Thursday, July 28, 2005

Prologue: It All Started When...

"Yuske catch!" The red haired girl threw the football into the boy’s waiting hands. He dashed off across the field looking back to barely see the young girl tackled by a tall blonde boy from the opposing team.
The boy grinned dodging a large boy trying to get between him and the goal. He quickly avoided two more before crossing the end zone and making the final score to win the game. The boys on his team rallied around him giving him pats on the back. He looked back to find the red head still on the ground under the other boy. Anger slowly swelled up within him as he made his way across the field.
"The game is over you can get off now Kenji. You lost."
"What is such a beautiful girl doing playing such a rough game. You are going to get hurt." He scolded looking down at her.
"So are you if you don’t get up." She moved her legs under him and sent him flying backwards. Yuske sidestepped watching the boy sail past him and hit the ground with a thud.
"What was that all about?" He turned his gaze from the sprawled out boy to the pretty girl shaking the dust from her clothes.
"Kenji was getting too…friendly." She said flipping her long red braid from her shoulder.
"I just thought we could celebrate your win." The boy said getting up from the ground smiling at her, appearing completely uninjured.
"Yeah well what was with you trying to grab my breasts in the middle of the game?!" The boy just continued to smile shrugging his shoulders.
"You WHAT!" Yuske spun around and punched Kenji dead in the face leaping onto him before his body could hit the ground. The girl walked away shaking her head.


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The attractive middle aged woman spied a quick glance at the clock above the stove as she prepared dinner. "Ranma they were held after class again. We will have to have another talk with them." She shook her head as she cut the zucchini before her painfully slow.
"Whatever good that will do, when they are together they are in trouble." Ranma said, the smile on his face displaying his envy.
"Ranma, I think you encourage them." She turned to scold her husband and then continued to carefully chop. "Well in any event I think I will bring it up with Ryoga tonight." She finished one vegetable and was about to go on to another when the children entered the house their voices raised in hostility.
"You are such a jerk!"
"That’s gratitude for you." The boy said in a nasally voice, his head tilted back holding his nose. The two walked into the dining area of the house and sat at the table.
"Oh what happened?" Akane entered the room seeing the boy’s filthy clothes obviously from a fight. Ranma followed closely behind her.
"Nothing." The boy said looking at the older woman rather embarrassed.
"You know I could have taken him myself." The girl said as she eyed his nose and started to look for any real injuries.
"He just pisses me off that’s all. Ow! Don’t kill me!"
"What happened? Who did this to you?" Akane looked on concerned.
"And I hope the other guy looks worse." Ranma smiled at his favorite student, not catching the scowl from his wife.
"Boy does he ever!" The red head giggled.
"Riei Saotome, will you please explain yourself." The young girl cringed reflexively at the sound of her full name.
"Well Kenji, Sanzenin, was being particularly fresh at gym today, grabbing at me and stuff. So Yuske, my knight in shining gym shorts, came over and beat the hell out of him." Her face turned from mock sweetness to acting out the blows, as she described the events, speaking more like a boy than a girl.
"So this Kenji actually got a punch in?" Ranma asked surprised knowing the boy’s skill.
"No, I walked into a telephone poll on the way home after being held after for fighting. Riei was distracting me. That’s the last time I help you!" The boy turned to the girl removing his hand from his battered nose.
"Hey! Who asked you to? I could have taken him easily, besides I waited for you after school didn’t I."
"What exactly distracted you?" Akane asked as all three stared at him in wonder.
"I don’t want to discuss it anymore." He looked off to the side frustrated thinking back to the events that led to this moment.



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Riei stood waiting outside leaning against the stone wall that surrounded the school glancing absently at her watch. She wore her school uniform, a tan pleated skirt that reached her knees, white dress shirt and a gold vest, all in a state of total disarray. Her long dark red hair was tied back in a loose braid leaving lots of wisps framing her lovely face. Yuske came out of the building looking annoyed, but his expression quickly brightened when he saw her waiting for him. They walked side by side beyond the gates and down the street.
"I don’t know what you thought you were doing." She said breaking the silence.
"He was a jerk, what would you expect me to do let him grope my best friend. Maybe I should have asked him if he wanted another!" Yuske tried to hold back his anger but just looking at the distracted expression on her face made the fire in his soul burn hotter.
"It didn’t have anything to do with you. It was between him and me." She said calmly.
"You say that as if you don’t mind. You would have done something to him right?"
"Of course, don’t be ridiculous." She spoke quietly never looking at him as she walked on ahead. He pondered her words as he walked on, straight into the telephone pole.



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"Yuske why don't you go and clean up before your training." Akane told the boy. He obeyed and walked away, knowing his way around the Saotome home. Akane gathered up the boy's belongings and started to clean the dining area while her daughter rifled through her backpack.
"Riei, why do you two fight so much?"
"I dunno, just friends fooling around." She said listlessly as she leafed through her biology book.
"You two have been best friends since you were little. Don't you think you are becoming more than that now." The girl looked up from her schoolwork disgusted.
"Mom, no way! Yuske is my best friend. Besides he is a guy and a perverted one at that. Course all men seem to be perverts now a days." She said frustrated with all the boys lavishing their affections on her recently. "When did they all become dribbling jerks?"
"They can't ALL be that bad, can they?"
"Dad is the only normal guy I know of." Akane giggled.
"She sounds like you in your tomboy youth." Ranma teasingly poked his wife's side. She quickly hit him with a nearby vase.
"I'm gonna get changed into my gi."
"Check on Yuske will you?"
Riei nodded heading in the same direction as the bleeding boy, his backpack in hand. She gave the bathroom door a gentle rap.
"Hey, you alive?" She slowly opened the door and found the boy standing in front of the sink a hand gripping either side of the basin. His shirt lay on the floor by his feet; his hair and face dripping wet.
"Barely." He looked deep into her crystal blue eyes. She handed him a towel from the shelf to her side. Her face flushed watching his muscles flex while he dried himself off. She remembered dressing together as children, inseparable. They had taken hundreds of baths together in this very room.
"I ah, gotta get my gi on, meet you in the dojo." She dropped his backpack and closed the door to the bathroom behind her. Leaning up against the door she thought to herself, 'Mom is crazy.'



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All the students were lined up bowing to Ranma. Riei and Yuske were side by side in the front row. A few kids around their age from school were students as well. Most of the class was building endurance and balance, only a few students had risen to the higher aspects of Anything-Goes martial arts. Riei, Yuske, Yuske’s friend Kirasato and Riei’s cousin Sakura were the only students to advance that far.
"Ok pair off for sparing, when your opponent is knocked out attack another student until there is only one of you left standing. Remember rule one of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, be prepared for anything at anytime. Yuske and Riei immediately stood back to back facing their sparing partners.
"Just the way I like it." Riei commented looking back at Yuske who turned to give her a nod. After taking their respective opponents out in a matter of seconds the other students began to fall in one after another to attack the school’s two best martial artists. None could stand for more than a few seconds before being sent flying across the room. Riei attacked with unbelievable speed in her punches and Yuske’s strength only required one or two kicks at the most to render his opponent immobile. When all of the students lay to waste around them the two turned and faced each other panting.
"Only one left standing that’s what the man said." Riei said grinning at him.
"Well I don’t normally like beating up girls but in your case I’ll make an exception." He returned her grin and charged with a series of punches. She weaved left and right knowing the strength of just one punch would probably knock her straight across the room. She dropped to the ground to sweep his legs he vaulted over her head and rolled to his feet behind her. She was immediately on her feet throwing her own attack of punches, unable to avoid he chose to block the blows with the palms of his hands leaving him with a tingling feel in his wrists.
She connected a kick to his chest, which he absorbed staggering back only a foot or two. He smirked at her and took his fighting stance. She narrowed her eyes preparing for another attack when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked to see her father smiling at her.
"I think we’ll be here for a while if I let you two continue." The two turned to their sensei and bowed. "Ok enough fun, everyone on the floor stretching."
"Ugh." Riei exclaimed, she hated stretching, "Come on Yuske."
They both got down on the floor; legs spread their feet touching. With their hands locked pushing against each other. Riei grinned at him testing his strength against her own, when a beautiful young girl in a familiar school uniform walked past the doorway catching Yuske’s attention. His eyes followed her to the house were she disappeared inside. Riei’s blood started to boil as she watched him ogle her sister. She took her right hand from his without him moving a muscle and punched him in the face. His head bobbed back and the blood started to flow again abruptly waking from his stupor.
"What the heck did you do that for!" His hand flew to his nose
"You were distracted." She got up and walked away leaving him to stare after her stunned. She walked to the bench near the door where his towel lay and threw it at him. ‘All women are insane.’ He thought to himself.
"Alright class is over." Sighs and grumbling came from all over and all the students but four ran from the dojo. Ranma walked over to his daughter and put his hand on her shoulder. "You ok? You hit Yuske pretty hard."
"Yeah he just wasn’t paying attention." She shrugged and looked away.
"Your temper might get the better of you someday." He walked back to the house and left the remaining students. Riei looked back at Yuske being watched by Kirasato and Sakura. She walked over and sat next to him her legs folded under her.
"Sorry I didn’t mean to hit you so hard."
"Oh it was nothing." He said looking away, knowing this would irritate her.
"Yah sure cuz I could try it again." She held up her fist, then lowered it slightly when she saw he was smiling at her. Her heart seemed to melt a little, and she sat back on her legs.
"You two are too much." Said the Chinese boy, Kirasato.
"You’re fighting was even better today have two been practicing together." Sakura asked sweetly, sitting demurely across from her cousin.
"I dunno, I guess." Riei replied. The four sat and talked for awhile before breaking apart. Kirasato and Yuske walked home together as Yuske was staying with a friend who lived nearby.
"Riei is becoming a more beautiful flower everyday, don’t you think Yuske?"
"I guess, I haven’t noticed. She is more of a pain however."
"But you two are still best friends right?"
"Of course, we’re still as close as ever." Yuske was surprised by all the sudden questions from his friend.
"Close? How close are you two?"
"I dunno, close. She’s my best friend."
"Then you two don’t…I mean you two haven’t…or aren’t like…"
"NO! We don’t and we certainly haven’t and we definitely are NOT!" He was outraged how could he think such a thing. His response echoed through his mind, ‘don’t ____, haven’t ____, are not ____’ he was afraid to fill in the blanks.
"Good."
"Huh?"
"Cuz I think that she is extremely attractive and would like to…" Yuske stopped mid-stride. "Do you think you could help me?"
"ME! Why do you want me to help you?"
"You know her the best, I’m sure you could figure out how she feels."
"Great now I am a matchmaker."
"I mean that is unless you don’t want to because you would be jealous."
"What are you talking about, I would be happy to set the two of you up! I think you make a perfect couple." With that he started to hurriedly walk toward both houses. ‘Jealous, ridiculous. Of what!’ The two separated and each made their way to their respective house. Kirasato into the Cat Cafe and Yuske into Ucchan’s.
"I’m home!"
"You’re a bit late today, were you held after school again?" Ukyo asked from behind the grill she was scrubbing.
"Yes, I got into a little fight." He shrugged his shoulders trying to make it seem like no big deal.
"What happened?" Yuske’s father walked into the dining area from the kitchen. "I’m sure that Riei had something to do with it."
"Some jerk was groping her in gym class so I clocked him." He mashed his fist into his palm to accentuate his point.
"It’s good that you feel you need to defend your girlfriend’s honor, but you have to stop getting into trouble like this."
"She is not my girlfriend! Why can’t people understand we are friends-just friends." Yuske stomped off frustrated leaping up the stairs to the apartment above the restaurant.
"He looks so much like you when he’s angry. Maybe Ranma can get through to him, why don’t you discuss the both of them with him tomorrow night when we all get together for dinner." A dark cloud seemed to pass across the man’s face for a moment then he looked as his friend with a smile.
"That’s sounds like a good idea. Thanks for letting him stay with you while I take care of the final arrangements on our house."
"No problem. I still don’t understand why he isn’t staying with Ranma, since he is his sensei." She took her eyes from him and continued to clean the grill and put away the last few bottles of soy sauce.
"I don’t want him to spend every waking minute with Ranma training, besides I think he would be a bad influence on the young girls."
"Ryoga, you make your son sound like a delinquent. He really is a very respectful young man."
"He is still a little too much like Ranma in his youth for my liking, he is MY son." Ukyo held her tongue for a moment not wanting to say something she would regret. She took a deep breath and continued the conversation.
"Actually I think he is exactly like you were, except he isn’t carrying the weight of the world. In that way he is like his mother."



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Yuske’s head hit the pillow hard as he came crashing down on the futon in the spare room of the apartment above the restaurant. ‘What a day.’ He thought reflecting back on the days events ‘Ha-girlfriend, she is barely a girl!’ He looked around the room at all his earthly belongings neatly packed away in cardboard boxes. ‘How long will I stay here? What is this, the fourth home, since…’ He rolled over onto his side, wiping the self-pity aside, he loathed people who felt sorry for themselves.



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The boys left to go home leaving the two girls in the dojo stretching. Riei jumped to her feet leaving Sakura sitting cross-legged on the floor. She began to review her kata extending her arms and legs with great skill. Sakura observed admiring her cousin’s well-built body wishing she had as many curves.
"Riei can I ask you a question?"
"Shoot." She continued her movement, concentration written on her face, as the young girl looked at her earnestly.
"Are you and Yuske, you know?"
"Are we What?" Riei stopped noticing the girl’s seriousness.
"You know. Do you like each other, are you dating?"
"Yuske, the pervert. He is my friend." Riei thought she might burst out laughing her and Yu-Yuske, it was definitely laughable.
"I wish I had your confidence when it comes to men. If you two aren’t an item do you think you could ask him out for me?"
"You’re kidding, why can’t you?" Riei couldn’t figure out what the big deal was. Sakura was an extremely pretty girl, slender and graceful. She had straight blonde hair that reached two inches or so past her shoulders and lovely creamy white skin.
"I just couldn’t, you know him find out how he feels. Please! He is so cute and strong."
"Alright, but I still think it’s strange." The young girl gave her a rib-breaking hug and ran out of the dojo excitedly. ‘She is crazy, I mean strong sure, but cute?’ She flashed back to seeing him in the bathroom without his shirt. She flushed a bit then shrugged it off and continued to train by herself.



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The next day Yuske and Riei walked together to school silently each wondering how they should bring up the dating subject.
"Nice day huh?"
"Yup sure is."
"So your dad and Ukyo are coming over for dinner tonight?"
"Yup." They both nodded, as they walked not saying another word until they reached school. They walked through the crowd of kids gathering in the front yard waiting until the last minute to enter. A student walking by suddenly struck Riei in the shoulder.
"Oh sorry it is a little crowded today." The young man smiled at her serenely from behind his dark green eyes.
"No problem Masamoto." She returned his smile loosing herself momentarily in the handsome face above her.
"Are you ok? I didn’t hurt you did I?" He put his hand lightly on her shoulder. Yuske quickly removed it.
"She is just fine. She won’t break." He glared down at the stranger being a good seven to eight inches taller. Yuske was only 16 and already taller than most of the boys in the senior class, he was quickly catching up to his father and sensei.
"Yuske, Masamoto is a friend, he is in one of my classes."
"I think we have class together as well, study hall, isn’t that right Yuske?" The boy smiled at him trying his best to be friendly.
"Yeah." Yuske replied. He didn’t like him for no good reason whatsoever.
"Don’t worry, Yuske’s not as scary as he looks. I’ll see you in French later." She waved as he walked away watching Yuske glare at him out of the corner of her eye.
"You take FRENCH with HIM?"
"Yeah what is your problem, he is very nice and very cute." She turned her gaze from Yuske to watch Masamoto walk away completely missing the annoyed look he was giving her. She held him in her eyes for a few minutes with a thoughtful expression.
"In fact he may be the only non-perverted guy at this school." She hummed to herself bringing her hand up to her mouth thinking.
"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?"
"Do me a favor, ask him what he thinks about me today in study hall." She said disregarding his question, looking up at him hopefully.
"Sure I will just play matchmaker for everyone then." He walked ahead leaving her to ponder his enigmatic remark. Suddenly the same heavenly raven-haired beauty walked by him. Riei caught up to him, but he was too preoccupied to notice.
"Hello!" She waved her hand in front of his face which he grabbed while turning to face her.
"I’ll do your favor if you do one for me. Ask your sister what she thinks of me."
‘This must be the season for love.’ She thought. "I will tell you right now, she doesn’t know you exist."
"Come on at least try for me. I will talk to Masamoto. We could do a double date thing." ‘And I could maybe invite Kirasato.’ He smiled pleading with her. Then the two noticed that they were holding hands and making quite a scene. They quickly released each other blushing.
"Alright, I’ll do it!" They nodded in agreement and walked to separate homerooms.



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"Riei is playing with the girls today?" One of the boys noticed from the bench on the baseball field.
"She likes volleyball better than baseball." Yuske shrugged as he watched her jump to spike the ball over the net. Her feminine body in perfect form, her muscular legs extending, the force of her arm hitting the ball and her bouncy descent back to earth. Perfect. Of course all the other boys on the bench were watching that latter part of this with great interest.
"I like her playing volleyball better too!" All the boys gave a nervous laugh. "I don’t think any other girl has such large breasts." The boys’ faces were plastered to the fence watching her bounce around the court.
"Hey!" Yuske was outrage by their comments.
"Yuske, I know she is your friend but come on." They all stared at him intently, surrounding him on all sides closing in. "You gotta tell us. You must have gotten a feel once or twice."
"What are you guys talking about! We aren’t like that!" He held up his hands in protest.
"Yeah yeah yeah. But all that sparing you do together you’ve never gotten a feel or seen anything?"
"Those outfits you wear are awful loose, you must have seen something?" Another boy chimed in.
"I have never seen or felt anything nor do I want to! Now why can’t anyone understand that we are friends!" After all that fuss none of the boys were paying attention to him, she spiked another ball. They clung to the fence drooling. He hung his head and sighed with frustration.
"I love gym." One of the boys said admiring her gym outfit. "You are a lucky guy I wish I was as close as you are to her. Even just as a friend." He gave up on them and glanced at Riei. Her face beamed, they were obviously winning. ‘If she is on the team how could they not.’ He thought to himself letting a smile cross his face and he laughed quietly.
Some of the girls became aware of the boys’ scrutiny and started to giggle. Riei looked back saw Yuske and smiled. She waved to him excitedly as the other girls continued to blush. All the boys turned to look at him as he gave a small wave back a crooked smile on his face.
"What!" The boys all scowled at him.
"All that affection wasted on a friend." Disgusted they went back to baseball.
"Hmph! That wasn’t too friendly." Riei felt she deserved more, but went back to her volleyball game.



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Yuske sat in study hall feverishly trying to finish the revisions to his History assignment before next period. While glancing around the room deep in thought he spied Masamoto sitting by the window and remembered his obligation to Riei. Yuske walked over to the Masamoto table, being careful not to attract any attention from the teacher. Startled, Masamoto looked up at his visitor.
"Yuske isn’t it? What can I do for you?"
"Look, I don’t do this often, but what are you doing tonight?" Yuske absently looked around the room for a moment before settling his annoyed expression on Masamoto.
"Well, I don’t have any plans, but I’m not sure I’m the kinda guy you think I am."
"Not for me yah jerk. Ugh! Let’s start over." Masamoto nodded slightly fearful of the boy’s temper. Yuske took a deep breath and started again.
"Riei, do you like her?"
"Sure she is very pretty, but isn’t she kinda violent." Yuske felt he might be losing his chance at Maiyuka.
"Oh no, she is really a shy little thing on the inside, she is waiting for a man to take care of her. I think you two would make a good couple."
"Well she is very nice…"
"Great how about we get together tonight, we can do a double date thing." He paused. "You and Riei and Maiyuka and me. OK?"
"I guess that sounds like fun."
"Good be at the Korean BBQ around seven-ish." Yuske pounded the table and walked back to his seat. Masamoto was wondering if this was really such a good idea, when a pretty young girl caught his eye and stopped at his table.



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Finally the day was over. Riei ran over to Yuske and tried to punch him from behind, but he caught her fist in midair.
"So we are on for tonight. At least my side is done." Riei forgot all about hers, but she remembered telling Sakura that her and Yuske would go out that night.
"Sure…Mine too." ‘Sort of’
"Great." He could hardly wait for his date with Maiyuka.
"Oh and Sakura is coming, you don’t mind right?"
"No I’ll invite Kirasato, it’ll be perfect." ‘Perfect.’ He thought.
"Yup." They both walked home together devilishly planning the night events not noticing the others silence. When they got to the dojo Maiyuka was already home and Yuske was already in a trance. ‘Idiot.’ Riei thought to herself.
"There is no practice today kids I have to help your mother get ready for company. You can spar together." Ranma yelled out from inside the kitchen.
"OK. Hey Pop, Yuske, Maiyuka and I are going out for dinner tonight so you only have to cook for four."
"You aren’t staying for my cooking!" Akane was through the kitchen door in a flash armed with a wire whisk covered in white goo. "You aren’t trying to avoid dinner at home are you?"
"No, of course not mom." She lowered her voice slightly. "It’s just kind of a date."
"A date? You and Yuske on a date!" Akane held her whisk with both hands speaking in a high pitched voice.
"No Masamoto and me!" Akane dropped her shoulders in disappointment.
"Well ok, but don’t be home too late." Riei nodded respectively to her mother.
"BLECK! Akane WHAT did you put in this!"
"Ranma, you’re supposed to be helping, not insulting!" Akane spun on her heal and walked back into the kitchen. A loud crash and shouting emanated from the behind the door, but soon the murmur of soft voices was left in their stead. Riei sighed and looked out into the yard where Maiyuka and Yuske were sitting by the koi pond. Maiyuka was smiling while Yuske fumbled over his words. ‘Like I would wanna go out with THAT.’
"Yuske! YUSKE!"
"Huh, what?"
"Are we going to spar or what?" She folded her arms over her chest a frown on her face.
"Oh yeah." He smiled at Maiyuka and made his way to the bathroom to change while Riei went up to her room. Alone in her room she stood in front of her mirror hands on her hips. She examined her reflection for several minutes. The school uniform hugged her form tightly in places and hung loosely in others.
"I guess I’m not petite and feminine like Maiyuka or Sakura." The vest she wore extenuated her ample bosom. "I could be dainty…if I weren’t so round everywhere."
She removed the vest and pulled the shirt out from her skirt in the hopes it wouldn’t look so tight. It didn’t help. She unbuttoned the top two buttons, but it only made her cleavage easier to see. She took the shirt off completely in frustration, tossing it to the floor. She stood still in the middle of her room starring down at her full chest in the lacey white bra utterly disgusted.
"There is no way to get rid of them! UGH!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. The yell startled Yuske who was leaning outside her door waiting for her to finish dressing. He opened the door and rushed in knocking her to the ground, he stumbled, and followed her down. Unfortunately Yuske was not the only person to hear her cry. Ranma, Akane and their two guests, Ukyo and Ryoga also rushed upstairs to investigate.
Yuske raised his head from Riei’s chest looking up into her red face. "I-I heard you yell and-and" He gulped loudly hearing four sets of feet come to a halt in the bedroom doorway.
"HAI!" The four adults parted to allow Yuske to fly through the door and crashed into the wall. The bedroom door slammed shut and Yuske regained consciousness to four angry faces looking down at him. He barely escaped the questions of what he was doing and if it was something he did often. He hid in the dojo until things died down.
A few minutes past and Riei walked into the dojo fiddling her fingers, her face a light shade of pink. Yuske looked her up and down she wore loose fitting black cotton pants and a white tank top. She walked over to the corner of the room and picked her white gi top up off the mat.
"I left it here this morning." She said quietly returning his stare. Yuske felt the blood rush to his cheeks when their eyes met and quickly examined the floor.
"I’m sorry. It was an accident." He bowed to her. She slid the top over her shoulders pulling her ponytail out from the back of her shirt. He spied up at her from his bowing position.
"It’s ok, I’m sorry I hit you so hard. I mean it’s not like we have never seen each other naked or anything. We used to take baths together as kids."
"You’re right. I guess there isn’t anything to be embarrassed about, right?"
"Right." They both smiled relieved. They prepared to spare, taking their fighting stances. He grinned at her. "Still you’ve definitely changed since then."
"Pervert!" She shouted appalled by his statement and charged at him. The two fought for hours blissfully unaware of the conversation going on in the kitchen between their parents.



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"Just like his old man, eh Ryoga?" Ranma elbowed his friend in the side.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Ryoga pounded Ranma in the head with his fist.
"Well I think it might help their relationship." Ukyo said to Akane.
"I think today is definitely the day!" Akane beamed at the thought of their impending declaration.
"Then we’re agreed, tonight." The two men looked at each other seriously and nodded their approval.



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"Haha, I got you good that time." The girl said landing on her feet sticking her tongue out. She lowered herself to a sitting position on the floor panting out of breath.
"Never! I can take you anytime." He stood defiantly, his eyes roaming to the doorway to see if he could spy the beautiful Maiyuka.
"Are yah sure you can’t be DISTRACTED?" She gave him a crooked smile.
"Positively." He snapped back.
"Are you sure you can handle your hormones?" She extended her legs sexily throwing her head back while she looked up at him seriously. He swallowed loudly.
"Absolutely."
"Fine. Let’s go again and we’ll see if you can keep your focus." She jumped to her feet launching herself at his midsection following with a sweep at his legs. He sidestepped the punch but barely jumped to avoid the second attack. The fighting continued he blocked with all his strength and she evaded attacks with her immense speed.
They had been fighting for hours and were beginning to feel the strain. Riei was breathing heavily the front of her gi hung loose showing a generous amount of her heaving chest. For a moment Yuske became distracted by an image of their previous encounter. Riei took this opportunity to knock him to the floor with a kick to the face. He lay flat on his back wondering what he did in life to deserve such punishment.
"You know your libido will be your down fall." She leaned over him on her knees exposing more cleavage. He threw his head back slamming into the floor. She giggled and held his head in her hands.
"Well maybe I won’t always be fighting such well endowed opponents." He pulled her down and rolled on top of her. Her eyes widened with shock. "You play dirty you know, guys can’t do things like that."
He looked down into her limpid blue eyes making a light shiver pass through her. He got up quickly and turned his back to her. He pulled his shirt off and started to wipe the perspiration from his chest.
"Oh I don’t know about that." She said watching his well-toned muscles at work. She leapt to her feet and he began to laugh. He chased her around the dojo and out into the yard. Where their parents stood and watched.
"It’s good to see you both getting along now." Akane smiled at her red haired daughter lovingly.
"Ah yeah just an accident Ma." They both seemed uneased by their parents’ expressions.
"Well good we have some news for you." Akane looked over at her husband he nodded in return.
"Riei, Yuske. Your father and I have decided that it is time that you two become formally engaged. To each other. And that you should continue the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts." Ranma spoke unwaveringly his arms across his chest. Ryoga looked at his son evenly.
"WHAT!" The two yelled looking at each other.
"You are both my best students and you already like each other so it is perfect."
"But we are just friends we can’t…" Riei couldn’t finish her sentence.
"Well it is all settled. Don’t worry everything will workout." Akane smiled at the two dumb struck children.



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"Look there is no use in us arguing over this it’s obvious they have made up their minds." Yuske brushed the hair from his eyes not looking down at his female companion.
"You mean you think we should…" She stopped walking and stared at her best friend turned fiancé. He turned and looked down at her thoughtfully, looking deep into her eyes.
"Of course not." A wide grin crept across his face as he watched the blood return to her features. "I am just saying that we should be in this together. We can think of a way out of this mess."
She wiped the bead of sweat from her brow and nodded. "Sounds like a plan, now let’s get on with our dates."
Each giggled mischievously and resumed their walk through the Nerima shopping district. They finally arrived at the restaurant. They turned, gave each other a smile and entered. Their friends had arrived before them and were already eating. Yuske glanced at his watch they were not late in fact they were a few minutes early.
"Have you guys been here long?" Riei said returning Yuske’s questioning look.
"Oh I don’t know, about an hour." Kirasato said pausing his laughter only to be sent back into hysterics by a look from Sakura.
"Really that long." Yuske was completely puzzled Kirasato was barely making eye contact with him.
"Yup well," Sakura continued to swallow her food looking at Masamoto sweetly. "I learned from Masamoto that Maiyuka was coming and Kirasato found out that I was coming, well you get the picture. So we decided to all come together."
She smiled at Riei so sweetly that it burnt a hole straight through her heart. ‘Do they know?’ Yuske and Riei thought to themselves, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.
"How nice." Was all Yuske could say. He watched horrified as Kirasato received a pleasant smile from Maiyuka.
"Will you be joining us?" Masamoto looked at the two dazed figures standing at the end of the table.
"Oh yeah of course." Riei faked a smile and sat down at the end of the table pulling Yuske down with her. Kirasato and Sakura continued to laugh and joke with Maiyuka and Masamoto respectively, never glancing back in their direction.
Riei fiddled with the straw from her drink balancing it in her teeth, while Yuske made confetti out of his napkin. All and all the night went rather smoothly. When the check arrived Kirasato yawned and stood, glancing at Sakura from the corner of his eyes.
"Well that was great. Thanks for treating us to dinner, you guys are great." Yuske and Riei’s eyes bulged as they surveyed at the bill. Yuske rose to his feet to protest, but Kirasato was already looking away at Maiyuka.
"That was so sweet of you." She smiled at Yuske and he melted.
"You really don’t have to." Masamoto remarked standing. Yuske soon recovered and was about to say something when he felt Riei’s hand on his arm.
"No problem it WAS our idea. Why don’t you two go on home, we need to have a word with Kirasato and Sakura."
"OK I’ll see you at home sis." The two left the four friends standing around the table.
"I guess I deserved this, but how…" Riei looked at Sakura exasperated at which question to ask first.
"Look let’s not get into this, needless to say each of you owes each of us for some trickery you have done." Kirasato said, while Riei and Yuske looked at each other questioningly knowing their own part in the deception not the others.
"We don’t need to dredge up all the messy details, let’s just leave it with you guys owe us. Agreed?" Sakura nodded at Kirasato, he returned the gesture.
"Sure, I guess."
"If it gets us off the hook." Riei and Yuske shrugged at each other and the four parted ways. Yuske walked Riei back home.
"Gee we got off easy." ‘Well at least I did.’ Yuske thought to himself.
"Yeah sure did." ‘It’s obvious why Sakura wanted to, but Kirasato…"
"Hey you didn’t-" They said in unison the same thought obviously crossing through both their minds. "Oh never mind."
"I’m starved we didn’t even get to eat."
"Come on, I’ll find you something at home."
"Wasn’t your mom cooking tonight?"
"Don’t worry Pop was supervising." They turned and continued to walk on into the night together.



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Next Chapter Synopsis: The Peddler from Jusenkyo, A strange Chinese peddler arrives in Nerima and our five teenagers fight over who will purchase his wares. Riei, Yuske and Kirasato are looking for a way to cure their cursed parents, Kenji is only interested in revenge and Sakura is just caught in the middle. Will our heroes find a cure without getting themselves cursed? Do I really need to answer?




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