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

In this Part, there are a number of Romanji words; I now 
have the definitions for all of them on a page at my site!

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 Five            A "Secrets" Prequel
-----------------------------------------------------------------



	Miyoko sighed heavily as she sank to her chin, the hot,
frothing water of the furo already working its soothing magic.
	She just wished it could do the same for her conscience.
	Something was happening that would have normally been an
event worth celebrating -- but instead, it was making her feel
guilty, dirty -- and incredibly sad.
	After yet another restless, dream-filled night, and the
loneliness of waking to an empty apartment, certain things she'd
unwittingly blinded herself to had abruptly become clear.
	When Yoriko wasn't around, she missed her desperately.
When they were together, she felt happy, relaxed, and complete.
When Yoriko slept at home, she didn't get any sleep.  When Yoriko
stayed over, she slept like a baby.
	Yoriko's sweet face and attractive form filled her dreams
by night, and her thoughts all through her day.
        It had also occurred to her that she'd only once ever felt
such things, but even then, the effect hadn't been nearly as
dramatic.
        And the conclusion it all had been drawing her to was 
as stunning as it was inescapable.
        She was falling in love with her best friend.
        And no matter how she looked at it, the situation had
disaster written all over it.
        She could just imagine Yoriko's reaction to any confession
of her feelings, or even worse, what would happen if she caught on
without one.  History would be guaranteed to repeat itself -- only
this time, it would *really* hurt.
        But even more frightening was how it was only one slip
away from happening.
        She was already having trouble covering her flushes and
mindless gapes, and it was becoming harder and harder to keep her
hands to herself.
        Especially on 'movie nights', which had become a regular,
torturous occurrence.
        And what made matters even worse was that Yoriko had made
wonderful progress in the few months since her 'incident'.  Her
confidence and self-esteem had never been higher.  
	However, Miyoko knew she was still fragile, and all of the 
gains could be lost in the space of a moment.
        The moment Yoriko discovered that the person she seemed to 
look up to so much was a slobbering hentai.
        A sad sigh escaped her as she cursed the merciless
unfairness of fate.  She'd found someone she knew she could spend
the rest of her days with -- had her life only taken a slightly 
different course.
	Now, more than ever, she knew why it was called a curse. 
        As the painful thought bounced around in her head, she
slowly came to realize that there was only one answer, even though
it was absolutely the last thing she wanted to do.
        She had to somehow find the strength to distance herself.
She valued Yoriko's friendship far too much to risk losing it over
some moment of weakness.
	It was the best thing for both of them, and the only way 
out of a situation she could no longer control.
	Thus resolved, she drew a long, heavy sigh, closing her
eyes as she puffed it out.
	It took all of ten seconds for her to burst out in tears.





	"Miyooo-kooo!"
	She gasped at the sound.
	"Mi-yo-ko-san!"
	Yoriko.  She'd come to pick her up, as they'd arranged the
night before.  Suddenly, she regretted having given her friend a key.
	"Miyo-ko!  I know you're here!  Your purse and shoes are!"
	"Kuso," she cursed, wiping at her face and looking around
for her towel.  Just as she saw it still hanging on the rack, she
heard Yoriko step up to the door - and saw it start to open.
	Short of options, she stayed down and pretended to be asleep,
hoping Yoriko would just yell in at her as per usual.  Then, at
least, she could laugh off her tardiness.
	But the yell never came.  Instead, a muffled sigh did,
followed by the door slowly opening wider.
	She had to fight to keep from smirking at what she expected
would be an attempt at a prank.
	As she listened intently, she heard Yoriko step through the
door, and gently close it behind her.  She heard the soft footfalls
on the tiled floor as Yoriko approached the furo.
	She noticed how the footfalls were stealthy, and also noted
that they were on a direct approach.
	She subtly braced herself.
	The footfalls stopped.
	To her surprise, she heard Yoriko say - or more accurately,
sigh something.
	"Kajin..." it sounded like, which she knew couldn't possibly
be right -- unless she really was asleep, and in the midst of a 
wonderful dream.
	Even as she reran the event to make sure, she heard Yoriko
settle to her knees beside the furo, lean on the side, then remain
still.
	Her heart began to pound, but she wasn't entirely sure why.
	As she tried to sort it out, she was shocked to hear
Yoriko raise an arm, and then even more shocked to sense it moving
near her face.
	It took every ounce of her self-control to not jump when she
felt Yoriko's hand gently graze her cheek - and dwell along her chin.
	A jolt of excitement shot through her.  Her heart leapt - then
just as suddenly, stopped.
	She didn't dare let herself believe what it seemed was
happening - even though every cell of her being wanted her to.
	It was just too good to be true; too perfect to be possible.
	Her life just didn't go that well.
	Just then, Yoriko withdrew her hand and sighed again.  A 
moment later, she shifted, and it sounded like she was rising.  Then
she stopped.  A definite tsk of disgust escaped her, followed by the
sound of her landing back on her legs.  Heavily.
	"Ikujinonai..." she puffed, which made Miyoko wonder just
what she had in mind.
	It turned out that she didn't have long to do so.
	She heard Yoriko express something that sounded like a sob,
then rise and lean on the furo.
	Then it happened.
	She sensed something approach her face.
	Then she felt the warmth of Yoriko's exhalation caress her
cheek - just a heartbeat before the girl's soft, luscious lips
hesitantly brushed against her own.
	Her brain shut down.
	Her heart exploded back to life.
	Her hands rose from the water of the furo, and wrapped
themselves around Yoriko's soft, wonderful form.  Her own body rose
and she pulled the girl to her, heedless of the startled reaction.
	And she kissed her right back -- like she'd never kissed 
anyone in her life.
	Within a moment, Yoriko whimpered and returned the
favour -- with every bit as much passion.
	In that instant, she knew.
	She'd found her true and destined soul mate.
	Entirely too soon, the kiss descended into a series of
soft, lingering pecks, leaving them touching at the forehead, and
staring deep into each other's souls.
	Miyoko smiled.
	The smile widened as she saw one spread over Yoriko's face,
accompanied by a pronounced reddish tint across her nose.
	"Miyoko-chan...  I..." she began, her voice just a whisper.
	Miyoko shook her head.  "Iya...  Don't.  I wanted it too.
So badly it hurt," she confessed, raising a hand to run through the
girl's lustrous blonde locks.
	Yoriko sighed into an expression somewhere between laughing
and crying.  "I have since the day we met."
	Miyoko wanted to comment, but somehow, the opening of her
arms replaced the opening of her mouth.  Yoriko sobbed, then melted
into the embrace.
	Miyoko held her close, but when she felt the side of the
furo against her nude stomach, she realized that they could be
even closer.
	"Uhm...  Yori-chan?"
	"H-hai?"
	She smiled.  "This thing is big enough for two, you know."
	Yoriko sniffed, then settled back to her heels and smiled
through her streaming cheeks.
	"I was...  Hoping you'd say that," she breathed, then
reached for the buttons of her damp top.





	It was the same apartment, the same couch, even the same
television.  But somehow, as she sat in her nightshirt flipping
through the channels, everything around her seemed new.
	A smile crossed her face as she watched the similarly-clad
Yoriko puttering in the kitchen, and found herself enjoying the view
even more than usual.  Yoriko herself even seemed different - which 
really didn't surprise her.  She was seeing her with new eyes, and 
loved what she saw.
	Even so, she still couldn't believe that it had happened.
	She hadn't been looking for anyone.  In fact, she'd
deliberately tried not to, having wanted to avoid even thinking
about it.
	But now that it had, she wasn't going to argue.  With the
way she felt when Yoriko was in her arms, or even just in the same
room, she didn't care about the reasons why.
	"It's ready!" Yoriko sang from the kitchen, as she picked
up a well-loaded platter and turned to carry it in.
	"Hmmm...  That looks great, Yoriko-chan," she smiled, with
a great show of licking her lips.
	Yoriko beamed.  "Domo!  I thought you might be hungry,
since you never got breakfast."
	"Oh boy, am I.  What'cha got here?" she responded,
leaning up to survey the selection.
	"I just threw together a few things -- if you don't see
anything you want, I can get it for you."
	"No you won't.  You'll sit that cute little butt of yours
down right here, and help me eat this," she countered, patting the
couch beside her.
	Yoriko giggled.  "You mean you actually need help?"
	"You're going to need help if you keep that up," she
threatened, with an appropriate smirk.
	The giggle became a laugh as Yoriko landed on the couch.
A moment later, however, she was draped over Miyoko's shoulder and
sighing.
	But it wasn't the kind of sigh Miyoko would have expected.
It sounded more like something was bothering her.
        And that made her start imagining the worst.
	"Okay, Yoriko-chan -- what's bugging you?" she prodded,
trying not to sound as worried as she was becoming.
	Yoriko fidgeted, then bit her lip.  "Kaimu..."
	She frowned.  "You're having second thoughts, aren't you?"
she puffed, slumping back into the couch.
	To her great relief, Yoriko panicked.  "Iya!  I'm not!
I'd never do that...  I couldn't!"
	"Then what is it?"
	Yoriko looked back at her for a moment, then hung her head.
"I'm too happy," she responded, in a tiny, defeated voice.
	Miyoko almost choked.  "Nanikore?"
	She nodded.  "H-hai.  I...  I feel...  Like the luckiest
girl alive, Miyoko-chan - and it's all because of you," she began,
with an indelicate sniff.  "You're such a wonderful, strong, caring 
person.  You've given me so much - made me so happy," she continued, 
her voice beginning to waver as she rubbed at her eyes.  "This has 
been the best few months of my life, and even...  Even if it were to
end right now, I...  I would cherish this time...  For as long as I
lived."
        Miyoko couldn't believe her ears.  "Yoriko-chan...?"
        "Iya -- please - let...  Let me say this, Miyoko-chan," she
insisted, her eyes reddened.
        Bewildered, Miyoko could only nod.
        Yoriko flashed a faint, acknowledging smile, then gathered
herself.  The sight tore at Miyoko, as it seemed that whatever 
Yoriko was about to say was taking a lot of effort to get to.
	But get to it, she did.
	"Miyoko-chan...  After...  After everything you've already 
done -- everything...   You've already given me...  It...  It isn't 
fair...  For me to take your heart as well.  You...  Y-you deserve 
so much better," she sniffed, then abruptly covered her eyes and 
broke down in tears.
	Her reaction was instinctive.  "Yoriko-chan, no..." she
gasped, reaching out to the sobbing girl.
	Yoriko twisted away.  "Iya!  I can't!  I can't do this to
you!" she cried, then lunged off the couch and ran into the
bathroom.
	Miyoko, completely flabbergasted at the sudden turn of
events, could only sit numbly and try to figure it out.
	Until she heard clothes rustling in the bathroom.
	"Kuso."
        In one leap, she was outside the door.  "Yoriko-chan?  What
the hell are you doing?"
        Silence.
        "Yoriko?"
        "Uh, I...  I'm cleaning up..." came the sodden, unconvincing
response.
	She tried the door -- it was locked.
	But not for long.
	"Right about here," she muttered, then extended her thumb
and placed it on a certain spot near the center of the door.
"Hah!"
	The door popped, then slowly drifted open - to reveal a
stunned Yoriko just stepping into her skirt.  "A-ano...  How...
Did you do that?"
	Miyoko frowned.  "Iya.  You first, Yoriko-chan.  Why are
you getting dressed?"
	The skirt dropped, her hands met, and as they wrung in
front of her legs, her head lowered.  "Because...  Because I was
leaving."
	"Forget it.  You're not leaving -- not until you tell me
what the hell this is all about."
	Yoriko shuddered, then her hands went to her face and she
sank to a cow-sit, again dissolved in tears.
	Miyoko had seen enough.  Without a word, she walked over
and took her by the shoulders, deadlifted her to her feet and
looked straight into her surprised, puffy face.
	When their eyes met, the pain Miyoko saw caught her breath
in her throat.  It was the same pain she'd seen when they'd first
met.
	The sight went to her heart like a finger-jab.  "Iya.  I'm
not letting go.  Not now, not ever," she stated, before she even
knew where the words came from.
	Yoriko's reaction confused her even more.  "I don't *want*
you to!" she cried, just before collapsing against her.




	Silence reigned in the darkened bedroom as Miyoko lay
flat on her back, listening to Yoriko's soft breathing.  It was
a vast improvement over the heart-wrenching sobbing she'd endured
for the past half-hour, and she assumed it meant her girlfriend
had cried herself to sleep.
	Only trouble was, Miyoko still didn't know what was going
on.
	With a sigh, she glanced at her clock, and decided she'd
give her another half-hour, then come back and see if she felt
any better.  And then, hopefully, they could talk.
	Thus decided, she looked over at Yoriko's quiet form,
then started to rise from the bed.
	"Miyoko-chan?"
	"Hai?"
	"I'm sorry."
	"Sorry?  Sorry for what?"
	"For acting like a baby...  I was...  I was just scared."
	Miyoko rolled to face her.  She mirrored the move.
"Scared of what?"
	Yoriko sighed.  "Us." 
	"Huh?"
	She sighed again, then lowered her eyes and began to 
fidget with her fingers.  "I...  I was just...  So happy when you
said you wanted me.  It was...  It was my dream come true.  You
wanted me...  Just for me.  It didn't matter to you that I was a
girl - just like it doesn't matter to me; even though...  I'm...
I'm not a lesbian."
        Miyoko gasped.  "What?  Then...  Why...?" she began, but
Yoriko shrugged.  Even so, she began to wonder if the girl was
psychic.
        "I don't know, Miyoko-chan.  There's just...  Something
about you that makes it feel right," she noted, quietly.  "And what
makes it even better...  Is that I didn't think this was something
I'd ever have - in any form," she breathed, as Miyoko felt a hand
settle on her arm.  "But then...  Then I remembered why," she
stated, her face saddening.
        "And...?" Miyoko urged, not wanting to lose the momentum.
        Yoriko huffed.  "I...  Haven't told you everything about
my family - or my 'fiancee's' family.  They...  They have 'images'
that they'd do anything to protect, and if....  If they found out 
about us, I'm afraid of what they'd do...  To you," she confessed, 
her voice a meek whisper.  "I couldn't stand the thought of you 
being harmed...  Because of me.  I'm...  I'm not worth it, 
Miyoko-chan.  I'm not.  You're too beautiful a person to be dragged
down by my baggage!" she blurted out, her eyes glistening in the
dim light.
        Miyoko had to huff.  What Yoriko had said was so typical
of the girl, it only made her appreciate her even more.
        "Even though that's probably the dumbest thing I've ever
heard, I figure it's about the best compliment you could give
me," she smiled, then reached over and placed a hand on her cheek.
"Like it or not, you're stuck with me now...  Ichuunoonna."
        The girl gasped, her face descending into the same
confused mix as in the bath.  "But...  Miyoko-chan..."
        Miyoko responded by rolling on top of her and looking deep
into her eyes.
        "Just shut up and kiss me, baka."
        She did.




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

Comments Welcomed, Flames Extinguished!
coutuva@vecdev.com