Chapter Eighteen: Ukyo's Rage

The young male baby who was destined to rise up once again was currently sleeping peacefully in his tiny crib. One day he would be become a true god of chaos to the world, paving the way for the ascension of his people by wiping out the human civilizations that got in his way. As the body of the child snored and rested, the mind within was hard at work, studying the situation in Japan with a keen tactical mind. He was a patient entity. There was no other choice when one was trapped inside the body of a small child. Yet even given his patient mind, he couldn't dismiss a sense of strong annoyance that had been plaguing him since Ranma and Ryoga's battle with the Shadow Warrior.

The Warrior was an absolute fool. He had found victory and had walked away from it, allowing his foolish pride to get the better of him. Ranma and Ryoga were now training for a rematch when in reality they should have already been placed six feet under amidst a crowd of tear stricken family members. This Warrior who kept his identity a carefully guarded secret could not do so from this entity's eyes. He knew who this armor obsessed man really was. He also knew that this man knew Ranma very well. That would mean he also knew how resilient Ranma was. He could not be beaten the same way twice. The fool should have thought about that before he had let them escape.

Now it was up to him to aide the Shadow Warrior indirectly. The Shadow Warrior had initiated battle with Ranma, so it was only fair to leave that boy alone until the Warrior could kill him at the next battle. The same could not be said for Ryoga. If he were removed, it would cut Ranma's chances for winning down to impossible. With this thought in mind, the entity scanned Tokyo, searching for the best tool to use as a catalyst for Ryoga's undoing.

It didn't take him long to settle on Ukyo. While hard at work in her shop, with Ryoga not far away as he wandered the streets in confusion, he noted that her inner thoughts betrayed her. Waves of uncertainty, jealousy, and depression rolled off of her in copious amounts. Using his energy like a hand, he touched her. She was none the wiser to his probe and he sowed the seeds of violence into the back of her mind. She was now a silent time bomb. When Ryoga spied her restaurant and entered to gain his bearings, he would unwittingly ignite that bomb. With his powers firmly locked onto her spirit, she would become a demon of vengeance and attack him.

If he possessed the ability to chuckle the being would have then. Manipulating these pawns was far too easy. Today would see the end of Ryoga and the securing of victory for the Shadow Warrior against Ranma. The Warrior's vengeance would be sated and he would retire in victory and the world would be without Ranma to intervene on its behalf, leaving it ripe to the entities ravaging claws.

Ukyo was concerned. No, concerned wasn't even the right word. The magnitude of its meaning didn't even come close to describe what she was feeling inside her heart. She was downright worried. Ranma and Akane hadn't been acting like themselves lately. They never fought anymore, reinforcing the fact that the two were growing closer than ever before, even though she hadn't seen them act lovey dovey. Were they hiding something from her? This turned her stomach painfully and her pretty face contorted into a grimace. Could it be that the two actually... no! She wouldn't let herself think that, no matter what! Ranma had never shown true love for Akane before, and she didn't believe he would start now.

She smiled with self-assurance. Someday he'll break off his engagement to Akane and come to me, his rightful fiancée. He knows who the better choice is. I'm much better qualified than that bob hair-cut wearing klutz.

As she served up a few orders in her restaurant, the skilled chef held fast to her dream. It was only a matter of time until Ranma wised up to the facts. After all, she was cuter, smarter, had a better body, and could cook! Yes, it was only a matter of time. Her resolve strengthened and this thought looped through her brain over and over. He had promised to look after her hadn't he? Ranma wouldn't break his promise, she was sure of that much. He had twice the amount of honor his father possessed.

This waiting is unbearable though. It's going on much too long.

She sighed inwardly, throwing a piping hot Okanomiyaki onto a hungry customers plate. It was also strange that Ranma hadn't stopped by to see her for a while. With the promise of free food, he usually showed up once or twice a week at least, and always on the night's Akane tried to cook. Recently though, she hadn't seen him except at school. Either Akane had suddenly learned to cook, which was impossible, or something else had come between her and Ranma, distracting and occupying his time.

I'll whip up some food and go visit him after I close for the night. He always enjoys a free meal.

Serving the last few customers she began making a deluxe custom made Okanomiyaki for Ranma, adding lots of Squid on the top since she knew it happened to be his favorite. She was in the middle of drawing up a heart made out of sauce when the door chime ringed, signaling the arrival of another hungry customer. She smiled inwardly. If there was one thing she was thankful for it was a steady business. The suburbs of Tokyo were a great location, especially since her cooking blew most of the other local restaurants out of the water.

"Welcome to Ucchan's Okanomiyaki!" She said without looking up. "Come on in, sugar."

Completing the last sauce brush-stroke on her masterpiece, she glanced up and smiled, ready to make her new customer feel right at home. "Take a seat and... Ryoga? Hey, what are you doing here?"

Ryoga stood in the doorway looking a bit confused as he went from glancing from side to side to staring deep into her blue eyes. "Oh, hey, Ukyo. I was out jogging with Akane and I kinda' got lost. You know how it is." He put his hand behind his head and laughed nervously.

Something triggered in the back of Ukyo's head. She recalled that he had been acting nervously around her for the last few months. She made a mental note to inquire about that later but for now she had much more pressing things to ask him. "Have a seat." She motioned with one of her spatulas at the stool in front of her.

Ryoga's been hanging around Ranma and Akane a lot lately. Maybe I can milk him for some information on why they've been acting so strange.

She knew how gullible he was. This helped her to take advantage of him in her schemes to steal Ranma away from Akane. The only problem was that her plans never worked for one reason or another. If they had, she wouldn't have any need to take advantage of his weak points. She didn't necessarily like using Ryoga's weakness against him; as far as Ukyo was concerned, using Ryoga to gain some information that would lead her to securing a future with Ranma was all just means to an end.

"So, why out jogging, Ryoga? It's not like you to take in such a light workout, is it? Usually when you train you rush into the heavy stuff right away like swinging a telephone pole around or something."

"I'm trying to build up my speed and endurance for our upcoming fight."

Our? What the..? She began cooking him a free snack. Food besides beer, was the easiest way to loosening a man's tongue. "Fight? With who?"

Ryoga looked at her with a puzzled expression. "You mean you haven't heard?"

"Heard? Heard about what!?" Her curiosity was hooked. She absolutely hated to be left out of the loop. The way Ryoga was talking made her think she was about to gain some crucial knowledge. She didn't like being kept out of the loop on events, especially when it involved people she knew.

Ryoga looked her hard in the eyes. "Three days ago, Ranma and I fought this strange character from China dressed in some kind of combat armor. We lost badly... to say the least. He almost killed us. So, now we're training for a rematch."

Ukyo thought back to three days ago. "I've been out of school these last few days to cater to a huge armor collection group that's meeting here in Tokyo. That's probably why I haven't heard about any of this. I'm horrified Ran-chan was hurt, but I'm not surprised you two didn't win, you never did work well together."

Ryoga shook his head. "That was true, but not anymore. Ranma and I have put side our differences. We aren't rivals over Akane anymore."

Ukyo blinked in surprise. This certainly was a day of news! "And why is that?"

"Because Akane's chosen Ranma over me. We have nothing to be rivals about anymore. What's the point?" Instantly he clamped his hand over his mouth. He'd forgotten that he wasn't supposed to talk about Ranma's and Akane's relationship, especially to people they knew. Damn it, I blew it!

A lump settled in the pit of her stomach. "What do you mean 'she chose him?!'"

Ryoga sighed. He'd already started telling her everything. No point in trying to hide after the fact. "Simple, Ranma and Akane have finally admitted their care for each other, in a sense. I always knew the love was there, but I thought I could delay it until I could make Akane love me. I never really had a chance with her now that I look back at it."

"This… isn't possible…" She dropped the spatula she had been cooking with as coldness swept up her spine like a harsh winter wind.

Something snapped inside of her and Ukyo existed no more. A darkness came over her mind and suddenly the shock was replaced by pain, anger, and shadow.

"R-r-ranma and Akane... in... love...?! No. No! Noooooooooo!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, causing the few remaining customers to bail out of the restaurant like it was on fire. Her heart shattered and fell in little pieces into the sinking pool that was her stomach. Cold tears sprung from her eyes and washed down her cheeks. As she hunched forward, they fell onto the grill, causing it to sizzle.

"No!" She swatted all her cooking utensils and plates off the counter with her fist. "It can't be true! Ranma loves me, not her! It's a lie! A lie! You're lying to me! You have to be!"

Ryoga stumbled off the stool and took a cautious step backwards. He had never seen Ukyo act so angry before. He wasn't sure how to properly handle the situation. She was clearly going to take it worse than Shampoo had given her longer relationship with Ranma and he, like an idiot, hadn't realized that in time. Ukyo and Ranma had known each other for most of their lives and Ranma had lead Ukyo on not once, but twice, regardless of the fact that he didn't know he was doing it. It was only natural that she'd be as crushed as she was.

What he truly wasn't prepared for was how traumatic she had become in the course of a few seconds. When a person's only dream and love are placed in a single thing and person and then it is removed forever, they handle it in different ways. It was the final straw for Ukyo and the last of her rational thought was buried beneath a wave of angry red heat.

"Akane! Akane, you…damn you! How could you do this to me!? Ranma, you promised to look after me!"

She let out another heart-shattering wail and threw several razor sharp spatulas into the walls as her madness took hold of her mind, craving destruction. Her anger turned into a berserk fury and her eyes tinted red and narrowed into mere slits, like the hooded eyes of a snake. She wanted to break something more than ever before in her life.

Ryoga was starting to get scared. Looking upon her now, he almost couldn't tell it was her; she had changed into a dark monster of vengeance. "Ukyo, calm down! It hurt me too, at first! There was nothing I could do! Besides, now that I think about it, Ranma and Akane belong together!"

An insane gleam shone in her eyes. "Oh, but there is something I can do about it! I'll kill Akane! Ranma will be mine! Forever!" She grabbed her spatula and bolted for the door.

Ryoga could never have guessed Ukyo was capable of such fury. When Ranma brought her back to her sense of womanhood after she had shunned it for so many years, she had rebuilt her life to revolve solely around him. To have been cheated out of a shining, promised future, it was no wonder Ukyo's sanity was crumbling into nonexistence. There was nothing left for her to cling to.

Shit! Ryoga reached out and grabbed onto her arm before she could clear the door. He slammed her back into the wall and held her struggling body in place. He found to his immense surprise that he could barely hold her back.

"Ukyo! Snap out of it! You're talking like you've gone insane!"

"I haven't gone insane. No, far from it! For the first time in my life everything makes perfect sense. I've been living a lie, Ryoga! But today, Ranma will be mine! Don't try to stop me! You won't succeed! No one will! Ranma will be my husband!"

"I won't let you hurt Akane!" he screamed, shaking her violently.

Ukyo went limp. As she ceased to struggle, her head fell forward and her chocolate colored hair blocked him from looking into her eyes. "Let go me Ryoga," she commanded evenly. "Right now."

He shook his head. "I can't do that until you calm down, Ukyo."

"I said, let go!" She managed to get her arm with the spatula free. With a great swing, she cut deep into Ryoga's side with the sharp side of her battle spatula. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as blood splattered across the wall.

Pain rushed up through Ryoga's body and he knew only agony as a jolt slammed through his spine. The blade sliced into him, past his skin, past his muscle, through to bone, and even into his very soul. He screamed in pain and fell to his knees. His bright yellow shirt turned a dark shade of red and his vision blurred almost instantly as waves of pain overwhelmed his senses.

Ukyo towered over him, looking down at his body without expression. He looked up at her in shocked silence, his form shaking half from pain, half from fear. She was going to kill him! There was no remorse or room for mercy in her clouded mind and he couldn't stop her as injured as he was.

Fire and pain consumed him. He didn't know what to do.

Her gaze was murderous, as if she had been inconvenienced by attacking him. "Now do you see? You can't stop what has to be!"

She swung her spatula downward, attempting to cleave him in half. At the last second however, her eyes opened a fraction wider and she swung to the side, imbedding her weapon into the floor beside him. She missed him by mere inches and she had done so on purpose. With trembling hands, she gazed at her weapon as if for the first time, neither speaking nor moving for a moment that stretched on forever. A shred of sanity had returned to her, but Ryoga couldn't count on it to last. He had to act before she could make another move!

Her eyes were large and feral. Trembling, she panted for breath, unable to focus her gaze on anything. "Wha..?"

"Bakusai Tenketsu!"

With a jab of his finger, Ukyo's spatula shattered before it could be used again. Destroying her ancestral spatula was a small price to pay to save his life. His wound started to throb terribly and the pain nearly caused him to vomit. He grimly realized he was probably going to bleed to death long before help could arrive. He rose to his feet despite the agony coursing within and pinned her arms down to her sides. The lack of blood made the effort nearly impossible and it was his will alone that continued to fuel his body. It took all of his strength just to stay conscious.

"Ukyo! Snap out of it, damn it! Get a hold of yourself!" He screamed, resisting the urge to shake her harder.

Ukyo snarled and tried to break free but even injured as he was, Ryoga was still too strong for her. He realized that he might have to knock her out if she couldn't be made to come to her senses. He had never hit a woman before, except for Ranma in her female form, but didn't count since Ranma was really a man. He really didn't want to hurt her, even after all she had done.

He quickly decided to try and reason with her once more. "Ukyo, get a grip! What would Ranma think if he saw you right now!?"

Ukyo stopped struggling and looked at him as pain surfaced in the blue sea that was her eyes. The madness melted away and her beautiful features once more made it apparent as she returned to herself. "R-r-ranma..." She fainted dead away, falling limply into his arms. He laid her on the floor as gently as he could, struggling to maintain a normal rate of breathing.

"This hasn't been my week. Not my week at all." He winced. Pulling up his shirt, he looked down at his side, revealing a deep, lateral gash that was bleeding his life-giving blood away in copious amounts. Crimson blood trickled down his side, further staining his shirt and pants.

I've got to call a doctor! Spotting a telephone over on the counter, he stumbled over to it, willing his lead legs to move. But as his knees buckled, he realized it was too late. His time had run out and his strength was waning.

Falling to the ground, he dimly felt his cheek hit the ground and he stared at the legs of the tables around him. Vaguely he felt the taste of blood in his mouth, running over his tongue. Is this it? Is this how it all ends?

Everything went black and he knew no more.

Ukyo woke up and groaned, rubbing her aching head. Her vision swirled madly before her as if a freight train had hit her head on. "What happened? What am I doing on the ground?" She shook her head, blinking the red spots away and rose to a sitting position, feeling sick to her stomach. She looked around at her restaurant in shock. Tables lay overturned and several plates lay in pieces on the floor. It looked like the scene of a bar room brawl from some martial arts movie. "What the! What happened in here!?"

She saw Ryoga lying much too still on the ground by the counter in a pool of his own blood. She saw he had tried to stumble over to the telephone, because sticky blood was smeared all across her counter… and the trail started from where she was at. On the floor for her eyes to see were bits and pieces of her spatula, also covered in blood. She gasped and cried out in horror, remembering the events that had just transpired.

"Oh gods, Ryoga! No!" She ran over to him and knelt, checking out his condition. She was relieved to see that he was still breathing, but his face was deathly pale and growing more so each moment.

"Ryoga, wake up! Ryoga! What have I done?!" She shook him gently but the boy didn't stir. His wound was leaking his vital life essence at an alarming rate. If he didn't get help soon he would surely die.

Acting quickly, she called Dr. Tofu's clinic, dialing the number with frenzied hands. A cheery voice answered the phone. "Onno clinic, this is Doctor Tofu speaking. How may I help you?"

"Doctor, there's been an accident at my restaurant! Ryoga's hurt bad and bleeding all over the place! Please hurry over!"

"I'll be right over! Dress the wound and apply pressure! You must get the bleeding to stop."

"Yes sir!" Ukyo hung up the phone then grabbed a spare towel from her closet. As directed, she applied pressure to his wound, holding the deep cut together as best she could. Ryoga groaned in pain and she felt stab after stab of guilt and horror wash through her soul. She held the cloth to him, willing the blood to stop seeping.

"Ryoga, forgive me! Oh gods, please forgive me!"

A few minutes later Dr. Tofu rushed in holding his medical bag tightly in one hand. His eyes widened in concern when he looked at Ryoga's wound, inspecting it with care. "Call the paramedics, Ukyo! I'll do what I can in the meantime!"

Ukyo called for an ambulance and gave the voice operator her name and address. Hanging up when directed to do so, she went back over to Dr. Tofu watching his hands work with skilled given to him after many years of practice. He had managed to stop the bleeding, but not much else. Ryoga's breath started coming in shorter, ragged pants and his skin was a sickly white shade.

"Oh no, no, no…" Ukyo's face paled and her hands came up to cup her mouth.

Dr. Tofu applied some strategic pressure points, but he was truly working against time itself, and his frenzied motions showed that what he was doing was not going to be enough by itself.

The paramedics burst into the room soon after and quickly hoisted Ryoga's near lifeless body onto a stretcher. Ukyo and Dr. Tofu jumped in the back of the ambulance escorting him off to the hospital. The clock ticked by, increasing Ryoga's chances of death with every turn of the hand. Time was running out and Ukyo held on tightly to his hand as the ambulance screamed down the city streets, she wished it was her in the stretcher, feeling the pain and agony she so rightly deserved to feel.

As Ryoga was wheeled off to the emergency room, Dr. Tofu conversed with a group of other doctors who would soon be operating on the boy. Ukyo sat alone in the waiting room, numb from the events that had occurred as a direct result of her actions. Guilt welled up inside of her like a fierce storm and pain pierced her brain like lightning.

This is my fault! What the hell got into me?! I can't believe I almost killed one of the few people I can actually call a friend! What am I going to do!? Ryoga... I'm so sorry...

She put her head in her hands and began to cry, finally releasing the tears she had wanted to shed hours before. She hated feeling sorry for herself, but a part of her realized that she couldn't help it. It disgusted her how cruel she had been and she understood that there was no one to blame for that but herself. Whatever punishment fate had in store for her would be completely justified.

She felt a hand land on her shoulder and she quickly wiped her eyes, mumbling an apology. She looked up at Dr. Tofu and saw her sad face in the reflection of his glasses. The image shocked her. She was used to being strong and independent but her current image looked more like a scared child than a dependable working girl.

"The doctors say that he's going to make it," Tofu said softly. "They're going to operate on him right now."

Ukyo wiped further tears from her eyes as relief flooded over her. Ryoga was clueless and gullible at times but he had a warrior's attitude and a kind heart. He didn't deserve the injury she had inflicted on him. Like her, he had also been chasing the love of his life, a love he too was destined to never have. In a way, she had always felt a connection to him because of that. How many times had they worked together for the betterment of their own separate yet similar goals?

"Ukyo, how did this happen?" the kind doctor asked, penetrating her thoughts.

It was the question she had been dreading to answer. Her mouth went dry and her mind began to spin. Should she tell the truth and deal with the consequences or try and lie her way out of it?

"I did it, doctor." There was no point in lying about it, she was honest if nothing else and took a small measure of pride in that fact. "Ryoga told me about Ranma falling in love with Akane and I... I... something came over me and I was going to do something horrible. Ryoga stopped me... but I..."

Her voice trailed off and she clung to the doctor's gray robes as fresh tears filled her eyes. This is it, he's going to call the authorities and I'm going to jail for the rest of my life...

The doctor put his hand under her chin and made her look up at him. "Ukyo, I know that it's hard knowing that the man you love loves someone else, but that doesn't give you the right to hurt a person because of it. He could have died! What were you thinking?!" he asked sternly.

"I don't know," she moaned. "Now Ryoga will hate me! Everyone will hate me! I'd be better off leaving town and never coming back. No one wants a mental case around."

Tofu sighed. "I'm afraid the situation might be a bit more severe than people simply not liking you. Under situations like this, I'm obligated to call the police. However, I've decided to give that decision to Ryoga. That's the right thing to do, I think."

Ukyo's face paled. "I'm doomed..."

"Here, dry your eyes." He handed her a handkerchief. "I want you to go call Ranma and tell him that Ryoga's in the hospital. Weather you tell him how and why he got here is up to you, but you will have to tell him eventually. I'm sure you'd rather tell him yourself before any rumors reach him first. When Ryoga wakes up I'll let you go and talk to him."

He cleared his throat, allowing some of his stern demeanor to slip away. "I never expected anything like this would happen much less involve you, Ukyo. I'm so horrified, I can't even describe it. I am going to schedule you for a psychological evaluation tomorrow. A good friend of mine runs a clinic just outside of town and he's very good. You will be there. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir..." Ukyo couldn't make eye contact. The shame welled up inside of her. An outcast and a nutcase. Ukyo you fool. You stupid, stupid fool!

Tofu cleared his throat again. "I don't think anyone will hate you, Ukyo, not even Ryoga." Don't ask me why, it's just a feeling. My hunches are usually correct. Ryoga's a complex boy and I think that after something like this, you'll find him more confused than angry."

"Yeah… right…"

"Now, you go make that phone call, ok? I've got some business to attend to." He handed her a few yen and scooted her off to the nearest pay phone.

She dialed the phone with shaking hands, struggling to keep the receiver from shaking as she brought it to her ear. She didn't want to do this! Time slowed, intensifying her agony to a nearly unbearable level. Something resembling self-hatred filled her mind and frustration caused her to grip the phone even tighter.

"Tendo residence," A familiar voice said.

"Hi, Kasumi. This is Ukyo." She tried to make her voice sound as normal as possible. "May I please speak to Ranma?"

"Oh, hello, Ukyo! Hold on, I'll go get him." She set the phone down. "Akane! Stop hitting Ranma with the stone from the Koi pond! Ranma, you have a telephone call. It's Ukyo."

"But Kasumi," he said, his voice carrying over the receiver, "processed trash tastes better than her cooking!"

"Ranma! How can you say that after all the effort I put into making this for you!?"

"Well I'm only stating the truth," he added. "I could lie to you if that would make you feel better."

Slam! Ukyo couldn't help but winch as she heard him get hit upside the head.

His pain filled voice answered the phone. "Hi, Ukyo. What's up?"

"Hi, Ranma. Listen, there's been an accident and I'm at the First Tokyo hospital with Dr. Tofu.

"Are you ok!?" Concern flooded into Ranma's voice like rain into a storm gutter.

"I'm fine. Its Ryoga... he's... he's hurt really bad."

"What!? We'll be right down! Which hospital?"

Ukyo struggled to keep her tone even as she gave him the information. It was hard, but not in comparison to what she knew was coming.

Ranma hung up without another word. Ukyo slammed the receiver back onto its place and went back to sit down. She wanted to die, to escape the pain her actions would cause. She was a coward, and perhaps had always been one. Mashing her teeth together, she held her head in her hands and wept angry tears, rocking herself back and forth.

An hour or so later, the Saotome's and Tendo's burst through the door, startling several of the nurses as they walked through the hallways. If the sight of a disheveled screaming boy wasn't enough to catch people's attention than the sight of a giant panda pushing through the doorway to the waiting area certainly was.

Ranma stepped forward. "Where's Ryoga?!"

"He's in the emergency room." Ukyo stepped up to him but cast her eyes downward, unable to meet his gaze. "He has a deep cut on his side. He almost bled to death."

"How did this happen!?" Akane asked, coming up to Ranma's side, holding onto his arm in fear.

Ranma's face turned a sickly shade of white. Did the Shadow Warrior do this? Our week isn't up yet! Did he do it to show us he was serious about what he said about hunting us down if I didn't show up? Wait, why would he try to kill an opponent before the match, I thought his whole goal was to test his strength against the two of us! It just doesn't add up!

Dr. Tofu walked up to the group, saving Ukyo from having to respond to the hated question. He took off his thin spectacles and cleaned them on his shirt. "Ryoga's awake now, Ukyo. The surgery was a success. I'll let you go talk to him but keep it quick. He does need his rest after all. The nurses moved him to room 324."

Ukyo nodded then sprinted down the hall, trying to outrun her pain. No matter how fast or hard she ran though it always kept pace, taunting her, reminding her how hellish she really was. Ranma had looked at her with such concern and pain over his new found friend's welfare. It broke her heart over and over again. Everything she had seen thus far had served to remind her that everything was her fault.

His eyes, surely they were staring at her back even now, watching her with concern and confusion. Please, please don't look at me Ranma...

"What's goin' on?!" Ranma shouted as she turned the corner to go down the next hall. "Why does she get to visit him and we don't?!"

She found the right door easily enough and paused in front of it. Fear filled her heart once again like molten fire but she gathered her composure and steadied her resolve.

I'm the one who caused this mess and I'm the one who will have to deal with it! Knocking gently, she opened the door to more pain and stepped inside, trembling slightly. "Umm, Ryoga?"

Nothing could have prepared her for the look Ryoga gave her when she entered the room. It wasn't a look of fury, or hate, rather, it was a questioning look, much as Tofu had said it would be. His dark eyes shown, pleading for a reason, wanting to know why she had caused him so much unwarranted pain. Suddenly, she was afraid of Ryoga, afraid he would hate her. She was terrified of what he might say, what he would do to her.

The color had returned to his face and he had a small tube inserted into his left arm. His regular, blood-soaked clothing had been removed and a crisp white hospital gown now covered his weakened form. To see the powerful boy, who was capable of bringing buildings down around him if he so wished, lying weakly in a hospital bed shocked her. Timidly, she went and knelt by his bed-side. He looked so helpless.

He looked over at her, struggling to find the right words to say. "Ukyo..."

The way he said it, so full of sadness and pain, pushed her over the brink. The soft, pain filled voice and the look of his eyes destroyed any last bit of self-control she had managed to scramble together.

"Oh, Ryoga, I'm so sorry!" Tears stained the beds white sheets as she leaned over him. "I never meant to hurt you like I did! You're one of my best friends! Please... please don't hate me." She looked away, clenching her eyes shut. "Send me to jail; let me rot for what I've done! I hate myself for hurting you!"

Ryoga put his hand over hers. "I don't hate you, Ukyo." His voice came in barely over a whisper. "I know how it feels to lose your chance for happiness with the person you love. Watching them embrace the one they love, who might be your greatest rival hurts so much. I know all about the pain and the loneliness. It's almost unbearable for you, isn't it?"

"Yes but it's was no excuse for hurting you, not even because of a broken heart! You were a wonderful person for stopping me from doing something I'd regret even worse. You're a good, kind-hearted man. And me…"

A half sob, half laugh escaped her lips. "And I'm a demon." She didn't know why he was being so nice to her. She wanted to be treated like trash, it was what she deserved. His kind words made her pain even worse.

"Stop it," he scolded softly. "I can't tell you the number of times I've tried to do worse to Ranma over situations half as bad as this one. Besides, I don't think you were trying to kill me, even in your former state of mind. When you cut me and knocked me to the ground, you raised your weapon up to cleave me in half and I was sure I was going to die. But, at the last second, you swung to the side, purposely missing my body. Somewhere inside, you managed to hold onto your humanity. It almost felt like you were being controlled, or something."

"Stop rationalizing things, damn it! Call me names! Insult me! Tell me how worthless I am! I deserve it!" She squeezed her eyes shut tightly. "I'm so angry at myself that I can't stand it!"

He gave her hand a light squeeze and laughed softly, shaking his head. "Those drugs the nurses gave... I'm started to feel sleepy. Listen, Ukyo, I've lived with the pain of loneliness all my life so I know its effects better than anyone. When I came to Nerima and met Akane, everything changed in my life. For the last few years I thought Akane was the only person who kept me coming back here again and again, dreaming for a better future."

He sighed. "Now, I know the truth. I couldn't even admit it to myself before, but I realized there was a reason I kept teaming up with you, allowing myself to play the fool in our little schemes to win over our beloveds. It started just after I rescued you on Togenkyo, when you bandaged my wounds and complimented me as I lay exhausted on the ground after using the Shishi Hokodan on that monkey guy. That dress and the way it complimented you, the concern for me in your eyes, I found myself losing my former views of you and adopting new ones."

Ukyo cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Ryoga couldn't hide a huge yawn but he forced his eyes to stay open. "I traveled a lot after we got back from Togenkyo, training some, as I tried to find my way back. But for the most part, I spent my time thinking. The more I thought about you and Akane and the situation at hand, the more I realized my own feelings. I felt I had to hide them and I tried to appear the same as I always had. I didn't see you for a long time. The only two times I can recall were from a distance at the Christmas party and again when I teamed up with you in the cave full of ghosts a few weeks after that."

Ukyo nodded, looking away. "Yeah, I remember that. We fought pretty well together didn't we?"

Ryoga nodded, smiling slightly. "Your skill impressed me and even though we failed in our goal to steal over Akane for me and Ranma for you, I wasn't sad. Because as we stumbled out of that cave as everyone laughed at us, calling us a couple, I realized with finality that I did indeed have feelings for you. But I hid them deeper still and tried to stay away from you, focusing on only Akane."

He looked at her, fighting back sleep but losing as the drugs worked within him. "I thought it was dishonorable to care for two women at the same time."

"Two women?" Ukyo's eyes widened in shock. "You can't possibly mean...?"

Ryoga nodded. His eyes started to droop. "I've given up on Akane. Ukyo Konji, I…still… care for you…" He drifted off into a restful sleep, his head settling back into the pillow.

Ukyo bolted into a standing position. "W-what!? Wait a sec!"

Her eyes grew wide in amazement. Her mind started whirling again as a thousand things hit her at once. She lowered her head, feeling faint. It was such a sudden proclamation she didn't know how to handle it. It was also one of the last things she expected to hear from Ryoga given the circumstances. She had never thought of him and herself as compatible.

She stumbled out of her chair and fell to her knees beside his bed, watching him sleep. She shook her head violently. This isn't right; he's supposed to hate me! I don't deserve to be loved! I would never have thought… not after the way I used him over and over to get Ranma. But if he knew and went along with it… this is all happening too fast!

Dr. Tofu opened the door, clearing his throat and rescuing her from her own thoughts. "Ok, Ukyo, it's time to go. Ryoga needs to rest and, from the looks of it, so do you. Come on, I'll drive you home."

Ukyo nodded numbly, following him out the door. She passed Ranma and Akane who were on their way in to check on their fallen friend before going home. She absent mindedly waved good night to them, sighing at the sad expressions their faces bore. Ranma didn't try to stop her or shout an inquiry this time, but she knew he would come seeking answers soon enough.

"May I come visit Ryoga again, doctor?" She asked.

"Of course, though I'll have to ask that a security guard waits outside the door. You must understand, after the incident today, I have no choice. But you can visit him every day if you want. I'll get you a pass to wear so the hospital officials know who you are. Oh, and I'll pick you up tomorrow at four for your appointment." He didn't tell her, but he had heard Ryoga's confession. It had surprised him too.

He smiled to himself, turning away so she couldn't see his face. Love springs up at the weirdest times.

He wondered if he would ever gather the nerve needed to tell Kasumi about his feelings for her…

When he dropped her off at her restaurant, it was around nine. She opened the backdoor with a key that she hid under a loose brick then went straight up to her bedroom. She slipped out of her clothes and put on a pair of silk pajamas she had purchased a few months before. Climbing into bed, she sighed, feeling the coolness of the sheets brush against her skin. Her mind still raced along inside her head. There was no way she could sleep after everything that had happened. She had too much to think about and the burden of guilt had yet to be lifted.

You should still feel guilty! She snarled fiercely, gripping her spatula's handle as she sat in bed. You were a monster today! You nearly killed your best friend! He should hate me. And yet... he doesn't. Why!? Why did he forgive me so easily!? How could he love a monster like me!? It doesn't make any sense!

His words came back to her. "I could never admit it, not even to myself. I thought it was dishonorable to care so much for two women at the same time."

Ryoga's words etched themselves into her mind. "Ukyo Konji, I love you..."

She stood up and opened her blinds, allowing the moonlight to flow in around her. The soft cool breeze gently tickled her bare legs. How can he love me after what I've put him through? It's insane! Is he teasing me as a way of revenge?

She thought about it for a moment then ruled it out. No, Ryoga doesn't joke around when it comes to feelings. He always was a sensitive guy. Maybe… maybe he really does love me!

She looked up at the moon. How do I feel about him? That's a damn good question. Before today I would have told myself he was nothing but a tool to break up Ranma and Akane, a lost boy with a gullible nature who served a purpose in my various schemes. I guess I never did get to know him like I wanted to. I treated him so badly. He certainly didn't deserve that.

An image of Ryoga helping her against the hoard of spirits in the Tunnel of Lost Love flashed in her mind.

He really is handsome, she thought. Those little fangs of his are just adorable. He's shy but still really sweet, and I know I don't deserve him, or any other decent guy for that matter. That's about the only thing I'm sure of right now.

She shook her head to clear it. Stop thinking nonsense, Ukyo! I'll talk to him about all this tomorrow. I'll convince him that he's just confused and his speech was nothing but fever induced talk.

Getting back into her bed, she stared at her ceiling until sleep finally took her un-willing mind. In her unguarded mind overcome by sleep, where nothing can hide itself, visions of Ryoga filled her dreams and a light blush touched her face.