"Yo! Ranma! What's up?" The brown haired boy asked of his best friend. Who looked like he had just run the hundred-yard dash in a hundredth of a second. It was wonder he didn't keel over.
The half male didn't respond only looking at something he was holding. "Dammit missed it again! Ukyo have you-" Ranma at last looked the other male in the eye. "-Uh, excuse me, have you seen Ukyo?"
"Huh?" Ukyo blinked at his best friend. "Ranma did you get hit in the head again?"
"No, I haven't!" He snapped. "I don't know you are but-" He looked at the uniform, the vaguely familiar features, and added in the fact the bracelet had recently been there. Ranma's under used brain managed to put the pieces of the puzzle together. "Ukyo?! Is that you?!"
"Of course it's me! Who else would it be? Come'on bud, are you sure you're feeling alright? Or did Shampoo or Kuno drug you again?"
Ranma remembered perfectly well what Ukyo looked like when passing herself off as a male, the young man before him had only hints of that limber person. It was crystal clear even to Ranma that Ukyo had no idea what had happened to him, er her. "Forget what I said Ukyo. Did anyone come in here wearing a fancy looking bracelet?"
"Funny you should ask, both Akane and later this other woman who came in just a while ago were both wearing this pretty gold bracelet. Where did she get that from anyway? I . . . I . . uh, sorry, can't remember the rest of my sentence."
AKANE?! It couldn't be, shouldn't be, not the un-cute tomboy! It just wasn't possible! No.
Ranma turned and limped out of the shop in a daze. "Hey Ranma!" Ukyo called. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Liar."
"You wouldn't believe me right now if I told you and I don't have time to explain right now . . . " Ranma thought of something. "What do you think of my girl problem?"
Ukyo laughed. "Which one? That you have bunch of girls who have bi-daily fights to the death over you, or that half the time you're a hot babe that any guy would kill for?"
"Uh, Ukyo . . "
"Relax Ranma! Only joking, besides, having a date with she-you knowing that it's really still he-you in there would be just too weird. Besides Ranma . . . you're my friend, one of the few I've ever really had. Speaking of which, want to spar later? I have some time after work."
"Uh, maybe later, eh, if Akane or that woman comes by again or if you see them please tell me."
"Latest member of the Ranma lovers club?"
"I hope not. See ya . . . Ucchan."
Ranma left before his friend could make any further comment.
Ranma felt split in two, and not in his normal way. On the one hand someone had done unto one of his friends the evil that was his own greatest fear. To lose himself to someone who wasn't really him.
That part wanted this to be war now and nothing else.
On the other, Ranma couldn't help but think Ukyo seemed more happy now. Then again, this Ukyo didn't have the stress of being part of the war over him. And likely didn't have the memories of betrayal that Ranma's selfish father had burdened her with due to his parent's two faced deal. And Ranma himself felt a bit revealed that he could hang around with this Ukyo without any of the other girls coming at him or her, and he didn't need to worry about –him- trying to win his heart. But, being stripped of those elements, was this person really still his Ucchan? He was never –in- love with her, but she was still the only real friend he had had in that long mission through hell his father had dared call a training journey.
He owed it to her.
Read the comments on this episode
See other episodes by Alex Warlorn
(Posted Sun, 12 Sep 2004 22:31)
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