This is just a short, one shot story I though of and liked enough to properly plan and write a script, not to mention fill it out. I'm especially proud of this one because it's the first story in a while that has decent dialogue and good description and which I didn't write into a corner after the first paragraph. In case you can't guess it's an Ukyo/Ryoga Fanfic, I was partially inspired to write this by another Ranma/Akane Fanfic that showed a clipping from their married life. I can't remember the name, but I have it in my favorites somewhere, if anyone knows what I'm talking about then go read it, it's a pretty good story.

Disclaimer: All the characters you see here are my property. If you believe this then you are a gullible idiot and deserve a boot to the head.

A HAPPY ENDING

By Derek Bown

Ukyo Hibiki was in her restaurant, cooking Okonomyaki like she did every day. And as he did everyday her waiter Konatsu was carrying piping hot plates of Okonomyaki to their destinations. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and hardly a soul in Nerima was staying indoors. They were either out on business or for pleasure, but come lunchtime they were all equally hungry, and that meant that business was booming. For once her husband wasn't lost somewhere in a playground––she'd promised him never to mention that incident to anyone, but she still couldn't help thinking about it and laughing––he was in the kitchen restocking the storage closet, or at least she thought he was, she hadn't heard any noise from him in a while, and that could mean he'd managed to take a wrong turn and ended up in China. Oh well, as long as he brought her something back.

She looked at the clock, school should almost be out, she'd have to remember to ask Konatsu to pick Yuki up. She'd known that she risked her children inheriting their father's sense of direction when she married Ryoga, but at least Yuki had also inherited her father's positive traits, such as his toughness. One time when she was still a little baby Ryoga had accidentally dropped her down the stairs––she wasn't hurt and didn't even cry, but that hadn't saved Ryoga from the severe spatula beating.

Konatsu must have noticed the time as well, because the slight Kunoichi came up to the counter and handed her his tray. "I'm going to pick up Yuki Miss Ukyo."

Ukyo nodded and took the tray, setting it down on the small table that held her cooking equipment. Just a few moments after Konatsu had closed the door it opened again. Ukyo looked up to greet her new customers, who turned out to be a group of seven or so young women that were about her age. She frowned slightly, almost imperceptively; they seemed familiar somehow.

She shook off the feeling of déja-vu, and greeted the group like she did every customer. "Welcome to Ucchan's, what can I get for you?" She turned back to her grill, and began preparing the ingredients for her Okonomyaki.

"Ukyo, is that you?"

Ukyo looked up, and then she recognized the girls. They'd been in the same school as her, back when Ranma and his Father had first left her behind. It had been them that had been spreading the nasty rumors about how she had been jilted by her fiancé, which had led to her forsaking her femininity for ten years while she hunted Ranma down. She'd thought she was over what had happened all that time ago, but seeing the girls that had helped make her life miserable made her reconsider.

The girls seemed just as surprised to see her as she was to see them. One of them, she couldn't remember any of their names, and doubted she'd ever bothered to learn them, stepped in front of the counter to get a closer look at her. "It is you," she exclaimed, "to think that we'd meet you again after all these years. You haven't changed, you still look like a boy." The other girls snickered at this.

On the outside Ukyo's face was calm, but on the inside she was furiously counting to ten. "You know, it is my legal right to kick you off my property for causing trouble," she said this calmly and evenly.

The girl smirked while holding up her hands, "Don't worry, we'll behave––right girls?" The other girls chorused their agreement.

Ukyo was about to take their orders, when the all moved to a table on the far end of the room. Without a waiter Ukyo was forced to walk around the counter and to the table to take their orders. While she was taking their orders the girl who she had been speaking with earlier asked her; "Are you still chasing after that guy who jilted you?"

"No, I found him years ago." She said, putting away the notepad she had used to jot down the orders.

"Oh, did you get your revenge?"

"No."

"Then he married you?" Several of the girls who hadn't been listening started paying attention.

"No," Ukyo said slowly, "He married someone else."

"Oh," the girl said, "I'm sorry to hear that." It was obvious she didn't mean this.

Ukyo heard several of the girls whisper; "She probably still hasn't gotten married. It's no surprise, what kind of man would want to marry a tomboy like her?" Ukyo pretended she had not heard this. The fact that she knew something they didn't made it easier for her, but she could still feel her ears burn as she turned to return to her grill.

She made sure to take her time preparing the pizza like specialty she served, they may have been customers, but that didn't mean she had to take this kind of abuse.

Who do they think they are? Those bimbos have probably been dumped by more guys than I've seen. Well, I'll show them.

"Ryoga-honey," she called into the kitchen.

She heard the sound of something heavy being set onto the ground, followed by the voice of her husband. "Yes, Ucchan?"

"Could you come out and help me with this order?"

"I thought you wanted me to finish unloading the groceries?"

"You can finish that later, right now I need your help."

Ryoga came out of the kitchen, he was wearing a blue uniform like his wife's, picked up a spatula and poured the batter onto the grill just like his wife had taught him. Ukyo paused long enough in her preparation of the okonomyaki to reach up and kiss him on the cheek. "Thank's sugar." Her husband blushed slightly at the sign of affection in front of so many people. The truth was most of their customers were already used to it, the only ones who were caught off guard were the group of girls from Ukyo's old primary school. Some of them were openly staring at Ryoga, while others were whispering amongst themselves. Ukyo could not hear them, but she could guess what they were saying.

"Is that her husband?"

"I don't believe this."

"What a hunk."

"…"

"Well, he is!"

Ukyo smiled to herself, satisfied that she had got back at the girls who'd made her suffer as a child, and then had the gall to try it again now. She may not have married Ranma, as she had wanted for a long time, but instead she had married Ryoga, who she loved more than she believed she could have ever love Ranma. For once in her life she was happy and had someone to truly love, nothing in the world, not even the regular periods in which her husband was lost could ruin it for her.

Ukyo had just finished the first Okonomyaki for the order when Konatsu returned with Yuki. She was an eight-year-old girl, with her mother's hair and eyes, but father's fangs, and, unfortunately, his sense of direction. One time, when she was six, she'd disappeared for four days. Ukyo had been in hysterics, and by the time they found out she'd only been lost in the back yard all the time, Ryoga was already sporting several spatula shaped bruises. Most outsiders would have thought their relationship to be an abusive one, but then again Ryoga's idea of a training session was repeatedly smashing himself with boulders and other heavy objects, the occasional beating he received from his wife didn't faze him much.

Despite the occasional violent argument they had managed to raise a healthy daughter, more so than usual since she seemed to have inherited her father's incredible toughness. Her looks were all from her mother, and at eight years old she showed potential to become a great beauty––a fact that worried Ryoga to no end, as he was afraid he'd have to be chasing hordes of boys away from his daughter in a few years.

The young girls near boundless energy was evident in the way she leaped behind the counter and enthusiastically hugged her father and mother.

"Hiya, momma, daddy, guess what happened in school today?"

"What, sweety?" Ryoga asked, flipping a finished Okonomyaki onto a plate.

"Take these to the table in the far corner," Ukyo told Konatus, handing him the plates with the finished Okonomyaki. "What Sugar?"

"Yoriko got into another fight with Kuno." Yuki squealed, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Was he hurt?" Ryoga asked his daughter, although the answer to this question was obvious, Yoriko was Yuki's best friend, she wouldn't have been so excited had he been hurt. He did not bother asking if Yoriko won, after all the day a son of Ranma Saotome lost to the offspring of Tatewaki Kuno would be the day…that wouldn't ever happen actually.

"Nope, Taki was hurt pretty bad though. I heard he had to stay in the infirmary for the rest of the day."

"Dangit," Ryoga muttered under his breath. His wife elbowed him in the stomach.

"She's gonna start going out with boys sometime anyway, I'd rather it were Ranma and Akane's boy if that's all right with you," Ukyo whispered to her husband.

"Well excuse me," Ryoga whispered sarcastically, "There's just something about the kid I can't stand."

"Well what do you expect, he is Ranchan's son after all."

Yuki stared up at her parents, one day she would be tall enough to her what her parents were talking about when they whispered like that, but until that day she could only guess as to what their conversation was about.

Ukyo turned to her daughter, smiling the special smile she saved for her family and few close friends. It wasn't like the smile she gave her customers, this was something special, it held a kind warmth, and when it was directed at you it felt like the sun was shining and everything was warm. It was the kind of smile Ryoga walked miles in record time just to see.

"Why don't you do your homework, then Konatsu can take you to the Tendo Dojo for your training." Yuki nodded happily, and bounded up the stairs.

"You know," Ryoga said when their daughter had left, "I could take her myself."

"I don't think so, I'd rather the two of you weren't away for another week. Besides I have plans for tonight that involve your participation."

Ryoga's blank stare told her that her subtle comment had not only missed its mark, but struck a spectator. In the corner of her eye Ukyo noticed the leader of the girls stiffen, and smiled to herself. Nothing, absolutely nothing that had happened in the past could ruin her happiness.

"Don't worry Sugar, I'll explain it to you later." She looked up and saw the girls getting up to leave. "Leaving so soon," she asked them, "we should get together again sometime again, I'd love to hear how you've been all these years."

The girl she had spoken to glared at her and left the restaurant, the others followed suit. Ryoga stared after them.

"What was that all about?" He asked, turning to look at his wife.

"Oh, nothing," Ukyo said smiling to herself.

Ryoga shrugged, "I guess if you don't need me right now I'll finish putting away the supplies."

"Just a sec Sugar, I want to see how you've put them away," Ukyo stated, following her husband into the kitchen.

"I can put these away without you…" Ryoga started, but was didn't continue when Ukyo wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down. Their lips met and her kiss left him breathless. "What…?"

"I love you," she said, resting against his wide chest.

For a short moment Ryoga didn't know what to do, then he wrapped his arms around his wife and lightly rested his chin in her hair. "I love you too, my Ucchan."

They stood like that for several minutes, and only parted when Konatsu called in a new order from the grill. Ukyo sighed into Ryoga's chest, "Too bad it has to end now." She slipped out of his arms and was about to open the door to the dining area when she heard Ryoga.

"No, my Ucchan, it won't ever end. I'll always love you."

And so my little fanfiction ends. I actually had fun writing this, the story really flowed from me. That's something I haven't felt in a long time, I really can't stand forcing something, and this was the first time in a long time that I felt so at ease with what I was writing. I guess the thing that helped was that this is the first piece I bothered planning properly before I started writing. I think I've finally got the technique down, now I just need to practice some more. I know the ending is kinda cheesy, but I sort of ran out of ideas, and its eleven at night and I really wanna go bed-bed. Just as a note, the story ends here, I will not be writing any sequels, I might write a story about how they got together, but don't get your hopes up, I still need to finish my other Ranma Fanfic, which still has several chapters to go. Well, R/R, and please be kind, this is only my second Ranma Fanfiction. No flames, and if you're not a Ryoga/Ukyo fan, then you shouldn't have read this, don't you think? In case no one noticed, I'm a big Ryoga/Ukyo supporter, Akari's just too much of an easy answer. A girl who accepts everything there is about him? How lame. Ukyo and Ryoga would definitely make a better couple, they look good together too. That and I tend to agree with the normal main character couplings, aka Ranma/Akane, Mousse/Shampoo, Ryoga/Ukyo.

I've got several Ideas for stories, but not much time in which to write them, so don't expect much beyond one shot stories from me. I'm thinking of a story focusing around Mousse, particularly Mousse getting stronger and finally managing to beat Ranma. I was thinking of something along the lines of a berserker technique, because the thing that I find stands out in Mousse is his unbreakable spirit and tenacity. The guy just won't give up, no matter how many times he is beaten down, now if that doesn't deserve respect then I don't know what does.