Here it is finally.  From a project that started all those months ago.
Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer:  All characters portrayed in this story are the property of
Rumiko Takahashi and co.

This story takes place after volume 38 of the Ranma manga and also draws
ideas from the anime.  For previous chapters, follow link at bottom to my
page.

C & C welcomed.

I Like Ucchan: Part 5

by

Donny Cheng

	The sound of the door opening and closing was all that anounced
the return of Ranma to the dojo.  Akane sat in the couch throughout,
silently listening to Ranma's trek into the house, across the hallway, and
into the dojo where his room was.  He hadn't said a word to anyone the
entire time.

	"Wow, that's a first.  He didn't even come in to the living room
and give one of his pathetic excuses for being out so late.  I wonder if
something happened between him and whoever he was with," Nabiki wondered
aloud.

	"How should I know!?" Akane asked angrily before realising that
her sister hadn't directly asked that question and was only baiting her.
A look of pure mischief on Nabiki's face confirmed it.  Akane scowled and
decided to ignore Nabiki by going up to her room.  The silent treatment,
while a bit childish, was the best defense against Nabiki's teasing.

			* * * * *

	Akane sighed as she stared up into the cieling of her bedroom.
What had happened between Ranma and Ukyo, Akane wondered for the hundredth
time.  She had pretended to get a drink of water after she was sure Nabiki
was not downstairs.  She had looked through the kitchen window to see
if she could get a glimpse of anything at all the could tell her about
Ranma's strange behavior.  All she could see was the lights of the dojo
on, but no sounds of movement.  It was strange that Ranma would let a nice
night like tonight go to waste.  He usually took advantage of peaceful
nights to get some training in without interuption.

	Akane was starting to get worried.  Though they saw each other
every day, Ranma would often talk with her at night, even if it was
just to say goodnight.  The rare times he did not were when she was very
angry with him or when he was hiding something.  She suspected the latter.
It was just like the big crybaby to withdraw into himself when things went
wrong.  For the life of her, she couldn't think of what could cause a rift
between Ranma and Ukyo.  A more likely theory was that Ukyo made a move on
him and he didn't want her to know.  Or maybe... arrgghh!  This was
getting nowhere.  The best thing to do was to ask him herself.

			* * * * *

	Akane knocked on the door again for the third time.  Was he
asleep?  He couldn't be.  The lights were still on.  Again, the knocking
failed to get a response from Ranma.  She opted for the more direct
approach.  "Ranma, I know you're not asleep yet.  Is something wrong?  You
didn't even eat the leftovers Kasumi saved for you."

	"Yeah, I guess I ate a little too much at Ukyo's place," came
Ranma's voice from inside.

	He was not going to open the door?  "Oh.  Are you okay, Ranma?  I
mean you didn't even say goodnight to m... Auntie and Uncle."

	"Yeah, I'm okay.  Just very tired."

	His voice sounded tired, that was for sure.  "If you're sure."
What DID happen?

			* * * * *

	"Ranma, take Shampoo on date, yes?" Shampoo asked in her cutest
voice possible.

	"Let go of her Ranma.  Shampoo will you quit?  We're going to be
late for school!" Akane growled.

	Nabiki frowned as she walked from about a distance of about ten
feet from the arguing duo.  Did either of the two girls notice?  If they
did, they weren't saying anything about it to each other.  There was
something seriously wrong with Ranma.  Usually, he would put
some sort of struggle to free himself from Shampoo and of course explain
ineffectually the situation was not his fault to Akane.  However, this
morning he hadn't said a thing since they woke him up.  Actually, the
entire morning was weird.

	Ranma didn't have his daily sparring routine with Uncle Saotome.
He hardly ate any breakfast at all.  The strangest thing of all was that
when Auntie Saotome hinted at merging the two households soon, Ranma
didn't even blink.  Nabiki turned her head and watched the three teenagers
behind her.  Akane and Shampoo were still at it.  Ranma was still silently
following along.  She quickly turned around again when Ranma's eyes met
hers.  A chill came up her spine.  His eyes were vacant, almost as if he
was dead to the world around him.  Nabiki shivered again and unconcsiously
walked at a faster pace away from Ranma.

			* * * * *

	"Finally!  You were starting to freak us out, Ranma," Hiroshi
said after he and Daisuke finally got their friend to laugh.  Now what was
that joke that finally broke Ranma's shell?  Damn, he should have kept
notes.  Might make a useful pick-up line.

	Daisuke nodded in agreement.  Both he and Hiroshi could tell
something was wrong with Ranma after only a few moments of seeing him.
For one thing he was awake during english class the whole time.  It hadn't
been until lunch that they could get a chance to talk with him.  He barely
acknowledged their existence when they grabbed him and brought him over to
their usual spot where they ate lunch and watched chicks.  After a dozen
tries to get Ranma to say something the both of them gave up and just
talked with each other instead.  If was after Daisuke had noted that Ukyo
was not in school today that they got their first real reaction from
Ranma.

	Ranma had smiled and actually let out a small laugh.  His face
lighted up so bright, one would never had known he had been depressed in
the first place.  However, it was then immediately replaced with a look
that if Daisuke didn't know better was suicidal.  Ranma's entire face
suddenly paled and looked as if he was about to throw up his lunch, not
that he ate any, which further proved something was wrong.  Seeing that
Ranma was again unresponsive, Daisuke shrugged and went back to gossiping
with Hiroshi.

	Ranma blinked and shook his head.  He felt as if the deep fog that
had been covering his head had suddenly lifted.  He hadn't been able to
think, sleep, or eat in the past day at all.  All because of last night.
It all came rushing back to him as the mental blocks he had put up came
crashing down with a simple word.  The mental blocks he had put up to ease
the pain he felt so deep down that it hurt simply to breathe and to live.
It took only one word to destroy the wall he had spent an entire night
sleeplessly putting up.  Ukyo.

	How could that be?  He already made his choice.  Flustered with
himself, he easily brang up the image of a short hair girl in a gi.  The
same image he saw the night before.  As always it brang a smile to his
face.  He then brang up Ukyo's face in his mind.  He couldn't fight off
another smile coming to his face.  Desperately, he thought of something
else.  'I like okonomiyaki'.  Ranma threw up.

	Ranma, sickened, left Hiroshi and Daisuke sitting there gaping up
at him like fish.  "Tell the teach, I'm sick.  You guys go back to class
without me."  The thought of going back to class and staring at that empty
seat did not sit well with him.  His lack of sleep was starting to get to
him.  Yeah, that was why he wasn't feeling well.

			* * * * *

	"Ucchan!"

	"Ranchan!"

	"If you like it, you have to take care of me the rest of my life."

	"I like okonomiyki better."

	"I think you're cute."

	"She's comfortable to be around... Like a boy."

	"It would be dumb for you to make yourself unhappy over someone
like me."

	"I guess I'm not very smart.  I love you, you idiot.  There is
nothing I would not do to make you happy."

	"You mean you wouldn't care if you had to dance with me as a
girl?"

	"No, I wouldn't care.  It doesn't matter what you look like, it's
what's on the inside that counts."

	"Hey, thanks Ucchan!  Maybe we can see each other on the road and
travel once in a while together."

	"I'd like that Ranchan."

	"I like okonomiyaki."

	"I like U..."

	Ranma woke up.  He could think clearly again.

			* * * * *

	"Okay, Ranchan!  I'll have it ready for you in a second," Ukyo
said as she quickly started on a plain beef okonomiyaki.

	"Um, Ukyo-sama?  Who are you talking to?" Konatsu asked worriedly.
This was the tenth time Ukyo was talking to the seat in front of her.  The
cause for worry was the fact that no one was in said seat.

	Ukyo blinked.  A day ago, tears would have soon followed when
reality hit, but her tears had dried up now.  Why couldn't she wash that
man out of her hair?  Anger welled up in her as he appeared again in her
mind.  How dare he do that to her?  She had half a mind to go over to him
and give him what for.  The thought vanished as soon as it came up.

	No, she wouldn't do that.  If she did that, he would tell her for
real.  Idiot.  Hadn't that been real enough?  He said the one thing that
would prove he didn't have any feelings for her at all.  Did he really
have to make it clearer?  Did he have to say, 'I hate Ukyo!', before she
would finally give up?  Yes, she thought sadly.  He owed her that much.
Each time the door to Ucchan's opened and the chimes blew, a little bit of
her heart died.  She couldn't decide if she was hoping that he would show
up and get it over with or that he would never show up again.

	"Hello, welcome to Ucchan's.  How can I help you today, Ranma?"
Konatsu asked as the boy with the familiar looking pig-tail opened the
door.

	Ranma waved Konatsu off and went over to the counter, to his
favorite seat right in front of Ukyo.  "Nothing, right now.  I'll order at
the counter."

	Ukyo's first instinct was to grab the battle spatula in on her
back.  She won't let him end it this way!

	"Hey, Ukyo.  One beef okonomiyaki, please," Ranma said softly, his
eyes not meeting the girl before him.

	No 'Ucchan', Ukyo noticed along with a sharp stab that pierced her
heart.  He hadn't come here to apologize.  It must mean he came here to
end it once and for all.  She felt that last bit of hope along with her
strength start to disappear.  Her grip on the spatula weakened and it
dropped to the floor with a clang.

	Ranma winced when Ukyo did not answer him back.  The sound of the
spatula hitting the ground reverberated throughout the restaurant.  What
was happening?  Was she going to hit him?  Ranma pushed through his
confusion and tried to find something to say.  "You know, I've been
thinking about us since I left here last night."

	Ukyo forced her body to respond.  No!  She won't go through the
same thing she went through all those years ago.  A hidden catch under her
sleeve brought forth one of her mini-spatula's into her hand.  She will be
the one that ends it this time!  She summoned all of her anger and stared
at wretch that was going to ruin her life for the second time.  Only, she
couldn't find any.  None.  Even now as she was about to be dumped once
again, she could not find it within herself to hate him.

	"I did most of my thinking at an okonomiyaki shop on the other
side of the district.  I seem to do my best thinking on a full stomach,
heh," Ranma joked lamely.

	Ukyo finally let out a sigh.  If it was going to end, she would
hear it from his mouth.  Anything less, she feared that she would never
break the hold Ranma held over her since she was five.  She used what
little strength her sleep deprived body had left and made Ranma's order.

	"As I was eating, I discovered something.  I didn't like
okonomiyaki at all.  I think I've eaten too many of them over the past
year.  I must have eaten about a dozen a week since you showed up in
Nerima."  Ranma took the plate Ukyo handed to him.  It was devoid of any
special messages.  He poked at the food, not bring any of it to his mouth.

	End it!  Just end it, will you, Ranma.  Each word was like another
arrow into her already shattered body.  He chose okonomiyaki over her and
now he didn't even like it?  Was she that much of an anoyance to him?

	Ranma finally stopped playing with the food and brought a small
piece to his mouth.  He sat there eating the food slowly until he was
done.  "Mmm... delicious.  I'm sad to see it gone.  It might be the last
I'll ever eat from you."

	Ukyo held herself still.  She can take it and she will survive it.
She should be relieved that this chapter in her life will end with just a
few seconds more.  Relieved, she said to herself over and over as if it
were a mantra.  No more worries.

	"You must think I'm an idiot now.  Scared of not being able to eat
something I don't like very much anymore.  But that isn't the truth
exactly.  I do like it.  I like okonomiyaki... that my Ucchan cooks."

	For the second time in one night, Ukyo dropped a spatula.

	"Probably think my ego is too big right?  My Ucchan.  Like I have
any right to say that."

	"N-No..," Ukyo somehow in her shocked state tried to say.
However, she quickly lost her voice again as a wave of jumbled emotions
overwhelmed her thoughts.  No, you have every right to say it, Ukyo
wanted to say, but her mouth couldn't find the words.

	Ranma's hopes sank.  She said no.  Did he have to say the words?
Was it too late for even that?  "I like Ucchan... I like Ucchan's
okonomiyaki."  Coward, Ranma thought furiously at himself.

	Ranma's face suddenly became blurry.  Ukyo fought against the
waves of feelings that threatened to incompacitate her once again.  She
managed to bring her hand up to her face and rubbed away the tears that
she had thought would never come again.  "Ahh..."  I understand, Ukyo
wanted to say, but the words came out like as a groan.

	Ranma never knew what it felt like to die, but right then he knew
it couldn't have been more painful then what he was feeling at the moment.
He had gone too far last night.  "Sorry, for bothering you with my
thoughts again, Ukyo.  If you want, I'll never bother you again.  I just
wanted to say that I like... oh never mind."  Ranma wearily turned around
and headed for the door.

	"Stupid jackass!" Ukyo finally managed to force the words out as
she jumped over the counter.

	Hey, she didn't have to resort to name calling if she didn't
like...

	<Glomp>

	So warm.  Ukyo's arms around him made him feel so warm.  
"U-Ucchan?"

	"Ranchan," Ukyo replied to the implied question.  She turned Ranma
around and looked his eyes.  She wondered if her face was as blurry to him
as his was to her.

	Did he say it?  No, but did she understand what he wanted to say?
Her eyes told him that she did.  Oh, man.  Where did they go from here?

	Ukyo could see both happiness and confusion in Ranma's face.  Her
fiancee's face.  We take it one step at a time from here, Ranma.  For now,
all they could do was enjoy each other's presence.

			* * * * *

The End. (maybe)

Fanboy and fanfic writer. ^_^
Homepage at http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Ginza/4537