> Ukyou Kuonji sat at the bar and did her best to drown herself in her drink.

[SD-Justy]: "Unfortunately, she wasn't getting very far seeing that she is far, far bigger than the glass."
{SD-Frank}: "That has to be the fastest I've seen alcohol introduced into a Ranma fic..ever...^_^"

> In her hand she held a potent blend of Tequila, Whiskey and Iced Tea, she had no idea what it was called, but it soothed her sorrows and comforted her soul.

[SD-Justy]: "Mr. Boston doesn't know what that drink is either."
{SD-Frank}: "Martini - shaken, not stirred? ^_^;; Anyway, that Iced Tea definitely does _not_ belong there...not that I'd know...^_^"

> So, Ranma had married Akane, big surprise, everyone knew it would happen. It was expected, almost predestined.

{SD-Frank}: "Yesssssssssss!" <---KTF member

> In a surprising and bold move, Ranma and Akane had run away to elope.

{SD-Frank}: "The Knighthood of the True Fiancee (that's Akane) is proud of this fic already...^_^" <---_Really_ fervent KTF member

> In their own way they were defying their parents wishes and following their hearts. Ukyou could hardly question their choice.

[SD-Justy]: "That drink ain't in the Bartender's Bible either."
{SD-Frank}: "Seems like a _far_ cry from throwing bombs around..O_o"

> Upon their return a few days later there had been a more formal reception to which Ukyou had been invited. She had gone to the reception and had smiled numbly and offered hollow words of congratulations. Throughout the whole affair she bit her lips to keep from crying and kept her eyes firmly trained on the floor.

{SD-Frank}: "Ha! That's nothing! I've trained _my_ eyes to jump through hoops of fire.."
[SD-Justy]: "Yah...well I ... trained my eyes to... umm... explode... yeah..."

> Shampoo had attended, though Cologne and Mousse were noticeably absent. Ukyou thought she heard the same hollowness in Shampoo's voice but kept her thoughts to herself.

[SD-Justy]: "Boy that sounds like one boring reception so far."
{SD-Frank}: "How do you know your voice is hollow, anyway? Wait for an echo?"

> The two of them had exchanged pleasantries and avoided each other's eyes. Ukyou had wondered where Cologne and Mousse were, but before she had a chance to ask, Ranma asked for a single dance.

[SD-Justy]: "A lap dance, that is..."

> Her heart pounding she let him lead her onto the dance floor, where under Akane's watchful eye they had danced slowly, cheek to cheek.

[SD-Justy]: "Akane, the voyeur."
{SD-Frank}: *singing, slightly sharp* "Lady in Reeeedddddd....is dancing with me....cheek to cheek...there's nobody heeerrreee..."

> She held back more tears, and let him lead, a false smile on her face. As the song drew to a close, Ranma kissed her on the forehead, and told her that he would always consider her his friend and that she would always be welcome as a guest.

[SD-Justy]: "Yes! A girl finally recieves the let's be friends line!"
{SD-Frank}: "Ouch. Talk about a dagger..."

> Her heart breaking, Ukyou mumbled assurances that she would stay in touch and always be his friend, before returning to her place along the wall. She noted with some disgust that Ranma repeated the dance with Shampoo.

[SD-Justy]: "Come on... when are they all gonna do The Chicken Dance!"
{SD-Frank}: "You mean cheek to cheek? Does that mean I get to sing again?" *picking up microphone*

> She did not notice Akane approaching from across the room and was subsequently surprised when the newlywed touched her shoulder. Akane had smiled pleasantly and asked her if she was all right. Ukyou merely nodded and went back to her silent vigil.

[SD-Justy]: "And that salted dagger plunges deeper..."

> She had thought to ask Shampoo if she wanted to get together some night but Shampoo had disappeared shortly afterwards. Cologne and Mousse had no idea where the girl had run off.

{SD-Frank}: "Hey, weren't they not supposed to be there? What'd they pull?"
[SD-Justy]: "Oohhh.... they were in the CAKE... I get it now... I think..."

> That had been a month ago.

> Since that night, she had yet to say one word to Ranma and he kept his distance, out of pity or respect she was not sure. Though she heard rumors that things between him and his wife were wonderful, perhaps he could not be bothered with a depressed friend.

[SD-Justy]: "Which friend? I'm lost here."
{SD-Frank}: "Yeah, Ranma's probably getting malleted even _more_ these days...and _willingly_, so I he-hey, is this thing on? ^_^;;;"

> But she had not come to this bar to focus on the past. She was here to get piss drunk, like she had last night and the night before.

[SD-Justy]: *bar patrons* "UKYO!!!"
{SD-Frank}: "Sounds like the story for, like, half the bar patrons at my local college's tavern...geez, are there are some depressed drunks there..."

> Thank god it was summer, so her grades would not slip, not that she actually cared about something as trivial as school. She sipped some more of the foul tasting concoction

[SD-Justy]: "Watch what happens as we switch Ukyo's mystery drink for some Funky Cold Medina..."
{SD-Frank}: "See? I told you the Iced Tea ruined the taste of the Tequila...you have to use a bit of lemon, and just the tiniest bit of salt..errrr...ummm..not that I'd know, of course...^_^;;;"
[SD-Justy]: "I still need to name that drink."

> before her and scanned the room. Two young lovers sat in a cozy booth drinking from the same cup.

[SD-Justy]: "What IS that girl's hand doing under the table?"

> She flicked her eyes quickly away. That's when she noticed the handsome man sitting next to her.

{SD-Frank}: *Butthead mode* "Uh huh-huh...hey baby..."

> When he noticed her gaze on him he smiled at her.Quietly, she got up from her seat and made her way to the bathroom. The full effects of the alcohol had not set in yet and she felt very sober.

{SD-Frank}: "Ukyou able to hold her alcohol? Not in _that_ little body, I'd say...I mean..errr...not that I'd kn-"

> Once in the bathroom Ukyou stood in front of the mirror and adjusted the ribbon in her hair, straightened her skirt and made sure she was real.

{SD-Frank}: "Hey Justy....am I real?"
[SD-Justy]: "Since the universe is subjective and not objective, no you are not real, until I say you are."
{SD-Frank}: *Luke Skywalker whiny voice* "But...but..that's not true....that's _impossible_!! Wahhhh!"

> She applied her best makeup and walked back out to the seat next to the handsome man. An idea had formed in her head.

[SD-Justy]: "Ukyo gonna git dat ho action going."
{SD-Frank}: "She be pimpin', dat's right..."

> "Hi," she smiled nervously, "I'm sorry if I was rude, but I wanted to make myself look presentable. My name is Ukyou." The man grinned at her and stylishly slicked back his hair,

{SD-Frank}: "It's Pat Riley!"
[SD-Justy]: *singing* "Rockin' the cradle of love..."

> "I'm Toshi, it's a pleasure to meet you."

{SD-Frank}: *trying to cover up that he was wrong* "It's Pat Riley ...under a falsified name!"

> "I'm sorry if I'm being a bit forward," Ukyou began awkwardly, "but I was wondering if you would like to dance." She indicated the stairs to the second floor where loud music drowned out all other sound.

{SD-Frank}: "Hey, if that was true, wouldn't he not be able to hear her?"
[SD-Justy]: "A lot of things are drowning in this fic."

> "Sure," he nodded for emphasis. Toshi took her hand and escorted her upstairs. Ukyou danced recklessly, her mind far away. She let the rhythm of the music carry her body, her eyes closed most of the time. She moved sexually, her body sometimes coming in close contact to his, her breasts brushing against his chest, her crotch on his knees.

[SD-Justy]: "Let the games begin!"
{SD-Frank}: "Well, about time. I had almost started to think this wasn't lemony like the description said after all...^_^"

> He gripped her waist at times and when her back was turned to him he pressed his body close against hers till she could feel his hard sex against her butt. Ukyou had no problem seducing the boy.

[SD-Justy]: "...boy?"
{SD-Frank & Justy}: "Vile Temptress!"

> All the while, she let him lead, allowed him to believe it his choice when their lips first met. Later, as he bought her more drinks, she let him gently rub her breasts.

[SD-Justy]: "And he's safely in at second base..."
{SD-Frank}: "Didn't one of the people on the Ranma Mailing List say something about Ukyou the "Spatula Slut"...? Or did Ted Wang and his raving Ukyou hordes rip him apart? Ah well.."

> He grew bolder as the night wore on until his hands slipped into her skirt and caressed her thighs and her sex.

[SD-Justy]: "Taking a long lead, daring her to pick him off...and he's off."

> Inwardly she railed against him, outwardly she smiled pleasantly as he grew surer of himself.

[SD-Justy]: "Safe at third Holy Cow! Stolen base..."
{SD-Frank}: "All I can think of right now is that movie 'Species'...O_o Ya think Ukyou'll screw 'im, then slice 'im..?"
[SD-Justy]: "Heh... That would make her the Spatula Slut Slayer..."

> He leaned close to her, and Ukyou heard the words she wanted to hear, "Are you ready to come back to my place?"

[SD-Justy]: "Yes! I get to finish the song!"
{SD-Frank}: "No no no! You're _supposed_ to say 'your place or mine?'..!"

> Grinning wildly, Ukyou nodded and let him lead her out of the bar.
During the ride to his house he had continued to rub her between her legs until she was wet and aching for penetration. Barely able to control herself...

[SD-Justy]: "Wouldn't it be an anti-climactic climax if she had her world shaking orgasm on the bus?"
{SD-Frank}: "That'd be a letdown for all the hentais reading this thing..."

> until they arrived in his apartment, Ukyou closed her eyes and held her breath. Silently she called the man every foul name she could think of.

{SD-Frank}: *holding the Ye Olde Book of Foul Names* "That's a lot of names..."

> Once they arrived at his place, they quickly retreated upstairs to his apartment where she stripped naked and laid herself on his bed.

{SD-Frank}: "Isn't there such a thing as 'foreplay'?"
[SD-Justy]: "That was the bus trip!"
{SD-Frank}: "Ahhh...."

> "You are beautiful," he commented.

{SD-Frank}: "Well, _duh_, you idiot. I mean, I don't like Ukyou very much, but she _is_ probably cute...^_^"

> "Thank you," Ukyou couldn't care less what he thought of her. She had failed Ranma, and she had failed herself. Maybe in some small way she could bring a bit of happiness to this fool even if the only thing he actually cared about was what lay between her legs.

[SD-Justy]: *singing* "Might as well face it... he's addicted to love."
{SD-Frank}: "Geez...maybe throwing bombs around was a _better_ alternative than this...I hafta admit I feel sorry for her.."

> She just wanted to make someone happy and if she got a small amount of pleasure out of it then so be it, but it was not her goal.The act of penetration was what she ached and longed for.

{SD-Frank}: "Frankly, I've never understood this "aching" thing. "Longed for" I can get, but aching??"
[SD-Justy]: *just looks at Frank* ???
{SD-Frank}: "I mean it's overused. Like the word "throbbing"..."

> For years she had been saving herself for Ranma, but his marriage to Akane had removed any hope she had of him being her first.

[SD-Justy]: "That's faulty logic. He can still be her first. There's gotta be some magic item laying around."
{SD-Frank}: "Spring of Drowned Virgin...??"

> Two weeks after the reception she decided relieve herself of that burden and had masturbated herself to a climax.

[SD-Justy]: "Mr. Cucumber comes to the rescue!"
{SD-Frank}: *playing bugle* Da-dada-DAAAAAAAA! "Charge!"

> Coldly and efficiently she had pierced her own hymen, ending her virginity.

[SD-Justy]: "That spatula sure came in handy."
{SD-Frank}: "The big one or the little ones?"

> Every night since then she had masturbated. Except for the first night, she always stopped short of giving herself an orgasm; as if she did not quite deserve it.

{SD-Frank}: "Damn...this one really cuts to the chase...no BS, it seems..."
[SD-Justy]: "No shit."

> Tonight, though she wanted to be penetrated and she pulled Toshi down on top of her. The act of penetration almost brought to her orgasm, but after he was firmly inside her, she once again buried her lust and lay still. She responded when expected but gave no more of herself than she had already given.

{SD-Frank}: "That was probably the shortest sex scene I've ever seen...too bad there aren't any rewind buttons...either that, or he was a lousy lay..."
[SD-Justy]: "He's no Mr. Cuke"

> To say that Ukyou and Toshi were making love or even having sex was a grossly over romanticizing what she was doing. If she had thought that there was any hint of love in this act she would not be letting him fuck her.

{SD-Frank}: "A swear word! Ack!"
[SD-Justy]: *looks at Frank* "Oh yeah... hide the kiddies _now_ whydontchya!"
{SD-Frank}: "To make a long story short..."
{SD-Frank and Justy}: "TOO LATE!"

> But she knew better, the look in his eyes spoke of where his interest in her lay. If anyone had suggested to her that she was doing anything other than fucking she would have laughed out loud.

{SD-Frank}: "Oh yeah? ^_^ Well, you're _thinking_ right now, so that's something else..." *waiting for Ukyou to laugh at him*

> He came suddenly and Ukyou reacted by faking her own orgasm. She had to fake because she was nowhere near being excited, her juices having run dry shortly after penetration. His movement during the whole affair had only hurt her.

[SD-Justy]: "Why is 'When Harry Met Sally' coming to mind?"
{SD-Frank}: "Always the females that fake the orgasms....just once, there should be a male faking an orgasm, just to make it even for the sexes...^_-"

> Spent, he lay on top of her until she pushed him off.

{SD-Frank}: "Cool, this is where she turns into the lizard-alien and kills him....at least, that's what he seems to deserve...^_^"
[SD-Justy]: "YAY! BLOOD!!"

> She realized with some trepidation that they had not used protection and hoped that the idiot had not gotten her pregnant.

[SD-Justy]: "See kids... that's why sex is bad... remember to just say no."
{SD-Frank}: "It's the Trojan Man's night off, I guess..."

> Standing up she gathered her clothes and went to the bathroom to get dressed. From the bedroom she could hear him talking inanely, "That was great."
Ukyou rolled her eyes at his stupidity.
"Was it good for you?"
Ukyou said that the sex had been great and that he was the best lover she ever had. She pulled on her skirt and adjusted it. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed that she was still real.

{SD-Frank}: "Justy, are you _sure_ I'm not real? I mean, if _she_ has to check..."
[SD-Justy]: "Dammit NO! You deaf, boy?"
{SD-Frank}: "No, just in denial. ^_^"

> "Maybe we could do it again later tonight?" Toshi sounded like he had gotten up and was now moving around the bedroom, "What do you think?"
She opened the door and stepped out fully dressed, "I think that if you want to come again tonight you are going to have to do it yourself."
"Hey what the hell?" Toshi looked at her, surprise on his face; "You don't have to go."

[SD-Justy]: "This has the makings for a depressing ballad."

> She stopped him with a glare, then shrugged. "I'm not staying."
She walked to the door and opened it. He caught her arm and she hoped that he would so something that would give her an excuse to hurt him.

{SD-Frank}: "Yeah, martial arts is missing in this one...and I _don't_ think that what they just did counts for an "Anything-Goes" one-on-one..O_o"

> "Don't I even get your number or something," he asked petulantly.

{SD-Frank}: *rolls his eyes* "Loser-O-Meter..wayyyy up.!" *raises his hand up, palm down, and shakes his head*
[SD-Justy]: "Looks like he's dating with Ms. Hand until another horny depressed 'other' woman comes along."
{SD-Frank}: "You mean Shampoo? Lord knows _she's_ in the dumps.."

> She smiled her practiced false smile at him, "Sorry." She pulled free of his grasp and shut the door quietly behind her. She held her breath until she reached the elevator. He apparently was not coming after her. The cool night air felt good on her face after the hot fever of the apartment.

{SD-Frank}: "Looks like the apartment got sick...needs Tylenol, maybe?"

> Once she was far enough away from Toshi's apartment she leaned over and puked. Grasping the lightpost near her she heaved until her stomach was empty then continued on her way home.

[SD-Justy]: "She just left it there on the sidewalk."
{SD-Frank}: "Ewwwww....^_^"
[SD-Justy]: "Wouldn't she feel like crap if Ranma came running by and slipped in it in the next scene."
{SD-Frank}: "Nah, she'd probably be _in_ her own crap trying to pull Ranma out of it.... :P"

> She quietly slipped inside and shut the door behind her. Konatsu was at the counter, having fallen asleep waiting for her. She smiled fondly at him and ran her hand through his hair, waking him up.
"Ukyou, I'm glad you are home. I was beginning to get worried about you. It's getting late." He looked up at her, the concern clearly etched on his face.

{SD-Frank}: "Neat! Konatsu's face is an Etch-a-Sketch in this story!"

> "I'm alright," she started to make her way up the stairs, "I'm tired, are you going to sleep now?"
He nodded and followed her upstairs. Ukyou wished him a good night and retired to her own room. Her legs hurt and she felt raw between them.

[SD-Justy]: "Frank... Have you ever had that _not so fresh_ feeling?"
{SD-Frank}: "I did _not_ need to hear that...:p"

> The single mirror in the room anchored her to reality. Tomorrow she would have to get another one or maybe two more; there were too many bare walls in her room already.

[SD-Justy]: *nervous laugh* "Heh... mirrors... I thought she meant men."
{SD-Frank}: Hey, to her, men are probably like Kleenex. Soft, Strong, and Disposable...

> She crawled quietly into bed, curled herself into a ball and cried herself to sleep.

{SD-Frank}: "Maybe I'm being too insensitive, but...what kind of ball did she curl herself in? A basketball? Baseball? ^_^;;"
[SD-Justy]: "THE UKYO-BOMBER!!! ... That's what I can call the drink."

> Ukyou did her best not to dream and every night she failed. Failing was not uncommon to her, she had no choice in the matter, she understood failure, and success might have surprised her. As she lay in her bed, curled into a ball,

{SD-Frank}: "See? There's that ball, again! I wanna know what kind of ball...so I can visualize, right? Right?" *SD-Frank is pelted by popcorn*
[SD-Justy]: "Where the hell is this frickin popcorn coming from? Who else is in here?"
{SD-Frank}: "It's probably the Stock Footage/Cliche department..."

> her thighs hurting and sickness in her stomach, she dreamt. Thousand of faces surrounded her. Some she recognized immediately, others she had to concentrate on to make out. Still there are other nameless people who only pointed and chuckled. She picked out Ryouga standing to one side, his eyes avoiding hers, Akane held Ranma's hand and shook her head in disgust, Konatsu looked on with concern, Happosai glomped to Akane and buried his face between her breasts, Akane did not seem to mind the attention.

{SD-Frank}: *piku*
[SD-Justy]: "Well Akane has already _had_ Ranma by now, I guess there ain't anywhere to go but up."

> Around Ukyou a thousand faces laughed and pointed.
Ukyou realized she was naked and tried to cover herself. Happosai glanced at her and laughed out loud. Despite her nudity and vulnerability, he made no move towards her.

[SD-Justy]: "Ouch... that hurt!"

> Ryouga walked up to her first, each night it was some one different. Ryouga faced her, a stern look in his eyes.

{SD-Frank}: "I feel an Ukyou/Ryouga fic coming on..."

> "Is this the best answer you have?" Ryouga whispered harshly, "I thought better of you."
"I tried." Ukyou whimpered as Ryouga faded before her.
She picked out Shampoo standing apart from the chuckling crowd. Never had never before appeared in her dreams.

{SD-Frank}: "Never had never appeared? Weird..."
[SD-Justy]: "Never say never..."

> The Amazon shook her head at Ukyou and started to walk away. Before Ukyou could call out to Shampoo, Akane approached, "He picked me. Me! Me over you, and he called me uncute." She smirked, "Me!"

[SD-Justy]: "You go girl!"

> Ranma took Akane's hand, "Ucchan, thanks for helping me realize my love for Akane." Ranma and Akane slowly faded before her eyes. Ukyou did not move she merely sat before the crowd and awaited her next judgement. Happosai, without Akane to glomp on wandered towards her and passed right through her.

{SD-Frank}: "Damn, I wish I knew that trick..."

> Ukyou noticed that Shampoo had not left and had edged closer. "Save me," Ukyou whispered.
"Save yourself" the crowd laughed at her.
"I tried," she screamed.
"Not hard enough", the crowd roared with laughter.

{SD-Frank}: "Say, if everyone else had faded away except Shampoo, how can Shampoo be a crowd? One's a crowd? O_o"
[SD-Justy]: "No..No..No.. the amorphous blob of people are still there, its the popular ones that have left."
{SD-Frank}: "So the rest are, like, extras that get killed off in the next few seconds...I see now..."

> Suddenly, Shampoo stood beside her, "Go away!" Shampoo screamed at the crowd. Instantly, the laughter faded and the crowd disappeared.

{SD-Frank}: "See?"

> "Get up," Shampoo said harshly and yanked Ukyou to her feet. "Look at what you've become," Shampoo stood back, disgust evident in her eyes, "Look at yourself."

[SD-Justy]: "I guess Shampoo's been taking speech lessons."

> "I can't", Ukyou breathed and wrapped her arms around her naked body.
"Why not?" Shampoo demanded.
"I can't see myself."
"Exactly."

{SD-Frank}: "Well, it's not that hard to look at yourself. Get a mirror..."
[SD-Justy]: "She could just clone herself." ^_-

> Ukyou sat bolt upright in her bed. Unlike dreams she has previously had, this one included Shampoo. Never before had Shampoo appeared in her dreams. Her long time rival had seemed anxious and willing to help Ukyou. Her heart pounding, Ukyou scanned the room, her eyes seeking confirmation, they came to rest on the mirror.

{SD-Frank}: "See? I _told_ you that's all you had to do..! ^_^"

> When she saw she cast no reflection she started to scream.

{SD-Frank}: "Ok, maybe not..." *sweatdrop*
[SD-Justy]: "Ukyo's a vampire!!"

> The next morning Ukyou slept in. Her nightmares had left her exhausted. As the sun rose in the east, she began to make out sounds from below; Konatsu trying hard to keep the early customers satisfied.

[SD-Justy]: "Good ol' Konatsu, putting out for the Jons."
{SD-Frank}: O_o

> From experience, she knew that he would not be able to keep up for long and would need help shortly.

[SD-Justy]: "Poor Konatsu, you can't blame him, he hasn't been trained in using it correctly."
{SD-Frank}: o_O

> With trepidation she opened her eyes and caught her reflection in the mirror. Sighing with relief, she dragged herself out of bed. She noticed that she had not changed clothes when she had gone to sleep.

{SD-Frank}: "Frankly, Ukyou's sems to be the type to sleep in the buff...but maybe that's just _my_ impression...^_^"

> As she made her way to the shower, she made a mental list of things that she would have to buy later: two wall mirrors, perhaps a ceiling mirror,

{SD-Frank}: "See? Mirrors help...I was right after all..."

> some condoms,

{SD-Frank}: "I didn't expect to see _that_ on the list...O_o"

> aspirins, and extra bed sheets.

[SD-Justy]: "Some KY, benwa balls, 2 goats and a Bee Gees album."

> She turned the shower on and stepped in. The cold shocked her awake and made her feel alive enough to face the world for another day.
Konatsu had done surprisingly well handling the customers this morning,

[SD-Justy]: "Come to Ucchan's - buy the special and get your orgasm on the house."
{SD-Frank}: O_O

> though she noted that several were pleased to see her cooking again. While many came to see the cute waitress, none considered Konatsu an excellent cook.

{SD-Frank}: "Why? Because she, I mean, he's, a male? Sexist! Sexist!"

> She noticed that there were fewer customers today then the day before. This had been a continuing trend for the past month. She wondered if her depression had affected her cooking.
The morning sun streaming in through the windows hurt her eyes as she recounted the previous night's dream in her head, weighing Shampoo's significance in it. She did her cooking with actions she had come to know well over a lifetime of okonomiyaki.

[SD-Justy]: "Exactly how long a lifespan does okonomiyaki have?"
{SD-Frank}: "Actually, I'm surprised she's cooking _without_ a hangover...that has to be _some_ tolerance she's got.."

> She was friendly with her customers as needed and chatted quietly about the weather, the day's events, and the relative calmness that had settled over Nerima since Ranma's and Akane's wedding. Nobody would've guessed that she was not listening. She added another mirror to her list, one for inside the store.

{SD-Frank}: "You know, I only _suggested_ a mirror...I didn't mean, go overboard...but, whatever floats your boat..."
[SD-Justy]: *Ukyo mode* "Mirrors... must have more mirrors..."

> After the noon rush and before the evening patrons began to arrive, she took her leave of Konatsu. She wanted to get some of her errands done before night. She had plans tonight and she needed some of those items before she went out.

[SD-Justy]: "Ukyo's gonna be off , workin the corner, tonight."

> The summer sun beat down on her, leaving her wishing for the cool comfort of autumn or winter. She walked, practicing her smile as she went, nodding pleasantly to strangers.

{SD-Frank}: "Yeah, if you don't excercise those smile muscles they get fat and lazy and want to watch old NA Sailor Moon reruns... :p"

> Some smiled back others shied away. She liked it better when they shied away.
She approached the street where the drug store was located, and looked both ways before crossing.

[SD-Justy]: "Loaf a bed, gallon a milk, stick a butter..."

> The traffic was not very bad at this time of the day, however she could see a car rushing down the street. She looked at the car and decided that it would not be a problem to cross in front of it. She stepped out in front of it, within seconds the car's brakes screeched. Ukyou continued walking across the street taking no notice of the car that had come to a stop a few feet beside her.

[SD-Justy]: "That driver just gave up a good 100 points... idiot."
{SD-Frank}: "Hey, Rules of the Road...she's a pedestrian and gets right of way..."

> Walking into the drugstore, she did a quick circuit of the store, looking for anything that might catch her eye. Eventually, she came to the condom section.

{SD-Frank}: O_o "I still didn't expect this to be in it..."
[SD-Justy]: "Well she can't go hoin' around if she don't have protection."

> Not an expert on the various brands she looked over each box separately.

{SD-Frank}: *imitating stupid ad voice* "Trojan Maaaaaannnnn!"

> Last night's experience with Toshi had hurt mainly because she was not excited, she considered that future encounters would continue along the same course and opted to get the lubricated brand.

[SD-Justy]: *to the screen* "Ukyo, get the ones stating -Ribbed for her pleasure."
{SD-Frank}: *Garth mode* "Ewwwww...."

> Eyeing the pack of condoms nervously, she looked around making sure no one was looking, she started walking to the cashier then stopped for a second and considered what she was doing.

{SD-Frank}: "Yeah, you're supposed to cover it up by buying something else like Low Fat Potato Chips, Q-Tips....or Soylent Green..."

> She turned around and returned to the selection and picked out a second box, these were lubricated as well butwere also ribbed. Maybe getting some enjoyment out of the situation would not hurt.

[SD-Justy]: "That's a good girl. Now go buy some French Ticklers."
{SD-Frank}: O_o

> She felt somewhat awkward as she approached the cashier and decided to buy a candy bar.

{SD-Frank}: "See? But candy's not a good cover-up..."

> She sucked at her lip and smiled at the cashier and waited anxiously as the cashier rang up her purchases. Ukyou was convinced that Ranma or Akane or even Ryouga would walk up behind her and ask her what she was buying.

{SD-Frank}: "If Ryouga popped in, that would be the absolute mother-f***er of all nosebleeds...probably flood Nerima..."
[SD-Justy]: "It would be even funnier if Ranma got a job working at the drugstore."

> Without comment the cashier rang up the two packs of condoms. When she came to the candy bar, she looked up at Ukyou and smirked.

{SD-Frank}: "Yeah, pre-marital candy bar-eating is quite a cause for concern, don't you think?"

> Blushing Ukyou paid the cashier and quickly walked out of the store. Buying the candy had made it too obvious she had never bought condoms before. Still the experience was behind her and she would be more prepared next time.

{SD-Frank}: "Told you...try the the Low Fat Potato Chips next time..."
[SD-Justy]: "Ring Dings and HoHos work for me."

> To her relief there had been no surprise visits by any of her "friends". She stuffed the condoms into her purse and continued walking down the street. She stepped into the home dÈcor store down the street. Several mirrors came immediately to her attention.

{SD-Frank}: "I'm starting to regret giving her that tip about mirrors..."
[SD-Justy]: "Ahh... I get it. She's hoping to find one where a horny Onna-Ranma nymphette will pop out."

> The sales person was nice and helped her pick out several inexpensive ones. She chose two plain wall mirrors for her room, one large ceiling mirror for over her bed and a more ornate fancy one for the restaurant.

{SD-Frank}: "Better not break em, or that's gonna be one hell of a bad luck streak...^_^"

> She arranged to have the two larger ones delivered the next day and have the store install them. The two smaller ones she took with her.
Feeling content with her purchases she allowed her good feelings to show in her smile. After several hopeful smiles by passing men, Ukyou quickly returned to her wicked grin.

[SD-Justy]: *grandpa mode* "Ukyo got little Timmy...ate'im all up."
{SD-Frank}: "Yep, just like that woman in 'Species'...or was it 'Black Widow'?"

> Konatsu had done reasonably well in her absence and Ukyou decided not to clobber him with her spatula. The remainder of the day passed without incident as the evening crowd came and went. Leaving Konatsu to clean up, she retired upstairs to get ready.

{SD-Frank}: "Konatsu really should protest to get a raise...."
[SD-Justy]: "Yes. He should demand two beatings per day, that little masochist."

> She hung her two new mirrors in strategic locations around the room and stopped to stare at herself in one of them. Pulling up a chair from her desk she sat herself down in front of one and studied her reflection.

[SD-Justy]: "Come on... hurry up! Let's get to the masturbation scene."

> The first thing she noticed was the dark circles under her eyes. Make up would clear those up. She studied her eyes next. She noted that they had no sparkle or life, however she reasoned that the men she would meet would not be overly concerned with her eyes. Still a little life in them would not hurt.

{SD-Frank}: "Hey, I always look for the eyes in women...and my girlfriend has very cute eyes..."*sighs, zones out*
[SD-Justy]: *dumps a Sprite on Frank.* "Wake up."
{SD-Frank}: "Yechhh!"

> She practiced her smile noting the way her lips seemed a bit chapped and in need of some color. She chose her lipstick carefully perhaps a nice subdued red, garish colors did not mix well with her skin tone.
As she studied herself in the mirror she became increasingly uncomfortable and hot. Unconsciously she began to rub her nipple.

[SD-Justy]: "How exactly does rubbing your nipple cool yourself down?"

> Lost in her contemplation she was unaware of how much time had passed.

{SD-Frank}: *looking at watch* "Well, about....twenty seconds by my watch...then again, I'm in a different time zone..^_^"

> Her lips moved silently, at first only mouthing the words, she repeated the same line continuously, her voice gaining strength and her hand rubbing her breast moved with greater abandon.
" I dream of you,
With my eyes open,
With my eyes closed,
In the day
In the night,
I dream of you,
Wherever you are,
Wherever I am,
In my heart,
In my soul,
I dream of you."

[SD-Justy]: "Ya know I have this feeling that this whole fic has been a vehicle for that poem."

> "Excuse me, Ukyou? I didn't quite hear what you said." Konatsu was at the door.
Ukyou eyes went wide and she realized where her hand was, even now caressing her breast. Snarling she reached and grabbed her spatula, "Konatsu!" she screamed as she ran across the room her giant spatula upraised to strike him, "Don't you ever walk in on me again."

[SD-Justy]: "Hint -- Use a 'do not disturb - I'm friggin off' sign then all your problems will be solved."
{SD-Frank}: "Imminent supervisor abuse. Yep, Konatsu really should get into the union..."

> She brought the spatula down to bear on him with all her strength and stopped short of hitting him.
She lowered her weapon, her anger dissipating. Konatsu had not even flinched. Sighing, she buttoned her top covering her exposed breast. "I'm sorry Konatsu, my door was open, it's not your fault."

[SD-Justy]: *Mr. Green mode* "Its a bit late for that!!!"

> Wordlessly, her turned to leave then stopped and turned around. "Ukyou," he began softly, "Would you like to go to a movie or something tonight?"

{SD-Frank}: "Wow. He just said it. None of this..'will you g...g...g...g..'stuff..."

> His question caught her off guard. Her eyes focused dangerously on him and he took a step back. "I'm sorry, maybe some other night," she lied, "I'm going out tonight." She slammed the door in his face.

[SD-Justy]: "What a bitch! Then again, he's no cucumber."
{SD-Frank}: "Re-JEC-ted!"

> She turned to look at herself in the mirror and realized that she hated the person she saw.
Ukyou decided to not return to the same bar she had been to the night before. She had no desire to run into Toshi. She drank quietly for a while smiling at the passing men. Not long afterwards a bolder man offered to buy her a few more drinks.

[SD-Justy]: "Ukyo, you bar hopping slut!"
{SD-Frank}: "Good that he's bold. Those italicized men would probably be too fancy for her..."

> She had chosen her outfit carefully tonight. A black body suit top, and some dark leggings. It was a good look for her. She had made sure to cover up the dark circles and she even let her smile reach her eyes.

{SD-Frank}: "Ukyou in Speedos? O_o"
[SD-Justy]: "Well she should wear'em now before she's too bowlegged to look good in them."

> As he led her onto the dance floor she began move to the music, letting it control her. The alcohol removed her inhibitions and she let the music carry her body. She liked to dance and was good at it; her movements were always in synch with the rhythm, her body moving sexually against her partner. Before long her and Kentaro had attracted an audience, most entranced by her.

{SD-Frank}: "If that's Kentaro from Urusei Yatsura, I'm gonna heave..."
[SD-Justy]: "Little Kentaro, she's not only horny and loose, but desperate too!"

> Ukyou did not mind being the center of attention and she let her movements grow more hypnotic. Kentaro smiled at her and she smiled back but she had let some of the spark in her eyes fade. His smile faltered when her noticed her distracted vision. She quickly pressed her body against his grinding her hips against his and the self-assured smile quickly returned to his face.

[SD-Justy]: "I wonder if she's gonna have a threesome with Mrs. Ichonese?"
{SD-Frank}: "Vile Temptress! Again!"

> As the night wore on, Kentaro grow bolder, his lips often sought hers out, and he grew fond of running his fingers through her hair. By midnight, Kentaro was ready for more and he invited Ukyou outside.

[SD-Justy]: "Wanna ride in my Ch - evy loooove ma - cheen?"

> Once in the car they drove off to a secluded park and in the back seat Ukyou allowed him to fuck her. She was relieved that he did not seem to mind her insisting on the condom. It was a cold passionless exercise. Kentaro pumping madly and Ukyou laying still and hating him for what he was doing to her.

[SD-Justy]: "Little Kentaro's head bouncing up and down in the mirror."

> Kentaro lasted longer then Toshi, and as he came he grabbed her hair, pulling on it painfully.
The lubrication on the condom had worn off and the latex left Ukyou feeling raw and sore once again.

[SD-Justy]: "Yeast infection will do that to ya."
{SD-Frank}: "Ick. I didn't _mean_ to hear that..."

> Wordlessly she refastened her body suit and pulled her leggings back on.. Kentaro lay on the back seat of his car breathing heavily. He smiled up at Ukyou and pulled his pants back on. "Leaving, huh?"

[SD-Justy]: "She sure is charitable giving away all those freebies. What happened to her business sense?"

> Ukyou nodded and reached for the door. She needed to get into the fresh air and breathe. The inside of the car was warm and musty and smelled of sex.

{SD-Frank}: *singing* "I smell sex in..the.."

> She felt like gagging on the smell.
"Well, I didn't really expect you to stay." Kentaro smiled smugly at her. "Anyway, it was fun for a bit. Maybe I'll see you around."
Ukyou stepped outside of the car and hurried off into the night without another word.

[SD-Justy]: "Ya know Ukyo, video games, knitting... sitting on a washing machine is better than that."

> Ukyou composed herself and stopped crying before she entered the restaurant. She realized that Konatsu was probably going to still be up waiting for her. While a part of her found his devotion sweet

{SD-Frank}: "Yes!"

> another part of her found it annoying.

{SD-Frank: "No!"
[SD-Justy]: "Put your bracer back on Frank, don't Pee Wee Herman here."
{SD-Frank}: *picks it up* Sorry 'bout that. ^_^

> Still she felt as if she could trust him not to go away. She needed some sense of stability in her life.
As expected, Konatsu was fast asleep at the counter. She poked him in the back and woke him up. "Hey sugar, I'm home you can stop worrying."
Konatsu blinked furiously at her. "Ukyou, I'm so glad you're home."
Ukyou shrugged, "It's been a long night, do you mind opening up tomorrow again."
"Of course not," Konatsu stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of his clothes, "You just sleep okay."
Ukyou smiled sweetly at him and promised herself to do something nice for him.

[SD-Justy]: "Yes, she could lace her spatula with liquid heat to make his next beating more enjoyable."

> "Good night Konatsu."
She walked upstairs and went to sleep.

{SD-Frank}: "Did she curl herself into a basketball or racquetball or something again?"

*Screen fades to black*

{SD-Frank}: "Shucks, I'll never know now. ^_^ Anyway, onto the review.I didn't expect this to be as dark as I thought. The strengths of this were a very good sense of visualization (despite all my jokes ^_^) and great description. It also had some shock value, and in exploring a plausiblly delicate psychological situation involving Ukyou, it strengthened the mood of the chapter. The weakness of this work was probably development of other characters. I mean, if it should focus on Ukyou, that's what it needs to do, but I felt like the other characters were really also-rans, even Konatsu, and I would like to see more of the characters develop and interact with this "different" Ukyou as time goes on. It will end up strengthening the overall theme of the fic. A pretty good work for a first chapter - disturbing and dark, and while I'm not a big fan of darkfics I still think it was well written. Justy?"

[SD-Justy]: "No Nabiki, minus 10 points. Personally, I like humor in a Ranma fic this was totally devoid of it. I know its a darkfic, but some comic relief could have helped. However since its supposed to be dark, I won't let that factor affect my judgement. There was no explanation as to why Ukyo was doing what she was doing. Some internal debate, or a mental struggle could have cleared up her motives. It started doing it, then stopped. I didn't like the fact that she was just walking around like a sextoy. The mirror thing could have been explained better too. I did like the writing style, concise and easy to understand. It was also good at producing a mental image. If these criteria could be cleaned up a bit, then the rest of the fic should be enjoyable. I give it a C- .

{SD-Frank}: "See you next time..and don't forget...1 out of 10 people wish they had a bigger spatula to make huge-ass pancakes!"

[SD-Justy]: "Remember kids - bring your condoms when you eat at Ucchan's you may get lucky!"