I have discovered that summer break is indeed NOT the best time for writing fanfics! GASP! Supposedly you have all this 'free' time. But in reality you are carted around for a month on vacation after vacation with little time for writing. And when you do have time you're too tired and the creative juices just aren't flowing! But during the school year you're sitting there trying to writing a paper and you think "Man! I'd much rather be writing my fanfic!" so you do. (and by you I mean me.) Grr!

PE HUSTLE

"ALRIGHT! YOU SNIVALING PILES OF SNOTTY HORMONES! FALL IN LINE!" A balding man wearing a gray sweat suit with 'Bunraku High' labeled on the front stepped into the gym. Coach Oshiro was particularly irate this morning.

All this teenagers quickly scrambled into a line that had obviously been predetermined. The students that didn't belong there, like Makoto and Yuri, made their way out of the gym. Coach Oshiro glared at them until they were they were all gone, and then turned back to his students.

"Alright Maggots, as you all know there is a very important soccer game being hosted at our school tonight! We're playing the West Side Sharks in the semifinals and I won't have you mucking up my players with your prepubescent nonsense! That's why I'm taking the team to practice outside while you all run laps in here! So let's get through this roll quickly so I can get going." Coach Oshiro folded his list open and clicked a pen. "Aichi! Aomori! Arai!" He quickly called out the names and the students had to answer abruptly in order to be counted present.

"GAH!" Right then Jatsuma was thrown into the gym with Luffa and Mascara not far behind. They were entangled in some combination of fighting each other and chasing Jatsuma, causing Jatsuma to get caught up in much of the violence.

"Leave him alone!" Mascara shouted as she took hold of Jatsuma's arm.

"He doesn't want you, he wants me!" Luffa tugged at the other arm.

"Logic doesn't work Daichi! It doesn't work!" He shouted towards his brother, who was standing in line. Daichi put his face in his hand while everyone else looked on with interest.

"M- Mascara?" Iikiba stepped out of line.

"Hi Iikiba!" Mascara smiled and waved at him with one hand while holding onto Jatsuma with the other. "I've just got to get Jatsuma away from Luffa, okay?"

Iikiba's hair stood on end as if he were in dog form and he glared at Jatsuma.

"Razor! Help!" Jatsuma shouted as Razor walked into the gym, following after them.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked.

But at that moment, Luffa and Mascara were lifted off the ground and away from Jatsuma. Coach Oshiro had one girl each hand and was holding them a few inches off the ground. "Are you ladies in this class?" He asked with narrowed eyes.

"No." Luffa answered hesitantly.

"Well then," He set them down. "GET OUT OF HERE! MOVE! BEFORE I GIVE YOU DETENTION!"

Luffa and Mascara zoomed out of the gym as fast as they could go. "But I don't even go here!" Mascara cried as she ran.

"Mr. Saotome, how nice of you to join us." Coach Oshiro said as a ruffed up and beaten Jatsuma stood up from the floor. "I'll just count you tardy then. And who's this?" He turned to Razor sharply.

"I'm Razor, Sir." She answered.

"Ah yes. The new guy who thinks he can get away with playing hooky. That's an extra fifty laps for you." The Coach marked this on his sheet. "You'll find I have a low tolerance for riff raff like you Razor." He pointed his pen at her threateningly. "If you don't finish those laps I'll fail you and you'll be taking this fun class over again."

"Hmph." Razor crossed her arms and glared at him. "Fifty's nothing. Why not a hundred? Don't you want me to break a sweat?"

"Ooooh!" Someone called. All the students were staring at Razor in awe.

Oshiro's eye twitched and he smiled crookedly. "Smart mouth, huh? Fine. A hundred it is." He turned to the rest of the class. "For everyone."

The students' jaws dropped and they broke into protests. "We can't do all that!" "That's totally unfair!" "There's no way we can finish!" "We'll be killed from exhaustion!"

"Tough. Blame your new classmate." Oshiro answered them as he sneered at Razor, who was wide eyed. Then he grabbed hold of her arm and seized Jatsuma with his other hand and proceeded to drag them across the gym. "Trouble makers don't last long in this class, Razor. Remember that." He said.

"Unless they play a sport." Jatsuma muttered under his breath. Luckily Coach Oshiro didn't hear him.

"Now go ahead and get dressed. The soccer team is in there getting ready for practice and I had better not hear you were pestering them!" Oshiro shouted as he pushed them towards the locker room door.

Razor gasped and stood her ground. "S- Sir, I run just fine in these clothes! I don't need to change!"

Oshiro narrowed his eyes and leaned his face in close to her. "I don't care what you can or can't do. The uniforms are mandatory, SO GET YOUR BUTT IN THERE RIGHT NOW BOY!"

The sheer force of his voice caused Razor and Jatsuma to fall back into the locker room. Oshiro slammed the door behind them with a grunt. "You have three minutes!" He shouted through the door.

Razor stood up, more than a little frazzled, and saw than the room was indeed filled with boys changing into their soccer outfits. Athletic, teenage, half dressed boys. Razor's face turned the shade of an over ripened tomato that had been set on fire. She stiffly turned her head to stare at the wall.

Jatsuma rubbed his head and got up from the floor. "What's the matter, Razor? Aren't you in the right room?" He asked with a smirk. "You only like girls so this shouldn't bother you after all. Shouldn't it?"

"Shut up!" Razor hissed angrily, her face still red. "I- I'm just fine! This doesn't bother me in the least!"

"Hi there." One of the soccer players appeared next to them.

"EEK!" Razor squeaked before she could stop herself. The boy was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. Jatsuma snorted, trying to hold back a laugh. Razor glared at him.

The boy raised an eyebrow. "I just wanted tell you to hurry along. Coach has a really short fuse today, what with the big game tonight and all."

"We hadn't noticed." Jatsuma answered sarcastically. Razor just stared, red faced, at the floor. Jatsuma then started to make his way towards the back of the locker room. When he noticed Razor wasn't following he turned around and grabbed her wrist. "Come on."

"I can do it myself!" She snapped her hand away from him and stomped ahead through the room, making a beeline for the back wall. Several boys had to jump out of her way as she was still staring steadfastly at the ground instead of looking where she was going. Jatsuma sprinted after her.

The back of the locker room put a little distance between them and the soccer team, but it was certainly still in sight. Razor stood there awkwardly, her face inches from the wall.

"Now what, genius?" Jatsuma asked.

"I'm just not going to change." Razor huffed, her face regaining some of its normal hue. "That's all there is to it."

"Not a good idea. The last kid who refused to wear the PE uniform had to stay after school and clean the showers for a month." Jatsuma explained, disgusted at the thought. "And I am not cleaning those showers!"

"You don't have to." Razor growled with an agitated look at him. "You're not the one has to keep your gender a secret. So you can still change."

"I'm not undressing with you in here!"

Razor snorted. "Like there's anything worth seeing!"

"Alright, alright. Look, there's a very simple solution to our problem." Jatsuma said before making his way over to the towel rack and pulling out one of the large towels that were nearly as tall as him. He walked back over to the corner of the room near Razor and shut two edges of the towel into the tops of lockers on the adjacent walls. This made a small but private corner behind the towel. "There. You can change behind this thing and I can change out here."

Razor blinked. "You're helping again."

Jatsuma rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. What else is new?"

"I thought you wanted me to get caught." Razor pointed out. "This was your big plan to end my charade, remember?"

"Well I hadn't planned on being stuck in here with you! And I've had enough excitement for one day. So would you please just get back there and change your clothes before Oshiro comes in here after us?"

"I don't even have a uniform." Razor continued to protest.

"What? Didn't they give you one when you enrolled?" Jatsuma asked.

"Oh yeah." Razor remembered. "I stuffed it in my school bag which is…" She looked around for it and realized she had lost it again. "Oh man, I think I left that stupid thing back in first period."

"Geez, Razor! You're worse than me!" Jatsuma exclaimed as he slid away, putting some distance between them.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Razor demanded angrily.

Jatsuma didn't answer, but instead went over and started routing through the large laundry hamper filled with sweaty dirty gym uniforms. He pulled out a pair of shorts and a shirt he hoped were about Razor's size. "Hope Cliff doesn't miss these." He said after a look at the name on the tag.

"You want me to steal some guy's dirty gym clothes?" Razor asked with a look of disgust at the sweaty garments.

"I was just kidding!" Jatsuma answered, acting offended. "You can put them back in the hamper after gym is over." He smirked.

"Jatsuma!"

"What's the big deal? We guys do it all the time when we forget our uniforms." He waved the clothing in front of her face.

Razor gritted her teeth. "Give me those!" She hissed as she snatched the shirt and shorts away from him and stomped behind the towel.

He's such a girl. Jatsuma thought with an inner laugh before he started to remove his own school uniform to exchange it for the PE uniform, dressing perhaps more quickly than he normally would have. He was just pulling his shirt down over his head when he noticed some of the soccer players looking their way, no doubt wondering why Razor was changing behind a towel curtain.

One of the bolder looking boys said something to his friend and started walking their way, his friend not far behind. "Uh-oh." Jatsuma said.

"Uh-oh? What uh-oh? Is Oshiro here?" Razor asked fretfully.

"Relax! Everything's under control." Jatsuma whispered before turned towards the approaching soccer players. "Hey guys! What's up?" He asked with a friendly wave.

"We were just wondering if your friend was okay." The boy said, indicating the pinned up towel. "He's new, right? Still getting his bearings?"

"Uh-huh. All the way from China you know." Jatsuma agreed. Then he lowered his voice slightly. "But I wouldn't count on him coming around to dressing out here any time soon. He's not used to this kind of thing, really embarrassed him to tell you the truth."

"Well… What's the big deal? I mean, we're all guys here."

Jatsuma nodded his head. "True, true. But you see…" He lowered his voice even more and held up his hand with thumb and index finger about an inch apart. "Razor's got a wee little problem. If you know what I mean."

The boys turned wide eyed as they realized what he meant. "Oh."

Razor thumped Jatsuma over the head though the towel, sending him to the floor at the soccer players' feet. Then she stepped out fully dressed and looking livid. Apparently Cliff was a size or two larger than Razor, making the clothes look really baggy on her. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" She screeched.

"DON'T MAKE ME COME IN THERE AFTER YOU!" Oshiro's voice rang from the locker room door. Jatsuma and Razor hurried out, leaving the perturbed soccer players to ponder.

MINUTES LATER

"ONEHUNDRED LAPS! GO!" Coach Oshiro blew his whistle with such force that his ears turned red. The clumsy PE students took off running with Razor quickly taking the lead and Jatsuma not far behind.

"Hey Jatsuma!" Yukio ran up next to him. "I hear you won Luffa back. Still the king, huh?" He said with a grin of admiration. "Guess we couldn't expect any less from you." Several students running behind them murmured in agreement.

"No, you've got it all wrong." Jatsuma groaned. "I didn't want to win Luffa back! It just sort of happened that way!"

"Oh? So this was all about getting at Razor?" Yukio asked.

Jatsuma jumped back, his eyes wide with alarm. "Wha- What? What do you mean? That's absurd!"

Yukio looked confused. "You know… putting Razor down, letting him know his place." He raised an eyebrow. "What did you think I meant?"

"Uh… just that! That's what I thought you meant! That's what I was doing alright!" Jatsuma clinched his fist and grinned nervously. "Razor won't be messing with me anymore. He's knows who's boss!"

Yukio might have perused the subject if Oshiro's voice hadn't boomed across the gym right at that moment. "THE SOCCER TEAM AND I ARE HEADING OUT TO PRACTICE! KEEP RUNNING UNTIL I GET BACK!" The gym teacher shouted as he led the soccer team through the double doors leading outside to the soccer field.

Once they were gone the students took on a very different demeanor. Many slowed their run to a comfortable walk so they could chat with friends as they went. Some just stopped running altogether and went to sit on the bleachers, including Yukio. Very few tried to keep up a running pace, the key word for Daichi being 'tried'.

Daichi panted hard as he took another step and slipped over his own feet onto the floor. "Ow!" He got back up, rubbing his nose as Razor ran by. Oh man! I've been lapped! He started to run again but a soft tap on the back sent him sprawling over the floor again.

"Looks like you've been lapped, Daichi." Jatsuma said as he helped his brother to his feet.

"I can see that." Daichi grumbled.

"Why don't you just go sit down? Almost everyone else is." Jatsuma pointed to the people on the bleachers who were talking and laughing amongst themselves. "Just tell Oshiro you ran the laps."

"Can't I at least try before you encourage me to give up?" Daichi snapped before nearly falling over again. Jatsuma caught his arm to steady him. "Stupid slippery, springy gym floors!"

"There you are!" Iikiba bound towards them, looking angry. "I've been looking all over this gym for you, Jatsuma! Daichi told me what that pot crack meant! You're gonna get it for that one!" He threw a punch which Jatsuma had to jump back to dodge, and Daichi was on the floor again.

"Daichi! Do you have to tell him EVERYTHING?" Jatsuma shouted as he punted Iikiba away across the gym.

"I'm sorry, okay? He wanted to know!" Daichi tried to stand up again. "A little help here?"

Jatsuma let Daichi lean on his arm to stay balance. "Geez, would you relax? The gym floor is supposed to be better for traction."

A moment later Razor ran up behind them, having already circled the gym, and jumped on top of Jatsuma's head and bounced off to get ahead of them. "Hey!" Jatsuma shouted indignantly.

"I thought you'd be faster than this, Jatsuma." Razor called back as she continued to run on.

Jatsuma glared after her with his mouth hanging open. "I know I'm faster than YOU!" He shouted angrily as he took off after her. Without his support Daichi fell to the floor again. This can't just be a state of mind. He glared at the floorboards.

It wasn't long before Jatsuma caught up and was running next to Razor, he had had to dart through a large group of girls walking the length of the gym in a pack, but he had caught up. "H- Ha!" He panted, short of breath. "Told you!"

It was then that he noticed she had slowed down a little and he was pulling ahead. He looked back and decided to slow down also so that she was running next to him. She kept her eyes straight ahead, almost as if she hadn't notice him.

Razor was quiet for a few minutes and it made Jatsuma feel really uncomfortable. He kept pace with her and began to wonder if she just wanted to be left alone. But she was the one who had bothered him this time. What's she playing at? Jatsuma thought curiously.

"Jatsuma, why do you trust me?" Razor suddenly asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I can't figure it out! You don't agree with anything I'm doing and yet you keep trying to help! What's your deal?" She asked sternly.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Jatsuma huffed. "I don't trust you! That's why I've been keeping an eye on you!"

"But you could keep an eye on what I'm doing without getting involved!" Razor continued.

"Razor, in order to trust someone you have to understand what the heck they're trying to do! You pretending to be a guy makes absolutely no sense! How could I possibly trust you when I don't even know…well…anything! No, I do not trust you!" He explained all of this with a new wave of self-confidence. He was finally in the right again! He had every reason to distrust Razor and her intentions! That was when he noticed how angry she was.

"You're the one who makes no sense!" Razor snapped crossly before she started running much more rapidly to get ahead of Jatsuma.

"Hey! Hold on!" Jatsuma sprinted after her. "I didn't mean it as an insult!"

A second later, a large piece of gym equipment, a jumping hurdle to be exact, smacked him in the face. "THEN HOW DID YOU MEAN IT?"

"Jatsuma!" Mascara raced towards him looking concerned. "Razor, don't be so hard on him!" She shouted as she pulled Jatsuma into a hug. "He's had such a horrible ordeal with that terrible Luffa already!"

"What was that?" Luffa arrived next to them looking annoyed. "Mascara, leave him alone!"

"No! You lost fair and square!"

"Rock-paper-scissors isn't a real battle!" Luffa screeched. Mascara took a shot at her then, but Luffa blocked it and kicked her knee into Mascara's stomach while Mascara pulled on Luffa's hair.

"Ladies, please! Try to control yourselves!" Jatsuma waved his hands in a peacemaking gesture.

"Geez." Razor mumbled before turning to leave.

"Razor! Where are you going?" Jatsuma called as he followed after her.

"You are such an ass!" She spat.

"Hey, I didn't mean anything by what I said before! I just-" He was interrupted just then by Iikiba punting him away across the gym.

"See how you like it!" Iikiba laughed as his rival landed and stomped back towards him looking furious.

Jatsuma gritted his teeth angrily. "Iikiba! You-" He noticed that Razor was leaving again. "I don't have time for you!" He pushed past him to follow her.

"You'll make time!" Iikiba tried to attack him but got punted himself.

Jatsuma was near Razor now and she glared back at him. "Go away!"

"All that I am trying to say is-" Jatsuma began, but tripped mid sentence and landed on the floor. "What the?" He looked back to see Daichi lying on the floor. "Daichi! Watch where you're laying!"

Daichi glared at him. "I'll try to watch it next time." He said sarcastically.

"Jatsuma! Are you hurt?" Mascara appeared next to him. "Please try to be careful!"

"Stop that! I'll take care of him!" Luffa pushed Mascara away. "Are you okay, Jatsuma?"

"ARRGH! Leave me alone for a minute!" Jatsuma shouted.

"Stop trying to steal away Mascara!" Iikiba jumped Jatsuma from behind.

"Jatsuma!" Luffa and Mascara called at the same time. They jumped in to pull Iikiba and Jatsuma apart, but they were also fighting each other so this only caused Jatsuma to get more hurt.

Razor watched all of this from the sidelines along with all the other people in the gym, including Coach Oshiro and the soccer team who had just come back in.

"RAZOR!" Jatsuma surfaced from the tussle. "ALL I WANTED TO SAY WAS THAT I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT YOU! THAT'S ALL! GYAHHH!" He was pulled back under.

Razor sighed in exasperation and put a hand over her face.

"Now get out of here!" Luffa shouted as she and Mascara hit Iikiba away. "Sorry Iikiba!" Mascara called after him. "I still like you too!" Iikiba looked sulky.

Jatsuma and Daichi were sprawled out on the ground, apparently unconscious.

"Jatsuma, please wake up for me!" Luffa held up his head under her lap.

"No!" Mascara grabbed his arm and tried to pull him away from her.

On the sidelines of the gym Coach Oshiro was watching the skeptical with a perturbed expression. "Terrance, what am I seeing here?" He asked one of the soccer players.

"Uh…a year's worth of detentions?" He answered hesitantly.

"Those girls came out of that unscathed, while the boys were beat to a pulp." The coach observed in awe. "I think I have an idea for a pre-game cheerleading routine that those West Side Sharks will remember for years!"

Sorry I haven't replied to many (if any) of your reviews lately. I still blame summer-time laziness. Review and encourage me not to be so freaking lazy!