Scarlett hummed as she a cooked the rice. She smiled as she took the rice out and began to shape it. She placed a slice of octopus in the back of the rice ball. She smiles and did five more, though three of them had pork. She smiled and put them in two boxes. She smiled and began making octopus puffs. She flipped them. She carefully placed six in each box. She then proceeded to put in mixed fruits and veggies before closing it and smiling. She checked her watch.

"Good. Perfume, I'm leaving!" She ran out of the house with the two bento boxes and headed for the school. There, she spotted a little circle containing Ranma, Ryoga, and both Akanes.

Ranma pouted. "Come on Akane, you gotta let me have some of your lunch, the school store is all out!"

Akane shrugged. "You snooze you lose."

Ranma groaned. Ryoga looked down, ignoring his growling tummy. "Ranma-oniisan! Ushinawa-oniichan!" They blinked and looked back to see Scarlett running to them. "Hey you guys!" She smiled and held out the bento boxes. "I made you guys lunch!" She handed one to Ranma and gave the other to Ryoga.

"Thanks!" They chorused. Ryoga opened his and paled when he saw the many pork based food.

"Pork..."

Scarlett smiled proudly. "Mmm! Oniisan told me that you liked pork!"

Ranma snickered. Ryoga shook his head. "No...I don't. Sorry, I can't eat this." He handed her the box.

Scarlett glared at Ranma and snatched his bento. "Here. This one is octopus."

Ranma gasped. "That's mine!"

Scarlett shoved the pork bento at him. "This is yours. That was mean, Oniisan." Ranma grumbled and ate the bento. She looked at Ryoga. "Ne, Ushinawa-oniichan, go ahead and eat. You like octopus, right?"

He nodded. He looked at the bento box suspiciously. From what he remembered, Scarlett wasn't the best cook. Had she improved over her time away? He gulped. "Itadakimasu..." He tried the octopus puff. "Wow, this is great!" He chowed down. Scarlett smiled.

"Itadakimasu..." Ranma ate with his usual appetite. "Wow, your cooking skills have really changed!" He ate a rice ball. "Dis shtuff ish great!" Scarlett smiled.

Akane rolled her eyes. Scarlett smiled and watched them eat for a few more seconds before beginning to walk away.

"Oi, is that you Saotome?" Ranma and Scarlett both looked to the side to see a young girl with blue hair and purple eyes. Scarlett blinked. She looked at the girl for a long time before smiling.

"Hikaru-kun?" The girl smiled. Scarlett squealed and knocked her over, hugging her. "What are you doing here?"

"I moved here." They squealed.

Scarlett smiled and looked at her friends. "You guys, this is my childhood friend Hiro Hikaru. I've known her before I dyed my hair red and met Ranma." She turned to Hikaru. "Hikaru-kun, this is my cousin/brother Saotome Ranma, his fiancée Tendo Akane, and my friends Hibiki Ryoga, and Himamori Akane."

Hikaru bowed, smiling. "Please ta meet cha."

They all bowed. "So you two have known each other for a long time?"

Scarlett smiled, looking at Hikaru. "Hai. We became friends when we were in daycare. Scarlett was a bit of an outcast, so I made several attempts to become friends with her. She was stubborn, and was determined to be a lone wolf, but I weakened her defenses after a year and a half."

Scarlett punched her lightly with amusement. "Hikaru stuck to me like glue. I agreed to be her friend only because she promised to stop bothering me for a week. But she grew on me."

Ryoga blinked. "You used to be a loner?"

Scarlett nodded nonchalantly. "Yeah. I liked to hang out by myself and practice my katas and martial arts on my own, and I didnt like being around other kids. Hikaru-kun pulled me out of my shell. If I hadn't agreed to be her friend, I'd probably still be a stoic little brat." She chuckled. Scarlett put her fist on Hikaru's face playfully. "In fact, the only reason I agreed to be friends with her was to get her to leave me alone for a week. She convinced me to to teach her some basic katas, and she became interested in martial arts. Eventually she talked me into training her, and once again, the reason I agreed was to get her to leave me alone for a week."

Himamori looked at Hikaru. "How nice. So are you going to school here now?"

Hikaru nodded. "Yep!" She smiled and looked at Scarlett. "Hey, Pinku-chan, you wanna spar with me?"

Scarlett smiled smiles eagerly. "You bet! You've been practicing, right?"

Hikaru shrugged. "I've slacked off a little, but I should still be a good match for you." She got into a stance.

Scarlett smirked. "Maybe, if I hadn't gone an intense training trip with an Amazon." She got into a stance. "Ready?"

Akane stood up. "Maybe now isn't the best time. After all, lunch is almost over, Hiro-san."

The two girls got out of their stances. Hikaru waved a dismissive hand. "Don't be so formal. Call me by my name."

Himamori smiled. "So, Scarlett-chan, when do you plan on taking your enrollment exam?"

Scarlett shrugged. "Dunno." She looked at Ryoga. "Ushinawa-oniichan, what about you? Are you gonna go to school here?"

Ryoga blinked. "School? Me?" He looked down, thinking about it. "I guess I could...but I haven't been in school for a long time..."

The girls smiled. "That's alright Ryoga-kun." Akane smiled at him. Himamori nodded. Scarlett smiled and walked up to him.

"No need to worry. Ushinawa-oniichan is really smart!" Ryoga blushed and smiled.

Hikaru blinked and looked at them before smiling! "Hai! You and Pinku-chan can help each other study!" The bell rang. The four students stood.

"Well, lunch is over." Himamori smiled. "See you two later. Come on, Hikaru-kun, I'll show you around."

Hikaru nodded and smiled at Scarlett. "Hai! You two have fun!" She winked. Scarlett blinked and looked at Ryoga. She smiled.

"That Hikaru girl is kinda quirky."

Scarlett giggled. "Yeah, she is. But you'll get used to her. In comparison to a lot of people we know, she's actually pretty normal." She stood up and dusted off her shorts. "Let's go to my house. We should be able to study there. Just don't pay Perfume too much mind." She blinked. "That is, if you want to. I'm sure Akari-chan would love to help you study."

Ryoga blinked and shook his head. "No thank you. I'd rather study with you. We haven't really spent any quality time together since Akari and I got back together, have we?" She blushed. Then he put his hand on her head.

Scarlett looked at him with a smile. 'Why am I blushing? He only sees me as a little sister, just like I see him as a big brother.'

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Ryoga nodded, keeping his smile. "Hai. I missed you, Akatsune-chan."

Scarlett's faced turned three different shades of red. She smiled. "Hai!"

Scarlett hummed lightly as she jumped houses. "Ye-pa-pa Ye-pa-pa..." She was in a fairly good mood. "Lucky me, I was smart enough to stay in the school and wait out the rain. No fox for me!" While she had to admit that the roofs were slippery due to the many puddles, a trained martial artist like her wasn't bothered by it at all. "Eek!" Oh no, I jinxed her! Scarlett shrieked as she slipped and was falling down the building, unable to recover from her shock and land on her feet. She expected to hit the ground hard, but was startled when someone caught her.

"Are you OK?"

Scarlett blushed. "H-Hai! A-arigato!" She got a good look at her savior. He was a good looking fellow, with brown hair with red streaks, and reddish orange eyes. "Um...can you put me down?"

The boy sweatdropped and let her go. "Sorry. Don't you know its dangerous to jump off wet roofs?"

Scarlett folded her arms. "Yes, I'm aware. This has just never happened before." She ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm Saotome Scarlett, thanks for saving me, I guess."

The boy nodded. "I'm Harune Levi. Pleased to meet you." Scarlett sweatdropped when Levi was suddenly hit on the head by Mousse.

"Levi, don't you bother Scarlett-chan!" He snapped.

Scarlett blinked. "Mu-Mu-chan, you and Levi know each other?"

Mousse nodded. "He's my younger cousin." He glared at him. "He's also a major playboy. Levi, I don't want you bothering Scarlett-chan. She's much too innocent for you." Scarlett blushed.

Levi stuck his tongue out. "Chill out. I was only saving a pretty girl." Mousse stepped in front of Scarlett.

"I acknowledge that she's pretty Levi, but she's off limits."

Levi blinked. "Are you two dating?"

Scarlett and Mousse blushed. "No way!" Mousse glared at him. "I love Shampoo!"

"What? You've been chasing after her since we were kids! She doesn't love you back, man! Move on!"

Scarlett grabbed Mousse's arm before he could lunge at Levi. She looked at him guiltily. "Mu-Mu-chan, are you really gonna attack your own family over a girl?" He stared at her. "Look, I know its hard, but your feelings for Shampoo are not mutual. You have to accept it." She tried to look at him with her most comforting expression. "Mu-Mu-chan, I'm not trying to upset you. Neither is Harune-kun. Why bother pursuing a relationship that isn't going to happen? Shampoo has been rejecting you since you were three. You have to get over her." She insisted.

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Satome-chan, you're friends with Hiro Hikaru, right?"

Scarlett blinked and looked at him. "Yes. We're childhood friends. Are you her boyfriend?"

Levi smirked. "Trying to be. She's kinda hard to woo."

Scarlett nodded. "OK?" She turned to Mousse. "Mu-Mu-chan, I-" He was gone. Scarlett and Levi blinked.

Somehow, over the past week, Scarlett had become Ryoga's tutor. He greatly appreciated it. He was glad to have such a pure hearted friend that was willing to help him as he reentered the life of school.

However, something else was on his mind. A certain green haired Amazon had asked a certain question.

"Ryoga is good friend with Scarlett, yes?"

Ryoga blinked. "I'd like to think I am, why?"

"You know Scarlett real name? She no tell Perfume!"

Ryoga frowned. "Real name? You mean it's not Scarlett?" Perfume shook her head. "Sorry, Perfume, but I don't know the answer to that. I'll try to find out for you."

Perfume grinned. "Thank you! All Perfume know is that name start with A!"

The topic had certainly peaked the fanged boy's curiosity, but he had no idea how he was going to find out. If Scarlett wouldn't tell Perfume, the odds of her telling him weren't very high. He sighed as he looked around.

"Where is the dojo...?" He sweatdropped as he felt a certain lady splash him with water while cleaning her sidewalk. "Bwee! Bweeee!" He snorted angrily to the woman. She stared at him and went inside her house. He sighed. Well, at least he knew he was still within the district. He looked around and began to think. 'Well, from here, I guess I should try following scents...'

"P-Chan!" He heard. He turned around, expecting to see a certain black haired Tendo. Instead, he saw a pink haired Saotome. Scarlett smiled and picked him up. "I haven't seen you in a while, little guy. How are you? Are you looking for Akane?"

"Bwee."

Scarlett smiled and walked. "I was gonna stop by at my house, but I think Akane would like to see you." She looked at the sky. "Hmm... Looks like it might rain today... Better take a shortcut. I've turned into a fox once today, and that's enough for me." That said, Scarlett began to jump from roof to roof in the direction of the household.

Scarlett slid open the door to Akane's window. "RANMA YOU PERV!" And was greeted by a mallet to the face. Curtasy of none other than Akane herself.

When the mallet was removed, Scarlett's expression was anything but pretty. "But I'm not even Ranma..." She managed before falling backwards.

Akane sweatdropped. "Oops..." bbbb

Ryoga was lucky enough to have changed back without raising suspicion, and was now in Akane's room, watching with minor amusement as she apologized furiously to Scarlett while placing a bandage on her nose.

He cleared his throat, catching their attention. "Scarlett, Perfume asked me an interesting question. You see, she wants to kn-"

"I'm not telling you my real name. It's old fashioned, and I don't like it. End of discussion." Scarlett said sharply.

Akane raised an eyebrow. "Isn't your name Scarlett?"

"No. It's a name I go by. I always liked the name Scarlett better."

Akane and Ryoga shared glances and immediately, both were determined to learn the Saotome girl's real name.

"Perfume said it starts with an A. Is it Ami?" Ryoga asked.

"No. It starts with a Y, not an A." She blew at her hair. "I said that just so she would leave me alone about it."

"Is it Yoshi?"

"No."

"Yoiko?"

"No. I'm not telling you, so don't bother." She jumped out the window and ran away.

Akane blinked. "What do you think it is?" She asked. Ryoga shrugged, unable to think of anything himself.

Akane and Ryoga stood at the receptionists desk irrtably. "What do you mean you won't tell us her real name?" Akane demanded.

The woman frowned. "I'm sorry, but Saotome-kun told me on the day she registered for school the first time not to tell anyone her real name, and requested that her name would be changed to Scarlett in the system."

The two teens grumbled with irritation. "Fine." Akane muttered as she left the room with the fanged boy. "She really thought of everything didn't she?" Ryoga only nodded.

Scarlett let out an annoyed grunt as Ranma dragged her towards the Tendo/Saotome Residence. She was literally in the middle of slurping noodles when Ranma burst into her and Perfume's home and dragged her by the back of her blouse.

"Why the hell are you dragging me!?" She demanded angrily.

"Ma is supposed to be coming over soon, so you'll have to come over and pretend to be Ranko!"

"But my hair is pink!"

"Ranko dyed her hair then. Do you want me to commit seppuku!?" Ranma demanded.

"Kinda."

"Just do this for me?! I promise after I beat Akachan, I'll tell Ma all about me being Ranko and then you'll never have to do it again, OK?"

"I hate you..."

"No you don't."

"I know." She grumbled irritably. Ranma chuckled. "I'm serious this isn't going to work anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because my hair is pink!" Ranma growled in annoyance and pushed her inside. Scarlett cursed under her breath and tied her hair down in a pigtail. She sighed in irritation wondering what was there for her to accomplish by lying to her auntie. She couldn't stand the deception. This was her second time doing so, but Ranma had done so often, apparently. She sighed and waited for the arrival of her aunt. Then she noticed a certain fanged boy coming out of the bathroom. Scarlett smiled as Ryoga jogged up to her and began to converse.

Just as the pink haired beauty found herself getting comfortable in the familiar house, she heard a loud shout and the sound of a distressed animal following.

"Get back here you overgrown rat!" Scarlett ran outside and sweatdropped. Hikaru was chasing a baby black bear cub, a frying pan gripped tightly in her right hand. Scarlett's eyes widen.

"Hikaru what the hell are you doing!?" She ran onto the sidewalk. The baby bear quickly hid behind her.

Hikaru seemed unaware of the presence of the pink haired Saotome. "I got you now you son of a-!"

CLANK!

Hikaru now had a frying pan firmly planted on her face. There was a pause before she fell backwards on her bum. "Oww...! Pinku-chan what was that for!?" She demanded.

Scarlett huffed and tossed the pan to who knows where. "Hikaru what is wrong with you?" She huffed as she turned and crouched down to the tiny bear. "Picking on this poor baby." She held her hands out cautiously to the baby. "Are you OK little guy?"

The baby bear tilted its head and made a cute sound. "Rah!"

"Aww." She picked it up. "You poor baby, you must've been separated from your family." She stood, cradling the baby in her arms. "Hikaru why would you pick on this poor baby?" She demanded.

"Pinku-chan that's not...! It's not actually...!" Hikaru was speechless.

Scarlett smiled at the bear. "Don't worry little guy, I'll protect you from that mean Hikaru." She looked at Hikaru. "I'm ashamed in you Hikaru. You shouldn't pick on helpless animals."

"B-but he peeked at me in the bath!"

"Hikaru, he's a bear cub, what does he care?" She smiled at the baby bear, who smiled brightly and cuddled her. "What a bright little guy." She tilted her head. "I'll call you Genki. You like that name, Genki-chan?" Genki made a sound of approval and nestled against her breasts.

A vein popped on Hikaru's head. "That little perv..." She growled. "I won't let you take advantage of my innocent Pinku-chance!" She lunged, and was once again greeted by a frying pan to the face. "O-Ow..." She fell backwards and held her nose. "Stop that!"

"Don't pick on Genki." She huffed.

Hikaru rubbed her face and looked to the side and blinked. "Pinku...there's a woman coming here. She looks just like you and Ranma." She pointed a little.

Scarlett sweatdropped and looked behind her. Nodoka smiled gently, walking with the grace only a traditional mother could have. Scarlett's eyes widened. Ryoga stepped outside and watched the scene curiously.

Nodoka and Scarlett made eye contact. Scarlett was frozen. A deer in the headlights. Nodoka's eyes widen. Scarlett bit her bottom lip and could only stand there as her aunt walked to her slowly. Scarlett gulped as Nodoka stopped in front of her and tilted her chin up and examined her face.

Nodoka pulled away and covered her mouth in shock. Scarlett's eyes soften. Nodoka parted her lips to speak, and only one word came out. A name.

"Yoshiko-chan?" She whispered gingerly.

Ryoga and Hikaru's eyes widened. "Yoshiko-chan!?" They repeated.