A/N: Text in double backticks, ``like this``, is spoken Chinese between the Amazons.

Ranma, a girl, sat at the table in the washitsu, staring at the television but not comprehending what was on it. She drummed her fingers on the table absentmindedly. It was getting late, and a night's sleep was the only thing separating her from the entrance exams that would make or break her entire future. She was so distracted she wasn't even bothered by being a girl.

Doubts swirled through her mind. What if she failed the exams and had to spend a year as a rōnin? She and Nabiki were already a year apart in school, and the last thing she wanted was another year in between. And what was she supposed to do in the meantime? She was depending upon a degree in order to start running the dōjō; if she failed, that was another year that the dōjō would sit empty.

And if she needed a job in the meantime, where would she go? She could never work for Uuchan. While she herself wasn't the most mature person in the world, one thing she had learned over the past couple of years was to stop figuratively cuddling up with the other girls who wanted a piece. Her relationship with Akane was probably doomed from the start, but she wasn't about to take any risks with Nabiki.

She heard a footstep and glanced over her shoulder. Speaking of Nabiki… From her view sitting on the floor, she was at eye level with Nabiki's unbelievably long legs. The nicest legs she'd ever seen. The whole time she'd been engaged to Akane, it had taken every ounce of willpower not to constantly stare. And, as it turned out, her willpower wasn't quite strong enough, as she was caught more than once. Nabiki always flashed a quick smile; back then, she didn't see any meaning in it. More recently, though, it had occurred to her that Nabiki was flirting all those times. She wondered if the girl frequently chose tiny pairs of shorts for that very purpose.

Her body wasn't the only thing he liked about her, of course. Not by a long shot. Back when Ranma was with Akane, she'd been able to tell Nabiki was cunning, but since they'd become friends, and especially since they'd been having pillow talk, she'd realized her new fiancée was very, very smart. Truly brilliant. When she was getting irritated by Nabiki's scheming, it had been easy to dismiss it as annoying, but now, she realized how much brain power was necessary to keep it up.

Nabiki sat behind her and pressed against her back, wrapping her in a hug. If the feelings of breasts pressing against her didn't do enough to make her crazy, Nabiki's bent legs meant bare thighs were exposed right under her hands. She gave them an affectionate rub, and Nabiki responded by giving her neck a gentle kiss.

"You still up?" Nabiki whispered.

"Yeah. Was thinking about the exams. Didn't figure there was a reason to even try and sleep."

"We have about seven hours until we have to get up. You should really get some sleep soon."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

Nabiki started rubbing her shoulders, and she moaned in pleasure. After a moment, she felt lips lightly sucking at her neck, and she stretched out, spreading her legs a bit while running her fingertips along Nabiki's thighs. She looked up to Nabiki's face.

"Are you really getting grabby while I'm a girl?"

Nabiki smirked. "You didn't notice the kettle I carried in here? You really were mesmerized by my body, weren't you?"

She blushed. "I guess. You have really nice legs, and those shorts you always wear around the house…" She sat up straighter. "Y'know, I was wondering about that. You caught me looking at you at least a few times when I was with Akane. Were you showing yourself off on purpose? Because it always seemed like you gave me a look when you caught me."

Nabiki giggled. "At first, I was just messing with you. Got a kick out of watching you drool over your sister's fiancée. But after we became friends, it was different. Kinda made me blush to know you were looking at me that way. And besides, I looked at you plenty, too."

"Heh, yeah, I remember. You took pictures."

She jumped at a trickle of water on the top of her head, and suddenly, he was a man again. Nabiki rubbed her hands over his chest. "Much better." She sucked on his neck once more. "C'mon, let's go upstairs and get in bed. And after some play, you can get some sleep so you're not a zombie tomorrow!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

She stood and tugged on his hand, and he got up. He turned the television off, and she lead him out of the room, switching off the lights as she passed the switch.

The next morning, Ranma, Nabiki, Akane, Kasumi, and their parents were standing at the gates to Furinkan. Ranma and Akane were about to start their first of two long days of tests, and the gravity of those tests could be seen on their faces. Ranma gave a nervous glance toward the building, then gave Nabiki a hug. "Wish me luck," he said. "I'm gonna need it."

"You'll do fine, Ranma."

"Eh, I don't know about that. I'm good at fighting and stuff, but this requires being smart, and being smart never came easy."

"We've gone through the practice tests a million times. You can probably fill out these tests in your sleep. And besides, this is the easy one. The tough practice questions were the ones for the U of Tōkyō exam that you'll take after you pass this one."

"If I pass this one…"

"Oh, come on. You've never been scared of any other challenge; quit fretting over a little test."

He rolled his eyes, but her words made sense— there wasn't a challenge he couldn't beat. At least there hadn't been so far. His parents joined in with their own words of encouragement, and at the same time, an equally nervous Akane was a few feet away, flanked by her father and Kasumi. She shivered a bit, wringing her hands.

"I'm so nervous about this," she said quietly.

"You're a very smart girl, Akane," Soun said boastfully. "If you could accomplish all of the martial arts goals you've accomplished, you can certainly beat some little test."

"It's not some little test, daddy, but thanks. I've been studying and I always did good at school. I'm probably worrying over nothing."

"You couldn't possibly do badly with your grades," Kasumi said helpfully. "You've always done so well at all of your classes."

"Thanks, sis," Akane replied. She gave both Kasumi and Soun a hug, and was then grabbed for a slightly-unexpected hug from Nabiki, who had just sent Ranma inside.

"Good luck," Nabiki said. "It's okay that you hate me. I still hope you pass."

Akane looked at her quizzically. "Th— thanks, neechan," she replied, then headed in.

Kasumi wiped a tear from her eye. "That was very nice, Nabiki," she said.

"I feel kinda bad sometimes. Even if their relationship was doomed, she loved him, and she was hurt when he ended it."

"You're right, Nabiki. But it's all for the best."

A few steps inside the walls, Akane was heading for the building, thankful that Ranma was already somewhere out of sight. She was almost certain to end up in the same room as him when they took the test, but at least she was spared having to stand right by him during the check-in process. The last thing she needed at that moment was to be put in a bad mood. She'd avoided him for the last couple of days, and planned to avoid him until the second day of the test was finished; with both of them spending their home time buried in practice tests, the test site was the only place where she may have to deal with him.

Without warning, she was grabbed from the side and yanked behind a tall bush. She momentarily felt peeved at what seemed like an ill-timed attack, only to find herself face-to-face with a smiling Ukyo. "Just wanted to wish you good luck," Ukyo said.

"Thanks," Akane replied. They kissed, lightly at first, but then more passionately, eventually ending up in a fairly hot grope-fest. Ukyo broke the kiss.

"You'd better get inside before I make you late," she said.

Akane gave the girl's rear one last squeeze, then turned to go in. She paused. "You just calmed my nerves more than you can possibly realize," she said over her shoulder.

"I thought a little playing might do that."

Akane gave a wave and headed in the building. She was in the testing room a few minutes later. Ranma had already settled near the back. She didn't even notice him, but he noticed her, looking on with some curiosity at the pinkness on the girl's cheeks.

"What's with her?" he muttered to himself. He shrugged and sat back, waiting to get his test.

Shampoo sat, shuffling restlessly. She jumped up and started pacing, as Mousse watched, curious as to what had her so jumpy. Cologne entered the area in which the were camping, and Shampoo raced up to her.

``Well?`` she said, impatience evident in her voice.

``'Well' what?`` Cologne replied, looking at her curiously. ``Son-in-law and Akane Tendo are taking their university entrance exams today.``

``So Nabiki is alone and unprotected?``

Cologne rubbed her temples, looking at Shampoo with irritation. ``Xian-Pu, don't be so eager. This is not a good time to try something. Nabiki Tendo has shown that she has connections with police. Government agencies. Considering these entrance exams were a planned event, I have no doubt that she has already secured extra protection for the time the tests will last. And besides, those tests only go on for a few hours. They will be out of there sometime in the afternoon. We would have to move in broad daylight. Remember how well that went last time?``

``Bullshit!`` She winced and grabbed her head as the old woman's staff bounced off of it.

``Don't talk back to your elders!``

``There has to be something we can do other than sit around! This waiting is driving me nuts! We've been camping out for months now! It's been weeks since our last attempt! It wasn't so bad when we had the restaurant, but if I'm spending winter outside, I want to get this over with!``

``Calm yourself, child. If you did try an attack right now, you're so angry you'd blow it out of sheer carelessness. You're better than this; I know because I'm one of the ones who trained you. You're an Amazon, and Amazons keep their wits.`` She looked over at Mousse, who was watching Shampoo's outburst like a sporting match. ``And what do you think on this subject, Mu-Tsu?``

Shampoo whirled around and stared daggers at him, as though warning him not to disagree with her.

``I'd rather be here than trying to break out of some Japanese prison. It's worth the planning.``

Shampoo was livid. ``You would say that you little kiss-ass.``

``I'd rather be a kiss-ass than a complete moron.``

Cologne stifled a laugh, looking on with mirth as Shampoo stammered at his words, seemingly on the verge of killing him. ``And that,`` the old woman said, ``is my signal to leave you two alone. I'll pray for your survival, Mu-Tsu.`` She hopped away, chuckling.

Shampoo gave him a dangerous look. ``I'm a moron, now?`` she said, her voice dangerously quiet.

``If you were smart, you wouldn't need to ask other people whether or not you're smart.``

He jumped to avoid a strike from one of Shampoo's chúi, and hopped up into the nearest tree to keep some distance. She jumped at him, and he leaped for another tree. This chase took them in several circles before Shampoo didn't make a leap to follow him.

``So…`` she called over to him. ``I guess the way you're talking means you finally figured out that I don't want you.``

``Yes,`` he called back. ``and I don't want you anymore, either. I can do way better.``

Her expression hardened.

``But as far as the government is concerned, I'm an illegal immigrant, and they'll try to arrest me for it. So the easiest thing to do right now is help you get with Ranma so we can all leave. If we have to sit and plan to finally get it done, fine. Whatever it takes to get away from you.``

She laughed with contempt. ``You can do better? Just what is a girl supposed to like in you, you blind idiot?``

``Brains. Which is more than I can say for you.``

The redness returned to her face. ``I may not be able to put Nabiki in her place,`` she growled, ``but I'll be damn sure to put you in yours! It's time you learned you place with Amazon women!``

She lunged with a yell, swinging at his head. Unfortunately, in her anger, she'd left herself open to all but the most basic attack, and Mousse had a not-so-basic attack at the ready. Specifically, when he'd leaped for the first tree, he'd grabbed a bucket of water from the ground and stashed it with his hidden weapons. As Shampoo was almost within arm's reach, her chúi raised above her head to smash the petulance out of him, he pulled the bucket out and tossed its contents directly into her path. In midair, she didn't remotely have the time or momentum to avoid it. The water hit her directly, and in a flash, she was a wet furball flying to the ground, wrapped in the clothes she'd been wearing. She landed in a heap, her chúi clattering to the ground on either side.

He hopped down and slammed the bucket over the writhing lump in the pile of clothes, then produced a large rock from his hidden stash and set it atop the inverted bucket. He knelt next to the bucket, as hisses and the sounds of claws on metal came from underneath.

``I have a plan B,`` he said to the side of the bucket. ``I'm going to ask Nabiki Tendo to get me safe passage back to China. If it means one fewer Amazon to deal with, I'm sure she'll make a deal. I'd say I'll see you back in Nyuchiezu, but I had no plans to go back there. The rest of China values men more than women; I think I'd like it better there. Enjoy yourself.``

He turned to go, then stopped and leaned close to the bucket once more.

``Ku-Lon is right. Your anger makes you do dumb things.`` The hissing and clawing increased.

He stood and stopped, a wave of emotion coming over him. He was free. No more Amazon women. No more illogical feelings for someone who didn't feel the same way. He was truly free. With a grin, he turned to run, nearly colliding with a tree in his semi-blind state. He tapped it, adjusted his glasses, grinned again, and took off in a run, heading for the city.

A couple hours later, Cologne returned from another reconnaissance trip. She looked around the empty encampment, confused. ``Xian-Pu?`` she called out. ``Mu-Tsu? Are you around?`` She jumped at the sound of a bucket rattling, and followed the source of the noise. She looked with confusion at the overturned bucket, which appeared to be atop some of Shampoo's clothes. She picked it up and an angry cat leaped out, stopping when it saw who had freed it. Cologne sighed. ``I'll heat some water,`` she said.

A few minutes later, Shampoo was back to being a person, staring straight ahead with a dark expression. Cologne looked at her in silence for a few minutes before speaking.

``Mu-Tsu defected, didn't he?``

``Yep! Treasonous jackass! I'm gonna murder that little turd! Do you know what he said to me?``

``A bunch of stuff Amazon men never say to Amazon women?``

She nodded angrily.

``The Japanese society is the opposite of the Amazon way— they value men more than women. He spent too much time here and it warped his thinking.`` She sat on a stump. ``Well, congratulations, Xian-Pu. This one's entirely upon your shoulders.``

``Me?! How is this my fault?!``

``Because you were the only person who could've kept him here. If you had treated him with just a little respect, he would've stayed by your side. And Nabiki's no moron. If he asks for assistance, there will be a price. Information, at least. She might even make him fight us. We needed his help, and now he's fighting for the other side.``

``Oh, he was nothing but dead weight. We're better off.``

Cologne rapped her on the head with her staff, harder than normal. She gave the girl an angry look. ``If you believe that, Xian-Pu, you have seriously neglected some learning you should've done. More people is always better. Even if they have no training at all, they can be used to your advantage. You have seriously hurt our chances of capturing your future husband! And if you don't get Ranma, it's your honor that's on the line. I could leave you here and go back to the village any time. This is your battle. Now start packing things. This location is no longer safe; we have to move.``

She rushed away, while a disheartened Shampoo rose and started gathering her things.

A couple days later, Kasumi was strolling down a darkened street in her neighborhood, feeling as embarrassed as she would if she were in the nude. She was going to see Doctor Tofu, but this time, she was upping her game. She'd made a trip to the mall earlier in the day, and done a little clothes shopping. She'd put together several outfits that were much more revealing than her normal attire. At that moment, she was wearing a tight-fitting pair of jeans and a white blouse, not unlike the blouses she normally wore around the house, except for its plunging neckline and lack of sleeves.

She had never dressed so provocatively in her entire life, and felt indescribably self-conscious walking in public that way. But… she wasn't getting any younger, and desperate times call for desperate measures.

She walked through the gate in the wall surrounding Tofu's clinic. She didn't see any sign of him, but the lights in and around the clinic were on, indicating it was still open. She paused at the doors, looking at her reflection in the glass. Turning sideways, she looked at how the jeans fit, rather liking what she saw. Her ego bolstered and some of her trepidation eased, and she made her way inside.

"Doctor Tofu?" she called out as she removed her shoes by the door. There was a flurry of activity from deep inside the building, and after a second, Tofu appeared, his glasses fogged.

"Oh, Kasumi! Hello! Fancy seeing you here!"

"This… is your office."

"Oh, so it is!" He laughed nervously.

She took a breath and stepped out from behind the front counter, putting her entire body in view. She smiled shyly. "I did a little clothes shopping earlier," she said, a bit of nerves audible in her voice. "Do you like the new look? I'm trying to be more stylish." She spun a slow 360, wiggling her hips ever so slightly as she was facing away from him.

Tofu stared, turned white as a sheet, and hit the floor like a ton of bricks.

"Tofu!" she shrieked, rushing to his side. He was out like a light, a little drool at the corner of his mouth. She grabbed him under the arms and tried to drag him to the nearest exam room, but didn't have the strength to move him. Frightened, she raced to the door, jumping into her shoes and rushing outside to look for help.

As luck would have it, Ranma and Nabiki were walking past at that exact moment, having gone on a late walk to dispel Ranma's post-exam nerves. She flagged them down. "Ranma!" she cried. "Nabiki! I need your help! Doctor Tofu has fainted!" They hurried after her and went inside, immediately seeing Tofu crumpled on the floor. Ranma hefted the man over his shoulder and took him into the nearest exam room, setting him gently onto the examination table inside.

It was only at that point, with the bulk of the excitement over, that anyone noticed Kasumi's unusual attire. It was Nabiki, who stared for a moment, shocked at seeing her sister dressed that way. "Uh, Kasumi?" she said. "Just what on earth are you wearing?"

At that point, Ranma turned to look, his eyes widening at the view of Kasumi's rear end stuffed into such a tight pair of pants. The older girl blushed.

"You know how I like older men. I've had my eye on Tofu for a little while. But he never seems to notice me. Every time I try to talk to him, he's just his normal goofy self. So, I thought maybe if I show myself off a little, he might take notice of me. But as soon as he saw me, he fainted."

Ranma and Nabiki stared at her, looked at each other, looked back at her, and burst into uproarious laughter in perfect unison. Kasumi looked on indignantly as the pair struggled to breathe, Ranma dropping to his knees.

"Just what is so funny? Do you think I can't attract a man?"

"Kasumi… Kasumi…" Nabiki gasped. "You don't understand. Tofu has been in love with you for years. I mean years. Probably as long as he's been our doctor. Way back when we were little girls. I can't even remember a time when he wasn't crazy about you."

The older girl was confused. "He's… Nabiki, are you sure? He always seems so aloof. It's like I'm not even there."

"He's not aloof! He loses his mind whenever you're in the room! Completely loses control! He gets so distracted he can't see straight!"

"He's not like that the rest of the time," Ranma said, fighting for composure. "When you're not around, he's totally serious. He get's goofy because of you!"

"He's just been too shy to tell you all these years! You thought you needed to work for his attention?! Hell, he'd probably marry you right now! He hasn't looked at another girl in at least ten years! And thanks to that outfit you have on right now, he never will!"

Kasumi's cheeks started to redden. "He already loves me?" she whispered. "He already wants me? I could start dating him right this second?"

"You could've dated him in when we were middle school!" Nabiki replied between giggles.

Kasumi looked at Tofu's prone form, then back at her sister and future brother-in-law. "I… think I'd like to wait for Tofu to wake up so I can talk to him. Alone, if you don't mind."

Nabiki waved a hand. "Of course, oneechan, of course. We'll leave you two alone." She stumbled out the door, with Ranma in tow, holding himself around the waist as he continued to shake with laughter.

Outside, the pair started marking their way home, where they'd been heading in the first place. Nabiki shook her head. "Can you believe that? She had no idea all this time?"

"How do you miss something like that? I had four of 'em after me and I could tell! Well, it was always hard to know what Akane was thinking, but the other three…"

"She must be as blind as Mousse." She composed herself and gave Ranma a sideways glance. "So, tell me the truth. Did she look hot like that?"

"The truth? Yes."

She looked insulted, and he jumped at her expression.

"Hey! You said to tell the truth!"

"Ranma, when a woman says to tell the truth, she really means tell her what she wants to hear."

"Damn it. Women are confusing."

"Alright, but tell me this. What was so hot about her? You've never said anything about her before."

He rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, I dunno. There's something about a girl that's real quiet and unassuming, and then turns out to be hot, y'know?"

"Is that why porn for men always has hot librarians, yanking off their glasses and letting their hair down?"

"Yes! Exactly!"

"So I don't give off that kind of vibe?"

He reddened a bit. "Nah, you're even hotter. Since you're always kinda cold and calculating, you're dangerous-hot. Y'know, like in a movie, when the bad guy is a woman, and she's evil so you're supposed to be scared of her, but at the same time you kinda want to lose to her so she'll, I dunno, punish you or something." He looked embarrassed by his own description.

Nabiki smiled. "You know, I think I like that better. Nabiki Tendo; you hate how bad you want her."

"Yeah, that's kinda how I felt when we first met."

She nudged him and they kept walking.

Back at the clinic, Kasumi was waiting by Tofu's side. He stirred and started to sit up, then seemed overcome and lay back down. Afraid of exciting him too much too quickly, she sat just out of his apparent field of vision and talked in a whisper, making a point not to touch him.

"Doctor Tofu?"

"Ka… Kasumi!"

"Tofu, don't move, you could hurt yourself. You fainted."

He nodded, and she moved to where she could see his eyes.

"Tofu, I want to talk to you about something. Nabiki and Ranma were here a bit ago, and they said you're in love with me. In fact, they said you've been in love with me for many years. Is that true?"

"I, uh…" He started to sweat.

"If you're scared to tell me, don't be. I dressed this way to attract you because I had an interest in you. I had no idea you had feelings for me, too."

His face brightened. "Kasumi, you…" He started to sit up, then grunted and lay back down. "Kasumi, you… you think about me? The way a woman thinks about a man?"

She nodded. "I've always wanted an older man. And you're very kind, and attractive. Surely you realize how handsome you are. You're everything I ever wanted in a man. I've been interested in you for some time now."

He lay back, marveling at the compliments being leveled by the woman he'd loved for such a long time.

Her expression turned nervous. "I hope you don't think less of me for dressing this way. I thought I needed to get your attention. I'm really not the type that likes to show off my body."

He turned to face her, his expression serious. "Oh, no, Kasumi, I would never think less of you! You look…" His eyes roamed her figure. "I've fantasized about you a million times, but never in my wildest dreams did I think you would look so sexy in clothes like that."

She blushed. "You like my figure?"

"I don't think I'll ever find another woman attractive as long as I live."

Believing he was no longer in precarious health, she turned a quick 360 like she had when she'd entered. He stared at her, looking amazed. Glancing down at his body, she noticed a growing bulge in his pants. Her blush deepened and she covered her mouth to hide the smile on her face. He followed her line of sight, blushed from embarrassment, and started adjusting himself. She put a hand on his arm to stop him.

"Don't be embarrassed," she said softly. "I'm flattered that I have that effect on you. Very flattered." At that moment, at the same time, they realized the physical contact going on, and the fact that he was remaining present despite it. She squeezed his arm. "Do you feel well enough to stand?" she asked.

"I think so."

He gingerly sat up, and, seeing that he didn't feel dizzy doing so, swung his legs off the table and gently stood. In doing so, he would up pressed front-to-front with her. He sucked in a breath; it was the closest he'd ever been to her. At the same time, she fought to control her hormones as the feeling of a part of him pressing against her hips started giving her thought she wasn't used to thinking.

"Kasumi, I…"

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, then brought their faces together and kissed. It only lasted for a moment, before Kasumi pulled back. She looked away shyly. "I should probably go," she whispered. "I'd love it if we could see each other again. Soon."

He clasped her hands. "I'd love to take you to dinner. Tomorrow night, if that's okay. I close the clinic at nine; I know that's late…"

She looked up at him. "It's a date." She kissed him on the cheek, then turned to go. "Goodnight, Doctor Tofu. I'm really looking forward to the future. With you in it."

She turned and padded toward the entrance, his eyes dropping to watch her as she walked away. As she made her way out the door, he rushed over to watch her through the glass. She made it to the end of the walk, turned, smiled back at him, then disappeared around the corner. He collapsed against the wall and slid to the floor.

"I can't believe it finally happened," he muttered to no one in particular.

Outside, Kasumi stopped and leaned against the wall. "I can't believe it finally happened," she said. She looked down at herself. "Traditional clothes for tomorrow," she said, "and something like this for date number two." She headed off down the street again, anxious to tell her sisters what had just happened.

A/N: I'm usually slow at updating, and bounce between the next chapters for all three of my continuing series as a means of avoiding writers' block. After poking at the next chapter of Chill Pill, I sat to put in a little work on this, and it flowed so well that the chapter was done in an hour. Even though I try to update in order, I'm not going to sit on a finished chapter, so here it is. (Even though it's faster than my updates have been, it's still been half a year. I'll get quicker at these. Eventually. I hope.)

I don't know what's going to be next, the next chapter of Chill Pill, or the next chapter of Who Hates Boys? Probably the latter; despite my efforts I've let CP turn into a Mary-Sue mess and I'm looking to quickly wrap it up for that very reason. Only a couple more chapters of that one will be coming.