Three words. Weirdest- day- ever! I feel like there's been some cosmic joke played on me today; April Fool's Day. Let's just say it involves a pancake breakfast/ car wash, a car crash in a Wal-Mart parking lot, prom dress alterations, finally buying a new video game after much frustration, and our TV cable finally getting buried after about four years of the cable guys ignoring it. Needless to say, I've been busy today and that's why I have posted this chapter late.

GET OVER IT

"Something is going on with those two." Lotion said as she and Luffa walked through the schoolyard. "Daichi and Setsuko have both been acting weird today." There was still a little time until lunch was over and all the students were making the most of their remaining free time.

"You really are clueless aren't you?" Luffa said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Luffa just rolled her eyes and walked on ahead.

"Hey! Luffa! Tell me what's going on!" Lotion yelled after her. "Hmph. Yeah right. Like she knows why they're fighting."

Just then Lotion happened to look around and saw Daichi stumbling around not too far away, trying to avoid trees. He was looking particularly irritated. "Damn it!" She heard him yell when he finally did fall.

Lotion sighed. Looks like I'm going to have to get it straight from the horse's mouth. She walked over to where Daichi was trying to stand up. "Daichi,"

"AH!" Daichi jumped in surprise. "Oh hi Lotion!"

"What's going on with you and Setsuko?" Lotion asked.

"Uh…what do you mean?"

Lotion narrowed her eyes. "Don't give me that! You two practically attacked each other in class today! Maybe it's none of my business but I'm just concerned. People don't usually throw glass objects at each other."

Daichi couldn't think of anything to say. He couldn't possibly tell her the fight was about her. It was just too embarrassing. She'd probably think they were both just pig-headed males for treating her like a prize.

But then Aunt Kasumi's face floated into his head. Trust me Daichi. Don't wait twenty years to tell her how you feel.

"I…I…" Daichi stammered.

Lotion gave his a strange look. "Are you okay? You look like you have indigestion or something."

Daichi sighed. "I'm fine. It's just…uh…what do you think of Setsuko?"

"What do I think of Setsuko?" Lotion asked. "What does that have to do with this?"

"It doesn't! Well…not exactly….maybe…"

"So what is it then?" She said, exasperated.

"Never mind. Forget I said anything." Daichi sighed.

"Hey! Don't give me that! Something is going on with you two and I want to know what it is!"

"It's really noth-"

"I don't believe you! Why can't you just give me a straight answer?" Lotion said angrily. "It's like you're always trying to hide something!"

"I'm not! I mean…I am. But I never meant to!"

"But you're not going to tell me why you and Setsuko are fighting, are you?"

Daichi was just silent. How can I?

Lotion glared at him. "If you don't want to tell me then fine!" She started to walk away. "I guess it really doesn't matter to me anyway!"

Daichi watched her go, feeling a hundred times worse than he had on any of his training days.

AFTER SCHOOL

"Hey Makoto!" Jatsuma trotted over to her through the group of teenagers eager to get out of school as quickly as possible. Jatsuma had only just made it out to the front schoolyard himself.

"Hey." Makoto said a little stiffly. "Iikiba's in a really bad mood."

"Yeah I noticed." He said, remembering how Iikiba had marched back into class looking angry and embarrassed.

Makoto narrowed her eyes. "What did you do this time?" She asked accusingly.

"What? I didn't do anything! It was probably something you did!"

"He was angry before I meet up with him for lunch!"

"CAN YOU TWO STOP TALKING ABOUT ME LIKE I'M NOT HERE?" Iikiba yelled. He was standing right next to Makoto.

"See? Bad mood." Makoto said. Iikiba glared at her.

"I just wanted to ask if you'd seen Daichi. I can't find him anywhere." Jatsuma said.

"I haven't seen him all day."

"He was at lunch but I haven't seen him since then." Jatsuma said. "And he wasn't in gym class. I just went up to check the infirmary and he's not there either."

"That Setsuko guy was chasing him around earlier." Iikiba said, still sounding irritated.

"Yeah, I know." Jatsuma sighed. "Man, I guess I shouldn't have been picking on him."

"I knew you had done something!" Makoto shouted. "Your face has that 'I blew it' look!"

Iikiba smiled. "His face always looks like that! Heh heh."

"Har de har har. Look, I'm sure he's fine." Jatsuma's head snapped up. "See? There he is now." He pointed and Makoto and Iikiba turned around to look.

Daichi stumbled out onto the walkway coming through the trees. His clothes looked like he had just rolled out of bed and he had a dazed look on his face.

"Daichi!" Makoto yelled as they ran over to him.

Daichi looked up quickly, snapped away from his trance. "Oh, hi."

"Where have you been? We were starting to worry." Makoto said.

"I was just sitting out in the tool shed. Thinking."

"Thinking? You mean all afternoon? Did you go to any of your classes?" Jatsuma asked.

"Not since lunch. Is school over already?" Daichi asked as he looked around at the crowd.

Jatsuma, Iikiba and Makoto exchanged concerned looks. "It's been over for nearly fifteen minutes." Iikiba said.

"Daichi, are you okay? You don't look so good." Makoto said.

"Yep. I feel…like I know what I need to do."

"O-kay." Jatsuma said with a raised eyebrow. "We should probably get home."

"Just a minute. There's something I have to take care of." Daichi walked on through the crowd of students and made his way towards the front doors of the school.

"SETSUKO!" He yelled suddenly. Makoto, Iikiba and Jatsuma jumped in surprise, along with most of the bystanders who looked around to see what the yelling was about.

Setsuko also looked surprised to see Daichi, but his smug confidant look quickly returned to his face. "Come back to get your beating over with?"

"No! I came back to challenge you myself!" Daichi patted himself on the chest. "Tomorrow morning, seven thirty, right here!"

Everyone was watching them now with awed expressions on their faces.

"And whoever loses…" Daichi continued. "Forgets about Lotion."

Setsuko was silent for a second, and then he smiled. "Deal."

Iikiba, Jatsuma and Makoto all gaped at Daichi with their mouths hanging open. "Holy crap!" Jatsuma yelled.

FURTHER AHEAD IN THE STREETS OF NERIMA

"Ah-choo!" Lotion sneezed.

"You getting a cold? You've been sneezing a lot lately." Luffa said. They were walking home to the Cat Café.

"I don't know. I don't feel bad."

Luffa smiled. "Maybe someone's gossiping about you."

"Hmph. Like I believe that old wives tale." Lotion said. Luffa shrugged and they walked on in silence for a few minutes.

Lotion felt bad about getting angry at Daichi. Looking back on it now it felt like she had over reacted. If he didn't want to tell her there was probably a good reason. But something was getting to her. Daichi had asked her what she thought of Setsuko. What did that have to do with anything? Is there something about Setsuko I don't know?

LATER THAT EVENING AT THE SAOTOME HOUSEHOLD

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Akane yelled. She and Ranma were sitting at the table looking at Daichi, who had a sullen look on his face. Jatsuma, Makoto, Soun and Genma were peeking into the room from the hallway.

"You called him out in front of all those people? Do you realize how many people are going to show up to watch the fight?" Ranma asked, trying not to look proud.

"Yes, and I already feel bad enough." Daichi said.

"Daichi, you can't just treat a girl like a prize!" Akane yelled.

"She's not a prize. The challenge is whoever loses forgets her, not whoever wins gets her."

Akane narrowed her eyes. "It's the same principle. Ranma, he gets this from you, you know." She said, turning to her husband.

"What did I do?" Ranma asked.

Suddenly the sliding door to the back yard slammed open. "Nihao!" Shampoo greeted them as she walked in. "I bring your delivery!" She set the food on the table.

"What? We didn't order any-" Akane started.

"Thank you kindly." Soun said as he took the food and handed Shampoo her money.

"You better have ordered enough for everyone!" Ranma said as he tried to get a better look inside the bag.

"Buy your own!" Genma shouted.

"Shampoo, you're kind of interrupting something." Akane said.

"What I interrupting?"

"Mom's trying to talk Daichi out of a fight." Jatsuma said as took a bite of food.

"Um-hum." Makoto nodded, her mouth too full to speak. Ranma and Genma were fighting over the remaining food.

Akane sighed. "Why do I even bother?"

"This is big news." Shampoo said. "There not been big fight in many years!"

Just then Daichi stood up. "I'm going to bed." He started walking towards the door.

"Hey! You're not going anywhere!" Akane yelled.

"Listen!" Daichi turned around with an angry look on his face. "If I can't even fight Setsuko then how am I ever supposed to tell her how I feel? If I can defeat him…then maybe I can work up the courage to tell her!" He turned around quickly to walk out of the room.

"It's not your courage we're worried about." Jatsuma said as Daichi caught his foot on the carpet and tripped.

Insurance company, insurance company! Give me your answer true! (Boo hoo)