Dear Listmembers,
I would like to present the following draft
for C&C. I am looking for pre-readers.


The  characters  of the Ranma �  universe  are  the
creation   and   possession  of  the  brilliant   Rumiko
Takahashi.  They  belong  to Rumiko  Takahashi  and  her
licensees   (Shogakukan   Inc.,   Kitty-Fuji   TV,   Viz
Communications   Inc.)  No  copyright  infringement   is
intended.       

Begin Chapter 4

      With Friends Like These . . .

Chapter 4
          
     "What that supposed to be?"
Ukyous fingers whitened on her bentou.
     "Ummmm . . .well it was supposed to be 'perseverance' but now I
think it's 
really nothing"
     "Shan Pu agree, look like nothing."
     "I believe." Came an icy voice, "That Akanechan was trying to
write the
CHARACTER for perseverance but upon reflection changed it to the
character 'mu'
or nothing. This shows very advanced skills and a keen zen understand
. . ."
     "Keen blade beat ink and brush. What warrior need sissy . . ."
Ukyou took a bite of okinomyaki . . .strange she'd made it fresh , why
did it taste like
something scrapped off the floor of a movie theater?
     "Actually, I just spilled . . ." Akanes voice was small and
almost lost in the
tumult.
     "Sissy! Perhaps to an unlettered barbarian such as yourself. WE
Japanese
have long known that the COMPLETE warrior is a person of culture,
 refinement . . ."
     "Maybe Shan Pu refine Kodachi upside her head with . . ."
     "I don't know . . .maybe I should try a heavier paper, this keeps
tearing.
And a different brand of brush. These leak . . ."
     "I would take you to task for your impertinence" Kodachi laughed
slightly 
". . .after Akanechan's lessons. I will allow nothing to interfere
with her progress.
She is really quite talented."
     "HA . . .what you know? Akanechan MY student first. I see she
make great
warrior. One of best I ever see."
     "Really!" Akane's excited voice cut across the school yard "OH,
Shan Pu . .
. do you really mean that? You're not just saying that because we're
friends?"
 Ukyou looked down to see the broken halves of her chopsticks laying
on the grass.
     "Of course she is a consummate warrior. Any person of refinement
could
tell that from her calligraphy. . .the bold strokes, uninhibited use
of ink and paper . .
.the original placement of characters, unrestrained  by tradition or
convention . . .'
     "Oh, I thought that just meant I was clumsy. My old teacher . . ."
     "Imbecile , untutored ignoramuses all." Kodachi assured Akane.
"The great
Zen master Ryoukan frequently could not read his own writing."
     "Well" Akane began doubtfully. "You're the sensei. But I don't
want you to
go easy on me, just because we're friends."
The tortured scream of tearing metal jerked Ukyou's eyes to the
twisted mass of
metal in her hands. Cheap mail order junk she thought. Unbreakable
titanium alloy
my . . .Muttering imprecations under her breath she tossed the ruined
spatula aside
and  stalked off to her next class. 

********************************************************************
It wasn't fair Ukyou thought trudging back to her shop. Even the
psycho had made
friends. Dammit, her fianc� dumped her when she was six . . .she lost
her family, 
her honor, her womanhood and now this. She'd made a deal with the
devil, given up
the only thing in life that was hers. The only thing that gave her
life meaning; she
had sold her future to buy a chance at regaining her past and even
that didn't work.
If she didn't make friends with Akane . . .and soon . . .SHE'D get the
blame when
Akane di . . .when Akane . . .when it happened she UKYOU would be left
holding
the bag. The best she could hope for would be to escape jail. A rumble
of thunder
jerked her out of her gloomy introspection and she looked up at the
black thunder
heads that exactly matched her mood. Great, she thought, And me with
no umbrella.
What more could happen?

********************************************************************
     "I'm sorry Kuonjisan, with these old buildings sometimes they
can't take
the high wind."
     "Sorry . . .SORRY!" Ukyou looked around at what used to be Ukyou's
Okynomyaki. Before a gust of wind had peeled back part of the roof
like an old
sardine tin. Before a night of heavy rain had washed away . . ."
     "I don't need sorry. I need to know what you're going to do about
. . ."
Ukyou waved a pale, shaking hand a the ruins. "About THIS!! EVERY
THING I
own is ruined. The booths, the storage area . . .all the cooking
supplies. And MY
room, my clothes, bed . . .everything is RUINED." Shaking from
reaction, and the
exhaustion of a long and futile fight to save something . . .anything.
And now this
pompous jackass . . .
     "You OWN this building. I pay rent . . .what are you going to do?
I have a
business to run. I can't afford to close down . . ."
     "As I've tried to explain, your lease doesn't cover "acts of
god." We are not
obligated to make good damages of this kind."
     "Then what good are you? Why are you here?"
     "Well, it is the first of the month."
Ukyou stared at the man, uncomprehending.
     "Your rent is due. In fact, because of inflation I'm afraid there
will be an
increase in the rent."
     "get out."
     "I beg your pardon?" The fussy little man couldn't believe what
he thought
he heard.
     "get out. get out of my restaurant."
     "But your rent? You must pay . . .or leave by the end of . . ."
     "get out . . .of . . .MY RESTAURANT!" Even if the tone hadn't been
perfectly clear, the shiny , sharp, (very very sharp he noticed)
battle spatula that
appeared suddenly under his nose crossed all language barriers. 
     "There are laws." the little man stuttered. "I'll have the
police,  I'll. . ."
With a deep throated growl Ukyou dropped the spatula. The little man
had a nano-
second to feel relief before Ukyou grabbed him by the scruff of the
neck and heaved
him out the door. Unfortunately without first opening the door.  Ukyou
wasn't sure
why that should make such a difference, but it did; to the little man,
to the police and
finally to the judge.

********************************************************************
     "Kuonji . . .up and out."
Ukyou struggled up from the thin mat on the floor. Scrubbing sleep
from her eyes
with the back of her hand she couldn't believe she'd dozed off . . .at
a time like this .
. .in a place like this. Still, she thought bitterly, maybe she should
get used to jail.
She'd lost everything . . .Ranma . . .her restaurant . . .
     "Ukyou! Are you alright? What did you DO to her!"
Ukyou jerked up right. NO! It couldn't be . . .
     "I've heard about what goes on in prison." Ukyou groaned.
Perfect. She'd
rather rot in jail than . . .
          "Now Tendousan, I assure you that Kuonjisan has been treated
with . . ."
     "Ukyou should NEVER have been in jail. Why can't you put real
criminals
in jail. Like that panty thief?"
The jailer gulped. The panty thief was a sore point with the police.
Thousands of
complaints and not a single clue.
     "Ukyou . . .are you alright? I came as soon as I heard. It took a
little while .
. .I've never been in jail before . . .well I have but that was being
kidnaped and
doesn't really count." She turned to the jailer for conformation.
"Kidnaping doesn't
count as really being in jail does it?"
Given a choice, Ukyou would have remained in the small cramped cell,
sharing
bathing facilities with some large mustachioed woman named Fujii
rather than be
rescued by Akane.  Ukyou wasn't given an option to remain in jail but
was remanded
into the custody of one Tendou Akane. Glaring at the police Akane made
sure that
all of Ukyou's possessions were returned and waited while she changed
from the
prison coverall into her street clothes.

********************************************************************
     "I'm sorry I didn't think to bring you any fresh clothes." Akane
apologized
as they walked along. "I was so ANGRY that they would take you off to
jail. I mean
people get thrown through the wall all the time. What's one little
door. If they took
everyone to jail . . . Look at Mu Tsu, and Ryouga. And Ranma, he goes
through more
walls and ceilings and . . ."
     "Would you just SHUT UP!"
Akane stopped, stunned. "U . . .ukyou? What's wrong. What . . ."
     "Are you happy now? Are you?"
Akane stared bewildered.
     "Well, I'm NOT a charity case. And I'm not your friend. I'd
rather rot in
hell than be your friend." She wouldn't cry. Not in front of Akane.
She wouldn't cry
. . .that would be . . .she just couldn't stand it if she . . .
Whirling suddenly Ukyou
ran off, leaving Akane standing pale and shaken. 

********************************************************************
Banging and clattering noises from downstairs awoke Ukyou. Groaning
she slowly
sat up, trying to stretch out the stiffness from sleeping on a damp
futon. Her teeth felt
furry and she could FEEL her eyeballs. Something tinkled as she moved
and she
winced as a bottle clattered across the floor. Oh yes . . .the sake .
. .the special bottle
she'd been saving. Saving for her wed . . .Hastily she cut off that
thought, wishing
she could cut off her head. Then maybe it wouldn't hurt. Pulling on an
old robe that
was the least damp and dirty of her surviving wardrobe Ukyou stumbled
down stairs.
At the foot she froze . . .all of Japan, or at least most of Tokyou
was in her restaurant.
Hammering, nailing, cleaning, bailing . . .hoards of boys and girls .
. .from School,
Ukyou recognized some of them.
     "What . . .what's going on?"
     "Ah . . .Kuonjisan." A girl, Ukyou recognized her as being on the
volleyball
team but couldn't remember her name, came up holding a steaming cup of
coffee.
The rich caffeine roast aroma assaulted her taste buds like the Huns
assaulting Chin.
And like the Chin, when rape is inevitable . . . Ukyou would have sold
her soul but
the angel disguised as a school girl didn't even haggle, only handed
her the life
giving nectar. Ukyou inhaled two mugs before enough synapse's were
firing to
produce a coherent thought. 
     "What is going on? Why are you all here?"
     "We're fixing up the damage. We should be finished by the end of
the
week."
     "But I didn't . . .I can't afford . . ." Confused, Ukyou stumbled
to a stop.
     "Oh, that's not a problem. Ukyou's Okinomyaki is a landmark . . .it
wouldn't be the same without you."
Ukyou's face grew warm at the thought of how much she meant to
everyone, then
cold at the next careless words from one of the carpenters.
     "Plus Akane said she'd pound anyone who didn't . . ." One of the
girls
mopping up clouted him over the head, then turned to bow to Ukyou.
     "Please, don't listen to this idiot" she clouted the idiot again.
"Ukyousan. 
Akane just spread the word that you needed help."
     "Yeah, and when Akanechan speaks . . .boys listen." Another girl
, one
scrapping mud off the wall quipped. 
     "What they mean is" Put in a boy carrying a load of trash out
back. "Is that
Akane is . . .well . . .you just hate to disappoint her. She's so
enthusiastic. And you
know she'd help YOU if you needed it. So if SHE asks for help . . ."
     "And too, she's captain of the tennis club . ."
     "And volleyball . . ."
     "Baseball, and archery clubs don't forget." Chimed in several
voices.
     "We couldn't let our captain down when she . . ."
Ukyou tuned out all the chattering voices. This couldn't be happening
Not after . . .
     "OH! I am so STUPID. I was supposed to give you this when you came
down." Ukyou took the note that was thrust under her nose and read it.
Turning pale
she crumpled the note in her hand and stalked for the door.
     "Wait . . .Ukyousan . . .wait. I was supposed to give you this
too." Turning
furiously Ukyou automatically took a bundle . . .of clean clothes . .
.that was thrust
into her hands.

********************************************************************
     "One special, coming up." Ukyou flipped the okinomyaki off the
griddle and
sent if sailing across the room to land neatly on a plate.
     "Two orders Dim Sung? Yes sir. Right away . . ."
     "Mr. Part Time . . .stop talking to the plants and bring some
more fish from
the back."
     "Oh yes. Only freshest  ingredients. Okinomyaki? Yes, that new.
>From best
okinomyaki cook all Japan."
Ukyou felt like Alice . . .and she was still falling down the rabbit
hole.
     "Certainly can have any kind okinomyaki . . .Ukyousan fix right
at table if
want."
     "Certainly sir, madame." Ukyou said, moving to the couples table in
response to Shan Pu's hand signal.
********************************************************************
     "You are very lucky, young one." Cu Lon said during a lull in the
lunch
crowd.
     "Well, yes. I really do want to thank you for letting me run
Ukyou's from
the Nekohaten while repairs are . . ."
Cu Lon held up a hand. "I am not the person who should receive your
thanks."
Ukyou's lips tightened, imperceptibly she imagined, forgetting who she
was with.
Thinking of the note from Akane, telling her she could work out of the
Nekohaten
until her shop was repaired made her stomach churn. Thinking of  the
clothes from
Akane, the helpers from Akane, made her shake with rage. Thinking of
all the  hand
lettered signs, . . .there was no mistaking  Akane's broad
enthusiastic brushwork
telling of Ukyou's Okinomyaki 'renovation' and temporary relocation in
the
Nekohaten, made her blood boil. Akane must have stayed up all night
making, then
posting those signs. Ukyou had heard they were posted far east as
Shibuyaku. Akane
had saved Ukyou's Okinomyaki . . .and Ukyou hated her for it, hated
Akane so much
her bones hurt. Akane had taken her fianc� . . .her honor . . .now her
restaurant and
her pride. 
     "Yes . . .yes . . .I must thank Akane for everything she has done."
Cu Lon's eyes narrowed. She didn't know what was going on, but she
knew her
great-grand daughter was involved in some scheme. And this one, and
the other girl.
All three of them were up to something. 
     "Well, she was very persuasive." Cu Lon added. "Pointing out how
small
business owners must stick together. How adding okinomyakai to the
menu could
only help business." This was all true. Cu Lon had found Tendou Akane
to be
amazingly persuasive. So much so that she was afraid she had
underestimated the
girl. But the real reason was curiosity.
      "I have lived many years, too many years some would say."
Ukyou frowned down at the tiny Amazon, wondering where this
conversation was
going. "And in those years I have learned that friends are the most
important thing a
person can have. You are very lucky to have such a good, such a true
friend as
Tendou Akane."
     "Friends." A sudden smile lit Ukyou's face as she remembered the
old
adage; keep your friends close and your enemies closer."Yes, friends
are very
important. And Akane is such a close friend."


END Chapter 4 




_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com