"You go through that every day?" Ranma inquired incredulously after hopping down off the school yard wall.

"Every single day," Akane answered dejectedly. By pure reflex she reached out and grabbed the fast moving projectile that screamed toward her. Since she knew it would miss them, Ranma was at first too busy looking in the direction it came from to notice what was actually thrown.

"Truly, such a boorish lot. Evidently each of them intends to ask you out, Akane." Stepping out from behind one tree stood the boy from yesterday dressed in his traditional kendo uniform. "On the dawn that he finally defeats you," he continued.

"Oh, upperclassman. Good morning," Akane dead-paned.

"And now, Akane Tendou, might you fight with me?"

"Man, you’re popular aren’t you?" Ranma shook her head.

"Stay out of this. You’ll get hurt," Akane sided to her friend, never taking her eyes off of Kunou.

"You there!" Kunou called, directing his attention toward Ranma. Akane blinked.

"What?"

"I understand how deep your feelings for me must be." Kunou struck what he thought was a heroic pose. A soft wind picked up, tossing his hair. "To confront me so in the hopes that I would date with you." Kunou let out a soft sigh as he concluded, "But alas, my heart belongs to another. You would do well to step aside, young waif, before you get…" The rest of Kunou’s speech was lost with his consciousness when a small feminine foot connected with his head, sending him across the yard.

"Who said I was interested in a pervert like you!" Ranma shouted at the flying form. Akane thought about arguing with her for butting into her fight, but thought the better of it. After all, it was nice having a friend that could understand what it’s like to be a female martial artist.

=====

"Sure, I know her. The girl with the red hair tied into a pigtail," Nabiki replied to Kunou’s question. Nabiki looked up from her fashion magazine as Kunou leaped to his feet.

"Nabiki Tendou—Can this be true?!" Kunou leaped back to his seat. Pulling out a blank scroll of paper and inking his pen, he began to compose his message. ‘If she thinks she can defeat Upperclassman Kunou and simply walk away,’ Kunou laughed in his head, ‘she thinks wrongly!’

Nabiki looked on as Kunou scribbled and scratched at a furious pace.

"Here," Kunou finally finished. Handing this message to Nabiki. It was addressed to the high-spirited goddess of the field. Nabiki merely raised her right eyebrow.

=====

‘Women’s Locker Room.’

Ranma paused at the door. She had avoided this yesterday, since she only had the uniform she had borrowed from Akane. Then they made her sit out, since it wouldn’t be proper to exercise in a skirt. She had hated it yesterday. Now she wished more than anything that she could go back.

Today, she had ‘appropriate attire.’ Today, she would have to go into no-mans land. Today, she was going to be killed. She knew it without a shadow of a doubt. Her luck had gone too far. Sure, every other boy in the world would probably love to change places with her, but this was wrong. Sure, she had seen herself plenty of times; but this, felt like she was taking advantage of them. She still felt bad for the other day with Akane.

Steeling herself, she took a deep breath. Looking at her assigned locker number, she stepped through the thresh hold.

She made it all the way to her locker before she realized most of the girls were already outside and those that were still around were already dressed. Letting go of the breath she had been holding, she stared into her locker and began slowly and mechanically changing to her PE clothes.

After PE, she had hung back pretending to be doing some stretches to cool down. Not that she had needed them, as she hadn’t been pushed anywhere near her limits. Although, she did learn about quite a few differences in her balance and movement.

After what she hoped was enough time had passed, she prepared herself and returned to the changing room. The room was empty for the most part, although she could hear someone in the shower. She quickly decided to skip her shower and went straight to her locker to change.

=====

First thing Ranma did after school, was to run straight for her room to change into her slacks and blouse. Then she went downstairs looking for her pop. He hadn’t bothered her all yesterday evening, nor did he get her up for their morning spare. Not that she was worried about him or anything. She was just worried what he was up to.

She found him just laying under the shade in the backyard.

"Yo, pop. What’s up?" She called, walking up with a deceptive calm. He reached up, scratched behind an ear, then rolled over. "What’s the matter, pop? You’re not still upset over yesterday, are ya?" The panda gave no response. "Look, I’ll tell ‘em, okay. Just not yet." Ranma watched the panda for any sign that he was listening. "Fine! Be that way. If you wanna just lay there all day, see what I care!" Ranma stormed off, more annoyed with her father than really angry. ‘If he thinks ignoring me is gonna get me to back down from this challenge, he has another thing coming.’

"Hey, Ranma!" Nabiki called as the red-head stormed into the living room.

"What?" Ranma replied, not quite keeping her annoyance at her father out of her tone.

"Here," Nabiki said coolly, as she passed Ranma Kunou’s message. Ranma got the underlying message, she didn’t like her taking that tone with her without reason.

"This is to me?" Ranma questioned, hoping to change the subject.

"From Kunou-kun," Nabiki replied off handedly.

"On Sunday, in the tenth hour," Ranma read aloud, "meet me in the second field of Furinkan High School!"

"Sounds like a duel, huh?" Akane said, having entered just in time to hear Ranma’s recitation.

"Little Kunou just hates to lose!" Nabiki added.

"Vengeful, hm?" Akane seconded as Ranma crumpled the challenge letter in her hand.

=====

Sunday

=====

It proved to be a long week for Ranma.

A wisp of wind paraded across the open field.

She had tried to use the nurses station to change for gym, but had been given a sever reprimand. Which wouldn’t have meant that much to Ranma, save that it brought unwanted attention toward her.

"Where is that jerk?!" Ranma called out, tapping one of her bare feet impatiently.

Now she had mastered the art of the quick change. Her gaze locked on the inside of her locker.

"Don’t worry. He’ll be here," Akane responded from her right.

Some of the girls had started talking about her strange behavior behind her back. After years on the road, she was use to that. She was always the outsider.

Ranma turned and gave an appreciative smile. She wasn’t sure why Akane wanted to come, but she wasn’t going to complain. She could at least count one friend here.

She turned back just as the school bell rang the hour. She found Kunou had approached as she looked away.

"So you have come, my high-spirited goddess of the field!" He stood before her, once again dressed in traditional keno garb.

"You don’t learn quick, do you, pal?" She quickly sized him up. "Well?" she prompted. "Where’s your sword, huh?"

"Heh," he tsked and turned his dramatically to the side. "I have no need of a sword."

"Yeah?" Her eyes narrowed as she gave him a second appraisal. "Pretty confident, I guess."

"Confident enough…" He watched her from the corner of his eyes. "…to give you…" He quickly shifted his step and threw something really fast just over her head. "…THIS!" he finished with a shout.

Ranma caught said object purely out of reflex. Something fluttered down at the edge of her vision. Looking up, she held a rather impressive bouquet of flowers.

"I love you." Kunou turned and slipped away.

Ranma dropped to her knees. She was too stunned to do anything more.

Akane watched as the wind carried away the shocked blossoms with a concerned expression. ‘She took that worse that I did,’ Akane thought to herself.

"I’ll kill him!" A certain-red head shouted as she stormed into the house. "I’ll rip that perverts heart out and feed it to him!" Nabiki blinked, as she watched her storm up the stairs.

"What that was about?" Nabiki asked Akane as she followed behind.