Author's notes: This is a repost, but it contains a couple more 
paragraphs than the initial story. Anyway, I hope I cleared up the 
spelling and diction, and thanks to everyone who wrote in their input 
after I first posted this. ^_^

The following shortfic was inspired by Gary Kleppe's "Ukyou and 
Ryouga". After thinking over what Akane and Ranma's married life might 
be like after ten years or so, I finally came to an inevitable 
realization about their wedded life...

                        ========================
                              Revision 2.0
                            AKANE AND RANMA 
                             by Sydney Kyle
                        ========================

   "AKANE! Are ya _still_ tryin' to kill me???" 

   Akane Saotome hardly spared him a single glance as she continued
to stir the bubbling pot. The stove top was smeared with various ill-
smelling concoctions and oddly-colored unidentified dripping objects.

   "When are you going to stop thinking that I'm trying to _kill_ you, 
Ranma?" she shot back sharply, her back still to him. "If you can't
stand my cooking, then why don't you get some take-out or something?"

   Ranma Saotome glared at her from behind the kitchen counter, clutch-
ing a bowl filled with something that vaguely resembled clumps of 
seaweed. "You know we can't afford take-out for a while, Akane," he 
retorted. 

   "And we both know whose fault THAT was now, don't we?" 

   Ranma's head jerked up, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. "And 
what's _that_ supposed to mean?" he queried, barely able to control
the anger in his voice.

   "You know damn well what I mean, baka," Akane went on dully. "Ever 
since you and your father started freeloading on my dad's hospitality, 
we barely have enough now for the kids and me to get by."

   "Don't you dare blame that on me," Ranma growled. "If I remember
right, it was _your_ pop who decided to stop teachin' any new classes
in this stupid dojo, so don't blame me if he decided to get lazy!"

   That was enough to make Akane finally face him. On her face was an 
expression that he had long gotten used to--an expression she had worn
from the first time he had known her. It was an expression of disgust,
and anger, and hate. But, unlike the earlier days, this time there was
no sign of concealed love beneath it. 

   "Shut up, Ranma," she hissed, and a blue aura slowly began to 
materialize around her body. Any second now, her strength would be 
drastically enhanced--enhanced enough to allow her to heave her mighty
iron mallet or break every bone in his body. "Just...shut up. Don't...
don't make me do this where the kids can see us."

   "Shut up my ass. If you weren't always tryin' to feed me poison..."

   "POISON??" Akane sputtered. "I slaved over this damn stove for three
hours, trying my best to cook the family something extra-special, and 
you're calling it 'POISON'???!"

   "Extra-special?" Ranma repeated in disbelief. "Do you mean like an
extra helping of toxic waste in the ingredients, maybe?"

   "I'm trying my best to cook, Ranma!" Akane shrieked, her battle aura 
swelling alarmingly. "You could at least understand that!"

   "Understand--understand. I've been tryin' to understand that for 
years," snapped Ranma, pacing agitatedly around the kitchen, bowl still
clasped in his hands. "If you weren't such a stubborn, macho tomboy, 
then you woulda accepted Ukyou's offer to teach ya how to actually cook
somethin' edible!"

   "Oh, Ukyou now, is it?" Akane's eyes began to blaze. "Come to think
of it, why don't you just go over to Uuchan's and eat all the 
okonomiyaki you can stuff your fat face with, Ranma? Honestly--
complaining about having nothing but poison to eat, and you looking 
like a carbon copy of your dad already!" She gestured at him in disgust.
"You've put on a little weight, Ranma. Without any reason to continue
training in the martial arts, and without anyone good enough to 
practice on, you've made yourself into a blimp. And go get yourself a 
toupee or something. The glare from that head of yours is starting to 
blind me!"
 
   Ranma turned away from her. "I don't really care anymore _what_ the 
hell you think, Akane."

   "Oh, then it's true, isn't it?" Akane egged him mercilessly. 
"Lately, all you've been talking about is Ukyou--or is it Uuchan? 
Ucchan this, Uuchan that. 'Uuchan always cooked better than this, 
Akane'. 'Uuchan would listen to me on this, Akane'. 'Uuchan would 
understand me, Akane'." She spat out his phrases in a crude, 
contemptuous imitation of his voice. "Uuchan, Uuchan, Uuchan. Well, 
I'm DAMN SICK OF HEARING ABOUT HER, RANMA!"

   "What's the matter, Akane? You jealous of her?" Ranma taunted, his
lips curled in a sneer. 

   Her eyes widened, then narrowed as fury overwhelmed her. "Why, 
you--you--"

   "And whatta 'bout Ryouga, huh? Why do _you_ keep mentionin' his 
name? D'you think _he's_ better than me?"

   Akane swallowed hard. "At least he treated me like a lady!" she 
yelled, beginning to shake. "He never called me names, or made me feel
stupid, or told me that I couldn't cook! He would have died for me!"

   "Oh, yeah?" Ranma shot back, his breathing labored as he battled to 
control his temper. "That so, Akane? Then GO run to Ryouga then, why 
don'cha?"

   Akane opened her mouth to form a retort, but stopped. She lagged 
against the counter, looking old and tired. "Let's stop this," she said
quietly. "Please, Ranma. Not now. We'll talk about this later."

   Ranma slammed the bowl down on the counter with a vicious clang. 
"Fine, Akane. Fine. I'm outta here."

   He stormed out of the kitchen, leaving Akane alone with her thoughts
and the faintest trace of moisture in her eye.

* * * * * *
 
   Ranma Saotome sighed as he hefted his frame up onto the roof of the
Anything-Goes dojo. He was slightly winded from the effort, and he 
grudgingly acknowledged to himself that Akane might have a point about 
him being out of shape--though he'd never admit it to her, though.

   He sat up there for a while, admiring the starry night sky. It had 
been quite a while since he had been on the roof. 

   It was amazing, really, the way he could see the top of nearly 
every house in Nerima from this spot. In the distance, he could see 
the silhouette of the abandoned Kuno estate, as well as the ghostly 
remainder of what had once been the Nekohantan. And then his gaze was 
arrested by the sight of a single neon sign that signaled the 
location of a restaurant he hadn't been to in years.

   Uuchan's.

   The mere name flooded his mind with an onslaught of long-gone 
memories--memories of a time of innocence, a time of youth, a time 
when he had a best friend. 

   He'd known Ukyou since childhood. His earliest memories featured a 
slightly more masculine perspective of her, since he hadn't known that
she was a girl until she'd caught up to him in Nerima nearly ten
years after their first acquaintance. 

   Ranma closed his eyes.

   How had that masculine, cross-dressing tomboy become such a 
beautiful young woman before his eyes in just a few years?

   He didn't know. And for the life of him, he didn't know why he
hadn't dared to find out.

   Everything about her was so familiar to him--everything from her
long, gorgeous mahogany hair, the immaculate white ribbon she wore,
the blue okonomiyaki chef's suit she wore that accentuated her curves
instead of hiding them--everything so familiar to him, so comfortable. 
He felt at ease around her, and she had never got angry with him on a 
daily basis like Akane did. She understood him, respected him, and 
accepted him the way he was. He could tell her all his deepest 
secrets, trust her with his life, and know that she would stand 
behind him no matter what the consequences were.

   She was his best friend. And he'd thrown that away.

   His marrying Akane had literally broke Ukyou's heart. She was 
hurt and enraged at first, but as time went on, she began to accept 
it, moreso than Shampoo or Kodachi. 

   From then on, Ranma had seen less and less of her. Then one day
she dropped by the Saotome-Tendo dojo one last time and informed him
and Akane that she was getting married. And all Ranma could think of
was how happy and radiant she seemed.

   Of course, she had never looked more beautiful to him on her 
wedding day.

   The reception was both joyous and nostalgic, and when the band 
struck up a slow ballad, Ranma had hesitantly asked her for one dance.
Akane had shot him a slightly disapproving glance, but in the end it 
was all worth it because Ukyou said yes.

   They danced. And danced. And danced.

   The song ended after a few minutes, but to Ranma it had seemed an
eternity. Finally Ukyou disentangled herself from his reluctant arms
and smiled up at him. Ranma had tried to read further into that smile,
wondering for the briefest moment whether the love she had once had
for him was still there.

   It wasn't.

   That was the last time he saw her. Ukyou Kuonji had moved on.

   And now, many years later, as Ranma Saotome sat on top of the roof 
of the Tendo dojo, reminiscing about the girl he had left behind, he 
couldn't help but wonder if he had made the wrong choice by marrying 
Akane Tendo.

   <But it's too late now,> he thought.

   He buried his head in his arms, struggling to hold back his 
emotions.
 
   <Uuchan...> He shut his eyes tightly. <I love you...I wish...>

   If he had the power to turn back time, he was certain that things 
would be _very_ different.

* * * * * *

   "How _dare_ he think that!" Akane murmured, rubbing ferociously at
the stains that dotted the white stove top. "How _dare_ he think that I
want Ryouga!"

   She threw the rag across the room and sank to her knees on the cold
kitchen floor. She closed her eyes, sighing deeply. 

   <Ryouga...when I last saw you, you hadn't aged a day...> 
    
   Akane had never known that he had loved her, and when she had told 
him of her intention to marry Ranma, it set in motion the cycle that 
kept him from ever wanting to see her again. 

   Akane had been so sure that she had made the right choice. After 
all, Ranma was the first one whom she had felt this way about--he had
been the one who made her heart jump into her throat; he had been the 
one who made her knees weak--Ryouga certainly hadn't made her feel that
way. She was so sure that she and Ranma were destined to be together; 
she was certain that Ranma's love for her was enough to allow him to
love her forever.

   On the other hand, Ryouga's love for her was enough to allow him to
let her go.

   Akane brushed her straggly hair out of her weary face, a tiny smile
tugging at her lined mouth as she conjured up every memory she had of 
Ryouga Hibiki.

   Her P-Chan.

   When she felt lonely, P-Chan was the first one who sensed it and 
comforted her. When she was troubled, P-Chan listened to her without 
letting out as much as a "bwee". When she was cold, he gave her warmth.

   Granted, she had been enraged when she found out that Ryouga was 
actually P-Chan, but she had found it in her heart to forgive him.  

   After all, when she was in trouble, Ryouga had been there--when he
wasn't lost. When she needed someone to train her in order to defeat
her "sisters", Ryouga had been the one to do that. He had never doubted
her, never judged her, never disrespected her.

   It had been a long, long time, but for Akane Saotome, it seemed like
everything about Ryouga Hibiki had been imprinted firmly in her mind,
tucked away in a hidden corner that no one could ever disturb or take
away. She remembered him so well, in fact, that if she could close her
eyes and concentrate on those recollections, she could almost feel him
there, standing close to her, as if he'd never gone away at all.

   He would stand there next to her, in his yellow and green traveling
clothes, knapsack and umbrella strapped to his back, yellow-and-black
spotted bandanna knotted around his head, keeping back his perennially 
tousled dark hair. His oddly-hued eyes would shift subtly from a soft
golden bronze to a deep emerald color as he observed her, and a 
lopsided smile would tug at his mouth, displaying the barest hint of
his even white teeth and adorably tiny fangs. His tall, virile form
would be tense with barely controlled power whenever he was around
her...

   He'd been handsome even then. But that was nothing compared to 
how he looked on his wedding day.

   Akane had been the one to catch his eye. She was dressed in a pale
blue chiffon dress, which she'd hoped was moderately flattering on her
mothering figure. He had donned an elegant white tuxedo that perfectly
complemented his dark hair and eyes. 

   A song had already started, and she'd boldly approached him with a
vaguely playful intent of dragging him out onto the dance floor. It was
meant to be a mischievous venture, nothing more.

   So she wasn't prepared for the jolt of electricity that surged 
within her the second she felt her skin touch his.

   They danced. And danced. And danced.

   And all too soon, it was over.

   Akane disengaged herself, and tentatively lifted her head and looked
into the deep, bottomless pools of his eyes. She didn't know what she 
was looking for, and she was afraid to acknowledge it herself.

   But whatever she'd been looking for, she didn't find anything 
within them that was reserved for _her_.
 
   Because everything he had was now all for another.

   His bride.

   There was no mistaking the expression on his face when his new wife
came up to him and requested a dance with her new husband when he 
and Akane were done. They had waltzed away together, with him 
nearly tripping on her wedding train, her practically dangling from his 
neck,  and the both of them laughing hysterically at their antics. 

   Akane had watched them, feeling the frozen, artificial smile nearly
crack her face in two.

   That was the last she'd seen of him.

   She'd lost him. Completely, totally, and irrevocably. 
  
   She'd lost P-Chan. She'd lost her pet, her friend, her confidant,
her protector.

   But most of all, she'd lost Ryouga. She'd lost the boy who had once 
loved her so much that he had been willing to sacrifice his happiness
for her own.

   Akane felt her body tremble, and a single tear slid down her cheek.
Whether she liked it or not, there was no going back. There was no 
repairing the mistakes that she'd committed.

   Because Ryouga Hibiki was married now. To Ukyou Kuonji.

   And they were happier than Akane and Ranma would ever be.

   <Oh, God...Ryouga...how could I have been so wrong?>
   
   Akane Saotome began to cry.

   She was longing for someone she once had--someone she could 
never, ever get back.

                              =finis=