Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½, Rumiko Takahashi does. Buy the manga and support anime please.

Author note: Chapter 20, Ukyo versus Ranma. Let's get to it.

First I Giveth

Chapter 20 Batter You with All My Hate

by Marik Kurakashi

Akane paced her room nervously, butterflies from hell itself deciding her stomach was a proper nesting ground at the moment. Okay, so thinking about asking Ranma out was a lot easier than actually doing it. She lamented that fact as she had tried yesterday after school, but froze up and lost her nerve.

Stupid nerves, getting in the way of her ultimate victory over her sister. This was no time to start blushing like a shy schoolgirl and be unable to even speak in his presence. Even if it was a big step for them, a step that should be easy.

Not for the first time, she lamented that love was just too complicated and fickle for her.

But she was going to do it! She was going to ask him out today, even if she had to get up on a podium like Kuno and announce it to the whole school! Then her common sense took over and reminded her it was never a good idea to copy Kuno.

That, and she didn't want Nabiki to know about it. Her sister would try to ruin the date somehow, needing him to stay vulnerable for her wicked schemes. There was no way that was going to happen, no way for Nabiki to stop her from this mission.

And then Ranma would tell Nabiki to leave him alone, a certain deathblow to her wicked sibling's plans.

It was time for this nonsense to stop, time for this charade her sister kept on putting on to come to its proper end. The sheer ridiculousness of her icy hearted sibling to even speak the words 'friendship' and 'marriage' were enough to make Akane want to laugh herself sick. Nabiki didn't really care about Ranma, not in the way that Akane did.

She couldn't find that capacity in herself to love another, no room for love besides the love of herself and money. Her sister's heart pumped pure contempt in her veins, contempt at the world for keeping its money from her. Taking pictures of her, of Ranma, and selling them to Kuno, and now, pretending like she really wanted Ranma just to inflict further discomfort upon those around her.

With a grunt of concentration, Akane yanked her door open and stormed into the house, looking for Ranma.

Or maybe she should look for Nabiki, since her sister seemed to keep him blackmailed to her side. The naked loathing seethed in her veins, and she did nothing to stem the flow of it. The blackness buried deep in her heart pulsated and fed, empowering her to look past familial bonds that would stay the blow that needed to be dealt.

It felt wonderful, in a perverted way, as though she were liberated from a burden she shouldn't had to bear in the first place. There was wickedness to her, but she didn't think it a bad thing. Unlike Nabiki, she still had a sense of human compassion and a sense of right and wrong.

And after all, if you have to fight fire with fire, why not combat wickedness with wickedness?

The dojo loomed in front of her, her father not teaching a class at the moment. Pulling herself from her dark thoughts long enough to identify that it was in use, Akane ripped the doors open with an uncaring jerk. Skulking in, she listened as it was indeed in use by Ranma... and Nabiki.

Jerking herself to a stop before she came to the main training room, she schooled herself into a perfect, calm visage. There was no way she would chicken out from this, no way she would lose her temper and drive Ranma into the greedy clutches of her sister. For a brief moment, her facade faltered and her anger burned through, destroying what she had so carefully done.

But the moment passed, and she was around the corner, where she spied Ranma helping Nabiki practice her kicks.

“You're doing great, Nabiki.” Ranma complimented, shaking the kicking pads a little.

“Thank you, Ranma-kun,” Nabiki answered back, an easy breeze in her voice. “But it was a good idea of Daddy's to work Tae Kwon Do into my training.”

“Well you certainly have the legs for it,” he answered, without a trace of hinting at something else.

Akane chose this moment to break up this little scene, before she needed to run out and hurl. The pair did have the decency to look ashamed for ignoring her, though she was sure Nabiki was just faking it to earn points. Internally she seethed again, but externally, she made her way over to Ranma.

“Hey Ranma,” she said neutrally, hoping her voice didn't betray the wrong emotion. “Can I talk to you outside for a moment?”

“Uh...” Ranma said, briefly looking to Nabiki who nodded. “Ok.”

“Great.” Akane said with a bright smile, grabbing him by the arm so he couldn't change his mind and veritably dragging him out of the dojo.

“Hey, what's the big idea?” Ranma said, a little upset at being drug around like a suitcase. “I said I'd come outside to talk to you, sheesh.”

“I didn't want you flaking out on me.” Akane muttered, looking darkly back at the dojo before turning on her best sunny smile on Ranma. “Ah, right, I guess I got a little ahead of myself.”

“Uh... right.” he said with a shrug, figuring it was the closest thing to an apology he'll get. “So what's so special we couldn't discuss it in the dojo?”

“You know, we never spend any of our free time together anymore.” she said bluntly, the sunny smile morphing into a cloudy frown. “If one were to look at it from the outside, they would say that you were avoiding me.”

“I'm not avoiding you.” he said, feeling like he was being accused of something. “I don't bar you from the dojo when I'm helping Nabiki train. I don't tell you off and say you can't hang out with me.”

“That's just it.” she snapped, more heated than she really wanted. “I don't want to hang out with you when you're hanging around Nabiki. Seriously Ranma, we're engaged, we can at least make an effort to be civil.”

“When did your Pop go back on his word on that?” he asked, scratching his temple in confusion.

“You know Daddy was probably lying about that.” she said back, a trace of annoyance in her voice of being reminded of that.

“It's not nice to call your father a liar, Akane.” he retorted, glowering a little.

“Oh don't preach at me, Ranma. You've called your father far worse than I have mine.” she said, her own glower on her face. Internally, her spirit soared, as it was almost as if the old magic was back between them.

“Doesn't matter,” he grunted, not liking her dismissing her father's magnanimous gesture like that. “You shouldn't dismiss it out of turn because you don't like that he did it.”

“Ranma!” she snapped, one hand clenched in a fist, a strong urge to hit something running through her for a moment before it was ruthless destroyed by her determination to save Ranma from Nabiki. “Look, okay, so we're not “officially” engaged anymore. But that's still no reason for you to just flat out avoid me like you have been.”

“And I already told you I haven't been avoiding you!” he said back with his own heat. “It's not my fault you can't walk out to the dojo, or just down the hall from your room.”

“So? Are you saying that you couldn't do the same and walk to my room then?” she said, wincing internally now as she dug herself deeper. A small part of her chided her for how Nabiki-esque that barb sounded.

“Whatever.” he said, turning away in a huff, clearly wanting to argue more but deciding not to. “If you're done lecturing me on things, what'd you want?”

“I was thinking...” she said, trailing off as she gathered herself. “That we should go out on a date sometime, you know, just to see if we can make it work between us.”

“Really?” he asked, somewhat surprised. She had been correct that he had been a little guilty of ducking her, so maybe he should try and make it up to her. “Sure, why not?”

“You mean it?” she asked with a huge smile on her face. She briefly hugged him, before she let him go. “How about tomorrow afternoon?”

“Can't, got that challenge match from Uc-Ukyo.” he said, managing to keep the slip from being all too noticeable.

“That's right, I can't believe I forgot that.” she said, frowning a little. “The day after then?”

“Sure, don't got anything planned for then.” he said with a shrug.

“Great, thanks Ranma!” she answered, hugging him again briefly, before she released him and bolted off back to the house.

“So, little sis decided to ask you out?” Nabiki asked, peering around the door at Ranma, who seemed to think about something.

“Yeah...” he answered, shrugging his shoulders once more. “I dunno why I said yes, but I couldn't think of an honest reason why not to.”

“Well, why not and see if there was any truth to that old magic right?” she asked, oddly not feeling too bad about Ranma going out on a date as she thought she should be. Especially after yesterday.

“Might as well, can't be all that bad.” he said, looking over at Nabiki with a look that was anything but indifferent. “Besides, maybe she'll quite brooding after this.”

“I guess,” she answered, meeting his look with one of her own.

They remained that way for five minutes, enjoying the breeze.

- - -

At the Ucchan's, the owner of the restaurant was seated behind the counter, closed for the day again. She was waiting for Kaede to return from delivering her insurance policy against Saotome holding himself back for some outdated sense of friendship. He had to fight with everything, give his all, so that when she beat him, it would be because she was better than him.

That moment, her moment of victory, she would let him know he had been beaten by a girl, just to twist the dagger further. He deserved nothing less from her, nothing less than the most complete humiliation she could give him. He destroyed her world ten years ago, and she would return the favor, crushing him under heel and leaving HIM broken and useless by the wayside.

It gave her such a pleasurable thrill, a warmth that was probably second to sexual satisfaction, not that she would know anyways.

Her mind wandered back to the encounter with the fat bastard, and the beating she had given him. It wasn't enough, she had wanted to kill him and let him burn in whatever hell was waiting for him. But she had held back, for a reason she couldn't quite grasp at the moment.

Of course, that isn't to say she didn't completely beat the utter crap out of him. In fact, getting Kaede to patch him up after the beating was tougher than the beating itself. Why did the one person from her former life who could help her defeat the Saotomes had to be the manic lesbian obsessed with her?

She violently tamped down on that line of thinking, least she devolve into a less productive line of thinking.

- - -

The oversized spatula came down with bruising force, connecting with a meaty splat to the flesh of one Genma Saotome. For his part, he grunted in obvious pain, mind whirring to try and find a way to stop this. Leg useless, he couldn't run, and yet he couldn't fight effectively with it either, as his fighting style depending on being light on his feet.

Ukyo roared in anger, seeing red as she raised her weapon and brought it down harder than before. She didn't come to talk, come to negotiate, or even fight, she came to hear him SCREAM. To hear him beg and plead for his worthless hide as she refused to grant him that mercy.

And since he wasn't screaming, it only served to enrage her more.

Once more, the spatula was raised, and once more it connected, the grunt of pain deeper, more guttural than before. The pain was getting to him, slipping past his macho bravado, pushing him further towards what Ukyo wanted to hear from him. Another raise, another splat, another forceful grunt of agony, as anger rampaged through the Kuonji girl's blood as she continued to try and beat that cherished scream out of him.

“Leave me like trash on the side of the road will you?” she screamed, increasing the force into her blows. “And then when I come to give you your just desserts, it's all, let's talk Ukyo, we don't have to fight Ukyo. Bah! SCREW YOU!”

He couldn't answer, couldn't much more than grunt and groan in pain as the spatula struck home time and again.

“Yeah, where's your fancy words and lies now, eh fatass?!” she said sarcastically, stopping her assault with her weapon and starting to stamp on the man's face. “I don't hear those honeyed words you whispered to my sucker of a father to get him to give you that cart.” She paused and ground her foot into his face.

Weakly, he moved his hands to grab her foot.

“Oh ho, still able to move tubby?” she chortled, lackadaisically lifting her foot away from his slow moving arms. “Want me to fix that for you?”

Tears began to shimmer in his eyes as he gingerly shook his head no.

“What's that, meatbag?” she asked, biting sarcasm spewing from her lips. “Want me to show you how I crush lobster tails for my seafood okonomiyaki?”

Again, the head sadly shook no, eyes pleading, tears beginning to fall.

“Since you're so eager,” she said, grinning viscerally. She placed the butt end of her spatula against his left arm. “Ebi bikou assaiki!” A sharp, short jerk of her wrist twisted the spatula with surprising force, the ground serving as fulcrum as the bones in Genma's left forearm snapped like a wishbone.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” he screamed, Ukyo lifting her own voice in sing-song delight at his misery. She lifted the spatula, the beaten man quickly curling to protect the damaged appendage.

“Ah... music to my ears!” she said, laughing cruelly as she kicked the broken man. “This is all your fault, you know. If you didn't abandon me all those years ago, I would have grown into the destroyer I am now.”

Genma only whimpered, trying to curl up further as he began to cry silently from the pain of his broken arm.

“That's right, cry! Cry like I did when the man I thought was going to grow up and marry me ditched me for the cart!” she said, kicking him harder. “After all, he's just a cowardly glutton like his father!”

The broken heap in the shape of a man just sobbed, pain reducing him to a mess as terrible memories flooded over him.

“And now, Genma Saotome, go tell your ancestors that Kunoji Ukyo sends you to them with all of her hate for them and you!” she shouted, raising the spatula so the sharped edge of the weapon was pointed at her victim. With another shout, she brought the weapon down with great force, only to stop unexpectedly.

“M-master... please... I-I-I'm sorry...” she heard him muttered, his sobbing growing louder, the man oblivious how close he was to dying.

The spatula fell boneless out of her hands, clattering on the ground as she stared at Genma but not really seeing him.

“U-Ukyo-chan.. no more... I'm begging you!” she heard inside her heads, the voice of her father when she took her revenge for his lies.

“Gods... what the hell am I doing?” she muttered, hands shaking as her rage bled away, leaving her to revel in the horror of her actions. Seeing the broken form in front of her, two feelings warred within her: guilt for breaking him,so, and satisfaction for doing the deed. Her legs turned to jelly as she slid down to her knees, her own tears beginning to run down her face as she wept, unable to cope with what the beast she had become to gain this revenge.

“What have I become?” she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself as she felt so cold all of a sudden, despite the warm spring weather.

- - -

So wrapped up in her reflection, Ukyo didn't hear Kaede reenter the restaurant, didn't hear her inquiry of what was the matter with the sobbing girl. And she didn't know when Kaede had wrapped her around her and gently rocked her. It was warm and comforting, two feelings that the other girl never seemed to embody at any time.

The feeling of Kaede's long, black hair brushing against the nape of her neck was enough to bring Ukyo back to her senses. Glancing sidelong with teary eyes, she recognized Kaede and the look of comfort, slightly tinged with longing. Calming down, she wiped the tears away, before she slowly separated.

And in the air that was tinged with grief, Ukyo could finally understand why Kaede teased her all those times.

It wasn't out of meanness, to tease the girl who gave up her femininity. It was out of love, a misguided, misaimed arrow of Cupid that had went awry. Through the deafening silence, Ukyo could finally understand the girl who was her friend, but tortuously longed to be more.

She wasn't sure how to go about this, how to deal with the understanding that it wasn't out of perversion that Kaede dropped those hints. That it wasn't out of a misplaced sense of humor deciding to deride the Kunoji girl for her decision to crossdress. What could she say to this girl so hopelessly and frailly in love with her?

The answer refused to come, and so she said nothing, and closed her eyes with a long, pained sigh.

Kaede sat in her chair and just silently studied the girl who had so ensnared her world. She was a girl on the rise with the world, the skeleton in the closet that she hid in be damned. She was fairly attractive, if she could say so with a tiny amount of modesty, with a good figure and a brilliant mind.

But she fell for this crossdresser, this girl who lived to take revenge for a slight ten years ago. This girl who tried to deny her heart, deny that she felt anything, claiming the sea had emptied out her human compassion. She had to fall for THIS girl, one whose intellect wasn't even a quarter of her, one who lived like this was still the warring states era.

And yet, she couldn't help but be attracted to the girl's simplistic charm, even the fake smile she put on for people to get them to leave her alone would beguile her and hold her attention rapt for hours on end.

Her heart ached again, seeing Ukyo so broken over everything again. Damnit, this revenge was to make her happy and able to move on with life, not destroy her and leave her a busted mess! She had to be strong for the girl she loved so dearly, yearned so strongly for, couldn't let her think there was anything wrong.

Love... she didn't believe it existed before she met the self-proclaimed best okonomiyaki chef in Japan. She knew she was gay, that she would rather have sex with a woman before she'd have sex with a guy. The fates' sick sense of irony to have her fall head over heels for a girl who did such a convincing boy.

Though inside she sobbed, her face broke into a smile, one she hoped was fake enough to calm her love's nerves and worries for her good friend.

“Thanks Kaede...” Ukyo said, ignoring the smile on the other girl's face. She knew it was fake, knew that the girl didn't want her pity. “Seems you keep taking care of me when I lose my head.”

“Yes, and lucky for you I know medicine, or I'd never be able to reattach it!” Kaede huffed, crossing her arms and effecting a mousy pout that most would feel insufferably cute.

“Hahaha, yeah, that's right, isn't it?” Ukyo laughed, shaking her head. “You deliver the package and note to Ranma?”

“Mmm... the pigtailed jerk got it.” Kaede said, before she beamed. “I even got him mad at me when I hit on his girlfriend, some tomboy with short hair.”

“Bet that was fun for you.” Ukyo replied, idly wondering what the girl looked like. Maybe she could convince this girl to take Kaede out, just to give her friend a chance to get over her.

“Yep! But I bet that jerk must think himself a playboy, living in a house with three good looking girls.” Kaede said, tapping her chin in thought. “Though, his ego and macho self-congratulation for having a penis made me sick.”

“Kaede!” Ukyo squawked in shock, giggling madly at the description of Ranma. “That's so horrible of you. Make fun of him some more.” She leaned forward and grinned.

“Well...” Kaede said, trailing off to think.

- - -

Time had passed, and all too soon, it was the day of the fight. Ukyo had once more asserted her desire to fight Ranma, who said that the okonomiyaki chef had pushed things too far, and they would settle it out on the field of battle. After everyone clapped heartily at the dramatics, class proceeded until lunch.

Nabiki sat with Ranma at lunch, Akane off by herself in a some kind of super good mood, plotting her date with Ranma that would happen tomorrow. The older of the two sisters vying for Ranma's affections shook her head, wondering what was going through Akane's mind. She was sure it had something to do with vanquishing Nabiki's plans for Ranma.

Just exactly why her plans to be Ranma's friend had to be vanquished was beyond her understanding.

“Man, Akane's even weirder than before.” Ranma said, shaking his head. “You'd think I just told her the best news ever possible in the history of best news.”

“Akane's just wired a bit differently than the rest of us.” Nabiki said with a shrug. “So, you got a big match after school against that Ukyo guy...”

“Yeah, I could live with him being mad at me, but what he did to Pop...” Ranma said, trailing off as he shook with anger. “He's got to pay for that.”

“I'm with you. Even if your father isn't the nicest man in the world, he didn't deserve that.” she said, shivering a little as she remembered Genma in a broken, sobbing heap.

“I just wish I knew what I did to make him so mad.” he said, pounding the table in frustration.

“Looks like you'll have to beat some answers out of him.” she said, a grim look arresting her features.

“Wish I didn't, but I guess you're right.” he sighed, mind reeling at everything that had happened.

“I know you don't want me to say this, but...” Nabiki said, sighing before continuing. “Be careful ok? If Ukyo can do that to your dad, don't go in there half-cocked and get beaten down.”

“Alright, alright, I get what you're trying to say.” Ranma said, deciding not to argue about it. Nabiki looked upset about the prospect of him getting injured, which made him uncomfortable. He did his best to smile reassuringly at her.

“I'm not telling you how to fight,” she said, looking away least she blush. “I just... I don't know, I want you to be able to get your revenge for your father without getting crippled in the process.”

“Yeah, I get what you're tryin' to say.” he replied, shaking his head. “Thanks for being there for me Nabiki, the past couple weeks wouldn't have been as tolerable as they are without you.”

“T-thank you, Ranma-kun.” she stuttered out, coloring slighting as she smiled brightly at him.

And so they sat like that, nothing further said between them.

- - -

The time was finally here, the battle between Kuonji Ukyo and Saotome Ranma would finally get underway. They had borrowed a ring from the boxing club, in an effort to better protect the students from getting in the crossfire. Ranma and Ukyo were in their respective corners, stretching as Nabiki prepared to give the introductions.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Nabiki said into the megaphone, not having time to secure a good outdoor speaker set. “If you would direct you attention to me. The grudge match between Kuonji Ukyo and Saotome Ranma is about to get underway.”

A raucous cheer erupted from the crowd.

“But first, some introductions. Fighting out of the blue corner, he's a new student who hails from the Kansai region of our great nation. Not much else is known about this mysterious new student, but he does claim to be the best okonomiyaki chef in all of Japan. Please, give a warm hand for Kuonji Ukyo!” Nabiki said, gesturing towards Ukyo, who came out of the corner and posed with his battle spatula.

Loud cheers erupted from parts of the crowd, mixed with a smattering of boos.

“Fighting out of the red corner, he is a student that perhaps needs no introduction. You all know his track record, he has been undefeated in matches held at this school, repeatedly defeating previous champion Tatewaki Kuno. The untamed, unmatched, and undefeated horse of Furinkan High School, the one, the only, SAOTOME RANMA!” Nabiki introduced once more, gesturing towards Ranma, who did a quick kata, ending with him gesturing towards Ukyo to bring it.

Even louder cheers were issued by the crowd, including a large number of squeals from the girls who had been drug to the fight by their boyfriends. This, of course, served to drowned out Kuno's protest of being defeated by Ranma.

“The rules of the match are simple.” Nabiki continued, once the cheers had died down. “No holds nor weapons barred, knock-out or submission only. But, to be fair, we do have officials standing by who will stop the fight if it becomes too serious and permanent injury can occur. Kuonji, do you accept these rules?” Ukyo nodded, glaring a hole in Ranma. “Saotome, do you?” Ranma nodded, returning the glare for all his worth. Nabiki moved herself out of the ring, before she resumed speaking. “Please remain in your corners until the bell sounds. Good fighting and good luck to you both.”

Silence engulfed the field, both fighters tensing. This showdown had been brewing for ten years from one side, but that didn't matter. Both fighters wanted this, needed this, CRAVED this, and wouldn't stop even if Kami-sama Himself descended from the Heavens and told them to stop.

The long moment of silence, an eternity of quiet that engulfed the area like a thick blanket of stifling wool. Anticipation mounted, the audience's breath held in quiet excitement, blood burning for that bell to ring. The bell keeper, upon getting the signal from Nabiki, raised his hammer and brought it down.

It struck home, the chime of the bell resounding like thunder in the stillness, sending the fighters forward and the crowd into a frenzy.

Ranma threw the first punch, in an effort to disarm his foe, who spun away. He barely had time to duck as the unorthodox weapon came in for his back at a blistering pace. Before he could regain himself and attack again, he was forced to roll away from a searing kick that seemed to hiss in the air as it passed.

Not content to stay on the defensive, Ranma rolled back towards Ukyo, but uncoil part way to thrust both feet at the battle chef. Again, his opponent flowed away like water, seeking to attack his seemingly vulnerable enemy. But the pigtailed boy knew he would miss, and had already swung his legs up, jerking his body into an impressive backflip, landing lightly on his feet.

The crowd exploded as Ranma whirled around to face Ukyo, who sneered at him.

Both rushed in again, the pigtailed fighter leading with a leaping front kick, which was again spun around. Ranma's momentum carried him to the ropes, where he used one foot to spring off, backflipping over Ukyo's charging baseball bat swing. The battle chef mimicked his foe's earlier move, twisting around to bounce off the ropes, coming in with spatula extended for what would pass as a lariat in professional wrestling.

Leaning back and out of the way, the pigtailed champion righted himself and turned to face his opponent. The battle chef cursed a little bit, hoping to have hit with that, before skidding to a stop and turning to face Ranma again. He spun his weapon deftly, before posing with it as though it were a staff, and gestured for his pigtailed enemy to come on.

Dueling chants “Kuonji!” and “Saotome!” rose from the divided crowd, as this was the best match they had seen in quite a while.

Obliging the request, Ranma came rushing in again with a thundering series of punches. However, not a single blow connected, as Ukyo deftly used the oversized cooking implement serving as a weapon to block each punch. Tired of being stymied, the pigtailed boy reared back for a stronger punch, attempting to disarm his foe yet again.

He was to be disappointed, as the battle chef once again swirled away from the punch. Stopping himself on the ropes, he rolled away from a series of swat by his opponent, each one just stinging the ropes and never having enough force to rebound back. As he neared the corner, he rolled back the way he came and tumbled around Ukyo and returning to center ring, taking a fighting pose as the battle chef casually rested in the corner, arm on rope as the spatula hung loose in the other.

The cheering renewed, the crowd deciding to save energy and cheer during the lulls of the fight.

- - -

“I don't like this,” Nabiki said to Akane, features darkening as Ranma and Ukyo continued to do battle. “There's just too much being hidden by this Kuonji guy.”

“Hey, you're preaching to the choir here. Kuonji won't say a single thing to anyone about himself.” Akane said, before deciding to jab her sister a little. “Besides, I would have thought all the bets that you could take on this fight would ease your discomfort.”

“Too many unknown variables for this fight.” Nabiki said, letting the insult roll off her back. “I couldn't give any odds in time for bets to be placed, even knowing what he did to Mr. Saotome.”

“Sure, whatever you say.” Akane said, shaking her head, before something caught her eye. “Hey, it's that girl who dropped off Mr. Saotome.”

“And hit on you,” Nabiki added, smirking at the nasty glare Akane shot her for reminding her. “Obviously, she's a friend of Kuonji's with the way she's leading the crowd in chants for the guy.”

“Yeah, just as long as she stays over there.” Akane growled, a shiver of revulsion running through her at the memory of the girl making a blatant pass at her.

“Oh come on Akane, aren't you just being a little melodramatic?” Nabiki asked, eyes affixing a hooded gaze.

“I don't care!” Akane spat, glaring at her sister. “You know I hate perverts.”

“Ah ha, I get it. It's because she's a girl and you wouldn't feel right about beating her up then?” Nabiki asked, before smiling wickedly. “Or because she'd probably enjoy it?”

“Nabiki!” Akane gurgled in unrestrained anger, making throttling gestures at her taunting sibling.

“Grow up Akane.” Nabiki said, rolling her eyes. “If you react to every taunt I make, then you'll never be more than an immature brat. You're not the first person to be insulted and degraded, grow an extra layer of skin if it bothers you so much.”

Akane didn't dignify that with a response and just focused her attention back on the match. Nabiki would get hers when Ranma told her to leave him alone with all her petty schemes. Then it would be her older sister's turn to grown an extra layer skin if that bothered her so much...

- - -

“Not bad,” Ranma grunted, stretching a little after both combatants took a breather. “Looks like you've improved over the last ten years.”

“Yes, because I'd just stay the same, Saotome.” Ukyo returned sarcastically, rotating a shoulder to work some tension out of it.

“That's not what I meant!” Ranma snapped, feeling annoyed that his attempt to compliment his foe had been slapped aside.

“It's what you implied.” Ukyo returned glibly, shaking his head. “I can see you're just as dense as when we were kids.”

“Feh, why do you have to be such a jerk about things?” Ranma growled, the insult striking home with far too much accuracy for his taste.

“When dealing with a jerk, you might as well be a jerk too.” Ukyo said, shrugging.

“I'm not a jerk!” Ranma shouted, stamping a foot.

“Yes, because nice guys beat up their friends for food all the time.” Ukyo said, venomous sarcasm flying with the words.

“Hey, it was just a game!” Ranma said, far more defensive than he would have liked.

“Justify it all you want,” Ukyo intoned, hefting the spatula into a ready position. “But you still stole it, you still beat me up for it.”

“Is that what this is about?” Ranma asked, taking a ready stance so as best to defend himself.

“If you don't remember,” Ukyo said, head shaking as he rushed forward. “Then there's no point in telling you!”

“What are yo- HEY!” Ranma started, only to be cut off by a vicious swipe of the spatula, which he leapt high over.

“Got you.” Ukyo said, pulling what appeared to be a takoyaki ball out of the hip pouch on his hip. “Tako Hanabi Matsuri!” He tossed the ball up and hit it at Ranma.

“What the...?” Ranma asked, preparing to knock the ball aside when it “popped” into eight and surrounded him, before they all exploded. “Aaaaah!”

“Stupid jackass.” Ukyo muttered, turning away from the cloud of smoke, only to get a brief sense of danger and leap out of the way as Ranma tumbled out of the cloud and landed where the battle chef had been standing.

“UKYOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Ranma howled, singed and dirty but perfectly fine. “It is ON now!”

“And it wasn't before?” Ukyo asked with an innocent expression.

“Shut up...” Ranma said, rushing forward and forcing Ukyo to spin away from a particularly nasty right cross. “...and FIGHT!”

“With pleasure,” Ukyo said, charging in with a looping combo.

Ranma dodged, ducked, and otherwise avoided the high-speed onslaught of his opponent. Batting aside the ones that would require too much effort to dodge, he continued to look for an opening. After a few more seconds, he found it and stepped on the spatula, but was shocked when Ukyo just released the weapon and took up a defensive stance.

Not even thinking it may be a feint, the pigtailed youth dove in with a right cross, hoping to further divorce the battle from his weapon. He was surprised, however, when his foe captured his arms, and tugged him forward into a hard knee. Air exploding from his lungs, he was roughly pushed back to the ropes as Ukyo moved and reclaimed his weapon.

“That's two hits for me, Saotome. Luckily we weren't fighting to first hit, or you'dve lost.” Ukyo taunted, daintily flicking his ponytail in mockery of his fallen foe.

Silence again, the crowd wondering how Ranma would respond to the taunt. Slowly, as if in the greatest of pain, he drew himself to his feet. His eyes were hollow, not even anger reflecting in them, as if his very humanity had been driven out by that knee.

A moment passed, and suddenly, the pigtailed fighter's face twisted into pure animalistic furor. From his throat escaped a roar of inarticulate anger, the crowd gasping in terror and covering their ears at the horrid sound. Then he quieted down, and rushed at his opponent twice as fast as before, as though his rage allowed him to move even faster.

The cacophonous bang of his fist meeting the battle spatula of his foe floored some of the spectators.

Ukyo's brow furrowed as he fought to keep the weapon in his grip. All of a sudden, Ranma had become twice as fast and strong, the strengthened steel of his spatula almost bending into uselessness from just ONE punch. Deciding that he couldn't push against Ranma forever, he flowed away again, spinning to attack the still airborne boy.

Imperiously, he was denied, as Ranma had rotated with his spin, and blocked the attack with a thundering kick, sending the weapon flying from the battle chef's shocked grasp. He hopped back, hoping to reclaim it before Ranma had recovered, but he was denied again. Ranma again showed his mastery of the aerial arts by pivoting from the kick and landing back on the ropes, from which he sprung forth and delivered a mighty dropkick to the hastily put up guard of Ukyo, who toppled over from the force.

Head bounced meatily off the canvas, bell temporarily rung as he realized he was almost knocked out by a blow he had blocked.

Then he was scrambling, rolling away on his back from Ranma's attempt to stomp his enemy. After two unsuccessful stomps, Ukyo recovered enough of his wits to kick up and land a kick between Ranma's shoulder blades, driving him away from his downed foe. Quickly, oh so quickly, he scrambled to his feet, preparing for Ranma's next assault.

It was a short wait, as Ranma surged forward like a living tidal wave, his furious punches and kicks threatening to wash Ukyo away. The battle chef blocked and dodged as best he could, the pigtailed fighter continue his rampage unchecked. For another thirty seconds, Ranma chased his foe around with blistering attacks, each one only barely missing or just grazing their target.

Ukyo couldn't allow this to go on, but Ranma's assault left him very tiny holes to attack in, as such, he just defended, waiting for an opening.

An opening did present itself, as the pigtailed boy turned just a little too slowly. Rushing in, the battle chef shoulder checked him back into the ropes, before tackling him to the ground. Swiftly, Ukyo mounted his foe, and started raining punches down into Ranma's forearms, which were criss crossed over his face to protect it.

Ranma played possum, waiting his time until Ukyo slowed the punches long enough for him to turn the tables. After a few more seconds, the battle chef paused, gulping for air, giving his pigtailed opponent the opening needed to switch their positions. Now Ranma was on top of the guard position, Ukyo's leg positioned in such a way it was harder for Ranma to strike him.

But that was the pigtailed boy's intention, deciding to pin his once dear friend turned hated foe to the mat and get some answers.

“Now, you're going to tell me what the hell this is all about!” Ranma shouted, pressing Ukyo down far enough to prevent the other boy from striking him.

“I already told you, if you don't remember, there's no point!” Ukyo roared back, struggling to get in a position to hit the bastard.

“Then refresh my memory!” Ranma demanded, leaning back just a little so he could see Ukyo's face better.

“Screw you!” Ukyo said, spitting at him before managing to get a grip on his hair and start punching him on the top of the head.

“Knock it off and tell me!” Ranma pleaded, quickly pulling the arms away and pinning them to the mat.

“You're not getting an answer out of me, Saotome, so just give it up!” Ukyo roared, getting his arms free and putting Ranma in a triangle choke. The battle chef added to the pain of this by starting to elbow him in the head.

“.ME!” Ranma screamed, growing tired of being elbowed, surging to his feet and flinging his foe down with a thundering powerbomb that broke the chokehold. He rolled off to the side, rubbing his neck from the brief time he was in the hold.

“AGH!” Ukyo hissed, back exploding into pain as stars began to shoot from behind his eyes. He rolled over and crawled to the ropes, pulling himself up.

“It doesn't have to happen this way.” Ranma said, as he climbed to his feet, looking sadly at his old friend leaning feebly on the ropes.

“It's always had to be this way,” Ukyo whispered, suddenly shooting forward with a right cross. “Ever since you've left it's had to be this way!”

“What?!” Ranma asked, caught flat footed and barely able to block it. “Is that what this is about? That I left without saying goodbye?!” He accentuated his point by nailing his former friend in the hip with a stinging middle kick.

“This has nothing to do with that, you thieving bastard!” Ukyo shrieked, voice becoming slightly feminine in this moment of anger and sorrow. He threw a left hook that only partly connected with its mark.

“Then what is it? I'm sorry I'm not a psychic and able to read your mind, pal!” Ranma snarled, slugging Ukyo back with a right hook.

“You don't need psychic abilities to remember stuff, jackass.” Ukyo returned, slugging Ranma with a right of his own.

“Look, I'm so sorry that I can't remember every single thing of everything that has ever happened to me!” Ranma cried, the beginnings of tears forming in his eyes. He blasted Ukyo with a left hook, who stumbled whoosily.

“And you can't even recall how you left you idiot!” Ukyo thundered, nailing Ranma flush on with a right cross that forced him into the center of the ring.

“How... I...” Ranma said, eyes filling with horror as he remember, the sound of his young voice squealing goodbye from atop Ukyo's yatai burning through his suddenly cold veins.

“That's right, you and your fat bastard of a father just left me behind!” Ukyo declared, advancing in a drunken gait that belied the menace he wanted. “Stole my family's cart, and discarded me like trash, like I didn't even matter to you! Like I wasn't good enough to travel with you, to train with you!”

“But... we were just kids, how is it my fault Pop left you behind?” Ranma asked, trying to make sense of everything.

“Oh sure, hide behind your father like you always do.” Ukyo sneered, drawing back to hit Ranma again.

“Grrrrr, listen to me!” Ranma snapped, stepping in and drilling Ukyo straight in the chest.

Pain exploded through Ukyo's world, far more than the powerbomb or any of the other punches taken. The punch had been cushioned by the chest bindings, but that was small comfort as the battle chef's chest burned in agony. Sagging on the ropes, and almost blacking out, Ukyo heard Ranma say something, fury reviving him for one last ditch attack.

“I'M STILL HEREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” Ukyo screamed, voice fully sounding like a girl as he sprung in and headbutted Ranma right between the eyes. Collapsing to the ground, he remained alert enough to hear Ranma falling onto the canvas. The noise of the crowd exploding into a frenzy mixed into a dirge of unintelligible noise, as if his head had been submerged in water.

“Ugh,” Ukyo whimpered, grabbing his forehead as he rolled to his knees and looked over at the dazed Saotome youth. “Got that jackass good.” This was said as a whisper, the very act of speaking causing his head to throb.

“Oooh,” Ranma moaned, rolling onto his side as he tried to recover from the unexpected headbutt. He thought the punch to the chest had finished it, but he had been wrong. With further effort, he made it to his hands and knees, head humming with discomfort.

“Just give up...” Ukyo horsely whispered, as he crawled back to the ropes and pulled himself up. “Struggling's just going to make it worse.”

“I don't give up.” Ranma wheezed, crawling to the ropes and pulling himself up to his feet.

Both combatants charged towards each other ever so slowly, fists cocked back to deliver a punch. Their attacks were foiled when Ranma's legs gave way and he started to fall down. Ukyo's swing went harmlessly over Ranma's head, while the pigtailed boy's swing got caught on the battle chef's top, gravity assisting in tearing the garment open... and the cloth underneath.

Like lightning, especially considering how injured Ukyo was, his arms encircled his body, hoping to hide his, make that HER secret from getting out. Right arm tight around her chest to make sure her womanly attributes didn't spill out, she slapped the pigtailed boy, who had just regained his feet HARD, his body coming to rest in a nearby corner. Adrenaline burning, she ran over and grabbed her battle spatula.

With a prodigious leap, she had cleared the ring AND the crowd and was already fleeing the field by the time Ranma regained his feet.

“Ow,” he grumbled, rubbing his cheek. That slap had been oddly... feminine, despite the very masculine outward appearance of his opponent. Was it Ryoga all over again? Did Ranma get his childhood friend cursed too?

Not stopping to think, Ranma executed a rather impressive leap of his own, already hot on the trail of Ukyo.

- - -

“Go away and leave me the hell alone already!” Ukyo cried, her desire to fight fleeing over the fear of being in a potentially vulnerable position with that boy.

“Wait, Ukyo, just talk to me!” Ranma begged, both already getting to rooftop level in their chases. “Did you go to Jusenkyo to?”

“Ju-what? The hell are you babbling about?” Ukyo hollered, confused by the idiocy spouted by her hated foe.

“You know, the cursed springs in China.” Ranma said, all of a sudden not feeling so confident about his first idea that Ukyo was cursed like he was.

“I've never left Japan you jackass!” Ukyo answered, effectively killing that idea.

“So... did you have a sex change?” Ranma asked, trying to hold on to the idea that Ukyo was always a guy, and that he didn't just spend the better part of the last twenty minutes fighting tooth and nail with a girl.

“Sex change? Why would I have a sex change?” Ukyo asked, confusion killing her irritation.

“I mean, you were a boy when we were little... right?” Ranma asked, a sinking pit in his stomach.

“You mean you...” Ukyo said, dissolving into laughter, sounding distinctly like someone who just found out that everything they ever believed was a lie. It was a sad, horrible, soul grating sound, that tore at Ranma more than he cared for.

“We were both six!” Ranma defended his mistake as a child. “And it's never like we took a bath together so I could see you weren't a boy.”

“Sure, sure.” Ukyo drawled, slowing down just for a second.

“Damnit, quit running!” Ranma cried, surging forward and tackling her to the roof the were both about to land on. She dropped her spatula, but managed to keep her cover.

“You moron, are you trying to kill us both?!” Ukyo snapped, reaching for her weapon, only for Ranma to scramble over and stand on top of it.

“Stand up.” Ranma said, forcefully lifting Ukyo up, and then prying her blocking arm away. Unintentionally, he blushed as Ukyo's breasts flounced a little as the were no longer being pressed in.

“And you're pervert, why am I not surprised?” Ukyo asked sarcastically, hands clinched in fist. “So you gonna cop a feel or what? Maybe click your heels over the fact your childhood buddy is actually a girl, then toss me to the roof and try to have your way with me?”

“I'm not a pervert!” Ranma snapped with little heat.

“No? So what was wrong about me covering THESE?” Ukyo asked with impressive venom, jiggling her breasts to emphasis her point.

“N-nothing,” Ranma said, flushing a deeper red. “I just had to be sure you weren't lying.”

“Yes, I would flee covering my chest and pretend I was girl just to lie to you.” Ukyo said sarcastically. “You're even stupider than I remember.”

“Hey!” Ranma protested, not liking the dig on his intelligence.

“Hay is for horses, so why aren't you eating some, Mr. Wild Horse.” Ukyo groused, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Knock the jokes off Ukyo.” Ranma growled, lifting his foot off her spatula and turning away in a huff.

“Sure thing, Ranchan” Ukyo said far too sweetly, as she dove and picked back up her weapon and swatted Ranma hard on the back with it as he stood stunned at hearing her old pet name for him. “And you're also a big sucker too.”

“That was dirty.” Ranma protested, standing up shakily.

“Hey, it's a street fight, boyo. Only rule is to win and leave the other guy worse than you.” Ukyo answered easily, pulling out a large orb of flour, which was mixed with gunpowder. “I mixed this one just for you, a dai hana seki just for you.”

“So what are you gonna do, cover me with flour?” Ranma taunted, before he remembered the exploding takoyaki, turning pale.

“That's right, boyo. This here's a bomb, a big one, just for you.” Ukyo said, slamming the bomb into the ground and reached into her pouch, only to find to her horror she didn't have her lighter. 'Crap! I left it behind because I was going to school today. Now how am I supposed to set it off?'

“Wow, some bomb.” Ranma called out sarcastically.

Some say the greatest inventions are made of necessity, the oft credit mother of them. The same can be said for martial arts maneuvers, as it is often under the greatest duress that the martial artist has his greatest insight. Such was the case now, as Ukyo's vision began to blur out the flour, and focused on her spatula.

'I think I got it,' Ukyo thought, looking at the roof. 'If I strike the roof, I should be able to cause the spark to ignite the gunpowder.'

“Ready to give up?” Ranma asked, still trying to see in the cloud of flour.

“Not on your life!” Ukyo said, rearing back with her spatula. Sure, she'd get blown away too, but she would get Ranma too. “Dai hana seki!” She swung the spatula, strike the roof in a way where large spark jumped into the flour cloud. Immediately, it began to spark and flash, stopping Ranma in his tracks.

And then it exploded, throwing Ukyo backwards off the roof.

The sensation of air rushing past her body as she feel awakened her from her brief moment of unconsciousness. Using the spatula, she caught the fire escape, halting her descent. Her top was tattered, but not enough to expose her. She looked up and saw Ranma's badly singed form resting on the edge of the roof, looking down in sheer rage at her.

Most would shiver in fear at such a look being directed at them, but she just smiled. And then, she unwedged herself and fell to the ground, instinctively rolling with the impact to avoid further injury. Using the spatula, she began to pull herself away from the seething Saotome.

“Get back here...” Ranma whispered, his rage boiling over. “Get back here, UKYO!” With great effort, he managed to stand and scream her name, one more time, ironically mirroring her tone of rage as that day ten years previous:

“!”

End Chapter 20

Teaser for chapter 21, “It's Not Fair When You Don't Try”:

“Ranma, are you alright!?” Nabiki yelled, as the paramedics carted him down from the roof, thankfully not on a stretcher.

“I'm fine,” he mumbled, anger coursing through his body

“Nabiki, did they- RANMA!” Akane yelled, coming over to inspect the pigtailed boy.

“Don't worry Ranma, I'll find out all I can on this Ukyo guy.” Nabiki said, nodding her head.

“Guy?” Ranma asked, before he remembered. “Uh, actually, Ukyo's not a guy... Ukyo's a girl.”

“A... girl?” both sisters chroused, realizing that the great Saotome Ranma just got taken to the limit by a girl.

End notes: Well, the chapter is finally done. Translation notes: ebi bikou assaiki Lobster Tail Crusher, Tako Hanabi Matsuri Octopus Fireworks Festival, dai hana seki Great Flower Burst, and a techinique from 19, tentou tsutome Counter Service. Not much else to say, see you next time when Ranma and Akane go on a date... in a Ranma x Nabiki fanfic. Oh that won't end well. Later.