Ranma x Ukyo prompt: "You deserve better"

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As Ukyo Kuonji leaned against a tree in a park, people-watching, a very serious subject floating in her mind: Was her boyfriend okay? A frantic phone call ended whatever plans Ukyo had for the day. She had to meet Ranma at the park in half an hour, or so Ranma said. His voice was shaking, Akane yelling at… something… in the background, yelling at anyone but Ranma. Normally, for lack of a better term, the insanity at the Tendo Dojo barely even registered. Sure, Ranma would mention the shenanigans he'd gotten into at their dates, unless Ukyo had taken part in Nerima Wrecking Crew antics herself.

Something bad had happened.

Which might be what was taking Ranma so long. If it was that bad, then it would make perfect sense that he be delayed. And it wasn't as if she was bored out of her mind or angry with his tardiness. Some of the kids playing soccer were adorable, proclaiming that they would win the World Cup after they scored a rolling goal with their stubby little legs. She smiled, momentarily living vicariously through the little kid's pure joy. It reminded her of making a dish for the first time and getting excited. On more than one occasion, Ranma was there to share in the joy.

She knew there was no joy today. For now, she could watch the pure innocence of little kids dreaming, without the interference of asshole adults. Yes, he didn't say what had happened, but knowing Ranma, and the shit that happened at the Tendo household, adults were involved. Ranma and Akane deserved better, but Ukyo knew that, if some things ended up differently, Ranma could've fallen in love with Akane. Instead, Genma and Mr. Tendo's abuse drove him to her. Some people would be happy. Not Ukyo, although she was happy to be with Ranma.

"Ukyo!" Her chest clenched. She hopped to her feet, greeting Ranma as he walked towards her, head bowed, hands in his pockets. Ukyo's smile turned upside down, clenching her fist. Was Ranma mad at her? No, it couldn't be that. As he approached, she held her arms out for him. He walked right into them, holding his arms out, too. They embraced, tightly, enveloping each other in their respective bodies. Ukyo held him tighter, feeling his heart beating against his and her chest until that heartbeat slowed to a normal heartbeat. She sighed as he lightly ran his fingers through her hair, taking a deep breath of her scent, calming him.

"Thanks, Ukyo," he said softly.

They sat down against the tree. Ukyo climbed into her boyfriend's lap, leaned against his firm chest. He slipped a sleeveless arm around her, and they remained that way for several minutes, their breathing and heartbeats syncing perfectly. Even still, Ukyo knew that something had gotten to Ranma.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Old Man Tendo accused me of going back on my word, my dad got mad at him," he answered. "Pops challenged him to a fight, but Tendo refused. So, dad called him a coward. Then Tendo said something about the dojos and whatever, I didn't wanna listen anymore. Then dad yelled at me for breaking my word, and I just…" He heaved. "I wanted to punch him, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction. I'm just… so tired of it."

"You deserve better, Ranma."

"Thanks. So do you, Ukyo."

Ukyo's chest tightened and her arms momentarily went numb with fear. She pushed herself off Ranma, terrified of what he was going to say. "No! That's not what I meant!" he stammered, holding his arms out to calm her down. "I meant... I meant you didn't deserve what my pops did, ya know?"

"Akane deserves better, too," Ukyo remarked. "You know, I had a dream just the other night; Akane was yelling at me for stealing you or something, and I couldn't say anything back."

"Don't feel guilty," said Ranma. "I'm the one who should feel guilty."

"Then why aren't you dating her?"

He looked her dead in the eye and said, with all the sincerity in the world, "Because I love you."

"R... Ranma?" Ukyo tried to hold back the tears, but her vision was getting cloudy with them threatening to overwhelm her. Ranma took her hands in his, scooched closer to her and placed his forehead on hers.

"I'm not good at expressing myself," he admitted. "But, but, when I think of you, I feel so calm, and when I'm with you, it's like... nothin's bad. And I really like it when you talk about okonomiyaki and your dreams and stuff."

"I thought you said you're bad at expressing yourself," she said.

"I guess you do that to me," he said. "I want to support you and I hope you can be there for me."

Before this, her feelings for Ranma had been all about her; her happiness, her dreams and her desires. Those hadn't gone anywhere. Ranma hadn't come to her because she was nice to him like that Hinata girl in Naruto, he had come to her for stability. She was like a rock for him. She did have to recognize that being in a relationship meant both partners had to get something out of it, and had to give something. She was prepared to do just that."I will," she answered.

"Thanks," said Ranma. He hugged her, tighter. She shifted in his lap, straddling his so she could get a good look at his handsome face. She stroked his cheek, staring into his fierce, but hurting gaze, the gaze of a fighter with weight on his shoulders. She would help lift that weight as much as she could, she decided, as she cupped his chin and kissed him.

"I love you," she told him.

"I love you, too," he answered. They resumed kissing, lost in the present, looking forward to the future.

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I know some of you will ask if this is related to my other Ranma x Ukyo fics. The answer is "yes" and "no". If you want to read it that way, this is a continuation of their story. However, it's still meant to be a stand-alone. Hope you liked it, though!