Hello all!

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Author's foreword:

I started "The High Cost of Loving" in September of 1996, shortly after 
posting "The Second" and "Well, Well" to raac. The idea was to take a 
few of the stories that I had written and combine them into a series. 
The first story was "Money." The name was later changed to "The Money 
Pit" since the title "Money" was already taken. Due to Real Life and 
family business, I had to stop for a while. THCOL is set in the manga 
universe of Ranma 1/2 and takes the place of vol. 36-38. The only 
exception is the two stories in vol. 36 that are referred to in chapter 
one. 

The first time around I received comments and encouragement from the 
following and I would like to thank them for their comments and C&C:  
Kun-chan, Sebastian Weinberg and Raphael See.

Please enjoy the stories and C&C if you feel the leading.

And remember, "There Can Be Only One."
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I have many things,
  But not that much.
I have friends,
  And my health.

I have found love,
  And I have lost love.
Then I ask myself.
  Can I love too much?

I gave up my life,
  And started anew.
All for love,
  That I had lost.

I found the love I lost.
  And again started anew.
Then love found me,
  When I aided my love.

But now, it seems,
  I have lost too much.
I did not know what I had,
  Until I lost two loves.

In one day, I learned
  That my love loved another.
And then I learned of another love.
  Another love that died in my arms.

I do not want too much.
  Just someone to love.
I do not want too much.
  Just someone who loves me.


"Too Much" by Suds-kun (Shaun Schillinger)

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Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction
"The High Cost of Loving - Chapter Two"
"The Money Pit - Part Two"
by Suds-kun (Shaun Schillinger)

Version 1: 10/1/96
Version 2: 1/16/97
Version 3: 3/14/98
Version 4: 11/21/98
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Ranma 1/2 characters are created by and copyright Rumiko Takahashi.
Published by Shogakukan Inc. and VIZ Comm.
Story copyright Shaun Schillinger.
Intended for the sole non-profit use of fans.
=======================================================================

"And that's the last time I saw her." Ranma said as he finished his 
second okonomiyaki.

Ukyou looked at him and tried as hard as she could to keep from jumping 
up and down and screaming with joy.  She only allowed a small smile to 
come to her lips.  "And that was how many days ago, Ran-chan?" She 
asked, trying to make it look like she was really concerned for him.

"One week ago." he said, as he dug into his third okonomiyaki.

"Where have you been staying?" she asked with genuine concern.

"Oh, sometimes up in a tree, or wherever we could set up a camp. This 
past week has been a real nightmare." Ranma rolled his eyes for 
emphasis.  "Happosai followed pop and me on one of his 'training' 
trips. We went to this remote town where there was an old hot spring.  
You can probably guess what happened.  Pop and I got out alive and left 
the old letch to face his 'admirers'."  Ranma laughed as Ukyou set 
another okonomiyaki in front of him.

"I'm just glad your back, Ran-chan." her smile grew a little.  "Now 
that your training trip is over, where are you going to stay?"

Ranma swallowed his mouthful of okonomiyaki. "Pop and I basically stay 
anywhere there is a place for us, just like we are on a training trip.  
Trees in the park, empty lots, stuff like that.  We're going to be some 
place close to school, though.  I've got to catch up on my school 
work."

"Well, you can stay here with me, Ran-chan."  Ukyou beamed at Ranma, 
who completely missed the beam.

"You mean that pop and I can stay with you for a while?  Great!" Ranma 
gulped down the last of his meal.

"Uh, yeah, you and your dad can, um, both stay here."  Ukyou replied, 

her smile not as bright as it was,  "BUT, you and your dad are going to 
have to help in the work here."

"Pop still has his job at Tofu-sensei's and can help that way.  I can 
help serve and bus tables and"

"Then it's settled," Ukyou interrupted cheerfully, "you and your dad 
can move in here tonight!"

"Thanks, Uc-chan! Your're a real life saver. This last training trip 
seemed rougher than the others, when I thought about not having a home 
to return to. I gotta go get pop and let him know about us staying 
here." Ranma stood up and was going to leave when he stopped and turned 
to Ukyou.  "Uhm, Uc-chan?"

"Yeah, Ran-chan?"

Ranma fidgeted a bit.  "I do have a request.  Remember when you were 
sick and you stayed with us at the Tendou's?"

"Yeah?" A look of confusion crossed Ukyou's face as she tried to 
understand where Ranma was going with his question.

"Well," Ranma rubbed the back of his head, "you tried to sleep in the 
same bed as me. You know, trying to act like the perfect wife. Uhm, 
could you not do that this time? I'd really appreciate it."

Ukyou sighed, "Okay, Ran-chan, I promise."

"Thanks, Uc-chan!" Ranma smiled and waved as he left to find his 
father.

Well, there went THAT plan, Ukyou said to herself.  Then she started to 
smile.  Her smile grew bigger until she started to dance around.  
"YES!" she said, over and over.

===

Ukyou opened the door to the room and sighed, dust was everywhere. She 
walked over and opened the window, then turned to the low table in the 
middle of the room. She picked up the yellowed newspaper and looked 
over the headlines. "I should go and tell him about this," she thought 
out loud, "but right now I have to make this place ready for Ran-chan." 
She set the newspaper on the floor outside of the doorway and picked up 
a bucket of soapy water, a brush, mop and other items to begin the 
clean up. "I never would have thought that Konatsu's room would ever 
have gotten dirty like this. Well, the table is first." Ukyou started 
cleaning, a look of determination on her face.

===

"Time to wake up, sleepy head!"

The bright and cheerful voice broke through Ranma's sleepy haze. 
Rubbing his eyes, Ranma looked around and saw Ukyou poking here head 
out from behind the door.  "Good morning, Uc-chan."  He said groggily. 
"What time is it?"

"It's 5:00 a.m.  Time to get up for school!"  She replied cheerfully.

"5:00 A.M.!"  He shouted, waking his father.  "Why so early?"

"Because we have to prepare for the dinner crowd before we leave for 
school, Ran-chan." Ukyou smiled.  "Hurry up, or we'll be late."

Ranma slowly got up and made his way to the bathroom. The panda 
"humphed" and went back to sleep.

===

Ranma leaned against a tree as he sat and watched Ukyou prepare some 
okonomiyakis for lunch.

"Here you are, Ran-chan!" An okonomiyaki flew from the blur of hands 
and spatulas and headed for Ranma.

Ranma easily caught the twirling lunch and devoured it before Ukyou had 
turned around with her own lunch.

"Ran-chan! Couldn't you have waited for me?" she scowled at him and 
then laughed. "At least I know you enjoy my cooking." She sat down 
beside him and started to eat her lunch. With a small smile she watched 
him as he was busy working on one of his makeup assignments. "Ran-chan? 
I want to stop somewhere on the way home, okay?"

Ranma nodded and mumbled "Okay," not really paying attention to the 
question.

Ukyou looked around the schoolyard as she finished her lunch. She 
noticed Akane walking with a group of girls. The girls pointed out 
Ukyou and Ranma to Akane. Ukyou waived when Akane stopped and looked at 
them. After a second, she returned the wave and continued with her 
friends.

===

Ranma looked around at the tombstones as he followed Ukyou. He started 
to speak, but stopped when he saw her come to a new monument. He bowed 
his head when he recognized the family name on the front of the stone. 
Ukyou poured water over the top of the monument then knelt down, 

clapped her hands and quietly prayed.

Ranma turned around and quietly took a few steps away. He was fiddling 
with his fingers when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Ran-chan, I had 
to stop and tell Konatsu what's been happening recently. Especially 
since you moved into his old room."

"Have you, uhm, been visiting him a lot?"

Ukyou noticed the concern on Ranma's face. "Don't worry, Ran-chan." she 
said as she punched him in the arm. "I don't come here every day and 
pine over Konatsu's death." She grabbed his arm and walked with him out 
of the cemetery. "Actually, this is the first time I visited his grave. 
I guess I've avoided it, until now. He deserves to be remembered and 
not forgotten. You helped me remember him, Ran-chan. Yesterday was the 
first time I had opened the door to his room, since his death."

"Uc-chan..."

Ukyou let go of his arm and started to run ahead of him. "We better 
hurry, slow poke, the customer's will be wondering what happened." She 
smiled at him and then started to sprint. Ranma smiled himself and 
quickly caught up with her.

===

Akane jogged into the dojo, her afternoon run just completed.  She 
quickly changed out of her jogging attire and into her gi. After 
finishing her warm up stretches, she went through her kata. She then 
turned her attention to the stack of cement blocks, taking two blocks 
and setting them up. "Hiyaaa!" she screamed as her fist broke through 
the blocks.

With a sigh, she tossed the broken pieces into the wheelbarrow and 
headed for the yard. "Maybe I should talk to him tomorrow. He's back, 
now, and I could apologize for the way we parted." Akane dumped the 
pieces of blocks onto the large pile already there. "Hmph, he was busy 
studying with Ukyou at lunch, though. Maybe I should wait, he always 
has a hard time with his homework assignments." Akane smiled as she 
remembered the times she helped him with his homework.

===

"Baka!" She yelled and hit onna-Ranma over the head.

"What did you do that for?" onna-Ranma yelled back.

"Can't you and your father keep the fighting outside?  You're going to 
destroy my restaurant!"  Ukyou was glaring at onna-Ranma and the panda. 
She then looked at the two demolished tables and the broken window. 
"That's TEN tables, FOUR windows and one door.  In just one week, you 
two have demolished almost half of my restaurant!"

Onna-Ranma and the panda looked at the floor.  "Sorry, Uc-chan." She 
said quietly.  She looked at the panda and elbowed him in the side.

The panda held up a sign. "Sorry."

Ukyou's face softened a bit. "Just clean up this mess, so that we can 
start serving the dinner customers when they come in."  Ukyou turned 
back to her preparations as onna-Ranma and the panda began the clean 
up.

Onna-Ranma gave an icy stare at her father as she started picking up 
pieces of the broken tables.  The panda waived a sign that said, "It's 
a good thing that Ukyou got such a good deal on tables yesterday!" 
Onna-Ranma humphed then set about to finish the cleanup.

===

"Ran-chan!"

Ranma turned toward the voice.  "Uc-chan!"

They hugged each other and began to kiss.  A kiss that seemed to last 
forever. Ukyou broke the kiss and whispered in his ear. "I'm glad were 
living together, now all we have to do is get married to make us 
legal."

"You're right, Uc-chan, let's go do it now!"  Ranma then grabbed 
Ukyou's hand and began to walk down the street.

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Akane sat bolt upright in bed, her eyes wide and mouth open.  She 
covered her face with her hands, thinking of what happened earlier 
today.  She had finally talked to Ranma.  Oh, she had seen him at 
school since he returned from that training trip, but had never had a 
chance to talk with him.  She stopped him when lunch began.  That's 
when he told her.  Him and his father were staying at Ukyou's!  For the 
past week and a half, yet!

"I guess it must have bothered me more than I thought." Akane mumbled 

to herself.  "The baka can marry her, if he wants.  It feels too good 
without him, than it ever did with him around here."  Akane closed her 
eyes and searched for sleep, sleep that seemed quite elusive.

===

Ukyou stared at the ceiling, thinking.  "Ran-chan only thinks of me as 
a friend.  Well, promise or no promise, I'm going to make Ranma mine. 
Ever since Akane talked to him a couple days ago, he's been distracted. 
Well, I'm just going to have to show him how much better a cook and 
woman I am than Akane. She kicked him out of her life and now I've got 
him. I'm going to make sure he stays in my life. Heh, the best 
okonomiyaki chef in Tokyo and Ranma as my husband. I'll have the best 
of everything then!" She closed her eyes and fell asleep, the smile on 
her face never fading.

===

"Umph!" Akane grunted as she dumped the remains of ten cement blocks at 
the bottom of a very large pile of broken blocks. "Only two more loads 
of these blocks and I can take a bath." Akane made her way back to the 
training hall, not noticing that she was being watched.

===

After watching Akane make her third trip to the block pile, Kasumi 
stepped back into the dojo and made her way to the kitchen.  A look of 
concern over shadowed her usual smile. She started to slice and dice 
the assorted vegetables that she had purchased earlier in the day. Her 
furrowed eyebrows slowly relaxed until she stopped chopping and smiled 
broadly. She started to hum as she resumed her dicing.

===

Ranma cleaned the dishes off of the table as the last of the customers 
for the day left.  He looked around and felt a little proud at how well 
everything looked.  All of the windows had been repaired as well as the 
tables and the door.  "That insurance agent didn't look too happy when 
he was talking with Uc-chan." Ranma thought as he brought the dishes to 
the kitchen.

One of the tables followed Ranma toward the kitchen.  He stopped and 
turned.  "Somebody's watching me," he thought.

Just then, Ukyou came out of the kitchen and the table jumped at her.  
"Ukyou-sama!"  It shouted in a cute voice.  With lightning reflexes, 
Ukyou knocked the table backward with her giant spatula.

"Tsubasa!"  Ukyou and Ranma yelled in unison.  Ranma opened the door as 
Ukyou tossed the table out through the doorway. He closed the door and 
made his way to Ukyou.

"Persistent, isn't he?"  Immediately after Ranma made the statement, a 
coffee machine broke down both doors to Uc-chan's.

===

The doors to the "Uc-chan's" opened as a table flew out, narrowly 
missing a large panda. The panda shook its head as the table yelped 
when it landed. The panda took a little black pig that it was carrying 
and set it on the ground. He produced a kettle and poured hot water on 
the piglet. As Ryouga tried to cover himself, the panda tossed some 
clothes to him. Before Ryouga could finish getting dressed, a coffee 
machine rushed the doors to the restaurant. Both Ryouga and the panda 
stared in mild shock at the destruction. Ryouga then turned toward the 
street. The panda grabbed him by the shoulders and pointed him toward 
the gaping hole where the doors used to be.

===

Ukyou's face turned into a mask of red-hot anger.  "Tsubasa!  I can't 
afford to replace those doors every week!"  Ukyou ranted as she pounded 
on the coffee machine.

"Rrraannnnmmmmmaaaaaaaaaa!"

Ranma turned toward the voice and saw Ryouga standing in the doorway.

"You filthy, back stabbing, womanizer! Half a dozen fiancees and a 
dozen girlfriends and you still had to seduce Akari!"

Ukyou froze when she heard Ryouga's accusation. "Seduce Akari?" Ukyou 
mumbled under her breath. Akari was Ryouga's girlfriend. What was Ranma 
doing with Ryouga's girlfriend?

"Hey! Pig-boy. That's not what happened. It was Happosai's fault!"

"Liar!" Ryouga charged and began trading punches with Ranma. "I saw the 
two of you together at the hot springs. I was on the other side and you 
sneaked over to the woman's side and seduced Akari. You couldn't stand 

to see me happy, could you?"

The intensity of Ryouga's attack forced Ranma back and prevented him 
from mounting an offense.

"Look, bacon-breath! Happosai knocked me over there! I didn't do it on 
purpose!"

With a growl Ryouga increased his attack. Ranma sidestepped the kick 
and blocked a combination of punches. He failed to block the punch to 
his gut. The blow sent him through a table and he landed against the 
side of the grill. Ryouga slowly stalked up to the gasping Ranma.

"First the curse, then Akane and now Akari! No more, Ranma! Tonight you 
die!" With that Ryouga let fly five bandanas.

Ranma quickly dodged the bandanas, leapt over Ryouga, and attempted a 
counterattack. The kick was blocked as Ryouga threw another half dozen 
bandanas. Again Ranma dodged the bandanas then watched as three tables 
became firewood.  Ryouga charged, throwing a series of head and body 
punches.  Blocking the blows, Ranma jumped over Ryouga and pushed him 
headlong into two more tables.

Ukyou stared in disbelief as Ranma and Ryouga systematically destroyed 
every table in the restaurant.  "Oh, no." she whispered.

Tsubasa looked through the little door of the coffee dispenser. 
"Uh,oh." was all he could say as Ranma flew backwards into the coffee 
machine.  The two continued on until the wall stopped their momentum.

"My restaurant."  Ukyou gasped as she watched Ranma knock Ryouga into 
the last undamaged table.  Pieces of broken wood flew up and shattered 
the last unbroken window.

Ranma glared at Ryouga.  "I told you nothing happened! Can't you get it 
through your pig headed brain that it was an accident?"

"Accident? Akari is probably pregnant and you call it an accident? I've 
had enough!  It ends right here!"

Ryouga brought his hands together in Ranma's direction. "Shi Shi 
Houkoudan!"

Ranma grabbed a table leg and threw it at Ryouga, causing him to 
stumble backwards.  The off target ki blast destroyed one whole wall of 
Ukyou's restaurant and part of the roof.

Ukyou stared in shock at the humongous hole in the wall. "My 
restaurant, ... my work ... my life," she mumbled over and over. She 
came back to reality when a panda walked through the hole.

In a flurry of motion, Ukyou scooped up the coffee machine and tossed 
it out the "new" door. The panda ducked the high-speed projectile.

"I have had enough!"  Ukyou screamed as she flattened a surprised 
Ryouga. She then tossed him out the "old" doorway.  She then came after 
Ranma and was ready to pound him with her spatula when she stopped 
short.

"Out."

Ranma looked at Ukyou, surprised and a little afraid.

"Just, get out, Ran-chan."  Ukyou stared at him; her giant spatula 
shook in her hands.  "I.. I can't do it, Ran-chan. If you stay, I'll 
lose everything. With you gone, I'll at least have my restaurant. At 
least I'll still be an okonomiyaki chef. Please, Ran-chan, leave."

"Uc-chan?"  Ranma looked up at her tear-streaked face. He couldn't tell 
if she was mad, hurt or scared. He swallowed and nodded his head. 
"Okay, Uc-chan, pop and I'll leave. I'll clean up what I can and then 
go. I.. I'm sorry, Uc-chan."

Ukyou watched as Ranma began to arrange piles of broken debris from her 
restaurant. With heavy steps, she walked to her room in back.

===

After loading up the dumpster behind Uc-chan's, Ranma erected a 
temporary barrier where the wall used to be. As he headed to his former 
room to get his and his pop's things, Ranma paused in front of Ukyou's 
room. Inside, he could hear Ukyou crying.  In a soft, quiet voice he 
whipered "I'm sorry, Uc-chan." Then bowed his head, turned and left.

"I'm sorry, Uc-chan."

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suds-kun (Shaun Schillinger)
suds1964@tir.com
 http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/8222/
"THIS time, we didn't forget the graaavy!" Cat & Mouse to Dog