Reparations to be Determined by the Aggrieved

    Another one… really?  Okay, here goes…

    Attention!  This fanfic is adult in nature; please do not read any further unless you are aged 18 or older.  Please, this is for your own good, just hit the back button on your browser or close your text viewing application. 

    Attention again!  This fanfic was written by a fan for fans.  This work is not to be confused with the original and does not seek to infringe upon its profit margins or deface it in any way, I am not making any profit off this work nor claiming that I own any of the characters depicted within.  Their copyrights remain with their respective copyright holders.

    This fanfic involves characters and settings from the Anime/Manga series Ranma ½ and is being set Post series.  Standards warnings for spoilers apply. Should you not know how the Manga ends you really shouldn’t read any farther, although it won’t be spelled out in too much detail you won’t know what’s going on.

    In conclusion, if you are okay with the warnings above, feel free to keep going.  Read away!  You’ll be glad you did (not a guarantee of quality, simply a blanket statement).

***********(Old timers like me love our classic snowflake openings)***********

Ukyo.

    Ranma sat perched atop one of the many buildings lining the marketplace.  Carefully he watched the martial artist move through the crowds.  He kept a fair distance, afraid that she might sense his presence.  Not because of some overwhelming skill, over the years her skills had diminished in complacency with her surroundings.  Really he knew the fear was unrealistic, just a byproduct of the anxiety he felt. 

    For a few moments longer, Ranma held his ground as Ukyo waved to one of the shop keepers and continued on her way.  Stealthily Ranma tracked her from the roofline, darting from rooftop to rooftop, keeping just beyond the ridges, only looking over momentarily to ensure that he had not lost his quarry.  He leapt once again to the air, landing on the next rooftop in line and rolling soundlessly to a stop despite the clay tiles that adorned the surface.

    Ukyo had settled in front of another vendor, this one selling fresh squid form the looks of it.  Ranma felt his stomach clench; he was hungry but shoved the feeling to the back of his mind.  He shifted slightly in his crouched position, trying to get comfortable.  He’d never realized how big Ukyo was on small talk.

    Given the time for reflection Ranma shook his head, rubbing his temples for a moment.  It had taken him days to build up the courage to talk to her.  He’d even rehearsed everything he was going to say, word for word.  Soun’s words played back in his head, he had to remove his obligations to his fiancées before he could try to marry Akane again. 

    Simple enough for him to say.  Ranma had been trying to clear things up between the four of them for years to no avail.  Something had changed though, he’d made his choice.  He smiled even admitting it to himself but Akane really was the one for him.  He wanted to be with her, stay with her, and finally allow her to let go of the anger and jealousy that she had been harboring almost since he had arrived in Nermia.

    Kodachi had been easy.  Her engagement had been the most superficial of all of them.  That’s why he had chosen her as the first to dispatch.  She’d cried, put up a fight, refused to admit to defeat.  But in the end she had finally given up.  For once he was thankful for Kuno’s help.  Without her brother talking to her, Ranma wouldn’t have felt safe sleeping for some time. 

    His engagement to Shampoo had been a different matter entirely.  He had hardly seen the blue haired girl since he’d made his announcement.  Instead he had only been allowed to deal directly with the Old Ghoul.  Him and Nibiki that was as she negotiated terms that would free him from his obligations.  Apparently leading a team of Amazons to find a sacred relic would be on his to-do list one day in the distant future.  After that the Cat Café had closed and the Amazons that had occupied it had wordlessly made their way back to Japan. 

    As much of a pain as Shampoo could be at times… he just wished that he had been able to say his goodbye’s properly.  A moment later Ukyo was heading down the street.  At least from the rooftops it was easier to keep up.  Fewer obstacles.  Ranma sprinted, leapt, extended his arms and grasped the edge of the next roof in line, barely getting a good enough grip to hold but still appearing to effortlessly haul himself up.

    She turned and Ranma ducked, he wondered if she knew she was being followed.  And if she knew that, did she know for how long?  Had she felt his presence over her shoulder these last three days?  The presence of a coward he thought to himself downcast.  No, today would be the day he told himself.  It had to be done.  Ukyo was the only he still owned and explanation, a severance package as Nabiki had put it. 

    Peeking his head over the ridge of the roof he noticed that Ukyo was once again on her way down the street, dodging an oncoming cart selling hot ramen.  Further up ahead was a junction in the street; they were at the outside edge of the market now… it was only a little further to the Ucchan.  Ranma swallowed hard, if he was going to make himself do this; the time was nearly at hand.

*******************

    Ukyo unlocked her shop and walked inside.  Silently Ranma counted to ten before leaping down from the rooftops and heading up to the door.  Cautiously he stuck his head inside, past the curtains.  “Ukyo?”  He called out questioningly.

    “Yeah, I’m here.”  She answered dead-pan.  Ranma stepped inside, it was dark, the lights were out save an auxiliary over the grill, it’s artificial glow casting unnerving shadows over Ukyo’s features. 

    Timidly Ranma stepped away from the doorway, out of the sunlight and into the darkness.  As his body broke the barrier the curtains him fell back into place, adding a new level of darkness.  “I… we’ve got to talk about something.”  He felt his voice break as he looked her over.

    “I know.”  That same listless quality was echoed in her voice from her first words. 

    Ranma took that as his invitation to cross the polished wood floors and make his way over to one of the bar stools surrounding the grill.  Setting himself directly in front of Ukyo.  He sat there for a moment not saying anything.  She was crying, he could see the tears in the light from above though the downward angle of her face hid the majority of the detail.  “I-”  Ranma stopped himself before he’d even started, this wasn’t how he imagined things starting.

    “Go ahead Ran-chan...”  Ukyo sniffled strongly, increasing the strength of her voice, “Just say it and get it over with.”  She turned her head just enough to reveal her features fully to Ranma, her eyes were already puffy; the streaks the tears had left shimmered in the fluorescent light.

     His courage wasn’t just waning, it was absent.  He’d lost the battle before he’d even begun.  Ukyo had known from the moment he’d walked in what he had wanted.  Ranma looked toward the floor; he couldn’t meet her eyes, “If you already know, then what is there for me to say…”  He trailed off, desperately wishing that she could fill in the rest herself.

    “I want to hear it from you.”  She said roughly, rubbing the tears from her eyes.

    “I-- you, it’s Akane.”  Ranma nodded his head, looking up, “I love her.”  His voice tried to fail him but he forced himself to continue, “I’m sorry.”  He mumbled, just barely audible.

    Ukyo nodded solemnly, but didn’t say a word.  Forcing Ranma to continue to fill the silence, “I want to make things right between us.”  Again Ranma was at a loss, nothing was going according to plan.

    “And you’re wondering exactly what that’s going to take…”  Ukyo finished for him, letting her bitterness creep into her voice, “You bought Cologne off but you won’t pay me off with a favor.”

    “I- we, think that it would be fair to give you… a new Okonomiyaki cart.”  Ranma finished weakly.  It had sounded like a bad idea to him at the time and now it sounded even worse.

    Ukyo laughed, “That’s what I’m worth to you.”  She said darkly.  Ukyo let out a deep breath, “Do you remember when you were fighting Saffron…”  Ranma nodded his head, “Do you remember how you felt when you thought that Akane was dead, that hollow feeling inside.  That feeling that makes everything else you feel dead?”  Ukyo moved across the table slightly, grabbing Ranma’s arms with an uncharacteristic amount of strength, “That’s what I’m feeling now…”  Then, just as quickly the strength was gone, everything was gone and Ukyo slinked back behind the grill, unable to meet his gaze.

    Ranma had felt his own throat tighten, the goose bumps rise up on his arms.  That had been almost too close for comfort.  His heart hurt from the thought, to think that he was doing that.  No, he thought to himself, she must be exaggerating things.  There was no way… he tried to keep the emotions to himself, but looking across at his friend, to see her suffer in that way.  He remembered, nothing else in the world had mattered.  “I’m sorry.”  He mumbled again, just as ineffectively as the first apology.

    “Just get out of here!”  Ukyo shouted suddenly, smashing her hand down into her griddle, causing a fold line to appear neatly across the center.  “I don’t want your stupid cart, I don’t want anything!  Just you, and if I can’t have it then I’d rather suffer than settle.”  She yelled, damning any attempt at consolations.

    Although Ranma had been unaware of it at first, he realized he was shivering.  Shaking, he rose from his seat; taking a shuddering breath he took a step back.  The look on her face didn’t soften in the slightest.  One step backwards turned to two, turned to three, and soon enough he found himself out the door, running down the street, and finally taking to the rooftops, using all of his speed and abilities to loose himself.

*******************

    With Ranma gone, Ukyo sat back down on her barstool.  Nothing had gone as planned.  It wasn’t a surprise to see Ranma come into her shop.  Even what he had told her had not been a surprise.  She had known for some time even if she didn’t want to admit it.  Reaching down she grabbed a towel from beneath the grill, sniffling and blowing her nose.  The tears had started out fake, a rouse to put Ranma off guard, but they were real enough now and she couldn’t stop them despite her best attempts.

    Ukyo rubbed her hands harshly over her face, feeling the slickness.  An Okonomiyaki cart that was all she was worth.  She could give a damn about the cart.  The cart would have been enough to satisfy her vengeance, but it wasn’t about that any more.  Why didn’t Ranma understand that a person could love him just as much as he loved Akane?

    Vented, Ukyo rested her elbows against the grill, looking over its warped surface.  It was times like this that she missed Konatsu, made her wish that she hadn’t sent him off and just accepted his feelings.  “Hindsight is twenty-twenty.”  She mumbled to herself, she’d taken a gamble and failed when at the time she’d done it to burn her bridges and force herself to victory.

    It wasn’t over.  Sure, it was damn close, but there was still one movement left to the symphony.  She remembered back to days earlier.  Practicing what she had wanted to say in front of the mirror.  Even her own reflection had been enough to cause her embarrassment at the start.  But when faced with Ranma directly she hadn’t been able to say the words.  She’d known that she would choke… but now having been given a second chance.  Ranma would be back and this time she would make herself say it.

*******************

    Ukyo turned her head slowly to the side, trying to pretend that she wasn’t noticing who was walking into the Ucchan.  Trying instead to focus on cooking for the two customers at the counter.  At least with customers around, there was less of a chance things would get ugly.

    “Hey.”

    Ukyo looked up from her cooking, being sure to act like she hadn’t noticed Akane coming inside, “Hey.”  Ukyo gave a half-hearted smile and flipped one of the okonomiyaki onto a plate.

    “So, how are things?”  Akane asked, dancing around the issue. 

    For a moment Ukyo debated on what to tell her.  She let out a sigh, “Decent.”  Ukyo lied, sliding the last okonomiyaki across the crease along the center of the griddle. 

    “Oh.”  Apparently Akane hadn’t expected that response.  “So… did Ranma stop by today.”  She asked, it was obvious that she was trying to keep her voice neutral.

    “For awhile, but he had to go.”  Ukyo let the slightest smile leak out as she watched Akane’s face droop.

    “He didn’t talk to you about anything?”  Akane asked, sounding a little irritated.

    Ukyo pretended to think on it for a moment, enjoying goading Akane, “He seemed like he wanted to talk about something important, but he never got to the point.”  Ukyo put her finger to her chin before flipping the completed okonomiyaki onto a new plate and passing it to the customer.

    “Really.”  Akane half-growled before forcing a smile back onto her face, “Sorry for bothering you…”  Akane seethed as she walked away from the counter, almost walking into a few customers on her way out the door.

    Ukyo bit her lip.  As enjoyable as it had been for the moment, the only person to suffer would be Ranma in the long run.  That would mean that he would probably be back soon, the thought made her heart hurt. 

*******************

    “Why couldn’t you have just told me this from the start?”  Ukyo yelled back at Ranma.  She had played right into his trap, and she knew it.  Anger was something he could deal with.  He’d come in just as she was closing up and drew her into an argument by trying to make her feel as if she was getting a deal by settling for a okonomiyaki cart.

    “Come on Ucchan, you know how I am about feelings and stuff, besides, you should have known!”  Ranma shot back.

    “Me?  I should have known?  I was raised as a boy, I’ve got the same damn excuse as you, you jackass!  You should have come out and said it months ago and you know it!”  Ukyo snorted, suppressing the urge to grab her battle spatula.

    “Fine, you got me, I should have told you, I’ll admit that.”  Ranma went silent for a minute, “But now…”  Ranma suddenly deflated, his momentum lost.  “Just, I’m sorry but that’s all I can afford to give you, and even then I have to borrow most of the money from other people.”  He admitted, sounding morel like his usual self.

    “I don’t want it.”  She shook her head defiant, still feeling the heat.  “Do you honestly think I would get any kind of gratification out of something like that?  You think I would look at it every morning and think ‘Oh boy, that’s the cart Ranma got me when he crushed my dreams!”  She finished faking stars in her eyes.

    “It’s not like that Ucchan, it’s what’s fair.”  Ranma nodded his head assuredly.

    “No, that’s not fair, none of it is.”  This time Ukyo held back the tears.  Instead of hanging her head low she grabbed the bridge of her nose to suppress the burning feeling.

    “What do you want from me?  You know I want to be with Akane so why are you doing this to me?”  Ranma asked, sounding closer to sadness than anger but still keeping his voice booming.

    “What do I want?”  Ukyo asked, her voice breathy, the anger knocked out of her, “I-”  She tried to force herself to say the words, “I want to be your wife.”  She finished with her words hovering just above a whisper.

    “I already told you, I chose Akane…”  Ranma trailed off, finally taking a seat at the grill, for a moment he reached out and Ukyo thought he was going to take her hand but he pulled back.

    “I know.”  Ukyo twisted her fingers together to keep her hands occupied so she wouldn’t cover her face or try to hit her fiancée.  “Please Ranchan… just make me your wife for one day.”  Finally she’d said it; she could feel her cheeks burning.

    “You can’t be serious.”  But from the tone of his voice she knew he knew the truth.

    “Your wife-” She almost stumbled over the word this time, “-one day.”

    “I couldn’t do that.”  He said at last.

    “No one will ever know, I swear on my honor.  One day, that’s all I ask and I will consider your obligation to me fulfilled.  You won’t loose any honor and neither will I, I mean, no one said it had to last forever…”  Despite her rehearsing, the last bit brought fresh tears to her eyes.

    “Ucchan-”

    “Just think of it as the honeymoon.”  She cut him off, “It’s the best part, I mean, they always say it’s downhill from there.”  She tried to make herself sound chipper for the sake of keeping things moving.

    Ranma stayed silent for a moment, “Do you mean…”  He stopped for a moment, the repercussions dawning on him, “No, I want my first time to be with Akane.” 

    Ukyo felt her hand trembling so she grabbed hold of the countertop to steady it.  She couldn’t break down in front of Ranma at the moment, “Even if I am only a friend,” Ukyo looked away, “you still wouldn’t give me just one night?  After all the years of searching, after all the adventures, everything we’ve been through, all the times I’ve been there for you and you for me.”  She turned again to meet his gaze, “Don’t I deserve at least one night of happiness before continuing my miserable march toward oblivion?”  Even if she could hide the emotions on her face she knew Ranma could feel the waves of depression radiating off her, it was thick enough to create a physical miasma.  She’d learned from the best.

    “I couldn’t do anything like that to Akane, no matter what you say.”  Ranma answered defiantly.

    Ukyo could tell his resolve was waning, “Before you even met Ryoga, I was already hunting you.  You can make my life heaven or you can make it hell, you’ve always had that power over me, and I will not take that away from you.”  Ukyo swallowed hard, crossing her arms, “I’ve laid out my terms, the choice is yours to make.”  She knew he would never agree but felt a weight lift from her shoulders for trying regardless.

     “You swear, your word of honor that… you won’t tell anyone - ever.”  Ranma shook his head, speaking faster, “You won’t hint at it, never let Akane or anyone ever have a clue.  Swear to god, to me, on your life…”  Ranma finished deadly serious.

    For a moment Ukyo felt the breath catch in her throat, she’d only ever seen Ranma so serious about protecting Akane, but she realized that was exactly what he was doing.  “I s-swear.”  Ukyo croaked out, her eyes unable to move from his gaze, held in place by his boundless ferocity.

*******************

    The silence was only broken by the rhythmic clicking sound as the train traveled over the minute imperfections where lengths of track had been spliced together.  Ranma snuck another look at Ukyo; she was dressed in a simple yellow dress.  It was one of the few times that he’d seen her in such attire, but it definitely accented her feminine features.  He moved his eyes back slightly to the side to look out the window again, watching the landscape speed by.

    Ranma took a deep breath to calm himself.  Things had been silent since he’d met up with Ukyo at the train station.  Actually the two of them had hardly talked since he had conceded to her demands.  Even if it wasn’t something he wanted, he still felt illicit thrill that holds it’s own until being replaced entirely by guilt after the fact.

    Slowly he relaxed back into his seat; the trip to Osaka was going to take several hours.  He thought back to his father.  He’d wanted to come along of course.  After he had told the Tendo’s that him and Ukyo had to visit her father to annul the engagement, his father had jumped at the chance.  He went on and on about how the restaurants were there, about how much he missed the fresh sukiyaki… Ranma shook his head, of course after he reminded his dad that he would have to visit Ukyo’s old man and explain why he had run off with his daughter’s dowry his father had stopped in his tracks.

    Then there was Akane, she had seen through his lie without even realizing it.  She told him that she didn’t want him to go.  She offered to go with him, instead of him and argue on his behalf, anything.  She insisted that if he went with Ukyo and visited her father that somehow Ranma would end up roped into marrying her.  That it would ruin everything.  Then… he’d assured her that no matter what, that wouldn’t happen. 

    Of course that made him feel even worse than he already had, to have had to have lied so outright.  Again he looked over to Ukyo, that same sad look on her face.  Worried, depressed, he wondered why she would look that way considering they were about to elope.  He thought over the plan; arrive in Osaka, go to the shrine, get married, go to the resort, go home.

    Simple enough.  He laughed to himself at the thought, no, it was far from simple.  The only saving grace was the lack of incriminating paper trail.  It all looked legitimately like they were off to see Ukyo’s father.  So long as the certificate from the shrine never made it to the government offices it would never mean a thing. 

    “Ucchan… I-” Ranma trailed off, not sure what else to say.  She hardly turned in his direction.  The conversation died with that.  Despite the fact that Ranma hoped Ukyo would pick up things on her end, it never happened.  Leaving the car again to only resound with the clatter of the tracks it glided atop.

*******************

    With a turn of his wrist, the door came open.  Silently the two of them stepped inside, Ukyo sidestepping Ranma as she made her way into the room.  Ranma closed the door behind him, looking down at the certificate at his hand.  The only proof of what they were doing on this trip, he wondered if he should destroy it outright.  No, Ukyo probably wouldn’t take too kindly to that.  But he would have to destroy it once everything was done, that way there would be nothing left to haunt him.

    Wordlessly Ukyo walked inside and placed herself on the bed, pulling off her shoes.  Ranma had noticed that they had a stubby little heel to them, more than he was used to seeing her in.  He guessed it had been appropriate.  He himself had worn one of his silk shirts for the ceremony.  A quick little joining of the two atop a hill overlooking the city.  Actually it had been much more beautiful than trying to marry at the Tendo dojo.  The only thing lacking was that the sakura were a few weeks out of bloom, but still the green foliage that had adorned them had had its own beauty. 

    It had been nice, and they had sworn to each other that they would always be there.  Even if their marriage was to be a sham, Ranma still held that promise dear.  A few steps and Ranma sat down on the edge of the bed; timidly he reached out and put his hand on Ukyo’s ankle before moving his hand lower and rubbing her foot slightly.  He knew from experience that heels could kill his feet so he continued rubbing them.  He wondered what she was thinking. 

    The whole trip she hadn’t hardly said anything.  He’d hardly even seen a hint that she was enjoying herself.  Just a smile as he had taken her hand when they were to be married.  Even he had enjoyed some aspects of the trip so far.  He had promised himself to try to enjoy some of it for Ukyo’s benefit.  This was her wish after all, something she had held so dear.  He didn’t want to think so egotistically, but this was supposed to be the happiest moment of her life, so why on Earth was she acting this way?

    “Ucchan… please… say something.”  Ranma tried again, stopping rubbing her foot for a moment since she had looked away. 

    “I’m sorry Ranchan.”  She said simply, he saw her swallow but never turned away from the window.

    “Why?  What do you have to be sorry for?”  He was the one that was paying the price for the errors of his father; he was trying to do something for her. 

    “I’m just not who you want me to be…”  She answered back, her voice airy.

    Ranma held his breath for a moment.  Sure enough that is what he had been thinking during the ceremony, but he hadn’t said anything.  No, he tried his hardest to wear his smile.  And not just a façade of a smile, he had meant it.  It was something that he was doing for his dearest friend.  His happiness hadn’t been a lie.  “No, Ucchan… I -- I really do care about you.”  He swallowed hard, garnering her attention, “Just, please, this is for you.  I want you to enjoy yourself.  Please.”  Ranma pleaded, not realizing just how much it mattered to him that she enjoy things.

    “I know…”  She responded half-heartedly before pushing herself from the bed, “I guess we should go enjoy the resort then.”

    Ranma smiled, she didn’t sound back to her normal self, but she sounded better.  At least that was a start.

*******************

    Outside Ukyo could hear the muted voices of men, women, and couples.  All of them talking amongst themselves; some of them were on vacation; others must have been on honeymoons like herself.    She thought about it a moment, standing naked in the changing room and looking herself over in the mirror.  Her female body had been as much of a curse growing up as Ranma’s girl side seemed if not more so.  She hadn’t had the pleasure of the reprieve granted by hot water.  No, she’d had to live with the nightmare.  Tying her breasts against her body as tightly as possible.  Hating every inch of growth that puberty had brought her in the wrong places.

    She remembered middle school, taking weight training classes, trying to bulk up to match the guys.  No matter how hard she tried though she always retained the same frame.  Sleeping in her chest bindings, hating herself more every day.  And the only person she hated more than herself was Ranma.  He was the one that had made her hate her body so.  Told her by abandoning her that she wasn’t a woman, should never become a woman. 

    No, such depressing thoughts were not meant for wedding nights.  She looked over her nude body in the mirror, her full chest, shapely legs, her frame accented by a background of chestnut hair.  When she had first come to Nerima, just looking at herself naked in the mirror had been enough to make her physically sick.  Sometimes she had tried to reason to herself that there must be plenty of people in the world more screwed up than her but as time went on she’d seen that was not the case.

    Ranma had turned that all around.  She’d worn skirts, tried tentatively at first to embrace her femininity.  And now here she found herself, ready to present herself for the first time to her husband.  She had to snap herself out of her funk.  First it was the fear that Ranma would ruin the ceremony.  That he would have interrupted, being sure to make inclusions that the marriage was only for a day.  That he would have tried to weasel out of things.  Made things awkward, cheapened the day.

    But that hadn’t been the case.  He had been formally dressed (for him), well behaved.  He’d even smiled, that smile that she loved to see, every bit as earnest as she had hoped.  Afterwards she had been worried that he was going to burn the certificate, then that he was going to try and flee at the hotel.  Now she was afraid that he was going to ditch her in the baths.  She had to shake the thought from her head.  No, everything had been perfect.

    The thought brought her down even more.  She’d been the motive force for so many things she loved being ruined.  Her relationship with her father, so many chances with Ranma.  Tonight would be her time to shine, this would be her time.  The only time that would ever count again.  She had to be happy.  She forced a smile; expanding it beyond normal proportions and feeling her cheeks ache for it. 

    “Okay Ukyo, you can do this.”  She gave a little bounce, cupping her breasts slightly and lifting them before wrapping a towel around her midsection and heading out the doorway toward the baths.  “Ran-chan!”  She shouted as she walked out the door.  There he was, standing there, waiting for her.

    “Oh!  So-sorry Ucchan!”  He turned away just as quickly as she had raised her voice at him.

    Slowly, Ukyo took a deep breath and adjusted her towel, for some reason she hadn’t expected him to be right there.  “It’s okay, you just startled me.”  She nodded, looking over his body, it wasn’t the first time she had seen him without his shirt, but it was the first time she wished she could see him without the towel he had wrapped around his lower half. 

*******************

    Ukyo laid on the bed, her head resting against Ranma’s chest as casually flipped between channels on the television.  She snuggled into his chest as he used the arm he had draped over her to rub her shoulder.  The two of them were still a little damp from the baths, so Ranma had opted not to put a shirt back on but had slipped into a pair of his loose fitting martial arts pants.  Ukyo for her part was in her panties with a large bed shirt. 

    After they had settled, Ukyo had let herself relax even more.  The baths had been great and the tension and worry she had been feeling had been excised from her system.  It left her feeling light, warm.  She turned her head slightly to see what the noise was from the television.  Nothing important she rested her head against Ranma’s naked chest yet again.

    Slowly she felt nervousness creep in.  The night was wearing on, she was feeling a bit tired.  But there was something the two of them needed to do before sleep.  No, there was no way she was going to skip ‘the deed’.  That was the whole purpose of the honeymoon, at least from her point of view.  But… how to bring it up?  She wondered about just fondling him, that always seemed to work in the hentai manga.  She didn’t think it would work that way in real life; he’d probably just get scared off.

    No, she had to be tactful.  Talk it over?  She wasn’t sure.  So for awhile longer she laid there, thinking about what was to come.  She’d thought about condoms and had brought a few.  Part of her craved children, she’d wanted Ranma’s children since she had realized she loved him.  But how would that go over?  And what chance did she really have with a single encounter?  She fought against a blush imagining herself pregnant, Ranma running her hands over her swollen belly.  But if that happened, would Akane find out?  Part of her wanted that to happen, to destroy her rival’s happiness.  But she couldn’t dwell on that, Ranma cared out her too much.

    She had the condoms if she needed them.  It was up to fate now if that happened.  “So…”  Ukyo started off slowly, lifting her head to look in her husbands eyes, “Are you up for… you know...”  She couldn’t bring herself to say it so readily but she raised her eyebrows which she hoped would suffice.

    “I don’t know…”  He turned off the television, his own eyes meeting hers then adverting their gaze.  “I mean… I know it’s that night and all but… I mean… jeeze.”  He stopped digging his hole and let the silence speak for him, at times it was more eloquent.

    “I know Ranchan, but… this will be the only time we’ll ever be able to do something like this.  You… you’re my husband now.  If only for today and I would never be able to forgive myself, she lowered her hand to his crotch and ran her hand over the bulge in his pants, feeling his nervousness more than any growing erection.

    “Please Ucchan, it’s my first time.”  He pleaded with her, shifting nervously but not overtly pulling away.

    She gave him a smile, hoping to disarm some of his fears, “I know, it’s mine too.”  She continued her rubbing, pulling her body more against his, she hoped that if things kept going that things would start to feel more natural.

    “Give me a minute.”  He pulled away from her gently, rolling onto his side.

    “What is it?”

    For a few moments he was silent, “Ever since my curse… things haven’t been the same.” Ukyo pulled herself against his back, staying silent and waiting for him to continue.  “I mean, maybe I can only talk about this to you since you’re my friend… Before we went to Jusenkyo I would think of girls… I mean, not just any girl, but… you know…”  He trailed off sounding a little flustered but Ukyo didn’t say anything, “But after the curse, it just stopped.” 

    “What stopped?”  Ukyo asked, pulling tighter against him, he felt so vulnerable.

    “Just… the way I felt.  I mean, around girls- not that I started liking guys or anything.  I just didn’t feel one way or another- just nervous.”  His voice had lost the confidence it normally carried, replaced by the same traits it had in his female form.

    “It’s okay Ranchan…”  Ukyo held him tighter, “Trust me… I can sympathize, spending so many years as a guy has changed the way I look at things too.”

    “I never thought…” 

    ”We’ll work it all out tonight Ranchan…”  Ukyo shifted up, grabbing his chin and giving him a kiss in the lips, “Won’t we?” 

    Ranma gave a nod that lacked sincerity, but it just served to spur Ukyo on.  Her and Ranma were more alike than he would care to admit, raised traveling as martial artists.  Shifty fathers and enough psychological issues to be a goldmine for anyone in the business.  “Here, I’ll make it even easier.”  Ukyo stretched, reaching out she turned off the light.

    “One step at a time…”  Ukyo took off her shirt, lying back on the bed she grabbed Ranma’s shoulder, pulling him a little more toward her and getting him to flip over.  “Just start with these.”  Ukyo guided one of Ranma’s hands to her breast, it took a moment of hesitation but soon enough he was doing his part.  He lay more fully on his face so that he could use his other hand as well.

    “Just keep doing that.”  Ukyo mumbled, feeling his fingers working.  She tried to fill in the images in the darkness, Ranma face down, rubbing against her.  It helped her get in the mood.  “Do you like them?”  Ukyo asked, not sure what else to say “Do you like how big they are?” 

    “Yes.”  Ranma answered at last; at least he hadn’t stopped what he was doing.

    “You feel how hard they’re getting?”  Ukyo breathed out, “You know I’ve fantasized about this moment, you and me together… our wedding night.”  She let out a few deep breaths, “I’ve had a hard time coming to terms with my body but I always hoped that it would be good enough for you.”  She kept talking, half-afraid of ruining the mood but spurred on by Ranma’s sudden honesty.

    “Does that feel good?”  Ranma asked, she wished that she could see his face.

    “Yeah, but there’s something I can do for you that will feel better.”  She shifted in the darkness, afraid of planting a knee on something sensitive as she lifted herself off the bed for a moment.  She fumbled around, following the contours of Ranma’s body and trailing once off his body and onto the sheets beneath before coming back and grasping the edges of Ranma’s pants.  She felt Ranma’s hands join hers, “Just relax and enjoy.”  She cooed in her most soothing voice.  After a second of hesitation she felt his hands drop away from hers, allowing her to pull down his pants.

    He helped in the end, kicking his pants off to the floor.  A moment later she was pulling off his boxers.  This time he didn’t give any motions of protest.  Tentatively she pulled them off his legs.  Her heart felt like it was beating in her throat.  She hadn’t seen much during the baths, he had only removed his towel as he had been sinking into the water already and she had tried not to be too obvious that she was checking him out.  But she knew that just in front of her face, there in the darkness Ranma was naked. 

    She swallowed dryly and wet her lips, trying to think of how to start.  Gingerly she reached out and led her fingers around, running them down his chest, and past his navel.  Finally she encountered a patch of curly short hair.  She gave into the temptation and ran her fingers through it, twisting it around her fingers in places until she heard Ranma give a little laugh, “Ticklish?”  Ukyo asked with a laugh, at least it had broken some of the tension.

    “A little.”  Ranma answered back, his reply one with the darkness.

    Ukyo steeled herself, moving her hand over his shaft.  He was still soft, the texture was unique.  It was soft but it moved beneath the skin, she squeezed it a few times lightly, feeling the blood flow through it.  She wondered how long it would take to get hard.  Gently she rolled the head between her thumb and forefinger and moved her head in, giving just the tip a lick.  It really didn’t have a taste of its own, at least that meant it wouldn’t be that unpleasant.

    Ranma was silent through the exchange.  Not being able to see him she wished that he would make some noise, say something to guide her.  She hoped that he wasn’t suffering though something for her benefit at the moment.  The repeated the movement, pulling the skin up around the head a few times and moving her head back in, rolling her tongue over the head.  She let herself drool on it a little more, using her free hand to move her hair away from her face as she went.

    Slowly she slid the body of it between her wet fingers, one after another, she felt it getting harder.  “That’s too much.”  Ranma said suddenly and Ukyo slowed her movements, released her grip.

    “Just tell me, I don’t know otherwise.  I’ve never done this before.”  She reiterated, all she really knew were the stories she’d heard in the high school locker rooms when the guys bragged about banging their girls.

    She moved her hand to the base; his whole member was slick with her saliva.  Slowly she lowered her head down over it, taking him to the back of her throat before closing her lips around the base.  She resisted the gagging sensation and brought in her cheeks, sucking.  She swirled her tongue around and started moving her head, feeling his hairs tickle the inside of her nose.  Finally she heard something positive, a moan.

    The thought that she was doing things right made her redouble her efforts.  Conversely she felt him cringe away as she felt her teeth nick the bulbous head and took more care to avoid doing a repeat.  Ukyo wondered how things felt for him considering how unique things felt for her.  The whole mass in her mouth was sliding; there was an outer layer and an inner layer moving separate of one another, and a musky odor she couldn’t identify.  It hadn’t been there before, when she had first started.  With the two of them being fresh out of the baths it had to be from his arousal.

    Ukyo’s mouth made a wet sucking sound as she pulled away; she felt a little light headed, “How was that?”

    Ranma let out a deep breath had had been holding, “Oh… oh… it was good.”  He gasped.

    Ukyo swallowed the well of spit left in her mouth; carefully she stripped off her panties.  She was wet; she could feel the moisture between her legs as she shifted around on the bed.  Purposefully she shifted, straddling Ranma’s legs she placed herself over him, bringing herself up she kissed him on the lips.  His chest was wet, he’d been sweating.

    Bracing herself with one hand to the side of his head, she slid the other hand between the two of them, grabbing his member and putting the head of it just above her entrance.  She played with it there, rubbing the wetness up and down over her clitoris.  Using two fingers she held it in place, “Just, move your hips a little.”  She said, her words violating the anonymity of the darkness.

    She felt Ranma comply, his member sliding over her clit, up until it hit the edge of her lips then back slightly, the feeling made the breath catch in her throat.  “Keep going… please.”  She asked, almost loosing her balance and she continued to slide the underside of his member between her lips.  Her heart was speeding up, she pushed deeper with her fingers, managing to bury his member between her lips as he clit fucked her.

    “Ucchan…”  He moaned, bringing his hands up and grabbed a hold of her hips, rocking her more fully against him.

    “Ranchan…”  She bent forward, planting kisses on his face but missing his lips despite her best aim.

    “Are you ready for this honey?”  She asked, forcing his member lower with every thrust, occasionally it would threaten to enter her but she diverted it at the last moment.

    “Let’s do it.”  She heard it again, that confident air that he’d been lacking.

    “Okay honey.”  Deliberately she pushed down on his head, it easily slid inside, her juices had been trailing down the shaft as he’d been fucking her clit and lips.  All at once it entered her and caused her to involuntarily let out a breath.  She was thankful that her hymen had been lost through her years of practice.  There had been no gentle working in; it was just suddenly filling her.

    Ranma seemed just as shocked, letting out a shuddering breath, “It’s so warm…” He mumbled.  Ukyo took the initiative, rocking her body against his cock, she was soaked.  She’d never been so wet from her own touch, she felt her juices pooling, and collecting on Ranma’s pelvic mound, leaving a puddle that made wet sounds as their bodies came together.

    “I won’t last long.”  He told her through gritted teeth.

    “Please, cum inside of me, please...” 

    He didn’t answer her with words, instead she felt him tense, felt his hands hold her tighter.  He gasped for breath then let out a deep breath, then was pulling air anew.  She didn’t actually feel the semen filling her, but she knew it was happening as she felt his cock pulse inside her.  She smiled, the condoms were still in her backpack, it had been too perfect to ruin.

*******************

    Ukyo looked back toward the bed, the white crusty stain adorning the center of the dark sheets on the mattress.  It would be nasty to anyone else but she allowed herself a naughty thrill at seeing it, proof that she had done what she had always wanted to do.  But that was over; carefully she folded up her night shirt, packing it away in her suitcase.

    “Ranchan?”

    “Humm?”  He asked from across the room, packing away his own things.

    “I guess… the honeymoon is over.”  She grimaced slightly at the finality of the statement.  He had held up his end of things surprisingly well. 

    “Yeah.”  Ranma agreed, sounding a bit unsure of himself.

    “You know...”  She started out, and then stopped herself.

    “What is it?”

    “Please don’t blame yourself, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to be with another man.”  She gave a little laugh, “I mean, don’t let that go to your head too much but…”  She trailed off, unsure of the proper way to continue.

    “Don’t say that Ucchan.”  Ranma dropped what he was doing and crossed the space between them placing his hand on her face, “There are plenty of guys out there for you.”

    “Yeah, I know, plenty of fish in the sea, right?”  She managed a half-smile, she didn’t want any of those other fish though, she loved him and he knew it.  She couldn’t imagine herself with another.  “I’ve never been big on fishing though.”

    Ranma smiled in spite of himself, “You won’t have to fish, I’m sure the fish will be jumping in the boat all on their own.” 

    “Okay, I think we’ve burned out the fishing metaphor.”  Ukyo laughed, feeling her feelings lighten. 

    “No problem.”  He nodded, going back over to packing his suitcase.

    Things were starting to feel awkward again.  After they had sex the night before, they had talked, openly, honestly.  It had been so perfectly, her falling asleep in his arms.  Akane was going to be a lucky woman.  But now that they were leaving, she didn’t want to go back to the way things were before.  She so desperately wanted to change things, wanted to make things different.  But she knew her chance was over. 

    With her suitcase packed she walked over to Ranma, “Even though it was only one day, it was one of the best days of my life since we were just little kids battling for okonomiyaki.”  Ukyo said softly, full of emotion.

    Ranma turned, his eyes looking misty, “I know, same here.”  Ranma reached down and lifted up his suitcase, pulling out a sheet of paper he handed it over to Ukyo, “I want you to have this.”  He gave her a smile before adding sternly, “And don’t show it to anyone.”

    “I love you Ranchan, but I wish you the best with Akane.”  Ukyo had to swallow down the sudden knot in her throat as she looked over their marriage certificate.

    “Thank you.”  He nodded his head lightly, “You know…”  He started, sounding as nervous as Ukyo felt, “Honeymoons don’t have to only last one day.”

**********Epilogue*********

    Akane adjusted the hem of her skirt as she settled in on the park bench.  A moment later Ranma found his own seat next to her.  After a moment of waiting she felt him lower his arm across her back and she settled into it.  Looking out over the city she could see the sun dipping below the homes in the distance. 

    After a moment she refocused on her son and daughter, the two of them playing in the sandbox with another boy.  She smiled as they all worked together to build a sand castle until through a lack of engineering they overreached the mechanical properties of the medium and the side of the castle came crashing down.  Her youngest started to cry and Akane moved forward to comfort her, sweeping her up in her arms she made her way back to the bench next to her husband.

    “Shhh…. It’s okay.”  Akane offered, rubbing her daughter’s cheek.  Off toward the swings, Akane watched Ukyo casually push herself back, catching herself as she swung forward, a little smile on her lips.

    Akane bent forward slightly, “You know, I’ve always wondered about Ukyo’s son?  Did she ever tell you who the father was?”  Akane asked curiously, she’d always wondered since she never got the nerve to ask Ukyo herself considering the circumstances… being that Ranma had told her how Ukyo had rushed out to get pregnant after finding out that her and Ranma were going to be wed under their own decision.

    She couldn’t help but notice the flustered look on Ranma’s face, “Ummm, well, something about artificial fertilization, and a confidentiality agreement.”  Ranma stumbled.

    Akane brushed it off, he always got so nervous about sex and having kids.  Akane let out a sigh, at least she seemed happy, Akane had to admit, that child was probably the best thing that could have happened to her.

*****The End*****

Authors notes:

    Yet another Ranma x Ukyo fanfic.  Been writing these now for… well, over nine years and hopefully it shows that I am getting better at them.  Still, I guess there are only so many ways that I can cram the two of them together so it’s got to come to an end someday.  Jeeze, "The Bitter End" kind of changes people forever I guess, I wonder if Zen knew what he was doing when he wrote it?

    This fanfic was completed in one setting from an outline in my ‘Fanfic Plant’ file.  The entire fanfic was written with the Blues Traveler song “Hook” playing in the background on loop (ca. 9 hours).  So that had a great influence on this fanfic, whatever that may have been.  As for the marriage certificate, you can get married in a religious ceremony in Japan, but until you actually go to the government building and fill out the paper work nothing is official.

    I hope you enjoyed this fanfic and I hope my characters are not too off, I sold all of my Ranma ½ on VHS a few years back when DVD’s were starting to get big and haven’t really watched any since.  Regardless, if you did like this, feel free to check out more of my works at http://www.destructve.com/rvincent or e-mail me at the address listed in the header of this fanfic.

    Thanks for reading and have a great day!

RVincent

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