Author notes: Before we begin, I'd like to say that there are some things that
might seem weird in this fic. First off, schools in Japan have a six-day
schedule, with Sundays being the day off. Second is that schools also don't
have janitors, so it's up to the students to clean up. Students on clean up
duty are usually rotated around a bit. Well, anyway, on with the fic.

Ukyo Tries
Original story by Panda Head Studio
Written by Maggy Liquier
Ranma � Characters is owned by Rumiko Takahashi
Mina and Sakura are not important

	"He is just so adorable�" Mina squealed as she finished telling everyone
about her boyfriend.
	A small group of girls, sat around Mina and who had listened to her story,
sighed with awe. Ukyo had overheard the conversation from a distance. She
remained silent gulping down her soda, eavesdropping on the conversation. She
cursed at herself for forgetting to make lunch.  
	"It's so great having a boyfriend�" Sakura laughed. "They are always there to
comfort you whenever you need."
	Ukyo placed the can of coke on the table. She studied the little bodies of
water that cling to the can, as she absorbed everything the girls were talking
about. She looked up for a moment. She usually didn't hang out with these
girls. She usually sits by herself for lunch. Female company usually is not
her choice, due to the fact that she was raised in an all boy's school. She
studied the chattering girls who sat near hear. She looked at the head girl,
Mina, and wondered how a girl that bubbly could get a guy. She studied her
with green eyes. The uniforms didn't do much for fashion, which is probably
the main purpose, but she doubted that Mina wore that dress outside of school.
Ukyo began to study Mina. Her face was homely. It had the stereotypical flat-
nose round square face. She spoke with thin lips and a square jaw to hold it.
Her eyebrows where obviously plucked thin to the point it looked like she was
drawing with no eyebrows at all and to draw it on herself with a pen. Under
those very thin lines called her eyebrow, resided two crescent mooned shaped
eyes. Ukyo noticed that when Mina laughed, her eyes almost looked shut and
began to wonder if she can see when she laughs. Ukyo giggled at the thought. 
Ukyo felt her face as she had studied the Mina. Her skin was pale as peach and
her eyes wide and beautiful. She put her long hair down over her shoulder and
looked at it. Wasn't long hair supposed to be attractive to men, Ukyo
wondered. If so, was it doing anything for Ranma? She looked at Mina's hair.
It was short, like Akane's.
Ukyo blinked for a moment. What was she doing? She shook her head as if trying
to knock those alien thoughts out of her head. Why was she comparing that girl
and herself? She was disgusted that she even thought those thoughts. Nit
picking at a girl's features and analyzing them was so not her, and so�
feminine.
Ukyo paused at the thought of the word. "Feminine�" she tested the word, as if
hearing it for the first time and trying to pronounce it. She grabbed the can
of soda and looked at it, as if were going to answer her questions She had
usually been in between feminine and tomboyish. 
"Hey, that guy over there is kind of cute," one girl said to Sakura.
"He's too beautiful to be a guy," another had said.
"Perhaps he's a bishounen," a third chick added.
"Gay or a pretty boy?" the fourth girl asked.
Mina and Sakura looked at the subject in question and blinked. "That's Ukyo,"
they both said.
"Ukyo? That's a cute name," Chika number three squealed. 
"No, Ukyo is a girl," Sakura said. She was in my gym class.
	"But Ukyo is a guy's name. That's strange to give a girl a male name," Girl
number two informed.
	The fourth girl's eyes opened wide. "That's so cool." She exclaimed. 
	The girls turned their attention to the fourth young lady. "That's, like, the
hottest craze in America," she said.
	Mina looked at Ukyo. Ukyo realized that she was staring right at the group.
Before she knew it, their eyes were all fixated on her. She snapped her
attention straight back to her soda. She began to wish she brought more to
eat. For a cook, she was pretty unprepared for lunch.
	Mina went back to talking to her group. Ukyo tried not to pay any attention
to them. Suddenly, she realized that Mina was by her desk. "Would you care to
join us for lunch and some chit chat?" Mina asked.
	Ukyo was shocked. She studied Mina's face again, this time looking for deeper
means. She only found kindness. She nodded her head shyly. She wasn't used to
dealing with other girls. She scooted her desk over join the others. Sakura
and girl number four parted to let her in. 

	The final bell rang. Weary students who lacked the energy for school was
revitalized with thoughts of a free afternoon. Today was a Saturday and many
students decided they need a break from all the books, so it was time to
party. Ukyo had clean up duty, so she had to stay behind a little while. She
looked out the window to see happy students leaving the campus in pairs. She
sighed. Having clean up duty on a Saturday really bites. 
	As she swept the floor, her mind began to wonder back to the conversation she
had during lunch. 
	
	"I'm Arisa," the first girl said.
	"I'm Eiko," the second girl said.
	"Hi, my name's Fei," the third girl smiled.
	"Watashi no namie wa Megumi desu" the fourth girl said.
	Ukyo wondered if she would remember those names. Being introduced to a group
of people is always a hassle, she thought. They had an easier time, all they
had to do was remember one name, while she had to remember four more. 
	"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Ukyo said with a respectful tone hiding a
hint of worry. 
	"Why do you wear a boy's uniform?" Fei asked. 
	Ukyo felt that was that was the strangest question ever asked then thought
about it. It wasn't strange to her, just to others. "I just do," she said.
	The group grew silent.
	Ukyo looked down for a minute.
	"Say, is that all you had?" Eiko pointed to the empty soda. 
	"Uh�" Ukyo was afraid to say anything else. She already felt embarrassed a
bit by her reply to that last question. "Yeah," she struggled to say that one
word.
	"Tsk tsk" Sakura moved her pointer finger left to right. "A girl should have
a well balanced diet," she giggled as she tried to look motherly, "and that
young lady, is not a well balanced meal."
	The girls took out their lunchboxes and offered their leftovers to Ukyo. Ukyo
paused a bit. These girls are being fairly kind to her, and a few minutes ago
she was judging them. Her feeling of being ashamed seemed to multiply. 
	
	Ukyo finished up sweeping the room. She placed all the chairs and tables back
in their original position. She looked at the clock. It was now six and the
sky had gotten a bit dark. Lost time, lost money, she thought. Having a job
had caused her to learn how to manage her time the best she could. She knew
today, she wasn't going to make any money.  
	Her walk home was accompanied by many thoughts. Her mind kept running back to
the conversations with those girls during lunch. They were mostly talking
about guys, fashion, and whatever buzz was going around at the time. She
stopped walking for a moment. She walked to a window to study her own
reflection. She had been wearing a boy's uniform since she came to Furinkan
Highschool. She remembered how Ranma had mistaken her for a boy. What if she
had arrived in a girl's uniform. Would he have been attracted to her? He had
called her 'The Cute Fianc�e'. What if she acted a bit more like she was
supposed to. 
	"What if I acted a bit more feminine," she whispered. 
	"Feminine�" she pronounced the word again. 


	Sunday flew by pretty fast and before the students of Furinkan High knew it,
another dreary school week had begun, a week of books, studying, and agony.
To most students, it would be a usually week, but for Ukyo, it was a new
beginning. As she walked through the gates and into campus, she felt almost
every eye upon her. 
	Her hair was no longer long, but neatly cut short. It hung a little above
shoulder length, and swayed side from side as she walked. A gentle breeze blew
and Ukyo's hair was lifted, then fell back into place as soon as the wind
stopped pulling. Her dark red lips stood out in comparison to her peach tone
skin; and a little hint eye shadow highlighted the beauty in her eyes. 
	The most impressive change though, was the fact she was wearing a female
uniform instead of the male uniform. She tried to walk a bit normally as she
used to, but found difficulty walking in a skirt. How she yearned to be in
pants. 
	As soon as she entered the courtyard, every guy had his sites fixated on the
Ukyo flux, but she had her sites on Ranma. She took a deep breath. This time,
she wasn't going to pussy foot around the bushes. She sprinted to Ranma. Ranma
was walking with Akane, and Ukyo popped up in between the two. 
	"Hiya Ran-chan�" Ukyo said, trying to mimic a Shampoo like voice. 
	"Who are you?" Akane growled as she was slightly pushed to the side and away
from Ranma. 
	Ranma turned to see who had forced her way in between him and Akane. 
	"Uk-chan?" Ranma stuttered the name.  "Is that you?"
	"Ukyo?" Akane muttered. Her anger was replaced with surprise.
	"Ranma, we'll be late for class," Ukyo slipped her arm around Ranma's and
dashed off with Ranma stumbling after. 
	Akane stared at the two in shock. It hit her hard when she came to
realization of what had just happened.  
	Her anger soon resurfaced but she couldn't do anything about it. She shook
her head and hurried to class. 

	Not a cloud in the sky yet a young boy walked through the streets of Nerima
carrying umbrella. He looked as if he had just returned from a long camping
trip. His bandanna, which was usually wrapped around his forehead, now rested
loose around his neck. He ran his hand through his mop of hair but it simply
fell back over his eyes. He gave a tiny sigh. 
	"Now where am I?" he muttered.
	He looked around to study the setting. Am I in Okinawa? He couldn't tell. The
heat used to be something that would give him a general idea of where he was,
but now, being summer and all, he couldn't be sure. He wished for winter, so
he could have a faint idea of where he was. Just knowing if it was the north
or the south would have satisfied him. Damn this summer heat.
	The roads were empty except for a few old folks. Judging by the looks of
things, Ryouga figured that it was probably a school day and that the time was
somewhere between seven and four. He wondered a little up the street into the
shopping area. The adults looked at him as if he was a delinquent skipping
school. Perhaps they thought of him as a thug or a mobster. Ryouga sighed
wishing that that he could go to school. He happened to pass a familiar shop.
He read the hiragana that was written above the door. 
	"Ucchan's" Ryouga said with a smile. 
	He was in the one place where he felt truly at home. He was in Akane's
hometown. Knowing this, he relaxed. Perhaps he should run to the school and
try to greet her. He took one step then stopped. 
	"Maybe not," he said. He didn't want to get lost and end up going away from
Nerima. He sighed. Besides, he was getting a bit hungry. He decided to wait
till Ukyo got back and he could have a little something to eat. 
	A considerable amount of time had passed. It had been at least thirty minutes
since the first wave of student walked by. Little drizzle of students that had
left school late was now walking the street. Ryouga sighed. The hunger pains
were now immense.  
	"Where the hell is Ukyo?" Ryouga muttered. 
	A small line of hungry students had started a line behind Ryouga and all had
the same thought in their heads. Where the hell is she?
	After about what seemed to be an hour, students began to try else where for
food. Ryouga didn't dare leave the place; he was afraid he would end up in
another town. He was hoping that Ukyo would show up and take him to the Tendo
Dojo. Soon, he found himself alone in front of the neglected restaurant. A low
grumbling sound emitted from his stomach and he sighed. The pain was getting
worse.
	No more students where walking home. The streets were deserted again. The
only ones passing by adults that were doing shopping and non-uniformed teens
running errands. Ryouga spotted Akane among the groups of shoppers. 
	He ran to her. "Akane�" he yelled out. He was filled with joy to see her. 
Akane turned around hearing the sound of her name. She looked at him. He could
see feelings of anger in her face. He cut his run a few feet in front of her. 
"Is something wrong?" Ryouga asked.
"That jerk Ranma�" she started.
"What has that idiot done now?" Ryouga clenched his fist. He was ready to run
of and try to find the fiend that had upset Akane. But a second notion popped
up in his head. He had to comfort Akane first. "Do you care to talk about it?"

Akane and Ryouga talked over a small meal at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant.
Ryouga put down the chopsticks. He just finished his second bowl of phong
noodle. He felt a little better, hunger wise, but his mind was at trouble. 
"And when I left to find Ranma to walk home, he had already left with Ukyo�"
Akane muttered. She looked sad and worried. 
The first thought to hit Ryouga was that this could be his chance. He wanted
to tell Akane how much an asshole that jerk was. He wanted to tell her that
she deserved better, that she deserved him. He wanted to tell her how much he
would take care of her.  He wanted to confess how he had longed to tell her,
how he had harbored his feelings for her for the longest time. 
Then he looked into her eyes.
He wasn't what she was looking for. She loved him. It was obvious, even though
she had never openly said it. Her actions had explained all. Akane was worried
for the first time that Ranma might actually be taken away from her. Even
though they were not an official couple, even though that the whole thing was
their parent's idea, she had loved him deep down, but failed to admit it,
maybe even to herself. 
Ryouga saw all this from the story she had just told him. Why hadn't he
understood this before. The perfect chance to steal Akane away from Ranma and
he fails to take it. Ryouga looked at the bowl, which only the soup remained.
He dipped one of the chopsticks and swirled the soup around. He, then, placed
it in his mouth. 
He didn't want to be happy if she wasn't happy. Ryouga tasted a hint of the
soup on the chopsticks. It wasn't his happiness, he thought, which was more
important. He looked at Akane. She was deep in thought. She had told him
everything of what had happen. Even though she hadn't confessed her feelings,
actions had spoke louder then words today. 
"Akane," he said. "It's obvious you are worried and a little jealous�"
Akane looked at him, "JEALOUS?" her voice was a tad bit higher then it should
have been. A few people that were in the store gave a casual glance to see
what the commotion was about.
"Why would I be jealous of him?" She looked as if she was about to scream"
"Akane, lower your voice," Ryouga was noticed that a few people decided to
turn their attentions to them.
"If he wants to run off with Ukyo, then the two could go out for all I care,"
She looked very pissed.  
	Ryouga looked her deep in the eyes, "If you couldn't care less, why are you
making a fit of it right now?" 
	"Uh," Akane seemed to be stumped on that last remark.
	   Ryouga took a deep breath, which would probably classify as a sigh. "It
seems to me that you love him."
	"I do not," Akane protested, as if it was a conditioned reflex. 
	Ryouga was having a bit of trouble continuing. He didn't want to give her up
to Ranma, his rival. But she was in love with him. He wanted his happiness, he
wanted her, but what people need and want are two different things. He needed
her to be happy. 
	"Yes you do," Ryouga calmly stated, looking away from her face.
	"Ryouga�" 
	"I'm sure Ranma is very much in love with you," Ryouga felt as if he was
going to start crying. 
	"Does� does he?" Akane stuttered.
	"I'm very sure of it," Ryouga risked the chance to look in her eyes, to show
that he was dead serious.
"He doesn't act like it, running off with Ukyo after class like that," She
coldly stated.
	"I'm sure he does. Ukyo and Ranma had been friends since childhood. I'm sure
that if you two were meant to be, you needn't worry," Ryouga was now
struggling to stop the tears. Each word he said, it stabbed him hard. 
	"I just don't what to do Ryouga," Akane turned her sights to the table she
was sitting at. 
	Ryouga spied a trickle of a tear run down her check. 
	"Akane, I want you to be happy," Ryouga confessed. "That is all that matters
to me."
	"Ryouga?" Akane looked at him. "You're a really great friend."
	Ryouga looked straight at her. "Really?"
	"Really�"
	Ryouga looked at the ceiling. "You know what Akane, I say you find him, and
tell him how you feel."
	Akane sighed. "I don't know. I don't think I could handle a rejection."
	"Akane, I guarantee you won't be rejected."
	Akane nodded. "Thank you Ryouga, you're one of my best friends." Akane got up
and placed a few yen on the table.  "This meal is on my Ryouga"
	Ryouga pushed the money back to her, "I'll take care of it."
	"No," she said as she pushed the money back and ran off.
	"Wait," Ryouga called to her. 
	Akane was already at the door. She turned to her friend. "Ryouga, thank you
kindly. I don't know what I would have done without you." She smiled to him.
	Ryouga waved and smiled. He looked at the money. He pocketed it as he took
out his wallet and placed his cash where it was. 
	"This is on me, Akane," he muttered to himself.
	As the waiter picked up the tab, Ryouga thought about what had happened. He
released the waterworks, and the tears began to run freely down his cheeks.
	"I'm just a friend," he said. The waiter looked at Ryouga, as if she thought
he was talking to her. He looked at the waiter. "It's better to be a friend
then nothing, right?" 
	

	Akane arrived home. She was at the gates of the Tendo residents. She saw Ukyo
and Ranma at the front door, just sitting there. She leaned behind the wall,
eavesdropping.
	"Ranma, you know how I feel," Ukyo told him, "yet, I'm clueless how you feel
about me."
	Ranma sat down on the front porch. Ukyo was already sitting down, so Ranma
sat next to her.
	"Ukyo, you're very beautiful," Ranma started, "but this isn't you."
	Ukyo stared at him, not knowing what to think. She had dragged him to all the
local hangouts that her new friends had called romantic dating placed. All
those advises that where giving to her, where not working. She noticed that
his mind had seemed to be elsewhere, but had ignored that fact, but now she
seems to know where it had gone. He was thinking about how much she had
changed. Was this good or bad, she wondered? 
	"What do you mean Ranma" Ukyo asked with uncertainty.
	"This whole day was not like you," Ranma said. "The way you acted, the way
you talked, everything. Everything was just so not you.
	"I liked hanging around you before because you were you. But you, now, seem
like those other girls. The one that just care about what's in style, what's
hip, or whatever."
	Ukyo was speechless. She knew where this conversation was heading now. 
	Ranma turned to Ukyo. "My feelings towards you are those of best friends," he
said.
	"Just friends," Ukyo muttered.
	Ukyo got up. "I think I understand Ranma," she turned and walked away from
the Tendo's house. 
	Ukyo turned to look at Ranma one last time. As she walked out, she exchanged
looks with Akane. 
	"Take care of him Akane," Ukyo said.
	"Ukyo?" Akane didn't know what to say.
	After Ukyo was out of sight, Akane walked through the gates. She saw Ranma.
	"Are you gonna hit me or something?" Ranma asked?
	"Huh?" 
"Nothing," Ranma said. "Were you there the whole time?" Ranma changed the
subject.
	"I heard the last few parts, but�" Akane looked at him.
	Ranma turned around and opened the door. "Let's go inside Akane, it's getting
dark."
	Akane nodded. She didn't tell Ranma how she really felt, but in a way, she
felt that she didn't need to. She walked inside her house, following Ranma.
	
	Prologue

	A quite Tuesday afternoon, Ukyo's restaurant was partially filled with
students. The door opened and Ryouga walked inside. He was a bit famished. He
spent the whole day trying to exit Nerima but to his surprise, ended up going
in circles. 
	"I heard about what happened yesterday Ukyo," Ryouga said.
	"You had your chance to steal away Akane," Ukyo said.
	"We're just friends," Ryouga said. 
	Ukyo put down her spatula for a second. "Friends," she muttered. 
	"You're new hairstyle is cute," Ryouga said.
	Ukyo fluffed her hair. "I want it long again."
	"Perhaps it's time for change?" Ryouga said, leaning over the counter.
	"It's hot," Ukyo pointed with her spatula.
	"I know," Ryouga calmly removed his elbows from the burning counter. 
	"You hide pain well," Ukyo pointed out.
	Ryouga smiled. "I just want her to be happy," he said.
	Ukyo gave Ryouga a glare. "You're weird."
	"Perhaps," he said, "but it's better to be friends then nothing at all." 
	"Well, I'm just here to ask for directions out of Nerima," Ryouga said.
	"Leaving again?" Ukyo asked.
	"I have no reason to stay here," Ryouga said. "I decided to drop my grudge
against Ranma."
	Ukyo thought for a second, "If you have nothing else to do, do you want to go
out with me?" 
	Ryouga was speechless. It took him a while to register what had been just
said.
	"I guess," he said. "To where?"
	"Anywhere you want to go?" Ukyo said with a smile. "But you sit your butt
right there till I'm done. I don't want you to get lost or anything."


				The End

	Okay, I feel that I need a girlfriend now!!! AARRGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, a few words about this story. It turned out to be a bit longer then I
had expected. I almost ended up killing Ukyo after reading the "Incident at
Ucchan's" story. Well, I hope you all enjoyed reading this fic as much as I
enjoyed writing it. Anyway, I'm off again.