Disclaimer: Oh, screw this. You know I don't own anything of real value. Except. . . huggles toe socks But otherwise, I have nothink! Nothink! If you would be sueing me, you would find yourself in debt to your lawyers as I have nothink to my name. Thank you.

Hey, all! Back for more? Are you sufficiently recovered from the last chapter? Good. Because this chapter is brought to you by:

Anime Music Videos, Flax Oil, and Celestial Seasonings Magical Mint Herbal Tea. They are sustaining me this week. I love 'em!

Xian Pu stopped at the edge of the Furinkan Schoolyard. She could see three figures clustered together, and she tried to shake off the strange feeling of claws wanting to appear without the help of cold water. How dare she…

"Airen! Airen!" She plowed her bike through the crowd straight up to the trio while Muu Tsu was still registering exactly what he had been asked. (Leave it to Xian Pu to break up a good thing.) Xian Pu quickly hopped off and glomped Ranma. "Airen go to dance with Shampoo, yes?"

"Get offa me, Shampoo."

"Xian Pu, my love!"

Yuka watched this all with wide eyes. She had seen it before. . . when you're a friend of Akane's you're bound to see it at least once- a month. It was never quite so personal.

'I see. She loves Ranma. Of course. Everyone loves Ranma. I knew I had seen her somewhere before."

Muu Tsu was plowed into the ground by Xian Pu's bonbori.

'And he loves her. How could I ever. . .'

Yuka, in Akaneish fashion, stepped on Muu Tsu's back, looked over her shoulder, and said, "Silly me. You wouldn't possibly go with me. Of course, some people," she looked over at Xian Pu, "don't realize exactly what they have while they grab for something they cannot."

Stomping off, she swore that the dance was two days away, and if she had to ask all the kami in the great plane above, she would have a date. And she would not regret the fact that she didn't give Muu Tsu a chance to answer.

"He didn't have to talk. His actions spoke volumes." Yuka shook her head after class and waved to Sayuri and Akane standing by a tree.

"Yuka! There's going to be a fight in the schoolyard with that hidden weapons expert and Ranma! Are you going to watch?" Sayuri looked very interested and Akane almost looked indifferent. Almost. She knew that Ranma could hold his own against the Amazon. That wasn't what was bothering her.

"No." 'It's probably over Xian Pu.'

"Hey, Akane. How many times has Ranma wiped the floor with that guy?" asked Sayuri.

"Outside of little bouts of sparring and dodging arrows? A few."

Yuka sank to her knees. No-one here knew. Well, at least Nabiki hadn't gotten around to selling the information yet.

"What's wrong? Yuka, are you okay?" A lone tear tracked down her face. "Yuka, answer me!"

"I- I'm all right." She managed a smile despite the leaden weight in her stomach. "Let's go see that fight, you guys."

"Are you sure? We could just go home."

"No, Akane. I- I really want to see it. Let's go."

"For the last injustice, you have received my challenge."

"How many times do I have to tell you? I didn't accept Xian Pu's invitation!" Ranma dropped into a ready stance, preparing himself. "I accept your challenge, though." He loosened the kinks in his neck. "If I win, you release me from slavehood."

"And if I win, you give up your claim on Xian-"

"Xian Pu. Let's get this over with. I want to spend the rest of my day doing stuff I actually want to do."

Yuka sat on the grass and hailed the person circling the grounds selling cotton candy. If she was going to watch, she might as well have cotton candy.

Her vision suddenly darkened.

"You really shouldn't eat that, Yu-Chan." Beneath someone else' hands, Yuka's eyes narrowed. Only one person still called her that, and the voice behind her definitely wasn't her mother's. "It'll rot your teeth."

"Who are you?" She didn't hear her voice shake, but she felt it.

"You know me. Think hard."

Kinnosuke? Mikado? No, he sounded more like- "Hiroshi?"

The hands drew back from her eyes, letting in the light.

"Hey. Interesting fight, dontcha think?"

"Yeah. The stakes are the same as always, though. Freedom for freedom."

Ranma and Muu Tsu gave neither quarter, and there was no room for mistakes. Yuka watched as the Amazon sent item after item in Ranma's direction, and the young Saotome took it all in stride. It was obvious that with all of his blocking, Ranma was the fight's essence and not to be taken lightly.

"Yuka, do you know who this fight is about?"

"That Shampoo chick from the Cat Café."

Hiroshi grinned to himself. So she didn't know. "Nope. That's just the stakes."

Yuka's eyes widened. "Then who-"

"As if you didn't know."

"TELL ME!" Yuka realized that she had grabbed Hiroshi by the shirt, and dropped him as soon as she saw that she was drawing attention to herself. Smiling disarmingly, she sat down and watched the fight continue. Her distraction hadn't fully jarred the warriors from their fight. However, it had allowed Ranma to take the offensive.

Punch, Punch, parry. Block block block, kick low, swipe high. Chestnut fist. Parry.

Standard Ranma operating procedure.

"You know, Sayuri, it used to be different. There were few martial artists. There were no Amazons. The Cat-Fist was unheard of. Jusenkyo curses were nonexistent."

"And most of the martial artists around here could be K.O.d by Akane any day of the week all the way to Sunday." Yuka and Sayuri shared a small smirk.

"Yeah, now it's complicated." 'Especially when you make yourself known in their world.'

"That reminds me. Nabiki told me she wanted to see you about completing her deal. It seems as though she's doing well."

'Nabiki. Lovely. One more thing to watch my back for.'

"I'll keep an eye out for her." Her gaze fixed on Muu Tsu's shadow retreating into the setting sun towards the Cat Café. "Are you going to tell me who the fight was about? Or do I have to go see the gossip shark?"

"As if you didn't know. . . "

"Would everyone PLEASE quit saying that!"

"Nabiki said that you asked the Chinese kid out. I wasn't too surprised by that, we were talking about him the other day and all, but you could've told me." Yuka winced as Sayuri shot an electric glare in her direction. "Anyway, she said you rescinded your invitation before he could answer, and that girl- Shampoo? She asked Ranma to the dance, and he turned her down flat, saying that Akane had asked him, followed by Ukyo. Well, you know and I know that she asked Ryouga, but Ranma swore she had asked him last night, giving him precedence. Well, Shampoo decided to get even, so she asked the other kid-"

"Muu Tsu"

"Mousse?" 'Oh, yeah. I had forgotten his name.' Sayuri continued, "Mousse to the dance, but he was honor bound to answer your invitation even though you had left. Shampoo got angry then and rode off. That Mousse kid then roared something to the effect of 'How dare you ruin my chance, Saotome! Prepare to die!' and then he issued his formal challenge. He lost." Yuka nodded silently. "Again. Not only did he lose the battle, he lost Ranma as his slave. . . . I think that's it."

Silence dropped.

"Sayuri. . . according to the rules of the Girl's Day dance, he still has to answer me, right?"

"I guess so."

"Do you think he'd actually say yes? After hugging Xian Pu like that, do you really think he'd say yes?"

"I dunno, Yuka." Ranma-chan hopped down from the fence he was walking on behind them, listening. "But it's worth the risk."

"Ah, hello, O winner of all the fights that matter. Enjoying your freedom?" asked Sayuri.

Ranma turned three cartwheels, a triple backwards tuck, and landed.

"Yup."

Something was niggling at Yuka's mind.

"Hey, Ranma, when did Akane 'ask' you?"

"Last night."

"When, Ranma?"

"I dunno. Ten, I guess."

"What was she doing?"

Ranma frowned. "Sleeping."

'Sleeping. Well that explains a lot.'

"She opened her eyes and looked right at me when she said it, though." 'They were glazed over, but they were open.'

"What exactly were you doing in her room at night, anyway?" interjected Sayuri.

"I. . . er. . . I. . . was returning. . . a. . . a. . ." Ranma gulped visibly, "hair comb."

"A hair comb!" Both Furinkan girls were incredulous.

"Hey, I had borrowed it for part of Muu Tsu's treasure hunt. He forced me to go on a dinner date with Kuno." A chill slipped past his shoulders, and the warrior shuddered. "The best part of the night was the steak."

"He made you go on a date with Kuno. Why?"

"Well. . . that was the only way I could get the rules for the Girl's Day dance. He used to have the only copy at his house." Yuka nodded. It made sense; Principal Pina-Kunolada always read them before the Girl's Day Festival commenced.

"But didn't Nabiki have a copy?" asked Sayuri. Ranma-chan shook his head.

"Nope- well, not for a decent selling price. And even though they would've worked, Muu Tsu wanted the real thing." He paused, and then continued. "Her eyes were open. She asked me. I said yes. I'm honor bound." 'Ryouga's claim is null and void.' His blue eyes turned to Yuka, who felt the pain in them. "Until Mousse says otherwise, he's gotta to answer you. And he knows it."

Oh, no. I'm not through with our little friends yet. Just like everything else in Nerima, the Girl's Day Dance is a competition, too. There are rules. It's just not a martial arts competition. It's one of honor, sweetness, or other means that make the ends feasible. Hey, what did you expect? In Nerima, life is never simple.

I also think Hiroshi and Yuka would be cute together, but they sorta grew up together- hence Yu-Chan. You see why she almost asked him? And no, I'm not gonna say who asked him just yet.

Here it is-

You want more, you know what to do. If you have ideas, and you think you know some other Neriman Girl's Day Festival/Dance rules, leave 'em in your review. Do you like? Do you hate? Is there anyone out there?(taps on monitor) Hel-lo-o-o-o. . .