Akane looked over the crowd in the gym, frowning at the knot of boys in the corner. As usual, they were clustered around Saotome and he was showing off, as usual. Giving a snort of disgust, Akane walked over to the girls waiting for her on the volleyball court and caught the ball Sayuri tossed to her. "Your serve, Akane," she said with a smile. Akane gave the ball a couple of testing bounces and, imagining it was Saotome’s head, smashed it across the net.

**

"Sometimes, the guys at school make fun of me for liking sports and martial arts. They call me a tomboy and macho chick and immature things like that," she typed into the small box, the feel of the keys therapeutic somehow. She clicked the ‘send’ button and waited anxiously for the reply.

**

Daisuke nudged Ranma in the arm and pointed to the girl’s locker room door. "There she is," he said with a smirk.

Ranma paused in his demonstration of an over the shoulder throw and looked in the direction Daisuke was pointing. "Ah, macho chick," he snorted derisively, and finished the move. He stood up straight and adjusted his Chinese-style shirt and watched her walk across the gym and easily smash the volleyball across the net. "Tomboy," he muttered, almost to himself and turned back to his friends.

**

"You shouldn’t let that get to you, if you like sports, that’s a part of you that no one can take away. If you’re good at martial arts, you should be doubly proud." Ranma clicked the ‘send’ button and adjusted the volume on the CD he was playing so he wouldn’t wake up his parents in the next room. If they caught him up this late. . .

**

"And who can tell me whose shogunate started the Edo period?" asked the History professor, surveying the somewhat soporific student body in the stuffy classroom. "Mr. Saotome?"

Ranma’s head came up with a jerk. "Huh?" he grunted, blinking his eyes rapidly.

The professor’s mouth turned down in a frown. "Do try to stay awake Mr. Saotome, you might learn something. Anyone else? Ah, Miss Tendo."

Akane stood up next to her desk and said, "Tokugawa Ieyasu, his capital was Kyoto and the Edo period lasted until the restoration of the Meiji emperor in 1868."

"Thank you Miss Tendo, you may sit down. Now, if you turn in your texts to page 132. . ." the teacher turned his back on the students and began writing on the chalkboard.

Ranma turned back and looked at Akane over his right shoulder. There she was, primly taking notes. She looked at him and he mouthed "Show off."

Akane scowled and mouthed "Jerk," back at him and turned her eyes back to the teacher, ignoring him. Ranma pulled down the lower lid of his right eye and stuck out his tongue at her, a childish gesture to be sure, but always effective.

"Mr. Saotome! I do not tolerate that kind of childish behavior from my class!" Ranma spun around and barely ducked an eraser flying at his head.

"Uh, sorry sir, I, uh, had something in my eye," he said weakly, knowing what was coming next. Sure enough, the professor handed him two buckets with instructions to fill them up and stand in the hall for the remainder of the period. On his way out, he caught the satisfied smile on Akane’s face and vowed he’d have to find a way to get her back.

**

"So, how was your day?"

"Okay. I got in trouble at school today," Ranma typed back. It was about 9:30 at night and the old man was out carousing with some friend of his, so he and his mother got a quiet night for once.

"You do that too often. How are you going to get into a good college if you don’t do well in high school?"

"School’s not everything, you know. I’ve been lots of places where the people hadn’t even heard of school and they did fine. How come you never get into trouble?"

"Because I know how to behave. :-)"

"Ha ha. You’re a girl, they behave better naturally. :)" Ranma found himself starting to relax. He enjoyed and looked forward to meeting her everyday and a day where he didn’t talk to her felt weird and out of place somehow. They’d gotten to be friends about 6 months ago, when he’d first come back to Nerima after years of traveling and training with his father. His mother had gotten him the computer as a gift on the first day of school, wanting him to excel as she had done and Ranma had turned into quite the closet computer geek. He was online for the first time and she was the person he’d struck up a friendly conversation with and they’d started to look for each other online and now met most evenings.

"Well, that shows what you know, I used to get into quite a bit of trouble. I used to have quite a temper." Akane was still surprised that she revealed so much of herself to someone she knew only as CrazyHorse. It was very easy to talk to him and he always made her feel better when something was getting her down. Or maybe it was the act of writing her feelings out. ‘Maybe I should keep a diary,’ she mused, knowing she wasn’t much for journal keeping. Still and all, this unknown person knew more about her than her sisters or even her father did. Or ever could. "When Mom died, I was so angry. I just couldn’t understand why my mother was gone and I would watch other kids in the park with their mothers sometimes and just. . ."

"Yeah, I know how you feel. :("

"Oh, is your mother gone too?"

"No, but I didn’t see her for about 10 years. It’s all my old man’s fault."

"Oh? What did he do?"

"Let’s talk about that some other time. . ."

**

Kasumi stirred and came awake, looking at her bedside clock, luminous blue in the dark room. ‘Ara, 2:30. I’m thirsty.’ She got out of bed and slipped her feet into her fuzzy house slippers, drawing her robe around her to ward off the chilly night. On her way to the kitchen, she passed Akane’s room, not missing the sliver of light under the door and the unmistakable sounds of a keyboard. She smiled to herself and went into the kitchen for her water, giving Akane a few more minutes of whatever it was she was doing. On the way back, she knocked quietly on the door and heard the scrape of her desk chair being pushed back.

"Kasumi, what are you doing up?" she whispered, opening the door up all the way.

"I should ask you the same. Akane-chan, you have school tomorrow. Or today is more like it," Kasumi scolded gently.

"Hai, oneechan. I’ll go to bed now." Akane yawned hugely. "I am tired. Good night." Kasumi hugged her and closed the door, standing there for a few moments, listening to the typing.

**

Akane walked slowly to school with her sister Nabiki, chatting quietly. Nabiki always knew the best gossip and always shared it with Akane for free. "So then Masamichi found Hiro and Ayuki behind the gym. . . What’s wrong, Akane?"

"Oh no. Not today," Akane groaned, catching sight of the figure trying to stand regally at the gates of Furinkan High School. She looked up to the sky and said, "Grant me strength to deal with this jerk." She was tired this morning because, even after Kasumi told her to go to bed, she’d stayed up another 30 minutes talking to CrazyHorse.

"Oh, Kuno," Nabiki said flatly. "You know, sis, you could do worse. He’s rich."

"Please, he’s an idiot. Well, I’d better get this over with." She walked resolutely toward the school gate, leaving Nabiki behind.

"Ah, I see the beautiful Akane Tendo coming towards me, at last realizing that I, Tatewaki Kuno, Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, am the only man good enough for her." He raised his wooden bokken into the sky and an answering crack of thunder sounded in the otherwise clear day.

"Kuno. . ." Akane growled warningly, dropping into a fighting stance in front of him. "I’m warning you, if you don’t stop pestering me. . ."

"Akane Tendo, I am pleased to inform you that I have consented to date with you. The Kuno family limousine will pick you up promptly at 7:15 p.m. and we will dine at. . ." This last declaration was cut off by Akane’s pointed fingered stab at his gut and he doubled over with an explosion of hot air. "Ah, ‘tis but a love tap," he wheezed, sounding like a broken squeeze box, before falling flat on his face, propelled by the elbow Akane drove into his head.

Grimly surveying the prone body before her, Akane picked up her book bag and walked off toward the school building. "Jerk," she muttered. Her attention was caught by a slow clapping sound and she turned toward it. Perched on a wall was Ranma Saotome.

"Very good, Akane," he said with a smirk. "I should have known a macho chick like yourself could take him out in a few seconds."

"Listen, Saotome, I’m already irritated enough, I don’t need you to make it worse." Akane walked past him and he jumped down lightly from the wall, walking along side of her.

"Aahh, come on, lighten up. Kuno’s an idiot and not worth gettin’ upset over. A tomboy like you can take him any day." Ranma watched her out of the corner of his eye and saw her scowl deepen. "But I gotta question. Why would a rich guy like him want to go out with a macho chick like you?" She started to turn red and Ranma played his trump card. "After all, you’ve got no figure from all of those athletic activities, hey!" He executed a quick duck as Akane swung her book bag at his head. "Whadjya do that for?"

Akane stood in front of him, short hair in disarray from the mighty swing she’d taken at him. "Saotome, you leave me alone. I don’t want to talk to you! I hate you!" she yelled and ran the rest of the way to the building, slamming the door to the girls restroom.

Ranma stared after her, surprised at her strong reaction to his teasing. ‘She knows I’m kidding, right?’ he thought to himself. He had been enjoying himself and thought she was too, until she blew up at him and ran off. ‘Girls. Who can figure them out?’

Akane was true to her words that morning and didn’t say a word or even look at Ranma all day. She knew he was trying to get her attention in class that morning and during lunch, he performed a series of acrobatic moves in her full view under the guise of showing off for his friends, but she calmly ate the lunch Kasumi had prepared for her and chatted with her friends, not even deigning to look in his direction.

**

"Hey, why are you so glum?"

"Ah, nothin’."

"Come on, you know you can’t keep any secrets from me. :)"

"Well, there’s this girl at school I really like and I kinda said something really stupid today. I think she hates me."

"Oh, come on. What did you say?"

"I’d rather not tell you and have you mad at me too. It was rude and I think it made her cry."

"Why on earth would you want to make someone you like cry?"

"Well, I didn’t mean to. I tried to apologize later. . ."

**

Later that day, after school, Ranma was sitting on top of the wall across the street from the school gate, waiting for Akane to come out with her sister like she usually did. He seemed very nonchalant, sitting very relaxed, book bag on his back, but inside he was very nervous. He’d never dreamed anything he said would make Akane react the way she did and he was about to do something he’d never done before: apologize.

He finally spied her slowly walking down the paved walk, listening closely to what her sister Nabiki was saying and then she was laughing, the simple action transforming her from a pretty girl to a beautiful one. Ranma jumped down from the wall and crossed the street, reaching the gate at the same time as the girls. They stopped in front of him, Akane refusing to look at him. "Uh, hi Nabiki," he said nervously. "Akane, can I talk to you?"

"I don’t have anything to say to you Saotome," she huffed, trying to walk around him.

"I know you probably don’t, but I’ve got something to say to you," he said, blocking her way.

"Well, whatever it is, you can say it in front of my sister." Akane glared up at him from under her bangs, her brown eyes challenging.

Ranma swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry as futon stuffing. "Akane, please. I need to talk to you. Alone."

His blue eyes had gone a slate gray kind of color, Akane noticed, held by his gaze. Almost against her will, she nodded and heard herself giving assent.

Nabiki watched them, momentarily speechless and then, finding herself again, cleared her throat and said, "You go on ahead, ‘neechan, I have some business to take care of."

"Okay Nabiki. Should I tell Kasumi to wait on dinner?"

"No, that won’t be necessary. My business should be concluded soon." She moved down the street, now thinking forward to the meeting she had scheduled with Kuno while he was in the infirmary. He would pay well for the notes she’d made during the morning classes while he was. . . indisposed.

Akane started walking towards home, her satchel clasped with both hands in front of her, knees hitting it rhythmically. Ranma walked beside her, head down and hands thrust deep into his pockets. "Akane," he began hesitantly, not looking at her, "I’m, uh, really sorry if I upset you this morning. I didn’t mean nothin’ by it." He let out a deep breath, the worst part over.

"What you said was mean, and there was no reason for you to say it." Akane said indignantly, still refusing to look at him directly.

"No reason? Akane, you laid Kuno out like a pro! If that isn’t macho, I don’t know what is!" Ranma exclaimed loudly, making several people look in their direction.

"See, there you go again!" Akane turned to face him, satchel now in one hand, poised aggressively. "Why can’t you keep your big fat mouth shut?"

"Me? Keep my big fat mouth shut? Why can’t you keep from beating up all of the guys in school? How’re you going to get a husband if he knows you can beat him up anytime?"

"Maybe I don’t want a husband, you ever think of that?" Akane shouted, unmindful of looks they were getting, feeling only rage moving inside of her now. "Did you think of that? Huh? Do you ever think?"

"I think that you are the most uncute tomboy I’ve ever seen! You’re built like a stick, you act unfeminine, you’re a bigger jock than me and you can’t cook!" Ranma matched her for volume and venom, his apology of a few moments ago completely forgotten.

"Well, at least I can be a jock and a straight A student!" Akane spat back viciously, eye narrowed.

"Ha, you’ll never be as good a martial artist as I am!" Ranma shot back, going for what he knew was a weak point with her.

Akane paused, her breath almost taken from her. She tried so hard, so hard to please her father, to be the best martial artist ever, but there were too many other things taking her attention away from the art, school, team sports, friends. She groped in her mind for the most hurtful thing she could say, found it and hissed it out with all the anger she could muster: "At least my mother didn’t send me away when I was a kid." She saw the look in Ranma’s eyes and knew she had won, this time. But with that look came a hollow feeling and a bad taste in her mouth and she turned on her heel and stomped off, not wanting to see the look she had put there.

**

"So anyway, I tried to apologize to her, but it got all messed up. We ended up in another fight. :("

"Oh, that’s so sad. There’s a guy I like at school too, but he’s got a mouth on him like you wouldn’t believe."

"Well, I hope he’s not anything like me."

"Oh please, if only he were like you. You’re so nice and understanding and such a good listener. You’ll patch everything up, you’ll see. These arguments never last. Have you asked her out on a date yet?"

"What? Date? No."

"Well, why not?"

"A date? I’d feel stupid asking her out. Half the guys at my school are in love with her."

"Has anyone asked her out? Ever?"

"I dunno."

"Well, I imagine she’s lonely, waiting for someone to ask her out. Come on, I dare you. :)"

"Oh yeah? Then I dare you to ask the guy you like out."

"What? Girls don’t ask guys out on dates!"

"Come on, it’s the 90’s, girls can do whatever they want."

"Okay, then, you’re on. We both have to ask tomorrow."

"Tomorrow then. Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise."

**

Ranma signed off and activated the password protected screen saver. He didn’t really have anything to hide, he just didn’t need his Pop getting his grimy hands all over the computer and messing his stuff up. He stood up and stretched, joints popping all over. He shook himself and went downstairs in search of his mom.

She was in the kitchen, humming happily over the soup she was making for dinner, adding spices and special things she knew the men in her life liked. "Mom? Are you busy?"

Nodoka put the lid back on the pot and wiped her hands off with a towel. "Of course not, Son. What do you need?" She looked at her son Ranma, so proud of the tall young man he’d become. She’d had her doubts when her husband told her he wanted to take Ranma away to train and didn’t know when they would be back. She’d exacted a life favor from him: to make her son the best martial artist in the land and a man among men, on pain of death. She felt he’d lived up to most of that promise as Ranma truly had none better in the art, and he had an excellent sense of duty, but she felt he was still lacking in social graces and she worked hard to improve them for she so wanted grandchildren to cuddle and spoil, having been denied those pleasures with her own son.

"Well, there’s this girl I like at school, and I’ve, uh, I’ve been thinkin’ about asking her out." He had been looking down at the floor, and now he looked up at his mother. "What do I do?"

Nodoka smiled and rubbed her hands together. Here was her chance to instill some social niceties in him! "Well, Son, you need to first gain her consent that she will go on a date with you. . ."

Their conversation lasted about half an hour and made many things that had previously been unclear clear for Ranma. "So that’s all I have to do, huh?" He shook his head, smiling. "It seems so simple."

"Oh, but it is simple. You will see. Follow a few simple rules and you will be able to ask any girl out and give her a wonderful evening." She lifted the lid on the pot and stirred experimentally. "I think dinner is ready. Go get your father, he’s on the back veranda, meditating."

"Sleeping is more like it," Ranma muttered, looking at his mother’s back. "Mom, can I ask you another question?"

"Of course, what is it?"

"Um, you know, when I went away with Pop. . . did you send me away because I was a bad kid or something?" he asked in a rush, his eyes holding hers.

Nodoka was so surprised she almost dropped the ladle into the pot. "Wherever did you get that idea?"

"Um, well, I was just wondering. You know how little kids can do bad stuff. Did I do something really bad?" He looked back down at the floor, seeing the polished linoleum he knew she worked hard on.

He felt her moving toward him and she folded him into a warm hug. "Son, I would never send you away. Your father took you only because he wanted to make you the best martial artist there ever was to carry on the school. I let him because I knew that was the best way for him to do that. You are the heir to the Saotome school of the Art." She looked deep into her son’s eyes, seeing the doubt fade. "Now, go get your father and come and eat."

**

"Come in," Nabiki said, closing her ledger and putting it in her desk drawer. Akane came in and sat on her bed, adjusting her skirt, then crossing her legs, and finally, folding her hands in her lap. Raising her eyebrow at her sister’s fidgeting, Nabiki asked, "What can I do for you, sis?"

"Well, I um, need some advice." Akane said timidly, looking down at the floor.

"Advice, huh? Professional or sisterly?"

"Um, sisterly, I guess."

"Good call, that’s free. What’s on your mind?"

Akane looked up for the first time and took a deep breath. "Well, there’s this guy I like at school," she said, looking at Nabiki hopefully, hoping she would figure out the rest on her own so she wouldn’t have to explain it.

Nabiki nodded in encouragement. "And?"

Sighing, Akane went on. "And I want to go on a date with him."

"Okay. Has he asked you yet?"

"No, I was. . . actually Iwasthinkingofaskinghim," she finished in a rush, her cheeks reddening.

"Oh? And who would this guy be?" Nabiki loved putting her little sister on the spot, secretly thinking she was way too serious and hard on herself.

"Oh, what does that matter? I just need to know the best way to ask him out."

"Little sister, it matters very much. Who he is will shape the way you go about requesting an evening with him." Nabiki paused, watching Akane squirm, looking anywhere in the room but at her. "Come on, who is he?"

"Ranma Saotome," she said in a whisper, looking at the floor again.

Nabiki carefully kept all expression off of her face as she thought to herself, ‘I knew she had a crush on him! I will have to call in those bets.’ Out loud she said, "So, Ranma Saotome, huh? Well, he’s cute, great body, nice eyes. He’s pretty tactless himself, so I don’t see the point in being especially eloquent yourself. A note, perhaps? He can read, can’t he?"

"Of course he can read! He’s not stupid!" Akane exploded, jumping up off of the bed, fists clenched.

Nabiki held her hands up in front of her, palms out. "Okay, okay. I knew he traveled a lot when he was a kid, I was just making sure." This seemed to soothe Akane and she sat back down on the bed. "Now, you have class together, correct?"

"Yes, but he sits in the front row, so I wouldn’t dare pass a note."

"True, no telling what Miss Hinako would do to you or him." Nabiki paused a moment, thinking. "How about during lunch? I would be willing to act as your intermediary. For a fee, of course."

"Nabiki!"

"Okay, for free. As a favor to my favorite little sister. Are you decided? A note then?" Akane nodded and Nabiki said, "Okay, you write the note tonight and tomorrow at lunch, I’ll. . ."

**

"So, how’d it go?" Akane typed in eagerly, bursting with her own good news.

"Great. Did you ask him?"

"Well, we kind of asked each other at the same time. . ."

**

Ranma waited with his customary impatientness for lunchtime to come, only there was a special edge to today’s. Today he would ask Akane Tendo out on a date with him. During gym earlier that morning, he’d been most upset when the coach announced they would play rugby, way on the other side of the field from where the girls played softball. He was acutely aware of her presence behind him during regular class and tried to will himself into calmness, recalling his mother’s advice of last night.

"When you go to ask her, do it privately, away from her friends. Invite her for a walk," she’d said. "Practice what you’re going to say, but don’t make it sound rehearsed, this way you avoid sounding like an imbecile." She smiled here, recalling the first time Genma had asked her for a date. They had been surrounded by people and he could barely get the words out.

"Yeah, but what should I say?" Ranma pleaded, completely at a loss and beginning to panic already.

"Think of what you would like someone to say to you and go from there." Nodoka looked at him leaning against the counter and resisted the urge to grab onto him and never let go.

He’d surprised by hugging her, murmuring, "Thanks Mom."

So now he sat in class, listening to the teacher drone on about poetry during the late Edo period, going over his little speech in his head. Finally, the lunch bell rang and he bolted from his seat, quickly making his way through the crowded hallways to the schoolyard and his usual lunch spot. He would give her time to eat, he’d decided. He wouldn’t like it if he was not given a chance to eat and relax. Besides, that way he had more time to rehearse.

He covertly watched Akane come out of the building with her friends and settle in her usual lunch spot under a large tree, chatting animatedly with the other girls. Hiroshi and Daisuke tried to talk to him, but he only grunted in response and they left him alone after a few minutes. He saw Nabiki approaching and groaned inwardly, wondering what she could possibly want.

"Saotome, I have a message for you," she said upon reaching him and handed him an envelope.

Ranma looked at it quizzically, not able to tell who it was from by the envelope. "Who’s it from?"

"I can’t say," she demurred, shaking her head. "Read it and find out. Ta ta." She walked off, her very walk exuding confidence.

Ranma watched her go and saw Akane was done eating. Taking a deep breath, he stuck the envelope in his pocket and approached Akane and her group of friends.

"Hi Akane," he said lamely.

"Hi Ranma," she said back, seeming surprised that he was there.

"Can I, uh, talk to you?"

"Sure."

"Alone?" He saw the other girls exchange looks and Akane began to redden.

She shot the other girls a glare and got up, brushing the grass from her school dress. "Okay, where are we going?"

Ranma walked toward the gym and turned a corner. This area was usually less populated as there were not as many trees. He took a look around to make sure no one was listening in and threw himself into the void. "Akane, uh, I was wondering if maybe you would like to go out sometime? With me?" He watched her face carefully, waiting for her reaction.

Akane felt her cheeks grow hot and she felt a little disconnected from herself. This was different from Kuno’s mad declarations of affection, this was actually the guy she liked asking her out on a real date. She looked at him, seeing his anxious expression and said quietly, "Yes. Yes I would like to go out sometime."

"Really? Oh, I mean, great," he broke into a huge smile, relieved that part was over. "Great."

They stood there looking at each other for a few moments until Akane said, "Hey, what was that Nabiki gave you?"

"Huh? Oh, I don’t know. A note she said. I don’t know who it’s from."

"Maybe you should read it?"

"Oh, yeah. I will." He smiled at her again and she looked down shyly, sweeping a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Well, I have to get back," Akane said finally, dreading yet anticipating the questions she would have to field.

"Yeah, me too. I’ll see you after school?"

"Yeah, after school." Akane smiled and slowly edged away from him, Ranma sorry to see her go. When she was out of sight, he leapt high into the air with a yell and executed several backwards flips and jumped to the top of a wall.

He felt the envelope in his pocket and took it out, noticing that it wasn’t even sealed. ‘Ranma,’ it began, ‘I hope you don’t think this is too forward, but I wanted to know if you wanted to go out on a date with me Saturday night? You don’t have to, and I don’t want you to feel pressured in any way, but I think you’re kind of neat and I would like to get to know you better. Let me know. Akane.’

**

"Mom, stop it, willya? My hair is fine!" Ranma fidgeted under his mother’s ministrations, trying to evade the hand that was determined to smooth down his hair by his temples.

"Stand still, Son!" she admonished, diving in again. She finally stopped and stepped back to survey her handiwork. Ranma stood self consciously, dressed in his usual black pants and sleeveless Chinese style shirt, but instead of red, this one was white. "Stand straight, Ranma, so I can look at you."

Ranma heaved a sigh and stood straighter. "Can you see me better now?"

"Yes, thank you." She looked at him for a moment, and clasped her hands together and sighed, a tear coming to her eye. "You’re all grown up."

"Come on, Mom," Ranma mumbled, looking down at the floor.

Nodoka, turning to wipe her eyes caught sight of the clock. "Oh, Ranma, you’re going to be late!" She turned to give her son a hug and a quick pat on the bottom. "You’d better get going!"

**

Akane stood in front of her full length mirror, holding a dress up in front of her, dissatisfied look on her face. She huffed, blowing her bangs out of her eyes, and tossed the dress onto her bed, next to about a half dozen others and clad in underwear and a slip, rummaged in her closet for something else. "Come in," she responded to the knock on her door.

"You know, I could loan you something of mine," Nabiki said, sitting on the bed after clearing a space.

Akane looked at her sister from over her shoulder and snorted. "No thanks. I want to look somewhat innocent on my first date."

"Akane, when will you learn that innocence is overrated," Nabiki said calmly, laying back on the bed with her ankles crossed. She watched Akane choose and discard four more dresses with comments like ‘Too frilly’, ‘Too frumpy’, ‘Too young’, and ‘Ugh’.

She was still digging in the closet when Nabiki languidly rose from her position on the bed and, taking her sister by the arm, calmly dragged Akane into her room. Laid out on the bed was a very tasteful red silk blouse with long sleeves and a black skirt. "Oh," said Akane when she saw the clothes on the bed.

"Try them on, they should fit you fine." Nabiki motioned to the outfit and sat Indian style on her desk chair. Akane put on the blouse and stepped into the skirt and pulled it up, seeing it come up a couple of inches above her knees.

"I don’t know, this skirt is so short," Akane said, tucking the blouse in.

"Akane, don’t tell me you’re afraid to show a little thigh. Come on, you spend an hour every day at school in gym shorts. You wear shorts all the time." Nabiki got up and walked around Akane, pulling and tugging here and there until she was satisfied. "There. Now what are you going to do about your hair and makeup?"

Akane ran her hand through her short dark hair nervously. "Hair?"

**

"So how was your date?"

"It was really great. Yours?"

"Wonderful." Akane typed happily on the keyboard, still giddy from the night out with Ranma.

"What did you do?" Ranma could barely focus on the words in front of him. His head still swam happily and he could still smell Akane’s perfume.

"We went to dinner and a movie."

"Yeah? So did we."

"Really? What did you see?"

"You know, I don’t even remember." It was true, he didn’t. The time from when he saw Akane come down her stairs to the time he dropped her off was a large, fragrant blur. The only thing that stood out was Akane in her red and black, short black hair pulled back on the sides by tortoise shell combs.

Akane giggled, she didn’t remember what her and Ranma went to go see either. He’d looked so handsome in the white shirt, black pants and black wrist braces when she saw him waiting for her in the living room, chatting nervously with her father and Kasumi. Unfamiliar with the high heels on loan from Nabiki, she’d unconsciously reached out for something to hold on to and found Ranma’s hand and had almost died when he didn’t let go. "I don’t remember either. What did you have to eat?"

"Good question."

**

Monday morning, Akane walked slowly to school with Nabiki, feeling anticipation at seeing Ranma again. She’d told Nabiki and Kasumi all about the date and then retired to her room to get online and talk to CrazyHorse. He’d had a wonderful night as well and they talked until the early hours of the morning. When she got to the gate, she saw Ranma waiting for her, leaning casually against the post.

He saw her and walked toward her and Akane motioned for Nabiki to continue on without her. "Hi," she said shyly, looking down at the ground.

Ranma opened his mouth to reply but groaned "Oh no," instead, looking over Akane’s head. Swiftly approaching, bokken in hand, was Tatewaki Kuno.

"Saotome, you will release the fair Akane Tendo from your foul enchantment!" he thundered, striking a pose with his bokken held high in the air. "Akane Tendo, I beg you open your eyes to the danger Saotome poses to you and come to my safe haven!"

Akane turned around very slowly to face Kuno. "Kuno, I’m warning you to leave me alone. For the last time, I don’t like you!"

"What is this I hear? Words the foul sorcerer has put into your mouth no doubt! He has poisoned you against me!" Kuno came closer and lowered his bokken threateningly at Ranma’s midsection.

"What are you talking about? You’re insane, Kuno. Akane told ya, she doesn’t like you, so quit bothering her!" Ranma had stepped out to stand next to Akane as he wasn’t sure what Kuno would do.

"Ranma, I can handle this myself, okay?" Akane took a step toward Kuno and was irritated when Ranma took a step with her.

"No way Akane, you don’t know what this guy is capable of," Ranma insisted, taking another step toward the now confused wanna be samurai.

"Yes I do, I’ve known him much longer than you have." Akane pulled even with Ranma and now they were both standing right in front of Kuno.

"Ah, Akane you have at last come to your senses! Come to Tate-"

"Why won’t you let me handle Kuno alone?"

"Because Akane, I don’t want you to get hurt!" Ranma and Akane now faced each other, Kuno completely forgotten.

"But I’m not going to get hurt! I told you, I know exactly what he’s capable of!"

"Oh, big deal! You know he’s always training and I know he’s not the most imaginative of people, but he could come up with something new, you know!"

"So? I’m a martial artist, I can handle whatever he throws at me!" Akane was starting to get really steamed now. How dare Ranma think she couldn’t take care of herself?

Ranma snorted. "Yeah, Akane, but I’m a better martial artist that you any day!"

Kuno stood staring at the loudly shouting pair, dumbfounded and robbed of words, for once. Ranma and Akane were standing nose to nose, yelling in each other’s faces. "Uh, can I say something?" he ventured.

Turning to face him, the both shouted "Shut up!" as one and continued with their argument over who was the better martial artist. Finally, Ranma went too far.

"Well, if you weren’t such a sexless tomboy!"

Akane went silent for a moment. "What did you say?" she asked quietly.

"Uh, Akane, I, uh, um. . ." Ranma frantically backpedaled, searching for a way to cover up his enormous blunder.

"That’s what I thought you said." Akane calmly straightened her hair and school jacket which had become somewhat disarrayed in their argument and said, "You leave me alone. I don’t ever want to talk to you or be bothered by you again. Goodbye, Ranma." She walked off, head high, leaving Ranma in the silent schoolyard.

Kuno ran after Akane, spouting, "Akane Tendo, at last you break from mmph-!" and fell over backwards, felled by a colossal slap in the face.

**

"So you had another fight huh? Sounds familiar." Akane was online again, homework forgotten in her eagerness to get online.

"Yeah, and it was all my fault. I definitely said something I shouldn’t have." Ranma had felt horrible the rest of the day. Akane refused to look at him all day and when they were assigned to a group together, she’d asked to be reassigned. He tried to approach her at lunchtime, but her friends formed a protective screen around her and refused to acknowledge him. "You had a fight today too?"

"Yeah. And it was most assuredly his fault."

"Hmm. Men. :)"

"So what was your fight about?"

"She’s so independent, always wanting to do her own thing her own way. I don’t want her to get in over her head, take on something she can’t handle. I want to protect her," Ranma typed furiously into the keyboard, telling ArtistGrrl what he couldn’t tell Akane to her face.

"But that’s what you like about her, right?"

"Yeah. I know, I know, but it’s so tough! She’s so frustrating but so fascinating! AAARRGH!"

"LOL! Well, let her go on and do her thing. If you hold on to her too tight, you’re only going to drive her away."

"I know. Now I need to find a way to patch things up. She won’t talk to me or let me near her."

"How about a letter?"

"I’d rather do it face to face, but if that’s the only way then I guess that’s how it’ll have to be. Enough about me, what about your fight?"

"Well, there’s this guy that bothers me at school and I can totally handle him, but he won’t believe me. He butted in this morning and we had this huge argument in front of everyone! Honestly, why won’t he let me handle this by myself?"

"Maybe he doesn’t want that other guy to hurt you, even accidentally. You should give him a chance, it sounds like he really cares about you."

"I guess. On one hand it’s nice, but at the same time, he should know that I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for 16 years now."

"Give him time, he’ll come around."

"::Sigh:: I hope so, because I don’t like fighting with him. And Saturday night was so wonderful, too. So how do I patch this up?"

"A note, maybe? :)"

**

Akane looked around the hallway nervously, making sure no one was coming. She was standing in front of Ranma’s locker, note in hand, trying to psyche herself up to slip it in the locker. She was out of class on a bathroom excuse and didn’t have much time. Suddenly, she heard the voices of two teachers approaching. It would not be good for her if she was caught loitering near another student’s locker so she quickly shoved the note in the crack, quickly made sure none of it was poking out and walked down the hall back toward class, bowing to the two teachers she passed.

Outside the classroom door, she breathed a sigh of relief before going back in to her seat, carefully not looking at Ranma. A few moments later, Ranma asked to be excused to go to the bathroom, which struck Akane as very unusual as he’d never asked to be excused in the middle of class before and she covertly watched him as he made his exit.

In the hallway, Ranma paused a moment and breathed a sigh of relief. He was sure the teacher would see his intention on his face and not let him out of class. He headed down the hall where he knew Akane’s locker was. Once he reached the section, he stood looking at two lockers, horrified to realize he did not know which one was hers. He knew that her locker was right next to Yuka’s and he knew it was one of the two he was now standing in front of, but he did not know which one it was.

Acutely aware of the time ticking by, he knew he had to make a decision and studied the lockers closely. Suddenly he heard voices down the hall. ‘Kuno! I can’t let him catch me out here!’ he thought frantically. ‘Which one? Eenie, meenie, miney, moe!’ He shoved the note into the crack between the door and wall of the locker, and, hoping he’d chosen the correct one, hightailed it back to class, stealing a glance at Akane on his way back to his desk. She wouldn’t look at him and his heart sank, afraid he’d done too much damage for a stupid note to fix.

**

Yuka frowned at the folded up piece of paper that fell out of her locker onto the floor and she bent to pick it up. "What’s that?" Akane asked, watching her unfold the paper. Suddenly, Yuka’s face flooded with color and she handed the note to Akane.

"I think this was meant for you," she said, handing the note to her.

"Me?" Akane took the note and began to read.

"Akane," it began, "I’m not too good at writing this kind of stuff, so please don’t get mad. I wanted to tell you that I’m really really sorry about the remarks I made the other day. I wasn’t thinking and I guess my pride got the better of me. I know you’re a good martial artist, but I just can’t stand Kuno bullying you like that and I want to smash his face in for you. I really care about you and I can’t stand it when you’re mad at me. If you still want to talk to me, I’ll be under the elm tree by the gym. Ranma."

Akane was aware of Yuka looking at her and of the heat radiating from her face as she clasped the note to her chest and smiled happily.

**

Ranma opened his locker and almost missed the small square of paper falling to the ground. He bent to pick it up and unfolded it on his way out to the elm tree by the gym. On the way, he passed his regular lunch time crowd who shouted for him to join them, but he absently waved them off, concentrating on what he was reading.

The note was in Akane’s handwriting and said, "Ranma, I want to apologize for my actions yesterday in front of Kuno. I know sometimes I can be a little stubborn and headstrong and not listen to what other people are saying. I’m not a little kid though and I can take care of myself, but I think maybe I can allow you to pound Kuno a few times for me. Meet me after school by the gate and I’ll let you carry my books. Akane." By the time Ranma reached the elm tree, he was sure he was floating.

**

"So did you make up?" Akane typed eagerly, math book laying open and forgotten next to the computer.

"Yeah. I’m so relieved. I was really worried for a while there. I thought I’d messed up big. How about you?"

"He wrote me a really cute note and we talked everything over, so I think we’re okay now. We’re going out again on Saturday night."

"Really? So are we. Maybe we’ll run into each other."

**

Ranma finally began to relax into his relationship with Akane in the coming weeks. They began taking lunch together and he walked with her to and from school. They still had occasional arguments, mostly over her cooking and who’s turn it was to beat up Kuno, but they always made up. He was starting to wonder if he should tell her about his online friend, almost feeling like he was cheating on Akane in some way when he decided not to. He enjoyed having someone else to talk to outside of school and he still didn’t feel comfortable talking to Akane about some things.

Akane Tendo, professed boy hater, found that a boyfriend was a very wonderful and useful creature. She had thought that all boys (high school boys, anyway), were like Kuno: arrogant dorks who were completely clueless about women. Ranma still had a few points to work on, but he was coming along nicely, she thought. It was wonderful to have someone to sit quietly and watch the sunset with, to hold hands with, not to mention sneaking off during lunch to kiss. When she went home, she couldn’t wait to get online and describe the day’s events to CrazyHorse. ‘In a way,’ she thought, ‘it’s like having two boyfriends.’

**

One Saturday night a few weeks before the end of the school year, Akane pressed the send button and suddenly she was disconnected, the phone in the hall ringing. She had been telling CrazyHorse of her plans for the break, stuck home because Ranma was dealing with a serious head cold. ‘I wonder who that is?’ she thought. The Tendos rarely got calls in the evening. Curious, she left her room and walked down the stairs to see her older sister Kasumi get their father.

"Tendo here. Ah, so good to hear from you. Yes. Yes, perfect! Okay, it’s decided, then. We will meet here at the house tomorrow night. See you tomorrow." Akane’s father hung up the phone and turned around, a wide smile on his face. "Girls," he called, "I have some very important news for you!"

"What is it, Dad?" Akane asked, coming into the living room and sitting at the low table, watching her father light a cigarette. "Dr. Tofu warned you about those, you know."

"Akane, let your old father have a small pleasure in his declining years," Soun said sadly before calling for Nabiki. Kasumi was already at the table, serving tea in her quiet way. Nabiki finally came down into the living room, obviously irritated at having been interrupted in whatever it was she'd been doing.

"What’s going on, Daddy? This had better be very important," she said with a sniff, accepting a cup of tea from Kasumi.

"I assure you, Nabiki, this is very important. Are we all here? Good." He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "Tomorrow, one of you will be engaged to the son of my oldest friend."

There was silence for a heartbeat and then a chorused "What?" from the Tendo girls. "Wait a minute," Nabiki started, "you’re telling us that you are engaging one of us to someone we’ve never met?"

"Yes. I haven’t met him either," Soun stated proudly.

"Father, are you sure this is wise?" Kasumi questioned, pouring more tea all around.

"Kasumi, this pact was made when we were still studying under the Master, to join our two houses and keep the school of Anything-Goes Martial Arts alive. It was made between two equals and friends and to break it would bring grave dishonor on this house."

"So because of some antiquated notion of honor, one of your darling daughters is going to be married off to some bozo off of the street? Daddy, this is crazy, even for you." Nabiki crossed her arms, completely dismissing the notion.

"We don’t even know how old he is," Kasumi commented calmly. "What do you think, Akane? Akane?"

Akane sat quietly, head bowed. ‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ she thought. ‘Everything finally starts going well and he springs this on us.’ She felt the despair and anger building up inside of her, along with an almost overwhelming need to talk to CrazyHorse, to break something, to scream and yell her frustration and anger. Dimly, she heard Kasumi saying her name and looked up, her sister’s features blurred by tears. "I can’t believe he’s doing this to us," she whispered and bolted to the dojo.

**

Ranma waited for ArtistGrrl’s response and was disappointed when she came up as no longer being online. ‘Maybe she’ll be back soon,’ he thought as he leaned back in his chair and sneezed. He heard his father on the phone down the hall and thought that was weird. Pop usually didn’t talk on the phone and certainly not voluntarily. He was contemplating doing some studying when he heard his father’s bellow.

"Ranma! I have to speak to you, boy!"

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered under his breath. "Can’t it wait until later? I’m studying!" he yelled back.

"Don’t lie to me, boy! Don’t make me come in there and get you!."

"Jeez," Ranma muttered sullenly as he made his way to where his father was seated at their low table. His mother was pouring tea for them and his father had a stern look in his face. "What’s up, Pop?" he asked after accepting a cup of tea from his mother.

"Son, tomorrow you have a very important duty. Before you were born, I promised you in marriage to one of the daughters of my old friend and training partner." Genma paused for a moment before continuing, watching Ranma’s reaction.

Ranma froze, cup halfway to his mouth. He was always wary of his father’s crackpot schemes, but he’d never, ever come up with something like this. He felt like he’d been struck and the air left his body very, very slowly. He put the cup down on the table with a slightly unsteady hand. Ranma took a deep breath and raised his eyes to meet his father’s. "What?"

"You heard me, boy! Tomorrow you will be engaged and fulfill our pledge to join our two houses and keep the art alive for another generation. Now, go to bed and get some rest, you need to make your best impression tomorrow!" Genma leaned back contentedly and sipped from his cup, completely unaware of his vibrating son in front of him.

"I can’t believe you’d do this," Ranma said slowly. "I always knew you were an idiot, but to do this goes beyond simple idiocy. This is insanity and I won’t do it!" He stood up in one smooth motion and Nodoka tried to put a hand on his arm, but Ranma quickly shook it off.

Genma jumped up and stood in front of Ranma, blocking his way out of the house. "Listen to me, boy!" he thundered, "You can insult me all you want, but don’t you dare insult this family’s honor! You will go with me tomorrow and you will choose a fiancée!"

Surprised by his father’s anger, Ranma turned to his mother who was standing next to him. "Ma," he implored and couldn’t believe it when he saw his mother shake her head sadly.

"I had hoped he would never make you do this," she said quietly. "I am at fault for not telling you about this arrangement."

Ranma stared at both of his parents in disbelief and sprang into action, shoving his father aside and running out the door, only wanting to get away.

**

The morning was bright as Ranma walked slowly into the house, hoping his mother would be up and his father still asleep. He heard some sounds in the kitchen and walked toward it, seeing his mother rummaging in the refrigerator. "Morning, Ma," he said tiredly, leaning on the doorframe.

Nodoka spun around and saw her son, looking like he’d had a very hard night indeed, leaning on the door. His eyes and nose were both red and she wished he hadn't run out into the night like he had with that cold. She put the containers on the counter and hugged him, looking at him anxiously from an arm’s length. "You look like something the cat dragged in."

"Don’t say cat, Ma," Ranma grimaced. "Yeah, I did a lot of thinking last night."

"Where did you go?" Nodoka turned back to the counter and began assembling breakfast.

"I don’t know. I ran from here as fast as I could and I didn’t even recognize the neighborhood I ended up in. Is Pop still asleep?"

"Yes."

"Good. I don’t want to see him yet." Ranma paused for a moment, formulating his next question. "Mom, did you know about this?"

"Yes. Your father and his training partner made this agreement a long time before you were born. I never liked it, but when I saw your father and his friend lose contact over the years, I began to hope he’d forgotten all about it. It seems I was wrong."

"Don’t blame yourself," Ranma said gently. "I did some thinking last night and I’ve decided I will go along for now. Pop’s right, I can’t dishonor the family like that. Maybe I can say I don’t find any of them acceptable or something."

He sat down at the table and told his mother what he'd done last night after running out of the house. "I did a lot of thinkin', at first about how stupid Pop can be and then I thought about that long training trip we took, when I was gone so long from you. Pop was pretty stupid those years too, especially when doing things like stealing food or trying to train me in the cat-fist, but as I got older, I realized he was just doing those things for the good of the school and to make me the best martial artist there is." Ranma paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts before he went on. He noticed his mother hadn't moved since he started talking. "Anyway, he wasn't a total failure, he did help me to become the best martial artist there is and not only was I separated from you, but he was too. He made a lot of sacrifices for me and though he is an idiot, I suppose I owe him this."

Ranma fell silent and his mother started puttering around in the kitchen again, musing that the little boy who left her so long ago had come back to her such a grown up young man.

**

A worried Kasumi knocked on Akane's door the next morning. "Akane? Are you having breakfast?" Not hearing an answer, she slowly opened the door and saw Akane was not in her bed, but that it did look slept in. Her little sister was not the best bed maker around.

She closed the door and walked down the steps, not concerned that Akane may have done something drastic, like run away, because her quick glance at the room assured her that their mother's portrait still stood on Akane's dresser in its silver frame. Kasumi knew Akane would not leave that behind.

At the bottom of the steps, she could hear yells and grunts from the dojo and knew that's where her sister was. When she was halfway through her breakfast preparations, Akane came in with a towel around her neck, looking like she had not slept much the previous night. "Good morning, Akane. Early workout?" Kasumi asked innocuously.

"Morning." Akane stood and watched Kasumi prepare the rice cooker the same calm way she always did. "Kasumi, how can you be so calm?" she asked suddenly.

"Calm? What is there to get excited about?"

"Didn't you hear Dad last night? One of us is going to be engaged to some guy off the street we don't even know! You don't think that's worth getting excited about?" Akane paused for a moment and went on, "And I think I know who's going to get engaged to him. It won't be Nabiki because there's no way she'd allow herself to get roped into something like this and it won't be you because Daddy wouldn't dare give you to someone he doesn't know, so it'll be dear, sweet, little Akane who will be stuck with the guy!"

"Akane, I don't think that's fair to Father," voiced Kasumi calmly, stirring the miso soup.

"Not fair? It's not fair to me! I already have a boyfriend! Everything is going so good for me right now. Those idiots have stopped bothering me at school, I've got a boyfriend, straight A's, summer break is coming, and now he drops this bomb!" Akane sighed tiredly and wiped her face with the towel around her neck. "What am I going to do?"

Kasumi looked at her sister standing in her kitchen and sighed quietly. "Do you remember when Father first started training you in the art?"

"Yes," Akane answered sullenly.

"Did you like it at first?"

"No, I hated it. All I wanted to do was play with my friends, not with my dad."

"But you did it, right?"

"Yeah, it was what Daddy wanted."

"And you grew to like it, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Would you stop it now?" Kasumi tasted the miso and stirred a little more, adding some tofu chunks.

"No! I love the art, I'd never give it up."

"Then maybe you ought to give this idea of his a chance, you know he only wants what's best for us and the school. He would never do anything to hurt you and you know that. You're upset now because you feel Father has forced this on you all of a sudden. You should give it a chance, and meet the boy. Who knows, maybe Father won't like him either." Kasumi smiled her lovely, calm smile and Akane started to feel a little better.

"You're right," Akane acquiesced. Maybe Dad won't like him, maybe he'll be more your speed, maybe Nabiki will like him. I don't want to make Daddy lose face with his friend, after all." She wrinkled her nose and looked around for a moment. "Woah, I need a shower."

**

"So where were you last night?" came the simultaneous messages.

"Wait, you first," Akane typed with a smile. Breakfast had lasted the longest ever and she could hardly wait to get to her computer.

"Ah, I had some stuff happen here at home and had to get out of the house for a while and think."

"Yeah, I know how that is. We had some family drama last night too. What happened at your house?"

"Uh-uh, you first. I went first last time."

"This is going to sound so stupid and stone-age, but last night my father told me and my sisters he'd promised one of us to some kid of his friend's. How's that for ancient thinking?"

Ranma sat quietly for a moment before typing his reply. This was very eerie and he wondered if…nah. "You're kidding, right? That sounds like a replay of my evening. I didn't know parents still did that stuff."

"Wait, what if I'm engaged to you?"

"Engaged to me? Japan is a pretty big place. Odds of that are pretty small."

"But if it is you, what do I tell my boyfriend? That I'm engaged to a guy I talk to online every night?"

"Doesn't he know about me already?"

"No."

"No? Why not?"

"I'm afraid he'd be jealous of you and say I couldn't talk to you anymore."

"He sounds like an ass. I wouldn't be jealous."

"Oh yeah? Well have you told your girlfriend about me?" Akane challenged.

"Uh, no."

"No? And why not?"

"Well, I'm afraid she'd be jealous too."

"So now who's an ass?"

"Hey, don't talk about my girlfriend that way. :)"

"But that still doesn't solve our problems, what are we going to tell our significant others?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to try real hard to find something to object to. I don't feel like going to school Monday and telling her I got engaged over the weekend and then asking how hers was."

"So even if it's me, you're going to object?"

"Well… That's no fair, you're backing me into a corner! What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I may not even be engaged to him, it could be one of my sisters."

"From what you've told me of them, unlikely." Ranma snorted as he typed. "You'll be the one."

"Yeah, something tells me that too. I don't know yet. I'll think of something. Maybe he'll be really weird looking or a pervert or something."

"Well, if it's me, you're out of luck because I am not weird looking or a pervert." Ranma paused for moment before typing his next sentence. "What if it is me?" He hit the send button and waited for her answer.

"I don't know," came the reply. "I suppose that wouldn't be so bad. I already know you and…"

"Come on, don't leave me hanging! :)"

"If you'd let me finish! :) As I was saying, I already know you and, I suppose, like you." Akane found herself blushing after she pressed send and immediately wished she could take it back.

Ranma studied the line for a moment and was formulating his own message when another one chimed in. "What would you do? You know, if it were me."

"I would swoop you up into my arms and carry you away above the rooftops. We'd find a deserted island and teach all of our children martial arts."

"Really?"

"Nah, I'd probably just stand there with a dopey look on my face."

"Hmm, figures you would. Would you dump your girlfriend for me?"

"That's a hard one. If you were anything in real life like you are online, in a heartbeat."

Akane read the line and her breath caught. 'Wow,' she thought. She caught a look at the time on the Hello Kitty clock on the desk and quickly typed. "I have to get ready. If it is you, how will I know you?"

"Easy, I'll be wearing a red shirt. How will I know you?"

"If you're wearing a red shirt, I suppose I'll be wearing a red dress then. :) Red shirts are common, though. I need something else."

"Okay, how's this? On the way, I'll buy a single white rose. If I see you in a red dress, I will give you the rose." Ranma hit the send button, feeling pretty proud about coming up with that all on his own.

"Oh, how romantic! I like that!"

"Hey, don't go all mushy on me, kay?"

"All right, all right. I'm sorry, I guess it's the girl in me. Well, I have to go, so I guess I'll maybe see you later, okay?"

"Okay. See you. Or not. :)"

Across town from each other, they signed off and whispered, "I hope it's you."

**

"I don't see why we had to come here Daddy. These places are so expensive," Nabiki sniffed, looking around at the small tea garden. She and her sisters were sitting on one side of the table, Kasumi first, then herself and Akane last with Soun at the head.

"I told you Nabiki, I didn't want to make him uneasy by coming into the house right away. Someplace neutral and soothing. A place with good harmony." Soun gestured to the rock garden outside the veranda and smiled beatifically.

"Well this harmony is costing us quite a bit of yen. I hope they kick in some."

"Nabiki, you know better than that," Kasumi gently scolded. "I checked your ledger before we left and we can well afford it." Nabiki had the good grace to look a little abashed at her sister's rebuke, but Kasumi could see her mentally adding up columns in her head. "I think this place is rather nice, don't you Akane?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. It's beautiful." Akane was distracted and had been since leaving the house. She was feeling very keyed up and was trying to calm down by studying the central boulder in the rock garden, but was not having any luck. She took a sip of tea Kasumi had poured from the steaming pot on the low table and tried not to fidget with the skirt of the red dress she had on.

The soft sound of the hostesses' feet came down the hall, followed by what sounded like bigger feet and the door slid open. Akane's head came up and she felt a flutter in her stomach followed by a sickening drop. In the door was a large man dressed in a gi with a cloth tied around his bald head and large, round glasses. 'Please don't let that be him,' she thought wildly.

"Tendo!" the bald man boomed as he hugged her father who was, as usual, crying up a storm. Akane quaked inwardly with relief as she realized this must be her father's friend. She heard a sigh of relief from Nabiki and smiled. When the two men were done with their backslapping, the boy's father introduced a woman in a lovely kimono as Nodoka, his wife and Soun bowed deeply.

"I am honored with your presence," he intoned at the nadir of his bow. Nodoka took a seat across from Kasumi and looked at the three Tendo girls, each of who looked back.

Akane felt as if reality were shrinking to a very small, very fine point and the bellowing of the man sounded muffled, as if he were yelling underwater. 'This is it,' she thought to herself, trying to breathe deeply, sure that she was blushing furiously. She knew she was staring at the door impolitely, but she couldn't help herself. She almost exploded when she saw who walked in the door. Ranma. Walking directly to her and handing her a single white rose.

**

Monday morning, Akane found Ranma waiting for her outside the gate of her house. "Hi," he said shyly as she approached.

"Hi," she said, looking down at the ground. After a moment, she looked back up at him and started walking slowly toward school.

"You weren't online all night. I sent you email," he voiced after a few moments of silent walking.

"I know, I read it this morning." She looked at him and smiled, enjoying the sight of him and how it made her feel.

"So, what do you think? Should I tell Pop?" Ranma crossed his arms above his head in an exaggerated fashion.

Akane didn't answer right away, thinking over how horribly everything could have turned out, glad that things turned out the way they did. That Ranma was the one. "No," she said after a while. "Let him think he did something right for once."

Ranma smiled and took Akane's hand, holding it lightly feeling how small and at the same time how powerful it was. They were at the school gates when Akane spoke again. "So, you would dump me for me, huh?"

"In a heartbeat," Ranma said, kissing her forehead lightly. "ArtistGrrl," he whispered.

"CrazyHorse," she whispered back.