Forgot the disclaimer in the first chapter…*blush*

The characters of Ranma 1/2 are the creation of and rightful property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are used here without permission. I hope to do them justice.

Chapter 2 – Later that night…

"So…you're saying this Soji guy is a old friend of yours?" Ranma executed a perfect roundhouse kick as part of the kata with casual grace, but, as Akane noticed, he had the oddest look on his face as he did so.

"That's right. I've known him since kindergarten." she answered shortly.

Ranma tilted his head inquisitively in her direction, while the rest of his body continued gliding easily in the movements of the kata as if he were functioning on autopilot.

"I thought you hated boys!"

Akane bit her lip, unsure of how to answer him. She hadn't always hated the members of the male species. In fact, at one point in her life, she had harbored the secret wish that she were a boy. After all, boys were the ones doted on by all the tradition-oriented adults, they were usually stronger, faster, better at physical activities like sports, and of course, martial arts… Nobody, except her parents, had ever really taken her seriously about her passion for martial arts. Even Ranma…but she didn't want to think about that right now. The main point was, she'd had plenty of male friends when she was younger. The problem had only started when puberty hit, and it became clear just how perverted and depraved boys' minds could be.

"I didn't then, all right?" she replied, almost rudely, a defensive edge creeping into her voice.

Ranma seemed to realize he'd said something inappropriate (he'd had a lot of practice after all) and stopped in the middle of the kata, raising his hands automatically to defend himself even though Akane hadn't yet made any sign that she was about to attack him.

"OK, OK, I didn't mean to – whatever it was!"

A twinge of irritation hit Akane. He didn't understand. He probably never would. Ignoring a small voice inside her that questioned why he should understand when she hadn't done any explaining, she pushed the issue aside and changed the subject.

"Whatever. So how's the coaching going?"

A week ago, everyone, including Ranma himself, had been surprised to receive a written plea from the authorities at Furinkan Junior High for Ranma to take some time out to, of all things, act as a coach for their soccer team. Apparently the kids had been impatient with their existing coach (an old, balding man in his sixties) and…encouraged him to quit, to put it politely. At first, Ranma had been skeptical ("Is this some kinda joke? I've never even been in Furinkan Junior!"), and Genma had resisted ("Ranma! As heir to the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts you must spend all your time training and not waste your time playing soccer with little kids!"), but when it became clear that they were serious about the offer, he decided to take on the challenge. The fact that they were offering a generous fee effectively silenced the greedy Saotome patriarch's initial protests.

Ranma relaxed from his defensive stance and tucked his hands behind his head, thinking.

"Fine, I guess. They sure weren't kidding about the Furinkan Junior team being 'little terrors' though. Man, I can't even turn my back without them plotting some mischief."

He smirked then. "But I bet they'll be thinking twice about messing with me from now on. Some of em' probably wouldn't be able to sit down for week."

"Ranma!" Akane looked at him suspiciously. "You aren't bullying them or anything are you?"

He instantly raised his hands to protect himself again, his mouth twisting into a scowl.

"No! Geez, Akane, you know I'm not like that! See, when I wasn't looking, a couple of em' decided to try and pull a fast one on me, you know, sneak up behind me and everything. But then I jumped outta the way and they slipped an' landed pretty hard on their butts. That's all I'm saying!"

Akane immediately felt ashamed of herself. She had known that Ranma wasn't the bullying sort, yet she'd jumped to conclusions so quickly and had been so eager to accuse. Somewhere alongside the guilt, she also felt her heart swell with pride for him. She felt sure that he would be able to win the Furinkan Junior team's respect and lead them to victory in the upcoming inter-school tournament.

But Ranma hadn't finished speaking.

"Man you uncute tomboy, I should've known you'd jump to conclusions like that, why do I even bother to…"

"RANMA YOU JERK!"