For Free

by Florencio B. de la Merced, Jr. (fmerced@pworld.net.ph)

A crossover fic concept of Ranma 1/2 and Goldenboy

=-=-=-=-=

Ukyou hated this time of year.  No, the sky was clear outside with the news
predicting fine weather all summer long.  This was the time when she had to
do a chore that neither brought smiles nor satisfaction to herself or to her
business.  Yup, the annual computation of sales and taxes was a tiresome job
indeed, and she couldn't escape from it.

"Argh!  Why don't these numbers add up?"  Ukyou groaned as she ripped a few
pages of scribbled on paper.    "I thought I had this nicked since the last
time."

"You were as frustrated now as you were with the last quarterly
appreciation, Kounji-san."  A small man in a business suit said, he was
sitting across the table, a pile of invoices and receipts blocked his sight
from the proprietor of the Utchan Okonimiyaki restaurant.  "Frankly, I'm
surprised you decided to use a calculator this time.  I should have
scheduled my dentist appointment today, instead of tomorrow."

"That's not helping!"  Ukyou picked a clean sheet of paper and started her
number crunching again.  "The problem with these numbers is that I seem to
be
missing several invoices."

"Ukyou.  I told you before, I've looked at your raw numbers from your books
and they look fine to me.  Although it may be lacking in some debit entries,
I'm sure my accountant can fix all of these."  The old man tucked the
account books of the Utchan and placed them in his suitcase.

"I'm truly sorry, Hayashi-sama.  I know you've invested a lot in this place,
and without your money I probably wouldn't have this restaurant."  Ukyou
stood up and led the small man towards the door.

"Ukyou, I'm just returning a small favor for your family's kindess with ours
in the past.  In fact, I'm surprised your little restaurant has been
breaking even every time I come here.  I heard that this area is generally
the domain of a certain noodle shop.  I just can't remember..."

"The Nekohaten."  Ukyou turned her fist into a ball, "Yeah, those Chinese
are a tough crowd around here."

"Well, in my experience, Ukyou.  You have to be aggressive in business to
win over your customers."  The old man left, leaving Ukyou thinking.

"Aggressive?  As if competing with Shampoo for Ranma is not enough."  Ukyou
just shrugged the thought from her mind.  That's when she heard it.

"Ring! Ring!"

Ukyou turned around and there she was, Shampoo on her delivery rounds,
riding proudly on her bicycle.  "Hmm.  That's it!"  She shouted out while
slamming her fist on her hand.  "Delivery!  That'll make the Utchan
competitive!"

=-=-=-=-=

"Me making deliveries?"  Konatsu asked.

"What's wrong with that?"  Ukyou retorted, "You can do the deliveries while
I take the orders and make them."

Konatsu thought for a second before replying.  "But I don't have a bicycle."

Ukyou blinked, she never figured that one out.  "Walking around would take
forever, I guess."

Konatsu almost fainted, the idea of him running around Nerima over and over
in a day was too much.  "You got that right.  What we need is some hired
help who already has a bicycle."

"Ring! Ring!"

Ukyou and Konatsu immediately looked toward the entrance and sure enough
some guy was parking his bicycle up front and was about to be an accidental
customer of the Utchan.

"Hi, is it safe for me to park my Mikazuki Five up front?"  A tall man,
wearing a baseball cap backwards asked as he entered the restaurant.  Ukyou
and Konatsu could only nod.  "Thanks.  I'm starving."  He helped himself
into a bar chair and looked ausipiciously at the okonomiyakis that were
cooking on the bar stove.  "Wow, what are those?  Those look positively
delicious!"

"Really!  You like them just be looking at them?"  Ukyou said as he put on
her apron.

"Yeah.  I can smell beef and shrimp too."  The man's eyes were bulging with
hunger as the unnoticeable drool of saliva slowly oozing it's way out of the
cyclist's mouth. "Um, can I have one?"

"Sure, one deluxe seafood special coming up."  Ukyou poured a quick batch of
okonomiyaki on the stove and flipped it about for a minute or two.  "Here."
She served him a plate of her edibles and hoped that the guy would like it.

A morsel was not left on the plate and the guy just looked completely
satisfied.  "Ah, that was the best thing I ate since...Wait a second, what
do you call this delicacy anyway, miss?"  The guy took out a small notebook
from his backpack and was in position for a quick interview.

"Kounji Ukyou, you can call me Ukyou.  And that's Okonomiyaki."  Ukyou
pointed at the clean plate.

The guy started writing.  "Ah, Thank you miss Okonomiyaki."

"Huh?  No, My name is Ukyou, and it's Okonomiyaki which you ate."  She
laughed.

"Oh, sorry about that."  He gingerly chuckled.  "I thought so, you don't
look anything like an okonomiyaki to me, Miss Kounji."

"No, call me Ukyou.  And you are?"

"Oe Kintaro, but people I meet usually call me Kintaro."  He extended his
hand, Ukyou promptly accepted it.

"Nice to meet you, Mister Oe."  Ukyou giggled.

"Nah, you can call me Kintaro."  He chuckled out loud as well.

=-=-=-=-=

"So you've traveled a lot, Kintaro?"  Ukyou asked as she was cleaning up the
few tables around the restaurant.  Kintaro was helping out.

"Well, I guess you can say that.  It's been a while since I've been back
here in Tokyo."  Kintaro said a he handed Konatsu a pile of plates he had
gathered.  "In fact I may be staying here for a while before I move on
again."

"That's great!"  Ukyou said, unnoticing the dagger like look from Konatsu.

Konatsu was silent, washing the dishes as he looked towards the two
conversing.  "She's taking an aweful long time to ask him?  What's she so
happy about anyway?"

"I've been going around looking for things to learn about.  Things like
that."  Kintaro said a he helped Ukyou fold up the table cloths.  "In fact,
In my short stay here, I've already jotted down most of your recipes for
Okonomiyaki."  He displayed his notebook to Ukyou and sure enough, pages
upon pages of recipes were all written down.

"Gosh, I must have been talking and talking all afternoon."  Ukyou
admonished.

Konatsu almost lost hold of a plate. "She only realized it now?"  He
thought.

"Well, that's what I've been doing all this time on my trips.  I've been
writing my experiences down on that notebook."  Kintaro proudly said.

Ukyou turned back a few more pages out of curiosity until she found some
doodling that more than caught her eye.  "Kintaro?  This isn't me, is it?"

Kintaro face flushed a pale taint of red.  He immediately though nervously
tried to grab his notebook back.  A feeble yet disconcerting though all the
while untruthful "Noo..." he tried to say.

Ukyou just swatted Kintaro away with her huge spatula.  She looked back at
the book while pinning Kintaro on the wall.  "Let's see...beautiful set of
hot mama."  Her eyes widened.

What's going on?  Konatsu looked puzzled as he suddenly saw the spatula on
the wall.  "When did this happen?

"A gorgeous figure that can sure...ahem.."  Ukyou glared at Konatsu, hinting
that he go back into the kitchen.  "Where was I?"

"I don't know..." Kintaro said in excruciating pain.  His hands were
trembling.

Konatsu heeded Ukyou, "Must be something he said."

=-=-=-=-=

"Get out!  And stay the hell away from me!"  Ukyou said a he kicked Kintaro
out of her restaurant.

"Please, Ukyou.  Please forgive me.  I never meant for any of this to
happen."  Kintaro pleaded, amid his half bruised body crumbling on the
street floor.

"You have a perversed mind, Kintaro.  You need professional help."  Ukyou
was about to slam the door on Kintaro when Konatsu held her back.

"You must give this guy another chance.  He's pleading for your
forgiveness."  Konatsu said.

"That guy is sick!  You can't possibly..."

"I'll do anything.  Anything to make you forgive me, Ukyou.  Just give me
the chance.  I'll even work for you without pay if you want.  Just that I
can't live with myself knowing that you can't possibly forgive me for what I
have done and knowing I can't do anything to change it.  I only need one
chance!"  Kintaro decreed out loud.  "Please!"

"For free?"  Konatsu and Ukyou said to themselves.

=-=-=-=-=

Concept End

* Ok, now cast your votes...will I do this, won't I?  Will Shampoo and
Kintaro go one on one?  Will Kintaro help Ukyou get Ranma?  Will Ukyou fall
for Kintaro?

* Actually, I can only do this much since I'm at work...and fic writing is
not actually part of my work.  So, yes I'm continuing this.