Summary: Ryoga has a bad habit of getting lost. After a thunderstorm, he finds himself huddled in his cursed form behind a dumpster, cold, wet and miserable. When the dumpster turns out to be behind Ucchan's, and none other than the shop's owner discovers the piglet, will she discover the truth about P-chan? And if she does, how will she react? (Some Ryoga/Ukyo) Oneshot.
A/N: So, I know I should really be working on my other stories (namely the two I haven't posted the fourth chapters on yet) since I promised to try to keep them rather even. But I was in a writing funk, so I resorted to reading fics instead. Gomen. Anyway, the Ryoga/Ukyo bug bit while reading a fic on the pairing, and I decided to try my hand at a oneshot! Umm...note: I haven't read/watched all of this series, nor have I read/watched it in quite some time. So sorry if it's not at all IC.
Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or the characters therein.
Discovering P-chan
A sigh of frustration slid past downturned lips. Ryoga had to face the facts, he was lost again. Somehow, it always seemed to happen, no matter how far a distance he was traveling. A palm came to rest against his face as he grumbled incoherently. Honestly, he had only been trying to walk to the convenience store at the end of the street. He should not have to carry his hiking pack and camping gear for such a task, but he always made sure to do so, because he would inevitably find himself hopelessly and epicly lost. Where the hell was he now, anyway? Knowing his bad luck, he'd probably found his way to Moscow...though, that would be colder most likely, wouldn't it? Seriously, could things get any worse?
His silent inquiry was greeted with an affirmative crash of thunder as a heavy downpour seemed to come from nowhere, chilling the boy to the bone, and instantly transforming him to a little, black piglet. he slapped his front hoof to his face. Great, just great.
Seeing as he couldn't haul his gear in his cursed form, the pig left it behind, as he so often had to, and took off as fast as his little swine legs could carry him, hoping to somehow miraculously stumble upon Akane's family's dojo. There he could take refuge as P-chan and wait out the storm in warmth, and relative comfort. Of course, all he got was more lost. Eventually the cursed teen had to settle for sheltering behind a dumpster, hunched in miserable cold, shivering and listening to the raging storm that pelted him with rain throughout the night. As dawn drew near, the clouds seemed to disperse, and the small pig managed to doze off.
The storm had been a bother, but despite that, Ukyo Kuonji had managed to get a decent night's rest. Sitting up with a stretch and a soft groan of protest as her alarm sounded, the restaurant owner opened one eye as a hand fell to silence the clock's insistent pleas for her to rise. her single eyed glance landed upon the time. As usual, she was up early, giving her plenty of time to take care of a few things around her apartment and shop before getting ready for school. She would start by taking out the garbage she had been too tired to deal with in the rain the night before. Slowly the girl swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, stretching again and popping the kinks out of her back. She wore an oversized t-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants that would suit her fine for the time being, since she would just be running out behind the restaurant. No one would see her. Tangled hair was pulled into a haphazard ponytail. There would be time for brushing after her shower later. The teen made her way to the exit of her modest apartment over the restaurant, put on a pair of flip-flops that she wore occasionally for brief trips to and from the back of the shop, and made her way down the stairs to her establishment.
She quickly took the previous day's trash, which had already begun to ripen, and tied the bag shut before carrying it out the back door of the kitchen and toward the dumpster. As she hefted the garbage into the bin, a startled squeal announced that she had awoken something behind it. She froze, cursing herself for not grabbing her spatula on her way out of her apartment. It didn't sound like something dangerous, but with the way her life worked, she could never be sure.
Cautiously the teenage entrepreneur shifted to peer behind the dumpster, blinking at what she saw. A small, black piglet was looking around as if trying to determine where it was, and how it had ended up there. Wait a moment! She recognized that pig! "P-chan?"
At the sound of her voice the swine suddenly froze, looking up at the girl. It's eyes widened a moment and it took a step back. Ukyo cooed softly to the obviously frightened animal, who must have gotten lost in the storm last night, "C'mon, sweetheart, I won't hurt you."
Ryoga slept for perhaps an hour or two before a sudden racket from the bin he had taken refuge behind awoke him. He started, looking about in confusion. He knew he was lost, but where was he? Was he being attacked? Why did it smell so foul? Suddenly the night before came back in a rush, the rain, transforming, taking shelter behind a dumpster when he couldn't find the Tendou Dojo. Right, now the question was, where was this dumpster, and how did he get back to somewhere he knew from here?
Suddenly a shadow was cast over him, he didn't notice at first, to distracted by trying to think up a plan that would somehow get him unlost. Then he heard a voice, speaking the name he had been given by Akane, a familiar voice, though it was more soft and gentle than it usually was when he heard it.
Turning, the piglet stared in surprise and fear at what he was greeted with. Ukyo had found him! Then was this dumpster behind her business? That meant he hadn't gotten as lost as he'd thought! But there was no time to celebrate the small triumph, he wasn't sure what Akane's friend and love rival would do to what she thought was her competition's beloved pet. A slow step was taken backwards, but the retreat halted as she spoke soothingly to him. It was hard to resist her calling him forward so gently, and besides, he'd never run from her as P-chan when Akane was around, so why should he start now?
Gradually the small swine moved toward her, only to be swept into her lean but strong arms and held comfortingly against her chest. She smiled warmly at the boy turned pig and scratched behind his ears, which actually felt quite nice, as she cradled him against her bosom. A blush hit the black piglet's face as he suddenly realized something. he was being held against the chef's chest, and she clearly didn't have her bindings on...or anything besides the t-shirt that hung from her frame for that matter. He squirmed slightly trying to get free, but only succeeded in causing the girl to tighten her arms around him and increase her efforts to soothe him, "Bweee!"
"Shhh...it's alright P-chan. Let's go inside and get you nice and warmed up, sweetheart. You can stay at my place, then Akane can get you after school." Ukyo cooed out, petting Ryoga as she held him more firmly against her chest and carried him back through her restaurant into her apartment. Untying the bandana that had been a clear marker of his identity from around his neck, she paused, looking at the piece of cloth with mild curiosity, "That's weird...this look just like that bandana Ryoga wears all the time…"
"Bwee!" The lost boy began to panic, he couldn't have Ukyo making the connection between Ryoga and P-chan. Rivals or not, she was certain to tell Akane, and that would mean his bacon was as good as cooked!
Ukyo carefully lifted the pig, who was still obviously skittish, if the way he struggled against her was any indication, and carried him inside. He would feel better when he was safe and warm,m she was sure of it. And besides, the poor creature reeked of garbage from hiding behind the dumpster! She couldn't return him to Akane smelling like that! She would just have to give him a bath first.
Once she had him up in her room, she set him on her desk and untied the bandana from around his neck, pausing to take a good look at it. It seemed oddly familiar, like the one Ryoga always wore. It was strange to think of, but could P-chan be...after all, Shampoo was a cat, and Mousse was a duck, and Ranchan, well, Ranchan turned into a girl, all because of those spring in China. So presumably Ryoga could have…
A sudden squeal from the piglet pulled her from her thoughts and she turned to look at the small creature. No, no. She smiled and chided herself, shaking her head as she reached over to scratch the tiny animal behind his ear, "Ryoga wouldn't do that. He's too sweet, and cares way too much about Akane to take advantage of her like that."
The swine seemed to relax at her touch, even sag some, almost depressed, it seemed. He had probably registered the name of his owner, and suddenly missed her, "Don't worry, sweetheart, you'll be back with Akane soon enough. We've just got to clean you up first, that's all."
With that she swept the pig up, and walked into the connecting bathroom, closing the door behind them.
Ryoga relaxed as Ukyo seemed to brush aside the idea that he and P-chan could be one and the same, unable to help himself from leaning into the scratching at his ear. Then the entrepreneur said something that made him feel awful. He was taking advantage of Akane. The guilt almost made him miss the fact that she had called him sweet, and worse, caused him to barely register that she meant to give him a bath! He had little time to react before she had him in her arms and was carrying him to the bathroom.
Frantically the piglet struggled. If she put him in a hot bath, he would change back! And that would be bad for several reasons! Not the least of which was that he would be, well, naked! In front of a pretty girl! His face flushed brightly at the thought, and he struggled harder. And of course there was the whole fact that she would tell Akane that he was P-chan...but...Ukyo would see him naked! "Bweee! Bweee!"
Ukyo tightened her hold on him, squeezing him firmly against her unbound chest, which just made him blush brighter, and struggle harder, "Goodness, P-chan! Don't you like baths? And i thought pigs enjoyed water! I guess it's just mud they like though."
She sighed softly as she closed the door behind them, setting Ryoga on the floor and starting to run the bath, plugging the tub so it could fill with the steaming water. The pig began to scrabble at the door with his front hooves, and when that failed, he bucked his back hooves against it. Apparently, some of his strength had been lost during the transformation, though, since he didn't manage to make the door splinter. Surrendering to the inevitable, he slumped against teh door, earning a soft laugh from Ukyo, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you really were only some cursed pervert!"
Ryoga tensed at her accusation, but knew it was pointless to struggle as she lifted him, and moved to the tub, kneeling down in front of it, and gently placing him in the water.
Ukyo couldn't believe how much P-chan seemed set against a bath! If she didn't know Ryoga to be the sweet, shy, innocent thing he was, she would almost be certain this was a cursed piglet that would turn back into the lost boy! She laughed softly, lifting the piglet, who seemed to have resigned himself to his fate, and moving to the tub. She knelt before the bath and gently lowered the forlorn looking animal into the water then…
She shrieked! Where there had been a pig she was now face to face with a man's...her face blushed several shades of red and on reflex she launched a punch, which connected squarely with the portion of the male that was in her eyeline, sending said man crumpling into a heap over the edge of the tub as he growled and groaned in agony.
"Pervert!" She cried, scooting as quickly as she could so her back was against the wall, "You absolute pervert!"
Even without having seen his face, she knew who this man was. Well, this teenaged boy, anyway. The bandana was all the clue she'd needed to connect the dots between the pig that had once been in the tub and the man who lay draped over the edge now, clutching himself in pain from her punch.
"Ukyo…" He growled out through clenched teeth, only confirming what she had already suspected, "That...was...low…"
The brunette saw him beginning to struggle to her feet and quickly cover her face with her hands to shield her eyes, although she immediately remembered that one of her hands had been in contact with...her blush intensified as she dropped that hand and chose instead to turn her head aside and shield her vision with the remaining hand.
"I'm low?" She scoffed in disbelief, "Sweet, shy, kind Ryoga uses his curse to share a bed with Akane and who knows what else, and I'm the one who's low?"
"I…" He was still in pain, but had managed to stand, his eyes quickly darting about the room for something to cover himself with, even as he blushed in embarrassment from both the fact that she had seen, and her accusations, "I-it's not like that!"
Spying a towel on the counter that she had pulled out of the bathroom closet when preparing the bath for 'P-chan' he grabbed it and spread it around his waist. It was intended for him to use when he was a pig, so she hadn't selected one that would wrap completely around him, but at least it concealed the...important bits.
"Oh?" She still averted her gaze, guarding her peripheral with a single hand, "Then what exactly is it like? Because it sure as hell looks like you were taking advantage of her! I thought better of you than that!"
"I didn't do anything to her!" He sputtered in a rush, defending his, and Akane's honor as much as possible, "I just-"
"You just let her believe you were an innocent animal!" Ukyo was climbing to her feet now, still not looking, not daring in case she see any more, and in case he would see the bright blush that still painted her features, "You pervert! You probably…"
She shuddered in horror as she thought of Ryoga in P-chan form, practically drooling over Akane as she got dressed in front of him! It gave a whole new meaning to the term 'men are pigs!'
"I never did anything!" He protested again, "I couldn't! I wouldn't, and even if I would have do you really thing Ranma would have-"
"Ranchan?" She blinked, having opened the door to make her escape only to freeze in the middle of backing out of the room, dropping her hand to stare at him in utter shock, thankfully he was covered enough that she wouldn't have to see...that, "What does Ranchan have to do with this?"
Ryoga blinked and mentally slapped himself, he probably would have done so physically as well, if he weren't busy holding up the too small towel that concealed him. He shouldn't have mentioned Ranma. It was bad enough that Ukyo and Akane were going to hate him, but why should Ranma have to suffer to? Of course, the whole thing was Ranma's fault to begin with, wasn't it? If it hadn't been for that pigtailed boy, then Ryoga would never have been in the Jusenkyo, and never would have fallen into the cursed spring! P-chan would never have existed, and Akane would never have adopted him as a pet! Not to mention the current matter of Ukyo having seen, well...everything...wouldn't have happened. His angst turned to anger toward Saotome, "What does he have to do with it? What does he have to do with it? Everything!"
Ukyo flinched at the near rage in the lost boy's voice as he trembled before her, trying to maintain his temper. A spark seemed to light in his eyes as he thought of how Ranma had completely ruined his life! It made the chef uneasy, "Ryoga, sweety, just calm down and tell me-"
"I am calm," He replied to gritted teeth, forcing a hint of a smile, "And I'm trying to tell you. This whole thing is his fault! I followed him to the Jusenkyo, he knocked me into that damn drowned piglet spring! And your beloved 'Ranchan' knows all about my little curse, by the way. So if you think I'm some kind of pervert, doesn't that make him a creep for letting me spend time with Akane as P-chan? But no, Ranma can do no wrong, he's everyone's favorite fiance!"
Half hiding behind the door, but still listening to Ryoga as he told her what was going on, she could sense the dark and angry vibe he was giving off. This was not the sweet Ryoga she knew! Sure, he could get angry at times, and depressed at others, but this, this was maximum rage. The teenage entrepreneur gulped slightly as she tried to figure out how to calm him, even while attempting to piece together what he had said.
Ranchan knew Ryoga was P-chan, and as much as she hated to admit it, Ranchan cared about Akane. This meant that Ryoga most likely didn't do anything super inappropriate with the Tendou girl. Ranchan would have stopped that in an instant. Still, Ranchan had known about Ryoga was P-chan! He had allowed the lie, the deception to continue, even though it would hurt Akane terribly to know the that he had been a part of it!
Part of Ukyo wanted to run and tell Akane, to ruin the relationship between the Tendou girl and their shared fiance. But something kept her standing in the doorway, watching the quivering rage that was Ryoga's form. Wouldn't she be tempted to do the same in his shoes? She imagined if the only way she could get close to Ranchan was to transform into an animal without his knowledge. Would she resort to that? Closing her eyes, she had to admit, she might.
"Alright, I see your point." She conceded. Earning a look of surprise from the lost boy, to which Ukyo simply shrugged, "Ranchan should have told Akane about you, he didn't, so I guess that makes him a jerk. And...if our roles were reversed…"
Ryoga was honestly shocked to hear one of Ranma's fiances, aside from Akane, refer to him in such harsh terms. And Akane only called the pigtailed boy a jerk when he really upset her. Shampoo and Ukyo, well, they really never insulted their fiance, at least not around the ever wandering soul. He lofted a brow as she left off mid-statement, silently urging her to finish the thought.
Ukyo blushed softly and gave a huff as she realized he was waiting for her to complete her sentence, seemingly unable to figure it out for himself, "If our roles were reversed...I...I might do the same as you…"
This definitely left the lost boy stunned, the last vestiges of his anger fizzling out, shoulders sagging as he sat on the edge of the tub with a sigh. Fortunately the towel still covered him enough to maintain some form of modesty as he propped his elbows on his knee, face buried in his hands. A sigh slipped from his lips and Ukyo couldn't tell if he was depressed again, or relieved.
"Ryoga, Sweetheart," Bracing herself with courage enough to move closer to the barely concealed boy, Ukyo did just that, leaning down and resting her hand upon his shoulder, "Are you alright?"
A small bob of the lost boy's head was given in reply, though his face remained buried in his hands.
"Feeling a little less angry now?" She pressed, wanting to make sure he wasn't going to destroy her apartment with his rage, but also just wanting to make certain the boy was alright.
Another slight nod was given, but the lost boy remained silent. He felt terrible. He knew it was wrong to fool Akane the way he had been. Hearing Ukyo say she might do the same didn't make it any less so. Again a soft sigh sounded once more from behind his hands, and Ukyo shifted her hand from his shoulder to his damp hair, "Ryoga, sweetheart…"
She could tell now that she was closer to him that he was depressed rather than relieved. And she felt a bit bad for putting him in that frame of mind. Ukyo leaned down a little, so that she would be on eye level if he chose to look up.
At the touch to his head, Ryoga did just that, glancing up at her. Something in her tone seemed so soothing. At the proximity of her face, he found himself flushing slightly, and she suddenly seemed to remember the awkward situation of him being naked, and blushed as well.
Clearing her throat, the restaurant owner quickly withdrew her hand, and turned to leave, "Anyway, just...try to let Akane know the truth, hmm? I understand you want to be near her...but-"
Ukyo blinked and stopped speaking, freezing as his warm, large hand gripped her around her wrist. She didn't dare look back at him, even though she could tell he was still sitting, and thus the smallish towel still draped safely over his lap.
"Hey, Ukyo…" He murmured, his blush deepening as he averted his gaze to the side "Thanks…"
She smiled shakily, giving a small nod, "Sure thing, sweetheart. Just try to make it right, okay? Now, why don't I go see if I have anything that you might be able to wear...it's just me here, so I'm not sure what I have that could fit you though…"
He almost seemed to hesitate as he released her wrist and allowed her to slip out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Even if she had let him know that what he had done was wrong, which he'd already known on some level, she'd also let him know that it was understandable. And that really did ease his guilt some. He still had time to make it right, to tell Akane the truth about P-chan. The lost boy gulped at the notion, closing his eyes. Akane would hate him for it for certain. But he had to tell her, didn't he? And that was exactly what he resolved to do, as soon as he had some kind of clothes so that he could get out of Ukyo's apartment, and, hopefully, manage to find his way to the Tendou Dojo.