C&C of any type/kind are wanted and yes, I will work on Life of Lies/Life of Truths.

Jusenkyo Guide

Jusenkyo Productions Proudly Presents
A Ranma � Fan Fiction
Good-byes

Ukyo:

	I had heard, but didn�t believe it. Shampoo was gone; he had fought with Mousse and had lost. He actually lost. That old ghoul had no choice but to accept and take her back to China. Then he fought with Kodachi, she ended up being committed. That�s when I started to worry. The jackass was saying his good-byes, he had finally chosen.

	I was not the winner.

	I�ve known, I�ve always known I suppose. I guess I just kept on hopping for some reason. I was supposed to be the �cute� one after all. Heh, he said that just that one time, just that one time and it changed my life and kept me wanting him. Funny how just one word can do something like that, even if the word isn�t love. With Shampoo gone it�s been rather quiet these last few days. All I�ve been doing is sitting in my shop, wondering when the other shoe�s going to drop.

	The jerk. If you�re going to shatter someone�s heart, you shouldn�t keep them waiting.

	I can feel him near. I�ll never be the martial artist he is, but I can still feel when he is near. My last few moments of being his and his alone. I wonder if he knows just how much I love him and how much he means to me. I�m still wondering when friendship turned into something else, and why hate went into love. I still don�t want it to be him, I still don�t want to see his face and hear that he has chosen her.

	I wonder if he knows just how much she loves him as well. No matter how much she hit him and screamed at him, I always knew that my biggest opponent was her. If he wanted, if he had asked, we both would have done anything for him. I still don�t think that he had any sort of clue just how much he means to a lot of people.

	He�s at my door now; I turn to meet him. One look at his face is all I need. My last faint hope that he really wants me is smashed. I do see love, but it�s the love of one friend for another.

	My heart bleeds.

 	This is it, I wonder is he ever knew. I wonder if I ever will get over him. No is the answer to both questions.

	�Ucchan,� he says, �We need to talk.�

Ryoga:

	I still love her. No matter what happens, I still love her. I remember one time when I actually met up with my dad. It was about a year after I met her. I told him about her, about everything. He said, �Just remember son, it�s better to have loved and lost then to never have loved at all.�

	Dad had never been where I am now.

	I wonder sometimes when I�m in some forest or another, or out under the night sky, if she knew, if she had ever known. I don�t think so. To her I�m only her pet P-chan, or a friend, a nice safe friend. I�ve survived impacts from boulders, and fights with Ranma, but just that look in her eyes can tear my heart to shreds.  

	In the end, that�s all I am. She would never think about me as anything more than a friend. 

	Now is when it ends, all the daydreams, all the hopes, all the cherished thoughts of her, me, us, together. I wonder if she ever knew.

	He loves her, I know Ranma well enough to know that. He hides it just about as well as he does everything else. I�d tear his head off but all that would do is make her cry. She loves him too. Heh, I have enough depressed feelings that my shi shi hokodan would leave a smear where Ranma use to be. 

	I had finally made it back to Nerima, in human form for once. I went to the dojo and she let me in. She actually took me up to her room. My heart beet faster could my dreams be coming true?

	Then I saw her eyes and my heart bleed. 

	�Ryoga,� she said, �We have to talk.�

	I wonder if she ever knew just how much I love her.

Ranma:

	It ain't like I like hurting people. Never did, I have to admit, on that pop was right. He always said that a martial artist is one who helps people, not hurt them. I guess that's what took me so long. I didn't want to hurt people, certain people. Shampoo loved me 'cuse of that law, and Kodachi, I don't even want to think about her. Saying good-bye to them didn't hurt.

	Now I feel like something ya'd scrape off your shoes. 

	Ucchan's been my best friend, hell, my only friend for a long time. There's been times when she was the only one who would listen to me. Actually listen to me. She'd never seem to mind about my curse, and she'd always have a okonomiyaki ready for me.

	That's why this hurts, I have to tell my best friend I don't love her they way she wants me to.

	I'm in her store now, she's waiting for me. She's always waiting for me. I can see it in her face, one last breath of hope, then I crush it. I crush it with a look. 

	"Ucchan, we need to talk," I say.

	I'm sorry Ukyo.

Akane:

	He's friend that's all he'll ever be. It's funny really, if he'd shown up before I met Ranma, and looked at me like he does now, I would have gone with him. At the time I hated boys, but that was because they all looked at me as something to be beaten, conquered. Even Kuno did that, for all his spouting about how much he loved me and all that, I was just someone who didn't want to bow to him.

	Ryoga looks at me as if I'm something to be worshiped. 

	I'm not stupid, not really. I knew just who P-chan was. After seeing Uncle Saotome as a panda every day, you start to wonder about other animals. At first I kept it up to tease Ranma. The baka deserved it, not telling me at first. Then I just liked having a friend there. He'd always listened to me, no matter what. When I'd be angry, he'd always comfort me. There have been times I wished it were Ranma, not Ryoga, but when you're feeling down; you don't look a gift pig in the mouth.

	It took me a while to realize just how much Ryoga loved me. At first I thought he was just shy, but then I looked at him, really looked at him and I knew. 

	But by that time, Ranma had already� I still can't say THAT word around him.

	Now Ranma and I have found out what everyone else already knew. It's time.

	I see him on the street, wandering around again. Daydreaming, I run out and grab him. I can see by the look in his eye, and the blood coming out of his nose, that he still hopes that one day�

	Ryoga is one of the strongest, toughest people I know. But I crush him with a look, just a single look and I know I just caused him more pain than 1,000 of Ranma's punches. 

	I bring him up to my room. Kasumi saw me, she knows just what I'm about to do. I'm hopping that Oneechan will be able to talk with him afterwards. She always seems to make things better.

	I close the door; it sounds like thunder to me.

	"Ryoga," I say, "We have to talk."

	I'm sorry Ryoga.

Nerima:

	The sun rose over Nerima just as it always had. The shops were still closed, the owners trying to get that last bit of sleep. The Tendo dojo was silent as well. Happosai was gone on another of his 'training' trips. In Akane's room, Ranma and Akane snuggled up close in the dawn light. They had been married the day before and had stayed up late doing whatever it is that newlyweds do on their wedding night.

	On the road leading out of town, two figures can be made out in the golden dawn. One was male and had a huge pack strapped to his back. The other female, with a giant spatula attached to hers.

	"Hey you jackass wait up!"

	Ryoga stopped on the road. He had stayed for the wedding. Ranma had actually asked him to be his best man. It was some sort of Western tradition. 

	He turned to see Ukyo coming up to him.

	"Ukyo? What are you doing here?" he asked.

	"Same thing you are, leaving," she said.

	"But what about your store?"

	Ukyo looked up at the sky, "If I stay here, I'll always be reminded of him. I'm strong, but not that strong."

	Ryoga blinked, "You still love him? Even after he hurt you?"

	Ukyo gazed at Ryoga, "I could ask you the same thing about Akane."

	Ryoga dropped his eyes, "I, I understand. So, where are you going from here?"

	"I don't know, figured I'd just get lost for a while."

	Ryoga flashed a grin that included a fang, "Well I'm the right guide for that, want a traveling companion?"

	Ukyo nodded. It was too soon for anything right now, she still hurt too much, but you never knew just what could happen.

	"Sure sugar, I would like that."

	The two looked back at Nerima, thinking about everything that had happened. Saying good-bye.

End

Authors Notes:
	The FFML has been abuzz with the thread on what makes a good fic writer, just how do they do it. Most seem to agree that living what you're writing about is what makes fics come alive. That being the case, let's just say I can really ID with Ryoga and Ukyo right now. Again, any C&C is wanted, requested. 

JG
	



---
Here sir we come to famous training ground of accursed springs
--------------------------------------------------------------
|Guide of the training grounds|Ranma 1/2, Tenchi Muyo, BGC,  |
|of accursed springs, 8th     |AMG, Tank Police, Gall Force, |
|Disciple of Eriond, and proud|YUA, GitS, ADP, Evangelion    |
| member of the #SkAS#        |Project A-ko, UY, VPM, BGC!   |
|--------http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/6549 ----------------|
|Akane, Linna, Washu, Nene,   |Nene showed Mackie just how   |
|Skuld, Belldandy, Kiyone     |much she knew. Winter Blossoms|
---------------------------Jusenkyo---------------------------


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