The Wrong Ninja

This is a one shot, please don’t ask for alerts. Thanks.

Sid

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There was a costume ball that all The Wreck Crew chose to attend. It was fun to set aside their petty jealousies and grudges in favour of just celebrating their youth with other teenagers. Akane had laughingly chosen a cat costume complete with bell that Ranma kept on ringing just to bug her. Kodachi dressed as a harem girl while her brother was dressed as a mediaeval knight and kept asking girls for favours. That Nabiki was dressed as a male gangster shocked no one. Kasumi wore a western style bridal dress that kept on fogging up Dr. Tofu’s glasses; he had come as Robin Hood. Shampoo laughingly was dressed as Wonder Woman and Mousse, went as Mousse wearing his china doll mask. Oddly enough he thought that no one could recognize him despite his distinctive clothing. Ukyou for reasons known only to herself had rented a costume of Sleeping Beauty. She didn’t wear a wig and allowed her own wealth of dark hair to cascade down her back, the effect was bewitching. Then there were the two matching ninjas, Ranma and Ryoga who had simply bought the cheapest costume that they could find.

Ryoga stood apart and just watched his friends flirt and tease each other, he liked these truces that allowed them to just be regular people who enjoyed childish games. He was amused by their antics as all the girls vied for Ranma’s attention, to try and dance with him or flirt with him. Yet everyone was in good spirits and there wasn’t a sour face or weeping eye amongst them. These were his friends; he knew he could talk to them and ask any of the girls to dance without them thinking anything unusual about this.

Yes Ryoga was surrounded by friends, but still felt isolated. All of the people here had something that he lacked, connections, well except Ukyou. The Tendo sisters had each other, the Kunos were twisted, but at least they weren’t alone in their delusions, Ranma had a father, Shampoo had her great-grandmother and even Mousse had his fellow tribe members who at least tolerated him. Ryoga had a family he couldn’t find no matter how hard he tried. He was confused where to even begin looking for them. His house resided on his back along with his tent, bedroll and all of his other worldly possessions. These were set up when he was tired and taken down when it was time to move on like a nomad. He never knew when he would see a familiar place or a smile of greeting. He had no real friends or reason to stay in one place. Once just to feel like someone cared, he gave his virginity to a drunken girl he'd met at a bar. He’d spent the night in cheap hotel room pounding his lusts and frustrations into her while she called him by the wrong name. She’d left before he'd awoken and had stolen his wallet.

He watched his friend frolic and wondered what it would be like to be them, to live a normal life surrounded by people who at least understood each others eccentricities and accepted them. Yet his place wasn’t here, he knew that. He hadn’t even found a place to stay for the night yet, his options were camping yet again or becoming P-Chan to spend an illicit night with Akane being loved as a pig, and not as the man he wanted to be for her.

Lost in thought he drifted around the bright noisy ballroom and was surprised when Ukyou handed him a note. Making sure no one was looking, he opened it, it read:

Please meet me on the terrace; I would just like to talk.

U.

Intrigued, Ryoga edged his way there.

He waited until the strangely feminine looking Ukyou arrived and went to greet her. “Please don’t talk; I’m not here to flirt with you. I’m just upset and need a friend to listen to me” she said sorrowfully. Ryoga nodded and remained silent. “I’m sad because I found out that my mother died. As you know, my father and I were thrown out of our clan over the cart incident. My father and I were each other’s best friends until he took ill and died. I always thought that my family would invite me back after the wedding, but it’s too late. My mother's dead! My family didn’t even tell me, I had to find out on the news. I called them to beg permission to attend to her funeral and they hung up on me” she said in a shaky voice and then started sobbing. Ryoga’s own natural awkwardness with women was forgotten; he scooped up the chef and sat her on his lap on the nearest bench. She was a little surprised at first, but then quickly gave into the strong soothing arms around her and buried her face into his rock solid chest to pour out her grief.

When her sobs had died, she looked up embarrassed while tears still flooded her crystalline blue eyes. Ryoga tenderly wiped these away with the pads of his large calloused fingers and then was surprised when her silken lips met his. They exchanged a soft kiss that was almost chaste in its tenderness. She settled her head against his chest and allowed his heartbeat and strong arms to sooth her as they sat together in silence.

“Do you feel better now?” he asked her gently.

Ukyou startled at wrong voice, then quickly leapt to her feet with her face flaming “Ryoga?” she questioned.

He took off his mask and said with a gentle smile “oh you mistook me for Ranma? I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to deceive you”

Ukyou waited for her famous temper to kick in, but Ryoga seemed so genuinely concerned for her that she relaxed. She had mixed up the ninjas, he hadn’t meant any harm. “I wish that you had told me it was you before I made a jackass of myself” she said with a blush.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, everyone needs a good cry now and then” he replied.

She studied the lost boy to see if he was making fun of her, but there was no mockery in his beautiful chocolate brown eyes, only sincerity and concern.

He stood up “would you like me to go?” he asked.

“No would you just sit with me for a few minutes until I feel ready to go back inside?” she asked.

“Take all the time you need” he said. He sat on the terrace and shared a connection with someone for the first time in a long time, over those they lost.

He smiled shyly when she took his arm as they entered the ballroom. They announced the last dance. “Would you dance with me?” she asked. Not trusting himself to speak, he nodded.

His heart soared as they glided around the room with the grace of a swan on water. They were both naturally graceful and Ryoga now silently thanked his missing mother for making him take those embarrassing ballroom dance lessons. The girl in his arms was a beautiful as an angel and practically seemed to float as if the Earth dared not bind her to it. She smiled tenderly at him and dipped into a perfect curtsy at the end of their dance.

He reluctantly released her hand and went with her to retrieve his pack from the coat check to start trying to find somewhere to sleep that night. He helped on with her rented cloak and said good night.

“Ryoga, I have a guest room, would you like to stay with me tonight?” she offered, eying his pack.

He felt touched at her offer “I would like that” he said and offered her his spare arm. She took it and with him still clutching his pack, he allowed her to lead him through the unfamiliar streets of Nerima. It was an unfamiliar route as usual and he could only hope that one day his path would lead him home.