Note!  This story is based on events and characters from a
previous work, "Secrets".  You should be familiar with that
story, or this one won't make any sense!  To get "Secrets",
or any of my other works, visit my Web Site at:

http://www.geocities.com/coutuva

As always, C&C is anticipated, accepted, and appreciated.
All original Ranma1/2 Characters and Backstory Copyright
Rumiko Takahashi, and are used without permission.

Please Enjoy!
Coutuva.




Friends and Lovers - Part Four            A "Secrets" Prequel
-----------------------------------------------------------------


                                                                
	It was funny how things just happened.
	She was at work, surrounded by rambunctious customers,
fellow waitresses and the kitchen staff - and she felt lonely.
        A sense of 'something out of place' had been with her for
several days, but it wasn't until this moment - as she stood in
the service alley awaiting her order - that she figured out why.
	She guessed that it had been so hard to fathom because it
was an unaccustomed feeling.  She'd spent the better part of five 
years keeping to herself, and had never felt any desire to change.
	In fact, she'd found the solitude to be a refreshing,
enjoyable state of affairs, and had even cherished her time alone.
	But as the strange, anxious feeling told her, that was no
longer the case.
	She was very definitely lonely - and even as she confirmed
the thought, she knew the reason why.
        Yoriko wasn't with her.
	The lack of the girl's presence was akin to having a wet
blanket thrown over her day.  It had become, long, difficult and
even tedious.
        Just like the previous six had.
        "Miyoko-chan!  Hey!  Table nine is waiting for that!" the
voice of her co-worker Michi abruptly intruded, startling her back
to reality.
        "Hai, hai...  I'm coming," she blurted back, then sighed,
picked up her orders and glanced up at the clock.
        Half an hour to go - but she knew it was going to feel
more like eight.
        A short while later, as she was on her way to a table with
a tray full of water glasses, her course took her past the main
foyer.  As she walked by, she caught a movement through the large
glass doors.
        "Yoriko..." she gasped, in an instant both thrilled - and
embarrassed.
        Yoriko looked absolutely radiant.  Her hair was styled up,
and she was wearing her new dress, complete with a matching clutch
and shoes.  Miyoko, meantime, was in the night-hours version of
her uniform - and wished she wasn't.  
	This month, their outfits looked more suited to a new car
show than a supper club, with their bare midriffs, semi-detached 
tops and skin tone lycra hose.
        Quickly, she turned away and dashed to her table as fast
as her stilettos would let her.
        As she handed out the water, she glanced up to see the
hostess meet, then seat Yoriko, and almost huffed.  To her
chagrin, Yoriko was in her section.
        "Guess I might as well get it over with," she sighed to
herself, yanking out her order unit and heading toward her
friend's table.
        "Konnichiwa, Yoriko-san," she smiled, finding it
surprisingly easy to look pleased.
        Yoriko, who'd been looking at another part of the room,
turned toward her with a smile - that lasted about a quarter-second.
It then fell away into an incredulous gape.
        Miyoko withered.
        "M-Miyoko-san?" Yoriko stammered, as a faint flush appeared
across her nose.
        "H-hai.  I... I guess I should've warned you about my
uniform, huh?" she grimaced, fighting a strong desire to hide under
the table, and save her friend her obvious embarrassment.
        "Iya!  It looks great!  I...  I was just surprised to see
you," Yoriko waved off, although her eyes remained glued to the
outfit.
        Miyoko smirked inwardly at the cover.  "Yeah.  Well,
speaking of surprises, I'm...  Kinda surprised to see you here.  You
get bored tonight?" she deflected, in an attempt to sound casual.
        "Uh...  Iya.  I got some great news today, and couldn't wait
to tell you about it," she responded, in an apparent attempt to
regain her composure.
        "Oh, yeah?  Well, tell you what.  I'm outta here in fifteen
minutes.  Can you hang on that long?"
        "Hai!  I can -- as long as it's not a problem.  I can
always come back," Yoriko offered, her voice steadied but face
still shaded.
        Miyoko had to smile.  "Iya.  No problem.  I'll meet you here
as soon as I can get away.  Anything you want?"
        "Iya, iya...  You don't need to get me anything, Miyoko-san.
You have other people to look after."
        "Feh -- you're in my area, Yoriko-san - I'd have to anyway."
        Yoriko shook her head.  "Don't worry about me, Miyoko-san.
I'm fine," she insisted, smiling her wonderful smile.
        "Okay...  If you insist.  Oh -- here.  Have some water," she
grinned, handing one over and then stepping back.  "By the way,
Yoriko-san...  You look nice today, too," she smiled, then beat a
retreat.
        Unfortunately, when she ducked into the service alley to
compose herself, she found out that her next order was ready - and
groaned.  It was a big order for one of the wide booth tables,
which normally wouldn't have been an issue - except that this one
was well within sight of Yoriko's.
        In short, it meant Yoriko was going to get an even better
view of her backside - whether she wanted to or not.
        "Talk about getting to know someone," she grumbled to
herself, as she hefted the trays on her arms.
        At the table, she flashed a smile to Yoriko, then set down
the trays and started to pass out the orders.  Just as she was
extended across the table to hand one off, she gasped as she felt
two firm pats on her backside.
        A concealed snarl on her lips, she glanced toward the
affected cheek, only to see Michi walking quickly away, snickering
into her hand.
        Thus preoccupied, she didn't hear the thump of Yoriko's
jaw hitting the table.
        A few tables later, when on her way to her last pickup,
she smiled as she noticed Michi at a table near the service alley.
The girl was in the process of taking an order, and hadn't yet 
looked up.
        She couldn't believe her luck.
        Not wanting to let the opportunity get away, Miyoko angled
her approach so that she had to pass directly behind Michi.
        And when she did, Michi yelped, flipped the menu she
carried up in front of her chest, and virtually ran for the
changeroom.  Miyoko simply continued into the alley, laughing her
head off.  
	She was still chuckling even after going to change - but
stopped when she stepped onto the floor -- and noticed Yoriko's
unoccupied table.
        Surprised, she glanced around the room, but didn't see her.
She was about to head for the washroom when she finally did see 
her, standing on the street outside the foyer.
        "Kuso.  She must have been seriously freaked," she grumbled,
then headed out the door to catch up to her.  She took some
reassurance in the fact that the girl had at least stuck around.
        When she stepped through the doors, however, she was taken
aback at the sadness in her friend's features.
        "Something bugging you, Yoriko-san?" she asked, as she
stepped up to the crestfallen girl.
        "Uh...  Iya, Miyoko-san...  I was just...  Thinking about
something," she dismissed, but Miyoko wasn't satisfied.
        "Thinking about something?" she echoed, her eyebrow
lowering.  "Must have been something pretty depressing," she
prompted, moving around to try to meet her friend's gaze.
        Yoriko nodded slowly, then raised the saddest eyes Miyoko
had seen since the day they'd met.  "Hai...  It was...  Very sad."
        Miyoko frowned slightly.  This didn't sound good at all.  
        "I noticed.  Feel like talking about it?"
        Yoriko shook her head, then drew a ragged breath.  "Iya,
Miyoko-san.  It's...  Something very personal.  Please -- don't
worry about it."
        She lowered an eyebrow.  "You sure, Yoriko-san?"
        Yoriko nodded quickly.  "Hai."
        "Okay...  If you say so," she acquiesced, deciding to just
let it drop - for now.
        She had something she wanted to clear up.
        Gathering herself, she clutched her purse in both hands and
sank back until her butt was against the wall.  "Uhm...  There is
something I want to talk about, though.  You up for it?"
        The girl jolted.  "What?"
        Miyoko shrank.  "I...  I just wanted to apologize for
embarrassing you like that.  You shouldn't have seen that, and I
feel really bad that you had to."
        To her amazement, Yoriko's face drained.  "Uh...  Seen what,
Miyoko-san?" she finally stammered, which made Miyoko feel like an
even lower grade of dirt.
        "That...  Little 'scene' when I was serving the big table.
I feel awful about it.  Hell, I actually can't believe you're even
still talking to me."
        Yoriko cleared her throat.  "But...  We're...  Still
friends, aren't we?"
        She had to blink.  "Hai -- at least I hope so.  Kuso, I'd 
hate to think I lost you over my jerk boss and his hentai uniforms."
        The girl jolted again.  "Huh?  Uniforms?"
        "Hai.  I can't blame you for being embarrassed to see me in
that crap.  I looked like a thousand-yen hooker, and hung my ass out
in front of you on top of it all.  You got the best of me at my
worst all in one damned shot."
        Yoriko's blank silence was unsettling, to say the least.
Just as she was about to poke the girl to see if she was still
conscious, Yoriko shook her blonde-maned head.
        "Iya -- your...  Uniform isn't that bad, Miyoko-san," she
finally responded, an odd tone to her voice.
        She huffed into a smirk.  "Thanks, Yoriko-san, but you
don't need to be so polite -- I know damned-well what it looks like
on me.  That's why the boss makes us wear 'em - it's like...
Um - did you see the girl that pulled that stunt while I was serving
that table?"
        "Ahh...  Stunt?"
        "Huh?  You mean you didn't see her pat my butt while I was
stuck bent over?"
        "I...  I uhm...  I might have..." Yoriko stammered, her face
actually looking flushed.
        She suppressed an urge to shake her head.  "Okay...  Well,
her name's Michi, and her fiancee..."
        "Fiancee?" Yoriko abruptly blurted, her eyes widening.
        "Hai.  He comes and picks her up sometimes, and while he's
waiting, he sits there and gapes at us, slobbering all over himself.
Hell, once I even caught them all over each other in the
changeroom - guess he couldn't wait till they got home," she
smirked, shaking her head at the memory.  "I threw the hentai out on
his half-naked ass - felt good, too," she grinned, then noticed that
Yoriko didn't seem to be listening.
        "You mean...  She's engaged?" the girl asked, her face
literally lighting up as her hands clasped in front of her.
        "Uhh...  Yeah.  Has been for three months now," she
confirmed, looking back at the girl like she was from Mars.
        "Really?  Then...  Why did she...  Uhmm...  'Pat' you?"
        She had to laugh.  "Feh -- she pulls stuff like that all the
time, trying to get my goat.  It's kinda like a game - she knows
how much I hate that crap.  I got her back though," she grinned,
smugly.  "As usual."
        "Oh, then you...  Oh, never mind," she responded, lighting
up probably her best smile to date.  She followed it, however, by 
lowering her face and drawing a breath.
        "I'm...  Sorry I walked out on you like that, Miyoko-san.
Can I buy you supper to make up for it?"
        "Iya, you got nothing to be sorry for.  It's my fault - like
I said, I really shoulda warned you.  But supper sounds good - if
you don't mind it being back at my place.  I'm about ready to drop,"
she smiled back, glad that her friend's mood had improved so much.
        Yoriko affected a pout.  "Okay...  But only if you let me
rent us a movie," she countered, firing up her now famous kawaii
eyes.
        She exaggerated a sigh.  "Hai, hai...  But let's get going
while I can still walk."
        Yoriko nodded happily.




        After a well thrown together meal of assorted leftovers,
Miyoko suggested they just leave the dishes and get right into
watching the movie.
        She was a bit surprised when Yoriko agreed readily, but too
tired to bother discussing it.
        First stop after the kitchen was her bedroom, where they
dug through her somewhat limited collection of 'comfy clothes'.
Miyoko quickly found a tank-style knee-length nightshirt, then
excused herself to change, leaving Yoriko to pick out something from
the pile on her bed.
        And pick something she did.
        She wandered out of the bedroom wearing a longer, deep
vee-neck version of what Miyoko herself wore, and it fit her very
well - too well, in fact.  The soft, cottony material seemed to
cling to every curve of the girl's body, and it also made her
surprising lack of a certain undergarment very obvious.
        Miyoko had to shake her head to keep from gaping, as she
abruptly realized that her friend had a very nice body.
        Suddenly, she was glad she happened to be female. 
        Yoriko meantime, excitedly burrowed herself into the
pillows et al that Miyoko had already tossed on the couch.  Miyoko,
chuckling to herself at the antics, dragged an ottoman over and
stationed herself at the opposite end, complete with all of the
required remotes.
        An exchange of smiles and nods later, she raised the
appropriate unit and started the tape.
        Half an hour in, however, it became apparent that Yoriko
had picked a dud.  She was so disenchanted that she suggested they
just stop it, and try the second one out.  
	Miyoko agreed readily, as the second was actually her 
preference, and she knew she couldn't stay awake forever.
        Thus decided, Yoriko offered to make them something to
nibble on, which Miyoko certainly didn't mind.
        While Yoriko padded into the kitchen, she rewound the movie
and changed it, then zipped through the commercials and promos.
She also turned out some of the lights, finding that they were a bit
too harsh for her liking.  Just as she landed back in her spot,
Yoriko walked into the room, bearing a smile and a tray.  The tray
was full of cookies, and included two big, steaming mugs of hot
chocolate.
        Miyoko almost jumped her.
        As they sat sipping, nibbling and talking, Miyoko happened
to recall something Yoriko had mentioned earlier, and promptly
called her on it.
        "Oh!  One of those places we went to see - the first time, I
think - called me back!  I got the job, and I start next week!" she
announced, with a proud smile.
        "That's great, Yoriko-san!  Way to go!" she exclaimed,
raising her hand for a high-five.
        Yoriko, however, had other ideas.  She set down her mug and
dove in for a celebratory hug - one that left Miyoko with warm
cheeks.  Taken aback, she pretended to be rubbing her eyes.
        Thankfully, Yoriko didn't seem to notice.  "I have to get
trained first, but I'll be working cash once that's done.  They want
me to come in for 7:30 in the morning, and work till noon, so it
isn't full time, but it's like you said -- I have to start 
somewhere," she explained, her smile unaffected.
        Miyoko had to smile right back.  Had this happened two weeks
earlier, she knew Yoriko would have been petrified, not excited.  It
was wonderful to see.
        "I'm really happy for you.  I knew you wouldn't have any
trouble."
        "I'm happy, too...  I...  Never would have tried this if it
hadn't been for you, Miyoko-san, and I..." she began, but Miyoko
cut her off by putting a finger over her lips.
        "Remember what I told you?  I don't want to hear it.  You got
this job all on your own, Yoriko-san.  You should be proud of that,"
she emphasized, with a smile.
        Yoriko returned a puff, but reached up and took hold of
Miyoko's hand, and held it in hers as she lowered it to her lap.
"But it was you that believed in me."
        She couldn't stop her smile.  "You bet!  There's something
there to believe in."
        Yoriko tried to respond, but apparently couldn't find the
words.  Miyoko, fearing a return of the waterworks, went for a
redirect.
	"I think we better start the movie...  I don't know about
you, but if we don't, I'm gonna doze off in my mug."
	Yoriko, much to her relief, nodded happily. 
	Thus encouraged, she hit the button and settled back,
while Yoriko squared herself around in the middle of the couch and
sat up, still sipping at the last of her drink.
	As the movie got underway, Miyoko would occasionally look
over at her, mainly to see whether she was still interested in the
tape.  When she would, it seemed that Yoriko knew it, and would
look back and smile.
	And those smiles inevitably brought one to her face.
	Over the next while, however, she became so engrossed in
the flick that she actually gasped aloud when something hit her arm.
	When she looked to see what it was, she was surprised to
find Yoriko propped against her, and apparently sound asleep.
It looked as if the girl had drifted off while still upright, and
just fallen to the side.
        Chuckling, she gently shifted around until Yoriko looked 
more comfortable, then reached over her back to pull up the blanket.
        At that moment, Yoriko moaned softly and readjusted
herself, her head nestling against Miyoko's upper chest, and an arm
sliding across her waist.
        Miyoko, caught with her own arm up in the air, had no
choice but to drape it across Yoriko's back.  When she did, she
swore she heard the girl issue a soft, content sigh.
        She smiled despite the heat rising in her face.




====================================================================
END - Friends and Lovers Part Four      A Ranma1/2 Fanfic by Coutuva

Comments Welcomed, Flames Extinguished!
coutuva@vecdev.com