Jeffrey "OneShot" Wong

Ranma 1/2: Sentenced to life


     Ranma's life had been totally destroyed. Utterly and totally destroyed.
Framed for a murder he didn't commit, he had been sentenced to a life behind
bars with no eligible chance for parole.
  Ranma looked down at his tray full of food, and it looked absolutely
disgusting. He had no idea what kind of food he was holding.
  "What the fuck are you lookin' at, asshole?!" someone gave Ranma a vicious
stare. The burly man was seated in a chair, but he soon got up, he size
dwarfing Ranma's.
  "N-nothing" he said meekly. This was the first day in the penitentiary, and
he had no idea how much trouble he was in.
  The man knocked Ranma's tray full of food into Ranma's face, the mashed
potatoes singeing Ranma's face. Ranma didn't know what to do as he stared up
at the man. At a moment like this, Ranma would have gotten angry, but for
some reason, he didn't. He took a step away.
  "I think you need to be taught a lesson" the man said. He grabbed Ranma by
his jail shirt. And then he cocked his arms back...
  Before Ranma knew what happened, he found himself lying on the cold hard
floor of the cafeteria, blood trickling down the side of his face from a
large gash by his right temple. He sat up to wipe the blood off with his
hand, but his arm wouldn't move. He tired to move it, but it wouldn't
respond. 
  He felt someone give him a kick on his back "Get up!" It was one of the
corrections officers. The officer looked at Ranma with a cold, heartless
stare, his face twisted into that of contempt.
  Ranma wanted to get up, but he couldn't, his legs not responding. He tried
again, using his arms to bring himself up, but the pain prevented him "I-I
can't" He looked up at the guard meekly.
  "Get the fuck up!" Ranma heard before a club rained down on his back. The
pain was excruciating as it surged throughout his entire body. Another shot
struck him again, but this time on the back of his neck. Luckily for him, it
was hard enough to knock him unconscious.
  Ranma's unconscious body was dragged off as all the other prisoners
watched stoically. Things like this happened every day. It was all part of
the system.
  
  Shortly after waking up the next day, Ranma finally realized just how much
trouble he was in. He sat alone in his tiny jail cell, not daring to move. He
knew if he moved, massive bolts of pain would surge through his body.
  "Okay, time for the morning cell check" said an officer, a young female
officer. As she opened his cell door, she regarded Ranma with soft eyes. She
was the only corrections officer in the entire penitentiary that showed some
form of remorse and compassion toward him. Although Ranma was in no shape to
move or do anything, she still regarded him rather cautiously.
  Ranma slowly looked up at the young girl, tears streaming down his cheeks.
It wasn't from the pain that caused those tears, but from the realization
that he was all alone. He gazed up at the young officer through one swollen
eye and spoke "I-I don't think I can"
  The young officer was still cautious "I'm sorry, but you're going to have
to" She was looking at the newest addition to the penitentiary, and deep down
inside, he looked like he didn't belong there. She remembered his name was
Ranma. Although she had been there for no more than a year, there had been
no prisoner that looked more innocent than this young man she was looking
at.
  "I really suggest you do so, or the other officers are goin' to beat you"
she said matter-of-factly. She hated the way the penitentiary was run. The
entire place was corrupted. All the officers abused their authority, all
except for one.
  Ranma gritted his teeth as he slowly got to his feet. The pain was too
much for him for he fell forward to his knees.
  The young officer had instinctively stepped forward to grab a hold of him,
but she managed to keep herself from getting too close. Who knows? He might
have been faking it. She stepped back, still watching him cautiously.
  Ranma clutched at his ribs and moaned. He must have had a few broken ribs.
But he gritted his teeth again as he tried to get up. Through extreme pain,
he managed to finally stand upright "N-now what?" he said softly. His words
were barely heard. Every breath he took hurt.
  "Just step forward out of your cell and wait for the other officer to
check it" she said, stepping back and out of Ranma's way. She made sure she
was far enough away from him so that she would be able to react quickly
in case Ranma attempted to bumrush her, which was most unlikely considering
the his condition.
  Ranma stepped out of his cell and gave the young girl a weary look "N-now
what?"
  "Just stand there" she said. She gave Ranma one more look before she
headed off toward her superior officer as he walked down the small corridor
that had cells to each side. Ranma watched her intently. He noticed her pet
the dog that burly officer that was tied to the leash he was holding. When
she had walked past him, he could smell the faint scent to her perfume.
  Ranma watched as the burly officer and the young girl headed his way. He
noticed the dog entering each cell and sniffing around for narcotics. The
dog took about two minutes before the officer moved onto the next cell. As
he stood there, he looked down the corridor and the line of inmates standing
uniformly in front of their individual cells.
  "What are you looking at?" the burly officer said as he caught sight of
Ranma watching him "Didn't you learn your lesson back in the cafeteria the
other day?"
  Ranma said nothing. He looked down at the officer's knuckles and noticed
they were bloody. It was probably from beating the other prisoners.
  "Hey, boy, speak when you're bein' spoken to" the officer grabbed Ranma by
the collar of his blood stained shirt and shook him once. The dog began
barking loudly, its bark echoing through the corridor. None of the other
prisoners dared to gaze in their direction.
  "I-I was lookin' at nothing, sir" he said weakly through clenched teeth.
All that jostling was causing his ribs to hurt.
  The young girl watched quietly, not knowing what to say. She wanted to
tell her superior officer to stop the harassing, but that would easily mean
her job and she really needed the money the job provided. As she watched,
she noticed a small blood stain forming around Ranma's chest. She gasped as
she realized that one of his ribs must have punctured his skin.
  She had to do something before Ranma got hurt even more. He was in bad
condition as it is, and there was no need for his conditioned to be
worsened. She reached forward and placed one of her hands on the burly
officer's shoulder "Y-you don't need to do that"
  The man turned toward her "Of course you do" he said "You hafta show 'em
whose boss" He turned toward Ranma and gave him a nasty look "In here,
they're nothin' but garbage, and that's how they deserve to be treated"
  "I-I'm aware of that...b-but you don't have to be so rough" she said. For
the first time since she started her job here, she was glad that she had
good looks because the man she was talking to seemed to have a soft spot for
pretty women. Even though she hated, no, detested the leers she got from the
inmates, she was now glad that her looks could do much more than get sexual
leers. Although none of the inmates dared to say anything toward her, she
knew what they were thinking. And judging by how the officer looked at her,
she knew his thoughts weren't any different from the inmates.
  The officer pushed Ranma off to the side as he let the dog sniff through
his cell "You're lucky today, boy. If she hadn't said anythin'..." he didn't
bother to finish his sentence. After a few moments, he went on to check the
other cells.
  The young girl stayed behind for a moment "A-are you okay?"
  "Y-yeah, I-I'm fine" he said weakly, still holding his ribs. He bowed
politely out of respect "T-thanks"
  She was a bit surprised by Ranma's politeness, but she managed to say
"Don't worry about it, Ranma" She wanted to kick herself for saying out his
name when she noticed Ranma cock an eyebrow up. She had always made it so
she would never get to know the prisoners' names, yet when she came across
Ranma's picture, she had to know his name for some reason.
  "You know my name" he said. It was a statement, not a question "But I
don't know yours"
  The young girl thought for a moment, wondering if it was all right to give
him her name. When she looked up into his soft, warm eyes, she felt
compelled to. She smiled warmly, which seemed to make Ranma's day brighter,
for he smiled back every bit as warmly.
  "My name's Ukyo"

  Ranma sat by himself as he ate quietly in the cafeteria. He had been in
there for a few days already, but his wounds had healed quite a bit. He was
no longer experiencing any form of pain.
  A frail young man, somewhere around Ranma's age, sat down next to him "Is
it all right if I sit down next to ya?" Ranma regarded him for a second but
said nothing. The young man looked like hell. He had a black eye and several
bruises were quite visible on his face. It looked as if he had been beat up
just recently.
  "I'm Ryuichi" the young man said as he scooped up some indiscernible food
and put it in his mouth. The sight of food he was eating made Ranma want to
gag "I saw what happened to you the other day. So, what are you in for?"
  Ranma looked up "I'm Ranma, and I was framed. I don't belong here"
  Ryuichi chuckled "That's what everyone says. Everyone's innocent in here.
But in here, it doesn't matter if you're innocent or not. All that matters
is protecting yourself"
  Ranma looked at Ryuichi curiously. The man was very skinny and frail.
There was no way in hell that man could defend himself. Except for Ranma,
every inmate must have outweighed the man by a hundred pounds. And judging
from the bruises, it was obvious he didn't know self-defense "How do you
defend yourself in here?"
  "I get someone else to do it" he said. When he noticed Ranma looking at
his face full of bruises, he continued "The person who was supposed to
protect me was stabbed last night so he couldn't protect me"
  Ranma gasped as he realized how violent this place was. He wondered how a
man this small and frail managed to survive for so long.
  "Well, I won't be worryin' about that. I can protect myself" Ranma said.
He turned his gaze toward that inmate that had beat him up the other day.
The man was on the other side of the entire cafeteria, chatting with his
buddies. Ranma clenched his fist. He's going to pay for what he did.
  "Maybe you got hit in the head too hard," Ryuichi said "but you were beat
pretty bad. I didn't see you tryin' to defend yourself" He took another
mouthful of food from his tray.
  "I had somethin' on my mind" Ranma replied. He turned his attention back
onto Ryuichi "He took me by surprise. That's all"
  "Well, whatever" he said "In here, you better know how to fight. That's
the only way you're ever going to get respect from the guard and other
inmates. Hey, look at that, it looks like there's another new addition to
our family. It seems your....friend....is welcoming him"
  Ranma turned his attention toward where Ryuichi was pointing. His gaze
rested on the same man that had beat him up the other day. The man looked
like he was picking on a new inmate. He was holding the new guy by the
collar. Ranma clutched his fists as he got up off his seat "What's with that
guy? Why's he like that?"
  "He's the local tough guy. That's all" Ryuichi replied "He seems to get a
hard-on from picking on people"
  Ranma cracked his knuckles "Well, it's about time someone taught him a
lesson"
  "Hey, what do you think you're doin'?" Ryuichi managed to say to Ranma's
back.
  Ranma made his way past all the other inmate. He felt a surge of
adrenaline flow through his veins as he made his way toward the man. He
didn't know what he was going to do once he got there, but he wasn't going
to allow that man to continue on with his ways. Someone was going to have to
teach him a lesson, and it seems Ranma was going to be the one to do it.
  Ukyo was pacing back and forth on the balcony that overlooked the
cafeteria. She was holding a mandatory shotgun in her arms. Today was
definitely one of her better days. Only one fight had broken out earlier and
it was only between two prisoners over something as petty as a drink at the
water fountain. She was the first one to arrive at the scene, and the
prisoners easily backed down when they caught sight of the shotgun she was
carrying. That had happened early in the morning, nothing else occurring
since then.
 She sighed when she noticed Riko picking on the new prisoner that had been
transferred into the penitentiary. She hated that man. All he ever did was
pick fights with prisoners.
  Ukyo sighed. That man belonged on death row.
  "Hey!" Ranma shouted at the man, his voice echoing throughout the
cafeteria. Everyone, who was minding their own business, turned their
attention toward Ranma and the man.
  "Well, well, well, it seems our new ho is back for more" the man said,
causing the room to burst out in laughter.
  Ukyo looked down at the source of the commotion. When her eyes rested on
Ranma, her heart leapt. She watched intently from the safety of balcony as
Ranma stood faced to face with that tower of a man. She noticed that Ranma's
head only reached up to the man's shoulders.
  Ranma said nothing. All he did was stare directly into Riko's eyes.
  "Well, aren't you going to say something?!" Riko said with a smirk. He
grabbed Ranma's collar like he did the other day.
  "You got lucky the other day" Ukyo heard Ranma say "I had a lot on my mind
at the time"
  Ukyo felt a bit of concern for Ranma. He had no idea what kind of man Riko
was. Riko wouldn't hesitate to kill Ranma then and there. But it wasn't only
Riko that was vicious, but also his buddies. His buddies would most likely
bumrush Ranma and hold him down while Riko rained blows down on him. And by
the time the other guards managed to make it there in time to break up the
fight, Ranma would had been beaten into a coma by then.
  Ukyo took the walkie talkie off her belt and talked into it "Shinku, you
better get your ass to the cafeteria. Hurry! Someone's going to get
killed" She was the closest to the two men, but there was no way she could
intervene. She wasn't trained to deal with fights and was physically too
weak to fight anyone off if she were to ever get attacked in the heat of
battle.
  Ukyo turned her attention to the fight, just in time to catch sight of
Ranma landing a vicious blow to Riko's jaw. She watched in disbelief as
Riko's unconscious body was thrown backwards several yards from the shear
impact.
  "Watch out!!!" she screamed when she noticed two guys rush from the crowd
behind Ranma.
  As if on instinct, Ranma landed two vicious kicks on each of the inmates'
chin, knocking them out. Ranma's leg remained in the air as he balanced
himself gracefully on one leg. Several more inmates bumrushed him, only to
get the same treatment as the three before them. After a dozen people had
attempted to rush him, meeting the same fate as their fallen comrade, did
the fight stop, no one wanting to attempt to knock Ranma down.
  The commotion had ended within seconds. A circle had formed around Ranma,
everyone not knowing what to do. They just stared at him. Ranma stood there,
awaiting for the next incoming attack. After a few tense moments, the crowd
parted as three guards with clubs made their way to Ranma.
  One of the guards looked down at the dozen of unconscious inmates before
he turned his attention up toward Ukyo "What happened?" the guard asked her.
Without receiving an answer from her, the guard turned his attention toward
Ranma "You're in deep shit for this"
  
  Ranma used one of his arms to clutch at his ribs again as he sat upright
in the bed he was in. He surveyed his surrounding, realizing that he was in
the infirmary. He brought his hand up to his face to feel for any cuts.
There weren't any. He took a deep breath and winced in a little bit of pain.
Some of his ribs must have been bruised. He was in a lot better condition
than last time. It would be better within a day or so.
  He was about to get up off the bed, but he realized that one of his arms
was chained to the bedpost. He gave it a quick jerk, knowing that if he
really tried, he could break the chain easily, but he chose against it. It
would make the guards think he was trying to escape if they happened to walk
in at the moment.
  He sighed, lying back down on the bed again.
  A few hours passed before someone entered the room. To his delight, it was
that young woman he had met this morning during the cell check. He
remembered her name was Ukyo. There was no way he would forget a name like
that. He also remembered how great she smelled when she stepped by him.
  Ukyo sat down in the chair next to the bed, a chair that was just far away
enough that there was no way Ranma could reach her if he tried to attack
her. Even though he was in no condition to move, she still had to be
cautious. She sat and crossed a slender leg as she took out a notepad and
a pencil from her shirt pocket and began to talk.
  "What happened?" she said. She knew what happened, but it was standard
procedure to have the incident written down for the records. The incident
where the guards had beaten him into unconsciousness would be left out
though.
  "He got it comin' to him" Ranma said. He eyed her rather fondly. He had
never seen a woman as beautiful as her before. She was absolutely gorgeous
"I just paid him back for what he did to me earlier"
  Ukyo giggled. She liked Ranma's reply. She knew that Riko had it coming to
him sooner or later. It was just a matter of time. She was just glad that
she was there to witness someone beating some sense into that man. She was
also glad that it was Ranma, it made watching all the more enjoyable. Even
though she didn't like seeing human suffering, she knew Riko deserved it.
  Ranma smiled a bit. He liked the way she laughed. It gave him a warm
feeling, something that he could definitely get used to. He adjusted himself
so that he was one his side facing Ukyo, his head propped up by his free
arm.
  Although she wasn't looking at him, Ukyo could feel Ranma's gaze on her.
It made her feel a bit nervous. She knew how everyone looked at her. They
always looked at her licentiously. But when her gaze met his, she noticed
nothing but kindness in his eyes. For some reason, it made her more nervous
because of the way her body seemed to respond to his eyes. She noticed that
his heart seemed to have sped up.
  "Thanks" he said warmly after a few silent moments. He was still regarding
her with warm eyes.
  "For what?" she asked curiously. She had no idea what he was thanking her
for.
  "For what you did back there" he said "Thanks for tellin' me about those
guys behind me. They would have caught me by surprise if it weren't for you"
Ukyo wondered exactly what would had happened if she had never told him to
look out. If she hadn't, they would had easily overwhelmed him and he would
be in a coma by now, most likely on the verge of death.
  Ukyo smiled a bit. She was glad that she could help. It was just too bad
she couldn't do anything when the guards were beating him. All she could do
was refuse to hit him. She would had quit a long time ago if it weren't for
the fact that she needed the money.
  "Okay, back to the subject" she began again, her tone a bit more seriously
"What happened back there?"
  Ranma stopped for a moment to think of a good answer "He beat me up the
other day, and I'm just paying him back for it. And yes, I started the
fight"
  "Do you know what they're going to do to you?" she said. She wished this
wasn't happening. Ranma didn't deserve this. It was Riko that deserved this.
But just because the guards liked Riko because they enjoyed watching him
pick fights with other prisoners, Riko wouldn't get into any trouble. Ranma,
on the other hand, was in a heap of trouble.
  "No" he said. He had absolutely no idea.
  "They're going to put you in solitary confinement for at least a week" she
replied, clutching her notepad tightly.
  "What's that?" Ranma asked.
  "You're going to be put in a tiny cell without any human contact" she
replied "There's going to be no light. Nothing. The only light you'll ever
see is when they open a tiny grate to give you food"
  "It seems a lot better than where I am now" Ranma remarked. He laid back
down on the bed, looking up at the bland ceiling "At least I won't have to
worry about the guards"
  Ukyo clenched her hands into fists. She knew Ranma was right. The guards
were worse than the prisoners. But she knew Ranma had no idea what he was
getting himself into. Prolonged periods of time in solitary confinement
usually drove people insane.
  "It doesn't matter though" he began "Even though I don't belong here,
there's nothing I can do about it. If they're going to give me solitary
confinement, I can't do anything about it. If I refuse, I'd probably get
shot. Am I right?"
  Ukyo said nothing. He was absolutely correct. 
  "How come you're not like them?" he asked.
  "W-well," she began. She didn't really know if it was all right to tell
him. She hesitated for a moment. She wasn't like them because she detested
seeing human suffering. She would never get pleasure from seeing someone get
hurt, especially by her own hands.
  "Maybe you better not tell me" he said "I don't want you to get in trouble
or nothing"

  Ranma looked like he lost several pounds when he was finally released from
solitary confinement. But aside from that, he looked okay. He even managed
to crack a smile toward Ukyo when he was escorted with several guards toward
his cell. Ukyo was the only one who saw. She couldn't believe he did
something like that. If the other guards had caught sight of him smiling
after leaving solitary confinement, they would have thrown him back in and
kept him in there for another week just to get rid of his smile.
  After a few days had passed, Ukyo noticed Ranma had gained back his
weight, and was looking healthy again. When it was her turn to take her post
on the balcony that overlooked the cafeteria, she couldn't help but notice
that she was stealing more glances toward Ranma than she wanted to admit.
For some reason, she couldn't keep her eyes off him.
  She found herself wondering what Ranma was saying when she noticed someone
sit down next to him.
  "You look better" Ryuichi said.
  Ranma nodded "I feel better now" He started to eat some of the slop that
the cafeteria staff gave him. It looked like runny mashed potatoes. He
finished that it in several bites "Man, this stuff's disgusting"
  Ryuichi's eyes widened "Hey, if you don't want it, I'd be glad to have it"
  Ranma turned his attention away from his meal and onto Ryuichi. He noticed
several new bruises on the frail man's face "Where'd you get those from?"
  "My boyfriend hit me" he replied, not bothering to looked up at Ranma.
  Ranma spit out some of the milk he was drinking "W-what didja say?"
  "Remember when I said I have others to protect me?" he said. When he
received a nod from Ranma, he continued on "Well, I give sexual favors to
the man to protect me, and he hit me a couple of times when we were...."
  "Oh man, I never knew things like that happened in here" Ranma said, his
stomach churning. But he managed to hold down his lunch when logic pushed
his way into his mind "Wait a minute. I don't get it. If you're getting
beaten up by the person protecting you, then that ain't what I would call
protection"
  "Would you protect me?" Ryuichi said, pleading in his eyes "I'll do
anything"
  Ranma couldn't believe Ryuichi was going through something that horrible.
He would had helped him out anyway. Ryuichi should had come to him first and
asked for his help. Even though they rarely talked to each other, Ranma
considered Ryuichi as close to a friend as he was ever going to get.
  "I'll protect you" Ranma said. He believed that no one should suffer. He
couldn't stand seeing the weak being taken advantaged of.
  "Thank you" Ryuichi said. He looked like he was about to cry, but he kept
his tears under control. He knew if the other inmates saw him cry, that he
would get a whole heap of trouble and so would Ranma since he was with him.
He didn't want to bring Ranma any trouble. Besides, if Ranma expected to
stick to his word, he would be doing a lot of fighting on Ryuichi's behalf.
  Ranma took a another bite of his lunch when he noticed Ryuichi's face
wince in pain.
  Ryuichi tried to say something, but nothing was coming out of his mouth.
All the blood seemed to drain from his face as he tried desperately to
speak. With all his strength, he pointed at someone.
  Ranma looked over at what Ryuichi was pointing at. His gaze rested on a
man walking away from the two of them. He noticed that the man was stuffing
something into the sleeve of his jail shirt. Ranma realized that the man was
trying to conceal a knife. He turned his attention back onto Ryuichi, only
to see him slump forward, blood pouring from his mouth. He looked like he
was still trying to say something.
  Ranma realized what Ryuichi was trying to tell him. Ryuichi had just been
stabbed and was trying to tell Ranma that that man he pointed toward was the
one who did it. Without thinking twice, Ranma jumped out of his seat and
caught Ryuichi before he fell to the ground. He gently laid his friend down
"I'll get him for you"
  Ranma turned his attention toward the man. He clenched his hands into
fists "Get back here!!!" he yelled. His eyes flared with anger. The man
turned around, noticed Ranma looking directly at him, and then hurried his
pace away from them.
  Ranma ran after the man, shoving a man who happened to have stepped in
front of him, out of his way. Several other people seemed to have
accidentally stepped in front of him, but Ranma knew they were trying to
slow him down. Knowing the assailant was going to get away, Ranma knew the
best way to get him was either through the people, which there were too many
of, or by jumping up on the tables. Ranma took the latter approach.
  Ukyo watched the whole thing from above. She watched as he hopped onto the
tables, food splattering everywhere, mostly onto hapless inmates, as he
hopped from one table to another, coming closer and closer to the assailant.
Once he was close enough, he lunged forward and onto the man, knocking him
down to the ground with a well placed kick to his back.
  He quickly climbed onto of the man as he tried to fight back. The man
attempted to pull the knife out to stab Ranma, but Ranma quickly knocked it
away. Ranma then punched the man in the stomach, knocking the wind out of
him. As soon as the man managed to catch his wind, Ranma punched him in the
gut again. By now, a circle had formed around Ranma and the man, and they
were cheering for Ranma to kill the man.
  Two men rushed forward from the crowd, clubs in their hands, ready to club
Ranma. Ranma was forced to get off the man to protect himself. He managed to
deflected the first club with a well placed knifehand, but the second one
caught him square on the back. That seemed to have angered Ranma more than
anything else. He picked the man off the ground and threw him into the two
attackers, hitting them so hard that all three were knocked out.
  "Break it up! Break it up!" one of the four guards shouted as he shoved
prisoners out of his way. He walked up to Ranma, his club at his side "Well,
look who it is?"
  Ranma pointed toward one of the three unconscious men "That man over
there," He then pointed toward Ryuichi, who was lying still on the ground,
a small puddle of blood forming around him "he stabbed that guy"
  "Where's the weapon?" the guard asked.
  "I don't know. I knocked it out of his hands when he tried to stab me with
it" Ranma replied. He looked over at the spot where he last remembered where
the knife had landed, but the knife was no longer there. He clenched his
teeth, knowing that someone must had picked it up and had hidden it to hide
the evidence.
  "So where is it?" the guard asked, obviously showing his impatience. 
  "It was just there a second ago" Ranma said.
  "Sure it was" Ranma last heard before a club rained down on his head.

  Ranma woke up in the infirmary again. This time, he wasn't in any from of
pain. Although he was hit in the head, he had faked being knocked
unconscious. Although he could easily endure the onslaught of attacks, he
would rather have less than more, and faking unconsciousness was the best
way to avoid it. He felt angry, angry at what had happened earlier. He never
managed to catch the person who stabbed Ryuichi. But he knew he would be
able to identify the man if he saw him, and when their paths crossed...
  Ranma noticed Ryuichi lying in the bed next to him. He noticed his chest
rising and lowering, meaning he was still alive and breathing. Although
Ryuichi seemed like he was okay, Ranma had no idea how bad his friend's
condition was.
  "I'm sorry. I couldn't catch him" Ranma said softly, tears slowly forming
around his eyes. He couldn't believe he had just let his friend down. Ranma
sat upright, realizing once again that his arm was chained to the bedpost.
He wanted to break the chain, which he could easily do, and rush to
Ryuichi's side, but he knew the guards would have a ball with him if they
noticed that he had broken the chain.
  "You okay?" Ukyo asked as she entered the room once again. She closed the
door behind her and sat down in a nearby chair. This time, she wasn't as far
away from him as last time.
  Ranma looked at Ukyo for a few moments before turning his attention toward
Ryuichi "Is he all right?"
  Ukyo looked at Ryuichi for a second before replying "He'll be all right"
She couldn't believe how compassionate this man was. Here he was, lying in
bed with his own injuries, and he was worried about someone he had only met
a short while ago. Men like this didn't belong in places like this. They
belonged on the outside, with loving families, with children and wives.
Ranma definitely didn't belong here.
  "Man, I'm in here more than my cell" he joked, which made Ukyo laugh. He
sat up and looked at the chain confining him to the bedpost "Do they have to
keep this on? It's very uncomfortable. It makes me feel like I'm some kinda
animal"
  "Yeah," she replied "it's all a part of the procedure. They don't want
inmates roaming around free after they wake up" She looked at Ranma's arm.
She had the keys to the lock on the chain, but she wouldn't allow herself to
do something as stupid as unlocking his chain just because he was
uncomfortable or felt like an animal. Sure, it must be degrading, but it was
for her and the other guards' safety.
  "Well, I suggest you use stronger chains" Ranma said gesturing toward the
ones attached to his arm "These are pretty old and they would break if ya
give 'em a good yank like this" Ranma was just trying to show her something,
but it turned out all wrong. The chain broke, the locked lock falling to the
floor right next to Ukyo.
  Ranma looked at Ukyo "Oops. I didn't mean to do that"
  Ukyo's heart leapt up into her throat. Here she was, in a room with a
loose inmate. She was the only person in that wing of the penitentiary,
meaning if Ranma decided to rush her and attempt to rape her, no one would
hear her screams. She had never felt so scared in her life. Her heart was
racing, threatening to explode. At that moment, she was very keenly aware
of just how vulnerable she was. The only form of protection she had was the
tiny can of mace that was attached to her belt.
  She quickly fumbled for her can of mace before he managed to have time to
rush her. But because she was doing it in a state of panic, she accidentally
dropped the can and it rolled underneath the bed Ranma was on. At that
moment, she realized that the door to the room was closed, and she wouldn't
have enough time to open it and make a break for it before Ranma gets next
to her.
  Ukyo felt dizzy as she realized she was at the mercy of this man. She felt
lightheaded. Her world was spinning. Before she knew what happened, she
could see Ranma rushing toward her just as everything went black.

  Ukyo slowly woke up. She had no idea where she was. She soon realized she
was in a bed. When she sat upright, she noticed a wet cloth fall down into
her lap. She picked it up and looked at it. Why was there a cloth on her
head? Then, suddenly, she realized where she was. She was in the infirmary.
  "W-what happened?" she asked herself. 
  "You fainted" came a voice. Ukyo turned toward it and her gaze rested on
Ranma. At that moment, she realize what had happened. She remember seeing
Ranma break free from his chain, fumbling for her can of mace only to drop
it, and then seeing Ranma rushing toward her before all went black.
  She clutched at her chest, not wanting to believe what he might have done
to her while she was unconscious. She looked down and noticed that she was
still wearing her clothes, that her shirt was still buttoned. She looked
over at Ranma and noticed that he was in his chains were on again.
  "I managed to catch you before you hit the floor after you fainted. I put
you on the bed and placed the wet cloth on your forehead" he said "I took
your keys and unlocked the lock. Since I only broke a few links to the
chain, I managed to salvage it. I locked myself back up and threw the keys
to you"
  Ukyo checked for her keys. It was nowhere to be found. She did, however,
find the can of mace hooked back on her belt.
  "It's under the bed" Ranma said meekly "I kinda have lousy aim. I was
aiming for the bed, but I missed. It slid under your bed"
  Ukyo checked under her bed, and there it was. She picked up her keys and
hooked it up to her belt "I don't get it. Why'd you do that? You could have
taken my keys and made a break for it"
  Ranma laid down and looked up at the ceiling "No thank you. They'll think
I'm trying to escape, and I would probably get shot. Besides, I'd just get
hunted down like some dog"
  Ukyo said nothing. She couldn't believe Ranma had done something like
that. He could had easily escaped. He had the keys to the control booth
meaning he could had disabled the security systems, and he would had easily
vanished into the night since all the guards would be overwhelmed by the
security systems going down and all the inmates being freed from their
cells.
  "Ukyo, I'm innocent" 

  Ukyo placed her keys on the table as she entered her livingroom. She was
dead tired, but she knew she wasn't going to have a good night's sleep
tonight, not after what had happened today. The scene played over and over
in her head, the scene where Ranma had managed to break free from his chain.
The scene played in slow motion as she remembered seeing Ranma rushing
toward her. Before everything had went black, she remembered looking
directly into Ranma's eyes and she remember seeing concern in them, not
malice. She realized that Ranma was rushing toward her to catch her, not
attack her.
  She sat down on the couch, her heart still beating rapidly. If the chain
had broken free for any other man while she was in the room, she would had
been raped. But it had happened to Ranma, and he didn't do anything like
that. He did the one thing no inmate would do. She would had been helpless
if he wanted to rape, and she knew it.
  She was still playing the scene over in her head. She had been always
cautious all her life, and no matter how cautious she was, it wouldn't had
saved her if it had been another inmate in that room.
  She placed her face in her hand as she began to cry. She could had been
raped. Her life would have been destroyed if something like that had
happened. But because of Ranma, it never happened. Because Ranma happened to
be unfortunate enough to be hurt and placed in the infirmary, she was
fortunate enough in not becoming a rape victim.
  She continued to cry into her hands "Ranma"

  Ranma was eating quietly by himself in the cafeteria when Ukyo noticed him
from the balcony above. All the inmates seemed to be eyeing him cautiously,
very aware that he was someone not to be reckoned with, especially after
yesterday's incident.
  She was quite surprised that he wasn't put in solitary confinement like
last time. Afterall, he had started a fight, just like he did the week
before. Maybe the guards were finally giving a bit of respect. But still,
Ukyo thought bitterly, they didn't have to beat him.
  She sat down on a nearby stool, her shotgun resting on her lap, as she
rested her arms on the landing, her chin resting on her forearms. She sighed
as she focused on Ranma. His back was turned toward her, and she wondered
what he was thinking about.
  "Hey, Ukyo, what's up?" Shinku said as he leaned against the wall behind
her. He was a middle aged man that Ukyo viewed as the father she never had.
Her own father had died of a heart attack several years ago, and he seemed
to have taken his place.
  "Nothin' much" she said, not bothering to look up. She sighed.
  "Looks like ya took a likin' to one of 'em inmates" he said, bringing his
head down next to hers to follow her line of gaze. His gaze rested on Ranma
also "If I remember correctly, he's the new guy that came in about two weeks
ago. I think his name's Ranma...Ranma Saotome"
  Ukyo nodded "Um, do you know what he's in here for?"
  "Murder" he said, matter-of-factly. He then began counting the people he
killed on his fingers "He was convicted for the murder of his father, his
uncle and his uncle's three daughters, and a friend from his old school. I
remember reading' about that in the newspapers a few days before he was put
in here. It gave me the chills that someone could do somethin' like that in
cold blood. And what's weird is that there was no reason for him to kill
them. At least that's what it seems like in the papers. They dissected the
guy's life and could find no reason why he would do it. But hey, people
could be fine one day, and the next day, they snap" He snapped his finger
for emphasis.
  "Do you think he did it?" Ukyo asked curiously. It didn't really matter
what the other guards thought, but she did value Shinku's advice and
opinions.
  "Him?" Shinku said "Not really. It just doesn't add up. The guy had his
whole life ahead of him. There was no reason for him to throw it away. Also,
as soon as the bodies were discovered and a warrant was put out for his
arrest, he surrendered. He keeps claiming innocent, but a witness testified
and he was convicted. You know what's also weird, the witness seems dubious.
I remember about hearing the witness changing their testimony a few times"
He shrugged his shoulders "I personally feel the justice failed where it
shoulda prevailed. That's what I think"
  Ukyo looked up at Shinku "How do you know all this?"
  "C'mon Ukyo, you should keep up with the times more often. It's been in
the papers for weeks" he said "It's kinda strange how ya could miss
somethin' with that much coverage"
  "Well, I do kinda lead a sheltered life" Ukyo said. And she did. She lived
alone, away from human contact. She preferred to live alone. Even though
that meant she would never have a boyfriend, she still preferred to live
alone.
  "You should get out more, honey" Shinku said "There's a lotta stuff out
there that ya would want to experience, and it'd sure be a shame if ya miss
out on it. Hey, me and my wife, we plan on takin' out kids the amusement
park tomorrow, and I know ya have the day off. How'd ya like to go?"
  "I don't know" she sounded skeptical. 
  "C'mon, ya might even find a nice man" he teased, placing his hand on her
shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze "What do ya say?"
  "I better not" she replied "I don't want to impose"
  "Okay, it was just a suggestion" he said. He stretched his arms out from
his body "Well, I better get to work now. If you ever change your mind, jus'
lettme know. Bye"
  "Bye" she said. She waited a few moments for Shinku to leave before she
turned her attention back onto surveying the cafeteria for trouble. When she
looked over toward Ranma was last sitting, she realized that he was no
longer sitting there. She quickly glanced around for him, but she didn't see
him. She felt a bit disappointed that she still couldn't see him. She
wondered where he was. She finally caught sight of him among a large crowd
that was forming around two people.  They were surrounding around him and
another man. She picked up her walkie talkie "Ukyo here, it looks like
there's going to be some trouble in the cafe again"
  Having called in the guards, all she could do was wait.
  "What do you want?" the man pleaded.
  "What do you think?" Ranma said "You stabbed my friend the other day"
  "Yah, so?" he said "Wat's he's got to do wit' you?"
  "So?! Well, you're gonna pay for that" Ranma said. He clenched his hands
into fists. His eyes were ablaze with anger once again. There was no way he
was going to let the man who stabbed Ryuichi get away. Not this time "He was
my friend"
  Ukyo watched as Ranma closed the gap between them in one step. The man
swung at Ranma, only to have his punch easily dodged and counter attacked
with a hook kick to the chin. Ukyo winced as she noticed several teeth
flying free from the man's bloodied mouth. The man fell to the ground
clutching his mouth.
  Before Ukyo had a chance to tell Ranma to lookout, two guys bumrushed him
from behind, both of them taking him to the ground. Ranma easily got them
off him and got back up. She noticed him take a defensive stance and slowly
started to scoot back toward the wall. Once his back touched the wall, he
managed to duck out of an incoming punch, grabbing the attacker's hips and
throwing him over his shoulder into the wall. The man fell to the ground
clutching his back in pain.
  With two men down, there was only one left. Ranma turned his attention
toward him "You want what your friend just got?"
  The man hesitated in attacking. After a few moments, he turned and ran.
  Ukyo watched intently as she saw Ranma pick up the first guy by the
collar, the blood from his mouth bloodying his shirt. Ranma shoved him
against the wall and punched the concrete wall behind to him "I suggest you
leave my friend alone from now on" He released the man so he could scurry
away.
  By now, the guards had arrived. Ranma stood up to face them. It looked
like he was bracing himself for their attack. One of the guards struck him
in the back of his knees, his club breaking from the impact. Ukyo noticed
that the attack didn't affect Ranma all that much, but he did pretend it had
affected him enough to cause him to topple down in faked pain. None of the
guards noticed he was acting.
  Another club was rained down on Ranma head. Ranma fell down onto his
back unconscious.
  Once Ranma's unconscious body was dragged from the scene, Ukyo still
noticed the group of inmates still standing in the same area. In most cases,
the group would have dispersed, but it didn't. She noticed that some of the
inmates were pointing toward the wall Ranma had punched.
  Ukyo squinted as she looked at the wall. To her disbelief, she noticed a
hole the size of a fist embedded into the concrete.

  In the infirmary Ranma turned his attention toward Ryuichi, who was still
lying unconscious in the same bed as the other day. Ranma looked concerned
over the well-being of his new friend.
  "He's okay" Ukyo said "He's doin' much better than the other day. He
should be up and running within the week"
  "That's good to hear" Ranma sighed as he decided to change the subject
"Man, this is getting ridiculous. What's with them always hittin' me. It's
not like it hurts or anything. It's more annoying than anything else" He
looked down at the chain around his arms "At least you finally changed the
chains. They must be brand new. I guess the suggestion worked"
  He gave the chain a good jerk. To his surprise, the chain broke again "Oh
man, not again"
  Ukyo started to panic again. She quickly fumbled for her can of mace once
again. This time, she didn't manage to drop it. He aimed it directly toward
Ranma's eyes. Although she had good aim, her hands were shaking so furiously
that she doubted that she would hit him in the eyes. If she missed, then she
would be in real trouble because he would definitely be angry.
  "Man, this place's got cheap chains" he said, picking up the broken links,
he threw the broken links all the way across the room where they landed in
the garbage can. He looked over at Ukyo as she aimed the mace toward him
"Ukyo, you're shaking a mile a minute. You're goin' to faint again if you
continue on like this. Just relax. Take a deep breath"
  Ukyo did as Ranma suggested. She took several long breath. It helped calm
her down, albeit little.
  "It doesn't matter if you aim that towards me" he said, lying back down on
the bed "The safety's on"
  Ukyo gave her mace can a quick glance. To her surprises, the safety was
on. If she had pressed the button, nothing would had come out. She quickly
snapped the safety off, but that had taken several precious seconds. Ranma
could had easily rushed her within that short time.
  When Ukyo turned her gaze back onto Ranma, she noticed he was still lying
back down on the bed, his arms behind his head "I don't want to really get
in trouble if someone comes in. Can you please put the chain back on?"
  Ukyo wondered if she should. Maybe she should quickly make a break for it
and let the guards deal with him. But she knew if she did that, the guards
would beat him, and she didn't want that. That meant she should help him
out, but what would happen if he grabbed her. But then again, even if she
did make a break for it, he would definitely catch her. She wasn't that
great of a runner. She would most likely trip and that would be it.
  "Hey Ukyo, ya in there?" Shinku said, his head peeking into the room.
Ukyo couldn't believe her luck. This was the first time Shinku had even
decided to check up on her, and now couldn't have been a better time. She
quickly jumped up and ran to Shinku's side "W-what's goin' on, Ukyo?" he
asked.
  "His chain broke" she said, pointing toward Ranma's free arm.
  Ranma sat up in surprise.
  "Hey, wait a minute" he said "It was by accident. I didn't mean it"
  Shinku took out his club "Stay back, Ukyo" He was clearly every bit as
nervous about the situation as Ukyo was. His hands were shaking, his
breathing faster all of a sudden.
  "I'm not tryin' to make any trouble" Ranma said "It was by accident"
  While Ranma was trying to explain the situation, Shinku seized the
opportunity and struck Ranma in the head, the blow powerful enough to knock
anybody out. Ranma, on the other hand, just winced in pain "Hey, that hurt!"
But all of a sudden, his eyes went blank as he fell over backwards
unconscious.
  "Are you okay?" Shinku said, dropping the club and clutching her by her
shoulders. When Ukyo nodded, he turned his attention toward Ranma "Man, I
wish I didn't have to do that. I really didn't want to do something like
that. It goes against every fiber of my body. But as long as you're all
right, it was worth it"
  She looked over at Ranma and noticed a small trickle of blood running down
his forehead. She felt absolutely horrible something like that had just
happened to him. He didn't deserve this kind of treatment. No one did.
  Shinku picked up the broken chain as he whistled in awe "Damn, he broke
out of this?"
  Ukyo nodded.
  "Whoa. This guy's gotta be some monster. This chain as strong as they
come, and they were brand new" he stated "They're made of hardened steel
which is about as strong as titanium. How'd he managed to break somethin'
like this"
  "I don't know" she said, still trying to calm herself down "All I saw was
him jerk his arm and the chain broke free"
  "His arm?" Shinku said "You mean he used just one arm to break this?!
Whoa, that's inhuman. Ya gotta be as strong as an ox to break these"
  He walked over to a nearby closet and took out several chains. He wrapped
two of each set of chains around each of Ranma's arms and locked it up with
a lock that he also took out "That oughta keep him down"
  At that moment, Shinku's walkie talkie sounded into life. He picked it up
and listened for a second "Oh man, it looks like a fight jus' broke out in
section four. You okay? Can you handle him now?"
  Ukyo nodded. She would have to handle it now. Although she would feel much
better if he stayed, she knew she couldn't do that "I'll be all right.
Thanks for your help. You go on now"
  "Okay, bye"

  Ranma opened his eyes several minutes after Shinku had left. He turned his
head to look at Ukyo "Is he gone yet?"
  Ukyo was wetting a cloth by the sink "I'm sorry about what happened. I
didn't expect him to hit you like that. Are you okay? That looked like it
really hurt" She walked up to Ranma and placed the cloth over the top of
Ranma's head, where he was bleeding from.
  Ranma smiled up at her.
  "That?" Ranma said "That didn't hurt that much. I was expecting him to hit
me" He went to sit back up but soon realized that both arms were chained to
the bedposts "Man, dontcha think he went a little bit overboard?"
  Ukyo couldn't help but giggle. Her giggled died when he saw Ranma flex his
arm a bit, the bedpost creaking loudly, threatening to break. This time, it
wasn't the chains that where threatening to break, but the bedposts. Her
heart started to race again.
  "Don't worry" Ranma said softly "I'm not going to break them. I'm too
tired. I just want to sleep" He closed his eyes.
  Worry started to overwhelm her "No don't?" She reach out and touched
Ranma's shoulder. She was scared that he had a concussion. She knew that if
he closed his eyes, there might be a chance he would slip into a coma.
  Ranma opened his eyes "How come?"
  "You might have a concussion" she replied. 
  Ranma laughed a bit "I'll be fine. If I didn't go into a coma from when I
first got here, then there's a good chance I won't go into a coma from
something like that"
  "I just want to be on the safe side" she said. She got up and walked over
to a nearby draw, opening it and producing some gauze. She then walked over
to Ranma and proceeded to wrap them over his head. When her gaze caught
Ranma's, she noticed his warm smile, and that seemed to relax her quite a
bit.
  "It's nice that someone in here's concerned about me" he stated to no one
in particular. Ukyo didn't really know how to react to a statement like
that. She had always cared about people, but she wondered if she should be
like that toward someone who might be a mass murderer.
  But for some reason, the comment made her smile.

  Ukyo's heart was racing as she looked down at the anarchy that was in the
cafeteria from her balcony. Three days had passed and nothing had happened,
and then all of a sudden, a riot broke out. And what was worse was that it
all over someone tripping someone else. A fight had broke out between the
two inmates, and when both of their friends and jumped in to intervene,
everyone else began fighting. Tables were being overturned, food was being
thrown, and people were being bloodied. Almost everyone had gotten into the
act. Only two people remained out of the anarchy. Those two were Ranma and
Ryuichi. The two of them were standing in the corner, watching all the chaos
unfold before them.
  "Hey, Ukyo, you better come with us" Shinku said "We need all the help we
can get" Without saying another word, he turned around and left. Ukyo
quickly picked up the shotgun and clicked it once. As she followed behind
Shinku, she silently prayed that she would be all right. She had never shot
the shotgun, and she prayed she never would.
  Ukyo was the last of the reinforcements to enter the cafeteria. She
watched from behind as her fellow guards struck the inmates and shot mace in
their eyes in incapacitate them. It helped very little. Before she knew it,
one of her fellow guard was being overwhelmed.
  She quickly ran forward and pointed her can of mace directly into a few of
the inmates eyes and sprayed. She managed to get the prisoners off the guard
as he slowly and unsteadily made his way back onto his feet. He had several
cuts on his face from the punches that were rained down on him.
  "You okay?" Ukyo asked, only to receive a slight nod from the guard. She
placed his arm over her shoulder and tried to help him toward the cafeteria
entrance. She had to get him to the infirmary.
  "You two need help?" came a voice. Even though the background was full of
shouts and yelling, Ukyo knew whose voice it was. It was the same voice that
she heard in her dreams. She turned around to face Ranma.
  Ukyo shook her head. Her heart leapt as she realized just how close he was
to her. She had no idea how he managed to break past the line of guards that
made a semi-circle around the cafeteria entrance. As if on instinct, she
quickly scooted backwards to get some distance away from her and Ranma.
Unfortunately, she slipped on a piece of thrown meat and her shotgun went
off. The blast caused several of her fellow guards to turn around to see
what happened, only to become overwhelmed by the inmates because of the
distraction.
  "Shinku!" Ukyo screamed as she saw her old friend fall victim to the mob
of prisoners. She tried to make her way toward him, but the weight of the
guard she was helping was holding her down. She looked up at Ranma and
noticed him gaze toward the person she was reaching out for.
  "Jus' get him to the infirmary" Ranma said "I'll go help your friend"
  Ukyo didn't argue. Ranma was the best chance she had. She slowly made her
way to her feet with the guard and proceeded toward the door. Before exiting
the cafeteria, she glanced back. She managed to catch sight of Ranma as he
started to punch and kick several inmates off her old friend. But as soon as
Ranma managed to knock them off, another inmate jumped on top of Shinku.
  Swallowing her fear and praying that her old friend would be all right,
Ukyo made her way toward the infirmary.

  "I'll be right back" Ukyo told the young guard. She had managed to get him
into the infirmary where he would be taken care of in a little while.
  The guard nodded toward her.
  Just as Ukyo was about to exit through the door, one of the inmates
entered the room. Ukyo quickly stepped back cautiously. The young guard
tried to get to his feet, but it was futile. He was in no condition to help.
  "Well lookit wat we got here" the burly prisoner said, licking his lips.
Ukyo knew exactly what the man was thinking. It was her worst nightmare. She
was going to be raped. She reached for her can of mace but dropped it out of
fright. The man inched toward her, his arms outstretched, ready to catch
Ukyo if she made a run for it toward either direction.
  "I'm gonna have fun wit' you" the man said. He was removing his shoes so
he could take off his pants "I've been wantin' to fuck you since I first saw
yous. Now you's all mine"
  Ukyo was defenseless. There was nothing she could use to protect herself.
She had back herself into a corner.
  Ranma entered the room, Shinku slung over his shoulder and holding a
shotgun "Hey, Ukyo, you left this back in there" He looked over at the burly
man "Hey, get away from her"
  "Ya gotta wait. You's get your turn once I'm finished fuckin' her" he
burly man said "Not unless you want us both to do her now"
  Ranma's voice sounded threatening "Perhaps you didn't hear what I just
said. I said get away from her, and I'm not going to say it again" Ranma
gently placed Shinku down on the floor, the elder man leaning back against a
wall. Ranma then looked menacingly at the burly man.
  The man looked at Ranma "And like I said. You's gotta wait yer turn"
Before he could react, Ranma's fist collapsed the man's face in. The man's
head jerked back from the impact of Ranma's punch, several teeth flying free
from the confines of his mouth.
  The man fell to the ground, his head hitting the cold hard floor with a
deafening thud.
  "You okay?" Ranma said as he walked over to Ukyo. He placed a both hand on
her shoulders as he looked into her eyes. Ukyo didn't know why, but she
started to cry. She was so thankful Ranma was there. She couldn't believe
what horrible act she might be going through now if he didn't show up at the
time.
  Ranma embraced her tightly, Ukyo's face pressed up against his chest. As
Ukyo was held there, she could hear Ranma's steady heartbeat, and his
bodyheat was warming her. For some reason, being in Ranma's arms felt right.
It just felt right. She wanted to close her eyes and remain there forever.
But she knew she couldn't.
  She broke away from Ranma's warm embrace as she looked behind him at
Shinku.
  "He's okay" Ranma said "He got banged up a bit, but he'll be all right.
He'll most likely have a helluva headache the next day"
  Ukyo looked at Ranma and wanted to thank him for all that he had done, but
her gaze fell on Ranma's bloodied knuckles. He must have caved a few dozen
faces for his knuckles to get that way. There were chunks of skin that
dangled from his knuckles.
  Ranma looked at his bloody hands "I guess I overdid it" he gave a light
chuckle but soon stopped. Now was not a time to be joking. Before he
realized, Ukyo was standing next to him, his hand in hers, as she looked at
how damaged his hands were. Ranma was so close to Ukyo that he could smell
the faint scent of Ukyo's shampoo. He had noticed it when he had hugged her,
but this time, it was a lot harder for him to ignore for some reason.
  "We better get that bandaged up" Ukyo said. She walked over to a draw and
took out the gauze pads. She then proceeded to wrap them around his hands.
  Once his hands were wrapped, Ranma walked over to Shinku and picked him up
"Where'd ya like me to put him?" When Ukyo gestured to the open bed, he
nodded and placed him on it. He then walked over to the shotgun that was
leaning against the wall and picked it up.
  A lump formed in Ukyo's throat as she saw him pick up the shotgun. But it
went away when he held it out for her to take hold of "Ya dropped this back
there" he said. When he noticed that Ukyo was looking at him rather
cautiously before taking it "Don't worry. I have no idea how one of these
things work"
  "T-thanks"

  The riot had died down the as quickly as it had begun. Shortly after it
had begun. The other guards managed to subdue the prisoners through the use
of clubs and mace. There were no longer shouts and scream echoing throughout
the prison.
  Ranma was sitting quietly in a chair as Ukyo attended to Shinku and the
other guard "I guess I better get back to the cafeteria before the guards
think I'm up to no good" He proceeded toward the door, but Ukyo stopped him.
  "Ranma," she said softly, getting up and walking up to Ranma "w-why'd you
help me?" There was no real reason why he should have helped. He could have
easily turned his head and walked away, but he didn't. She wondered what had
compelled him to help her out and Shinku.
  "Why not?" he said shrugging his shoulders "Even, if I wasn't in this
place, I would have done the same thing. I know you don't want somethin'
like that to happen to you, as much as I wouldn't want that to happen to,
say, my own daughter or wife"
  "Y-you're married and you have children?" she asked. She felt her heart
plummet. She knew someone like this would have been taken on the outside
world.
  "No" he said "I was engaged to a girl, but she was one of the people I was
accused of murdering. I don't think the relationship would have worked out
though, she shouldn't have been murdered" He looked down toward the ground,
saddened from having to mention that.
  "Did you do it?" she had to ask. She didn't really know why, but she had
to hear him say it.
  "What does it matter anymore?" he said softly "It's not like anyone's
really care. I pleaded innocent every step of the way, all the way till the
day of my sentence, but the system still failed me. And here I am, my life
down the drain. The only person who could get me out, was also murdered. I
guess the government wants to make their citizens rest easy at night, so
they throw me in here and say they finally caught the Nerima Killer"
  "Did you do it?" she asked again. She wanted to hear him say it, wanted to
hear it from his own lips.
  Ranma turned toward Ukyo. He stepped forward and cupped one of his
bandaged hands up to her cheeks. There were some tears around his eyes, one
of them trickling down the side of his face, down to his chin. Even though he
was touching her, Ukyo never pulled away. Somehow, she felt herself
instinctively pressing the side of her face forward into his hands.
  "No. I didn't do it" he said. He then turned around and left.
  
  Ukyo was twisting and turning in her bed. She once again, she couldn't
sleep at night. This time, it wasn't over the scene where she could have
been raped, but of Ranma's visage as he proclaimed his innocence. She had
never seen a man cry, but it shook her terribly to see Ranma doing that. It
meant the penitentiary hadn't molded Ranma into some stoic monster.
  She didn't stay awake over that either. It was over when Ranma had touched
her. She could still feel his arms gently holding her pressed against his
chest, could still hear his steady heartbeat. She remembered how warm he was
pressed against her, a feeling she had never experienced. There was
something to him that made her nerves stand on edge, and it wasn't from
fear. It was this nervous feeling. Every time she saw him looking at her,
she couldn't really help but turn away blushing.
  She recalled seeing him holding the shotgun that she had dropped earlier.
When she saw him hold it, he was actually looking at it a bit curious, as if
had never seen something like that. What had surprised her was when he
handed it to her. There he was, holding the most powerful gun in the
penitentiary's immediate arsenal, and he was giving it back to her. He could
had easily wiped out all the guards because all he need was a shot in their
general direction, not even needing to aim. But he never did that. He just
handed it to her as if he was handing her a book she had dropped.
  She turned again, wondering how Ranma had managed to get past the guards.
A wall of guards had formed around the entrance to the cafe yet he still
managed to get past them, and she had no idea how. He never knocked any of
the guards out because she would had seen them on the ground. The only thing
she could come up with was if he jumped over them, which was impossible.
  A noise could be heard echoing through the house. It sounded like a window
was broken. Ukyo sat upright in her bed, her heart already racing. She was
being robbed. She quickly got to her feet and cursed that she was dressed in
nothing but panties and a t-shirt. She was about to go to her closet and
quickly throw on a pair of clothes, but that would have taken precious time.
  Without bothering to get dressed, she opened one of her draws and pulled
out a gun.
  She swallowed the lump in her throat as she slowly opened the door to her
bedroom. The gun in her hand was shaking as she held it. She had never shot
a gun before, and she was scared tonight would be her first. She slowly made
her way down the stairs, careful not to make a noise. She could hear
rustling noises coming from the livingroom. She peeked her head in and she
gasped silently as she caught sight of the robber. She was indeed being
robbed.
  Her heart was racing, and she had no idea what she was going to do. All of
a sudden, she wished Ranma was there with her, was there to protect her like
he did the other day. But he wasn't. He was still back in the penitentiary.
There was no way he could help her out. She swallowed the lump again and
hopped forward into the middle of the doorway, her gun pointed directly
toward the robber.
  "D-don't move!!!" she shouted, her hands trembling.
  Before she knew what happened, she saw the robber turned his attention
toward her, his eyes meeting hers, just as she pulled the trigger.

  Ukyo didn't show up for work for about a week, and when she came back,
Ranma noticed that she wasn't acting herself. She looked depressed. From
down below in the cafeteria, he noticed how Ukyo seemed rather detached to
the scene below her. That concerned him. It had concerned him that something
bad might have happened to her since he hadn't seen her for a week, but her
odd behavior further aroused his concern. He wanted to talk to her. No, he
had to talk to her. Not only was he concerned for her, but he also wanted to
hear her angelic voice.
  "Hey, where're ya going?" Ryuichi said as he noticed Ranma getting up off
his seat.
  Ranma turned toward his friend "I want to talk to someone. That's all.
I'll be right back"
  Since Ukyo wasn't paying attention to anything in particular, she was
caught off guard when she heard Ranma's voice from below her. She had been
staring at her one of her hands, the same hand that pulled the trigger that
had killed a man.
  "Hey, Ukyo, you okay?" she heard Ranma's voice. She quickly got up off her
seat and looked over the railing. Below her, leaning against the wall just
below the balcony, was Ranma. He was looking up directly at her, concern in
his eyes.
  Ukyo said nothing.
  "Hey, Ukyo, you okay?" he repeated. When he noticed one of the guards
glance in his direction, he went about his business, pretending he was just
resting up against the wall. When the guard turned back away, he called out
for Ukyo "Are you okay?"
  Ukyo looked down at Ranma "Yeah, I'm fine" she lied. She wasn't. She was
still in disbelief that she had done something like kill a man. She had
prayed that she would never have to use a gun, and when she finally did, it
had taken a man's life.
  "You look like ya killed someone" he joked, but he wished he never said
that when Ukyo winced as it struck a soft spot "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean
to I say that"
  "Hey, whatcha doin' talking to her?!" one of the guards noticed Ranma. 

  "Man, we gotta stop meetin' like this" Ranma said to Ukyo as he sat up in
the infirmary "It's bad for my health" He looked at the one chain that held
his arm to the bedpost. It seems the guards weren't aware that he was
capable of breaking it with ease. But he had no reason to.
  Ukyo was seated in the chair when he awoke. She had been seated there for
several minutes before he opened his eyes "You're not fooling me, Ranma. I
know you're faking it"
  Ranma scratched the back of his head as he gave a weak laugh "I guess
you're on to me"
  Ukyo cracked a small smile.
  "I haven't seen ya in a while" Ranma started softly "Did something happen
to you?" He regarded Ukyo with warm eyes. As he sat there, he noticed Ukyo
look down toward the ground in shame. He was about to reach forward to hold
her, but the chain prevented him. He would have broken it just to hold her,
but he knew sooner or later, he would get into deep trouble so he stayed
where he was.
  "Something did happen" Ranma said. He wanted to know what had happened that
caused Ukyo to act this way.
  "I didn't mean to do it" she said, looking back up at Ranma, this time her
eyes full of tears. Ranma just nodded his head.
  "I'm sure you didn't mean to do it, whatever it was" he said. 
  Ukyo got up off her seat and sat down on the bed right next to Ranma. She
didn't care anymore if Ranma was supposed to be dangerous. If he was, he
could had easily taken advantage of her many times before.
  Ranma placed his free arm around over her shoulder as she tilted her head
into the crook between his neck and shoulder. She stayed there for several
moments before she just broke down crying.
  Ranma just held her tightly, his arm holding her close to him. It tore at
him to see Ukyo hurt so much, and he felt defenseless to do anything about
it. He would have done anything to get rid of her pain. He held her for
several minutes before Ukyo slowly pulled away, feeling a bit better after a
good cry.
  "T-thank you, Ranma" she said wiping the tears from her eyes "I-I really
needed that"

  Ranma paced back and forth in his tiny cell. He couldn't believe what Ukyo
had told him earlier. He had listened in disbelief as she explain how she
had killed that would-be burglar, and how she had to deal with the burden
that that man's death was on her hands. Luckily, through some carefully
chosen words, Ranma managed to dull her pain by telling her that it wasn't
her fault, that it was all in self-defense. But what had made it so horrible
for her was that that burglar used to be one of the ex-convicts in that
penitentiary.
  He punched the concrete wall. He pulled his hand from the wall "Man, what
kinda dump is this place?" He looked at the small hole in the wall. He just
shrugged his shoulders. There was nothing he could do to hide it. All he
could do was pray that none of the guards would notice it.
  As he continued to pace, he knew that he didn't want Ukyo to suffer like
this, that he wanted to be by her side always. And the only way to do it was
if he was set free, which was impossible. He had no one that could help him
out on the outside. The only person that could help him was him, and he knew
what that meant. He cared for Ukyo, and he didn't want Ukyo to work or spend
the rest of her youth in some horrible place like this. He wanted to take
care of her, free her from this place.
  If he could get out of here, he would bring Ukyo with him. He wanted her
to be with him. He had stashed away plenty of money of the years of being a
sensei, and it would easily be enough to buy themselves a nice home and
perhaps start a family. But this was only if she wanted to go with him,
which was most unlikely.
  Unfortunately, he had other things to worry about, like proving his
innocence.

  In the past two months since Ranma had arrived at the penitentiary, Ukyo
had grown quite fond of him, so fond, that she enjoyed coming to work just
so she could see him. Even though she didn't talk to him every time their
paths crossed, she was just glad to be breathing the same air he was. And
even though she carried a shotgun, she felt much safer knowing that Ranma
was always nearby.
  Ukyo walked up to Ranma's cell, and peered in. Inside, Ranma was reading a
book he had asked her to bring him. At first, when he asked, she didn't know
whether or not to do so, but she saw no harm in it so she granted him that
one favor. Before the day ended, he had finished the book and was already
asking if she could get him more.
  "Hey, Ranma, it's time for your cell check" she said with a small smile.
Although she did this every day, she found herself enjoying checking up on
Ranma more and more as time passed. Pretty soon, she started looking forward
to it. It always allowed her to talk to him since it usually took quite some
time before the guards got around to checking his cell.
  "I can't believe I've been in here for two months" Ranma said as he jerked
his thumb over his shoulder toward the lines on his cell wall. He had been
keeping track of the days, scribbling a single line for every day passed.
  Ukyo gave a small smile as he handed her the book. There were very few
books that could be found within the penitentiary, and most of them outdated.
When he had asked her if she could get him some more recent books, she found
herself taking books off her own shelf and bring them in for him. He had
literally read over a dozen books over the past two weeks since they had
last talked in the infirmary. Ukyo did know that Ranma did indeed read
those books. It was because he would always mention something about it that
no one would be able to pick up, not unless they read it entirely.
  "Man, I can't believe Benson got shot in the end" Ranma said "He didn't
deserve to die. It was the chip that NPS shoved into his head that kept
pushing him over the edge. They shouldn't mess with the mind like that. And
that part where Dr. Ross turned on the microwave was absolute genius. I
can't remember Benson's girlfriend's name for some reason. I remember her
first name was Angela, but I can't recall her last name though"
  Ukyo nodded. She had thought the same thing about the book. She had
enjoyed the book as much as Ranma seemed to have. She gave him another book,
but this time, Ranma refused.
  "Not today, Ukyo" Ranma said "I won't be needing it"
  Ukyo looked down at the book she was about to give him "Oh, okay" She
wondered why Ranma would refuse all of a sudden. He had read a book everyday
for two weeks straight, and now he decided to stop. It was kind of odd.
  
  Ukyo entered her house and walked up to the shelf to put the two books
away. She usually put one book away since Ranma would have taken one of them
to read, but not today. She put it away and sat down on her couch, sighing,
glad that her day had come to an end. She was tired and she wanted to go to
sleep. But before she did, something kept gnawing away at her. Why did Ranma
stop reading all of a sudden?
  She recalled what he had said about the book. She tried to think of the
name Ranma was trying to remember, but she couldn't remember it either.
Since she had the book in her possession, she might as well look it up. That
way, she could tell Ranma the name tomorrow. It should make him happy.
  She walked over to the shelf and took the book out, quickly skimming
through it. As she did, she caught sight of some writing in her book. There
was never anything written in her book when she first read it. She read the
tiny message.
  "Ukyo, you're the only one I trust" she read aloud "Please meet me at
Nerima Park by the water fountain tonight at midnight. Signed, Ranma"
  Ukyo's heart almost stopped. She knew exactly what Ranma had intended to
do. He was going to break out of prison. She looked at watch, and it read
just fifteen minutes till midnight. Anxiety started to creep into her. She
didn't know what to do. Ranma would be there in a short while. What was she
going to do? Should she call the authorities? Should she go? Should she
forget about it and just hope he never gets caught. But then again, if he
never got caught, she would never see him again. Or worse, what would happen
if he got gunned down.
  Ukyo grabbed her jacket and raced out of her home, grateful that she lived
close to the park. It would only take twenty minutes by foot. She knew she
couldn't call the authorities on him. He had helped her out on several
occasions, and now was her turn to return the favor. She didn't care about
regulations, and how she should report in any information on an escaped
convict. All she knew, what that she wanted to see Ranma again before
anything happened to him. Maybe if she was lucky, she could persuade him to
surrender, and he wouldn't get hurt or killed. That was the best course of
action.

  Ranma was already waiting by the water fountain when Ukyo had arrived. He
was sitting on the ledge, reaching over and splashing the water, watching
the ripples form. When he heard her footsteps, he turned around and faced
her, not bothering to get up.
  "Hello, Ukyo" he said in a soft voice "I'm glad you could make it"
  "H-how'd you manage to get out?" she said between gasps. She was out of
breath from running so hard. She hunched over and placed her hand on her
knees, taking in deep gasps of air.
  Ranma placed his hand forward and showed her his bloodied knuckles "I
broke through one of the walls. The place is crumbling to pieces. I just
punched the walls several times and it broke"
  Ukyo didn't bother to say anything. She couldn't believe what she was
hearing. Ranma had just punched his way out of jail. She knew it wasn't the
walls that were weak, but the fact that Ranma's punches were incredibly
powerful. She had realized that he was a lot stronger than he looked when he
had broken some steel chain by accident, simply by giving them a quick jerk.
Ranma didn't seem to know his own strength.
  Ukyo stepped forward and looked at Ranma's hands. They were in bad
condition and bleeding profusely. They needed to be tended to "We better get
you to a doctor before this gets infected" she said, only to have Ranma pull
his arms away from her.
  "Don't worry, I'll be perfectly fine" he said. He looked deeply into
Ukyo's eyes "Ukyo, can you please let me stay at your place for the night? I
need a place to stay"
  Ukyo looked shocked. She couldn't have this man in her house. She had
never had a man in her house to begin with, and she was certainly not going
to let an escaped convict in for starters. There was too much at stake. He
would be in her house. She would be sleeping under the same roof as him.
Actually, with Ranma in the house, there was most likely a chance she
wouldn't be able to sleep, what with the thought of Ranma just being there.
  "I-I can't" she said, taking a step back. She was starting to believe that
she had made the wrong choice. She should have called the authorities
"Please, don't do this to me"
  Ranma didn't bother to argue. His heart seemed to have shattered. He
realized that Ukyo didn't want him near her. If she did, she would have let
him stay with her. His entire world collapsed on him as her realized that
his dreams of spending a future with her would never happen. She only cared
for him when he was a prisoner, nothing else. His guess that she might have
liked him was not true. This proved it.
  Ranma looked down toward the ground "I'm sorry you feel that way" he said.
Several silent moments ensued "Are you going to call the authorities on me?"
  "I-I have to" she said, tears starting to form.
  Ranma now had no reason to go back to jail. The only person he cared would
no longer be there for him. Even if he did go back, he now knew that Ukyo
didn't care for him in an intimate sort of way.
  "Please don't" Ranma said softly "I need some time. I have to prove my
innocence. I don't belong in there. You know it and I know it. I'm going
after the guy who framed me. I'll be back here at six. I'll have the
evidence to prove my innocence by then. But if I don't, then there's a good
chance I got killed in the process"
  Ukyo couldn't believe what she was hearing. She didn't want to hear
something like that. She didn't want Ranma to die. She wanted him by her,
near her, holding her. She started to cry "Please, don't do this" She fell
to the ground, sobbing "Please"
  Ranma knelt down before her, his face coming inches within hers. Ukyo
looked up and their gazes met. For a brief moment, time stopped.
Everything from Ukyo's world had disappeared. Nothing mattered. All that
mattered was the man whose eyes she was looking into.
  "Ukyo, ever since I saw you" he said softly "I knew you were special. You
were the girl I was looking for all my life. You would probably never
believe this, but I...I love you" he leaned forward and brought his lips down
on Ukyo's lips. He cupped both of her cheeks with his hands and he kissed
her passionately. The kiss had lasted only moments, but Ukyo knew she would
never forget that moment for the rest of her life. She had dreamed someone
would kiss her like that, would tell her that they loved her, but why did it
have to be this way? It was no fair. She had fallen in love with Ranma, and
there was a chance he would never see him again. Or worse, a chance that he
would be killed.
  Ukyo just watched, unable to discern what had happened, as Ranma ran off 
into the night. When her mind finally cleared up, Ranma was long gone.
  "I love you"
  
  Ukyo looked at her watch. It was now a little past five in the morning.
She was home and was about to leave, but she really didn't want to. She was
scared to be at the water fountain and not have Ranma coming back into her
life. If he never came back, then he was...
  She wiped a tear that trickled down her face. She couldn't think of things
like that. She shouldn't. She was going to see Ranma again. Ranma could take
care of himself. Ever since she got home a few hours ago, she did nothing
but sit in front of the clock, waiting patiently as every second passed. She
had never called the authorities. She believed that Ranma was innocent,
believed with all her heart. No man so warm and caring could be a murderer.
No one. She would wait for him to walk back into her life. And now was
nearing the time that she leave, but she couldn't bring herself to do so.
She was scared Ranma wouldn't be there at six.
  "C'mon, Ukyo, you have to pull yourself together" she told herself. She
quickly went to the bathroom and threw some water on her face to wash away
any indication of her crying for the past hour. She quickly threw her long,
flowing brown hair into a ponytail as she headed out.
  
  Six o' clock had rolled around as she paced back and forth in front of the
fountain. It was a cold, still morning, the sun slowly rising in the distant
horizon. The park had been empty except for her. As she paced, she knew that
once she could see Ranma again, she would tell him she loved him, wanted to
be with him. She would have never have admitted it, but she knew she had
fallen in love with Ranma the first day she met him. He was the man she had
been looking for all her life. She didn't care if he was serving out a life
sentence. She would always love him no matter what.
  She looked at her watch. It was now six-ten. She sat down by the fountain,
still waiting patiently for Ranma. As she realized that there was a chance
she would never see him again, she knew she loved him. He was her protector,
his knight in shining armor, the other part to her life that would make her
whole.
  Six-thirty rolled around and Ranma never showed up. With every passing
minute, Ukyo's despair started to gradually show. With every passing minute,
Ukyo started realizing there was a lesser and lesser chance of her ever
seeing him again. With every passing minute, her world started falling
apart.
  She started to cry, scared to death that he was never going to show up.
Seven rolled around. Soon eight rolled around and no Ranma. Ukyo still
waited there patiently, praying that he would come. He had to. He couldn't
leave her. She needed him. She didn't want to live without him. She didn't
care if he got caught again, she would quit her job and visit him in the
penitentiary every day. He was the missing part of her life, and she didn't
want to lose him. But now, as she sat there, she started to realize that she
might be too late.
  "Please, Ranma, come back to me" she sobbed as she looked at her
reflection in the water "Please"
  "Please don't cry" came a soft voice from behind her. Without having to
look, Ukyo knew it was Ranma. She just sat there, still staring at her
reflection. She was scared to turn around and not see him there. She was
scared she was hearing what she wanted to hear. But she knew she had to.
Slowly, she turned.
  Ranma stood before her, a weak smile on his face. His clothes were ripped
and bloodied. He was clutching at an open wound on his shoulder. There were
cuts all over his face and neck, some shrapnel embedded in his neck. In one
of his hands, he held a video tape. He handed the tape to Ukyo "Here's the
evidence to prove my innocence. Please, make a copy of it and hide it"
  Ranma fell to the ground, no longer moving. Ukyo gasped in horror as she
saw hundreds of tiny wounds all over Ranma's back. It looked like he had
been hit with a shotgun blast to his back. A small puddle of blood started
to form around Ranma's still body.
  Ranma's life was slipping away before Ukyo's very eyes.
  
  "I was doing a friend a favor" Ranma said as he sat upright in his hospital
bed. There were three police officers surrounding his bed. One of them was
writing down what he was saying while the other two kept a protective eye
over him "He wanted me to lend him a camcorder because his wife was
expecting to deliver any minute and he wanted to tape the delivery. Since
I had recently moved to Nerima, and he lived elsewhere, he didn't know where
I lived. Even though I gave him my address, I told him to meet me at a local
restaurant. It turned out, the back alley to the local restaurant was where
drugs were being exchange. When I stumbled back there looking for my friend,
I saw them. Naturally, I began recording them during the exchange. Someone
saw me, and I ran for it. It turns out that the people somehow caught my
friend and managed to grab my address from him before they killed him" Ranma
wiped a tear forming around his eye before he continued "When I arrived back
home, I found everyone murdered. It just so happened, I forgot to turn my
camcorder off so it had been running the whole time. When I got home, I saw
someone leap out the back of the window. I found someone still alive and
started tending to their wounds before I was about to call the police to
tell them on what had happened. We exchanged words, and before I knew it,
several people came in through the windows, all one of 'em carrying a
weapon, mostly knives. Naturally, I ran for it. As I ran, I hid the
camcorder in the process"
  "So why didn't you just tell us about the camcorder you were
apprehended?" the officer said.
  "I did" Ranma said "You guys told me you checked out the place out and
came up with nothing. And of course, because you couldn't find the
camcorder, I was convicted of multiple murders. I soon realized that you
have been searching the wrong place the whole time, that I told you of the
wrong location. I tried to tell you to go search a new place, but no one
did. It seems you guys just wanted to sweep it under the rug to assure the
citizens that you guys had managed to catch the Nerima Murderer. You didn't
want to find the tape. If you had, and I was set free, then the killers were
still loose"
  "Look, where's the tape?" the same officer said "We need to see the tape
that proves your innocence"
  "You still have it?" Ranma turned toward Ukyo who was sitting at his
bedside. She nodded and reached into one of the pocket of her jacket and
handed the officer the tape.
  The officer took the tape "Thank you. I'll be back first thing tomorrow
morning. If this is the tape you said it is, then you're going to be a free
man"
  Ranma reached forward and grabbed the officer gently by the arm "Please,
be careful"
  The officer nodded "Don't worry. I will" He gestured toward the other two
officers standing beside him "These two'll stay here overnight and watch
over you, to make sure you don't escape. I know it's weird, and considering
the condition you're in, you wouldn't be able to get far, but it's just some
standard procedures" he placed a hand on Ranma's shoulder "You know what,
Ranma, I was one of the people out there who believed you were innocent" He
tipped his hat to Ranma and Ukyo before leaving. The other two officers
followed, both of them standing guard in front of the door.
  
  "Ukyo, did you make a copy of the tape I gave you?" Ranma asked. He was
standing in front of the window, gazing out toward the moonlit night. He
looked like he was in remarkable condition. He was on the brink of death
just one day ago, and today, he looked perfectly fine. Aside from the
bandages that was covering his back and part of his face, he looked okay.
Ukyo could help but feel awed by how much Ranma can endure.
  "Yeah" she said "I made the copy just like you said"
  "Can you please do me a favor?" he said. When she nodded, he continued
"Back at my house, in one of the cracks in the outer wall, I stashed a large
sum of money. Can you go get it, and with that money, go out and buy a
camcorder and bring it back?"
  "H-how come?"
  "I have this funny feeling" Ranma said "Something's not right. The officer
should have came back this morning like he said, but he never did. I got
this really funny feeling that something might have happened to him. I think
something's gonna happen real soon. I'm don't want to get you worried, but I
think those drug people have intercepted the tape"
  Ukyo gasped "D-do you really think so?"
  "Yeah" he said "That's why I asked ya to make a copy. Anyway, just do me
this favor"
  Ukyo nodded and turned to leave but before she could open the door, Ranma
took a step up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders "Ukyo, I love
you" he brought his lips down on hers again. This time, Ukyo returned the
kiss. She closed her eyes and let his kiss envelope her.
  "I'm glad you feel the same way I do" he said with a warm and caring
smile "As soon as this blows over, I want to be with you forever"
  Ukyo kissed him passionately again "Same here. Same here"
 
  "So what do you plan to do with this?" Ukyo asked as she handed him a tiny
camcorder she produced from her jacket.
  "I know something's definitely up, the officer should have come by today.
It's not like regulation to leave me in her for two whole days without
seeing me again. I'm sure those drug people got hold of the tape" Ranma said
as he cracked the door open a bit to peer outside. He then turned on the
camcorder "I'm Ranma Saotome, the man wrongly convicted for the murders of
my father, the Tendo household, and a Ryoga Hibiki. This tape here is going
to be used to prove my innocence" he handed it to Ukyo "Ukyo, record me
talking to the police officers. Don't let them see the camcorder"
  Ukyo did as she was told. She recorded Ranma from behind him, so the
police wouldn't see her with it.
  "Excuse me" she watched Ranma say "I have this weird feeling that you two
are going to be targeted sometime soon. I don't know why, but your fellow
officer should have came back two days ago, and he didn't"
  "Don't worry about it" the officer said.
  "He'll probably be back tomorrow" the other one said.
  "Okay" Ranma said quietly before closing the door. He then turned toward
Ukyo and spoke toward the camera "The two officers outside this room seem to
have no idea what's going on. I believe sooner or later, those drug people
will be coming for me. Today, my name had been released to the media that I
was being treated at this hospital, Nerima Medical Center, and I'm pretty
sure they will be coming after me"
  Ukyo gasped "W-what are you saying? Is that true?"
  "No. It's just a hunch" Ranma said "Anyway, this recording is her to prove
that, without a doubt, I was framed"
  "But what about the tape you gave the police?" she asked.
  "I betcha it's never gonna see the light of day. By now, that tape should
have been released to the media" he said "That's why I asked you to make the
copy, just in case it never got through."
  The dim light that illuminated the room went off.
  "Damn," Ranma swore "They're all ready here"
  Ukyo could feel her heart beating rapidly as she held the camcorder. The
moonlight that shone through the open window was shining on Ranma's face. He
looked so calm, despite knowing that this was bound to happen. Ukyo on the
other hand, was deathly afraid.
  "Ukyo, keep the camera running" he said, placing a steady hand on her arm
"Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen to you. I promise. Just stay in the
corner and keep a low profile and keep the camera on me" Ranma walked over
to his bed and placed the pillows in the middle of it and covered it with a
blanket, making it seem like he was sleeping underneath them. He then
walked over to the corner of the room, barely visible from the incoming
moonlight.
  "Now what?" she said, the camera still Ranma.
  "We wait"

  Ukyo gave a quick yelp when she heard two gunshot ring through the
hallways just outside that door.
  She heard screams of pain, and then all went quiet. She had never been so
scared in her life. Ranma quickly got up off the floor and walked over to
her "I'm sorry I dragged you into this. Just be brave. It'll all be over in
a few seconds" he stood near here, waiting patiently. She could hear the
slow rhythm of his breath.
  The door flew open and in walked a huge man carrying a gun. Since Ranma
and Ukyo were in the dark for so long, they had gotten used to the dark, and
they were able to see the outline of the burly man.
  Ukyo felt Ranma give her hand a gentle squeeze, silently telling her not
to make a noise. She watched silently as the man pointed the gun toward the
bed. Even though she tried her best, she couldn't help but scream when two
gunshots rang out.
  Quicker than the man could react, Ranma leapt forward and connected his
fist into the man's face, smashing the back of his head into the wall. Ranma
had made it so he didn't hit him hard enough to knock the guy out. The man
was still conscious, although very dazed. Ranma picked the man up by the
collar.
  "Who are you?" he said, tears beginning to stream down his face "Why did
you guys frame me? Who made you do it?"
  The man shook his head to get rid of the cobwebs, only to receive a well
placed punch on his mouth, a tooth flying free "You motherfucker!!!
You broke my teeth!!! I'm gonna kill you!!!"
  "Not if I kill you first" Ranma said, deathly serious "Now tell me, why
did you framed me?!"
  "I ain't tellin' ya" the man said, only to receive another punch, this
time to the gut "Okay okay. I'll talk. We wanted to get ridda ya. We knew if
ya went to the police with da tape, we'd get a whole lotta heat from 'em. We
wanted to shut you up before you could talk"
  "That's all I wanted to hear" Ranma said with a smile. He punched him one
last time in the gut, knocking him unconscious. He stood over the
unconscious body for several minutes before he turned toward Ukyo. He walked
over to Ukyo as she got up off the floor "You can turn the camera off. It's
over. It's finally over"
  He hugged Ukyo tightly as he lifted her up in his arms, swinging her
around a few times. As she held him, she could feel his damp tears fall
down on the top of her head. She knew he was crying. She hugged him tightly,
never wanting to let go. As she held him, something went terribly wrong.
Ranma's body went limp as she held him.
  "Ranma, you okay?" she said.
  "Yeah" he replied softly into her ears "Just wait right here"
  Ranma swerved around as another gunshot rang out. Ukyo screamed as she
covered her ears from the deafening noise. She watched in horror as Ranma's
body was spun around as he faced her. Her eyes widened in absolute horror as
she saw blood gushing from Ranma's left shoulder and his stomach. Another
gunshot rang out as she watched his body jerk toward her as a bullet entered
his body from his lower back, exiting through his stomach, wounding Ukyo as
it grazed over her leg. Tears were flowing from his eyes as Ranma clutched as
the open wounds in his stomach as leaned forward, blood gushing from his
mouth and wound, staining the floor "I-I'm sorry, Ukyo"
  With all his remaining strength, Ranma pivoted on leg and swung his right
arm in a wide arc, landing a massive blow to his attacker's face. The
momentum of Ranma's punch sent the man flying into the wall, the back of his
head embedding itself into the wall.
  Ranma's arm remained on the thug's face as the body went limp, falling to
the floor if it weren't for Ranma's fist still keeping it upright. Ranma
jerked his arm back as the body fell to the ground in a crumpled mess. The
wall where the head hit was dented inward and blood was splattered all over
the dent, running down the wall to where the unconscious man was leaning
against.
  Ranma turned toward Ukyo "You okay?"
  Ukyo nodded. It was only a superficial wound.
  Ranma smiled weakly "Good" 
  He closed his eyes and fell backwards into a pool of his own blood. 

Ukyo sat in the livingroom as she watched the main story on the news. It
showed clips of the video Ranma had taken when his family had been murdered
and during when he was almost killed. She watched carefully as the they
showed some parts in the video where one could see Ranma's assailant's face
and his family's murderer's face. They played the audio of when Ranma was
talking to one of the victims before they died.
  "Are you okay?" Ranma's voice could be heard, followed with some closed
captioning "Who did this to you?"
  "I don't know. It happened so quick" came a woman's voice "He ran to the
back of the house when you came home" That was what was needed to prove he
was innocent. The video of when he was talking to the two police officers
proved that he wasn't the one who killed the two officers. He had proved
himself without a doubt that he wasn't the murderer. Ranma had been wrongly
accused and was now a free man.
  Ranma entered the livingroom holding a two cups of coffee. He sat down
next to her as he handed her her coffee "I guess this is it. I'm finally
free" He leaned forward and kissed Ukyo "Thank you for believing in me"
  He placed his arms around Ukyo shoulder as his other arm, the arm that was
in a sling, held his cup.
  Ukyo tilted his head into Ranma's shoulder and sighed. She couldn't
believe this was happening to her. Here she was, with the man she loved.
Life couldn't get any better than this.
  "I have one question to ask of you, honey" he said in a soft voice as he
kissed the top of her head. He wasn't paying any attention to the news. The
entire world around him had disappeared. All that mattered was him and Ukyo.
That's all that mattered.
  "What is it?" she said, loving his embrace. She could remain in his arms
forever.
  "Will you marry me?"
  

<End for now>

     I hope you enjoyed reading this fanfic as much as I enjoyed writing it.
First off, I have to give credit to Rumiko Takahashi for creating the Ranma
universe. If it weren't for her, this story would never have been possible.
Then again, all I would need to so was change the names and I would have
myself another fanfic;) But I'm not going to do that. It's not right. As you
can tell, I seem to enjoy writing more serious stories than wacky ones. If
you're wondering about Ranma's curse, and why I didn't include it, I would
have to say I left it out because it wasn't really needed. Sure, it would
have made Ranma Ranma, but that would have probably destroyed the
seriousness of the story because adding the curse would be adding a sense of
wackiness, which I wanted to avoid. Most of my stories tend to be this way.
Also, as you can tell, this story was definitely and alternate universe. I
like the idea of giving the characters different roles :) Since there seems
to be far less Ranma/Ukyo match-ups in the fanfiction community, I figured it
would be nice to contribute something to it. Me, I don't really care if it's
Ukyo or Akane or Shampoo for that matter. Most of my characters are out of
character in ever aspect but the name and description. Anyway, I hope you
liked the story. I would appreciate it if you send me comments on this. I'm
not too sure, but I've been thinking of writing some more Ranma/Ukyo
match-ups. What do you think? One more thing, I apologize for any grammar or
spelling mistakes.



P.S.-If you want any of my other fanfics, just ask. 


                                        Jeffrey "OneShot" Wong



Here's the ending I would have chosen, but I pretty sure ya wouldn't have
liked it....


  Ukyo sat in the livingroom as she watched the main story on the news. It
showed clips of the video Ranma had taken when his family had been murdered
and during when he was almost killed. She watched carefully as the they
showed some parts in the video where one could see Ranma's assailant's face
and his family's murderer's face. They played the audio of when Ranma was
talking to one of the victims before they died.
  "Are you okay?" Ranma's voice could be heard, followed with some closed
captioning "Who did this to you?"
  "I don't know. It happened so quick" came a woman's voice "He ran to the
back of the house when you came home" That was what was needed to prove he
was innocent. The video of when he was talking to the two police officers
proved that he wasn't the one who killed the two officers. He had proved
himself without a doubt that he wasn't the murderer. Ranma had been wrongly
accused and was now a free man.
  Tears started to form around her eyes as she watched it. She had managed
to send the two tapes out that proved his innocence. He was a free man.
  It was just too bad he died that night in the hospital. The gunshot wounds
had proved fatal. Ranma never survived the night.
  Ukyo continued to cry. It was quite ironic that Ranma go through so much
pain and suffering, only to die in the very end. He didn't deserve to die.
He should had lived. He should have been right there, sitting next to her as
he watched the news with her.
  She placed her face in her hands as she continued to weep. She realized
that the one man she ever loved, would ever love, had been taken from her
life. She realized that she would never see him again, never see his smile,
never hear his voice, never feel his embrace.
  Her cries echoed silently through the night
  "Ranma"
  

<Bye>