Author Note: In this chapter I have one new scene, along with slight edits of the old chapter.

As the story progresses we will be seeing more of Herb since he/she is a key person of interest in this story next to Ranma his/herself.

I will begin preparation for chapter:7 today.. Partly why this is going rather fast is because I am only having to make slight adjustments and add in scenes as I deem them necessary for the story to prosper.

A.U.R. Chapter:6

The Journey home...

The weather in China was rather calm, scattered clouds hung in the sky, every so often a cloud passing in front of the sun blocked it's light causing shadows to cross the land, near one of the many passes that entered into the Bayankala Mountain range a small camp was set up it's occupants consisting of three individuals of which two of them was in the process of preparing food, while the third was sitting in the largest of the three tents that were set up.

The largest tent was rather sparse with exception of some bedding, and of course it's occupant who was a Musk female who looked to be in her late teens or twenty years of age, she looked rather miserable her white bangs hid her eye's crowned by blue hair, her two longest blue bangs swaying in the slight wind that blew in through the tent flaps, her Pink mane draped down her back touching the bedding she sat on.

Herb looked through the opening of the tent observing the scene the cool breeze nipping at her skin, she slowly laid back, doing her best to fight the feeling of nausea that was currently gracing her, on her face was clearly a troubled expression.

'Dammit I was just fine until now.. What is this feeling' she wondered though she was also concerned with another troubling matter which was of why she couldn't change her form as of late, Like Ranma she to was an aqua-transsexual her birth form being male.

Herb contemplated back on her victory against her rival and faintly remembering what happened afterwords. 'That slippery bitch...knew I shouldn't have allowed her to be male until after we parted ways.' she mused, before another thought drifted into her thoughts 'Please please don't let it be that... it only happened once surely nothing could have come of it right?' she tried to reassure herself.

Ranko-chan goes to school…

The morning was overcast, a cool breeze washing over Ranma as she walked to the train station. Holding her skirt down, she was flush with embarrassment. She couldn't understand how Akane and Nabiki could wear something so short. 'Good grief, I can't even walk on a fence like this, and this bra is too tight,' she fumed.

"Oh, lighten up, Ranma. It's not so bad. We girls wear this every day school is in session, you know. I'm sure you can manage it," Nabiki said with a grin.

Ranma shot a glare at Nabiki, who was walking behind her. "Easy for you to say, Nabs. You've been a girl all your life, whereas I'm a guy. I've only have had the 'luxury' of bein' a girl for a while now. I…and- I mean, I hate her with a passion. All she's ever done for me is scam free ice cream and put me in awkward situations like boys hittin' on me." 'Though truth be told I love her at the same time…I swear, the lengths I go to to hide my feelings. But I still think dressing as a girl while at school sucks. Why should it matter what clothes I wear!?' she thought with dismay.

"Easy, Ranma. It'll be okay. Besides, you'd best get used to it. You have a more than a year to be a girl at school, so the faster you accept that fact the better off you'll be," Akane said, giving her the smile that always seemed to appease the redhead. 'Boy, he thinks this is bad? Wait 'til we get on the subway,' she thought ruefully.

Nabiki just continued walking behind the fuming redhead, contemplating. 'I need to find out if her family is as rich as they seem. Would she be able to get hold of some of those funds? If so, maybe I can get more out of her,' she schemed.

As they continued their walk to the subway entrance, thunder was heard overhead. They soon entered the subway, just in time, as the rain began to pour down in buckets onto the street above. Continuing to the ticket booth, Ranma pulled out some money her grandmother had given her as an allowance and paid for all three girls' tickets. Getting the tickets from the machine, she handed them out to the Tendo sisters as they walked towards the line at the gate..

"The only thing that sucks is we had to get up three hours early just to go to school," Akane complained, covering her mouth as she yawned.

Ranko shrugged her shoulders. "I usually get up around three in tha mornin', so it doesn't bother me."

Nabiki stretched some as she let out a long yawn herself. "Perhaps we should transfer to a closer school, unless you both don't mind going to bed early like children."

Ranma and Akane both turned to Nabiki, giving her extremely sour looks that caused Nabiki to cringe.

Once the train had arrived, they boarded and found a spot, gripping the hand bars since there were no available seats. Ranma wasn't feeling too comfortable as she couldn't even move due to all the people around her. Every so often, Ranma would feel as if she were being leered at by someone. She couldn't figure out who it was, but even if she could she wasn't in the position to smack them.

As the train barreled towards its destination, the rumble of the wheels grinding on the tracks could be heard under their feet, the creaking of stressed ringing out as the passenger cars continued their fast-pace chase of the lead car.

Ranko growled and her cheeks flushed as someone from behind her had a hand up her skirt rubbing her in a place she barely knew existed. Fighting off a moan caused both by embarrassment and the unfamiliar sensations she was experiencing, she kicked her left leg back and caught the pervert in the groin with a lucky mule kick. As the hand retracted, the groans of her molester could be heard. He was probably close to passing out. 'Dammit. If it ain't Kuno, it's gotta someone else, right?' she thought with venom.

Akane wasn't having too terrible a time herself, though she could hear the groans of her older sister, who wasn't faring any better than Ranma. She was quite glad she decided to stand to the right of her fiancée, placing the window of the car to her right, while her sister was behind her. 'No nasty boys getting a hold of me this time, by golly!' she thought as a cheerful expression crossed her features.

Nabiki groaned in frustration, as she was tired of being felt up. Finally having enough, she thrust her school bag back into the person's gut, causing them to fall backwards onto someone else. That caused a commotion, leading to a fight near the back of the car. She gained a cheeky smile. 'Serves 'em right,' she thought triumphantly.

Nabiki was not much of a fighter. She never studied the Art beyond the basics, unlike her little sister. Much like Kasumi, she'd given it up soon after their mother had passed away. But she could still put dish out some pain if forced to defend herself, though she preferred to have others fight her battles for her – others such as Ranma, Kuno, or Akane, to name a few. Before relying on them, however, she would usually resort to putting her enemies in debt so they would be forced to pay up. Some may have called it blackmail or extortion, but she liked to think of it as honest business. After all, she had been doing this since not long after her mother had passed on to help pay the family's living expenses…though the extra spending money and sense of superiority didn't hurt either.

After a couple of hours, the train had finally arrived at their destination. The girls were never happier to be getting out of a train. As they started to leave, they turned to someone shouting at Ranma.

"Hey! Bitchy-Red! How dare you kick me!? I didn't do nothin'!" a skinny young man probably in his twenties yelled.

Ranma glared at the man. "Oh, you didn't do anything, huh? Then I am sooo sowwy! Musta been someone else…though I think you're lyin'. Since I'm off the train, you wanna try your luck?"

Akane and her older sister stepped back from Ranma as a crowd gathered to watch the possible fight that could ensue between the petite redhead and the tall, scrawny man.

The man started to shake, as he had thought the red-haired girl would be startled. Shrinking back, he took off backwards through the crowd, away from the furious girl.

Ranma let out a breath of relief, as she wasn't quite ready to be fighting in her embarrassed and highly flustered state.

The crowd disbursed, somewhat unhappy that a fight didn't happen. The girls quickly hurried out of the subway heading, for Furinkan High, dust kicking up under their heels as they dashed off in hopes to avoid being late.

After a few minutes they slowed their pace down, realizing they had one hour to go. All three of them started to laugh sheepishly at their foolishness.

"Ya know, usually when a fight is about to start we end up late. We're actually makin' good time," Ranma said with a slight smirk.

Akane giggled before speaking. "Yeah, I was so sure you were going to have to cream that creep."

"Yeah Ranma, why didn't you go cream him? you usually don't let someone yell at you like that without confronting said person," Nabiki noted.

Ranma shrugged, forcing out a chuckle. "Did you see him? He was scrawny. One hit from me and he woulda been in the next prefecture! I don't beat on the weak."

"He was touching you, Ranma. As a girl, you shouldn't let anyone get away with that or they will think you're easy," Nabiki stated, giving Ranma her two yen.

Ranma just shook her head in a weary manner. "Nabs, I did deal with him on the train. I doubt he's gonna be havin' any fun for a little while."

'I really hate when people think I'm going too easy on people…yet when I do decide to give 'em what for, I get yelled at for picking on 'em! Ryoga comes at me with that stupid umbrella of his, and then has the gall to sleep in my fiancée's bed as P-chan. And when I get to fighting him, Akane is suddenly malleting me for picking on Ryoga no matter what form he's in. For the life of me, I don't know why I promised on my honor to keep his damned secret! I swear, I can't win for losin',' she contemplated as she continued her internal dialogue on the way to school.

As they approached the gates, Ranma dug into her school bag. She wanted to make sure she had her cursed form's new identification ready so it could be temporarily registered along with her birth form, as well as an explanation of why she was going to be attending as a girl until her transfer kicks in. Finding her paperwork, she closed her bag. She eyed the students who were watching her; some knew her, some didn't. 'Ugh, please let me get into school without a hassle,' she inwardly prayed, crossing her fingers.

"Is that Ranma? Why is he dressed like that?" Yuka asked, gawking at the red-haired girl who was walking alongside her fiancée and Nabiki. As she got closer, they realized she was also wearing a light amount of make-up and quarter-sized hoop earrings.

Kohana's jaw slackened as she got a good look at Ranma, whose hair was no longer in a pigtail but rather curly waves that cascaded down her back. "Um…I don't know…so, does that mean he'll be using our locker room?" she asked with some concern.

Once they approached the door, all three girls quickened their pace in hopes of avoiding questions about the destruction of the house and Ranma's state of dress. Akane was especially in a hurry as she was somewhat embarrassed as to what people would think of her being engaged to someone who appeared to be just like any other girl.

"Go ahead, girls. I'll hold them off," Nabiki said as she turned around and spoke to the crowd. "Hold up! All of you you want questions answered, yes? That means you pay. If you make me late for class, you pay double," declared the girl known throughout as the Ice Queen of Furinkan.

Ranma and Akane felt grateful that Nabiki gave them the opportunity to make their escape. They continued their walk to the administration office, which just so happened to be where Principal Kuno's office was located as well.

"How much you wanna bet he's gonna wanna give me a bowl cut?" Ranma observed, sticking her tongue out in a disgusted manner.

Akane just chuckled. "You would probably be right on that, but I'd bet money that you'll knock him into next week if he tries to cut your hair," she replied as they walked on, quite surprised that Kuno Tatewaki hadn't made his presence known this morning. Unbeknownst to the pair, he was currently being evaluated at a mental ward thanks to the work of Ranma's grandparents.

"So where's Kuno today, Akane?" Ranma wondered.

Akane shrugged her shoulders. "Who cares? As long as he isn't groping us I'm just fine, aren't you?" she asked, giving her fiancée a curious glance.

"Yeah, of course I'm fine without him. I'd just gotten used to his long-winded Shakespeare rants. It kinda grows on you after a while, y'know? And after our junior year's over we won't ever hafta see him again – if we're lucky, that is," Ranma said with a chuckle.

They proceeded down the hall towards the office, their flats making a clacking sound on the tile. Akane spoke up, looking to Ranma. "Do you think the Amazons will be gone for good?"

"One could only hope, though I guarantee they're askin' their tribe for another go at me. They won't be through with me 'til they have me there teachin' my art to their warriors, but I won't allow it as long as I'm able. I'll be damned, Akane, if I let them turn me into a common housewife in the form of a husband to Shampoo! Hell, I'm surprised Mousse is even allowed to fight since he's an Amazon male, with the way their laws are," Ranma said angrily, finally pausing to take a breath. She had been thinking about the Amazons since they had left for China. She wasn't stupid; she knew they would be back. The questions were when and how would they go after her.

Akane gave Ranma a sympathetic look. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. They don't have a high opinion of men at all, even if the man in question is half a woman," she said flatly.

"Well, I could care less what they do with their people, but let 'em try to take me back! I won't be fooled by Shampoo anymore. If I gotta be a girl for a year and a half while at school, you can bet I'm gonna defend myself from here on out. No one'll think me weak when I smack 'em around some," Ranma declared confidently while blowing her bangs out of her eyes.

Akane pondered the redhead's words. 'Wait, did Ranma just say she would fight anyone, including girls, if they tried anything against her?' "Ranma, you're not going to beat up on girls, are you?"

Ranma stopped in her tracks and whirled around on Akane. "I didn't say that, I just said I'll defend myself! I don't hit girls if I can help it, not even tomboys like you," she defensively replied. She ducked under a swing of Akane's school bag, barely missing getting hit. "Jeez, watch where yer swingin' that thing, Tomboy!" she exclaimed, dodging another swing. This time she got caught in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

Akane glared darkly at Ranma before composing herself as they reached the office that was adorned in pineapples and coconut trees. "Kami-sama, he gives me the creeps," she stated.

Ranma just nodded in agreement as she was still holding her stomach. Reaching out with her right hand, she opened the door, allowing both of them entry. Inside, they found the principal playing his ukulele.

Principal Kuno continued playing his Hawaiian song while looking to Ranma and Akane, his cheap sunglasses gaining a slight gleam as they got closer. "Ah, da Big Kahuna be noticin' da pigtailed keiki decide to be a wahine today, yes?" he asked, finally recognizing Ranma in her new state of dress.

Ranma growled some. She reached into her bag, grabbing her paperwork and handing it to Principal Kuno. He read the documentation and walked over to his cabinet, placing it into Ranma's file. "Well, dat be filed away an' should be fully fixed up by da next morning. Now is time for da wahine's hair to be made into da bowl cut," he announced cheerily as he pulled out his shears. He was promptly kicked in the face by Ranma, who had been prepared for exactly that.

"Yeah, just cause I'm a girl right now doesn't mean I'll let you cut my hair, you jackass," Ranma spat at the now-reeling principal.

Akane laughed as she watched the principal collapse to the ground. 'I called it! I knew Ranma wouldn't waste even a moment before knocking him out,' she thought with a slim smile.

Thirty minutes later

Ranma and Akane entered their classroom, heading to the back just as the bell rang to sound that school was now in session. They both took their usual seats, though Ranma kept her head down, feeling the weight of everyone's eyes upon her. She was worried that everyone was going to think she was a freak.

Ukyo turned her head to the right, taking in every detail of Ranma's appearance. 'Wow, he's undergone a total makeover,' she thought, feeling somewhat sympathetic for her friend.

Ranma reached into her school bag, taking out a small case. Opening it, she pulled out a pair of her brand-new, purple-framed prescription glasses. Putting them on, she was almost amazed at the difference it made. 'Wow, um…I seem to be able to read, no problem now,' she thought as she picked up her pencil and started writing out the math questions from the board. She was slowly making progress for once, not sleeping like usual. She buried herself in the equations to take her mind off the uneasiness she was feeling.

Akane turned to Ranma to see how she was doing, amazed that she was finally getting to see Ranma's new glasses. She hadn't put them on once since she received them. "Ranma, you finally decided to wear them?" she whispered quietly.

"Yeah…Mom said they'd help me read, so I thought I'd try it," Ranma whispered back, not looking to her fiancée directly. 'Besides, I have to start wearing 'em full-time anyway. What better time than now to get rid of the awkwardness while I'm dealing with my other problem?' she thought, determined to defeat both challenges in one stroke.

After what seemed like forever the first period ended, with everyone getting up from their desks during the break between classes. Ranma walked out of the classroom, still wearing her glasses. She was trying to look calm and collected, but her mask of confidence was very thin. She was managing to endure so far; luckily for her, no one had asked her any questions yet. Ranma groaned as she realized nature was conspiring against her, feeling incredibly awkward as she walked to the restroom. Pushing open the door to the ladies' room, she headed to the back. Not making eye contact with anyone, she found an empty stall and walked in, shutting the door behind her.

Several girls all turned their heads to the stall Ranma had entered.

"So, Saotome, what makes you think it's okay for a boy to use the ladies' room?" Yuka asked with a somewhat angered tone.

Ranma just sighed as she finished her business. After cleaning herself up she then left the stall and walked over to the sink, causing Yuka and several other girls to step back while she washed her hands. Turning to the door, she left without a word. She didn't know what to say.

Kohana glared at the door through which the redhead has just left. "Wow, he didn't even answer you, Yuka. What kind of perverted program are they running here!?"

"Yeah, why do they have to let a freak use our restrooms, anyway?" Sayuri asked sourly.

Yuka nodded in affirmation as she looked to the other girls. "Let's talk to Akane. We'll have her straighten her fiancé out."

"I'm starting to wonder about Akane, girls. I mean, she dates a boy who crossdresses and flirts with boys all the time – and now he even has both his ears pierced," Kohana stated rather bluntly.

Yuka pondered her words for a moment. "Akane isn't a pervert, she's just stuck with the freak 'cause of her father. They fight like cats and dogs all the time! If that freak said near as much to me as he does to her I would have him neutered," she said, disgust crossing her features just thinking of the part-time girl.

Lunch hour

Ranma quickly made her way up to the roof, leaping up to sit on top of the water tower. She would hopefully be able to keep out of view of any potential students that might have followed her or been looking for her. Once she was finally sure she had avoided everyone, she opened up her bento and smiled. "Mom packs a mean bento," she stated softly to herself as she popped the top on her soda. Taking a drink, she then set it down and grabbed her chopsticks to eat.

Down in the schoolyard, Akane sat under her usual tree with her friends.

"Akane, you've gotta get your fiancé under control He's using our restroom and making all of us uncomfortable," Yuka explained as Akane continued eating.

After finishing her soup, Akane turned to Yuka and spoke in a casual manner. "Yuka, I am not Ranma's keeper. And besides, for the next year and a half she's just as much a girl as you and me when in her cursed form.. and well won't be a problem soon."

Kohana looked to Akane wide-eyed. "Akane, Ranma is a boy, not a girl! He's even said so many, many times, and he's tried to peep in on us on several occasions. He's also been known to-" she complained, before Akane cut her off.

"Ranma is technically a guy, you're right, but when in cursed form no doctor would be able to tell. Dr. Tofu has even said so," Akane stated before standing up.

Yuka looked to the Tendo girl. "Where are you going, Akane?"

"Somewhere I won't get interrogated and thought of as some pervert because I'm engaged to Ranma. You might all think he's a freak of nature, but he's not. He's a human being with feelings just like us who has the bad luck to have a curse," Akane replied icily as she walked off, leaving her friends stunned and bewildered.

Up above, Ranma continued her lonely meal. After finishing it, she closed up the bento and lay back to rest. Placing her hands behind her head, she closed her eyes and tried to let her mind drift from the stresses of her day.

"Any luck, Hiroshi?" Daisuke asked, as he had looked everywhere for the elusive redhead.

Hiroshi shrugged his shoulders. "Nope. Ranma just disappeared soon as lunch started. Hell, she leapt out the fourth-story window and nobody's seen her since."

Little did they know the object of their search was just above them on top of the water tower. Giving up their search, they started in on their default conversation topics of girls and cars.

Ukyo searched around for half the lunch hour, not finding any trace of Ranma. 'Damn, where did he go? Off campus?' she wondered. She had already checked all of his usual haunts without success.

Elsewhere, Ranma heard a pair of feet land next to her. Opening one eye, she noticed Akane standing over her. She had to look away quickly, as she gained a red tint to her nose from seeing Akane's pink-and-white striped panties. "Hey, Akane. How'd ya find me?" she asked, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"I just asked myself where I'd go if I was a redhead who was able to leap to high places and I wanted to avoid questions. I figured I would go where no normal student could find me. So, now I'm here…of course, it took more work for me than it did you, I bet," Akane stated as she took a seat next to Ranma, who was still lying down with her hands behind her head.

Ranma just let out a sigh. "Akane, you could do a lot of the things I can with enough practice. It just takes time and patience. I started when I was five years old, y'know. My father trained me every day nonstop for more than ten years! You didn't have that…and really, you should probably be thankful, or else you'd be running every time a furball came your way."

Akane mulled over Ranma's words for several moments before looking at her watch. "We should head back soon; lunch is almost over."

Ranma stood up with Akane, looking over the edge to see if any students were below them. When she deemed it safe, she picked her fiancée up momentarily and jumped down from the water tower. Setting Akane on her feet, they both smoothed out their skirts before entering the building to head to their next class.

Ranma leaves Furinkan

Ranma sighed as she walked with Akane towards their destination of the gym. Once they had arrived they entered the locker room so they could change into their gym clothes. Akane walked in first, followed closely by Ranma. The redhead did as she had been instructed, keeping her eyes to the back of the locker room. Eventually walking past Akane, she made her way to a locker at the very rear so she could change. All the while, the angry eyes of several girls were directed her way.

"Akane, you brought him into our locker room!? What is wrong with you?" Yuka asked her longtime friend in exasperation.

Akane changed into her uniform without a word. Once she closed her locker, she answered. "Yuka, she went all the way to the back. Tell me, how she is peeping on you?" she asked, sounding rather annoyed.

"That's not the point, Akane. This is a sacred area boys don't belong in," Kohana stated flatly, stepping closer to Yuka and Akane.

Ranma couldn't see the exchange, but she could hear Akane and her friends getting into an argument over her. 'Why is it my messes always get her into trouble with her friends?' she asked herself sadly as she finished putting on her new uniform that she absolutely wished she didn't have to wear. As she stood there thinking over the situation, she came to a decision and switched back into her school uniform.

"Do you have sex with him when he's a girl?" Sayuri asked in an agitated tone.

Akane turned bright red. "NO! Absolutely not, I don't, and I haven't done anything with him, period! Why do you insist on asking me that question almost every week!?" she said heatedly, balling her fist so tight her knuckles turned white.

Hearing the ongoing argument, Ranma sighed as she walked up to the crowd of angry girls. "Look, could you all like leave her alone? And no, we don't do anything in this form, jeez."

"Ranma. don't…" Akane began as her fiancée continued on.

Fuming, Ranma looked to the girls. "You try bein' me for one day, and I guarantee you won't be sane soon enough. But to save y'all the trouble, come tomorrow I'm transferring. So, no need to get your panties in a wad," she said coldly. With that, Ranma left the locker room and headed for home.

Akane, along with the rest of the girls, simply stood there speechless, the sound of the locker room doors closing capitalized the situation.

Four hours later

Neji sat sipping her tea in her study. Looking to her right out the window, she saw her granddaughter hop the fence around the estate. Though said fence was at least ten feet tall, Ranma cleared it as if it were nothing. "She's home early," Neji said softly to herself.

Entering the house, Ranma was observed by Genma, who was sitting on the stairs. "Somethin' wrong, Ranma? You're out of school a little early," he noted.

"Everything's just peachy, old man," Ranma said in a huff as she headed upstairs towards her room. Once inside, she went about changing into a pair of beige pajama pants and a sleep shirt and walked over to her bed. Lying down, she covered herself up completely with the blankets. She did not notice her mother, who had entered the room.

"Something happen at school, honey?" Nodoka asked her daughter calmly.

Ranma peeked out from under the blanket. "Only that Akane's friends are houndin' her over me," she sighed. "Can I skip going to school until that transfer comes through?"

"Well, if that's what you wish to do, then we will go tomorrow to get you enrolled in that other school we talked about, dear. But is that really what you want?"

Ranma let out a sniffle, trying not to cry in front of her mother. It was much easier for her to avoid when in male form. "I just wanna go somewhere I can be normal. Is that so hard? Yeah, I wanna go somewhere I'm not so well-known."

"Honey, you are going to face these issues everywhere you go; that's just a fact of life. You are an extraordinary person, and you have an extraordinary curse. Look, we will get you enrolled tomorrow at the new school, but you'll need to be discreet with your martial arts if you want to stay under the radar. Try acting like a normal teenager and people won't notice you as much. Of course, with your looks and personality, you'll always receive some attention," Nodoka said with a smile.

Letting out a half-depressed sigh, Ranma finally came out from the covers. "Which school were you considerin', Mom?"

"St. Hibachi; they are a rival school of that Kuno Kodachi friend of yours. It's an all-girls school, but since you'll only be permitted to be male here at home, I think it would be the perfect place to finish your schooling through your senior year," Nodoka explained happily as she gave her daughter a hug, which Ranma returned the hug.

"Thanks, Mom," the younger redhead stated warmly.

Nodoka chuckled at her daughter. "Don't thank me yet, dear. This could be a headache for you if things go sour, though I'm confident you won't let that happen. So, we shall see," she said in an upbeat tone.

The following morning

As Akane and Nabiki started their long trek to school, Ranma and her mother headed off to St. Hibachi. After an hour on the bus, mother and daughter arrived at the school and made their way to the office.

Once they arrived, Nodoka didn't bother knocking as she lead her daughter into the office and closed the door.

"No-chan, my friend! How have you been?" An older, gray-haired Japanese woman asked. Ranma noted the woman was dressed rather nicely in a gray pantsuit with matching four-inch heals.

Nodoka gave her old friend a smile. "Oh, Neina-sensei, I am doing fine. I'd like you to meet Ranma. Ranma, this is Furukawa Neina-sensei, the headmistress here at St. Hibachi."

Ranma bowed to the woman in greeting. She then turned her head at the sound of the office door opening to see several girls enter. Sitting down, they looked her over in an appraising manner.

"So, you've finally brought your son by to see me, my friend," Neina observed, giving both her friend and Ranma a friendly smile.

Ranma tensed up.

Neina laughed. "Calm down, Ranma. Don't worry, they already know about you. These girls are a few of our top athletes. They were actually quite interested in you, since they saw you at the gymnastics competition. We're always in need of good athletes, so you'll hopefully find yourself at home here."

"Oh, well…I kinda got shanghaied into that," Ranma stated with a slight chuckle as she scratched the back of her neck nervously.

Nodoka smiled, seeing all the friendly looks the girls were giving her child. "Well, shall we get Ranma enrolled so she can begin classes soon?"

"Absolutely, my friend. Alright, girls. You've seen the new girl, now off to class with you. I'm sure there will be plenty of time to talk to her tomorrow."

After the girls departed, the three remaining women began filling out the paperwork for Ranma's enrollment. It included a list of rules that Neina explained thoroughly.

Ranma soon found herself holding several books. One dealt with the school's dress code, another covered sexual harassment rules, a third addressed St. Hibachi's code of conduct, and so on. "Um, that's a lot of books, Sensei," Ranma noted plainly.

Neina just smiled, giving off a slight chuckle. "This school isn't second rate, you know! Your mother went here, as did I. As a matter of fact, we have had several generations of Saotome women all come to this school, so I promise you will be in good hands," she reassured, pausing before she continued in a kind but stern tone. "Ranma, I know you've led a rough life, and that school was rather hectic at Furinkan. But I expect you to put your want of fighting behind you for now. I will not take kindly to you getting into fights with any of my girls."

Ranma looked to Neina. "I don't hit girls unless challenged, so you don't gotta worry about me starting any fights. 'Sides, I promised my granny that I'd try to stay away from fightin' for now."

Neina seemed satisfied with the girl's response. "That is good to hear. One last thing, Ranma. this school takes pride in the quality of its students education, so no sleeping in class. Yes, your mother has told me you've been known to do that. But I can see you are very bright and capable, so please do your best to uphold our standards. Well, No-chan, I would say your child will do well here. See you tomorrow, Ranma – or I suppose I should say, 'See you tomorrow, Ranko,'" she said with a grin.

Ranma gave Neina a smile. "Will do, Sensei. See you tomorrow," she stated and headed towards the door. Thinking a moment, she turned back to Neina. "Um, ma'am…you can enroll me that fast?"

"For you and your mother, Ranko, I can do most anything…for the right smile," Neina replied, giving Ranma one last smile before she went back in her office and shut the door.

Gym class at Furinkan

Stretching, Akane got ready for her turn on the gymnastics equipment while some of the other students were busy moving mats around in preparation for Akane's routine. As soon as the gym coach gave her the signal, Akane worked her way through a routine on the parallel bars. Finally letting go, she did two flips and landed on her feet with a thump a little past the edge of the mats. Yuka took note of where the girl landed so that they could place the mats better for her next time.

"Good job, Akane. Kohana, it's your turn," the coach called out.

Finding a towel, Akane wiped the sweat from her brow and sat down on the bench. Looking to her side and finding no one there, she had to shake her head. 'I guess Ranma really is transferring after all. Even though I'm not getting questioned now, it doesn't help that I want the baka here with me,' she thought to herself. Though she normally wouldn't admit it, Ranma had grown on her, both as a friend and a fiancé. Though the part-time girl could certainly get on her nerves from time to time, Akane still cared for Ranma just as much as Ranma seemed to care for her.