DISCLAIMER: I ain't even gonna bother. -------------------- Ranma 1/2: A Village, Ten Years Later By Jack Staik -------------------- Ukyo Kuonji looked over the vegetables in the market stall, checking each assortment for quality. After all, if one seeks to create the world's best okonomiyaki, one should start with the best ingredients. That's why she had come to this isolated village in the mountains, to find a source of still-better vegetables and spices and herbs. A bump caused her to spill her basket. "Oh, I'm sorry -" she and the other one said at once. "It's all right," Ukyo said, "No harm done - RANMA!!" "Yes?" Ranma said, looking at her. Then, recognition entered his eyes. "UCCHAN!!" The two old friends hugged each other. "It's so good to see you It's been so long -" they babbled at each other, then giggled. "Good gods, Ucchan! I never expected to see you here! What are you doing here, anyways!" Ukyo smiled proudly. "I'm getting ingredients for an okonomiyaki." "Just one?" he asked, smiling. "It *is* for the Crown Prince. He requested it." Ranma's eyes widened. "Cooking for the Imperial Household? My old buddy's become too good to associate with me!" Ukyo giggled and blushed. "And what are you doing here? This village is kind of out of the way, y'know." "That's why I settled down here," he answered. "And I'm the village constable." "Still the hero, Ranchan?" "Always," he said with gruff humor. "Not that I want it, but it seems to get dropped on me with monotonous regularity." "Monotonous excitement?" The old friends laughed. "So - how's Akane doing?" Ukyo asked. "Akane?" Ranma asked in return, puzzled. "I haven't seen Akane since I left Nerima - about ten years or so." "What?" Ukyo said. "She disappeared the same time you did. Everyone assumed that the two of you ended up together." "Everyone but us," he said, cheerfully. "I don't know where she is. I assumed she stayed in Nerima." Ukyo looked shy for a second. "Well, did you ever get a girlfriend or married or anything? Just curious." Ranma laughed. "I'm not as dense as I used to be, Ucchan! Yes, I have a wife. And she's in her third trimester, so don't flirt with me too outrageously - she gets jealous easily, and I want her calm right now." Ukyo was somewhat disappointed that Ranma was attached, but her *was* her oldest friend. "I'm happy for you, Ranchan. Your first child?" "Seventh, actually." "SEVENTH??" Some men nearby laughed. "That's Saotome! The Breeding Machine!" "Seven kids in six years! Never lets the poor woman rest!" "He's just gonna keep breeding until his offspring overrun the country by sheer numbers!" "Knock it off, ya bums!" Ranma answered good-naturedly. "You seem to fit in here," Ukyo said. "Yeah," he said, "This is home, now." A few minutes later, the two of them were sitting in a nearby cafe, enjoying a cup of tea. "Ranchan, you don't mind if I ... tell your mom where you are? I think she'd like to hear about you." "Sure. No problem. I don't think those loons that used to chase me around would care anyhow, after all this time." He looked apprehensive. "Or would they?" "Well," Ukyo said, thinking. "Kuno might - if he gets off his medication. Otherwise, he's just too nice." "That's good - I won't miss the Blue Thunder. What about Kodachi?" "She'll try to convert you to her faith." "What faith is that?" "I haven't checked recently - it changes regularly." Ranma had a good laugh over that. "You hear anything from Shampoo?" Ranma asked. Ukyo shook her head. "Just what I hear in the news. We kept in touch during her days in the Cabal - I was part of the organization that funnelled money and weapons into China - but after the Third Revolution, she became too busy to keep in touch." "Yeah, running a country probably keeps you busy," Ranma agreed. "What about you, Ucchan? What are you doing with yourself?" "Well, let's see - three restaurants and an Okonomiyaki Martial Arts Dojo, my Royal Command Performance -" "Braggart," Ranma said, smiling. Ukyo stuck her tongue out and went on, " - one failed marriage - " "Sorry." "Don't be - I got a great daughter out of it, so it wasn't a total loss. Besides, what Tsubasa lacked as a husband, he more than makes up for as a friend and father to Amiko." "Tsubasa?!?" he laughed. "Long and unbelievable story." "You forget who you're talking to." * * * * * * * * * * The two old friends chatted for a couple of hours; Ukyo about her restaurants and dojo and daughter, Ranma about his wife and children and his life as the law enforcer of the small village. They also talked about old friends; Ryoga and Akari, who had married, divorced, re-married, divorced again, and were about to marry a third time; Kasumi and her husband, who ran a day-care center; Ranma's parents, and the younger brother that Ranma hadn't known he had; Nabiki, who had become wealthy, had a nervous breakdown and became homeless, and had rebuilt her life and become a schoolteacher. After a long talk, the shadows lengthening unnoticed, Ranma suddenly glanced up. "She's coming," he said. "Who?" "Mariko - my wife. I can feel her." Ukyo was impressed by Ranma's sharpened senses. "Well, I'll go then -" "Don't you dare!" he said. "I want my best girl to meet my best friend." Ukyo smiled "Here they are! Miko-chan! Sakura!" he called to the very pregnant woman and her kimono-clad friend. Ukyo couldn't help but stare. This woman was - to be polite - not what she expected. She was *homely*!! Her nose was *huge*, her skin was blotchy, her face was square, and even taking the pregnancy into account, she had virtually no figure. And wearing jeans and a flannel shirt didn't help her appearance. If it weren't for the pregnancy, Ukyo would be hard-put to say whether or not she was a woman. "Hiya, otemba-chan," he said sweetly, kissing her with gentle affection. "Hi yourself, you violent thug," she replied. Then she looked at her husband's friend. "Well, I go shopping with Sakura-chan, and you run off on a date with some strange woman." "Ha-ha," he replied. "Honey, this is Ukyo Kuonji, my oldest friend in the world." Mariko's eyes got wide. "*You're* Ucchan?!? This is a pleasure. I'm honored to meet you." She tried to bow, and Ranma steadied her and guided her to a chair. "Careful, honey," he admonished. "Yes, please be careful, Mariko-san," the kimono-clad woman told her. "You never take care of yourself when you're expecting." "Ranma, you're a worry-wort. And Sakura, you're his emergency backup worry-wort." Sakura smiled at Mariko's gentle humor - and something clicked in Ukyo's mind. "Well, Sakura," she said, "you're a friend of the Saotomes?" "I've served the Saotomes for six years," she said proudly. "No, you haven't," Ranma insisted. "You've been our friend for six years." He turned to Ukyo. "Sakura was lost in the woods when she stumbled across our house. She became our friend, helped out when Mariko was too pregnant to do anything, and was even the midwife for all our children." "It's an honor to serve," she said humbly. Ukyo got to know Mariko Saotome well in the next hour, and got an open-ended invitation to dinner at the Saotomes. Ranma had married well; a woman of strong spirit, gentle heart, and caring nature, with a backbone of solid steel. When the time came to pay and leave, and the cafe owner tried to not accept payment, Ranma had to gently persuade him to accept. From the way they did it, Ukyo was certain that this was a regular occurrence. "What - Ranma Saotome not accepting free food? Did aliens operate on your brain or something?" Ranma chuckled. "Naw - I just grew up. Besides, since I'm the constable, it wouldn't be decent to take free food and gifts." "Well, we should get home," Mariko said. "The children should be home from nursery school soon, and we should get the groceries home." "Don't worry," Ukyo said. "I brought my cart - I was hoping to get enough ingredients for the whole banquet. Sakura and I can load your groceries on it, and get it home for you." "No, I should help - " she insisted, trying to stand. "Ranchan, are you going to let your pregnant wife overexert herself?" Ukyo asked. "Nope," he commented. "Sit, otemba-chan." "But -" she tried to argue, only to be silenced by Ranma's lips on hers. Ukyo and Sakura went out and put the Saotome's groceries on Ukyo's cart, and re-arranged the contents to give Mariko a place to sit. Ukyo looked at Sakura. "So, how'd you pull it off, Akane?" Akane/Sakura jerked in surprise. "Wha- " "How'd I figure it out? It's been ten years, and you've really aged badly, but when you smiled, I recognized you instantly. Ranchan always said you had one of the most brilliant smiles he'd ever seen." Akane blushed. "He - never said that to me." "What happened, Akane? This 'Sakura' thing -" Akane sighed. "You remember when Ranma left?" Ukyo nodded. "Well, the night before, we had a huge fight. I don't even remember what it was over, but we got so heated that I said some - truly horrible things. I'm ashamed to even think about them, even now. The next morning, Ranma was gone. "After a couple of days, it was obvious he wasn't just coming home. I went after him, wanting to find him and hit him for making everyone worry so much. "It took three years, but I found him. He was already married to Mariko, and she was pregnant with Jiro, their firstborn. I watched them from hiding for two months, listening at their windows, spying on them with binoculars ... "I would watch Ranma treat her with respect and kindness and gentleness, expressing his love and affection for her. I would get jealous - madly jealous." Akane took a deep breath. "I was planning on - on waiting for Mariko to give birth and attack her. To take the baby. And teach Ranma a lesson about abandoning me. "Then, one day, I imagined Ranma treating me like that. And I realized I wasn't daydreaming, I was ... remembering." Akane sobbed briefly, and dabbed at tears with a handkerchief. "He *had* treated me with kindness. With respect and affection. And I never noticed. "I saw the way he looked at Mariko, and I knew he had once looked at me the same way. And I never noticed it." Ukyo waited a moment while Akane sobbed a bit more. "After years of hunting him, and months of stalking him, of plotting to assault his wife and kidnap his child - I finally realized that he had loved me. And I ruined it." Akane looked at Ukyo. "Ukyo - Ucchan - did you know?" "That Ranma loved you?" She nodded. "Yeah." "When I realized it - that I loved him - was the same night I realized that he had loved me, and that he now loved someone else." Akane took a deep, shuddering breath, and dried her tears some more. "Do you know how she won him, Ukyo? She was ... kind to him." "What do you mean?" "Just that. When he said something insensitive, she didn't hit him or yell at him, she simply pointed out that it hurt her feelings. He'd get apologetic, and wouldn't do it anymore. "Once, Ranma gave Mariko a present - earrings. She just thanked him and kissed him on the cheek. I remember when Ranma gave me earrings, and I accused him of being guilty of something I didn't know about, and of buying them to soothe his conscience. "She doesn't mind being called a tomboy - actually, 'Otemba' is her family name. When he would accidentally insult her, she'd just *look* at him, and he'd wilt. He hasn't insulted her in years." Akane sobbed. "It was so clear. If *I'd* treated him gently - with respect - *I* would have been his wife, the mother of his children. Instead - I drove him away. "The day I realized all this, I took a rope, and went to a cherry tree." Akane pulled the scarf from her neck, showing Ukyo the scar around her neck. Ukyo gasped in shock. "That's when Ranma found me," she continued. "He cut me down, brought me into his house, tended me until I recovered." Akane laughed a hollow laugh, filled with tears. "The final insult - he didn't even recognize me!" "Ranma said you were lost, and found his house by accident," Ukyo said. "Ranma was trying to save face for me. He believes it would be embarrassing to me for everyone to know that I was trying to kill myself." Ukyo put an arm around her onetime rival. "Considerate of him, ne?" Akane nodded. "After I recovered a bit, Ranma asked me my name. Since I was hanging from a cherry tree, I called myself 'Sakura'. I stayed at Ranma's, and I haven't left since." Ukyo was confused. "Why?" "Because I love him," she answered simply. "He doesn't need Akane, but Sakura is useful to him. I get to spend time with him and help raise his children. We talk sometimes, and every now and again, he hugs me. Occasionally, he kisses me on the cheek or forehead." Akane sighed. "We get along better now than we ever did as iinazuke. This is as close as I've ever been to him, and I won't - I can't - give it up." Ukyo looked on Akane - no, Sakura - with pity. Akane had been so strong, so proud. The woman before her had been broken. She was calmer, perhaps even happier - but what had she sacrificed? Ranma and Mariko came out of the cafe, Ranma trying to make her go slowly and carefully, and Mariko striding with confidence. Ukyo helped Sakura remove most of the evidence that she had been crying. * * * * * * * * * * After Ukyo dropped the Saotomes off at their home (and met the horde of offspring - including a son named Ukyo), she made her way out of the village, down the unpaved road to where her van awaited. Loading her cargo of foodstuffs, she thought about the events she had been through today. She'd have to call the Saotomes in Tokyo, tell them about their grandchildren. Should she call the Tendos? Tell them about Akane? She'd have to think about that; Akane had made her choices. Apparently, her odd new relationship with her former iinazuke satisfied her in some bizarre way. Would having her family know help her? In what way? "Strange," Ukyo said to herself, "I always figured that Ranma would end up with Akane. I never stopped to think that Akane might not end up with Ranma." -FIN-