Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2 or any of the ideas associated with
it.  Rumiko Takahashi and Shogakukan, Inc. do.  Rights in North  America
belong to Viz Communications

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Chapter 2

     "Ranma Saotome?"  I had to admit seeing him shocked me.  When I'd
tried to find Ranma, it'd seemed like he'd dropped off the edge of the
earth.  Even Uncle Hoshi hadn't been able to find any records after
junior high.

     "Yes.  Do you know him?" Akane asked nervously.

     "You could say that.  In fact, I think I'll go over and catch up on
old times with him," I said, reflexively reaching for my battle spatula.

     "Don't!  I mean...."

     "What is it Akane?"  Ranma and Nabiki seemed to be arguing quietly
and were oblivious to Akane and I.

     Akane lowered her head slightly, refusing to meet my eyes.  "Nabiki
and Kasumi were going to stick me with the engagement, so I told Dad
that I had a boyfriend."

     She had to mean me.  "I, uh, I'm really not ready for a
relationship right now, Akane."  That was probably one of the biggest
understatements of my life.

     "I know.  Neither am I and that's why I need your help.  Just don't
say anything to anyone and everything will be fine.  If Dad finds out
the truth, Nabiki will get him to switch the engagement."

     "Don't you feel bad about sticking your sister with an unwanted
engagement?"

     "I didn't plan on saying anything like that.  It just sort of
slipped out.  Besides, I'm sure Ranma and Nabiki will grow to like one
another."

     I sighed heavily.  "We'll talk about this after school.  Right now
we have to get to class or we'll be late."

     "Thanks.  You won't regret this."

     "Wai-"  It was too late.  Akane was already hurrying into the
school.  My most pressing problem though, was trying to figure out how
to keep my secret, when Ranma already knew I was a girl.  I decided I'd
probably be fine if I avoided Ranma.  It had been ten years since he'd
seen me and he'd have no reason to suspect a male classmate of being the
girl he played with as a child.

=================

     "Mind if I sit here, Akane?" Ranma asked, easing himself into the
seat beside Akane.

     "Not at all.  I'm sure Ukyo doesn't mind either."

     Great, I should have expected this.  Since Akane's the only person
he knows in the class, Ranma would naturally want to eat lunch with
her.  Looks like I'm not going to get a chance to talk to either of them
privately.

     "Ya know, there's something about him that looks familiar."

     "Well, Ukyo did say he knew you."

     "Ah, that was a long time ago.  I'm sure Ranma has forgotten all
about me."  At least that was what I hoped.  It wasn't looking too
likely though.

     "No, I do know you.  You're...You're..."  Ranma suddenly stood and
pointed excitedly at me.  "You're Ucchan from that okonomiyaki cart!"

     "Don't call me that," I said, angrily slapping his hand away.

     "So, the two of you do know each other," Akane exclaimed happily.

     "Yeah, me and Ucchan were friends back when we were kids."

     "I said not to call me that!"

     "Huh?  What's wrong, Ucchan?"

     "Don't pretend you don't know, Ranma.  What you did on the day you
left ended our friendship forever."  I'd risen to my feet as well, and
gestured at Ranma with my spatula, to emphasize my words.

     "Just what did you do to Ukyo, Ranma?" Akane asked, her voice heavy
with suspicion and tinged with hostility.

     "I don't remember anything.  Come on , Ucc- Ukyo, can't we talk
about this?"

     "I don't want anything to do with you, Ranma.  If you don't leave
me alone you'll regret it!"  That finished our conversation, but I could
here the other students around us begin to whisper.

=================

     "What did Ranma do, Ukyo?"  Akane's voice was more compassionate
than when she'd asked Ranma the same question, but no less determined.
I was surprised that she'd managed to wait until we were nearly at the
school gates.

     "I'd prefer to put it all behind me."  Brave words, but I could
tell that I wasn't going to.  Not when I'd see Ranma every day.

     "Are you dating Ukyo?

     "Do you have a boyfriend?"

     "Akane you said you despised boys."

     "Who said we were dating?" Akane raged at the crowd that suddenly
surrounded us.

     "You mean it's not true?" a cool voice asked, as Nabiki pushed her
way through the mob, Ranma by her side.

     "Of course-.  I mean we aren't that serious."  Akane must have
realized the same thing that I had.  We'd been set up.

     "You're dating Akane, Ucchan?   You could do way better than a
tomboy like her," Ranma said, suddenly appearing beside me.

     "I told you to leave me alone, Ranma!"  I swung my spatula around
in a wide arc, an attack that Ranma avoided by casually leaning
backwards.

     "Incredible!  He's just as good as Kuonji."  I scowled at the
light-haired boy who'd made the comment.  I hadn't even been trying to
hit Ranma

     "I don't want to fight, Ukyo."

     "Scared?  Stop acting like a girl."

     "Nobody calls me a girl and gets away with it!"  Ranma clenched his
fists and took a step forward.

     "What's-"  Suddenly, a heavy book bag slammed into my face knocking
me to the ground.

     "Sorry, Ukyo.  I was aiming for Ranma."

     I uttered a heartfelt groan.  Ranma was a jerk, but he was right
about one thing.  Akane was a tomboy.

=================

     "It's not a big deal.  I don't need to see a doctor."  Akane
certainly was sorry that she'd hurt me.  Not only had she apologized,
she'd practically dragged me off to see her family physician.  I'd
managed to dig in my heels at the door to the clinic though.

     "Stop being such a baby.  That's a nasty bruise and you should have
it looked at."

     "Well, Akane.  What seems to be the problem?  I hope you're not
injured again."  The bespectacled young man certainly wasn't what I
expected.  However, it seemed that Akane thought highly of him.

     "Hello, Dr. Tofu.  No, sir, I haven't been-  I mean, Ukyo is the
one that got hurt."

     "So I see.  Come in and I'll have a look at it."

     I didn't have much of a choice after that, so I soon found myself
sitting in his examination room.

     "That's quite a bruise.  How did you manage to pick it up?"

     "Someone accidentally hit me in the face with a book bag."

     "Akane, right?"

     "What?"  Luckily, Akane's sudden exclamation covered the choking
sound I made.

     "With a bruise this size, who else could it be?"

     "Um, well..."  Akane clasped her hand uncomfortably and looked
away.

     "Akane isn't that bad, Doctor."

     "You mean it really was Akane?  I was just joking.  There's nothing
wrong with being active, though."

     "That's right."

      "Glad to hear you agree.  Now just hold still a moment and I'll
put this salve on."  Dr. Tofu reached out to adjust the angle of my
head, and then his hands paused abruptly.  After a moment, he started
moving again and began rubbing the salve on.  "You're Akane's friend,
aren't you?"

     "Yes, I suppose so."

      "Then you know that honesty is very important to any friendship.
It's not a good idea to keep any unnecessary secrets."

      "What do you mean, Dr. Tofu?"  My whole body felt like it turned
to ice at the sound of Akane's voice.

     "Oh, nothing really.  Just giving a little advice.  There, I'm all
done.  You can go now, Ukyo."

     "Thank you.  I'll keep what you said in mind."  It took an effort
of will to keep from running out of the office but I managed.  The
doctor was right though; I'd have to tell Akane sometime, just not now.

=================

     The next morning came far too early for my taste.  I still hadn't
decided what to do about Akane, let alone Ranma.  Then there was
Nabiki.  She must have been the one to tell other students that Akane
and I were a couple.  Bluntly, I was in no mood to deal with Kuno and
the rest of Akane's fan club.  Sure enough, there came the
horde...running straight past Akane towards me.

     "What the?"  It didn't really matter.  Akane had gone through this
by herself before I arrived and I could do the same.  It was over in a
few seconds, unconscious bodies strewn across the school yard.

     "Villain!  The hour of judgment is at hand." Kuno declaimed, posing
dramatically.

     "I should've known that this was your fault."

     "One such as you could never defeat Akane and win the right to date
her.  I shall prove your treachery upon your body."

     "Did it ever occur to you that Akane doesn't want to be beaten up?"
I asked wearily.

     "Never!  A tigress such as Akane can only be won through force of
arms!" Kuno cried, charging forward.

     This time I had the timing down right.  Just before he came within
striking distance, my spatula connected with his skull and stopped him
in his tracks.

      "I told you that Akane was more trouble than she was worth."

     Without looking at Ranma, I holstered my spatula and trudged into
the school.

=================

     I managed to avoid talking to Ranma for the rest of the day, but
there was someone I needed to speak to.  It was beginning to seem that
Ranma didn't know my true gender, but there was someone who did.
Mustering my resolve, I knocked firmly on the door to the Tendos'
house.  Within moments, the door slid open.

     "Oh hello, Ukyo.  Are you here to see Akane?" Kasumi asked
politely.

     "No.  I need to speak to Genma Saotome."

     "Follow me.  I'll see if he's available."  As I followed Kasumi
into the living room, I wondered if there was the hint of a frown on her
face and a tinge of displeasure in her voice.  I doubted it.

     "Mr. Saotome, there's someone here to see you," Kasumi said,
addressing the shorter of the two men sitting at the shogi board.

     "Who is it, Kasumi?"

     Genma didn't really look any different than I remembered.  Maybe he
was a little older and a little flabbier, but just a little.  "It's me.
Ukyo  Kuonji."  Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nabiki descend part
way down the staircase and then start back up when she caught sight of
me.

     "U-Ukyo.  Just wait a second.  I can explain everything," Genma
stuttered, his face pale.

     "I don't want any explanations.  I'm just here to say I don't want
anything to do with you or your son ever again."

     "Saotome, is there something I should know about?" Soun Tendo
growled.

     "Absolutely nothing.  Just some matters best left in the past."
Genma gave me a sickly grin that I did my best to ignore.

     "I couldn't agree more."

     "I don't.  You said something happened on the day I left, but I
don't remember anything.  Just waving at you from the top of your
yattai, as you ran after me."  Ranma scratched his head in puzzlement.
"There's something wrong about that."

     "Sounds to me like you stole her family's yattai," Nabiki
commented, stepping out from behind her fiancé.

     "That's not true! Ukyo's father-"

     "Shut up!" I yelled, bringing my spatula down on Genma's head.  The
impact sent a satisfying tremor back through the spatula and into my
arms as Genma sank to his knees.

     A curious sense of inevitability came over me.  I'd tried to avoid
this and I'd thought it wouldn't solve anything, but it was happening
anyway.  "I'm challenging you, Ranma.  We're going to finish this."

     "Do you want time to get ready?  I'm not going to make this easy
for you."

     I shook my head.  "No.  Lets do it now."

=================

     The almost dreamlike clarity persisted as Ranma and I stood across
from one another in the Tendos' yard.  I automatically assessed the
terrain.  The koi pond in particular would be a significant obstacle.
The Tendos and Genma, watching from the patio wouldn't.  Satisfied, I
set myself and waited for Ranma's attack.  It didn't come.  Ranma
remained in the same relaxed, unready stance.

     "If that's the way you want it."  Rushing forward, I launched a
short downward chop at Ranma's head.  It whistled by the end of Ranma's
nose as he took a short step backwards.  My next blows seemed to miss by
ever smaller margins but Ranma remained casual."

     "You're not bad."  As he spoke, Ranma leapt over a sweeping
sideways strike and then twisted like a snake in midair to avoid my
follow through.

     "Good enough to beat you," I snarled, as Ranma danced away from my
attacks like a phantom.  Waiting for me to tire or overextend myself, I
realized.

     With my teeth bared, I struck at Ranma with every ounce of my
strength.  Then, even as my spatula passed through the space Ranma had
occupied, I began to wrench it around, fighting the momentum of my own
weapon to reverse its path.

     To me it happened in slow motion, although to the watchers it must
have been almost a blur.  Ranma launched himself towards me in a flying
kick, while my spatula lazily retraced its course.   Even the dual
impact, as Ranma's foot slammed into my jaw and the flat of my blade
connected with his chest, seemed to stretch over a dozen heartbeats.
Then the moment was over.  I crashed into the ground, while Ranma flew
backwards in a graceful arc.

     Using my spatula as a lever, I clambered to my feet just as the
waves from Ranma's impact in the koi pond began to subside.  I noticed
something was wrong right away.  The person climbing out of the pond had
the same clothes and hair as Ranma, but was a lot shorter and more
curved.

     "Ranma?  You-you're a..."

     "A girl?  I know you've suffered, Ukyo, but look at me cursed with
this body, yet I take it in stride.  If you still want revenge, go
ahead.  I won't stop you."

     "Fine by me."

     "Wha-"  While Ranma stood frozen in surprise, I wound up for
another swing.

      "Hold it!"  Suddenly, Ranma wasn't the only person frozen as
Nabiki stepped off the patio and angrily stalked towards us.

     "Nabiki?  Stay out of this.  It's none of your business."

     "Try growing a spine, Ranma.  None of this is your fault and the
two of you know it."

     There it was.  The realization that had ended my quest for
vengeance the first time.  It wasn't Ranma's fault and it wasn't mine.
"She's right.  I suppose I'll be going," I said, sheathing my spatula.
"The only one I can blame is Genma and I don't see him around."

     #That's right, I'm just a panda.#

     I stared at the huge black and white animal holding the sign in
disbelief for a moment before shaking my head.  I  didn't want to know.

     "Come on, Ucchan.  I want to make this up to you."

     "Well, you could pay my family back the cost of the yattai."

     Ranma scratched the back of he-, I mean his head in embarrassment.
"Er-, I don't exactly have that much money."

     "I guess you'll need a job then."  I tried to hide my grin and
failed miserably.  "I have the perfect idea."

=================

     "That's so cool," I said, raising a kettle of hot water and
preparing to pour the contents over Ranma.  Even after several
demonstrations, the though of water-based curses was still hard to
swallow.

     "Hey, stop doing that!"

     "Sure.  You make a cute girl anyway." With an angry scowl, Ranma
snatched the kettle out of my hand and poured the hot water over
himself.  "Anyway, if you want to pay me back, how about working off the
cost of the yattai in my restaurant?  Does that sound fair?"

     "I guess so," Ranma answered uncertainly.

     "And how long do you think that would take?" Nabiki asked, settling
herself onto the porch beside Ranma.

     I performed a quick series of calculations in my head.  "Around
three years, I guess."

    Nabiki raised an eyebrow while Ranma squawked incoherently.

     "I had to figure in the interest," I protested.

     "It's still absurd.  Three months is more than fair."

     "Don't I get a say in this?"

     Nabiki paused to consider Ranma's question.  "No."

     "All right.  I suppose it isn't really Ranma's fault."

     "Ranma works five days a week.  He gets Mondays and Wednesdays
off."

     "Mondays and Thursdays.  Wednesdays are busy.  What about tips?"

     "He keeps them.  He does need some spending money."

     I had a pretty good idea who Ranma would be spending that money
on.  "Deal.  I'll provide the uniform."

      With a smile, Nabiki reached out and shook my hand.  "A pleasure
doing business."

=================

     Well, now you know why I'm sitting here in the middle of the night
writing a letter I'll probably never send.  I suppose if I was being
honest with myself I'd call this a journal or a diary.  Since I don't
feel any need to be honest, I'll probably be writing to you again in the
future.

End Chapter Two

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