# # # # # # #

Okonomiyaki

# # # # # # #

CRAAAAAAAP! NononononononoNO! It's over! It's all over!

Ryoga ran on his little P-chan legs through the streets of Nerima. How appropriate that it would start to rain. He slid and skittered around corners, not caring where he went, no matter that he did not know, he just had to get away. He knew he was being a coward, but he just could not face Akane.

Ryoga found that he had to pause to catch his breath. Shame and guilt was practically suffocating him. Only at this pause did he stop to look around. He had not noticed that he had run into a building.

I'm . . . I'm at Ukyou's . . . Great. Just wonderful, the last person I want to see right now.

Ryoga turned around to head back to the door, but, true to himself, he got turned around.

Where'd the door go?

Suddenly, his feet were off the ground.

"How did you get in here, little guy?"

Ryoga frantically flailed in Ukyou's grasp.

"Poor thing, you look awful. How-a-bout after I close my store I'll clean you up and give you something to eat? Then I'll call Ran-chan and he'll come and pick you up!" She said.

Ryoga almost physically recoiled. He had never heard Ukyou speak so sweetly. For a moment it reminded him of Akane.

Akane . . .

The poor lost boy felt his heart plummet. His aura was getting heavy.

"Um, Miss Ukyou?" A customer said.

Ukyou put down Ryoga. He was now hidden behind the counter.

"I'm ready to order now."

"Great! What would you like?"

Ryoga's depressed ki began to build. Ukyou, with her martial artist's sixth sense, felt it and started, upsetting the tea pot she kept next to the grill. The pot and its contents promptly drenched the little black piglet.

"Oh, dear!" cried her patron. "Can I help you clean that up?"

"No worries, I got it." Ukyou turned to P-chan. "Are you alri . . .?"

Ryoga kept his head bowed and legs tightly folded up to his chest. Things had gone from horrendously tragic to . . . something even worse than tragedy . . . if such a thing were even possible.

Ukyou's eyes widened, but to her credit, she did not visibly react beyond that.

Okay, so what? The Lost Boy is cursed, too.

Ukyou took a deep shuddering breath as she suppressed the urge to scream.

You have a customer, keep it together, keep it together . . . ! Oh, my gosh! HE'S Akane's pet pig! Stop it, Kuonji! Keep it together, keep it together!

The customer sat up in his chair and tried to look over the counter to see what the fuss was.

"Wha-?"

Ukyou stepped into his line of vision. "What would you like?"

"Uh . . . the special would be fine."

Ukyou quickly untied her apron with one hand and tossed it on Ryoga without taking her eyes off her customer.

"One special comin' right up!"

The okonomiyaki chef admirably went about her work as if there wasn't a young naked man hiding behind her counter. It took all her control to, number one: not yell and, number two: not blush.

Ukyou only just poured the batter on the grill when she felt Ryoga's depressed aura flare up violently. She turned to see the lost boy surrounded by a blue glow. She knew this feeling . . . she had seen this attack before . . . and the devastation that followed.

The customers all began to notice now the ominous glow coming from behind the grill and were getting nervous. The floor began to vibrate.

Shi-Shi-something . . . The Shi-Shi Hokudan!

Ukyou vaulted the grill and began to push her patrons to the door.

"Everyone, I believe we are experiencing a minor earthquake! Please exit the building in an orderly fashion!"

Once they were all out Ukyou ran back over to Ryoga. Her knees began to buckle under the depressive atmosphere the Lost Boy was creating. It was so heavy . . .

Ukyou took him by the shoulders and gave him a violent shake.

"What happened? Come on, idiot, snap out of it!" She gave him a few good slaps but, to no avail, in fact it seemed to make it worse.

"I have done . . . an awful thing . . ." Ukyou realized he was talking to himself. He did not even notice she was there. "I should be hit . . . " She heard Ryoga breathe. " Or even better, someone should just kill me . . . I deserve to die . . ."

"Ryoga, don't say that!" She raised her hand with the intention of slapping him again, when his next words stopped her cold.

"Ranma confessed to Akane and she acc-accepted him! I . . . I . . . lost! Who am I kidding? I never had a chance to begin with . . ."

What?

If Ukyou had the ability to perform a Shi-shi Hokudan, she would have pulled off a beautiful blast right there. And unfortunately, her own recently aquired depression only served to feed his further.

"I'm a sorry excuse for a human being! I shared Akane's bed as her pet pig! Let her hold me to her . . . her . . .! I . . . I WANNA DIE!"

Ryoga's yell snapped Ukyou back to reality.

"SHI . . ."

"RYOGA, YOU JACKASS, NOT IN HERE!"

Wrong thing to say.

Another wave of heavy ki forced her to her knees.

What to do, what to do? She had to distract him, something that would derail his depressed thoughts.

What would move him . . . ? Ukyou quickly thought back to the first time they met. Ranma had presented her bound chest to Ryoga to keep him from landing a blow on what he thought was a man.

I am NOT going to force his face against my chest!

" . . . SHI . . ."

Think, girl! THINK!

Ukyou grabbed his face and pressed her lips against to his.

" . . .HOKUMMmmph—"

Immediately the dark aura vanished. Ryoga's arms, which had been forming the stance, dropped to his sides.

Ukyou felt something wet touch the corners of her lips, then tasted salt. She pulled away from him and looked at his face. Ryoga was staring at her, blearily, with a touch of confusion.

"U-Ukyou?"

"Hi, sugar."

The Lost Boy suddenly passed out, his head landing on Ukyou's chest.

It did not stay there long.