Ukyou's Other Woman 2/6
by Trisha Sebastian
[insert standard disclaimer here]
Megumi stepped back a little, and I could tell what she was
backing away from. She looked at me, really looked at me, and started to
giggle.
Her giggle grew louder and louder, and she finally started to belly
laugh, drawing odd stares from Ranma and Akane. She clutched her stomach
and howled all the while pointing at me and shaking her head.
"Uk-san," she laughed, "you know, for a minute there, I thought
you had breasts!" She laughed again, this time slightly hysterically.
I saw Ranma grimace at the sound. It was eerie to hear it coming
from Megumi. "I must be really tired! Because if you really do have
breasts, then you wouldn't be Ukyou Kuonji, would you?"
I scratched the back of my head, and gave a sheepish grin. "No,"
I said. "I'm not the Ukyou Kuonji you know." I didn't know what
else to say. Of all the people I have ever known in my life, she is both
the first and the last one I had ever wanted to meet again.
"That's what I thought," she said, her giggles subsiding.
Megumi edged towards the door. "No, you're not Ukyou, and I'm in the
wrong place. I'm sorry to have troubled you folks." She turned to
leave and found Ranma standing in her way. "Excuse me," she said.
"I have to find Ukyou."
Ranma gave her a funny look and opened his mouth. Before I
knew what I was doing, I crossed the distance and clamped my hand tightly
over his mouth, effectively shutting him up. "Go on, now," I said,
"and I wish you luck."
Megumi paused at the door, then opened it briskly and took off into
the evening. I had almost forgotten how quickly she could run when she
wanted to. Right now, she was running like a demon was after her.
The restaurant was deathly still. All the customers had turned
in their seats to watch the little drama play out. I felt the weight of
a dozen pairs of eyes on me, daring me to explain what just happened. I
snapped.
I slammed my spatula down on one of the tables real hard. "Eat!"
I screamed. They all turned back to their dinners muttering about the
incident. I knew, that within hours, the gossip mill of Nerima would
be all a-buzz over the latest incident in Ucchan's. That was the last
thing I needed.
Ranma leaned over and inquired, "So who is she? Another loopy person
from your past?"
Akane shoved him in the shoulder. "As if your past isn't any more
loopier." She turned towards me with a look of compassion. "Is she a
friend of yours?" she asked gently.
Tears began to form in my eyes. I brushed them back with my sleeve.
"Yes," I replied, "she was a real good friend of mine. She was probably
the only person who really understood me." I looked out the window
into the night. "She probably hates me now."
Akane smiled, "I don't think things would be all that bad."
Sometimes Akane's optimism is so blinding that it borders on Kasumi-
ness. I managed a weak smile in return. "I think they might. Listen,
Akane. I don't ask you for favors much, but this is a real big one.
Could you try and find her?" I asked. "I have the feeling that she's
gone somewhere else in the business district to try and look for me.
Can you put her up for the night?"
"What will I say to her?"
"Say that you're a friend of mine and that I heard she was here." I
paused. "And please, don't tell her I'm not a boy."
Ranma interrupted, "Why not?"
I sighed. "It's a long story, and I'll tell you tomorrow, Ranchan.
Please, find her."
Akane smiled again. It's almost contagious the way she does that.
"It would be my pleasure." She grabbed Ranma by the shoulder. "C'mon,
baka," she said.
"Hey, I don't want to go looking for some crazy girl," he protested.
"I wanna find out what's going on."
"Please, Ranchan, go with her," I begged. "I want to be alone right
now."
Ranma looked like he was about to argue the point, but Akane
gave him another strong poke in the shoulder, and the both of them left
the restaurant. After that, the evening dragged closer and closer to
quitting time. As I cooked and avoided the prying eyes of my customers,
I thought about Megumi. I thought about what might have brought her all
the way to Nerima to find me. And I shuddered at the thought. Finally,
when the last customer left the shop, and the grill was
turned off, and the lights dimmed, I began to cry.
I didn't get much sleep that night. I kept wondering if Megumi
was alright, if she was mad, if she would stay. Most of all, I was
hoping Akane would keep her promise and not tell her anything.
The following day, I didn't open the restaurant. I sat there
in the dark, my mind going around in circles. Tsubasa knocked on the
door several times, but I didn't even move to spatulate him. I just kept
thining and worrying.
I was about to go over to the Tendou's when I heard a knock at
my door. Enough was enough. I yanked the door open and screamed, "Get
away from me, you cross dressing freak!"
"Gee, if that's the way you treat your friends, I'd hate to see how
you treat your enemies," Ranma grinned. Akane was standing next to him,
a strange expression on her face.
My heart leaped. "Is there anything wrong? Did she stay in
Nerima? Did you get to her in time?"
"Yes, we did," Akane replied. "Megumi's resting up at our house
right now. She had a long train ride and she said she was exhausted
from the trip." Akane cocked her head at me. "She also kept asking me
about you."
I froze. "What did you tell her?"
Akane smiled. "I kept my promise, like you told me to."
I sagged against the doorway. Ranma stuck his hands in his pockets
and whistled. "So, she thinks you're a guy?"
I grinned weakly. "Yeah, it seems to be my curse in life."
Ranma flinched and I asked them to come inside. Automatically
I started up the grill and began cooking their orders. When the
okonomiyaki was steaming on their plates, I began to speak.
"Remember when I made that vow, never to live as a woman
again? I took it seriously. So did my parents. So much, that they
forced me to go to school in another city and take on a whole new
identity. I couldn't tell anyone, because to do so would compromise
my family honor. So, everywhere I went, I was a boy."
I looked down at my hands. "I never made any friends because
I went to all-boys' schools, and I didn't like any of the boys. They
were all bullies. One day, I caught some of them overpowering
a girl in a temple garden. I guess you could say I snapped. I
went into samurai mode and stepped into help her." I grinned at the
memory. "But Megumi proved that she could handle herself in a fight;
that day, she was just outnumbered. I helped her home, and that's
how we became friends."
"Hey, that sounds pretty normal," Ranma said. "So why'd she
follow you here?"
I lied, "I don't know. Maybe she just got worried about me." I
changed the subject. "That's now important now. All I need to do is
get her out of here. I can't let her see me like this."
"Wait a second, Ukyou," Akane broke in, "You're not ever going
to tell her the truth?"
I shook my head. "I'll go visit her at your house tomorrow,
let her know I'm fine and get back on that train. She'll thank
me for it later."
Akane stood up. "I think that's a rotten thing to do. She came
all this way, and you're just going to tell her to buzz off?" She leaned
over the counter towards me. "I may not have told her about your
gender like I promised you, but I did tell her about you. She's real
excited to see you. I'm not going to let you do this to her."
"Oh, come on, Akane," Ranma interrupted. "Let Ukyou handle
this in her own way. She don't need you butting into her business."
Akane growled at Ranma. "Oh really, Mr. Know-it-All?
What do you think she should do?"
Ranma shrugged. "If it were me, I'd walk up to her and say,
'Gee, you've been real nice to come all the way out here, but I can't
let you stay. I have a secret life-threatening illness, and I have
only four days to live.'"
I looked at Ranma as if he'd turned into a panda. "You really
are your father's son, aren't you?"
Ranma bristled, "Hey! He may not be the smartest man in the
world, but he's right about some things. Like telling the
truth only gets you a table in the head." Ranma glared at Akane
while he said this, and I knew what was coming next.
As I watched them argue, I thought about what Ranma said.
Of course I couldn't lie like that; I couldn't tell her the truth,
either. She would never believe me, and most importantly,
she'd hate me forever.
Akane booted Ranma out the window, and slammed her mallet onto
the counter. "Honestly, he's got no sensitivity whatsoever!" she
huffed.
I supressed a grin. "You're no better, Tendou Akane,
and you know it."
Akane's eyes widened, before she settled down. "Well anyway,
there's something else Megumi told me." She paused and fidgeted with
her fork. "She said that she thinks she might be in love with you."
I sighed. "I was afraid of that. Now I know I can't tell
her I'm really a girl."
"All the more reason to tell her, Ukyou," Akane replied. "You
may think that she'll hate you for it, but it will all work out in
the end." Akane turned to leave. "At least promise you'll come for
dinner tonight?" she asked. "I told Megumi I'd at least try for that.
What do you say?"
"I don't know, Akane. We'll see."
Akane stopped by the door and turned to give me one last pleading
look. I turned my head away, and I heard her close the door, shuffle over
to Ranma and heft him over her shoulder.
I went back to my supply closet and got out the spare building
materials. As I repaired the window, I pounded out my decision.
WHAM! I go. WHAM! I don't go. WHAM! I tell her. WHAM!
I don't tell her.
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
Needless to say, dusk approached very quickly.
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
TO BE CONTINUED.....
Author's Notes:
7-11-97
This marks a new direction for this fic, and a new state of mind.
The reason why it took so long is: a) It's hard writing from a
point of view not created by yourself and b) I wasn't sure
how to get from point 'A' to point 'B'.
I hashed it out for my fiance, and it met with his approval.
I just hope you like it too. I also made some minor cosmetic
changes to the first chapter.
As usual, send C&C to <sebast5228@theonramp.net> as I am no longer
subbed to the ML.
Also, if you haven't read the prologue or first chapter yet,
please send requests to that same address.
Foxtrot the Furryous, CBTFH, ret.
Foxtrot the Furryous, CBTFH, ret.