree with him?!" demanded Ranma. 
  "Of course not!" replied Akane. "It's just that... well, that might've 
been the nicest thing Kuno said about me." Which was definitely odd, 
since the most Kuno used to say to her was one-sided love. 
  It was then when Kuno approached the couple. "As the days pass the 
flower that is Akane Tendo blooms unto greater beauty that the goddesses 
of beauty would envy." To Ranma he said, "Let this serve as a warning, 
cretin, as I, Tatewaki Kuno, refuse to bestow upon you that which you 
surely do not deserve!" Kuno turned and walked away, back exposed. 
  Ranma wanted to sock Kuno, but Akane stopped him. "Ranma, let it go. 
Let him have his fifteen-minutes in the spotlight, for that is all he's 
going to get in his miserable life."
  "Why?" asked Ranma. 
  "He's jealous," finished Akane. And jealousy never got one anywhere 
but trouble. 

  Ryoga walked alone in the empty streets of Nerima. For the second day 
in a row, in fact. Of course planning had nothing to do with an extra 
day in Nerima, as Ryoga's lousy direction sense landed him in the Tendo 
dojo yesterday. It was when a cure for his curse was within his grasp, 
yet fell away at the same time. 
  Curse the old man, Ryoga thought. The water was in my grasp!
  It wasn't until after the explosion Ryoga realized where he was: at 
the Tendo dojo. Well, that would've explained why Ranma and the others 
were there. Of course after he absorbed his surroundings Ryoga realized 
he helped crash the wedding. Sure, he helped clean up the mess, but that 
did little to ease his guilt.
  Akane, I'm sorry about your wedding, Ryoga thought. I'm off on another 
journey to clear my mind. Ranma certainly doesn't deserve you, but 
you've made your choices. I'd kill Ranma for this, but that wouldn't 
make you happy. I wish you the best. Then Ryoga's thoughts drifted to 
Akari-- oh, how he missed her! Wait for me, Akari, I'll be back soon. 
  Considering this was Ryoga, that could be from a few hours to weeks. 
Soon the Eternally Lost Boy left the city limits to follow the sun. 

  Mousse watched Ranma and Akane leave the school grounds from his perch 
in a tree. They weren't mad at each other, that's for sure. Maybe the 
wedding disaster drew them closer rather than farther apart. 
  Love was such a complicated matter. 
  One day Shampoo would have to give up on Ranma; the wedding would've 
pushed that day up, Mousse thought. The sooner Ranma married Akane, the 
sooner Mousse could have Shampoo. Well, at least, that's how it worked 
out on paper. 
  To ensure your own happiness, Mousse thought, must you allow your 
enemy happiness? 
  Of course, the timetable can be sped up if Ranma were put out of his 
miserable life. Shampoo would definitely be yours then. 
  No, that won't work. How many times have you tried to beat up Ranma, 
and how many times have you succeeded? None. Well, you never know, one 
day you might get lucky! 
  By the time Mousse finished his thoughts, the couple was long gone. 

  Ranma and Akane stood just outside Ucchan's. This was usually the time 
in which business was slow, with only the occassional customer. It was 
this time Ranma usually dropped by for a bite to eat. Of course that was 
usually on a Friday, but Ranma had to talk to his best friend. 
  He turned to Akane. "Are you sure you want to go in? You don't have 
to, you know, but this is something I have to do."
  "No, it's okay," answered Akane. "I need to do this too." 
  The couple walked into the familiar restaurant. The dining room was 
empty, save for Ukyo, standing behind the grill, and Konatsu, sitting on 
a stool reading a manga. 
  "Hiya, Ranchan!" Ukyo greeted Ranma. But when Akane stepped inside, 
the cheeriness faded. "Uh, hey, Akane."
  A dark cloud seemed to hover over Akane as she entered the dining 
room. Her sour-looking mood spread throughout the room like a plague. 
  "We just stopped by to see how you were," Ranma began. "You weren't in 
class today."
  "Yeah, well, I had stuff that needed to be taken care of," answered 
Ukyo. "Sometimes my restaurant has priority over my education." 
Especially if said restaurant paid for said education. "I needed to 
supervise the suppliers this morning, so I skipped class. Those morons 
were supposed to be here last Saturday."
  She leaned over the grill and whispered to Ranma, "What's wrong with 
her?"  "We need to talk," Ranma said. 
  Ukyo set down her spatula. She gave a look to Konatsu, who set his 
manga down on the counter and left the room. This one's got to be about 
yesterday. "No hard feelings about the special okonomiyaki, Ranchan?" 
Ukyo forced a soft giggle.
  Ranma nodded. "That's not what I'm here to talk about, but if it makes 
you feel any better, no hard feelings." He continued, "I don't know what 
you were thinking when you came to the wedding yesterday, or why you did 
what you did, but...." He paused. "You're still my friend, my best 
friend. We've known each other for too long just to throw it all away 
now. Not over something so insignifigant...."
  "As your own wedding?" finished Ukyo. Before Ranma could correct her, 
she continued, "Oh come on, Ranchan, there's no need for apologies. 
Everybody knows you were forced into it. What are friends for? I'm glad 
to be of service...."
  "Ukyo," Akane said, cutting Ukyo off, "I thought _we_ were friends."
  "Akane...." Ranma started, but Akane cut him off. This wasn't going to 
be pretty....
  Akane threw down her book bag in anger. "What the hell is the matter 
with you?! Dammit, Ukyo, Ranma may forgive you for whatever the reason 
may be, but I certainly won't!" She picked up Konatsu's manga, and 
tossed it at Ukyo's direction, missing. "I deserve an explaination out 
of you! You have the nerve to ruin my own wedding! What kind of a friend 
are you?!"
  The words bit into Ukyo like a swarm of angry wasps. Regaining her 
composure after the initial shock, Ukyo replied, "Shame on you, Akane, 
for forcing Ranchan to marry you. I was doing him a favor! We all were! 
I admit Kuno went a little overboard, but he was just as angry as we 
were. What did you expect from holding another forced wedding? Had we 
more advance warning than when Nabiki informed us, it wouldn't have been 
this way. But you left us no choice. Like Shampoo said, it was now or 
never, so we decided on the direct approach." 
  "Akane, Ukyo, I think that's enough," Ranma said, trying to calm down 
Akane. 
  Akane pushed Ranma away, and stalked around the grill to Ukyo. "Your 
behavior was the sort of thing I expected out of Shampoo, but you! You'd 
be really happy to hurt me, right?! That explosive okonomiyaki of yours 
was meant for me, wasn't it!? You behaved just like Shampoo and Kodachi; 
I expected more out of you, my _friend_!"
  Ukyo couldn't contain herself any longer. Without warning, she 
confronted Akane with a hard, cold look, smashing her fist on the 
counter. The fires in her eyes scared Akane, who took an involuntary 
step back. 
  "You... call... yourself... a friend...." Ukyo rumbled slowly, 
ominously. It was all she could do to prevent herself from breaking down 
then and there. She reached into a pocket and produced her wedding 
invitation. Ukyo held it before her, almost pressing it into Akane's 
face. "Do... you... see... this? It's an invitation... to your 
wedding...." The card shook violently in her hand. "When it came to me 
yesterday morning.... DO YOU DAMN WELL KNOW HOW I FELT ABOUT IT?! 
HUH???!!!!" 
  Akane took another step back, obviously scared now. Ranma shuddered at 
Ukyo's tone of voice. 
  "DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO GET NEWS SUCH AS THIS SECOND-HAND, FROM 
YOUR MISERLY SISTER AT THAT?!" Ukyo bellowed. "IF ANYTHING, AKANE, YOU 
BETRAYED ME!!" Several deep breaths followed as Ukyo fought to regain 
her composure. Ukyo threw the invitation on the floor, and turned her 
back, not wanting to show her tears. "Without a doubt you were forcing 
Ranchan to marry you. I'm Ranma's fiancee as well, Akane; how dare you 
go behind my back and try to marry him without me knowing?"
  "It wasn't supposed to be that way!" protested Akane. It was Nabiki's 
fault that any of them knew about the wedding, it was supposed to be a 
secret. The Tendos knew very well the probable reactions of the three 
men and three women who had a stake in Ranma's future. Money, it must've 
been money that sold them out....
  "And when would you have told me, hmmm? Would you have told me, or the 
others, for that matter?"
  "Well, we...."
  "Have _I_ ever tried to force Ranchan to marry me!? If anything, 
you're behaving more like Shampoo than I am! You never gave him a 
choice! From where I stand, you got what you deserved!"
  "Ucchan, Akane, that's enough!!" Ranma boomed, his voice echoing like 
thunder in the dining room. Silence followed. He grabbed Ukyo by the 
shoulders, almost jerking her around. To others it would seem as if 
Ranma were going to hurt Ukyo. Trying to remain calm, he said, "Ucchan, 
I love Akane."
  Ukyo seemed to stiffen at those words. Her head turned in alarm toward 
Ranma, and, staring into his eyes, she could tell he was being serious. 
Her eyes crystallized, staring beyond Ranma, at nothing. The dominos in 
her mind started to fall. T-minus thrity seconds until impact....
  Akane couldn't help but think, this was the first time he'd actually 
said it.... Oh, Ranma... did you have to say it now? 
  Oh crap, did I say that out-loud? Ranma thought to himself. Well, no 
turning back now. "I wanted to marry her," he continued. "I _want_ to 
marry her. I have to ask you to respect my wishes. That is why I'm here 
today; I'm asking you as a friend for a promise. Promise me that you 
won't interfere next time."
  Ukyo couldn't answer. Tears gathered in her eyes as Ukyo gathered and 
processed the full force of the shock. There were no more dominos, 
T-minus zero seconds until impact....
  "Promise me, Ucchan!" Ranma persisted. 
  The okonomiyaki chef's head lowered toward the floor. "Ranchan...." 
she whispered to herself in a barely-audiable tone, the words in her 
mouth choking on tears. She broke free of Ranma's grip, fighting the 
urge to cry, and ran to her room, passing Konatsu. 
  Konatsu, from his position in the hallway connected to the dining 
room, sighed deeply. "Ukyo-sama is not herself." How he wished he could 
help her, but Konatsu didn't know where to start. 
  Silently, Akane retrieved her book bag from the floor, her eyes fixed 
on the doorway Ukyo exited. What have we done? Pushing those thoughts to 
the back of her mind, Akane said, "We should be going." She walked out 
of the restaurant, never looking back. 
  Ranma stood there for a moment, glancing at the entrance, then at the 
door to the living quarters, then shrugged, and followed Akane out. 

  Silently from her room Ukyo watched Ranma and Akane walk home. 
Retreating from the window Ukyo buried her head in her pillow. For the 
first time in  ten years, Ukyo let herself cry. Really cry. Crying never 
experienced since Ranma left her behind ten years ago. Ironic that this 
would happen in the same way: Ranma was leaving her behind. It was over, 
then. He said the words she'd been dreading to hear for over a year. 
  "I love Akane," Ranchan said. The words echoed in Ukyo's head over and 
over again, tormenting her. 
  The perfect end for a miserable life, Ukyo thought. First you attack 
your friends at their own wedding for selfish reasons, a wedding you 
believed to be another sham (as things like this happened before). Then 
they tell you that the wedding was the real thing; the difference 
mattered. The stone's been carved, the seal set, it was over. Not a 
snowball's chance in Hell could Ranchan love her. He loved Akane. He 
chose her. It made all the difference in the world. 
  So what was worth living for? Ranchan's gone, he left you behind as he 
did ten years ago. 
  She couldn't take it any more. Her only friends in the world were no 
longer, how could they forgive her for what she'd done? How could they 
forgive her after ruining their chance for true happiness? How could she 
have known that this wedding was for real? Ranchan must've been upset 
despite the words he said. Friendships came to an end faster than they 
developed. There was no way she could be forgiven. 
  Most of all, Ukyo couldn't forgive herself. 
  She reflected on the morning that everything changed, the morning Ukyo 
set about cooking a love letter for Ranchan. It was only a day after 
Ranma and the others returned from China. It was the morning when Ukyo 
summoned all her courage to make Ranchan's okonomiyaki love letter, 
intending to deliver it that morning and express her love long last. It 
was then the invitation arrived, in the care of Nabiki Tendo. It was 
then she'd opened the envelope that contained the seal of her destiny. 
Everything changed in a second, the okonomiyaki love letter forgotten, 
quickly wrapped up and placed in a forgotten corner of the refrigerator. 
The love letter wouldn't have mattered had Ukyo not acted on the 
invitation. There was no time to plan, no time to think it through, it 
all came in instinct, fueled by hate. The 
others, Shampoo, Kuno, and Kodachi, added more fuel to the flames when 
they approached her. At least Mousse had the sense not to get involved. 
  Unfortunately, the choices you made were wrong, Ukyo told herself. And 
now you have to live with the consequences. Your only friends are gone. 
Ranchan finally admitted his love, and it wasn't you. And now you're 
truly alone. Ironic, that which you sought to avoid occured through your 
actions. 
  Yes, that's it, live with your choices. Nothing gets accomplished if 
you end it all now. It's the only thing you can do now. You do have 
something to live for: become the best okonomiyaki chef in the world. 
  Hate never got you anywhere but straight toward trouble. Never again, 
Ukyo vowed to herself, would she let her anger and hate hurt others. 

  The couple walked alone on the sidewalk when Mousse descended from one 
of the walls. 
  "I've caught up with you, Saotome," Mousse began. 
  "Alright, Mousse, what do you want THIS time?" Ranma said in disgust. 
Who wasn't going to get mad at him today?  
  "I challenge you for Shampoo's heart!" Mousse threatened, slipping 
wrist razors to his arms. 
  "Mousse, what do you think you're doing?" Akane asked. "Ranma didn't 
try to marry Shampoo, you know."
  "No, no, no, it's not that," Mousse corrected, "I mean, it's great 
that you two agreed to marry and all, but still, Ranma has Shampoo's 
love, and I 
want it!"
  "Hey, if you want it, you can have it," Ranma replied. If only it were 
something I could give you. 
  "That won't get Shampoo to love me!" Mousse shouted. "Ranma Saotome, 
prepare to die...!"
  Akane stepped in Mousse's way. "Look Mousse, do you want me to marry 
Ranma or not?"
  "Well, yeah...."
  "So if you kill Ranma, how can I marry him?"
  "Ummmm...."
  "Exactly! Now let us go and promise to leave us alone, okay? Go bother 
Shampoo instead. Take her on a date. Make her happy! You have to EARN 
her love, right? So what are you doing here?"
  "Uhhh...."
  "Ranma, let's go."
  Mousse was still fighting his thoughts as Ranma and Akane walked off.   
Ranma turned to Akane in wonder. "I didn't think you had it in you."
  "Hey, if you've been around guys as long as I have, you pick up a few 
tricks," Akane replied. Flustering them was one of them. Worked every 
time. Besides, no way am I going to let anyone touch MY fiancee. 

  When Ranma and Akane reached the gates of the Tendo property lot, the 
watched as Soun kicked Kodachi out of the gates in anger. To Akane's 
anger Ranma dashed to Kodachi's side and helped her to her feet. 
  "Kodachi, what are you doing here?" asked Ranma. 
  "Ranma-sama!" returned Kodachi, trying to hug Ranma, but he swiftly 
moved away. "You're alright!"
  "You came because you were worried about me?" 
  "Of course! Who knows what those hussies did to you? Your would-be 
Father-in-law is most disrepsectful toward those of higher station...."
  "Look, Kodachi," Ranma said, in a very serious tone. "I'm grateful, 
but you have to understand, I can't love you."
  "I know that, silly," replied Kodachi. She reached for her ribbon. 
"But one day, Ranma-sama, I will steal your heart!" She laughed, as the 
ribbon lashed at a nearby tree. The Kuno girl swung away. 
  "Why're you being so nice to Kodachi?" asked Akane. 
  "Well, at least she's still in high spirits," Ranma said to no one in 
particular, ignoring Akane. 
  "Are you still thinking about Ukyo?" Akane asked, guessing. 
  "I can't stand to see anyone hurt like that, not even my 'enemies,'" 
Ranma replied. How glad he was he didn't tell Kodachi where his heart 
truly lies. Well, it was definitely an improvement over how you handled 
Ucchan, Ranma told himself.

(continued in part 2)
------------------------------------

"That's my story and I'm sticking to it."--JMS, creator of Babylon 5. 
"If you go to Z'ha'dum, you will die."--Kosh, Babylon 5.
"Jump. Jump now!"--Kosh, "Z'ha'dum," Babylon 5, making some sense. 

--Razorclaw X


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