Four
Ukyo felt sick. She had heard of Ranma's attack on Mousse. She hadn't heard the reason behind it though. Everything had gotten so weird here lately. Ever since that day Akane had brought Ranma and her tea. It had gotten worse after her encounter with Akane. The other girl's words had been brutal and for days, Ukyo had waited for Akane to come apologize, but she never had. In fact, Akane had seemed to slip into a deep depression. Her eyes were almost constantly red and she rarely spoke. Even Kuno had left her alone. Ranma had been almost as bad. She had been pleased that he had come everyday after that, but he had only talked to her about what Akane had said. When she had refused to answer his questions he had sunk into silence. There was always this indefinable emotion surrounding him.
Now, a week after his attack on Mousse, she was unable to talk to him. She had not seen him at school and Shampoo would not talk to her. The Amazons had packed and Ukyo knew that they were just waiting for Mousse to heal enough to travel so they could leave.
It had come down to the one thing she did not want to do; she had to go to the Tendo Dojo.
~~~
Ranma refused to let Akane go. For three years they had been in love and for three years they had said nothing. A full week of pure hell for both of them had been capped with a secret marriage. Honestly he was afraid she'd disappear. So, he refused to let go of her.
Akane didn't try to leave. She was afraid he'd disappear if she left. So, she didn't leave.
Their families had been startled to find them together in bed. Their fathers had been utterly confused yet refused to push their luck and had insisted on a marriage. They had been only to happy to agree. The only complaint was from Nabiki who had not managed to make a single cent from the whole thing.
Neither one of them had wanted to explain to their fathers how they had gotten together, so their fathers had paid Nabiki to find out. The only thing they knew about was the attack.
~~~
A knock on the door interrupted Kasumi. She was talking to Dr. Tofu about the attack. He had been unwilling to go into many details but what he had said was disturbing.
She rose and went to open it, passing Ranma and Akane curled up on the couch together. She was a bit wary of the intense nature of their relationship but they seemed to have no problems with it, so she left them alone.
Kasumi tensed when she was who was on the other side of the door. Ukyo. She stretched her lips into a smile.
"Come in." She led Ukyo to the living room where Ranma and Akane were, not bothering to give her a warning. She doubted that after everything that had happened these two weeks, nothing could be a shock. She did not know that Ukyo knew nothing. When Ranma and Akane came into view, curled contentedly around each other, the snarl that came to Ukyo throat was pure instinct.
"You bitch!" she screamed, lunging for Akane. The backhand that sent her sprawling could not be seen.
"You. Will. Not. Touch. Akane."
"You were mine, Saotome!" Ukyo raged, trying to climb to her feet. The world spun around her and she had to squeeze her eyes shut to keep from vomiting. Two gentle hands gripped her under her arms and Ukyo let herself be lifted.
"I would not try that again, Kounji Ukyo," a soft voice said. "I learned the hard way no to come between them." Ukyo opened her eyes to look up at Mousse. He was pale but whole. His eyes held no hatred to her surprise.
"He attacked you because of her?" Mousse nodded. He looked over at Ranma. The young man was tensed in front of Akane. She had a worried hand around his arm. Ranma's eyes held no hate, only weariness.
"I came to apologize, Saotome. I came to you as a friend, but did not remain one. I should have not let myself show what I felt."
"You should not have felt anything." Mousse shook his head.
"I would not have tried anything. I saw what it was about her that drew you so irrevocably in that instant. I had not anticipated have such a response in myself."
"And what is it that draws him 'so irrevocably'?" Ukyo asked bitterly. Mousse looked between Ukyo and Ranma.
"I do not wish to offend you, Saotome, but her question deserves an answer." Ranma grit his teeth. Akane stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around one of his. The intimate contact relaxed him. He nodded once.
"She is a mate. She can be a friend, a confidante, a lover, all with ease. Shampoo cannot. She is only able to be a lover with ease. She must work at the others. A mate is what Saotome needed. He did not grow up in a home and she represented one. Despite her treatment, she accepted him into her home. She was his ideal mate. I saw that in her. It was attractive. I do not think however that she and I could ever be lovers; she and I could only be friends. Besides, I do not want a mate, which is why I do not love her."
"And just what the hell am I?" Ukyo shouted. Ranma winced and stiffened. Mousse looked at her confused.
"You are neither. For Ranma you are a sibling." Ranma nodded agreement. Ukyo had always been a sister to him. Ukyo however did not like that. She ground her teeth together, ignoring the pain in her face. She would not be able to marry him for love, but he would pay for the hell of a life she had lived. She stalked over to him and glared at him.
"You owe me, Saotome. For ten years I searched for you to get back what you stole. For ten years I gave up my femininity." Behind Ranma, Akane snorted.
"Please," she growled, "Ranma did not make you give that up. You chose to give that up. I agree that he *and his father* owe you a debt of honor, but you will not blame your bad decision on Ranma." Stunned silence filled the air. Ukyo fell back a step, shocked at first, then she recovered. She would NOT let Akane speak to her that way.
"Who the hell gave you the right to get involved in this?" she screamed at Akane.
"Ranma did," she screamed back. The two women were nose to nose now. "He gave me the right when he gave me his name." Again Ukyo fell back a step. So, she would not be able to marry him at all. Raw hurt and anger filled Ukyo and she slapped Akane. Akane put a hand to her face stunned. Ranma started forward, mad as hell, but Akane raised her arm to stop him.
"Get out, Ukyo. I said we owe you a debt of honor and it will be paid, but you are in my home and I will not let you treat me with disrespect." Ukyo glared at Akane. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Ranma.
"You lay a hand on her again, Ukyo, and I will kill you." Ukyo glared at Ranma.
"You are not the same Ranma I once knew."
There was silence and then:
"We all are not the same, Ukyo. Not since the day I decided I'd had enough."
~~~~~
Ukyo felt sick. She had heard of Ranma's attack on Mousse. She hadn't heard the reason behind it though. Everything had gotten so weird here lately. Ever since that day Akane had brought Ranma and her tea. It had gotten worse after her encounter with Akane. The other girl's words had been brutal and for days, Ukyo had waited for Akane to come apologize, but she never had. In fact, Akane had seemed to slip into a deep depression. Her eyes were almost constantly red and she rarely spoke. Even Kuno had left her alone. Ranma had been almost as bad. She had been pleased that he had come everyday after that, but he had only talked to her about what Akane had said. When she had refused to answer his questions he had sunk into silence. There was always this indefinable emotion surrounding him.
Now, a week after his attack on Mousse, she was unable to talk to him. She had not seen him at school and Shampoo would not talk to her. The Amazons had packed and Ukyo knew that they were just waiting for Mousse to heal enough to travel so they could leave.
It had come down to the one thing she did not want to do; she had to go to the Tendo Dojo.
~~~
Ranma refused to let Akane go. For three years they had been in love and for three years they had said nothing. A full week of pure hell for both of them had been capped with a secret marriage. Honestly he was afraid she'd disappear. So, he refused to let go of her.
Akane didn't try to leave. She was afraid he'd disappear if she left. So, she didn't leave.
Their families had been startled to find them together in bed. Their fathers had been utterly confused yet refused to push their luck and had insisted on a marriage. They had been only to happy to agree. The only complaint was from Nabiki who had not managed to make a single cent from the whole thing.
Neither one of them had wanted to explain to their fathers how they had gotten together, so their fathers had paid Nabiki to find out. The only thing they knew about was the attack.
~~~
A knock on the door interrupted Kasumi. She was talking to Dr. Tofu about the attack. He had been unwilling to go into many details but what he had said was disturbing.
She rose and went to open it, passing Ranma and Akane curled up on the couch together. She was a bit wary of the intense nature of their relationship but they seemed to have no problems with it, so she left them alone.
Kasumi tensed when she was who was on the other side of the door. Ukyo. She stretched her lips into a smile.
"Come in." She led Ukyo to the living room where Ranma and Akane were, not bothering to give her a warning. She doubted that after everything that had happened these two weeks, nothing could be a shock. She did not know that Ukyo knew nothing. When Ranma and Akane came into view, curled contentedly around each other, the snarl that came to Ukyo throat was pure instinct.
"You bitch!" she screamed, lunging for Akane. The backhand that sent her sprawling could not be seen.
"You. Will. Not. Touch. Akane."
"You were mine, Saotome!" Ukyo raged, trying to climb to her feet. The world spun around her and she had to squeeze her eyes shut to keep from vomiting. Two gentle hands gripped her under her arms and Ukyo let herself be lifted.
"I would not try that again, Kounji Ukyo," a soft voice said. "I learned the hard way no to come between them." Ukyo opened her eyes to look up at Mousse. He was pale but whole. His eyes held no hatred to her surprise.
"He attacked you because of her?" Mousse nodded. He looked over at Ranma. The young man was tensed in front of Akane. She had a worried hand around his arm. Ranma's eyes held no hate, only weariness.
"I came to apologize, Saotome. I came to you as a friend, but did not remain one. I should have not let myself show what I felt."
"You should not have felt anything." Mousse shook his head.
"I would not have tried anything. I saw what it was about her that drew you so irrevocably in that instant. I had not anticipated have such a response in myself."
"And what is it that draws him 'so irrevocably'?" Ukyo asked bitterly. Mousse looked between Ukyo and Ranma.
"I do not wish to offend you, Saotome, but her question deserves an answer." Ranma grit his teeth. Akane stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around one of his. The intimate contact relaxed him. He nodded once.
"She is a mate. She can be a friend, a confidante, a lover, all with ease. Shampoo cannot. She is only able to be a lover with ease. She must work at the others. A mate is what Saotome needed. He did not grow up in a home and she represented one. Despite her treatment, she accepted him into her home. She was his ideal mate. I saw that in her. It was attractive. I do not think however that she and I could ever be lovers; she and I could only be friends. Besides, I do not want a mate, which is why I do not love her."
"And just what the hell am I?" Ukyo shouted. Ranma winced and stiffened. Mousse looked at her confused.
"You are neither. For Ranma you are a sibling." Ranma nodded agreement. Ukyo had always been a sister to him. Ukyo however did not like that. She ground her teeth together, ignoring the pain in her face. She would not be able to marry him for love, but he would pay for the hell of a life she had lived. She stalked over to him and glared at him.
"You owe me, Saotome. For ten years I searched for you to get back what you stole. For ten years I gave up my femininity." Behind Ranma, Akane snorted.
"Please," she growled, "Ranma did not make you give that up. You chose to give that up. I agree that he *and his father* owe you a debt of honor, but you will not blame your bad decision on Ranma." Stunned silence filled the air. Ukyo fell back a step, shocked at first, then she recovered. She would NOT let Akane speak to her that way.
"Who the hell gave you the right to get involved in this?" she screamed at Akane.
"Ranma did," she screamed back. The two women were nose to nose now. "He gave me the right when he gave me his name." Again Ukyo fell back a step. So, she would not be able to marry him at all. Raw hurt and anger filled Ukyo and she slapped Akane. Akane put a hand to her face stunned. Ranma started forward, mad as hell, but Akane raised her arm to stop him.
"Get out, Ukyo. I said we owe you a debt of honor and it will be paid, but you are in my home and I will not let you treat me with disrespect." Ukyo glared at Akane. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Ranma.
"You lay a hand on her again, Ukyo, and I will kill you." Ukyo glared at Ranma.
"You are not the same Ranma I once knew."
There was silence and then:
"We all are not the same, Ukyo. Not since the day I decided I'd had enough."
~~~~~