Hi! Chapter eleven finally up! Thanks to all of you who keep reviewing to the story! I know it's been a while… I'll try to write chapter 12 sooner, heh. So, enjoy.
Chapter 11: "Don't leave me."
Ukyou tugged at Ranma's pigtail one more time. Her stupid best friend was still out cold, his prone body resting on a chair in the clinic's waiting room. Maybe it had something to do with the beating she delivered on him for what he did to Ryouga. Sure, he had saved the lost boy's life, but he didn't had to knock him out like that. Well, maybe he did had to, but that wasn't the point.
She bit her fingernails once more, why the hell were they taking so long? It was morning already! They had been at the clinic since yesterday afternoon, and Ryouga still showed no sing of recovering.
He should be awake by now, or they wont let me kiss him and hug him and--
"Gods Ucchan, why did ya do that?" Her former fiancée said groggily, his hands grabbing his head.
"You know exactly why, Saotome." She answered in a tone that said that she was mad, but grateful nonetheless.
"Is piggy up already?"
"Nope." She frowned.
"But it's been so long," he noted glancing at the clock on the wall, "why hasn't he woken up already?"
"I'm as curious as you are, hon. They wont let me know anything."
"I'm hungry." He stated.
"How can you think about food in a moment like this?" She asked, almost amazed.
"Dunno, I just do!" He defended, his stomach growled; "I could eat anything!"
They hadn't eat anything since the day before, Ranma had called the Dojo to explain what had happened and everybody had rushed to the clinic; but only the two of them had stayed overnight.
"I just wish someone would bring me some food!"
A second later, Akane came into the waiting room.
"Ohayoo Ranma, Ukyo! I brought you breakfast!"
"Be careful of what you wish for." Ukyo smiled. Ranma just groaned.
Dr. Tofu entered the waiting room with a solemn face. The three of them rushed to him and surrounded him with questions, but he held a firm hand and shushed them.
"He's been awake for a while now." He said, his voice hard.
They had let him know what had happened and he wasn't too happy about it. Tofu knew from the beginning what Ranma had done; even if the boy didn't admit it openly to him, the guilt in his eyes was unmistakable. But he could also see that he was ashamed and regretted what he did.
"Why didn't you let us know sooner?!" Ukyo snapped, eager to see him.
"Because he asked me not to."
"What?" They asked in unison.
"I've been talking to him, Ranma. A lot. Telling him the truth was the right thing to do, although you could have done it a lot sooner." He looked sternly at the pigtailed one, who flinched.
"I…couldn't…"
"What truth?" Akane asked, feeling left out.
"I think you should talk to your fiancée, Ranma."
Ranma ducked his head and sighed resigned.
"As for you, Ukyo… I think we better talk in my office."
Said girl paled.
"Is he alright?"
She asked once they were in Tofu's office.
"He's recovering fast… Physically. There are other wounds that will take long before healing."
"What…?"
"Ryoga's memory is back."
"It…is?" She drew a sharp breath in, trying to control her shaking frame.
"Ukyo," he started calmly, he needed to get to the bottom of the situation before it got worse; "I've seen what you've done with Ryoga. You've helped him a lot, you've been here for him before, when he needed a friend. I don't know your motives, but I would like to think that you had good reasons."
"What are you saying, doctor?" She didn't like the way this was going on. Was Ryoga going to ditch her now that he had his memory back?
No, no, no… Please Ryoga, don't…
"I'm going to be very blunt about it, and I hope you'll be honest."
Ukyo nodded, bracing herself.
"Did you take advantage of Ryoga's condition for your own benefit?"
"W…what?" She blinked, had she heard right?
"I mean," he cleared his throat, "did you use Ryoga to make Ranma jealous, or to get back at him…?"
The chef shook her head, not believing her own ears.
"Are you serious?" She asked in a hard tone, her eyes narrow.
"Yes, I am." He replied in the same tone.
"Why would I…? I lo--Why would I?!"
"Don't get upset, Ukyo. I'm just voicing his own question."
"What?" He thought..?
"I've talked a lot with him; he thinks you haven't been completely honest with him. Is that true?"
"Well, I didn't… I had to let Ranchan explain himself. I wanted to tell him, but…"
"I see."
"But my feelings, I mean…"
"He's totally convinced that you used him."
"But I didn't! How can he think that?!"
"He said it has happened before. Has it?"
Ukyo flinched, "that was different. I could never…"
"Ukyo, it is hard for someone like Ryoga to trust somebody. If you've hurt him before, it's going to be pretty hard for him to trust you now."
"But I didn't do nothing to him now! I mean, perhaps I haven't been completely honest about certain things, but hurting him was never my intention."
"I know," he sighed; he could see the truth in the girl's eyes, hopefully Ryoga would see it too. "But he thinks you betrayed him, he thinks you don't love him. Is that so?"
"No, I do love him." She blushed, uncomfortable at having her feelings displayed openly.
"Good," the doctor smiled, "then I can help you a little. But it's up to him to believe you or not."
Ryoga laid his face on the pillow, after turning it around for the tenth time that day. It kept getting wet with his tears, which stubbornly refused to stop flowing.
Why do these things always happen to me? Is there any chance for me to be happy in this life?
He sighed unhappily to the uncaring world. Did fate indeed hate him so? Would there be any happiness for him at all?
Ukyo…
There was a knock on the door.
Ryoga wiped the tears off his face, sitting up.
"Come in." He said, his voice still a little raspy.
Dr. Tofu opened the door and poked his head in, looking at the lost boy through thick glasses.
"Um, Ryoga, how are you feeling?"
Said boy blinked at the young doctor, hadn't they just spent hours talking about his misery?
"What I mean is, are you feeling better after our talk?" He corrected himself, earning a comprehensive look from Ryoga.
"Yes, I am. Thank you." He bowed slightly, it dizzied him if he moved his head fast.
"So… Umm… You don't mind… Uh…"
"Are you ok, doctor?" The boy noted the nervousness in his voice.
Is Kasumi around or something?? Ryoga asked himself.
"Yes, fine. Umm… You said you didn't want any visitors, right?"
Ryoga nodded.
"Not even one?" He asked, nodding to the other side of the door.
Hibiki frowned, clearing his throat.
"Depends on who it is."
He definitely wasn't ready to deal with Akane yet. The way she had found out was the most honourless way he could think of. At least if he'd been splashed in front of her, he'd been able to explain himself afterwards. But Akane had just laughed. And said that they'd have to talk later, when he recovered his memory. Something he didn't want to deal with right now. So he hoped it wasn't Akane. And if it was Ranma, well, he wasn't recovered enough to start a fight, but he would manage. He knew that if Ranma wanted to come in, he would do it regardless of what Ryoga'd say.
"Well, it's someone who really wants to see you."
Ryoga lifted his eyebrows, 'Akane?' he mouthed soundlessly. Tofu shook his head.
"I'll let her in."
If he wasn't ready to deal with Akane or Ranma, he definitely wasn't ready to deal with her.
Tofu closed the door behind him when he exited the room.
Ukyo hovered around the door, her hands entwined behind her back, she glanced shyly at him.
"Hi…" She said.
Ryoga stood completely still, frozen under her ocean eyes that gazed at him with uncertainty. What the hell was she doing there? Hadn't she had enough fun with him already?
Ukyo frowned at the lack of words, at the utterly perplexed look he was giving her.
"How are you?" She asked softly, taking a step towards him. This seemed to snap him out of it, as he crouched a little in his cross-legged position on the bed, glaring at her.
"What are you doing here?" He demanded in an icy voice.
"I-I wanted t-to see you." She flinched under his cold eyes. Was he so upset because she didn't tell him about Ranma?
"Oh really?" He spat ironically.
"Yes." She crossed her arms above her chest defensively, straining the urge to fling her arms around his neck.
He seemed to consider her for a while, then he shook his head and turned it around to look at the window.
"Leave," he said with a heavy sigh. Ukyo's eyes snapped open in astonishment.
"What?"
"Just leave me alone, Ukyo."
"N-no." She contradicted with a tremulous voice. Her eyes started to moist. "You have to listen, I didn't--"
"Didn't what?"
"I'm sorry, ok? I promised Ranma I'd let him explain to you what'd happened. I never meant to lie to y--"
"So, you just conveniently took Ranma's side, right? It's not like I'm surprised or anything, I'd expect it to be that way."
"That's not, I mean…" She looked desperately at him, her chest constricting painfully. "Why are you so upset? I just found out a few days before you."
"Whatever Ukyo." He snorted, glaring at the window.
"Why are you making such a big deal out of this?! I thought it'd be better if he told you, I'm sorry if I made a mistake, alright?"
"No, it's not alright. You've gone too far this time." He glanced at her, his green orbs piercing her very soul.
"What?" She realized he wasn't really talking about Ranma anymore.
"Though I must admit that your acting skills are rather impressive." He spat, glaring at the window again.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, getting irritated, "what?"
"Honestly, Ukyo… You've used me before, but this… you've gone too far this time."
Suddenly Tofu's words came flying towards her mind.
He's totally convinced that you used him.
He said it has happened before. Has it?
Ukyo, it is hard for someone like Ryoga to trust somebody. If you've hurt him before, it's going to be pretty hard for him to trust you now.
"It wasn't like that:"
"How was it, then? You wanted to make Ranma jealous? You wanted to get back at him? What?"
Her hands turned into fists beside her, "Do you really think I would do something like that?" She spat.
"I dunno… Is it any different than your other plans?"
"It wasn't a plan!"
"So you used me just for fun?" He glared at her.
"I didn't use you, Ryoga. He'd already broke up with me when…"
"Oh, so I was just your rebound toy!"
"Argh! Why are you being so stubborn?!" She threw her hands up, walking towards the window, looking throw it.
"I'm not being stubborn, just realistic. Admit it already, it didn't work out anyway." He looked at her back.
"Do you really think that everything we did together was fake?" Her voice softened.
"Wasn't it?" He asked ironically, his hands gripping his head as dizziness threatened to take over. He could feel his blood rushing through his veins, why was she still there?
"No."
Ryoga flinched, his hands tightening their grip, he shut his eyes closed as tears threatened to fall once again. He looked down. Was she ever going to stop lying?
"Leave, please."
"Ryoga, don't…"
"Just leave me alone. You've gone too far this time…" He repeated.
She turned around and approached the bed, "Ryoga, I didn't mean to lie about that, ok? And I already said I was sorry for the other times, remember? I thought we were friends." She tried.
"Yeah, once in your life you apologize for treating me like dirt and the next time we meet you take advantage of my mental state. What a great friend you turned out to be."
"Ryoga!"
"Did you ever stop to consider that I have feelings? Do you know what that is?"
Ukyo's heart cringed as she noticed that he was crying. Her eyes couldn't hold back the tears anymore and she let them run free across her face.
"Of course I know what they are, stupid! I have feelings as well!"
"Yeah, for Ranma."
She looked away hastily, "I used to, yes. But now--"
"Now what? You gonna keep this role you're playing? It's got no use anymore, I already found out, so…"
"I never lied about my feelings for you, Ryoga." She admitted softly.
"I guess you never lied about being engaged either, so I could fall for you; never took his side; never stood in front of him when I was the one who was really in danger up in the roof, right?"
She didn't know what to say; those things were true, but she never meant it to be that way. Her heart soared in her chest; she didn't know what to do, how to convince him that she really loved him.
"You didn't know what you were doing up there, Ryoga. You could've killed us, you've could died!"
"You asked me not to hurt him. I think you don't even care if I'd died or not."
SLAP!
Ryoga's face was thrown to the side with the force of Ukyo's slap. He lifted a hand to his cheek, the burning sensation of her palm stung like a million needles.
She trembled, tears falling freely onto the mattress.
"Don't ever say that again." She stated coldly.
He looked at her then, meeting her eyes with his; she flinched at his look, so untrusting, so hurt.
"When will you stop hurting me?" He asked, unable to stop the tears. "Go away." He looked down again.
"Ryoga please."
"I don't care anymore." He repressed a sob, "I don't wanna see you again."
"You can't mean that!"
"I want you out of my life, Ukyo."
"W-what??" She squeaked.
"Just go!"
"But I love you!" She wailed; Ryoga covered his ears with his hands.
"Stop lying! Stop hurting me! Just go!"
"I've never--"
"Please, Ukyo…" He looked straight into her eyes, his own despairingly hurt, "leave."
"You can't shut me out of your life like that, Ryoga." Her voice was so small to her own ears.
"I already did." He said resolutely and looked away.
Ukyo took a long last look at the boy in front of her, a memory that would weigh in her mind for as long as she lived. She'd hurt the man she loved, and she would never forgive herself for that.
"I-I'm s-sorry." She bolted through the door and disappeared from his life.
All he had left to do was cry.
A/N: Please review…
