This should not be confused with the longer "Ryouga and Ukyo" work. It is dedicated to all those on the net who support the lifetime pairing of these two characters.

The characters of Ranma 1/2 are the creation of and rightful property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are used here without permission. This story may be freely redistributed, but it should not be altered substantially or used for profit in any way.


Ryoga looked down suspiciously at the food in front of him. He picked up a morsel of meat, sniffing it. "This isn't what I think it is, is it?"

"I know how you feel about pork," Ukyo replied, annoyed. "I just wanted something different for once! How many ways do you think there are to make okonomiyaki anyway?"

"So what's wrong with having something else besides okonomiyaki?" Ryoga asked. Ukyo glared back at him as if he'd asked a really stupid question.

Ryoga sighed. "I shouldn't be doing this. This was a mistake. I ought to go back to Akane. Back to being P-chan." He pushed his plate away. "I could've gotten married to Akari. She'd still be waiting for me now if she hadn't met that American talk radio host."

"Damn it, Ryoga!" Ukyo snapped back. "You know as well as I do why we're doing this! You love Akane. Do you want to be her husband, or just her pet?"

"You know how much I love Akane. It's just that... I'm starting to wonder if this idea is ever going to work."

"Of course it'll work. Just give it time." Ukyo gave her husband a look of confidence. "We both know how jealous Ran-chan can be. Once he sees you, his rival, in a happy marriage with me, he won't be able to resist the urge to try to steal me away from you. When I let him do that, it'll leave Akane for you."

The computer next to the dining table beeped. Ryoga checked the display. "There's a voice E-mail. I'll put it on the speaker."

The electronically-synthesized voice filled the room. "Hi, Dad! Hi, Mom! Just wanted to let you know that Sachiko and I will be coming for the weekend like we said. The kids are coming, too. They're home from college, and eager to see Grandpa and Grandma. See you then!"

Ryoga hit the save button. "That's nice. It'll be good to see them again."

"Yeah," Ukyo said. "It has been a while, hasn't it."

Ryoga went back to his food, picking out the bits of pork. Ukyo was probably right, it would work sooner or later. He just had to give it a little more time.