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				RANMA 1/2 FANFIC

				SHE WHOM HE LOVES

	I know that a lot of you must be tired of usual disclaimers, but
nevertheless I somehow feel obliged to say it...... *DEEP BREATH* This
story was not meant for a profit. All the characters belong to
respective owners. This was written without anybody's permission, but
the author claims no responsibility nor copyright. This can be
distributed freely, but it is not to be used outside of nonprofittable
entertainment. There, you can all unplug your ears now.....
	Comments would be appreciated. Criticism will be praised.
Ignorance awaits flames. Letter bombs will be returned. If you send me
cash, checks, or your credit card number, I will worship you! I can be
reached at <vg_ap@hotmail.com>. Or just visit my homepage at
<http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/thunder/181/index.html>.

	This story is my first one-shot and, as such, it is not my best
work. I'm just writing this hopefully to cure my writer's block. You 
know the feeling, don't you? It occurs after the end of the series.
	Anyway, this fanfic contains a matchup that has never been done
before. And no, it's not Ranma/Usagi. You have been warned.



	Sizzle... Sizzle...
	For Ukyo Kuonji, the sound okonomiyaki made as it cooked was one
of the most comforting sound in the world; as some people liked to
listen to birds chirp or waves crash, it calmed her mind like a mother's
touch to an infant would.
	As for the okonomiyaki itself, it was her art; an art which she
sought of perfection, and to be the best ever. She didn't hesitate to
prove that she was the best in it, although unlike martial arts
challenges were rare. It was something that only she could do so well,
something not even the desire of her heart could not do. It was
literally her life; during those years inwhich she dreamed of vengeance,
okonomiyaki protected her sanity if not her womanhood. And now it was
a part of her, her most important weapon used to win her love's heart.
	That was why they were not of the best quality tonight. Or, to be
more specific, why she was reluctant to put heart into the ones she
served to her rivals.
	They were all here: Shampoo, Kodachi Kuno, and Akane Tendo.
Normally, these four appearing on the same location at the same time
is a seed for disaster, as very often the martial matrimony melee
took place. However, tonight was not the case. They have agreed that,
for this night only, they would seek peaceful discussion without the use
of force, magic, or chemistry.
	What could cause these four infamous young ladies to actually sit
down and attempt a civilized, rational conversation? It is surprisingly
simple; none of them were willing to disagree with their
hopefully-future mother-in-law. Nodoka Saotome, disturbed by the way her
son's fiancees fought like dogs and monkies, suggested a night of truth-
a night that could ideally have them discuss their feelings and give
each other a deeper understanding of others. While the girls were
doubtful of the effectiveness, they nonetheless complied with the idea
to please her if for nothing else.
	"Here ya go." Ukyo's catch phrase lacked its usual cheer as she
flipped up her culinary products to her guests' plates.
	"Thanks."
	"Thank you."
	"Shei shei."
	They all poked at the Japanese dish with their chopsticks, none of
them particularly hungry. Considering that they all already had dinner,
it was understandable. The only reason Ukyo started cooking them was
to distract them from the uncomfortable silence which seemed to hount
them tonight. Alas, it was returning with friends.
	They bore the soundless atmosphere for a few more minutes before
the chef asked, "So, what're we supposed ta do?"
	"Shampoo not know."
	"Neither do I. My social life does not reflect any advice over
the course of action in these gatherings. Do you have any idea, Akane
Tendo?"
	Everyone turned to look at the only short-haired girl in the
building. Akane hesitated before answering, "Well, when I get together
with my friends, we just... Talk."
	"Then what are we to discuss about?"
	"I... I don't know."
	"I think," Ukyo started, "everything on our minds're somehow
related ta Ranchan."
	"It funny just how one man be center of too too many people
lifes."
	"Well, can we discuss about him without ending up fighting?" Akane
suggested.
	"Worth a try, I must say." Kodachi paused. "So what subject of him
should we converse?"
	"I think I got one." Ukyo brought her "friends'" attention to her.
"Let's talk about why none of us managed ta score'im yet, after all this
time."

########################################################################

	Nodoka Saotome watched as her son departed from the Tendo Dojo.
She watched as Ranma cautiously proceeded down the street, looking for
any signs of his unwanted fiancees or rivals; should he be found, hell
would literally break loose! She wished her child a good luck; he didn't
seem to possess it as much as he deserved.
	At least she had done her part for him; she convinced Ranma's
various suitors to leave him alone for tonight. It was fortunate that
they respected and feared her to some degree, otherwise they would never
have listened to her.
	She had managed to secure him a night inwhich he could spend
together with his one true love.
	It was shocking to her, but Ranma was not interested in any of the
girls after him. He had a hidden relationship with somebody whom nobody
suspected him to be involved so for quite some time. In a way, Nodoka
felt honored to share this great secret which not even Nabiki knew of.
She had initially objected, but succumbed to their requests when she
recognized the true love between them. The Saotome honor would be
stained even further, but she had already hurt her child for honor once,
and would not make the same mistake again.
	"I have failed to give happiness to you, Ranma." She thought. "I
would not prevent you from seeing the one who could give you happiness.
That is the least I can do."

########################################################################

	"Why doesn't he fall for any one of us? I mean, a guy can't resist
four girls' advances for long, can he?" Akane questioned. After the
Phoenix Mountain episode and the consequent doomed wedding, she had
become honest about her feelings.
	The question was, did Ranma love her?
	She had longed to know the answer for quite some time now. Neither
of them was exactly the greatest lover on earth, and they fought in
frequency and degree unbelievable for two engaged people. And yet, there
were moments, few and far between, when she could almost see something
between them. She desparately believed in it, hoping that someday she
could see that link between them all the time.
	However, she hadn't seen that intangible object between them for
some time. The last time she had seen it was at Phoenix Mountain, when
Ranma had held her in his arms.
	The consecutive wedding may have been ruined by Shampoo and Ukyo,
but she could not determine whether it would have gone on even if it
wasn't interrupted. Ranma had denied ever of admitting his feelings. She
had hit him as usual, but inwardly she was beginning to question if
Ranma's words of love were brought out by a fit of dispair at her
appearent death.
	Shoving her confusing thoughts aside, Akane continued, "I just
don't understand it. I always thought that a guy would turn into jelly
if a girl claimed to love him."
	"That pre... Preju... Sexism, Akane. You no being fair to men."
As soon as Shampoo made this comment, everybody stared strangely at her.
"What Shampoo say?"
	"Heya hon, doesn't yer tribe disrespect males or something like
that?" Ukyo asked.
	"No. Neuchuzuu (author's note: Chinese Amazons) first like that,
but now no treat men like slave. Oh, some amazons still think low of
male, but not smart ones." Shampoo answered. "Shampoo thought men stupid
too, until she meet Ranma. He teach Shampoo to respect men."
	"Indeed. Ranma-sama is unique in a magnificient manner." Kodachi
interjected. "That may be the reason why none of us has captured his
heart as of yet. He is not an easy man to win over."
	"Yeah... Seems like it's really hard ta get his attention."

########################################################################

	Putting the hair dye away, she reached for ribbons. The secrecy
of their relationship forced them to alter their appearences when they
met. She had to look and act like a whole different person.
	For her love, though, there were no barrier she would not cross.
	It was not the beauty that drew her to him, though he was handsome
in his own way. It was not his skill, as it wasn't enough to impress
her. It was the way he genuinely cared about her; he had proven to want
nothing more than her happiness rather than his own. He was even willing
to part with her if that was what she wanted.
	Those sweet words were softer than any music for her. He was the
only one she had learned to respect, only one she could trust.
Furthermore, he respected and trusted her-something nobody else had ever
done to her.
	Such a long time had passed since they confessed their love to
each other that it felt like eternity, even though it was little more
than an year; such agonizing days, weeks, and months unable to cry out
their love to the world. But these precious opportunities, such as
tonight, to soak in each other's love gave her strength to bear the
wonderful pain until the day they could finally be together, forever.
	As she grabbed a lipstick, a mischievous thought came to her.
Grinning prettily, she applied her makeup while making plans...

########################################################################

	"Akane?" Ukyo asked.
	"Yeah?"
	"I always wondered, why do ya and Ranchan fight so 'uch?"
	Akane looked a little uncomfortable with the question. "T-that's
because he's such a perverted jer-"
	Shampoo cut her off. "Akane know Ranma no pervert. Ranma nice
too."
	Akane looked scandalized. "Nice? Ranma!? He insults me all the-"
	This time, it was Kodachi who interrupted. "Akane Tendo, you
insult him as much as he does you. That is an undeniable fact you
neglect."
	Akane growled, but she did not retort. Deep inside of herself, she
knew that Ranma was usually not at fault and actually a victim of
circumstances. However, she had such a hard time controlling her
Amaguriken-quick temper that she often ended up being the "uncute
tomboy". If only she could hold her fist in check a little longer...
	"Well, Akane?"
	"Uh, what?"
	"Why do you fight with Ranchan so much?"
	Akane took a little time to formulate the answer before speaking,
"We... Got off on the wrong foot. He accidentally did something that
didn't make the best impression on me."

########################################################################

	The young man looked around nervously for what must have been
hundredth time. His business made him late, even though he departed with
uttermost haste. When he arrived, the object of his desire was not
present in the place he expected her to be.
	She had to be late. Something must be delaying her. Certainly she
was patient enough to wait for him as long as needed, and he was only
seven minutes late.
	Or was it possible that she had gotten angry and left? Could it 
be-God forbid!-that she no longer loved him? It couldn't be! She would
not have summoned him to this place just to spite him! She HAD to be
late for some reason, that was the only possible reason of her absense.
	Caught up in his panic, he did not notice the figure approaching
him until it was too late. Just as he sensed the presense of somebody
behind him, the said figure jumped onto him...
	... and glomped him in a manner a certain Chinese Amazon would
have envied.
	"Good evening, darling! Looking for me?"
	With an embarrassed chuckle, he turned around to return the hug.
Every time he thought he had figured her out, she would pull an
unpredictable stunt like this. "That was mean, you know. You hid just to
surprise me."
	In a manner she knew would turn him into a jelly, she pouted her
lips. "Well, YOU did the same thing to me when we first met."

########################################################################

	"Miss Kuonji, would you mind explaining to me why you are
Ranma-sama's fiancee as well, when his father had engaged him to Miss
Tendo?" This was what Kodachi wanted to know for quite some time. While
she was technically not his fiancee, she considered herself his rightful
lover; she loved him, and that should have been an enough reason. Still,
being his 'legitimate' fiancee would be an advantage.
	Ukyo looked uncomfortable for a moment, then started speaking.
"Well, it's like this; basically we met each other when we're kids. My
dad offered Genma our yatai (author's note: food stand) as a dowry, then
the scumbug ran away wizit! I came 'ere trying ta revenge, then I
learned that Ranchan didn't know nothing about our engagement. Since
then, we became engaged again, sorta."
	Shampoo's eyes widened. "So it no legal?"
	"Well, with the way Genma kept selling Ranchan off ta one father
afta another, I don't think any of the engagements're legal."
	Akane chose this moment to speak again. "Ukyo, I have always
wondered... For that matter, Shampoo..."
	"Hm?""What?"
	"Why are you two in love with Ranma? I mean, Ukyo, how can you
instantly fall in love with somebody you have been trying to revenge for
last ten years, even if he was innocent? And Shampoo, you were simply
forced by your law to marry him, so why are you so enthuastic about it?"
Akane asked.
	Ukyo looked down for a moment before admitting, "Yer right, Akane.
When I reclaimed the engagement, I wasn't really in love with him. I
jus' wanted a friend, something I never had. But I don't regre' the
decision now, cause I shortly fell in love with him again. You know it's
easy for a girl ta fall for him."
	Shampoo stated, "Shampoo lonely before she met Ranma. No one in
village defeat her, so she champion. Other girls jealous, so they no be
friends with Shampoo. Boys scared off by how Mousse got beat up every
day. When Shampoo learned Ranma a boy, she finally meet someone she can
look up, not look down. It just like with Ukyo; Shampoo wanted a friend
AND a husband. So she welcome the Amazon law." She paused before adding,
"But not expect this many competition. Shampoo wish she caught Ranma
before he met Akane."
	Kodachi nodded in agreement. "Yes, we could all use less
competion. Not to mention," Here she glared at Akane, "you are the one
somehow getting most of his attention all the time."
	Akane started to get a little nervous as everyone started staring
at her, presuambly envying her luck to get involved with Ranma earlier
and more often than anybody else.

########################################################################

	After a customary date consisting of movie and a walk in park,
they were at a small diner, where they were allowed to bring in their
own food.
	"I have something special for you." She said as she pulled out a
dish from her bag, watching with satisfaction as his eyes widened with
a pleasant surprise.
	"You remembered my favorite food?"
	She giggled. "Well, I have known you for quite a long time. Not to
mention that I met you within 24 hours of moving into Nerima."
	"Ah, yes... It was about two years ago-or was it less than that?"
He reflected. "I had no idea we would be like this back then..."
	"That goes double for me, you know. Certainly I didn't think my
sexual preference would change."

########################################################################

	"Could it be...?"
	Akane noticed Kodachi's musing. "Is something wrong?"
	"A thought had just occured to me. Mayhaps Ranma-sama had
relationship prior to us and cannot forget about her?"
	Ukyo blinked. Kodachi actually came up with a rational
possibility? "I dunno... Ranchan said that he always moved around Japan
every month or so..."
	"That no mean anything. Maybe Ranma in love with somebody we not
know about?"
	Akane shook her head. "That's not likely. If there is such a
person, she would have showed up by now. He also said once that he never
thought about girls too much before meeting us."
	Ukyo got everyone's attention when she started chuckling to
herself. "What's so funny?" Akane asked.
	"It's jus' a ridiculous idea..." Ukyo continued to chuckle. "Maybe
Ranchan's in love with Mousse! Yeah, that's it, he has a secret
relationship with Mousse, but doesn't want ta hurt any of us, so he's
waiting for us ta give up on him!"
	Ukyo collapsed with laughter, the other girls following
immediately.

########################################################################

	As usual, their date had ended much too shortly in their opinion.
Late at night, walking back to his residence; it was the last moments
when they could be together, wondering when they can meet as lovers
again.
	He could tell, however, that something was bothering her. Usually
they talked in these precious few minutes about nothing in particular,
trying and failing to distract them from imminent separation. She was
silent tonight, though. Something had to be done.
	Putting his arm around her slight shoulder, he asked, "Something
wrong?"
	She took time to lean into him before answering, "It's just...
These moments when I'm with you, I feel so wonderful... That it feels
like a dream. I'm afraid that I would wake up, and see you in love with
her again." There was a slightest hint of jealousy she tried but failed
to hide.
	He pushed up his glasses and sighed. "Look, I'm over with her. She
never noticed me, and never cared about me. At best I was some stupid
friend of hers. I gave up on her as soon as I got interested in you.
Didn't you say you trust me?"
	"Yes, but..." She looked down guiltily. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't
accuse you when it is me who has all the problems keeping us apart."
	Any tiny irritation he might have had was gone. "Don't worry about
THEM... We will someday be able to see each other without hiding. After
all, you always find a way out of a trouble, don't you?"
	She nodded, her face showing the smile he loved to see. It dropped
a little when she noticed that they were at their destination.
	Seeing her distraught face, he tried to comfort her by one last
embrace. She latched onto him like a glue.
	He carried her inside the clinic for a moment of privacy.
	"Good night, Ranma."
	"Good night, Tofu."
	And they kissed.



















Author's notes: Have you finished with facefaulting? Allow me to explain
a bit before flaming me.

I am NOT a regular supporter of Tofu/Ranma relationship. This story was
a product of thinking about two of the greatest mysteries of Ranma 1/2
at once. Namely, who Ranma is most likely to love, and what happenned to
Doctor Tofu after Volume 13. Two thoughts converged into one to create
this super-wacky story.

I thank Julian Soullard for pre-reading this product of insanity. I also
thank YOU for reading it.

This story was written also to serve as a cure for writer's block and as
my first attempt at one-shot story. Hopefully, this story will gather
enough attention as well.

Now I can get to writing other stories...

			Tell me what you think:
			VGAP <vg_ap@hotmail.com>
	<http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/thunder/181/index.html>