Meeting Later - Chapter 2. 

	Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. They belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi and her licensees (Viz Communications in North America). This work is strictly for the non-profit enjoyment of fans. No copyright infringement is intended. All spelling is pretending to be Australian. 

	Meeting Later is originally a story by Tom Wrensch, personally one of my favourite authors. Tom has given me the honour of continuing this series but the idea and first chapter are all his work. To view more of his work, which I personally recommend, his web site is http://www.geocities.com/twrensch 

	Last Updated: 13/12/05

*****

	After he finished his bento, Ranma sat watching the girl before him talking about her old school between bites of her lunch. He answered occasionally but was content to let her do most of the talking. It was... nice. Good, even. To have an actual friend who seemed to enjoy most of the things he did. All his supposed friends were either after him for something or just not on the same level. 

	Akane watched Ranma while describing some differences between Furinkan and Bokuto High. She knew he was paying complete attention to her, while only just paying attention to the conversation. The cynic in her said what he was thinking about, but after his previous behaviour she didn't think that was it. Why did those blue eyes and gentle smile seem to evoke a trust in her that she had never felt about another boy, was it just he was already engaged to others? And so was she for the moment she recalled with a depressed sigh. 

	For a few moments they just sat silently looking at each other under the tree. Neither the sunlight of the beautiful day nor the noise of the full student body having lunch in all directions intrude. The slightly nasally boy's voice unfortunately did.
 
	"Hey Red." 

	Ranma glanced at the student before facing Akane again. "Go away, Toko."

	Akane appraised the lightly built boy. Slightly shorter than herself, with short brown hair and eyes, wearing a rumpled uniform. He almost reminded her of a boy from her school, but instead of creepy baggy eyes, this boy stood with confidence, almost over confidence, like he had nothing to fear here. 

	"Ah come on Red, introduce your new fiancée."

	Akane noticed a group of four other boys in the background, obviously watching them with interest. She recognised at least two of them from her new class. 

	Ranma shifted with obvious distaste. "Akane Tendo, meet Toko Ashuma, Toko meet Akane. Akane is a friend of my family's."

	Toko turned and bowed to Akane "My condolences." The group of watchers began sniggering at this. 

	Akane's anger flared, "Why? The Tendo Family has always been happy and honoured to call the Saotomes' friends. Why do I need your condolences?"
 
	"You mean you don't know? Hahahaa, you don't know about the freak..."

	"She knows," Ranma's voice was short and sharp. 

	"Ahh, so another lesbian, eh?"
 
	Akane was on her feet, mallet in hand before Toko could blink. Her under arm swing would have hooked him over the school ground but was stopped an inch from Toko's terrified face. Akane's eyes followed the hand on her mallet up the arm, and up to Ranma's face. 

	"He ain't worth it," he said simply, nodding in the direction of Toko's friends, three now held video cameras trained on them. "Go away Toko, Akane's had a rough week, she don't need any of your, or Ohata's, crap."

	Toko finally found his voice "Yeah, I'll let you two get back to your girl talk." He quickly walked back to his buddies.
 
	Although Ranma made no response at the comment, Akane could feel him bristle at the insult. "Hey Toko, I may only have known Ranma one day, but it's obvious, even with his curse, he's ten times the man you'll ever be!" A couple of claps of support came from nearby groups, along with glares for the leaving boys. 

	The answer Toko gave wasn't heard by the pair but got another laugh from his group of buddies as they left. 

	Akane looked over at Ranma who just sat passively watching the group depart. He was still tense and she could feel the control in his battle aura. "Do they always do that?" 

	His eyes came around to look at her, and slowly she he could see the tension bleeding away. "Normally I just flat out ignore them, they ain't worth it. None of them are martial artists so I can't challenge 'em, and they try to bring charges against me every time they can. They all follow Jiro Ohata, a rich boy in the next grade. We... had a disagreement when I came here and he's been out to get me ever since." A single chuckle passed through him like a private joke, but it was accompanied with a brief pained look that Akane knew it wouldn't be that funny. "Ohato has a restraining order against me coming within fifty meters at school and two hundred meters outside. He used to use it to try and herd me around the school, but some of the teachers got fed up and forced him to pick a place for his lunch." 

	"Sounds like a real jerk" 

	Ranma just nodded his agreement before taking a slightly deeper breath "Hey Akane, thanks for what you said about me to Toko, I... thanks." He could only watch Akane's smile growing before turning his gaze down to his feet. 

	Akane's smile grew even more at his shyness, but before she could answer the bell rang for the return to classes. 

***** 

	Akane was looking around the neighbourhood as she and Ranma walked towards the local shopping mall to meet with Aunty Saotome. She glanced up at Ranma again as he walked on the yard fences, his shoulders were still slumped as they had been since lunch. She had to say she was impressed by the grace he had, never missing a step, even when it didn't seem that he was watching where he was going. "Ranma, can I ask you something" 

	Broken from his thoughts, he dropped to the sidewalk beside her without breaking stride. "Sure, what's up?"
 
	"I just wanted to know why those boys in class were making cat noises?" Although he never even twitched when the boys in class did it she would swear he froze for an instant before continuing. 
 
	"I... have a problem with c-cats."
 
	"Oh, what kind of problem? Are you allergic to them?" 

	Before she could get an answer a purple blur struck Ranma with astonishing force, grinding him face first into the pavement, even as a large object caught her across the chest. Akane flung the bicycle away from her and gazed in wonder at the purple haired woman, wearing an all too tight silk dress, who was lying across Ranma, using her hands to pry open his lips into a smile. "Nihao Airen! Happy to see wife?"
 
	Halfway through his unintelligible reply Shampoo's head snapped around, her eyes darting over Akane, appraising her like an opponent. "Who this, Airen? Stupid Panda Father no sell you again?" 

	Prying his mouth from her grip, Ranma managed to answer, "Get off me and I'll tell ya." Shuffling from under her he managed to get free and stand up. After quickly rubbing the tire tracks on the back of his head, he made introductions, gesturing with his hands. "Akane, Shampoo. Shampoo, Akane Tendo. She's a family friend who will be staying with my family for a while. And no, she ain't another fiance." 

	Akane saw Shampoo tense for a fight the moment Ranma said where she was staying, but she didn't react herself more than shifting her stance to something slightly more stable. She didn't want to provoke this strange girl. 

	"Mother in Law let other woman stay with Airen, and not let wife?" 

	"Shampoo, you know mom doesn't recognise your claim as my wife, especially after all the walls you broke. Akane is just a friend, and she's staying in the guest room." 

	The Chinese girl’s face was suspicious before it split in a feral smile "She fighter yes? We have little match?" 

	Shampoo brought her arms up into a ready stance as Akane slid her foot back and tensed her arms, "Any time you're ready." 

	"No! Akane's still recovering from a bad week, you can fight later. And no kiss of death." 

	Akane was livid, how dare Ranma interfere in a challenge. But the anger was derailed by the glace he gave her when he mentioned the kiss of death. She remembered his tale of being chased by Shampoo half way across Asia intent on killing him. She relaxed her stance as Shampoo did the same. 

	"Akane live here now, be in tournament, yes? We fight then." Picking up her bike and mounting it she turned with another grin, "You make sure you all better for tournament, Shampoo no want to hear excuse of too too weak when beat you." 

	Clenching her fist, Akane watched the bicycle burn up the road before turning out of sight. She turned a glare on Ranma for an explanation.
 
	He winced at the glare, "Look, Shampoo is really good, she is supposed to be the best of her generation from her village. She don't play nice and she don't play fair. Even if you do beat her, she'll start that kiss of death crap. It just ain't worth it." He could see in her eyes that she would hold off but there would be a fight between them, he just hoped Akane was good enough to not get hurt. A smirk came to his face, "Besides, if you fought now, we wouldn't get to spar tonight."
 
	Akane saw the grin and couldn't hold her anger. "Fine, I'll let it go for now, we need to meet Aunty soon anyway." As they walked down the street she remembered something Shampoo said. "So what's this tournament?" 

	"The Juban district open martial arts tournament, it was started last year by Sakura Shishimi's father. Sakura had let Pop borrow this 'All you can eat' gold card for all the restaurants her father owns, on the condition that he or I win the tournament. He of course used it almost constantly for two weeks and was so fat he was lucky to make the finals, so I had ta win it. Actually it was pretty funny, since no one knew of my curse I ended up fighting and winning in both the men's and women's divisions."
 
	"You won both?" 

	"Yup." 

	Akane could see the confidant aura he was projecting. "Really? Well don't feel too bad when I thrash you tonight." 

	"Oh yeah?" 

	Akane put on a reasonable imitation of Ranma's voice "Yup." 

	The light, teasing banter continued well into the mall. 

***** 

	"Ranma, why don't you take these groceries home while Akane and I buy her new uniform?" 

	Akane almost giggled at the relief on Ranma's face. He had been carrying the shopping bags and looking like a man on death row, heading for a lethal injection of boredom, as he followed the his mother and Akane towards the clothing stores. 

	"Sure thing, mom." With a lightning quick glance towards Akane he was gone, fleeing the mall, surprising several shoppers as he passed them. 

	As soon as he vanished, the two women continued towards into one of the shops "You'll have to excuse my son, he doesn't like shopping very much. Tell me, what did you think of your new school?" 

	"Oh it's fine, it seems great. And aside from missing my friends, I think I'll really enjoy it there." 

	Nodoka's brow creased lightly at something in Akane's tone, "But?" 

	Akane was silent for a few moments before continuing. "I'm not sure, but I think I'm causing Ranma problems with other students." 

	Nodoka nodded as she began to flick through a rack of school dresses for an appropriate size. "Any problems in particular?" 

	Akane noted the resigned tone in her voice and decided it would be best to tell it all. "I think a couple of the boys started teasing him this afternoon to make him look bad in front of me. The looks the others and the teacher were giving them was as if they had heard it before, but not recently, and they obviously didn't like it."

	Akane watched the older woman blink back some tears before gathering her voice. "Which was it, calling him 'Red' or the cat noises?" 

	"One of them was calling him 'Red' during lunch time, but that didn't seem to annoy him that much. But during the afternoon classes a few boys were making cat noises, I asked him and he said he had a problem with cats but didn't get to say any more." 

	Spotting a couple of chairs against one wall, Nodoka led Akane to sit before continuing. She had a handkerchief in her hand ready for the tears that had already started, and got worse as the story went on. "When Ranma was young, my husband put him through a monstrous training exercise in the hopes of teaching him a very powerful technique. The technique is banned because few survive and those that do suffer for the rest of their lives, but my idiot husband taught it to an eight year old boy."
 
	Akane held Nodoka's hand in her own until she calmed enough to continue. "Because of this training he is terrified of cats. We have taken him to a host of psychologists in the hopes of getting him over it, but in some ways they just made it worse. You see, when he can't escape the cats, his mind breaks and he thinks he *is* a cat. He gets down on all fours, moving like a cat and even sounds like one. It's still him deep down, but he doesn't think like a man, he treats people like a cat would if it trusted or liked the same people." A smile came to her lips, "I'm the only one he'll actually go to when he's in the Nekoken. I remember the first time he jumped through the window into the house and made himself comfortable on my lap, it was.... nice as he just sat there and purred."
 
	"Some of the boys at school found out and used it to annoy him. I suggested he go to another school but he refused. I think he sees that leaving would be losing to them. The teachers have been very good by suspending people who bring cats or water guns to school but they can't stop the boys from picking on him." 

	Nodoka's face took on a serious expression. "Akane, one of the reasons I was happy to have you move in was to hopefully become a friend to my son. He doesn't have close friends and the girls pursuing him don't really try to understand him as a friend." 

	The younger girl nodded, "I noticed that no one really talked to him at the school even though he seemed liked by many, especially the girls. Some of them seem to think I'm moving in on him." 

	Nodoka seemed to brighten at this but it quickly faded. "I wouldn't be too worried about them, my son's ability to attract admirers is only matched by his ability to find trouble. But, they are just more things on a long list that drive those that may be friends away, his curse or the cat fist is bad enough but we've had days where martial artists show up trying to earn a name by beating him, he has had spirits hunting him, or even monsters rampaging through." 

	"Aunty Saotome, I will try my best to be a friend to your son." The formality in her voice was rewarded by a smile and a hug from the older woman. "I've had my share of insanity and spirits so I can deal with that...besides, Ranma is the first boy I've ever met I didn't have to beat up for being a pervert." 

	Nodoka stood to continue shopping. "Oh yes, Kasumi said you had your own problems, what were they about?" 

	"Well, the biggest problem started with an idiot called Tatewaki Kuno making a proclamation to the school..." 

***** 

	Ukyo Kuonji was hard at work on the evening rush in her restaurant. Ucchan's Okonomiyaki echoed with the noise of children's laughter. Ukyo looked over at her head waitress Konatsu, amazing a children's birthday party with magic and tricks from his Kimono. She watched the three adults with the party, wondering what they would do if was revealed their beautiful dark haired waitress was a cross-dressing guy. 

	The tone of the sizzling Okonomiyaki batter changed fractionally and her arms automatically moving in to flip and begin adding toppings. Her eyes watched without seeing as one was finished, the batter was poured for the next. Her mind was free to fluttered from thought to thought - business decisions, future plans, past memories, how hard it would be to make a Okonomiyaki out of a certain purple pussy cat, fat panda or black piglet, if any of her workers deserved a pay rise, dreams of her pigtailed future husband, and how to convince said pigtailed future husband to hang around more... 

	"Sorry, sorry, I know I'm late, I'm sorry." 

	A blur accompanied the voice as it shot through the restaurant and out the back. Moments later a young woman, dressed in a kimono similar to Konatsu's, came back in still apologising. She had long black hair tired up in intricate arching bows on either side of her head. Her blue eyes raced around the room before meeting the brown eyes of Ukyo. 

	"It's okay Junko, you're only a few minutes late sugar." 

	A sudden sad frown crossed Junko's face before she quickly stepped up and hugged her boss, "How are you holding up?" 

	Ukyo turned in the hug, back to the grilling food, flicking her long brown ponytail back behind her back. Her voice was exasperated, like she was resigned to listening to something she knew she wouldn't care about. "What is rumoured to have happened this time?" 

	Junko's eyes reflected curiosity as see stared at her boss. "You haven't heard? Oh no, now I have to tell you." 

	The tone hadn't left Ukyo's voice "Start at the beginning." 

	"Right, I was talking with Gendo, yeah I know think he’s a perverted weasel and I shouldn't bother with him but, anyway blah blah blah...." 

	Ukyo half listened to the voice droning on, meandering along a vague story.
 
	"blah blah blah new fiance blah living with Ranma blah." 

	"What?!" Ukyo noticed everyone in the restaurant looking straight at her "Ah, sorry, please continue your meals." She grabbed the smaller girl and drew her head in "Repeat the last bits you were saying." 

	Junko's eyes un-focused as she tried to remember where in her story she was up to. 

	After a few moments Ukyo ran out of patience. "New fiancée?" 

	"Oh, right, apparently Ranma brought a new fiancée to the school today, she's living with him, and she's his martial arts student, and she vowed to the school to sleep with him." 

	Added to the stress of running her business, this was more than enough to blow Ukyo's top. A blue aura sprung around her as she began muttering, "I'm gonna kill him, and her, and Genma, and Gendo, and ... " The small cooking spatula in her hand was quickly crushed down into a ball. 

	She took several deep breaths. 'Focus. Remember last time'. She had heard Ranma was sleeping with every girl in school before, but that was just a blatant exaggerated rumour and her temper had cost her big points with Ranma's Mother. Although why Ranma was hugging all the boys in the school whenever they sneezed she still didn't know.
 
	"Start serving Junko, I'll stop by Ranchan's after the dinner rush." 

***** 

	Ranma looked over at Akane as his mother removed the empty plates from the table, she had been quite ever since she and his mother got home. "Hey Akane, you all right? If you're not up to sparring, I can always beat you tomorrow." 

	Anger clouded her vision until she saw that grin and couldn't hold it. With a wide smile she stood "Oh no, it wouldn't do to keep you waiting for your defeat." 

	Nodoka re-entered the room with a slight smile on her lips. "Akane, your gi is clean and in your room. Try not to injure yourselves, it is a school night." She watched with a thoughtful smile while the pair dashed upstairs to get changed. With a silent prayer, she turned to get some tea to drink while she observed their sparring.

	As she sat on chair on the back porch, her son dropped from the second story of the house to the grass of the smallish back yard and began warming up. The rustling of his dark gi reminded her of a memory of her husband fighting in a tournament when they were courting. She always did like to watch him fight back then, and now attended any fight she knew her son was going in.

	She was happy to see how excited Ranma was just about something as simple as sparring. It was probably because he was against a new opponent who wasn't out to kill him, just someone who wanted to better themselves in the martial arts. 

	A few minutes later Akane bounded out of the house in her off-yellow gi. As she stretched, she glanced around the yard, noting it was mostly empty but for a small garden bed and two thick trees, which had already lost their leaves for the coming winter.
 
	Finally the two were ready, standing a couple meters apart and bowed. Akane didn't waste any time, crossing the distance and opening with a kick, before moving into an aggressive routine.
 
	Akane knew that with the help of her Father and Grandfather, she was good, very good. But with the way Ranma only needed to block one attack in her first seven routines she knew she was outmatched. She had wanted someone a little better to train with, but maybe not this much better. Strengthening her focus, she dove into the combat trying every feint and trick the Tendo School had. A few more blocks, but if anything he was dodging more flamboyantly with that stupid grin. After several minutes she felt her anger rising. "Hey, you going to attack or just dodge all night?" 

	She frowned as she studied his face. Where the grin had been there was now ... discomfort? dislike? The light in his eyes dimmed like he was going to do something he really didn't want to. He began to launch a few feeble attacks towards her. They looked all right but he was aiming into her blocks and with virtually no power. It was in the middle of a back flip that she realised what it was - He didn't want to hurt her. He thought she was some weak girl. 'Grrr, I'll show him!' 

	Waiting for another basic kick from Ranma, she used one of Grandfather's moves. A lightning quick wrist flick flipped him face down in the dirt, hard. Diving on top she pinned his arms and midsection down in a complex leverage lock, one leg shooting out against the trunk of the tree beside them as bracing. Then she stressed the lock and waited for him to surrender from the stress.
 
	Ranma was still trying to find out what the hell had happened. Pulling his face out of the grass, he twisted to look up at Akane's straining face. His shoulder was screaming for release from her grip. For all his strength advantage she had him pinned. He knew in a real fight he could use at least one advanced move to knock her off, but he wouldn't cheat like that in sparring. This is what he got for not respecting his opponent. He knew he'd have to give in soon if he couldn't break free, but looking up to surrender he got his inspiration. 

	"Damn you're cute." 

	Akane was straining to hold the strength of her pin when he said it, her mind instantly locked up. She briefly acknowledged a cry of "An opening!" before she was thrown off to land several yards away.  Regaining her thoughts, she flipped to her feet to face Ranma, several yards away. "That was a dirty trick, Ranma." 

	Still stretching his arms and rolling his shoulder, he shrugged "Heh, Anything Goes." 

	His expression turned serious and he watched her for a few seconds, "I'll admit it Akane. That is the closest I've come to a defeat in a long time, ya got some real good moves Akane." His grin came back full force "But you're gonna have to do better to surprise me next time." 

	Taking a new ready stance, she smiled tightly. "You haven't seen all I've got yet, Ranma." 

	"What, you gonna walk in on me bathing again?" 

	With the shock on her face, Ranma's smirk widened further and he rushed in. Though he was only tapping and giving hard, quick shoves, Akane found herself almost continuously on the defensive. His aerial style was exhilarating to fight against, he could move around her like the wind. 

	Over the next few minutes she got in two more of Grandfather's wrist flicks to put him down, but he sprang away too quick for her to take advantage. A third attempted he jumped with and landed on his feet behind her. A body check and Akane was toppling. 

	She found herself in a similar predicament to the one she had had Ranma in, although Ranma wasn't using his strength to stretch her into submission. Thinking fast, she started with his counter, gazing over at the far fence. 

	"Hi Shampoo." 

	Ranma's grip didn't lessen but he did look over where she was gazing, slight panic on his face. It was enough for her to spring a knee into the ground to roll them over. Suddenly Ranma was gone, and she continued to roll onto her back, but as quickly as he was gone he was back and a moment later her knees were locked together by his ankles and he was poised above her, pinning her forearms to the ground with his hands, arms extended, out to the sides. 

	"Give up?" 

	Akane struggled for a few moments before realising the futility, brushing her thoughts over her advanced techniques before struggling again, racking her mind for some comment that would work on him. Only 'Meow' came to mind, and quite frankly she'd rather kiss Kuno again than use such a low blow... 'Bingo!' 

	Ranma saw the look of defeat in her eyes, and then an odd play of disgust flickered past followed by an instant of elation. Still wondering at the disgust, he was caught as her head shot forward and he felt her lips on his right cheek. His mind locked. 

	Akane felt his strength vanish on the kiss and was about to cry 'An opening', when she felt the danger. Flipping both her and Ranma into the air she dodged the three razor sharp spatulas sinking into the ground where she had just been pinned. 

	"RANNNMMMMAAAA!!!!" 

	Akane regained her footing and focused on the girl landing in the yard. Her long brown hair was tied with a white ribbon into a ponytail flowing down her back. She wore tight dark slacks, a rich blue tunic and a bandolier of more spatulas. In one hand she held three more spatulas ready to throw and the other held a huge spatula. Above all else, she was angry, very angry. 

	Akane's mind managed to match the girl before her with the description of the Okonomiyaki chef fighting style Ranma had mentioned the night before. Which made her the fiancée of the man she just kissed. 'Oops' didn't really seem to cover it. 

	Before Ukyo could get any further Nodoka's calm voice interrupted. "Ukyo dear, what brings you here tonight?"

	Ukyo looked in disbelief at the woman sitting calmly on the porch holding a teacup. Ukyo wanted to hit someone, she wanted to yell at someone, but with only months until the meeting she couldn't afford to hurt her chances any more. Focusing her anger, she forced a smile to her lips. "Why hello Mrs Saotome, I had decided to drop by to see my fiance and found another woman kissing him. Perhaps you could explain why?" 

	Nodding her approval to Ukyo's calm request, Nodoka’s eyes twinkled as she read Ukyo's restrained fury. "Ukyo, meet Akane Tendo of the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Akane meet Ukyo Kuonji, one of Ranma's fiancée?s." 

	Akane suddenly found her feet very interesting under the burning gaze of the vengeful fiancée. 

	"Ah hey Ucchan, how's it..." His voice failed as the withering stare focused on him. "It was just sparring, it didn't mean anything." Ranma knew he hadn't helped when Akane winced. 

	"Perhaps we can discus this over tea. You two dust yourselves off while Ukyo helps me get some tea." Nodoka stood and gestured for Ukyo to enter the house waiting to follow the young woman in. 

	As they brushed the grass off themselves, Akane could hear Ranma almost chanting under his breath "bad bad bad." 

	"Um, sorry, I wasn't thinking about it as a kiss, just a counter." 

	"Yeah, I know, like I said Anything Goes. It's just the way my life goes that I end up in bad situations like this. It worked though." 

	The two of them entered and knelt at the table, as Ukyo and Nodoka returned from the kitchen with a tray of fresh tea. 

	After a few quite minutes of silent drinking, Ukyo began, "I actually came around to find out why there is a rumour saying that Ranma has another fiancée, one who is living here and has vowed she will sleep with him." 

	"What?!"       "Huh!?" 

	Nodoka shook her head at the reactions. "As you can see Ukyo dear, Ranma and Akane don't know anything of this supposed vow. Akane is a friend of the family who is staying with us, in the guest room, and will be until at least the New Year. At least you seem to be in control unlike the last time when the rumours you heard turned out to be false." 

	She ignored the reproach in Nodoka's voice "So Akane is here until the meeting on Ranma's Birthday?" 

	"Somewhere around there, possibly earlier." 

	This prickled Akane's memory about something Ranma had said the night before. "Can I ask what this meeting is? Ranma said something about it last night when we went out, and Ukyo seems to think it's important." Akane voice almost failed to finished the statement as Ukyo's withering glare returned in force at them 'going out'. 

	Ranma spoke up. He was looking down at his tea, some shame on his face, "Well, I told you last night that Pop engaged me to Ucchan and stole the dowry, and to Sakura for free food, and my actions leave me a small part responsible for Shampoo's honour in her people. Well, mom found out there are apparently two other engagements. They haven't shown up yet so mom decided on my eighteenth birthday everyone can stake their claim, then mom and I will decide which is the most valid and let the others beat up my father.” 

	Nodoka's voice was very even. "Ranma, I have been in further contact with the family of one of the fiancées, and they are interested in holding to the agreement." Seeing Ranma groan, bend down, and start to gently bang his head on the table, she steeled herself to continue. "This fiancée’s claim is the oldest, even over yours Ukyo. She should be in attendance in January." 

	Ukyo was having a horrid day. Yet another supplier to her business had been bought out by Shishimi, finding out there was a fourth contesting fiancée, a new girl living with her future husband, the same new girl kissing that same future husband, that same girl now gently patting her future husband on the back... "Quit touching my Ranchan!"
 
	*Bang* 

	Ukyo instantly regretted trying to squash Akane's arm with the giant spatula. Akane had yanked her arm clear, and Ranma was squashed into the floor taking a chunk of table shaped like his pigtailed head with it. Ukyo looked shamefaced at her future mother in law, who was shaking her head. 

	"Ukyo dear, please calm down. Akane is a friend of Ranma's who was sympathising with him...." 

	Ukyo wasn't taking this. "Akane has been here less than two days, and been with my fiance on one date, shared a lunch, and been found rolling around in the back yard kissing. When should I get upset? When they're found naked together?!" 

	As Akane leaned Ranma back into a sitting position, he began to catch up, unfortunately not quite enough. "Hey, that was an accident! Our towels just fell as Kasumi walked in." 

	Ukyo left furious to stunned, Akane was redder than her name, and Nodoka was again proved that her son needed little of the abundant help he normally got to get into deep trouble. Seizing the opportunity to speak Nodoka attempted to head off Ukyo's anger. "Ukyo, you know the situations my son sometimes finds himself in. Perhaps if he kissed you the way Akane did him to break out of the hold Ranma had on her, you could see this is all just a misunderstanding?" 

	The chef’s eyes lit up at the opportunity to kiss Ranma. She had found in distinctly unfair when his mother had announced that until his eighteenth birthday, she had made Ranma swear on his family honour not to accept or initiate any form of intimacies with any fiancée. She knew it was to stop Shampoo and Sakura from their continued attempts to bed him, but she still would have liked a bit of snuggling with the big lug. She'd show him what he was missing out on! 

	Ranma was obviously self-conscious as he, red faced, moved around the table to beside Ukyo. As he moved in to kiss her on the cheek, Ukyo took advantaged and tilted her head to his lips. With Ranma's inexperience at kissing, he locked up stock-still. He didn't even react as he felt Ukyo's tongue forcing its way through his lips. He suddenly found his lips and face slammed hard into the wall.
 
	"That's not how I kissed him!!" 

	Ukyo was trying to be angry with the angry girl in front of her, but found she couldn't help but smirk at the memory of the stolen kiss. As her smirk was obviously flaming the anger in Akane, she left it where it was. She turned her gaze to Ranma's mother expecting the Saotome frown of disappointment to be directed at Akane for once, but she didn't know how to deal with the appraising look her future mother in law was giving the girl. 

	Nodoka had been hopeful at Ranma's fleeting glance at Akane when she had asked him to kiss Ukyo was some guilt reaction, but this reaction from Akane was a pleasant surprise. She had known Akane was a very physical girl from her visits to see her and her family over the years that Ranma was on his training trip, so she wasn't surprised at the physical nature of her reaction. But such a jealous reaction was very pleasing. Feeling Ukyo's gaze, she decided to calm this situation.
 
	"As you can see Ukyo, Akane's kiss was just as innocent as she proclaimed. I believe that the two of them have yet to do their homework, so perhaps if you drop by later in the week?" 

	Ukyo obviously didn't like being dismissed like this since she knew Nodoka knew Monday was the least busy of her nights for her shop and she wouldn't be able to come around till next week. Forcing her best smile to her lips she made quick bows to those around the table starting with Nodoka "Oh, I understand, have a good evening, nice to meet you Akane. I'm sure we'll see each other again real soon. Ranchan Honey, be sure to stop by the shop during the week, I'll make your favourite." 

	Nodoka quickly ushered Ukyo out while Akane dragged Ranma off for homework. 

*****

	Akane could just hear Auntie’s voice as she came down the stairs for breakfast. She idly scratched an itch from the new school uniform as she entered the room. 

	Ranma was winding his shoulder through its axis while his other hand held pressure to it. His mother looked on disapprovingly. 

	"Fine, I'll go see the Doc on the way to school. I had to see him after school anyway."
 
	Akane suddenly realised she had stretched that shoulder when she had him pinned the night before.
 
	Before she had a chance to say anything Ranma spotted the guilt on her face. "No, ah, it's okay, it was popped out of its socket last week. It ain't your fault, I figured it was healed."
 
	He let out the breath he was holding as most of the guilt left her face, but could still see a little in her eyes. 

	"Well, hurry up and eat, and we can see this doctor on the way to school." 

	As they sat down Ranma began to grin, "One fast breakfast, begin." 

	Nodoka pointedly looked away. Out of all the training techniques Genma still used with their son, the speed eating and the food fighting was one she found most disgusting. She had hoped that with Genma staying with the Akane's family she could reclaim breakfast to normal polite eating like she had dinner and lunch. 

	Akane watched as Ranma's chopsticks began dancing around the plates with impressive speed. With a grin she started with techniques she hadn't used in months. 

	Turning to look when she heard Ranma cough with too much food in his mouth, Nodoka was amazed that all the food but that on her plate was gone. Ranma was looking bug eyed at the empty plates and Akane, who was demurely wiping her mouth with a napkin.
 
	Akane was trying desperately to not laugh at Ranma with his checks puffed out full of food, chopsticks holding a fish sausage, in bug eyed shock at being one upped. "Ah, that was delicious. Hurry up and finish so we can go, Ranma."
 
	Ranma loudly swallowed what was in his mouth. "How the heck do you do that, no one eats that fast?" 

	Akane was grinning from ear to ear, "La Belle France School of Martial Arts Dining, I warned you I had more moves you hadn't seen. Ready to go?" 

	"Yeah, I...I'll get my bag." 

***** 

	Akane walked along the sidewalk while Ranma led the way from the fence towards the Doctors clinic. Akane was too amused with Ranma trying to figure out what had happened to interrupt him with questions. She was giggling silently at the motions his hands flowed through moves in front of him, trying to figure out what had happened. 

	Ranma hopped down from the fence and led the way into the large clinic. "Here we are." As he was in front, he didn't see Akane stiffen as she read the names of the Doctors off plaques by the wall. 

	A stunning woman in her early twenties with long dark hair in intricate plats was doing paperwork at a small desk in the reception and waiting area. "Good morning Ranma, how are you?" 

	"Hi Sena, I'm great, the Doc in? Oh, this is Akane Tendo. She's staying with mom and me for a while, Akane this is Sena Ono." 

	Akane was stunned, suddenly having the answer to the question of where Doctor Tofu Ono had gone.
 
	Sena was a bit nervous at Ranma's friend. First she walked in wearing a scowl, then a forced smile, now she was pale and blank. Picking up the phone receiver she smiled at the girl, "Hi Akane. Yes Ranma, my brothers in, let me page him."
 
	Akane's mind finally caught up. 'Brother! He's not married! Then why did he leave?' 

	Sena spoke into the phone while watching Akane, as a brilliant smile crossed her face before going back to the original scowl. 'Odd girl.' 

	Ranma was of course oblivious, as he stood waiting. 

	"Hello Ranma what can I... H-Hello Akane, how are you? I haven't seen you in such a long time." 

	Even Ranma could pick Tofu's nervous tone and turned to Akane to see her with arms crossed, fingers of one hand drumming her elbow, and a dark look staring up at the taller doctor. 

	"I suppose you're wondering why I had to leave?" 

	"That would be a start. No word, not a letter, nothing. You just vanished." 

	"I... Mother was sick and needed me closer to home, and...." 

	Akane voice was rising and Ranma slinked back out of her vision not wanting any of her anger directed towards him. "You still could have left a note. I was crushed, and Kasumi was worse. She hid it, but she was convinced you left because of her."
 
	Sena broke in at this. She was preparing to anyway as she was always protective of her family, especially since their Mother had passed on months before. But when she saw her brother’s glasses fog when Akane spoke of her sister she put Akane's family name and the stories her brother had said together. Her anger quickly turned on her brother. "Wait! This is the sister of the legendary Kasumi Tendo? You were moping around here for months after coming here, nearly passing out whenever the name Kasumi came up, whining along saying how she couldn't have liked the idiot you became whenever she was around you. Now I find she liked you so much she was hurt when you left. You are in such big trouble, big brother."
 
	Sena gave her brother one more dark glare before taking Akane's arm. "Akane, let's have a quick chat."
 
	The two men watched the two head out into one of the examination rooms, Ranma turning to face the Doctor. "Heh, I remember you saying something about knowing the other family that does Anything Goes now. Sorry."
 
	The older man continued to look at the door the girls had left through for several moments before sighing and turning back. "Don't be, I deserved it. And I think Sena's been possessed by the spirit of my mother the way she's been trying to get me married off. Oh well, what did you come for?" 

	"Oh yeah, I strained my shoulder again while sparing." 

	Tofu chuckled slightly while prodding his shoulder. "With Akane?" 

	"Yeah, she's pretty good. Hey, you ever hear of a school of martial arts dinINNGG..." 

	As quick as the pain came it vanished. Tofu looked thoughtful as he rotated the joint, "No, can't say I have, new opponent?" 

	There was a slight reddening of his face as he quietly admitted his defeat. "Akane beat mEEEE... at the breakfast table this morning." 

	This had Tofu chuckling, as he finished with Ranma's shoulder, "I didn't think Ranma Saotome lost to anyone? Could the mighty one have met his match?" 

	"Hey, Ranma Saotome don't lose, she just surprised me today, I'll win tomorrow." 

	"Is that a challenge Ranma? You may be the better for now in sparring but you'll have a hard time beating me at the breakfast table." 

	Ranma turned to see Akane and Sena had returned, and nodded firmly. He posed to beseech the heavens. "I swear I'll beat you at breakfast before the end of the week." Large waves crashed against the rocky point he was suddenly on. 

	Sena's voice carried amusement, "Sorry to interrupt your posing Ranma, but you do have school today?" 

	"Oh yeah, let's go Akane." He grabbed her arm as they headed for the door.

	Doctor Tofu called after the pair. "Ranma, I have your pay here, do you want it now?" 

	"Nah. I was thinking about asking, but I got Gym today, so I can't just carry it all day. I'll be past by on the way home. Thanks anyway Doc. See ya!" 

	As the two of them ran towards the school Akane looked up at Ranma. "Hey Ranma, what was Doctor Tofu going to pay you for?"
 
	"Huh, oh he taught me how to give massages and I earn some money giving them on Sundays."
 
	Akane thought for a moment "Is it hard?" 

	"Not really, do you wanna learn how?" 

	"It's just I could use some money for things and would feel more comfortable if I paid my way a bit." 

	"We'll talk to the Doc after school." 

	(To be continued) 

	Special thanks to MWhaleK and Sakurabana for proof reading and advising. 

	Thank you for reading, 

	Trent O'Donoghue. 
	trentodonoghue@msn.com 
	http://www.geocities.com/odonoghuet/index.html