A/N: I have finally updated after four long years!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any of its characters. Just this story.

All The Difference

By The Azure Penguin.

Flashback

Ryouga nodded. "About that…I'm sorry, Ukyo. When I didn't want to save you." Even to him, the words stung. "And when you thought of me as your friend, too."

Ukyo hesitated. "Thought of? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I'm guessing after everything that I've done to you…" he bowed his head and set his mouth in a grim line.

Then Ryouga Hibiki turned his back on her, found the door for once, and walked away.

"Ryouga Hibiki, YOU JACKASS!" screamed Ukyo, as she chased after the Lost Boy.

Ryouga stopped at the corner of the street and turned, face still grim but not without a look of confusion on it.

"Don't you want me out of your life, Ukyo? Since I've been such a horrible person to you and all. I heard everything," he said with regret.

Ukyo stood still for a moment, unsure what to do. On one hand, she wanted to laugh because she was finally relieved of all the pent-up emotions of hurt and sadness that flooded her every time she was looked over for another.

On the other hand, she wanted to rage at the idiocy and embarrassment that must've registered with Ryouga when she was crying her life story out to him when he was P-chan.

Deep down, she knew that those feelings of rejection were built on the foundation of another emotion, one she couldn't really bear to think of for now.

She glanced up at Ryouga, who was still grimly appraising her demeanor.

Then she slapped him. Hard.

Ryouga didn't flinch, but bowed his head instead.

"I deserved that," he mumbled.

"That," she said coldly, "was for Akane's honor. No matter what you didn't do, it's just plain wrong. And that was also for not telling me you were P-chan sooner."

She stepped closer to him. Ryouga met her gaze, as if determined to take whatever punishment she still might have in store for him.

Ukyo's eyes were staring. Hard.

Then, without warning, she hugged him.

It was an awkward hug, for Ryouga at least. Her arms were around his waist, and her face was buried in his chest. He didn't know what to do.

Ryouga could feel her soft hair just beneath his chin. He could hear her breathing heavily, as if she was about to cry but she was just forcing the tears to stop. He could also feel her arms, taut and strong, around his waist.

A girl was hugging him, said the dazed part of his mind.

The girl is Ukyo, said the mentally astute part.

This ain't bad, said the confused bit.

Ukyo sighed.

"Silly. I've been waiting to tell someone that for a long time," she said softly. Then she let go.

She looked up at him.

"I-.." began Ryouga. He hesitated, because he saw the tears that were starting to form in the okonomiyaki chef's eyes. But strangely enough, Ukyo was smiling.

"I'm here now," he said.

He pulled her close to him again.

This time, Ukyo didn't let go.

For some strange reason, the both of them felt just a little better in each other's company.

The words were inadequate, the gestures small, but it made all the difference in the world.

END.

A/N: WOOO so it's finally done! Thank you to everyone who has stuck by this. :)

I'm sorry if the ending seemed rushed, I honestly forgot what I was going to do with the plot after life got in the way of me writing this story. But I think this fic may be given a sequel, now that I have a starting point for this budding Ry/Uk thing. Do you think it should? Tell me your thoughts by leaving a review! :)