Title: Different Life, Different Love
Author:
Warnings: Brief nudity, a little language.
Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns all, no money, no sue.
Pairing: Ranma/Ryouga
Summary: An old friend shows up with a grudge. So what else is new?
Archive: Go right ahead.
Author Notes: It took me forever to finish this part. Between RL and chasing my muse around, it's been slow going.


Chapter 9: New classmate with an old grudge


"What's wrong Ranma?" Ryouga asked as Ranma hung up the phone.

"That was Kasumi. She told me the old man got the shit beat outta him by some freak wielding a giant spatula."

"So? He probably deserved it."

"Yeah, but the freak is going to come after me next."

"What? Don't you think you can handle him?"

"It's not that...it just...you know my old man. I'm sure he had it coming to him. I don't wanna hafta beat up somebody 'cuz pops cheated him or somethin'. Come on, we're gonna be late." He picked up his bookbag and led his buddy toward the door. Nobody commented on the fact that the two walked to school hand-in-hand; luckily they all assumed it was because of Ryouga's nonexistent sense of direction.

The two martial artists liked it that way. They made it to homeroom without event, (we all know how unusual *that* is) and sat down.

"Hey Ranma, have you seen the new guy?" One of their classmates asked.

Both of them shook their heads. "No, why?" Ranma responded.

"I think he knows you, Saotome."

"Yeah? I'd have to see him to know."

The bell for school to begin rang and everyone went quiet.

"We have a new student today. Everyone, this is Ukyo Kyounji."

Ranma stood up, eyes wide with recognition. "Ucchan!! Long time no see! Were you the one who creamed my old man?"

"So it is you, Ranma. What if I did?" Ukyo said with a frown.

Ranma laughed and lept up to the front of the classroom, giving the shocked okonomiyaki chef a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Good job! He more than deserved that for stealing your Dad's cart."

Ukyo shoved him away and threw a bunch of spatulas at him. "You're just as much to blame!" he yelled.

Ranma easily dodged them and landed in a crouch on his desk. Everyone else except Ryouga was cringing under their desks. The lost boy casually removed a spatula that was imbedded in his umbrella.

"And how do you figure that?!!" the long-haired martial artist blurted out, frustrated. Ryouga pretended to ignore the whole exchange, playing with Ukyo's spatula.

"You were riding on the cart with your father! When you saw me you turned your back on me- and went to sit on his shoulder!!"

"I was trying to get him to stop!! He wouldn't listen to me! What didja want me to do, somehow stop him by force? He may be nothing to me now, but back then I was no match for him."

"LIAR!!!" Out came the giant spatula. "I'll make you regret leaving me behind! Check that, I'll make sure you wish that you'd never been born!!"

Ranma skillfully ducked and dodged blows intended to take his head off.

Ukyo caught movement out of the corner of his eye and quickly blocked it. One of his own spatulas bounced off the giant one with a metallic 'clang'. Both Ukyo and Ranma paused to look at the one who had thrown it.

"You..." Ukyo snarled at Ryouga, who was still sitting at his desk while the rest of the class cowered on the floor.

Ryouga slowly stood up, battle aura glowing slightly. "Ranma is has the strongest sense of honor I've ever seen. He's not lying to you. In fact, he's been looking for you since he's moved here- to repay you for what his father did. And what do you do? Blindly attack him! Look around you- you could have seriously hurt someone!"

Ukyo blinked. Ryouga had a point. Spatulas were stuck inch-deep in some of the desks, the floor, the wall...but... "Shut up! This is my vengeance!!"

"You sound like me..." Ryouga muttered, then grabbed Ranma and dragged him out into the hallway before either of them could blink.

"Hey, get back here, you two!"

Out in the hallway, Ranma pulled himself out of Ryouga's grip. "Whadja go and do that for?! You know better than to butt in on a man-to-man fight!!"

Behind him, Ukyo snarled and raised the giant spatula to strike. "Who are you calling a man?!!"

Ryouga grabbed a handful of bandannas and threw them, more as a distraction than an actual attack, but Ukyo slipped on the linoleum floor trying to dodge them and one sliced across 'his' chest as 'he' fell.

"Oops." The lost boy winced. Definitely not what he meant to do.

Ukyo quickly jumped to 'his' feet- and 'his' breasts fell out of what was left of 'his' shirt.

Ranma's jaw dropped. Blood spurted from Ryouga's nose and he fell to the floor in a dead faint.

"Since when have you been a girl?!!" Ranma managed to choke out as he handed her his red tunic, eyes averted. His cheeks were burning red.

"Since when...what kind of stupid question is that?!! Since always, you moron!" Ukyo snarled. "Are you blind?"

Ranma rubbed the back of his head. "Eheh. I guess so. I never realized..."

"You never realized?! Then why were you so affectionate with me back then? Do you always hug and kiss guys?"

Ranma looked embarrassed, "Um, only the ones I like..." Then he felt Ryouga's battle aura flaring up to full power behind him and turned to look at his boyfriend, who had obviously recovered from breast shock. "Ryouga...?"

"I see," Ukyo said, her voice cold. "So he's your boyfriend is that it?"

"Um, yeah."

The lost boy's next words came out from between gritted teeth. "You said that Ranma and his father left you behind. Is there some reason they were supposed to take you with them?" He had a horrible suspicion what it was.

"Ask him!"

"He's already told me his version of the story...and as far as he knows, his father just up and stole your father's cart. But I think there's more to it, am I right?"

"Um.." Ranma was still in shock.

"Feh. It doesn't matter." Now that she understood the situation, the heat of her anger cooled to bitter resignation. "Sorry I bothered you." She turned and started to leave.

Ranma grabbed her by the arm. "Hey, don't go! I really do want to make it up to you for what my old man did. 'Sides, I've really missed you. Isn't there any way we can be friends again?"

"Look Ranma," she snapped, "Because of you, or rather your father, I can't embrace my own femininity, much less find myself a husband."

"Why not? I mean, you're really cute. You shouldn't have any trouble at all attracting a guy."

"I swore never to love another man...you think I'm cute? Seriously? Even though you like guys?"

"I uh, I actually like girls too. Especially this fiancee my Dad hooked up for me, but she turned out to be a real bitch..."

"Oh, so you don't have a fiancee anymore?" Ukyou asked, pulling her grill out of nowhere. (likely from some dimension akin to hammerspace)

Ranma shook his head. "Nah, she tore up my heart pretty bad."

"Great!" the chef tossed him an okonomiyaki with a heart dribbled in sauce on it. "Let's let bygones be bygones then! I have go change and do some stuff, but I'll see you tomorrow."

Ranma just watched her go, completely confused.

"Ranma you moron..." Ryouga's voice came from behind him.

The martial artist turned around, acutely aware of the heat of the lost boy's aura, which had not abated in the slightest. "What now?"

Ryouga grabbed his shoulders painfully. "You blind idiot!! Why couldn't you just have let her leave! Now that she knows you like girls and you find her attractive she'll never leave you alone!"

"Huh? What are you babbling about, man?"

"Don't you see? She swore never to love another man- why would she do that unless your father did something like engage you to her?!"

"But I was already engaged to Akane...before I was even born..."

"Do you really think that would stop your father, if he was offered something...say, the okonomiyaki cart?"

Ranma's eyes widened. "You're right! But wait, that means..." He was now obligated to marry Ucchan. It wasn't a horrible prospect...Ukyou was cute, boy or girl, and he liked her a lot, as a friend...but he loved Ryouga.

Ryouga gave him a dirty look and started to walk away. Ranma quickly caught up to him and wrapped his arms around his buddy. "Hey, we'll figure something out, I promise." The lost boy shrugged him off and went back into the classroom, too distracted to get lost on the way there.

Ranma sighed and followed him. It was going to be a very tense day of school, and he needed to find himself a shirt.


TBC, what else to you expect?