Title: The Lost Saiyan Warrior
Disclaimer: I don't own the DragonBall Z characters or the Ranma characters. I'm only borrowing them.
Warning: Some characters might be O.O.C.
' ' Means thinking.
Ukyo let out a sigh of relief when she finished scraping and cleaning the grill in her restaurant from her last group of customers that had just left.
Things had been the same at Ucchan's Okonomiyaki, she got up to do the early morning breakfast rush, changed into her school uniform then went to school, hurried back to her restaurant for not only the lunch rush but to also avoid the usual arguing/fighting between Ranma and Akane when Shampoo showed up at lunch, came back to school to finish the rest of the day and then came home for the afternoon and evening rush. That was pretty much how her day would normally go, though normally she would offer her pigtailed fiancé a free lunch if he came by the restaurant, but today she thought it'd be best not to. She didn't feel like dealing with Akane and her nasty temper at lunch time today. Finally curiosity had gotten the best of her so one day after school when Akane left the school grounds, the young chef had asked the Saotome heir why Akane was acting more aggressive then she normally was and she wasn't prepared for the answer she had gotten from her pigtailed fiancé.
Apparently Akane's bad mood had started with Ryoga's last visit to the Tendo household two months ago. The wandering Martial Artist had gotten back from where ever he went and was waiting for him and Akane to come home from school that day at the Tendo household, when they got home the boys exchanged some words then insults which usually ended up with them fighting, but this time Ryoga didn't give into Ranma's taunting, instead he asked Akane if they could talk somewhere privately. Curiosity had gotten the best of the young Saotome and he followed them to Akane's bedroom where he heard something that he will never forget. His rival since Jr. High had told Akane his deepest and darkest secret, he told her that he was her beloved pet P-chan and naturally, after a long silent pause, Akane exploded. Even through the closed bedroom door Ranma could hear his fiancé yelling which turned into enraged screaming, then he heard the familiar sound of a big wooden object making contact with a human head and a body hitting the floor. Meaning that she drew her mallet and slammed Ryoga to the ground with it, then she screamed that she hated him, that she never wanted to see him again and finally she ordered him to leave.
After Ukyo heard about what happened, she didn't know how to react at first. Her first thought was 'That stupid, sneaky, conniving jackass. I can't believe that he would sink so low as to do something like that.' And then she swore that the next time Ryoga showed up in town that she would get the much needed answers from him, one way or another.
Then after taking some time to think and cool down, though she didn't know why she got mad in the first place, she started to rethink her own statement. Did she honestly think that Ryoga was the kind of person that would deceive and manipulate someone he claimed to love with all of his heart for his own personal gain? She had to think long and hard for a while but she already knew the answer. No, the Lost-boy had a code of honor that was as thick as his skull, and she knew that he would never think about hurting those he cared about, not intentionally. He would often say that he'd sooner kill himself then cause someone he cared about grief. She had to admit that he was really good at making dramatic scenes when he wanted to, he was way better at it then Mr. Tendo and Kuno that's for sure. Yet despite the wrong doing on Ryoga's part, he tried to make it right by doing the hardest thing he'd probably ever done in his life and it might've costed him a chance to be with Akane.
Although she had to admit that it took a lot of guts to do what Ryoga did, even though he probably knew how Akane would react if she learned the truth that Ryoga was her beloved pet P-chan. Maybe that's why the Lost Boy kept up the charade because he was afraid of what Akane would do if she found out. With a bad tamper like Akane's, who wouldn't be afraid? She'd have to ask him the next time he was back in town.
Even when two months had passed since the Lost Boy's confession things didn't get any better, Akane was still mad and from what she had seen Akane was taking her anger out on the closest thing next to her, which of course was Ranma, and she was becoming even more violent. Of course that was no surprise there.
It was even more surprising when she learned from Ranma that he was the one who actually gave Ryoga the pig curse while he was training at Jusenkyo. At first she didn't believe it but when the pigtailed boy explained how it happened and the reason why after he found out he didn't tell Akane after all this time, she started to understand why the youngest Tendo was angry at Ranma and why Ranma made all the pig jokes when ever Ryoga was around. Yet despite Ranma claiming that it was an accident, she can still see why the wandering Martial Artist was always angry at Ranma and she started feeling sorry for the bandanna boy.
After Ranma left her restaurant that night, something in the back of her mind came to realization, she and the Lost-boy had a lot more in common then she originally thought. In the beginning she wanted to kill Ranma when she had first arrived to Nerima, to seek revenge for what his father had done to her family for leaving her behind and to regain her family's honor. But then she stopped attacking the pigtailed boy when Ranma had called her cute and she found herself falling instantly in love with him, and not too soon after that she became involved in this fiancé free-for-all battle to try and win the pigtailed-boy for herself.
Ukyo finished wiping off the grill but her eyes never left its steamy surface, it was as though the dancing steam coming off of the grill was mesmerizing her but then she looked out one of the restaurant windows and sighed, 'Where ever the big lug is, I hope he's okay.'
Ukyo paused in her cleaning, she didn't know when she started growing concerned for the Lost-boy, when she'd first met him her first thought was that he's a pigheaded jackass who has no sense of direction and his only goal in life is to kill Ranma and win Akane's heart, but was she any different? Isn't that what she wanted when she came to Nerima? Well except for the 'winning Akane's heart' part.
After she started partnering up with him in her plans to break up Ranma and Akane, she started talking to the boy and in the process she got to get to know him little by little. She noticed that when they would talk, the fanged boy would often talk about where he had been in his 'travels' and what souvenir he brought for Akane then he started opening himself up to her. During their little talks she started to see bits and pieces of Ryoga's true persona, that there was something else beneath all of the anger and despair that the Lost-Boy portrays himself to be on the outside, there was also a gentle and considerate side to the wandering young man, a side that's rarely ever seen.
Sometimes he'd stop by at the restaurant and the two would just talk, mostly about what's been going on in Nerima while he was gone and about his travels. He would even offer to help her with cleaning up the restaurant after she'd had a big rush. She never thought that she'd actually become excited whenever the Lost-boy showed up at her restaurant. Sure they'd have some arguments here and there but in the end they'd forget about what they were arguing about, it was a strange kind-of friendship, but it worked for them. Plus she had to admit that she missed having the big lug around, at least when he was here she had somebody to talk to, whether it'd be about another plan to split Ranma and Akane, or if she had a bad day, or if she just wanted someone to talk to. It sure beats being alone and she was sure that Ryoga felt the same way. He spends most of his time on the road with no one but himself, at least she had Ranma and some girls from school to talk to but even with the company of her fiancé and the students from school, it just didn't feel the same as when she was with Ryoga. With Ryoga she always felt so comfortable around him and that she could tell him anything and not worry about him telling anyone, he would always listen and sometimes offer advice.
She also began to notice that the Lost-Boy was fairly handsome too, in a rugged outdoorsmen kind of way, and she thought that the way he stuttered and blushed whenever he got embarrassed was kinda cute as well. Even his fangs made him look adorable, when he's not snarling. He just needs to not look so cantankerous all the time and maybe smile a little more, then maybe he'd have girls fawning for him. The bandanna boy was a pain in the butt sometimes but he does have a big heart and no matter what he would always try to do the right thing and be there to help those in need, when he was around anyway. She guessed that maybe she had a bit of a soft spot for the strong, quiet, yet sensitive types of men. Though she didn't know anybody, other then Ryoga, who fit into all three of those categories.
She looked up from her grill and gazed out the window, where was Ryoga anyway? Nobody had seen or heard from him in weeks, not that that was a big surprise. The only time anybody ever knows where he is is when he sends letters to Akane letting her know where he is, or where he thinks he is, or when Ranma gets a challenge letter from him, but so far nothing had been received for either of them. If Akane had received anything from Ryoga about where he was or trying to apologize for his actions, there was high doubts that Akane would even bother to tell anyone about it or even bother to open and read any letters that the Lost-Boy had sent her.
She was so preoccupied with her own train of thoughts that she didn't notice that someone had just walked into her restaurant, 'At least Ryoga admitted that what he was doing was wrong and he had the guts to try and make it right by telling her the truth, even though he knew that she would get mad and hate him.'
"Excuse me."
Ukyo jumped at the voice, she looked up quickly and was startled to find the very person she'd just been thinking about standing just a few feet in front of her.
"Ryoga!" She said, trying to calm her breathing.
"Hey Ukyo, sorry if I startled you." He said apologetically.
Ukyo shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Sugar, c'mon in and have a seat." She said, after regaining her composure. "So uh… how about I make you some food? You must be hungry after all that hiking."
Before he could answer her, she had already pulled out some left over batter from earlier and pours it on the grill. While she pulled out more ingredients for his meal, she also began to think as to how she was going to ask him about what happened at the Tendo's two months ago. A big part of her was telling her to just come out and say it, he owes an explanation anyway and she agreed with that, but another part of her told her to not rush it, he might still be hurting but she still wanted to know why he did what he did.
"Wow, you've been gone for a long time, it feels like I haven't seen you in forever Sugar. Where've you been?" The young chef immediately began mentally kicking herself for acting like a dork just now, that wasn't really the best way to start a conversation but she didn't know what else to say to the sensitive boy.
Ryoga shrugged, "Nowhere, really. Just here and there. Met some new people, helped a couple of kids, stopped an idiot from running off with some kid's radar thing or whatever he called it. Nothing big really." He replied while watching her prepare his food, "Anything new happen while I was gone?"
"Oh you know the usual." She replied, flipping the Okonomiyaki over on the grill, "Kuno challenged Ran-chan to a fight at school and lost, Shampoo showed up at lunchtime to deliver Ran-chan some ramen for lunch, Akane got mad at him and the two started arguing, again." She paused, she thought that the last thing that the wandering Martial Artist wanted to hear about is Akane, especially after their last encounter. Surprisingly the Lost-boy didn't even flinch when Akane's name was mentioned either that or he didn't noticed at all, which she thought was really odd. She shrugged her shoulders and flipped the finished Okonomiyaki onto his plate, Ryoga nodded his thanks and dug straight into his food.
He took a few bites and swallowed, "Perfect as always Ukyo." He said before taking another bite.
Ukyo couldn't help but smile, he always commented on her food and it always made her smile. In fact she couldn't remember the last time Ryoga ever said anything negative about anyone's food. Not even Akane's, even though everybody knows how bad a cook Akane really is. She always got positive comments from Ranma and it would always filled her heart with joy knowing that her fiancé loved her food. I guess that's why he always got free food from her.
"So I take it that you heard about my last visit to the Tendo Dojo, didn't you?" Ryoga spoke bluntly, breaking Ukyo from her thoughts.
"Huh?" Ukyo was by far astonished that Ryoga had just brought up the subject she wanted to talk to him about, "How do you know that?"
Ryoga shrugged, "Word travels fast in a small area." He said, "Actually I figured that Akane would still be angry with me and everyone would get curious as to why she's so mad and ask Ranma if he knew why Akane's angry this time because he's usually the one who makes her mad. I figured you'd be the first one to ask him since her family and Mr. Saotome are pretty much used to her temper by now and neither the Kuno's nor the Amazons would even care that she's mad at Ranma. Well except maybe Kuno."
Ukyo nodded but was also taken aback at how seemingly calm Ryoga was being on the subject, 'Well I might as well ask him right now since we're on the subject anyway.' She thought, "Speaking of Akane, there's something I want to talk to you about. I've already heard part of the story from Ranma but I want to hear the rest from you." She told him.
"If Ranma's already told you the story then why do you want to hear it from me?" Ryoga asked.
"Because you're the only one who can answer the questions that I'm about to ask you." She told him before crossing her arms over her chest, "And I want the honest truth, not your usual 'It's all Ranma's fault' crap that you keep repeating over and over again like a broken record. Got it?"
Ryoga sat in his seat bewildered and a little afraid. The tone in Ukyo's voice raised a flag in his mind, he knew that when he told Akane his darkest secret that she would want to know why he did what he did and that he would have to answer those questions, before she pounded him or killed him, but he never thought that Ukyo would want him to explain himself to her. Sure they were friends but isn't that all they are? But she's also engaged to Ranma, along with a few other dozen girls.
Finally he nodded after he gently pushed his now empty plate away from him, "Okay, what do you want to know?"
Ranma leapt from one rooftop to another as he made his way to his destination. Actually he didn't care where he was heading just as long as it got him away from his pissed off tomboy fiancé for a while, even though he knew that when he got home later that Akane would still be angry with him and he would most likely be pestered by his father and Mr. Tendo and they'd want to know why Akane's so mad and then they'd make him apologize to her for making her mad in the first place. It's all part of some kind of formula. Every time Akane has a hair up her ass about something whether it was caused by Ranma or not, everyone always points their fingers at him.
Although Ranma had to admit that he did have a habit of say the wrong thing at the wrong time. However Akane's mean streak was caused by something else and Ranma knew that he was partially responsible for it. Okay maybe more then partially responsible.
"Oh man, I'd hate to see what she'd do to Ryoga if he were to show up anytime soon." He wondered aloud.
The day when Ryoga told Akane the truth about P-chan still burned in his memory. When the Lost-Boy had managed to find his way back from where ever the hell he was and find the Tendo Dojo, the first thing that ran through the pigtailed boys mind was that his rival wanted to fight with him, again. That's all the Lost-boy ever did when he got back from being lost, the second he saw Ranma he would start attacking and go on and on about how he's seen hell because of him, then he'd try to talk to Akane and present her with some stupid gift to he got her while he was lost and then they'd start fighting again, Ranma would win the fight as usual, Ryoga would get lost again and then the whole thing starts all over again. Unless the Lost-Boy learned a new technique and won the fight with it, then he'd try to find a way to beat it or create a counter attack to it and he'd challenge Ryoga to a rematch and then he'd win and Ryoga would get lost again. However Ryoga surprised everybody that had been watching by not reacting to Ranma's usual taunting, he simply turned to Akane, surprisingly calm, and he asked if he could talk to her in private because he had something important to tell her.
Being led by his own curiosity, Ranma followed the two to Akane's room and heard the two talking behind the closed bedroom door. Behind the closed door he heard the wandering young man tell Akane that he wanted to tell her something that he had been afraid to tell her for so long, he immediately thought that the Lost-Boy was going to tell Akane his true feelings for her, that he loved her, but when he heard the words 'Akane, I'm P-chan,' he became mute and time had stood still for what seemed like an eternity.
He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe what he had just heard. His rival since Jr. High had just told Akane his terrible secret just like that and Akane just erupted with anger. Ranma expected his rival to tell his tomboy fiancé that he was the one who gave the fanged Martial Artist the curse and blame him for the whole thing, but surprisingly the Lost-boy said nothing about what happened when he went to Jusenkyo China. Judging by the sounds that came from the other side of the door, Akane released her fury on Ryoga by malleting him into the ground and it didn't sound like Ryoga even tried to dodge or protect himself from the fury infused hammer.
After Akane ordered him to leave her room and the house, Ranma had followed him outside and made a comment to the Lost-Boy. He told him that what he did was gutsy but he should've told her from the start then maybe things would've been different and all this could've been avoided. After that the pigtailed boy expected his rival to attack him right on the spot, to yell and scream that it was all his fault, but the young man just stood there without even turning to face the pigtailed boy.
His last words before leaving the Tendo residence still echoed in the young Saotome's mind, "You're right, it is my fault that this went on for as long as it did and I should've told her in the beginning, but I didn't. And now that I've told her the truth I know that she'll never forgive me and probably hate me for the rest of my life, but at least she knows the truth and I don't have to lie to her about it anymore." With that Ryoga left the Tendo residence with tears in his dark brown eyes and a broken heart.
After a while of standing in one spot staring at the place his rival had stood two seconds ago, Ranma snapped out of his daze and went after the wandering young man, in hopes of getting to talk to him before he wandered off but just as he rounded the stone wall and into the streets, the young Hibiki boy was already gone.
'Man I'd really like to know how he can just disappear like that.' Ranma thought, 'That nifty little trick might come in handy the next time Akane wants to hit me with that damn mallet of hers or the next time she says she cooked dinner.'
'Gaaarrrrppphhh.' Went his stomach.
"Oh yeah that's right, because of that stupid argument with Akane during lunch at school I didn't get to eat lunch." He stopped on the last rooftop he landed on, "I guess I could stop by the Cat Café for a bowl of Ramen from Shampoo, but then there's also a very good chance that I'll get glomped by Shampoo then attacked by Moose if he saw Shampoo hanging all over me and if Akane found out that I was getting food from Shampoo then she'd get really mad. Like that's anything new with her." He declared. The thought of Akane pummeling him with her trusty mallet immediately made his head hurt since his head was her favorite target for her mallet and her wrath to strike. "So scratch that idea. I guess I could pay Ucchan a visit and eat there. That way I can get something to eat and hide from Akane's bad mood, at least until she cools off." He concluded as he made his way to Ukyo's restaurant.
The Brief family and the Son family were waiting to be seated at an 'All-You-Can-Eat' restaurant just a few blocks away from Furinkan High School. They decided to stop at an all you can eat restaurant because not only did Goku's stomach growl so loud that people thought that a herd of lions was on the loose in town but also so they wouldn't have to pay so much. Bulma and Chi-Chi know all too well about Goku's eating habits whenever he gets hungry, Bulma having known Goku since he was a kid and Chi-Chi being married to the bottom-less pit of a man.
Finally the seven were seated and all ordered the 'All-You-Can-Eat' special. Before they could dish up, Chi-Chi and Bulma decided that now would be a good time to tell their husbands not to go overboard with the food because the last thing that they wanted to do while on vacation is make a scene with their eating habits.
"Now remember Goku try not to go over board with the plating and the consumption of your food okay." Chi-Chi said.
Goku began to laugh sheepishly, "I'll do the best I can Chi-Chi."
Bulma eyed her husband and son, "That goes double for you too Vegetta."
Vegetta grunted, "It's not our fault that we need to eat a lot to make up for the amount of calories that we burn when we fight."
Bulma rolled her eyes at her husband, "We're just saying don't wolf down your food when you sit down to eat. We may be on vacation but that doesn't mean you can't act civil even in public."
"All right, all right, we heard you already." The Saiyan prince spoke, trying to control the outburst of his voice, "Enough of your nagging woman." He said in a hushed voice, earning him a glare from his wife.
Everybody headed over to the buffet table to begin plating their plates with food, all but Trunks. His mind was something rather than food, he was thinking about the young man from the last town who helped him get the dragon-radar back and asked him and Goten how to get to Tokyo. He didn't know why but there was something about that guy that gave Trunks a funny feeling, he thought maybe it was because the bandanna boy was carrying one of the seven dragonballs but for some reason he knew that wasn't the main reason. He had to be extra careful when checking the dragon-radar, he didn't want his mother to see that he took the dragon-radar without her permission infact he didn't want his mother to find out that he had it at all. The last time he checked the radar, the moving dragonball that he suspected was the bandanna wearing Martial Artist, the dragonball was only a few blocks away and had stopped. Somehow he had to find some way to get away from his parents and find the young man before he loses him again.
"Trunks?" Bulma spoke. "What's the matter son?"
Trunks looked up to find his mother standing beside him, "Uhh… nothing mom. I… I was just thinking that's all."
Bulma didn't look convinced though but decided that if her son didn't want to talk about it then she wouldn't push it, "Alright then. C'mon let's go eat before Goku and your father eat everything in sight." She joked.
Trunks couldn't help but smile, "Okay mom."
Back at Ukyo's, Ukyo stood silent behind the grill after Ryoga had finished his tale. Her mind still absorbing everything she heard. The lost-Boy had explained everything to her and more so and it was safe to say that she was astonished by what he told her. Of course it didn't stop her from pulling out her battle spatula and whacking him upside the head with it.
Ryoga looked at the young chef in minor annoyance while rubbing the forming lump on his head made by her spatula, it didn't really hurt but it's the fact that she hit him that annoyed him. Though a small part of him expected that she would hit him, "What'd you do that for Ukyo?"
"For being a real jerk that's what." She replied, "And for not telling me sooner. Who else knows about your little secret?"
"You mean besides Ranma, his father, and the Tendo's?" He asked, Ukyo nodded, "Well the Amazons found out after Shampoo's Great Grandmother showed up." He said, he noticed the bewildered look on Ukyo's face, "It's not what you think Ukyo. They only found out because Shampoo's Great Grandmother tried to cook me for dinner after I had just got back from… training in the mountains." He said with a faint blush on his cheeks.
Ukyo saw the blush and suspected that Ryoga was trying to cover up the fact that he was really lost, but she decided not to push it, "So then why did it take you so long to finally tell Akane the truth about P-chan?"
"Well for one thing, that temper of hers scares the living hell out of me believe it or not." Ryoga said bluntly.
Ukyo was a bit taken aback by his answer, for she never expected him to admit that, but had to agree that he was right, "Can't argue with that Sugar."
Then he lowered his eyes to the counter, "But seriously though, I wanted to tell her sooner, really I did, but every time I managed to work up enough courage to tell her, I would just freeze up and end up saying something else. And every time it happened it just made me more afraid to tell her and that made me feel even worse." He lifted his gaze to look at Ukyo, "Then I realized that I was being completely dishonest and unfair to Akane by keeping up with the charade of being her pet. So before I came back to the Tendo Dojo I came to the decision that no matter what I had to tell her the truth, even if it meant her hating me for the rest of my life and never wanting to speak to me ever again."
Ukyo stared at the Lost-Boy in awe for not only by what he had told her but also by how calm he was being, despite the fact that the woman that he had been pining for since he arrived in Nerima had just shattered his heart, "You know Sugar I have to say that I'm very impressed at how well you're handling all of this."
Ryoga gave her a questioned look, "What do you mean?"
"I mean I kinda thought that you'd still be moping about somewhere, you know moaning your brains out about how you lost Akane forever and stuff like that…" She paused when she realized the things that she'd just said and was mentally kicking herself, 'Oh smooth move Jackass, rub it in his face why don't you? Why don't you make him feel worse by dancing around him singing 'Ha-Ha Akane dumped you and you're a loser!' over and over again?'
"What do I look like, a drama queen like Mr. Tendo?"
Ukyo couldn't help but laugh, it amazed her that Ryoga actually made a funny joke like that, "No you're nothing like Mr. Tendo Sugar, but you have to admit that you have been known to be a little overdramatic."
Ryoga was about to argue but then realized that Ukyo was right, he recalled that there had been a few times where he made a really big deal out of a few things that had happened, whether it was about proclaiming his love to Akane or getting revenge on Ranma or whatever was going through his mind at the time.
He smiled, "Okay, okay, you got me on that." He chuckled, "As for me losing my chances with Akane forever… well you can't really lose something that you never had in the first place."
Ukyo blinked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
Ryoga cleared his throat, "I mean that I never really had a chance with Akane. I was only fooling myself into thinking that I could be more than just a friend to her and I think I've always known that, but I just hoped that maybe there was a slim possibility that I could get passed the 'we're just good friends' part and be something more to her."
Ukyo nodded, she could understand that completely, "So then you're not upset that Akane may never love you as you loved her?"
"Well I was at first but then after having some time to think about it, I'm actually okay with it. One thing about having no sense of direction and being lost all the time is that it gives you a lot of thinking time, whether you like it or not." He said in a pleasant way, then he noticed that Ukyo was looking at him confusingly, "You see for a long time now I thought that Akane was the most wonderful girl in the entire world. I thought the world of her because she was the first person, since I arrived back here, who ever showed me kindness and love to me when I was in my cursed form, I guess that's when I fell head over heels in love with her and… well you get the point right?" Ukyo nodded, "And even though it hurt so much when I finally told her my secret I'm actually glad that I told her because it feels like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders and it also made me realize something."
"And what's that?"
"That my feelings for Akane were nothing more but a simple crush and that Akane isn't the only girl in the world." He said smiling, "And now that I'm not pinning for her anymore maybe I can start over with her and who knows maybe meet someone who can deal with…
"Having a boyfriend that turns into a pig with a splash of cold water?" Ukyo finished for him with a smile planted on her face which earned her a frown from Ryoga, "Relax Sugar I was just kidding." She could see that his face hadn't changed, "C'mon Ryoga you gotta learn to lighten up every once in a while and not be so serious all the time."
This time Ryoga gave a small fanged smile, "I guess you're right."
Ukyo giggled, "You know you amaze me sometimes Ryoga, and I mean that in a good way. But I have to say that the way you stepped up to own up to your mistake and take responsibility for your actions towards Akane… well let's just say that I'm proud of you for doing the right thing." She placed a hand on his shoulder, "And I mean that sincerely hon."
Ryoga smiled warmly at the young chef, "Thanks Ukyo that means a lot to me. I guess we all have to grow up sometime right?" He reached back into his back pocket, "So how much do I owe you for the food?"
Ukyo shook her head, "It's on the house Sugar." She said, she then flipped another okonomiyaki onto his plate, "And so is this one. After what you've been through I think you deserve a break this time." Then she winked.
Ryoga was about to reply but then stopped, guys like him don't get too many breaks like this in their lives, "Thanks Ukyo."
"Don't mention it Sugar."
Just then Ranma Saotome made his entrance through the door, "Hey Ucchan, I hope you got extra batter cause I'm star…" He stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed that Ryoga was also in the restaurant sitting on one of the stools. He could help but smile upon seeing his rival, "Hey Ryoga, long time no see buddy!" He exclaimed giving the bandanna boy a hearty slap on the back.
Ryoga hardly felt the slap and rolled his eyes, "Hello Ranma." He replied flatly. He was hoping that he'd see Ranma later in the day because even though he still wanted the pigtailed boy to pay for the hell he caused in his life, he wasn't really in the mood to fight. But he had to admit that it felt nice to be missed by someone, even if it was your rival.
Ukyo gave a big smile, "Hey Ran-chan, what can I get you?" She asked in an enthusiastic manner.
Ranma took a seat next to the bandanna boy, "You know me Ucchan, anything with squid is just fine."
The ribbon wearing chef nodded, "One squid special coming up." She said as she started working on his food.
While she prepared his food Ranma turned back to the wandering Martial Artist sitting beside him, "So where've you been Ryoga?" He asked, deciding that it would be a real good idea to lay off on the 'pig jokes' and the 'pig names' while Ryoga was around, at least for the moment.
Even Ryoga noticed that Ranma didn't use his usual pig wisecracks when addressing him like he always did, 'Akane must've given him one too many poundings on the head with that mallet of hers.' Ryoga thought then shrugged, "Oh you know me, just here and there. I never know where the hell I am when I'm lost."
Ranma was about to open his mouth and say something sarcastic about Ryoga's sense of direction but something in the back of his mind told him to just keep his mouth shut and just eat your food, and right on cue Ukyo placed his order of freshly made squid okonomiyaki in front of him.
"Here you go Ran-chan, one squid special okonomiyaki with extra squid just like you like it." She announced cheerfully.
Ranma snapped his head to attention, "Huh… oh thanks Ucchan." He said before digging into his food and devouring it in less then seconds.
Ryoga scoffed softly while shaking his head, 'And he calls me a pig?' He thought while calmly eating his own okonomiyaki.
Ranma swallowed his mouthful of food in a loud gulp, "That was great Ucchan. Can I have a second helping please?"
The spatula wielding chef smiled amusingly, "Sure thing Ran-chan."
While the Saotome heir waits for his second helping he turns back to the bandanna boy again, "Hey Ryoga, about what happened at the Tendo's two months ago. There's something that I just got to know."
"What's that?" Ryoga asked with curiosity in his voice.
"What the heck were you thinking? I mean what made you decide now of all time to tell Akane the truth about P-chan?" Ranma asked, "I mean I'm glad that you finally told her but still what convinced you…or better yet what 'made' you decide to tell her?"
Ryoga shrugged, "I couldn't stand lying to her anymore and I realized the longer I waited to tell her the truth then the harder it was going to be to tell her, not to mention the idea of how angry Akane would be if she found out about my curse on her own." He said, for some reason the idea of how it would've turned out the other way made Ryoga cringe involuntarily.
"Well you sure picked a hell of a time to tell her the truth." Ranma grumbled.
"Well you know what they say, 'better late then never' I guess." Ryoga replied after finishing his second okonomiyaki.
"If you say so." He said stuffing his mouth with okonomiyaki.
Ukyo cleared his throat, "So Ryoga what're you gonna do if you run into Akane later on? I mean she was in a pretty bad mood at school and I think seeing you might not put her in a better mood." She said.
"Like that's anything new with her." Ranma muttered under his breath.
Ryoga shot a glare at the pigtailed boy, having heard his mumbling, then he shrugged his shoulders again for who knows how many time that day, "Well I know that she told me that she never wanted to see me again but you know what, I live here. My home is here, so I'm not gonna stay out of Nerima and away from my home just because she's mad at me. So she can yell, scream, and hit me all she wants, but this is where I live and if she doesn't like it then she'll have to deal with it."
Both Ranma and Ukyo were awestruck by what the bandanna-boy had just said, his sudden boost of confidence almost made Ranma spit out his mouth full of okonomiyaki but he managed to keep himself in check.
Ryoga looked up and saw the looks that they were giving him, "What?"
"Okay who are you and what the hell did you do with Mr. P?" Ranma asked before he was knocked off his stool by a punch in the face, "Hey that hurt! What'd you do that for?!" He yelled at the bandanna boy.
Ryoga smirked, "To prove that I 'am' Ryoga and for calling me that stupid name, you jerk."
Ukyo couldn't help but laugh softly, though she didn't really like that Ryoga had just punched her fiancé and she was getting close to uncover her spatula and whack him on the head with it but she stopped herself from doing so and realized that Ranma should've known better then to call him pig-related names especially after what he's been through, but to see that the boys were just acting like they always do and see that Ryoga's not so depressed over the whole thing gave her quite a bit of relief.
Maybe telling Akane the truth about P-chan did him some good after all, it seems to have lifted a huge weight off of the boys shoulders and spending two months away from Nerima after his confession made him come into realization about his feelings for the Tendo girl. It looked to Ukyo that Ryoga had grown-up and matured a little bit after this whole ordeal. He didn't seem to have that angry energy surrounding him at the moment but that didn't mean that his grudge on Ranma was over, so they'd have to wait and see.
Ryoga's face soften, "I know that it will take some time to earn her trust again, but I only hope that in time she can forgive me and we can still be friends."
Ranma nearly fell over at what his rival had said, a small part of him almost preferred Ryoga to be angry and lash out at him screaming that it was all his fault or something because this new behavior that Ryoga was expelling was almost too much for the Saotome heir to take, but on the other hand he kinda felt relieved that Ryoga wasn't hold him responsible for this. Even though he knew that he was responsible for knocking him into the spring.
He gave his rival a smile, "You know that's the very last thing I'd ever expect to hear you say Ryoga."
"You got a problem with that Saotome?"
"No I'm just saying that I'd never thought I'd hear you say that, that's all." He waited for Ryoga's reply but was relieved when the boy just nodded and said nothing more. He placed the last bite of his food into his mouth and swallowed before turning to the bandanna boy, "Hey you think you're up for a little sparring?"
"With you, anytime Saotome." Ryoga smirked.
Ranma returned the smile and stood up from his chair, "Good because it's been a while since I've had a good spar."
"Gee I wonder why." Ryoga remarked in a sarcastic manner.
"Alright then let's get going. We ain't getting any younger ya know." Ranma said reaching into his pocket and pulled out the amount of money needed to pay for his food, "Thanks for the food Ucchan, see ya later."
"Bye Ukyo." Ryoga called out.
"See you later Ran-chan, take care Ryoga." Ukyo called back and then the two walked out of her restaurant heading towards the Tendo Dojo with Ranma leading the way.