Disclaimer: Ranma and company are owned by Rumiko Takahashi. All other characters in this story are my own.

Author's Note: One reader mentioned seeing several hyphens in the previous chapters. I thought I had eliminated all of them when I reformatted the stories for posting. It turns out I was wrong. I have made the repairs, plus a few changes and have reposted these chapters.

Also, I got mixed reviews about Happosai's second encounter with the schoolgirls. It should be remembered that he is only dangerous when concentrating on one or two targets. He was so excited about liberating so many 'pretties' that he left himself wide open for the multiple attacks he received, many of which were almost non-stop. Do you recall how he would be chased by the girls in Nerima, laughing all the way, only to trip on occasion and get his comeuppance? It's worse for him here. They were not only chasing him, they were also waiting in ambush. Against that, he had no chance.
AN AFTERNOON OUT THE GREAT CONFUSION!

Several days passed. Ranma and the girls continued their studies, improving their skills and abilities. Sensei Chan continued to give Ranma special courses. Finally, Saturday came around again.

"Remember to always bend your knees while preparing to land, Ranma," Sensei Chan was telling Ranma, as they walked down the path from the dojos. One of the schoolgirls came walking up to them and immediately tried to slap Ranma. Ranma instantly blocked it.

"Excellent!" Sensei Chan said. "We are progressing nicely. Soon we will tackle the problem of actually fighting girls."

Ranma looked a little nervous. "Can't we just stick to blocking their blows?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not," Sensei Chan replied. "Remember, there are those who will take advantage of your sensitivities."

"Now, just what are your beliefs on the subject of fighting girls?" Sensei Chan asked.

"It just isn't done," Ranma replied.

"Ahhh!" Sensei Chan said. "I see. You have been raised in the traditional way in the relationships between men and women. You must unlearn it, and quickly!"

Ranma looked at her with puzzlement in his eyes.

Sensei Chan explained. "Many of the behaviors that have been taught to you contribute to your weakness. Has there been any incident in the past where you were about to be harmed by a girl and you couldn't stop it?"

Ranma replied in the affirmative, remembering quite well the initial problem he had had with Shampoo, who wanted to kill his female half due to a matter of honor, but loved his male half. Even though she had come close several times to succeeding in her quest, Ranma had found himself quite incapable of stopping her, due to his education and beliefs. Only by revealing to her his dual nature was he able to put an end to the three month long chase.

"You see?" Sensei Chan said. "Your life was in danger and you are incapable of stopping the one who was endangering it. This respect for women of yours is far too strong. That is why it is a weakness. As I have said before, there are several women out there who will take unfair advantage of that.

"Let us say that you are going to be in a match. You have found out at the last moment that your opponent is going to be a girl. You are hampered by the belief that you cannot harm a girl in even the slightest manner. Your opponent, on the other hand, is under no such constraints. You will be easily defeated.

"When word of this gets around, those who have a grudge against you will think you weak and attack you again. Those who are just plain sadistic will see to it that you only face girls, so that you will be defeated time and again, for their financial gain. You will never be able to advance in rank, or know a moment's peace. If you were planning a career in the ring, it has now come crashing down around you. Your skills are useless, unless you can use them all the time."

"Have groups of girls beaten up on you or at least tried to?" Sensei Chan asked.

Ranma admitted that such situations had occurred over the past year. Sensei Chan emitted a soft chuckle. "You see, Ranma? Already, several girls are taking advantage of your reluctance to fight back. This, we must put a stop to as soon as possible.

"Remember, we are not telling you to use your skills to attack girls, but attempting to show you how to use them to defend yourself from them. There is really nothing wrong in respecting another person, or group of people. One just must not let it prevent one from doing what is necessary to survive.

"When you are able to treat girls as equals when in the ring, you will be able to tackle any situation you come across."

Ranma mulled that bit of information over for a while, as he and Sensei Chan walked down the path. As he did so, he looked up and saw another girl coming their direction. He sighed, and prepared himself. This was starting to get monotonous.

All the girls had been instructed by the staff to try to slap Ranma at every available opportunity. This was in keeping with his training. Ranma had to be constantly on guard in order to prevent having his face slapped. A growing problem was that several of the girls had developed the practice into a game of sorts, the winner being the one who successfully evaded Ranma's defenses and finally slapped him. This really kept him on his toes.

Ranma realized at that moment that this was another example of somebody taking advantage of his basic beliefs and training. Maybe defensive measures were finally in order.

The girl saw the walking pair, veered toward them, and all but rushed at Ranma, hand at the ready. Ranma dodged her at the last second, then did something incredible. He reached out and pushed her, increasing her momentum and knocking her off balance.

Sensei Chan was impressed. Ranma had taken the first step in defending himself, redirecting an opponent's attack.

The girl, on the other hand, was taken quite by surprise. She had not been informed of any changes in the routine. She turned around, and found Ranma in a defensive stance, awaiting her next move. The girl, not knowing what to do, moved off.

Ranma resumed his walk. "Well done!" Sensei Chan exclaimed. "We are indeed making progress!"

Teacher and student continued to walk to the front of the campus. "Before I forget," Sensei Chan said happily. "You and the other students have the afternoon off today. Several of the girls are going into town. Perhaps you would like to join them? We have some excellent bath houses in the near vicinity."

Ranma looked at her in askance. "The girls and I are going to bathe together?" he cried in amazement.

Sensei Chan laughed. "No, silly," she said. "There are separate facilities in all the bath houses. I was thinking that you could join them in touring the town. You could be a chaperon of sorts, making sure they stay out of trouble and getting them home on time."

"A chaperon?" Ranma laughed. "For these girls? I can't believe that they would ever get into trouble!"

"Don't let appearances fool you," Sensei Chan said amicably. "These girls are as great a bunch of hellions as you are ever to meet. Which reminds me, I have a small lecture to give before the gate is opened for the afternoon."

With that, Sensei Chan glided off toward the eastern side of the campus.

Ranma went to his room and opened a drawer in the dresser. Out of this he pulled out a small wooden bucket, which contained a washcloth, some soap, and a bottle of shampoo. As he did so, he shook his head and smiled. He couldn't believe that the girls were as bad as Sensei Chan said.

Meanwhile, Sensei Chan was addressing a group of the girls in question. "Now then," she began. "It has come to my attention that some of you have been discussing the possibility of sneaking a peek at Ranma while he is exercising, or worse, trying to catch him in the bath. Need I remind you of the strict rule regarding privacy in these matters?

"Ranma has refrained from sneaking a peek at you while he is here for the duration, and he deserves the same respect. I expect all of you to obey that rule which respects privacy. I shall be very severe with whoever breaks it!"

Two of the younger girls immediately clutched their backsides at that last sentence. Sensei Chan saw this and laughed.

"All right," she said. "Who's been spreading those rumors again? You know we don't do that here. However, I will give you the lecture of your lives. That, and some extra duties around the school, should dampen your enthusiasm for future expeditions of this sort."

"I had considered allowing Ranma into your furoba, as retribution," Sensei Chan continued with a laugh, "but I think that you would enjoy that even more."

Ranma came walking up to the group, unaware of the speech that had just taken place. He was carrying the bowl with the all the bathing apparatus in it in one hand. There was a small backpack strapped to his back.

As he approached the group, he could hear the girls laughing. Ranma wondered what joke he had missed out on. If he had heard it, he would probably have wished he had missed out on it.

Sensei Chan continued to address the group. "Ranma will be joining you today. He will be the 'head student' this time around. You are not to give him any trouble. If I hear of any incident concerning him, I just may make those rumors true!"

There was a mock "eek" from the girls and everybody began laughing again. "Dismissed," Sensei Chan said. "Enjoy yourselves!"

The girls quickly raced to their rooms to make preparations for the afternoon. While they were gone, Ranma asked Sensei Chan a couple of questions.

"Just what is a 'head student'?"

"That is a student chosen by the faculty or by the other students to look after those on outings or in the dormitories," Sensei Chan replied. "It's the chaperon position I mentioned earlier."

"Oh," Ranma said, as if he understood every bit of it, rather than only a third.

After a few seconds, Ranma posed the second question. "I overheard you say something about a rumor running around here?"

"Ah, yes," Sensei Chan replied with a laugh. "Not only am I a teacher here, I have also been given the duties of assistant headmistress. These include the maintaining of discipline among the students. I can be very strict when necessary.

"Some time ago, I can't remember when, a rumor was started by the older girls as a joke on the new arrivals. This rumor has pretty much done my job for me, although the new students discover it as such by the second or third year.

"According to this rumor I am supposed to be heavily inclined to the use of corporal punishment, despite the fact that it is forbidden at this school. Although there are times that I wish I could use it, I usually do everything in my power to lay bare the myth. I have found that a stern lecture and some extra chores are punishment enough for the girls here."

Ranma laughed. "I bet there are times when they wish you punished them corporally as well."

Sensei Chan laughed with him. "Yes," she replied. "Double duty in the laundry can be pretty tiresome."

The girls began to stream out of the dormitories again. Several had bathing gear with them, like Ranma had. Others had changed into more informal attire, as they planned to browse around the stores, go on hikes, or take in a movie.

"Remember, girls, you are to be back by no later than eight o'clock," Sensei Chan said to the assembled group. "When Ranma says that it is time to return, you do so. Is that clear?"

The group as a whole replied that they understood. The gate opened, and the troupe all but ran out. "Once again, have a good time!" Sensei Chan called after them.

------------

Akane, having been able to steal away from home again, was wandering about the town, wondering how to get to Ranma. She was surprised to hear a lot of laughter and song coming from the direction of the school. She quickly lunged for a corner from which to spy the source of the sound. To her surprise, she saw a large group of girls, with Ranma in their center!

The group came onward, unaware of Akane's presence. The girls were all taking with each other and with Ranma.

"What's the backpack for, Ranma?" one of the younger girls asked.

"Oh, I have some books in there that I might read after my bath," Ranma replied amicably.

"That reminds me," said another girl. "I have some books that are due at the library. Would you mind taking them there for me? I'm heading in the other direction."

"Sure," Ranma replied, taking the books from the girl. Others asked the same favor.

"Is this some kind of gag?" Ranma asked in mock anger.

The girls laughed. A couple offered their services in returning the library books. Ranma accepted graciously. Another girl offered to carry his bathing gear, so he could more easily carry the books. Ranma was very grateful for this.

Akane slipped away, and sped for the town's library. She vaulted the steps and entered the front door. The words of a few days before still echoed in her ears. "These girls trust me!"

Akane wasn't sure what Ranma meant by that, but it disturbed her greatly. Seeing Ranma among all those girls didn't help matters any. "Just fellow students, indeed!" she thought to herself. The green-eyed monster was becoming stronger within her.

How dare Ranma walk around with them! Just who did he think he was? The Lothario! The Casanova! The Don Juan! She would show him!

Akane's rage grew as her imagination ran wild. She was now sure that Ranma and the schoolgirls were more than just fellow students. She waited patiently for Ranma to come up the steps.

A few minutes later, a smaller portion of the group came up to the library. Akane stepped out onto the large, open-air entryway in front of the library, in order to hear more of the group's conversation.

"Thank you," the girl carrying Ranma's bathing gear said, giving him a peck on the cheek, much to his surprise. "I'll take these to the bath house you indicated."

With that, she ran off. "Make sure you put them in the right entrance," Ranma called to her with a laugh.

The other two girls had already mounted the steps and entered the library, passing Akane in the process. A couple of seconds later, two other girls came out and stood in the shadows by the door. These girls were from another school, judging from their uniforms.

Ranma mounted the steps to the library, chuckling to himself. He all but ran into Akane.

"Akane!" he exclaimed. "What brings you here, today?"

Her reply was a vicious slap to his face.

"Just fellow students, eh?" she growled. "I'll bet! I saw what was going on down there! Just what has been going on in that school you're attending? Just what have you been..."

SLAP!

Akane put a hand to her cheek in amazement! Ranma stood before her, trembling with rage.

"How dare you," he said angrily. "How dare you even think that I would be doing anything else but studying. Those girls are my fellow students and nothing more. How dare you cheapen them by even thinking that they are anything else. The fact that they are friendly to me does not mean that they have any intentions toward me. In fact, they've been sweet, generous, and kind. You could learn a lot from them!

"As to anything you may have seen today, we are on one of our rare afternoons off! The students left as a group, then went their separate ways. I'm here to return some books for a fellow student and nothing more! I am then going to take a long, hot bath! Goodbye!"

With that, he deposited the books in the slot and stormed down the steps.

Akane, on the other hand, had only half heard him. She was still fingering her cheek. She still couldn't believe it. Ranma had actually slapped her! She just stood there in shock and watched him, as he descended the steps.

The two grey-skirted girls by the door, however, had other ideas. They started to descend the steps as well, hurrying to catch up to Ranma. There was a set expression on their faces. They had plans for Ranma, and those plans weren't pleasant.

Ranma, on the other hand, was in no mood for anything at that moment. He sensed the presence of the approaching pair, and, not knowing that they were girls, waited until they were close enough and then gave them both an elbow in the stomach. Both girls clutched their stomachs and went to their knees, gasping, as Ranma stormed off down the street. Akane watched all this in horror. Just what was that school doing to him?

------------

Ranma sat in the heated pool, his back against the surrounding edge, and gave a sigh of pleasure. He was really enjoying his soak. As he sat there, his thoughts turned to Akane and her accusations. Anger began to grow within him, but he pushed it back. No, he thought grimly, I'm not going to let her spoil my afternoon.

The bathhouse Ranma was in was one of the most popular, according to Sensei Chan. He was quite surprised to find it nearly empty when he arrived. Surely, there would have been quite a few people here, it being Saturday and all. However, there was only a handful of other bathers in both the men's and women's sides.

Ranma decided to enjoy the calm and serenity of the moment. His thoughts drifted. For a while, he was at peace with himself.

Ranma could have stayed in that pool forever, but knew that there were responsibilities to consider. He emerged from the pool and went to the dressing room. It was time to see the town and to check up on his fellow students.

------------

At a local eatery, trouble was already brewing. There were several more girls in school uniforms with grey skirts milling about. They watched disinterestedly as a handful of girls from The Great School of Martial Abilities came in and sat down at a table. The girls' disinterest turned into disdain.

One of the girls from the academy looked up and saw those watching her and her friends. She whispered something into an ear of a compatriot, and there was snickering all about the table.

A waiter came up and took the girls' orders. After he left, the girls who had watched with disdain walked up to the table.

The girls seated at the table looked up at the newcomers. They smiled politely, then went about their business of gossiping and planning the afternoon's events.

There was a "Humph" sound from above. Once again, the seated girls looked up. "Is there a problem?" one of them asked.

"You are sitting at our table," the leader of the uniformed girls said.

"Really?" said the seated spokes person. "Then, why weren't you sitting here?"

The standing girl looked down on her with disdain, acting as if the question was ludicrous. The seated girl ignored her.

The standing girls looked at each other with some amazement. This was not the reaction they were expecting. They once again turned to the seated girls.

"You are to leave this table now," the leader said.

"Why should we?" the seated leader snapped back. "There are plenty of other tables here for you to sit at. It won't harm you one bit to be without your 'favorite' one for once."

"Although I do believe that whatever table we picked would have been your 'personal' one," another seated girl said. The entire group laughed.

"Go away," said the seated leader with a flourish. "We have more important things to do than waste our time arguing with you."

The standing girls looked with rage at their seated counterparts. They reached a silent consensus. It looked as if blows were about to be struck.

"What's going on here?" a new voice demanded.

Everybody turned and looked in the direction of the door. There, standing in the doorway, was Ranma.

"Just mind your own business!" the leader of the uniformed girls snapped.

"Anything that happens with those girls over there is my business!" Ranma replied curtly, pointing at the girls sitting around the table.

"It's nothing that we can't handle," one of the seated girls said amicably.

"Maybe so," said Ranma, "but Sensei Chan probably does not want to hear about any damage done to this fine establishment. Any differences you have with these people will have to be settled outside."

"Who's he?" the leader of the uniformed girls asked the leader of the seated girls, bending down so that her low voice could be heard only by the latter.

"Oh. Him," laughed the seated girl. "He's this month's 'head student'. He is one of our new recruits."

"A boy?" the standing girl asked incredulously. "At your school?"

"Yes," the seated girl replied while nonchalantly looking at her nails. "Something wrong with that?"

The leader of the uniformed girls was nonplussed. She looked at the others in her group, gave a signal, and they all started filing out of the eatery, their grey skirts swishing as they walked.

"Now, what was that all about?" Ranma asked the seated girls, pointing a thumb in the direction of the de-parting group.

"Nothing really," the leader of the seated group replied. "They just come from a rival school."

"A rival school!" Ranma started to feel his head spin. This was the last thing he needed. He finally understood what Sensei Chan was talking about.

"How long has this been going on?" Ranma asked.

"Oh, about twelve to fifteen years now," another girl replied with a laugh.

"They think that they are superior to us and can't stand it when we don't show obeisance to them," chimed in a third.

"What was all the discussion concerning me?" Ranma demanded.

"They were surprised to hear of a boy attending our school," was the reply. "They were sure that we had gone all female by now."

Ranma mused that bit of information over for a few minutes. He came to the relieved conclusion that the fact that he was patrolling the streets would probably prevent any bloodshed from occurring.

"Would you like to join us?" one of the seated girls asked.

"No, thank you," Ranma replied. "I'll be eating later. Right now, I'm going to find a quiet spot and read a book. You girls behave yourselves, now."

"We will," the girls laughed, as Ranma left the eatery. They then looked toward the kitchen and waited expectantly for their meals to arrive.

------------

Word quickly spread around the town. All the girls from the Great School of Martial Abilities soon heard of the confrontation at the eatery and Ranma's part in it. They thrilled at the news. They now had an advantage over their adversaries and decided to make full use of it.

Ranma, oblivious to all this, was lying under a tree, reading one of his books. He had decided to check out the stores and shops of the town during the early evening, when he expected the area to be a lot livelier. Right now, all he wanted to do was lay back, relax, and enjoy the day.

He was rudely interrupted by several persons standing over him. He looked up from his book and saw several grey-skirted schoolgirls. He eyed them in a bored manner, then went back to his book. He noticed that their shadows still blocked the sunlight from the pages of the book. He looked back up at the girls.

"Can I be of any help?" he asked nonchalantly.

"You are attending the Great School of Martial Abilities, South Central Branch?"

"Yes," Ranma replied. "What is it to you?"

"You do know that it is a girl's school?"

"I have been informed that it is headed in that direction. I may very well be the last boy educated there."

The girls looked at each other with an air of disbelief. Ranma went back to his book.

A foot nudged him. Ranma sighed. There would be no more reading today.

Ranma sat up, put the book into his backpack, and proceeded to stand up.

"What do you think you are doing?" the leader of the grey skirted girls demanded.

"I'm leaving," Ranma replied coolly, "I'm going to find some peace and quiet." With that, Ranma walked off.

Two girls ran up to the leader of the group. One of them whispered in her ear. Her eyes grew wide with amazement.

"He's the one?" she asked, pointing in Ranma's direction. The two girls nodded.

The leader gave a signal. The group of girls followed her after Ranma. They trailed him several blocks, then were blocked by several members of the Great School of Martial Abilities.

"Just where do you think you are going?" the leader of the human roadblock demanded.

"Stand aside!" the leader of the grey-skirted group ordered. "We have business with that boy!"

"I'm sure you do," the other girl said evenly. "However, it will have to be delayed a while. He has very important business of his own to attend to."

"Do you think that you can stop us?" the grey skirted leader said imperiously.

"Yes," was the calm reply. "Especially since we outnumber you three to one."

The grey-skirted girls looked puzzled at this, then saw to their horror that they were surrounded. Their leader turned and glared at the commander of their adversaries.

"We students of the Great School of Martial Abilities stick together," the leader of the surrounding force said. "We heard about what happened at the library. Not used to somebody stopping you before you can act, are you?"

She looked evenly at her adversary. "You have two choices. You can leave peacefully or you can fight us. It's your decision."

The grey-skirted girls glared at her. She laughed back at them. "Remember this," she said. "We will not allow you to harm a fellow student of ours in any way. There will always be somebody nearby to stop you. You might as well go home now."

The grey-skirted girls looked at their leader. She nodded her head, and the entire group slowly turned and walked back the way they came. The girls surrounding them moved out of the way to give them room to leave.

"Do you think that they will leave?" one girl asked the leader of the force.

"Of course not," the leader replied. "They're not that smart."

She turned to the others. "Listen up, everybody," she said in a louder voice. "We are to stick to Ranma like glue. I am confident that we will see action before the day is out!"

The others cheered and quickly set out after Ranma.

------------

As Ranma had suspected, the nightlife of the town was much more exuberant than the day's activities had been. He ate an early dinner, then looked over the various shops and stalls. There were jugglers, hawkers of wares, and several shoppers crowded the streets. Ranma looked at all of them with an air of fascination.

After a while, Ranma decided to round up the girls. Curfew was in an hour, and he wanted to make sure that everybody got back in time.

The first group of girls was found in a discotheque, dancing away the evening. He reminded them of the time and then left the premises. A few seconds later, they followed after him.

The same results were had at all the other stops Ranma made. As he made his way through the town, an ever larger number of girls followed him without his knowledge.

Ranma saw three of his classmates eating at a stand. He walked up to them. "Just here to remind you, curfew is in an hour. We are to meet up at the chosen spot in forty minutes."

"All right," the girls replied. "We'll be there."

"Please remind anyone you see about the curfew hour," Ranma said as he left the stand.

The girls nodded at him, finished their meal, and turned to look at the leader of their fellows. She gave a nod. The three promptly got up and raced off in different directions.

Word was soon spread throughout the town. Soon, every schoolgirl that had accompanied Ranma out of the academy had linked up with the parent group. Their leader gave a signal, and they took to the roofs.

Akane had been watching this activity all day. She couldn't figure out what was happening. First, the girls were following Ranma, now they were dispersing again. Some of them were even going ahead of Ranma. Just what were they planning?

Unaware of this, Ranma had started up the road to the intersection next to the library. It was a large enough area to hold all the gathered students, and well lit, so Ranma could make an accurate head count.

As Ranma walked down the deserted road, he was being followed by the grey- skirted girls. There was death in their eyes. They would teach him to assault their fellows.

Whatever plans they had for Ranma quickly went astray.

The lead girl ducked into the shadows, then avoided a falling flowerpot, only to hit on the head by another one. Her eyes rolled up, and she collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

Two more girls, who were running along several balconies, suddenly found themselves falling through what had been a very solid support. They hit the ground of the alley hard, and didn't move.

Three more girls were rendered unconscious by swiftly moving shadows. Five others were yanked into alleys, and did not come out again. Two more girls tried to slip into doorways, but for some inexplicable reason fell to the ground, instead. They were swiftly dragged by shadows into the alleys.

Akane watched the whole scene in both fascination and horror from a nearby rooftop. Ranma continued on his way, oblivious to what was happening behind him. He heard a noise but once, and when he turned to check it out, the street was empty.

Still, several shadows moved swiftly by the shops and stores that lined both sides of the street.

Another group of grey-skirted girls silently came down the street, in an attempt to ascertain the fate of their comrades. They, too, were overcome by the mysterious shadows. Soon, the street was empty again, with the exception of Ranma.

Ranma walked up to an intersection. He was only a block away from the rendezvous point. His path was also suddenly blocked by three grey-skirted girls.

The girl in the center, the leader of the entire group, held out a hand to stop Ranma. "Just where do you think you are going?" she asked Ranma in a most unfriendly way.

"I'm going back to my school, if you must know," Ranma replied curtly.

"You've got to get past us, first," the leader of the grey-skirted girls snarled. With that, she and her compatriots launched themselves at Ranma.

Ranma leaped into the air and somersaulted over the trio. He had no idea what this was all about, but didn't have the time to inquire. His best guess that his antagonists were trying to draw him into the conflict between his school and whatever school his grey skirted foes came from.

Ranma had no time for such foolishness, and, upon landing on his feet, continued on his way. His would be opponents turned around, then cried out in shock and pain. Ranma whirled around to again find nothing behind him. He scratched his head for a few seconds, then continued down the road.

Akane, from her perch on the building, chanced to look at her watch. She gasped in horror. She barely had time to catch the bus home. She was going to be late as it was, and an excuse would have to be made up in a hurry. Akane quickly left her vantage point and rushed for the bus stop.

Ranma came up to the large intersection by the library. There were no girls about, yet. Ranma walked to the center of the intersection and waited. He glanced at his wristwatch. The girls had at least seven minutes left.

Suddenly, there was a yell from above. Ranma look up in horror to see several schoolgirls leaping down at him. They all formed a perfect circle around him, with the exception of one, small girl, who apparently missed the mark. She had started after the others, and had put too much energy in her jump. She flew right into Ranma, knocking him down.

The others looked in horror at what had happened. What was supposed to be a surprise had backfired. One of the girls dashed to where Ranma sat, holding the child.

"I'm sorry about that," she said. "My sister gets a little rambunctious at times. Are you hurt?"

"Not at all," Ranma laughed. The little girl slid off his legs and he got up and dusted himself off.

"Is everybody here?" he asked. There was a collective "yes" from the surrounding group. Ranma surveyed the group, and satisfied that there were no stragglers, led the girls back to the school.

The school clock was just chiming eight o'clock as the students entered the school grounds. Sensei Chan was waiting for them by the gate. "Everybody here?" she asked. There was a collective nod.

"Everybody have a good time?"

Again, there was a collective nod.

Sensei Chan smiled, bowed at her students, and glided away.

"I'd better get my sister to bed," the girl who had run into the intersection said. "Our parents are picking her up tomorrow, and I want her to be ready for them when they arrive."

With that, she left for the dormitories, her sister in tow.

The other girls also dispersed and headed for their respective rooms. Ranma thought that was an excellent idea, and headed for bed himself.

------------

Akane quickly walked through the front door and rushed for the dining room. "Sorry I'm late," she told the others. "I lost track of time."

"Did you have a good time?" Nabiki asked pointedly.

"I had a lovely hike," Akane replied.

"Good," said Nabiki with an evil grin. "You can tell me all about it later."

Akane sighed. It was going to be a long night.

------------

Sensei Chan was standing in the central courtyard when three dark robed figures appeared in front of her.

"How did things go today?" she asked them.

"Several students from the Tamibaki School for Girls were in town today," one of the figures reported.

"Any damage?" Sensei Chan asked.

"None," replied the ninja like figure.

"That's odd," mused Sensei Chan. "The girls usually take their rivalries quite seriously."

"The relative quite may be due to Ranma," another figure said. "The Tamibaki girls were quite confused by his appearance on the scene."

Sensei Chan nodded. "Is there anything about Ranma himself that I should know about?" she asked.

"Yes," came the reply. "That girl Akane was in town today. There was some trouble between her and Ranma several hours ago."

"Oh?" Sensei Chan said. "What kind of trouble?"

"Apparently, she saw Ranma, with several of the girls, heading for the town library. They were all talking and laughing as they came up to the library steps. She misunderstood the entire situation and reacted violently."

"Sounds like Akane, all right," Sensei Chan mused. "What happened?"

"She slapped Ranma."

"What?" Sensei Chan exploded. "After all we taught him?"

"One other thing," he said.

"Yes," Sensei Chan said slowly.

"He slapped her back!"

"He what?"

"He slapped her back!"

Sensei Chan began to chuckle, more to herself than to the others. "Well done, Ranma!" she exclaimed. "You're learning!"

To be continued...

Next Time: Ranma and the others continue to cause problems for their grey- skirted rivals. Will Akane spoil their fun?