The Wonders of Kanji

Hey, there!

I am in Kyoto in Japan as an exchange student, and unfortunately I have yet to fully master Japanese keyboards or Japanese Windows, so I managed to erase my old blog.
Hurray! Anyway, have no fear-- I was due an update, so...

With the wonders of kanji I started actually searching for Ryoga and Ukyo with their real Japanese names as they should be written, and-- lo and behold!-- I found a few beautiful Japanese Ryoga + Ukyo art pages! Le sigh! Made my day, I tell ya.

Please visit http://pizzicato.readymade.jp/fc/sakuhin/illust.htm to look at the art!

Meanwhile, here is a sample from the next chapter of Omiyage.

Omiyage: Hazukashii
By Ninnik Nishukan


Ukyo stretched luxuriously in her big, soft bed with all the joy of knowing that she'd just slept in, and had done so with a clear conscience, because it was Sunday, hence no customers to tend to. Once, she'd had a nightmare that there had been hordes of customers hanging on the front doors of Ucchan's, pushing their bodies and slamming their fists against the windows and doors, moaning and
groaning 'Okonomiyaki! Okonomiyaki!' in much the same way zombies in the movies would utter 'Brains! Brains!'. What a relief it had been to wake up and find that it was Sunday, that most blissful of days. While she loved her job, not to mention okonomiyaki, even she could tire of it at times.

Rubbing her eyes and sitting up in bed, she raised her arms above her head, continuing to stretch. After she felt she'd worked out all the kinks in her neck and back, she swung her feet around and down to the floor. She took an unsteady step--

--and almost tripped over the man lying on her bedroom floor. The scream died in her throat as she recognized his face.

Ryoga. She had let him spend the night.

Weird, she thought, she'd never let anyone stay the night here before except Ranchan once, and then they hadn't even slept, because Akane came over and the three of them had stayed up all night training to beat that moronic Gambling King. Well, she shrugged, it was probably about time, then.

Ukyo let a grin slip as she regarded his sleeping face. What was it about the slackness of sleep that could turn even grown men into the likeness of cuddly little babies? Probably even Hitler looked innocent while he slept.

Probably.

Though she had to admit, Ryoga looked particularly adorable in this situation, his thick mass of black hair in a tangled chaos, his tiny fangs peeking out from his slack mouth, the usual angry frown around his eyes completely vanished. She muffled a giggle behind her hand when she noticed the small bit of drool in one corner of his mouth as he snored a little in peaceful slumber. He didn't sound like a buzz saw at all, like she'd teased him with. She'd seen him nod off at the cinema, but while it had been dark then, and Ranma had commanded most of her attention, now there was bright sunshine highlighting every feature on Ryoga's face.
Ukyo glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand, and noticed with slight irritation that she hadn't really slept in that much. It was only nine thirty. Oh well, no use crawling into bed again, might as well start breakfast. She turned back to Ryoga, crouching down to wake him up.

Halfway down into the crouch, she jumped back with shock until her calves hit the bed and she doubled over backwards, bending at the knees.

Ryoga had kicked off his sleeping bag in his sleep, and now he was decked out before her in red cotton boxers and a sleeveless, black T-shirt, both of which seemed suddenly much too small. Ryoga was...bulging in places he shouldn't be bulging. Either he'd shoved a particularly large banana down his pants, or he was having--

Ukyo blinked, pressing a hand to her thumping heart. It was like she could actually feel the blush starting at her toes, moving ruthlessly upwards like an embarassing tidal wave until it reached her scalp.

She'd heard of this phenomenon; it was called 'morning wood' or something, right? At her old school she'd heard boys mention it now and then, and as she'd understood it, apparently it was just something that happened all by itself once in a while, you didn't even have to have an erotic dream or anything. Therefore, technically she couldn't accuse him of being a pervert since he wasn't awake, and he didn't even look like he was having a naughty dream, so it might be a tad inconsiderate to wake him up by imbedding his skull into her spatula. Bottom line, it wasn't as if he could help it, so he'd done nothing wrong.
To be honest, she'd caught a few glimpses of such things before, but it was strange how some things at fourteen made you go 'eww' while at eighteen, they made you go 'hmm...', and start comtemplating certain aspects of human nature.

She gaped once or twice or thrice like a goldfish before shutting her mouth with a permanent-sounding snap. She whimpered with confusion deep in her throat; it felt like she'd never be able to speak again. She'd never really discussed sex, not really, not with...well, anyone. And certainly not with Ryoga. He was so shy and repressed that it hadn't even really crossed her mind to consider him as a sexual creature of any kind. Sure, she'd noticed that he'd changed with age, like all boys did nowadays, but she hadn't--

Ukyo shook her head, taking a deep breath. This was just too bizarre a concept to take in this early in the morning. She got up, carefully keeping her distance to the futon, him and the slightly intimidating object attached to his pelvis. When she reached the door, she practically ran out of the room and to the bathroom.


Ukyo waited half an hour before returning to her room, in which she took a shower, did her hair and put on her yukata. When she finally went back, she brought his backpack from the kitchen so he'd find his things.

Now he was lying on his stomach, and Ukyo wondered idly if it didn't hurt, lying on...it. Frankly, she had no idea, and felt slightly naive for eighteen. She knew that some of the girls at Furinkan had already had sex, and a lot of those who hadn't had at least made out with a guy or even fooled around with them. Ukyo hadn't even been kissed.

She shook her head; she'd been gone for a while, so surely Ryoga's little problem must have-- Ukyo wrinkled her brow; what happened, anyway? Did it just... go away after a while?

Ukyo bopped her forehead; she should just forget it ever happened.

She sat down on her knees beside the futon, setting his backpack aside. "Ryoga?" She asked softly, prodding his shoulder. All he uttered in reponse was an unintelligable grunt.

"Ryoga?" She tried again, patting his back with a flat palm. He's so warm, Ukyo thought wonderously. And kinda sweaty, she added, wrinkling her nose while wiping her hand absently on her yukata. That was why he'd kicked off his sleeping bag, she reckoned. It might be great for outdoor camping, but it was probably uncomfortably hot indoors.

This time he raised his head a little. "Mmm?" He asked groggily.

"I'm gonna make some breakfast." Ukyo explained. "You hungry?"

"Huh?" He raised himself up on his elbows, turning his face to her and opening one bleary eye to see. "U-Ukyo?"

Ukyo cracked a smirk at that, nodding. "And we have a winner."

"Wh-what...?" Ryoga sat up, rubbing his eyes. A quick glance downstairs told Ukyo that the problem had indeed just gone away all by itself. She exhaled in relief. That might've have been doubly embarassing, now that he was awake.

"Breakfast." Ukyo repeated, finally feeling like she was regaining her balance now that he was the puzzled one. "You want some?"

"Oh." Ryoga cleared his throat. "Th-that sounds...if it's not too much of a bother..." Then he remembered what she'd told him yesterday about being too apologetic, and nodded decisively. "Yes, please."

She smiled, getting up. "You might wanna consider taking a shower, too." She said pointedly, grinning playfully.

Ryoga flushed, realizing he was smelling slightly...ripe. "I'll d-do that."



Mata ne!
Ninnik