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It was Christmas Eve, and Ryouga Hibiki was lost, as usual.
Still no snow as of yet, but there was definitely a very bitter cold in the air. Cold enough that Ryouga had pulled out the cloak to wrap around himself in order to keep warm. It was all he could do to stave off the cold at the moment. That, and to keep moving.
He was in a city, that much he was sure. The question of which city still eluded him, though. He was in a general shopping district, judging from all of the shops and restaurants around him, as well as all the people around.
And of course, since it was Christmas Eve, there was a lot of young couples around. They walked down the streets, clinging to each other, laughing and smiling. Happy with each other. Together.
Ryouga tried to fight the urge to shiver as a cold wind blew through. He should probably find a place that'll keep him from the cold: he knew he had enough change for at least something to eat, an excuse to stay inside.
Up ahead, Ryouga could see the green glow of a Mos Burger sign, standing out amid the other shops. Cheap, quick and filling; the perfect opportunity for him to get out of the cold.
He carefully slipped his pack from his shoulders as he stepped inside; even though the place was half empty, he was sure that the other customers wouldn't be happy to have to deal with his massive baggage. Instead, he let it sit beside an unoccupied table, landing on the floor with a thunk.
Silently, Ryouga joined the queue for food, in front of a young woman with long dark hair held in a high ponytail with a white ribbon. He stuffed hands in his pockets, trying to warm them up as he waited. There was still quite a line, so he figured he would be waiting a while.
The wait was long enough that his thoughts floated back to the Tendou Dojo: what was Christmas Eve there like? Would Ranma and Akane be celebrating together? He knew that, even with all of the constant bills for damages, the Tendous would have enough to splash out for something nice...
Ryouga couldn't help but grit his teeth. Once the Mos Burger closed for the night, he knew that the only option would be to find a place to set up camp and hunker down. And judging from how built up his current surroundings were, he was probably going to be searching for a suitable area for a long while.
Ryouga looked down at the girl in front of her. Judging from the look of her, she looked like she had a nice home to return to for the night...
Then Ryouga blinked. And the girl turned around and blinked at him.
"Ukyou-san?" Ryouga asked. "What are you doing here?"
"I should be asking you the same question," Ukyou replied through gritted teeth. "Where did you pop up from?"
"I was trying to get back to Sendai," Ryouga said, "so I could find my bearings and get back to Tokyo." He paused, and looked around. "This is Sendai, right?"
Ukyou looked at Ryouga for a long moment, her eyes wide. "This is Tokyo , you jackass! Where have you been, to think that this was Sendai?"
"Because the last time I asked someone," Ryouga replied, "he told me I was in Sendai. So I tried to go south, and look for a way back to Tokyo. But I figured I might've taken a wrong turn somewhere..."
Ukyou's eyes were still wide.
"I thought it would be colder," Ryouga went on, not noticing Ukyou's expression. "since I was further north and all. And since it gets warmer when you go south, I thought I could just follow the warm front..."
Ukyou's hand whipped out to halt him. "Stop that! Stop that junk right now! The idea of listening to you explain geography to me is already giving me a migraine!"
"Miss..?"
"It's geology , not geography!" Ryouga folded his arms, scowling. "Studying the weather is a completely different school than geography! I thought you would know that."
"Miss?"
"That hardly makes it any better!" Ukyou fired back. "Now tell me what you're doing here!"
"I'm looking to get some food!" Ryouga replied, trying to tamp down the frustration building inside of him. "Then I can go off and sleep somewhere for the night, then go and challenge Ranma..."
"That old saw again?" Ukyou said, teeth gritted harder. "Don't you have anything better to do than pester Ran-chan?"
"Miss!"
Ukyou whirled around and bellowed a " WHAT? " so loud that everyone around her jumped. Not the least of which was the poor cashier trying to get her attention, who ended up leaping back, shielding her face with her arms.
Ukyou froze, as everybody in the place turned to stare at her. This included the staff behind the counter, who were mostly trying to keep their distance out of fear. Her face turned bright red as she wilted from everyone's gaze.
"A… Aren't you going to order anything?" The cashier asked, trying not to let the tears spill out of her eyes. Her back was pressed against the soft drink dispenser behind her, and her whole body was quivering from fear.
Ukyou wilted even further, arms hanging limply. "Yeah, yeah..."
It didn't take long for Ryouga and Ukyou to make their orders, and quickly retreat to the table where Ryouga had left his backpack. Ukyou silently set the pager on the tabletop as she sat herself down, hands folded in her lap.
Ryouga sat opposite her, a nervous look on his face. He clasped his hands together, fingers interlaced, and gazed down at the pager, waiting for the buzz that would signify their food being ready. He tried his best to avoid looking directly at Ukyou, even as she sat right in front of him.
Both of them were sure by now that everyone in the place was watching them like a hawk. Between Ukyou's outburst and Ryouga's usual outfit, they kind of ended up sticking out like a sore thumb. Ukyou was so embarrassed that she ended up paying for both of their meals, just so she could get away quicker.
Finally, Ryouga broke the silence. "How much do I owe you for this? I'm pretty sure I've got enough in my wallet for my half of the cost..."
Ukyou sighed deeply. "You don't have to owe me anything. Have your food and do whatever, just don't drag me into it." She looked away, out towards the counter section, as the kitchen was somewhat neatly hidden away.
Ryouga stared at Ukyou. "I can't just mooch dinner off of you. Let me make it up to you somehow!"
"No way!" Ukyou replied sharply. "If you want to do anything for me, you stay in that chair and don't move !"
Ryouga's lips thinned out, and he sat back in his chair.
"I don't want you getting lost in here, okay? Especially not without this beast here." She looked down at the large pack resting against the table. "How do you even manage getting around with all this stuff?"
"I just do," Ryouga replied. "It's been that way ever since I was young. You have to learn how to fend for yourself quickly when you might end up stranded in a forest without even realising it."
Ukyou gazed at Ryouga silently, watching the expression on his face. She could somehow see all of the weight that seemed to be laden on his brow, just from the look on his face, the way his body seemed to sag as he sat in that chair in front of her. No wonder he could handle such a heavy looking pack, she thought to herself. Looks like he's carrying a lot more baggage than I thought.
The pager buzzed loudly on the table, shattering the silence that creeped over the table. Ukyou jerked out of her thoughts, and grabbed the pager. "Food's ready! Stay here while I go and get it!" She slipped off the chair, and dashed over to the collection point at the counter.
Ryouga nodded silently, staying put. He wanted to clamp down on the urge to flee, even as he was left alone with his pack, and within sight of the front door. Even though he wanted to leave so quickly, he didn't want to welch on a deal that Ukyou had made with him.
It didn't take long for Ukyou to return, anyway. She set down the tray in the centre of the table, laden with food: a teriyaki burger with fries for her, a double Mos Burger with fries and onion rings for him, and two cups of cola. She gave Ryouga a brief smile as she handed him his burger, resting in a wax paper sleeve inside of a green plastic basket, before sitting herself down with her own.
Ryouga just nodded back, and sank his teeth into his burger, taking care to keep the sauce inside of the paper and not on his fingers. For a moment, the two simply ate, going through their burgers, not saying anything.
And then Ukyou wiped the sauce and mayo from her lips, and looked up at Ryouga. "Y'know one thing you could do? Maybe you could tell me why you're always chasing after Ran-chan all the time?"
Ryouga looked up at Ukyou mid-bite, his expression hidden by the burger's paper sleeve. But Ukyou could probably tell from the look in his eyes that he was caught somewhat off-guard.
"I heard about the whole bread thing from Ran-chan, of course." She waved a hand dismissively. "I don't really believe that, though. Being beaten to the bread at lunchtime in middle school would make someone mad, but to drive them to seek revenge for more than two years?"
Ryouga quickly stuffed the rest of his burger into his mouth as Ukyou talked, his cheeks puffing out as he chewed it up. For the sake of politeness and to avoid any leakage, he held his hand over his mouth as he did so.
"I lost an engagement and a dowry to that boy's father, and for the longest time, I thought he had made a fool out of me. Even though I loved him so much, he never even realised it." Ukyou said, drawing her fingertip along the edge of her tray. "And, well, I was only six at the time, so I guess you couldn't blame me for being over-dramatic..."
Ryouga swallowed his burger in one big gulp, and quickly drained his coke to wash it down. "It's not just a matter of pride. It's not just about bread . Ranma is... Well, he was the direct cause of a lot of pain in my life."
He set down the empty cup, trying to keep himself from crushing it and sending the ice everywhere. "I followed him to China, to try and finally get that duel I wanted for so long. Instead, all I got was torment and humiliation. And there were more than a few times when I nearly died."
Ukyou blinked. "What the heck happened to you there?" She paused thoughtfully. "Don't tell me you managed to run across Jusenkyo as well..."
Ryouga's eyes bugged out.
Ukyou blinked. "Oh, wow. I was only saying that as a joke..." She stared at Ryouga's haunted expression for a moment, before she sighed. "Oh come on, it couldn't be that bad. And it's not like that's all Ran-chan's fault..."
Ryouga's gaze sharpened. "Of course you would say that, wouldn't you? You, who should have every reason to get revenge on Ranma, and hate him for what he did to you. And yet you fawn over him like a little girl..."
Ukyou looked at Ryouga, her expression slowly hardening. "Don't you dare try and tell me about how I should feel about Ran-chan..."
"Then why ?" Ryouga replied, folding his arms. "Why turn around on him like that? What could Ranma have possibly done to turn you from his vicious rival to his lovesick puppy?"
Ukyou was silent for a moment. And then, slowly, she straightened up in her chair, placing her hands on the tabletop. Ryouga tensed as she moved, anticipating her moving up to try and attack him.
"He called me cute."
Ryouga blinked. "I'm sorry?"
"Ran-chan called me cute." Ukyou's expression was the most severe that Ryouga had ever seen. "Back then, I thought he ditched me without a care in the world. That he was only taking me for a ride. When he said he thought I was a boy all along, all I could think was how much it figured."
"But then he called me cute. Ran-chan called me cute. And just like that..." Ukyou swept her hand in front of her. "All those years of bitterness, of hatred. All that desire for revenge. All of that was just... washed away." She let her hands fall by her sides. "And I was six years old again. And I was totally in love."
Ryouga gazed at Ukyou, her eyes wet with tears. Now there was no more arguments, no more petty bickering. This was a side of Ukyou that he barely even got to see, not even with Ranma.
"Was it..." Ryouga stuttered, the words sticking in his throat. "Was it really that easy?"
Ukyou just smiled bitterly. "I guess. How easy was it with you and Akane-chan?"
Ryouga's cheeks started to heat up. "That's completely different."
Ukyou just snorted. "Yeah, right. She's Ran-chan's fiancee, remember? Everyone I know knows how much you love that girl." She gave him a smirk. "I think even Akane-chan told me about how much you like her! So I think you better quit with the whole keeping it secret thing..."
Ryouga flinched slightly, and averted his eyes.
But Ukyou noticed the flinch, and her smirk quickly melted away. "What? What is it?" She frowned, reaching out to grab his arm. "Come on, don't clam up on me now. Are you really that hung up on her?"
Ryouga mumbled something under his breath. Something that sounded vaguely like "you wouldn't understand," but faded out halfway through.
"Understand what?" Ukyou asked. "Understand pining over someone who might not even be in love with you? Come on, sugar, you know I could write a whole book on that."
"That's not what I mean," Ryouga replied, looking at Ukyou once more. "I got a whole lot of issues before I can even begin to think about what Akane wants. And even I don't know if it's worth it at this point."
Ukyou blinked, then sighed deeply. "I know how you feel, sugar. I've been there with Ran-chan." She slid her hand down Ryouga's arm, to curl her fingers around his hand. "The worst thing is when you don't know either way. You go too hard, you might end up losing a friend or two in the process. But you don't go hard enough..."
"Then you're left alone when they go off with someone else." Ryouga said, laughing bitterly. "Then again, being alone is something that I've gotten used to over the years. I just hope that someday it might end." His lips curled back in a lifeless smile. "But I don't think I'm in with much of a chance."
Ukyou's brows furrowed. "So, what, does that mean you're gonna spend tonight out there alone? By yourself? In the cold?" She raised herself up higher. "And you're used to all that?"
"Sometimes when I'm lucky, I get to find my house again." Ryouga replied, picking out some fries. "If I'm really lucky, one or both of my parents will be there, too." He popped them in his mouth, munching on them thoughtfully. "It's not exactly as lavish as the Tendou home, but at least I'm welcome."
Ukyou just watched Ryouga eat his food in silence, her own fries left untouched. Thoughts ran through her head in silent deliberation.
"You think you could get there before tonight?" Ukyou asked. "I mean, you can't live that far away..."
"Maybe," Ryouga said, quickly swallowing his mouthful of fries and onion rings. "If I'm lucky, though. Sometimes I try and look for something and I find myself the next town over, though."
"Well, you know where it is, right?" Ukyou asked, leaning forward slightly.
"Of course!" Ryouga snapped. "It's in Nerima, in Tokyo!"
"Where in Nerima?" Ukyou asked, her voice more urgent. "Furinkan? Tomobiki? Hikarigaoka?"
"I know where it is! It's by the bus station, next to the red mailbox!"
Ukyou stared at Ryouga for a good long while.
Ryouga flushed darkly, sinking away from Ukyou's gaze. "I pass by it all the time whenever I'm close to home. It has a dent in it, on the right hand side."
Ukyou slumped forward, her head thunking against the table.
"Look, you're welcome to stay." Ryouga blushed even further, averting his face. "At least until this place closes. But after that, I have to go... maybe find home, or probably just find a place to pitch my tent for the night." He blushed further when Ukyou raised her head up to stare at him again. "Nobody bothers me when I do it, especially if I find a decent vacant lot."
Ukyou kept staring at Ryouga, even as he tried his best to look away. Long enough that a crazy, desperate thought somehow popped into her mind.
"If you're looking for a place to sleep tonight," Ukyou said slowly, "why don't you try my place?"
Ryouga's head snapped around, eyes wide. " Your place?! " It came out as barely a whisper, strangled by complete shock.
"What, you'd seriously want to spend Christmas Eve alone in the cold?" Ukyou asked. "No way. I'm not letting you do that. Not when my apartment is just down the block from here!"
"Spend the night?" Ryouga asked, his face glowing red. "With you ?!"
Ukyou's face reddened to match Ryouga's. "And just what are you implying about me, mister?"
Ryouga lurched back, hands raised to ward Ukyou away. "I didn't mean it like that ! I mean, you've done more than enough for me tonight and I don't want to be a bother on you any further than I have to be..."
"You're not going to be a bother!" Ukyou replied. "I don't want you sleeping out there tonight. Not alone, and definitely not on Christmas Eve! Even if I have to drag you to my apartment by your feet!"
Ryouga's mouth opened, to try and say something, anything that would convince Ukyou not to literally drag him home with her. But all that could come out was a somewhat strangled squeak.
Ukyou just stood up slowly, and stepped over to Ryouga. "Grab your pack, and let's go. You might need it, 'cause I only got the one bed. And I don't feel like sharing."
Ryouga didn't say anything. He just stood up out of his seat mechanically, and reached over to grab his pack. And then he followed Ukyou out of the restaurant, and into the cold night.
And so it was that Ryouga found himself spreading out his groundsheet and sleeping bag over the tatami of Ukyou's tiny apartment, which sat on the second floor above Ucchan's Okonomiyaki. Across from him knelt Ukyou, smoothing out her single futon, having changed from her sweater and slacks into a soft dark blue kimono with the "suki" pattern like on her usual outfit.
In the corner burned a small kerosene heater, big enough to just about keep a good part of the apartment adequately warm. It was the only real source of warmth in the room, and the only protection against the cold until it was time to get in.
"Do you really not mind me staying here tonight?" Ryouga asked nervously. He didn't even want to look at Ukyou, even with how modestly she currently was dressed. After all, this was the first time he would spend the night with a girl while human. And the prospects were making him more and more nervous to think about.
"Come on," Ukyou said in exasperation, "how many times do I have to tell you that it's okay?" She sat up, hands on her hips. "I'm perfectly capable of sharing a room with a man. In fact, I'm more than capable!"
With that, Ukyou drew out her battle spatula, laying it beside her futon. Ryouga stared down at the gleaming weapon, swallowing hard.
" Now do you believe me?" Ukyou said, smirking.
"Alright, alright..." Ryouga sighed, unzipping his sleeping bag carefully. But before he could do anything else, he was surprised by a sudden weight draped over him. "W-what the...?!"
Ukyou grinned as she watched Ryouga struggle out of the thick quilt she tossed over his head. “Something to help you keep warm tonight. That sleeping bag looks pretty thin, after all.” She pulled her own comforter over her legs. “I don’t want you getting a cold or anything in the morning.”
“Thanks,” Ryouga murmured. Slowly, he moved over to the kerosene heater and shut it off, then quickly slipped inside his sleeping bag as the heat slowly drained from the apartment, pulling the comforter over his legs.
Ukyou lay on her futon, resting her chin in her hands, watching Ryouga intently. A soft trace of a smile crossed her lips as Ryouga busied himself, arranging himself until he was mostly cocooned in warmth. “Better than a tent, right?”
“Depends on the company, I guess…” Ryouga said. Then paused, and blushed deeply. “Not that you’re not good company, of course.”
“Of course I am!” Ukyou said. “I wouldn’t let you in here in the first place, otherwise. Christmas or otherwise!” Her smile grew bigger. “Besides, you’d know there’d be a whole bunch of guys out there who’d want to be in your position right now…”
Ryouga couldn’t help but smile at that. “Of course. I guess that makes me a lucky man, this Christmas?” He blushed slightly. “To be here tonight, with a cute girl like you.”
Ukyou blinked for a moment, and Ryouga’s blush deepened. But then a smile spread across her face. “I suppose it does, don’t it?” And slowly, she reached her hand out to brush through Ryouga’s hair gently. “I am pretty cute, after all.”
Ryouga smiled, somewhat more shyly than usual. “Well, good night.” He zipped his bag up fully, and pulled his comforter around him. “And Merry Christmas.”
Ukyou smiled as Ryouga closed his eyes, and lay back to sleep. “Good night…”
It wasn’t long before the two of them fell into a quiet, peaceful sleep. And the night passed peacefully, with barely a stir between them.
When morning broke, Ryouga was the first to wake up, stirred by the rays of the morning sun drifting in through the thin curtains over the nearby window. For a moment, Ryouga thought he could hear birds singing, which was funny, because he didn’t think there would be any birds around during the winter.
Ryouga opened his eyes and looked around. And gulped as he saw Ukyou’s peaceful face resting right beside his. It only took a moment of looking around to realise what had happened: he somehow managed to budge up right next to Ukyou’s futon while they slept, while she rolled up to rest against him.
Slowly, Ryouga shifted within his bag. If he could get at his zipper, he could slip out and away before Ukyou could even realise it. He would be gone with her none the wiser, and be able to escape embarrassment…
He crept his fingers slowly towards the zipper. Closer… Closer…
Ukyou suddenly moved, making a soft sound. Her eyes fluttered open, to look directly at Ryouga’s face.
Ryouga froze, his entire body seizing up, held fast by sheer terror. “I… I...“
Ukyou just smiled at him. “Good morning. And Merry Christmas.”
Ryouga stared at Ukyou, his eyes wide. “Me… Merry Christmas...”
Then Ukyou rose up, stretching out wide. “I’m gonna go make some breakfast, okay? You stay there while I get everything going.” She worked out the kinks in her neck, swinging her hair back and forth. “Since you’re gonna be staying here this Christmas, and all…”
Ryouga just stared at Ukyou silently, as she went over to her tiny little rice cooker, filling it with rice and water. Somehow, this wasn’t exactly the Merry Christmas he was expecting. But then, at least, it was the Christmas he deserved.
the end