[FFML] (Fanfiction)(Ranma1/2)(The Search For Manhood, ch2)

Dearest readers,

Here is the second chapter of my Ranma 1 / 2 story "The Search for Manhood". Please send any flames or c&c to me at email_andreas_art@yahoo.com. Also, if you missed the first chapter, just ask and I'll email it to you.

A couple of things - I've corrected the embarrassing name mix up between Konatsu and Tsubasa. Also for those of your who have been confused at my insistance of calling Ranma "he" and "him" etc. even when he's in female form - tough. I respect your opinion, but when I conceived of this story idea the main point I wanted to get across is that RANMA IS A GUY, as he's so ardently defended himself, no matter what he currently looks like. Fortunately for you, only Onna-Ranma appears in this chapter, so please keep that in mind when reading.

Chapter Two

Ukyo

He did not even stop by his old room for clothes or the meager

stash of money hidden there. He took to the roofs naked, glad

that the new moon shed no light on the shameful state of his

female body. He ran over the tiles and occasional tin roof

without caring about the small scrapes and cuts that penetrated

the thick calluses of his soles.

There was something in him which thought that he should be

breathing heavily, raggedly. That the recent events that left

him in this soft body � this woman�s body � should have robbed

him of the ability to run this smoothly. But he had trained his

mind and body in the martial art since he was able to crawl. He

had perfected the speed, stamina, agility and strength of his

cursed form since the day he attained it, almost a year and a half

ago. It would not betray him now.

A wide alley yawned between two houses and he gathered his

muscles to make the jump. For an instant he knew that it would

be supremely easy to just miss the landing. He imagined himself

falling, letting his body go slack and resisting the urge to flip in

the air like an acrobat. He knew he could do it. It would be so

easy to just end everything. After all, he was the only loose end.

His other half was male, Akane would be happy. Shampoo and

Cologne and Mousse would go back to China with a contract of

alliance with the Saotome clan, and they would be content. His

father would no doubt forget about the female half having ever

been a problem, and his mother would have her manly son.

Ukyo would have her restaurant, and she would eventually

accept the decision he had already made, about Akane, and

about this giving up.

Then the reality of his last thought hit him. To fall would be to

give up. It would be contrary to everything he believed in,

everything he held close to his heart and everything he had been

taught. Even the Saotome Secret Technique of Running Away

was not completed until you came back and finished the fight.

He had never given up in his life. He would not � could

not � start now.

His muscles stretched and he sailed across the empty space

like a deer. His feet connected solidly with the rough pitted

surface of the opposite roof and he kept running.

----------------------------------------

Ukyo had closed the restaurant hours ago and busied herself

with reading in bed until her eyes began to droop with weariness.

Her fingers were on the lamp switch to turn out the light when

she heard a tap at her window. The unexpected sound

combined with the late hour sent a shiver down her spine. She

grabbed a fistful of throwing spatulas and cautiously moved the

curtain aside.

A small, white, very forlorn face looked back at her, the features

upside down. Ukyo took a deep breath to help her heart return

to its normal rhythm before opening the window. Ranma-chan,

holding on to the edge of the roof for his impromptu pose,

swung his female body over and into the room. He landed in

the middle of the floor, his small bare form hunched into itself.

Ukyo noted that his feet were dirty and covered in tiny

punctures and cuts. He crossed his arms over his breasts and

looked up at her, the _expression utterly dejected.

�By the gods, Ran-chan, are you ok?� Ukyo knelt next to him

and stretched out her arms instinctively.

A sob tore out of his throat and he fell into her embrace. He

buried his face into the side of her neck, clutched at her shoulders,

and howled in agony.

A part of her ached for him, shared in his sorrow. In her hard

life, due to the rejection she�d gone through from her friends,

her father, and her schoolmates, Ukyo had come to know sorrow

intimately. She�d learned to use it as fuel, and turned some of the

feelings of rejection into anger. This dark, simmering anger had

driven her to practice the specialized martial art of her family for

all of her formative years. In her village no one could touch her,

and she�d liked it that way. It gave her more time to brood about

the revenge she would exact on the cause of all of her suffering �

Genma Saotome and his son Ranma, the fianc� who had

rejected her.

After she tracked the wandering pair to Nerima and spent some

of her earnings to travel there, Ukyo discovered that despite her

years of hard training she was not Ranma�s equal in martial ability

� not by half. To continue to try to kill or maim or even touch him

would be fruitless and stupid. So after he told her that she was

cute a new plan formed � Ukyo would make him fall in love with

her, and she would ultimately reject him, thus subjecting him to

the pain she�d experienced for most of her life.

But it hadn�t worked out that way. The hate she fostered for

him, nursing in her darkest hours and making a part of her, had

turned to honest friendship. She had resided in Nerima for less

than two months before Kuonji Ukyo came to terms with

something that would change her life forever. She was head

over heels in love with Ranma Saotome.

And it was half that time that before Ukyo realized that Ranma

Saotome was in love with another woman.

Akane was mean to him. She yelled, hit him, spurned him and

didn�t trust him. She repeatedly denied that she loved him.

And yet she was engaged to him through a pact made by their

two fathers that proceeded even Ukyo�s in timeline.

Nabiki had told her everything that happened to Ranma before

Ukyo had arrived on the scene, including a recap of his arrival

in Nerima. She had been detailed, and honest, and after she�d

walked away with her payment Ukyo was left to stew over that

fact that Ranma had seen Akane naked and had� reacted�

So Ukyo was left with trying underhanded ways of getting her

Ran-chan to see that Akane was all wrong for him. After all,

they were only sixteen. It wouldn�t be too long before he

realized that his infatuation with the Tendo girl was silly. Then

he would turn to his oldest friend � her, Kuonji Ukyou, and he

would realize what a terrific girl she�d been all that time, and he

would fall in love with her. Then Akane would end up with

Ryoga, or something, Kodachi would be committed to an

asylum. Those Chinese gaijin would go back to China where

they belonged, and everyone would be happy.

So, even though Ranma was obviously in great distress at the

moment, a small part of Ukyo rejoiced. She knew that one of

the only things that could make him so distraught would be

some kind of breaking away from Akane. If anyone in his family

had been injured he wouldn�t be here, he would be with the

Tendos or in the hospital. The fact that he was here meant that

this was The Big Chance to Make Her Move.

When Ranma�s wailing quieted to hiccoughs she reached for

the blanket on her bed and drew it over his body. She moved

the vivid red pigtail so that it rested outside the cover. She

smoothed back his bangs and looked down in to his tear-filled,

bright blue eyes. They were the only thing in common with his

male body. �Ran-chan, what happened?�

She listened as he told her of the incense, the alliance with the

Amazons, and the merging spell that had failed because of his

decision. He told her of how he found himself standing on her

roof, unsure of how he�d arrived there.

�What are you going to do?� Ukyo found herself asking him.

�They�re sure to come looking for you, and this will be the first

place you�d go.�

�Then let�s leave! I can�t see them again. I have to disappear.�

His eyes were desperate. �We could move the restaurant

deeper into Tokyo. They�d never find us there! I would be a

waiter for you � you know how much money I can bring in

when I do that. We could make a killing!�

Ukyo sat back on her heels, trying to ignore the discomfort in

her knees, absorbing the magnitude of all he�d told her. He was

asking her to go away with him, where all of their old friends

and enemies would never find them again, and start a new life

together. Ukyo had only dreamed of this contingency� but

moving was a huge step. Just finding a restaurant that they

could use at a reasonable price would be a miracle by itself.

Perhaps if she had Konatsu run the U-Chan and send her the

extra money after the bills and his salary had been paid, they

wouldn�t have to completely drain the nest egg she�d been

saving� Her cousin had mentioned something about her friend

leaving for a scholarship in Germany for the summer.

Supposedly she hadn�t found any acceptable boarders for

her one-bedroom apartment�

Ranma read her hesitation wrong. �It�s because I�m stuck as a

girl, isn�t it? Now that I�m no longer a guy you can�t stand to

look at me.� He stood like all of his limbs weighed as much as

the world, and started for the window.

Ukyo latched onto his ankle from her kneeling position on the

floor. �Wait, Ran-chan! That wasn�t it at all. Moving is a giant

big deal in Tokyo. In case you haven�t noticed our great

country is made of a chain of small islands. Land space is at a

premium � especially Tokyo land space. Do you have any idea

what kind of money I paid for this dump?� She had his

attention now so she released him. �It�s just going to take a lot

of maneuvering, that�s all. You stay here and get dressed �

dresser�s over there � I�m going to go downstairs and make

some phone calls. I�ll be back up when I can. If you want, you

can start packing what you think I�ll need. We can send for

the rest later.� She stood and kissed his forehead. �Don�t

worry, Ranma-honey; I�ll take care of you.�

She went downstairs and shook Konatsu awake and quickly

swore him to secrecy before outlining her plan. The pretty little

ninja nodded and set to the task she�d given him.

An hour and a half later it was done. Ukyo called up her cousin and

asked her if the friend�s apartment was still open for the summer. It

was, at a rental price that sent Ukyo�s eyebrows climbing � but at

least it wouldn�t require the twelve month deposit that some places

did. The girl had planned to leave the very next morning, and there

was always a restaurant or two nearby that advertised for waiters.

If they got there soon they were bound to get a job in time.

Konatsu pressed a reasonably heavy cloth-bound bundle into

her hands and bowed to her, his soft eyes brimming with tears

at this sudden departure. �Don�t worry,� he told her in his

gentle voice. �I�ll keep this place running for you, and I won�t

tell anyone where you�ve gone.�

She touched his shoulder. �I know I can count on you.�

Ukyo went upstairs and found Ranma dressed in one of her

pairs of black tights and an off-white tee-shirt. He was without

a bra but his feet bore an old pair of Ukyo�s basic black slippers.

They were too big, but Ranma didn�t seem to mind.

His face was still red and his eyes were puffy, proving that he�d

been crying while she was downstairs. �I packed enough

clothes for both of us," he told her. "And your toothbrush an�

stuff from the bathroom. I left some space for whatever else

you want.�

Ukyo nodded to him and went to her dresser where she swept

up a few photographs and knick-knacks that she never when

anywhere without. Five minutes later they were on the road.

They paid cash for train tickets deeper into the city, and soon

arrived. Ukyo briefed Ranma on what would be going on.

�My cousin Aoi has a friend who won a scholarship to study in

Germany for the summer. She lives in an apartment by herself,

and her landlady told her to find someone to occupy the space

or she would find someone for her. She left most of the furniture

there, so the rent is kind of steep, but we can swing it. She lives

just a few minutes walk from a small restaurant district. It won�t

be like working at U-Chan�s, but I know I can get a job as a chef

and you can get one as a waiter.�

�Waitress,� Ranma said quietly. �As far as anyone there

knows, I�m just your average female.� His voice was loaded

with depression.

In an attempt to lighten the mood she poked one of his breasts.

�Ranma, whatever body you�re in I promise you, no one is

going to think you�re an average anything.� When that

provoked no response she bit her lip and then continued.

�Well, the place only has one bedroom, and a kitchenette, but

it�s a fairly new building so it has its own bathroom. We won�t

have to share the facilities with half the building, thank the kamis.�

He turned to her then. �U-chan, how are you affording all of this?�

Ukyo felt herself blush a little. �Well, I had a little money saved

up. You know, for a rainy day. I figured that this kind of fit

the bill.�

He nodded. �It was a nest egg, wasn�t it?�

Ukyo stared at him, and then lowered her eyes. ��Yes, it was.

I was hoping to have something to offer to you when we��

He raised his hand to cut her off. �U-chan� Ukyo. I love

Akane.� The words slipped from his mouth without hesitation,

without dramatic pauses. A chill went up her spine and she

couldn�t breath. �I�ve loved her since the second day I knew

her,� he went on, �when I watched her hold her own against

half of the male population of Furinkan High. I love her so

much, I� U-chan, I killed a man for her! I�ve given up my last

chance for a cure for her! Look at me!� He gestured furiously

at his body, at the breasts that stood proudly from his ribs, at

the hips that swelled sensuously from an hourglass waist only

to taper into well-shaped legs and tiny feet. �I�m in the body

of a woman! What kind of a husband could I possibly be to her,

even if I�m only this way half of the time?! It�s nuts! No one

should have to put up with this! I� I couldn�t let that happen

to her.� He breathed heavily for a few seconds, his eyes

tortured. �She is the only one I would have done this for, Ukyo.

Not Shampoo, not my mother, not even you. I love her so

much that I gave up my one chance of normalcy for her

happiness, even if it is with �another man�!� The words tasted

bitter on his tongue.

He stopped, and Ukyo knew that he was waiting for her to say

something. The words swirled around in her head, bouncing

off of her skull, echoing in her ears. He had said that he loved

Akane. There was no question of the words, she had been

watching his lips as they issued them. Something small inside

her broke and turned to ash and the tears came to her eyes and

spilled over. �But I love you,� she wanted to cry. �You�re

supposed to love me back and we�ll live happily together.

We�ll have a couple of kids and raise them up to be fine

okonomiyaki cooks and martial artists both!� But those words

would not come. Instead she said; �You killed a man?�

A hard look came into his eyes. �Well,� he hesitated. �Sort of.

I mean, he came back again. To life, I mean. And he wasn�t

really a man; he was a god. Well, sort of. It�s kinda complicated.�

He sighed and passed a hand over his eyes. �I�ll tell you

about it sometime. Right now I just wanted you to know that

I love Akane. I mean I really love her, and I want her to be

happy. That�s why I did this. Don�t think that I�m just gonna

suddenly realize that I love you an� wanna marry you because

you�ve been such a great pal, and all. I mean, you have been

great. Really great, and you�re my best friend. But right now

there�s just no point in you trying anything. Aside from the

fact that I�m stuck in this body,� his voice was bitter at that point,

�I just couldn�t see you as anything else but my best pal, ok?�

�So,� she said, her voice thick with the tears she was trying

to stop. �You�re telling me that you just need a friend right

now? That anything else would be futile on my part and too

confusing for you to deal with after everything that�s just

happened?�

He blinked a couple of times. �Well, yeah. That�s exactly it.�

Relief passed over his face. �You know, I was kinda afraid that

you�d be really upset and toss me out on my ear.�

Ukyo passed the back of her wrist over her eyes and cheeks,

wiping away the tears and their tracks. �Hey, I wouldn�t do

that to you in your greatest time of need. I mean, what are pals

for?� She forced a smile onto her face. It felt stiff and fake.

If all he wanted right now was a friend, then she would be the

best friend he ever had, and if later he needed something more,

then she would be that, too. To Ukyo it was a failure, but she

saw hope in her situation, and right now it was all she had.

She clung to it desperately.

After that the silence was awkward, and they both turned to the
window of the nearly-deserted train car that they were

in to watch the city whip past them.

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