"Your uniform looks funny," Ranma said as he peered over the island bar in the kitchen as his mother tied a bow in the back of Akane's dress. Akane huffed as she put her arms on her hips, causing Nodoka to lunge forward as she moved.

"Shut up, Ranma!" Akane retaliated.

Thanks to the distance between them, Ranma decided to stick his tongue out at her, only to be reprimanded by his mother. "Kids, quit that," Nodoka said calmly as she stood up and fixed the bow in Akane's hair, "And Ranma, don't be rude, it's not Akane-chan's fault her school has her wearing this."

Nodding her head, Akane agreed as Nodoka looked down at her lovingly, "Ranma's being childish, sweetie. He's bummed that you two won't be going to the same junior high."

"Mom!" Ranma blurted, his face red as he ducked behind the bar again.

Akane giggled as she walked over to him and hopped onto a stool and reached for a bowl of cereal, "Ohh, gonna miss me?"

"Who'd miss you?" Ranma muttered as he shoveled food into his mouth avoiding the topic, all the while his cheeks sported a pink tint. Akane giggled as she ate her breakfast.

-#-

"Hnn," Akane said as she stretched her arms above her head as she walked along the pavement, a sigh followed as her bag felt like a ton of bricks on her shoulders.

"Stupid school," she mumbled as she turned the corner and bumped into someone. "Oh!" she exclaimed as she ushered her hands up in apology, "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there!"

"Akane?"

Stopping her antics, Akane looked up and saw a familiar cocky grin.

"Ranma!"

"Haha, clumsy as ever huh, Tendo?" The voice said, Akane raised her eyebrow as she realized Ranma ws not the one to say it. Careening her head sideways, she saw the taller companion of her friend. The bane of her existance, and childhood rival: Ukyo Kunoji.

"Ukyo," Akane muttered under her breath. The lanky twelve year old made her way over to her, her arms crossing her chest, "Ranchan told me you got into that prissy Junior high, the one where ya gotta be top smarts?"

Narrowing her eyes, Akane restrained herself. Ranma stood off to the side, looking a bit uneasy. "Guess you're pretty smart, huh..."

The sarcasm behind that statement did not go unnoticed, and Akane narrowed her eyes further, her hand tightening around the grip of her bag. Just as she was about to rebute, she found her free arm being pulled in one direction.

"Ukyo, if you ain't gonna be nice to Akane, I think it's best you go home," Ranma said over his shoulder, "Akane doesn't need to take that sorta crap from you," he glanced back to see her surprised face, "You barely got in at our school."

-#-

"Thanks back there..." Akane whispered as she brought in a tray of cookies Kasumi had made last night, "I was just about to sock her if you hadn't pulled me away."

"You're welcome," Ranma said as he ate a cookie.

Sitting down beside Ranma, Akane put her hand on his own hand that rested ontop of his lap, he blushed slightly as she smiled sweetly at him, "You're my best friend, Ranma."

-#-

"You're not listening to me," Ranma said agitated as Akane brushed her long hair in front of him. All she did was ignore him. "Akane, quit bein' stubborn, I'm telling ya'," Ranma said. But Akane kept on her game.

Frustrated, Ranma threw his arms into the air, "Geez, ya never listen to me, dammit!"

"Ranma!" Akane hissed as she shook her brush at him, "Auntie Nodoka said you weren't allowed to curse."

"Pfft, I'm 14 now Akane," Ranma replied coolly, "And besides," he shot back, "Didn't your dad say you couldn't date till you were sixteen?"

"We're just eating pizza, Ranma," Akane retorted, "And that's beside the point."

"Last time I checked, thirteen was not sixteen."

"I'll be fourteen in two months!"

"That's still not sixteen."

At that, Akane threw the hairbrush at Ranma, allowing another illicit word as it connected.

"Does it even matter, Ranma?"

"Yea, it kinda does!"

"Why?"

"He's too old for you!"

"He's your age, Ranma...and if I recall correctly, you're his senior by a month."

For a moment, it was silent between them and Ranma finally replied, "That's not the point, the point is you're dating when you're not supposed to."

"When did you become my dad, Ranma?" Akane spat, "Geez, I thought you'd be happy for me."

"I-I," Ranma stuttered, "How can I be happy for you?"

Akane stared down her friend for a moment before she brushed her hair behind her, allowing it to fall in waves. Quickly puffing out her chest, Akane sighed, "Look, it's not a date, okay? We're just classmates, and he's treating me out to pizza because we got an A on our project."

"You were bound to get an A on it anyways!" Ranma replied.

Blushing slightly, Akane looked at Ranma in surprise, and she saw him quickly discover his slip as he blushed, "W-what I meant was…"

"Oh, Ranma," Akane sighed, "Look – you wanna go too? Is that was this is about? I know how you get about food."

Struck dumb, Ranma could not help but gawk at her. Was that all she really thought of him? But…in reality – that's all he led her to believe. Blushing madly, he mustered up, "Yeah…I'm kinda jealous you get to get pizza."

Putting on her pretty smile, Ranma had noticed had gotten a lot more effective, she pulled on his hands and said, "Then join us for dinner, Ranma."

-#-

"Y-you look cute," Ranma muttered as Akane walked in with her hair framing her small face. "Thanks!" Akane said as she found a seat next to him, "I wanted something new, and decided to get my hair cut," she fondled with the back of her hair, "I-it's not too short, is it?"

"No," Ranma replied, "It looks good on you."

-#-

Another year rolled around, and it was already time for their freshman year in high school. This time around, though – the two would spend it together.

"I'm so excited to be going to the same school as you this time," Akane commented as she waltzed down the stairs of the Saotome house, "It'll be just like before junior high!"

"Yeah," he said as he slipped on his shoes, "It's going to be really fun."

"What's the matter?" Akane asked as she stood beside him in the doorway, cocking her head ever so slightly as she watched a blush rise to his cheeks, "Do you have a fever?"

Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed the palm of her hand firmly on his forehead, feeling no abnormal spike of heat there, she made a face, "No…that's not it," she placed her hands on either side of his face, and his face flared up as she brought his head down to look at her, allowing him a nice view of her cleavage from his vantage point.

And his very male mind decided to play with him that morning.

Quickly pushing her aside, he took in a deep breath, "Look, it's nothing, 'kane, it's just that I don't wanna go to school."

Smirking, Akane shrugged, "You've never wanted to go to school."

Right before they were about to leave, a small voice called out to them. Turning around, they were met with Nodoka who held two beautifully wrapped bento boxes, "For lunch."

-#-

"No! No! No!"

Ranma kept repeating it over and over in his head as he recalled all the boys who chased after Akane. The leers they had when she walked in, the way their greedy little eyes would give her the once over and their disgusting drooling faces.

And they way they would react when she smiled.

That was hissmile.

She was his friend, not theirs.

And dammit, he will make sure they know it.

-#-

So, despite what he told her, she went ahead and did it against his wishes. Now he sat in her house, watching the television as her two older sisters were in the kitchen talking amongst each other. It had not occurred to them that it was weird that Ranma was there.

He was practically family.

-#-

Breathing heavily, Akane slumped over, catching her breath as her clothes hung loosely around her tattered body. She groaned as she felt the bruise on her wrist begin to throb, but she held on as she stood up and made her way back home.

It would be the end of the world, the day Akane Tendo would lose.

And no hormonally driven group of boys were going to beat her, if she had anything to say.

-#-

When she got home, she expected to be chastised, yelled at and comforted.

What she did not expect was to see Ranma there.

He stood up, worry in his eyes as he ran over and examined her once over, and quickly called her sisters. After telling her story, she never thought she saw Ranma as furious as she did then. He gritted his teeth as he tended to her wounds, and muttered soft words as he helped clean her up.

It was then, Akane realized, just how much of a friend she had in him.

And just how much she loved him.

-#-

"It's been three months," Akane said as she closed the door behind her, seeing the boys sprawl away as Ranma walked alongside her, "They're still scared of you?'

"They damn better be," Ranma said, popping his knuckles, "For what they did for you, they'd better be fearing their lives."

A soft giggled escaped her lips. Ranma looked over at her curiously, "What's so funny?"

"You keep protecting me like you're my knight or something," Akane said softly.

Blushing, Ranma kept his focus forward as they walked.

"Does that make me your princess?"

Ranma stopped in his tracks, but Akane kept walking. When she noticed he had paused, she turned to face him. She saw that his face was red, and soon found hers reddening too as her mind just processed what had slipped out.

She had meant to say that part in her mind!

"O-oh," Akane sputtered, "W-What I meant was –"

"I-if you were my princess…would that bother you if you were?"

The two looked at one another, both red in the face. Whatever was the next thing to happen would forever change their relationships, and it took away his breath as he watched her slowly nod her no, and smiled, " Doesn't bother me one bit."

Author's Note

Well, I didn't really expect this story to be much; just a rambling of fluff or whatever. It's not meant to be taken seriously, and I thank you guys for the many hits. It's a big turn out, I wasn't really expecting it (was looking at 100), but it spiked, a lot. In the first day. And that's what really matters, right? That makes me happy! Anyways, there's one more part to this story, and I will probably have it out soon (maybe, don't hold me to it). But it's the final wrap up and the "adult" story (not that kind of adult story). This was their pre-teen~teen years as best friends. Hrnn.