Kuonji Ukyou pressed the handbrakes and skidded her bike to a stop on the dirt path. She took a deep breath and smiled "Sure smells like spring." She said.
Sunlight filtered through the tall trees that were already in bloom, blanketing Nerima with splashes of white and pink.
It's so beautiful in May. It's like riding trough a fairy-tale world, Ukyou thought. Her 'rivals' were always putting her down for saying things like that. She decided to keep the thought to herself.
She rode past a noisy football game near the public diomand, recognizing several of her friends from Furinkan High School. In the sloping, grassy field beyond the diomand, couple pair by pair were sunning themselves, throwing Frisbees, having picnics, and laughing together joyfully.
She sighed heavily as she cycled among the trees, wandering what a beautiful life they have. The ground grew soft as the path began to lower itself toward the river. She had to pedal around deep puddles of rainwater.
She followed along the curving path. Beyond along field of tall grass and reeds, the narrows, brow Conononka River flowed quickly but silently, high on its banks, since there had been a lot of snow that winter.
She stopped for a while to catch up her breath. My heart still froze just like winter, Ukyou thought unhappily. Her two companions, pedaling their bikes leisurely, caught up to her,
"Oi,Ucchan.Why'd you stop?" Ranma, her ex-fiance called.
"Let's keep going to the river," Akane said,gliding past Ukyou,then turning around, "Come on Ukyou. I want to ride. I've got to burn off some of the extra pounds I put on this winter. Unlike Ranma. He's too lazy to do anything. Even I have to persuade him to cycled with us." Akane let go a loud sigh.
"NANI! Who are you calling me lazy, you un-cute-fiance!" Ranma glared at her. They fought for a while and Ranma gave up and cycled away leaving Ukyou and Akane. Ukyou giggled as they fought together.What a cute couple she tought happily.Ukyou stared at her friend who once her rivaled. Akane didn't have any extra pound to take off. Her figure was perfect. With her short, thick, blue hair, black and shining eyes and fair, white skin, Ukyou thought, Akane looked just like an actress. Ranma really love Akane so much. Ranma only thought her as his sister only. She knows that a long time a go but she still don't believe it until Ranma confess to her that he will get marry with Akane soon.
Flash Back
Ukyou sat, staring into the sunset on the roof of her shop as Ranma paced behind her, gritting his teeth in pain and frustration. Unshed tears blurred her vision. She knew she had been wrong.
"It wasn't right, Ucchan. It just wasn't right." The softness in his voice surprised her, and she turned to him. His eyes, angry when he found her, were only showing hurt now. She didn't know which was worse.
"Don't hate me, Ranchan. Please... don't hate me." The tears flowed then, but she made no moves to wipe them away. Ranma stared off above her head, fighting with his emotions. Anger, hurt, sadness, all pinched his features. Ukyou felt her heart beginning to break. Then, Ranma's face relaxed, and he sighed.
"I don't hate you, Ucchan. I'm mad at you, I'm upset, but... I don't hate you." Ukyou closed her eyes in relief, the tears flooding her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Ranc-... Ranma... I'm so sorry."
She had known it would be wrong at the time. She had hated Shampoo for even thinking it. In fact, she only agreed to help to try to keep the damage to a minimum. But when they'd gotten to the dojo, and she saw Akane in... in that beautiful dress... something snapped inside her. She threw her okonomiyaki, which was headed, along with Shampoo's Suki-man, straight for Akane.
Ranma happened to step in the way. She found out later, he had once again come to Akane's rescue. She had come up here after that fiasco, chasing Konatsu away and waiting. Ranma found her at sunset. "You coulda hurt Akane, Ucchan. You coulda... you mighta..." Her head hung. "I know, Ranma. I lost my head."
It was all she could think of to say, and she knew it wasn't what he wanted. He turned away from her, looking at the lights coming up in the darkened Nerima district. She knew he didn't mean for her to hear it, but her hearing had always been excellent.
"I would have expected this from Shampoo... but not you, Ucchan. Not you." She began to sob, her sorrow coming forth in wave after wave, leaving her alone as far as she was concerned. She felt arms around her, arms that held her until her tears stopped, until she could breathe again. She looked up, into the eyes of... Akane? She looked back at Ranma, who was also staring at Akane in shock. "A- Akane... What are you doin' here?" Akane ignored him.
"Ukyou? Are you OK?" A very shocked Ukyou could only nod. Akane looked at Ranma, almost... smiling? "Could you leave us alone, please? I need to... talk to Ukyou..." Ranma stepped forward. "Akane, I know your upset and all, but..." Akane's eyes turned to him worry practically flowing through them.
"Please?" Her lack of anger closed his mouth more effectively than any mallet. Ranma ducked into the trapdoor that lead down to the second floor of Ucchan's. "I'll... uh.. I'll be right here if you need me," he stammered to both of them. With Ranma gone, Akane sat next to Ukyou, also staring at the sky. Ukyou sat, her back straight, waiting for the shouting to begin, waiting for Akane to yell how she never wanted to see her again.
"Are you OK?" Ukyou caught her breath. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Akane kept looking ahead. "I'm fine. I'm worried about you though." Ukyou looked at her.
"You're worried about me? Why ?" "Ukyou, we're friends, right?" "... Y-yes... I'd like to think so..." Akane turned to her, her concern showing on her face. "Not like Shampoo claims to be my friend, we're really friends, ne?"
Ukyou nodded, her guilt returning one hundred fold at Akane's uncharacteristic behavior. "Hai... Really friends..." Akane's anger showed itself then, but more subdued than expected. "Then why, Ukyou? Why did you attack me on my wedding day?"
Ukyou's face flushed, and her head bowed. "I... I didn't want to be left alone, Akane. I saw you, and Ranma, and at that instant... I was afraid of being alone..." Akane's hand touched her shoulder.
"Ukyou, I've always considered you... one of my best friends. Even through all the times you tried to-take Ranma... from me," the effort of her words stopped her for only the time it took to swallow the lump in her throat.
"I always considered you my friend. And that's why I forgive you." She hung her head, too ashamed of herself to look Akane in the eyes. "Why? I almost... I could have killed you, if Ranma hadn't stepped in..."
Akane's arm slipped around Ukyou shoulders. "That's why. It wasn't like you. You may not like me and Ranma being engaged. You may have even tried a lot to get us apart, but you've never tried to hurt anyone... except maybe Tsubasa..." Ukyou giggled involuntarily, but Akane's words impacted her heart like a blade.
Her heart fell deeper as they sunk in, and she began to weep. "I'm so sorry... I just saw you there, and you were... I'm so lonely lately, Akane..." Akane hugged her friend. "I know, Ukyou. I know." As Ukyou's tears subsided, she gradually let her loose. "If you ever just need to talk, I'm here, OK?" Ukyou nodded, wiping her face.
She looked into Akane's eyes, noticing that the anger that had inhabited them for the entire time she had known Ranma's true iinazuke (although she still hurt to acknowledge that Akane had won that distinction from her) seemed absent, and the kindness that warred with that anger now shone through, free of it's restraint.
"What happened, Akane? I thought... I thought you would hate me..." Akane blushed and looked down. "I did... for a while... But then, I started thinking.. about how I felt when... when Nabiki had claimed Ranma for herself, or when I thought you or Shampoo were going to... steal him from me, and... I began to think that if we were in opposite situations... I might have tried to kill you, too..."
Ukyou found herself smiling, relieved, slightly, of the great guilt that weighed her down. "Thank you, Akane..." The two girls went inside and downstairs to find a very nervous, and relived, Ranma. Ukyou noticed his eyes flickering over her, and then locking onto Akane.
She couldn't help but notice them brighten when they stopped on her own. He... he really loves her... Ukyou tought. She was surprised to note that this realization did not hurt as much as she had thought. The three friends laughed about old times over okonomiyaki, and Ukyou's heart began to warm again.
Too soon, Ranma and Akane decided to go home. Ukyou, however, was still happy from the friendships she had rediscovered. Her weary feet traced the path to her bed. As she discarded the bandage that had, after years, become comfortable on her chest, and began to run the brush through her long, silky hair, she heard a knock. "Ukyou-sama?" She smiled slightly at the sweet, slightly effeminate voice.
"C'mon in, Konatsu."
The kunoichi stepped into the room. "Ukyou-sama-I just wanted to say goodnight" Ukyou smiled brightly. "Good night, Kon-chan!" Konatsu's eyes widened, and he returned her smile.
He left, a starry look in his eyes. Ukyou smiled at herself in the mirror.
The weight of sorrow and depression was lifted from her with both Ranma's and Akane's forgiveness. She remembered Ranma's first compliment to her, which had prompted her, at least partially, to give up her 'masculine' ways. She had said he had ruined her life, had ruined her chances to find a husband.
He responded, dodging her attacks, "What a waste, you bein' so cute and all..."
Leave it to Ranchan to bumble his way into my heart... Ukyou tought happily. She walked to the bed; her steps light even as she pondered a future with Ranchan as a mere friend.
That future seemed much more possible, much happier than it had in the last few days. She sank down, allowing the tension of the day to seep into the warmth of the mattress, pondering this future with newfound curiosity.