DISCLAIMER:None of these characters are mine,and no copyright 
infringement is intended.Summer may finally be over in California,but 
it hasn't stopped me from cranking out this yet another romantic piece 
featuring the Angel and Buffy of Japanese anime.^_^This ISN'T a lemon.

Okonomiyaki Summer(A Ranma 1/2 fanfic),by Mike Rhea

*********************************************************************

It was early July.A typical summer day in Japan's Kansai region.The 
region was under a heat spell.School was out for the summer,and just 
about everyone was hitting the beaches.

Ranma and Ukyou Saotome were no exception.Though it was their first 
summer together since not only marrying but also moving out of Tokyo,
they knew that okonomiyaki would be a hot beachside business;which is 
why for the summer,they moved their okonomiyaki business out of its 
normal location in western Kyoto and to the beaches of Shirasaki on 
the Ise peninsula,where they've built a summer cottage on the beach.

It was already heating up outside when they emerged from their cottage 
at about ten in the morning to set up their yatai for the day.They 
were dressed in a slimmed down summer version of their okonomiyaki
sellers' clothing:Ranma was wearing a sleeveless okonomiyaki sellers'
shirt and some shorts;and Ukyou in a sleeveless okonomiyaki sellers'
shirt over a swimsuit(sans breast bindings,of course).In fact,it was 
exactly the same as what she wore previously at the Miss Beachside 
contest.As soon as they opened up for the day,business picked up very
quickly.Among their first customers of the day,in fact were none other 
than the Godai family:Yusaku,Kyooko,and their daughter Haruka.

"Good day,Mr. and Mrs.Saotome,"greeted Kyooko.

"Good day,Godai-san,"replied Ukyou."How have things been for you and 
your husband?"

"Excellent.In fact,not only is he enjoying being a nursery school 
teacher;we're thinking about having another child.By the way,have 
either of you met our young daughter,Haruka?"

"No,we haven't.Is that Godai holding her?"

"Yes,though she's still not old enough to talk yet.Can you please make 
it a couple of seafood combos?"

"Sure,"said Ukyou as she began preparing 3 okonomiyaki,one of them 
heart-shaped(to be consumed by Ranma)in which she wrote "Love,Ucchan" 
in sauce.As the okonomiyaki were cooking...

"How's it been,Saotome-kun?,"inquired Godai.

"Very well,Godai-kun,"replied Ranma."Did you find our summer location 
O.K.?"

"Well,we found it faster than the first time we were looking for your
Kyoto location;since not only was there a map on the door,but also 
because we didn't get our directions from that directionally 
challenged lad named Ryouga Hibiki.BTW,has he ever found his way home 
yet?"

"Actually,you may be surprised:Since marrying both Akari Unryuu and 
Akane Tendou,the latter whom I was once engaged to,he rarely gets lost 
anymore.In addition,he doesn't get nosebleeds anymore when he sees 
them both in the raw,even when he sees them playing with each other."

As Ranma and Godai continued talking,the okonomiyaki were done.

"Godai darling,they're done,"said Kyooko.

"See ya later,Saotome-kun,"said Godai as he paid and thanked Ranma.

"Have a nice day,Godai,"replied Ranma.

"See ya,Godai-san,"said Ukyou.

"Arigatou,Saotome-san,"replied Kyooko as she,(Yusaku)Godai,and Haruka 
laid down on a beach towel and began consuming their okonomiyaki.

About an hour(and many customers)later,another familiar face showed up 
at the Saotome okonomiyaki yatai:Tenchi Masaki.

"Good day,Saotome-kun,"said Tenchi.

"Good day,Masaki-kun,"replied Ranma."How would you like your 
okonomiyaki today?"

"Make it 3 seafood combos,please."

"Sure.Ryouko and Ayeka fighting again?,"inquired Ranma as he began
preparing 4 seafood okonomiyaki,including a heart-shaped one(to be 
consumed by Ukyou)in which he wrote "I love you,Ucchan" in sauce.

"As usual,"replied Tenchi."How's married life for you and Ukyou?"

"It's a far cry from that so called 'engagement' to Akane Tendou.It 
turned out that the uncute tomboy had been playing dumb about the 
Ryouga/P-chan matter all along.If only my old man had told me in the 
first place that Ukyou was a girl so I could have chosen her over 
okonomiyaki on the spot(instead of my stupid old man pulling another 
of his food stunts),not only would she not have been abandoned in the 
first place,but also neither me or my lovely wife wouldn't have gone 
through the troubles we went through just because my dad had a stomach 
for a brain.Besides,my wife is much cuter than that uncute tomboy that 
I was once engaged to."Ranma then took a break from the conversation 
as he and Ukyou kissed briefly,but passionately.At that moment,Ryouko 
and Ayeka found Tenchi.

"Where have you been,darling Tenchi?,"inquired Ryouko.

"While you and Ayeka were fighting again,I decided to get something to 
eat,"replied Tenchi."Besides,if you're hungry,I got some okonomiyaki."

"Lord Tenchi,she started it!,"interrupted Ayeka.

Eventually,the okonomiyaki were done before Ryouko's and Ayeka's 
exchange of insults could escalate even further.

"See ya later,Masaki-kun,"said Ranma.

"Have a nice day,Saotome-kun,"replied Tenchi as he,Ryouko,and Ayeka 
began consuming their okonomiyaki.

One moment later,Ukyou noticed another familiar acquaintance within a 
distance:Ryuunosuke Fujinami.

"Ran-chan,Ryuu-chan could be coming here in any moment,"said Ukyou.

"No problem,my darling Ucchan,"replied Ranma as he wasted little time
preparing an extra okonomiyaki for the cross-dresser from Tomobiki 
which he and Ukyou have known since she attended their wedding.

A couple of moments later,the normally tomboyish Ryuunosuke,who was 
wearing a swimsuit sans breast bindings(since her sexist father has 
been lost for several months,thanks to Ryouga;and was now stranded in
the middle of the K Street pedestrian mall in downtown Sacramento,
Calfornia,U.S.A.),arrived at the Saotome okonomiyaki cart as the extra 
okonomiyaki that Ranma was cooking for this occasion had finished.

"Kon-nichiwa,Saotome-san,"said Ryuunosuke.

"Kon-nichiwa,Ryuu-chan,"replied Ukyou."You just caught us as we were 
about to close up for lunch.Luckily,Ran-chan and I saved you an extra 
okonomiyaki since we knew you were coming."

"Arigatou,Saotome-san,"thanked Ryuunosuke as she handed Ukyou some 
money.

"You're welcome,Ryuu-chan,"replied Ukyou as she handed Ryuunosuke her 
okonomiyaki."Care to join us?"

"Sure,"replied Ryuunosuke as she,Ranma,and Ukyou laid down on a large 
beach towel in which the latter two had set up next to their yatai 
after closing it up(and taking off their shirts so that Ranma was only 
wearing shorts and Ukyou a swimsuit).Once settled,the three wasted
little time eating up their okonomiyaki.

A few moments later,after they finished eating up their okonomiyaki...

"How's married life,Saotome-san?,"inquired Ryuunosuke.

"Wonderful,Ryuu-chan,"replied Ukyou."I had been dreaming about this 
for eternally,literally.Besides,I haven't seen you dress like this 
before.What does your father think of you wearing feminine clothing for 
a change?"

"Well,it doesn't look like he'll ever find out,since he's been missing 
for months.Actually,it's quite a relief that he hasn't been around 
to make me hide my true gender from the world."She then asked Ranma 
"Saotome-kun,do you miss Nerima?"

"Not really,"replied Ranma."In fact,if only my old man told me about 
Ukyou's true gender in the first place,I wouldn't have chosen 
okonomiyaki in the first place.In fact my mom finally got pops to 
apologize to Ucchan and her dad for stealing the cart and leaving my
eventual future wife behind."He then turned to his wife and said 
"Ucchan,don't you wish that summer was year-round instead of just 3 
months a year?"

"Why is that,Ran-chan?,"replied Ukyou.

"You are the only woman in the world that is kawaii regardless of what 
you wear,especially when you're wearing a swimsuit."

Ukyou blushed profusely,then replied "Oh,Ran-chan" as she and her 
husband Ranma kissed very passionately and deeply.Suddenly,their 
passionate kiss was interrupted by a tidal wave that splashed them 
and Ryuunosuke,leaving all 3 very wet.

Suddenly,Ryuunosuke noticed that Ranma didn't change into a girl like 
he always did whenever splashed with cool or cold water.

"Saotome-kun,why didn't you change into a girl when that wave hit 
you?,"inquired Ryuunosuke.

"Let's just say I stashed away and saved an extra bottle of 
Nanniichuan water for emergencies such as my failed wedding to that 
uncute tomboy Akane Tendou in which that dirty old Happousai drank up 
all that Nanniichuan water,"replied Ranma."Thankfully,he didn't know 
about the extra bottle I had saved."

"Oh,Ran-chan,"said Ukyou."You shouldn't have!"

"Now I can be a real man for you,darling Ucchan,"replied Ranma as he 
and Ukyou again kissed very passionately,but briefly before they went 
back to the yatai(where Ranma put his shirt back on and Ukyou put on 
the apron that she often wears when operating on the beach)and 
reopened it.

"Saotome-san,can I help out for the rest of the day?,"inquired 
Ryuunosuke."Nodoka-san figured that you could use some help."

"Why not,"replied Ukyou as she handed Ryuunosuke an extra apron which 
she put on right away.

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For the rest of the operating day,Ryuunosuke served the customers 
whenever Ranma and Ukyou took small breaks to passionately kiss each 
other.Eventually,hours later,it was sunset;which for Ranma and Ukyou 
also meant closing time.As they packed up the yatai,they thanked 
Ryuunosuke for her help and handed her about a fourth of the day's 
profits.Ukyou then took off her apron as she and Ranma took their yatai 
back to their cottage where Ranma's mom,Nodoka,greeted them while 
sitting next to a snoring panda.

"How was it,Ranma?,"inquired Nodoka.

"As usual,business was great,"replied Ranma."Before Ryuu-chan arrived,
the Godai family came by;and a bit later,Tenchi and company came by."

"Anyway,you got a postcard from Ryouga."

Ranma kissed his mom and then found the postcard on the coffee table.

"How are Ryouga-kun and his 2 wives doing,Ran-chan?,"inquired Ukyou.

"Very fine,"replied Ranma."He just wanted to tell us that both Akane 
and Akari are pregnant with the trio's first children.In addition,
Tsubasa and Konatsu are in the U.S. to make an appearance on some 
daytime talk show."

"I'd figure that those 2 drag queens would find true romance with each 
other.Besides,I'm sweating,Ranchan.The two of us could use a hot bath."

"Why not,darling?,"replied Ranma as he and Ukyou accompanied each 
other to their bedroom.Once settled,Ukyou took off Ranma's shirt.He,in 
return,helped his wife slide her bathing suit from her shoulders;and 
she pulled it down to her ankles,stepped out of it,and tossed it aside.
Ranma then held her close and tried to kiss her when Ukyou said "Let's 
skip the teasing,Ran-chan you naughty boy,"while tracing her hands 
down to Ranma's waist and helped him slip out of his shorts.

"Anything for you,honey,"replied Ranma as he stepped out of his shorts,
tossed them aside,and undid the ribbon in his wife's hair as they 
accompanied each other to the bathroom,holding hands and admiring each 
other's nude bodies on the way.Upon arrival in the bathroom,they 
stepped into the bath and sat in it together so that their bodies 
below their shoulders were completely under water.As they soaked in 
the hot water...

"Ran-chan...,"said Ukyou.

"Yes,Ucchan?,"replied Ranma.

"You may now be 100% male and I may be a tomboy,but you make me feel 
like a natural woman."

Ranma blushed profusely,then replied "Arigatou,Ucchan" as he and his 
wife engaged in a very passionate kiss.

**Music:"Lum's Love Song,"from the anime series Urusei Yatsura**

*******************************************************************

Meanwhile,at the corner of Seventh at K streets in downtown 
Sacramento...

"Do you know where Tomobiki-cho is?,"Mr.Fujinami asked a Japanese 
tourist who was waiting for a local bus.

"Never heard of it,"the tourist replied."You've probably been watching 
and/or reading too much Urusei Yatsura.Try the comic store across the
street.If you live in Tomobiki-cho,the nearest Japanese consulate 
is in San Francisco.There's a bus station a block down from here."

"Arigatou,"replied Mr.Fujinami as he walked to the Greyhound station.

THE END

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AUTHOR'S NOTES:As you may know,this latest fanfic of mine was at least 
partially inspired by an episode very late in the Nettouhen series 
that features a swimsuit contest(Miss Beachside)between Ranma's 4
fiancees.Of course,Ukyou is the only Ranma 1/2 lady who is kawaii in
either boy's or girl's clothing.But I must admit,when she's wearing a 
bathing suit,even if she was in a group picture where everyone was in 
beach attire(there are a fair number of such pictures in just about 
every other Ranma 1/2 fan page),the only one that comes even close to 
Ukyou's good looks is Shampoo.Even if both Akane was wearing a bathing 
suit and Ukyou her boy's school uniform(as is the case in another 
not-yet-available-in-English episode in which the principal tries to 
teach Akane to swim),Akane STILL hasn't a fraction of Ukyou's good 
looks(no offense intended to Akanites).Of course,looks aren't the 
principal reason for my choice of Ranma fiancee:IMHO,her only 2 
compatible choices for romance are Ranma and Ryouga.Pairing her with 
another guy(particularly Konatsu)is an even far bigger no-no than 
Kunou/Kodachi(which is a big no-no itself because it's an incest 
pairing).Besides,I just can't imagine her without her beloved 
"Ran-chan."As you may know,I live in the Sacramento,California region.
Originally,I intended to have Ryuunosuke's father lost in the Amazon 
rain forest.However,when I was almost done writing this fic,my sister 
and a friend of hers went to go see "Princess Mononoke,"but not before 
getting lost in the middle of downtown Sacramento(several miles from 
the theater showing that movie,in fact)on the way.No,I wasn't making 
fun of Urusei Yatsura in the last part of the fic.I was just making 
fun of Ryuunosuke's father which reminds me of Genma.

Images taken from future Ranma episodes(including the Miss Beachside contest and "Akane learns to swim")can be found at The Ranma Anime Preview Gallery.You can also find exclusive Ukyou images at its sister site at http://members.xoom.com/wyvern_1/sauce/sauce_main.html.As with any fanfic I write,comments concerning this fanfic(no flames, please)can be sent to yours truly.This version,revised several times (most recently:January 7,2000)differs slightly from the original version first posted on November 14,1999(which is still available in the form of an MST by Megane 6.7.

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