Dedicated to: Noah! ^__^
Author's note: Haaaa, Love-triangle still forming! Actually..several! One started to form around Hikaru in the last chapter...what other love-triangles shall form, eh? Keep a look out for possibilities! Remember, reviews can help change how the story goes/ends!! More couples shall form other than the main ones...reviews can help change the couplings too! Especially those who want people who aren't normally paired together paired! ^_^ Other than shonen-ai or shoujo-ai..o.o;; I'm not an anti-shonen-ai or anti-shoujo-ai person..I just don't wanna write those kinds of pairings. ^-^;
Oh, by the way..those who wanted Umi and Fuu in here...your wishes
have been granted! Not fully, yet, but be prepared for it to slowly come
true. ^^ or all of a sudden...whichever.
---
Hikaru and Ukyou had sat there for awhile, when Ukyou pointed to Ryouga. "I'll wake Ryouga up, you go wake up Ranma." She whispered. Hikaru nodded and the two moved to the martial artists as quietly as they could.
Ranma and Ryouga had woken up awhile ago, before the two had decided to 'wake them up'. They both had been aware of two people being near, but had stayed where they were, with their eyes closed to see what would happen.
"Ranma, wake up." Hikaru's voice said quietly, then repeated it slowly, louder. She gently nudged his shoulder and he opened his eyes lazily in response. "Hello." She smiled.
Ukyou, in the meanwhile, tried a different approach of making someone awake. Ranma and Hikaru turned in time to see Ukyou throwing freezing cold water onto the pour Ryouga..now bweeing in anger. The two onlookers and Ukyou laughed, and then Hikaru held her hand out to the black piglet. "Ryouga, Ranma'll take you to Ukyou's bathroom and get you some warm water."
Ranma crossed his arms. "Why not let him stay that way for awhile, I think he's pretty happy." His eyes narrowed as Hikaru held the piglet in her arms. She looked up at him.
"What's wrong?"
"...Nothing...Nothing."
Eyes turned from confusion to concern. "You
sure?"
"..Yes."
Hikaru looked doubtful. "..okay.." She
stood up and began to walk upstairs.
"Where're you going?" Ranma blinked.
"If you won't turn Ryouga human, somebody has to."
"Ack! Don't do that!" Ranma ran up to her.
"Don't you know he'll appear without any clothes on?" As Ranma
spoke, it seemed the black piglet was reminded and struggled to get out
of the firm but gentle hands.
Hikaru's eyes widened and looked at the floor, blushing. "Er..I didn't know that." She handed p-chan over to Ranma and walked downstairs. "Thanks for the warning!"
Ukyou, rolling up the blankets of the two boys, watched Hikaru from the corner of her eye. A cheerful smile faded into a wistful smile with the innocent eyes that shone with emotion, this time sad. "Ah, Hikaru? Could you roll up the other blanket?"
Hikaru turned and smiled cheerfully once again. "Sure!" She proceeded to do so. Meanwhile, in Ukyou's bathroom...
"Ranma Saotome! Today is the day I shall defeat you!" Ryouga growled as his fist connected with a wall, instead of Ranma. Ranma poked him from behind.
"What'd I do this time?!" Ranma asked as he dodged another punch by backing out of the bathroom door. He dodged several kicks, but lost his footing and fell down the stairs, onto Hikaru, who had been walking up to see what the noise was. Ukyou and Ryouga, on opposite ends of the two braided people, fought down the jealousy threatening to creap out, for different reasons.
Hikaru blushed and looked at the ceiling. "Uhm..."
"Sorry, Hikaru." Ranma fought to hide a small
blush, and failed, standing up. Hikaru sat up and looked at Ranma.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes." Ranma grinned. "Neither stairs nor
a pig-boy can harm me!"
Hikaru smiled and Ukyou grinned. "What about
a spatula?"
"Ucchan!" Ranma backed up a bit.
Hikaru giggled, and Ryouga walked over to stand beside her and watch the antics of Ranma running from a spatula-weilding childhood friend. "This reminds me of when Umi used to chase Mokona...not like Ranma's anything like Mokona." Hikaru smiled. Ryouga blinked at her.
"Who's Mokona?"
"Er..that's kind of hard to explain. I guess
you could say...a pet...but not exactly a pet.."
"Oh..." Ryouga blinked again.
"That didn't help much did it?" Hikaru sweatdropped.
Ryouga shook his head.
"Didn't think so."
Hikaru walked over to the door and opened it. "Hey..it's clear out!" She smiled. "I'll go take a walk..does anyone wanna come?"
Ranma and Ryouga raised their hands. Ukyou raised hers in response, just to see what trouble would form on the way. "Hey, no fighting you two. Hikaru has enough to worry about, like those bandages."
That reminded Ryouga and he looked over to her as she waited for the others to grab their shoes and whatever else they were going to take with them. He put on his shoes as he noticed that one arm that he had noticed bandaged yesterday was no longer bandaged, but the other was still in a cast and she had a bandage wrapped around her head. It was hard to notice because of all the redish-pink hair. If anything else was bandaged, it was under her clothes. Ryouga pointed to the unbandaged arm. "Are you sure that arms healed yet?"
Hikaru blinked. "Huh?" She lifted her arm. "See? It's fine." She smiled. Ryouga blushed. Ranma walked over to Hikaru.
"Well, no stressing yourself, okay? Now lets get going." Ranma said, and the small group left. After ten minutes of silence, Hikaru spoke up.
"It's like a small group is forming...all on its
own."
The other three blinked. "What do you mean?"
Ukyou asked.
"First I met Ranma, and we became friends, then
I met Ukyou, and Ranma, her, and I are friends, and now Ryouga's jumped
in. Ryouga and Ranma seem to fight alot, i've noticed..but friends
fight alot too. You two could be friends instead of rivals..or both."
Ryouga and Ranma glared at eachother and then continued walking.
Ukyou laughed. "I guess you're right, huh?
A little group....the...The Cooks!"
Hikaru, Ranma, and Ryouga sweatdropped.
"Okay..so maybe that isn't such a good name..."
"I can cook!" Hikaru smiled. "Can you
two cook?" She looked to Ranma and Ryouga.
Both nodded.
Ukyou grinned. "So it kinda fits."
All of them laughed and continued walking, until
Ranma noticed Hikaru had stopped and stood several feet apart from them,
looking sad.
"What's wrong?" Ryouga and Ukyou asked at the
same time, beating Ranma to it.
"Akane Tendo."
"What about her?" Ukyou pried.
"She's all alone in her room right now, probably,
while we're out here having fun."
Ukyou shook her head. "From what you told me, as
I can tell you try to make people seem the best, well..not everyone has
good intentions."
"I know."
"Akane is one of those 'not everyone'."
"..."
Ryouga walked over to Hikaru before Ranma could,
once again beating him. "I'm sure Akane's just fine.." Ryouga's
thoughts weren't matching his words, though. Like hell she's fine,
Ryouga thought. She's gone insane! Dear Akane...you aren't the Akane
I knew anymore.
Hikaru sighed. "Okay.." She gave them a small smile. A large wooden mallet connected to Ryouga's head as a very familiar voice to Hikaru rang out.
"Did you make Hikaru sad?!" Ryouga fell to the ground, swirly eyes and all, revealing a girl dressed in blue, with elegant, stubborn, yet caring sapphire eyes, with long light blue hair, held back by a headband that was a darker shade of blue. All-blue clashed against All-red as Hikaru and an old friend hugged eachother.
"Umi! I missed you!!! You and Fuu stopped coming to Tokyo Tower, it made me so sad! And then my eldest brother Satoru let me transfer over here because I was sad and thought it would cheer me up..and...Umi Ryuuzaki! I missed you!"
"Hikaru Shidou, how dare you be sad! I was sad too! My parents enrolled me into an after-school camp and wouldn't let me leave it! I missed you and Fuu too!"
The three onlookers, Ranma, Ryouga, and Ukyou blinked. From the two small speeches, they knew that the two were old friends, and that they met at Tokyo Tower...but that was it.
The two friends drew apart from the hug and smiled
widely. Hikaru pointed to the three onlookers. "Ryouga, Ranma,
and Ukyou...this is Umi Ryuuzaki, an old friend of mine." Umi
bowed. "Umi, this is..." She pointed to each of them in turn.
"Ranma Saotome, a martial artist that also stays at the house I am staying
at currently...Ryouga Hibiki, another martial artist, and Ukyou Kounji
a...martial artist cook." She said the last one with a little confusion,
and Ukyou laughed. Ranma and Ryouga bowed.
"So, have you three been treating Hikaru okay?" Umi blinked as she finally noticed the bandages. "HIKARU!!!!"
Hikaru flinched from the loudness of the voice. Umi quieted down a bit, still worried. "Hikaru! What happened? You're hurt! Who did this?! I'll..I'll-"
"Umi, we aren't in Cephiro." Hikaru looked up at the taller friend. Umi shook her head. "So?! I can still fence!" Hikaru nodded.
"So, who did this?!" Umi turned her head towards the three onlookers, glaring. "Did they--?"
Hikaru put a hand on Umi's arm. "No they didn't. It was my fault for it happening."
"What happened?"
"I had become friends with Ranma...for that, one of his fiancees had become angry."
"One of his fiancees?! What is that guy, then, a player?" Umi asked. Hikaru smiled cheerfully.
"No, he is not. I'll tell you the full story later. If he doesn't tell you first."
By luck, or one should say, bad luck, the washerwoman decided at that time to spill water. A wet, and cold female Ranma appeared in the place of male Ranma, in front of the tall blue-girl's eyes.
"Wh-Wh-Wh-wha...." Umi took a step back.
Ranma sighed. "...let me explain."
Ryouga grinned. "He's a crossdresser."
Umi's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"
Hikaru tugged on Umi's shirt sleeve. "No, he isn't! Wait for Ranma's explanation!" Umi crossed her arms.
"Alright, alright...what's your story?" Umi raised a blue eyebrow at Ranma.
--End of Chapter eight--
Ah...when will Fuu enter the scene?
Will Umi form into the Nerima group or...will she stay a stranger to them?
When will Happosai decide to wreak havoc?!
And what is Akane plotting?!
Hope you liked the chapter...chapter nine shall come...as soon as
finished! Sorry this one took so long...I lost the internet for a bit.